Dexter Sign Photo by Jody Halsted www.havekidwilltravel.com
About 30 miles west of Des Moines is the “one horse town” of Dexter. It’s a small town, easy to bypass; if you did detour through you wouldn’t think much of it.
Which would be a shame. Within this town lies history, entertainment and some of the country’s best chocolates. Let me show you around… Read More »
Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
Chicago’s Magnificent Mile Lights Festival began quite humbly 50 years ago, when Saks Fifth Avenue sold its traditional metal Christmas decorations and strung tiny white Italian lights on the branches of the elm trees in front of the store. This year, Mickey Mouse, as master of ceremonies, will lead the illumination of one million lights along North Michigan Avenue during the 18th annual Magnificent Mile Festival of Lights, scheduled for Saturday, November 21st.
The event will kick off at the Harris Stage in Pioneer Court, 401 North Michigan Avenue, with an exciting schedule of live music from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Simultaneously, a series of special events are planned along North Michigan between Wacker Drive and Oak Street. Try your hand at cake decorating at the Eli’s Cheesecake booth or have your photo taken next to the 9-foot high replica of the John Hancock Tower, made entirely from Legos. And don’t forget to stop by the Culinary Pavilion for demonstrations of some of Chicago’s most festive cuisine! Read More »
Orchard House - Home of Little Women
How would you like to step inside the setting of your favorite book and walk around in it for a while? See where the characters that you have come to know so well lived and breathed. Or get a look at the view the author had while creating those very same characters that you hold near and dear. If you stop for a visit at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House you can do all of that and more.
Nestled on the shores of Lake Sakakawea, south of Ray, North Dakota, and east of Williston, Lund’s Landing offers a lodge, camping, and fishing on the big lake.
When I headed to Lund’s Landing, however, I wasn’t there to stay, and I wasn’t there to fish. I wasn’t even there for the birding, although we did walk along the birding paths before we left.
I was there for the pie. Read More »
Of course, the major draw of Granville Island, at least for my kids, was the opportunity to take a water taxi from downtown ($3 for adults, kids 1/2 price). For me, the major draw was the opportunity to visit the Public Market.
Taking the Water Taxi to Granville Island
Bok Carillon Bell Tower
The animals at Bok Tower Gardens are fearless. Squirrels chuckle and scold guests who stroll the park’s winding paths. Mockingbirds serenade from low branches. Gigantic weaver spiders tense in the center of low-strung webs, patiently awaiting prey. Even the resident swans swim right up, hoping to steal fish food pellets meant for giant carp thrashing in the pond. Somehow, the animals know they are protected here.
This exquisite garden was created by Edward W. Bok, a Dutch immigrant and humanitarian who came to the U.S. at the age of six. In 1889, Bok became the editor of the Ladies Home Journal, a position he would hold for the next 30 years. During visits to his Florida winter home in the 1920’s, Bok witnessed the beauty and dramatic sunsets of Iron Mountain, the highest point in peninsular Florida. Awed by the tranquility of the area, he purchased the land and commissioned renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead Jr. to create a stunning garden that would become a haven for native birds, plants and wildlife. Bok worked closely with Olmstead through the design process and after giving his final stamp of approval, left to tour Europe. Seeing the carillon towers in his native Netherlands, he was inspired to build a carillon atop Iron Mountain within the sanctuary already being constructed. Read More »
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Nestled between two of Canada’s most beautiful national Parks, Jasper National Park and Elk Island, Edmonton Canada’s sixth-largest metropolitan city and is the second largest city in Albert, second only to Calgary. Just over 780,000 people call this beautiful city home, and it’s no surprise why – there is plenty to see and do in Edmonton! Whether you’re stopping by for a weekend or a week, check out some of the following sights to get a flavor of what Edmonton has to offer.
Dakota Dinosaur Museum, Dickinson, ND
A dinosaur museum? In North Dakota? Yes, you read that right. Dickinson, North Dakota, is home to the Dakota Dinosaur Museum. The exhibits at the Dakota Dinosaur Museum include both real skeletons and casts, as well as fossil and geology displays. It includes a full triceratops skeleton, which is considered one of the best ever found.
Triceratops Skull
This is not so much a “Hey, kids, let’s go have fun with the dinosaurs!” type of musem as it is a scientific collection. In fact, the museum consists entirely of pieces owned by one couple, Larry and Alice League, who have been collecting specimens from all over the world for more than forty years. The Dakota Dinosaur Museum opened in Dickinson in 1994 to share the Leagues’ collection with the public.
Exhibit Explanation
While most of the museum is kept quiet and the exhibits are kept behind railings, the Dakota Dinosaur Museum does include a small children’s corner, consisting primarily of books, and there is a “please touch” table in the entryway. The museum shop includes gifts for dinosaur and fossil enthusiasts of all ages.
Please Touch Table at Dakota Dinosaur Museum
200 E. Museum Drive, Dickinson, ND 58601
701-225-3466
Open May 1-Labor Day, 9-5
$7.00 – Adult
$6.00 – Senior
$4.00 – 3-12 years
Photo credits: minnemom on flickr
Linda (minnemom) writes about family travel at Travels with Children.
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One of the best days on our recent trip was spent biking along the seawall and through Stanley Park. We rented bikes from Reckless Bikes in Yale Town and rode up along Sunset Beach and English Bay, into Stanley Park, and back around along Coal Harbor.
Riding around Coal Harbour Quay
On the morning of May 25, 1539, Hernando de Soto sailed into what is now Tampa Bay, Florida. On the shore where the town of Safety Harbor now stands he discovered natural mineral springs that were revered by the local Indians, perhaps leading him to name the area Espiritu Santo (Holy Spirit). De Soto spent four years searching fruitlessly for gold and silver across the southeast, in the process spreading diseases like smallpox and typhoid fever that wiped out the indigenous tribes. Today, only shell middens – huge mounds composed of discarded oyster shells – remain to tell of civilizations that inhabited the area as far back as 20,000 BC.
Safety Harbor Museum
While de Soto may not have found the precious metals he so desperately sought, excavations of the mounds, as well as trenches dug to install utility lines and build home foundations, have yielded a modern day treasure trove. Prehistoric arrowheads, stone scrapers and knives, and partial skeletons of now extinct species like the woolly Read More »
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