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 »
The Amana Colonies may be one of Iowa’s best kept secrets. Founded in 1855 by the Inspirationists, the six villages positioned a mile or two apart- and no more than an hour by ox cart- would go on to become on of the longest lived and largest communal societies in America. In 1861 the village of Homestead (known today as the place Ashton Kutcher grew up) was added to give the communities access to the railroad.
The Amana Colonies are west of Iowa City, just off Interstate 80. For a bit of “Amana Light” stop in Little Amana, just off the interstate. Here you will find two great German restaurants, a gift shop filled with amazing Amana wines, fresh meats, woolens, woodworks and crafts, the Wasserbahn Waterpark at the Holiday Inn and an Iowa original restaurant: Maid Rite.
But to really enjoy the community of villages plan a weekend.
You will want to begin in Amana (the other villages are Middle Amana, East Amana, West Amana, South Amana, High Amana) as the visitor’s center is located in the center of the village. Housed in an old corn crib and refinished by the amazing artists from the Amana Furniture and Clock Shop the exterior gives no indication of the beauty inside. Here you can rent bikes to explore the colonies, book a room at one of the many B&Bs, find out about events, get maps and information. You won’t get out of here easily; the staff are full of information and eager to share as much information as you’re willing to receive. Before you leave be sure to climb to the top and view the village from the cupola. Read More »
When you tire of the repetition of slot machines or after you’ve had your fill of partying like a rock star, take a break from the win-lose cycle of gambling and set out to explore some of Las Vegas’ other delights. For a trip down memory lane to the Sin City of yesterday, make an appointment to visit the Neon Boneyard.
The Boneyard was founded by the Neon Museum, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring the historic neon signs of Vegas’ heyday. Once the signs are refurbished, they are displayed near the Fremont Street Experience near downtown. But while they wait to be returned to their former glory, they live in the Neon Boneyard.
Historic Signs at the Neon Boneyard
By Jody at Have Kid Will Travel
“Our state fair is a great state fair…”
The Iowa State Fair is legendary: with a book, movies and musical written about it millions of visitors descend on Des Moines, Iowa every year in August for the 10 day ag-stravaganza.
Iowa State Fair Butter Cow 2008
Whether you’re coming to see the butter cow- sculpted from 550 pounds of butter- or the largest bull, to ride pulled by a soy diesel powered tractor or glide over the treetops, or to eat food on a stick, the Iowa State Fair has something for everyone.
By Carol Cain, NYCity Mama
For many years now Times Square has been known as a “must stop” tourist destination for anyone visiting New York City. It is, after all, the beating heart of New York, the host of every New Year’s Celebration, and the home of the most popular, most anticipated Broadway shows.
Times Square at Night
The Times Square area consists of the blocks between Sixth and Eighth Avenues from east to west, and West 40th and West 53rd Streets from south to north. It is the home of The Great White Way, referred as such because of the bright theater lights that shine there, and where famous theaters showcase popular performances such as Chicago, Wicked, Hair, Mamma Mia!, The Lion King, and more.
Lights of 42nd St.
One of my favorite spots for finding great deals on tickets for Broadway and off Broadway shows is the TKTS discount ticket booth located on 47th St, right in the center of Times Square. Tickets available may not always be for the big name shows (though at times one could get lucky), but the selection is pretty good and the prices can’t be beat.
The Crowd at the TKTS Booth
Kids love visiting Madam Tussauds Wax Museum, and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not on 42nd Street, and the huge Toys R Us located on 44th and Broadway. It is easy to find a lot of the big chain restaurants along 42nd St as well, such as Chevy’s and ESPN Zone. If you want to have a nice hearty brunch, for example, to the tunes of some fabulous Blues grab a table at B.B. King, where tickets are also sold for evening concerts. Or try some of the best cheesecakes in the area at Junior’s on 45th St. However, an even better selection of eateries in the area are actually found along 46th St., otherwise known as Restaurant Row. Here you will find a restaurants and bars for every palate and occasion. (But here’s a secret: One of my all time favorite restaurants is not on 46th St at all, it is actually on 52nd St, a restaurant called Victor’s Cafe, and it is the most amazing Cuban food in the area.) A short walk away towards 7th Avenue is the majestic Carnegie Hall, and a few blocks even further on 10th Ave, along the water, is The Intrepid Space Museum.
The Flight Deck of The Intrepid Museum
But if you’ve come to New York and have seen and done all of this already, it’s still worth revisiting Times Square. And that’s because just recently, NYC has implemented a program called “Green Light for Midtown” which means both areas of Times and Herald Squares (Broadway, Avenue of the Americas and 34th St) now have “pedestrian plazas” equipped with lounge chairs, free for all to use, and often times even entertainment.
People Lounging on one of the Pedestrian Plazas
This effort has completely transformed Times Square into a less-congested, seemingly less-crowded area, more pedestrian- and eco-friendly, offering a breath a fresh air and relief for everyone to enjoy. So, next time you come to NYC, make sure to see what’s new in Times Square. Grab a lounge chair, a non-alcoholic drink or coffee from the nearby Starbucks, or enjoy a lazy stroll through one of the most ever-changing and visited destinations in the world.
by Tamara Rice of The Rice Paper
The Entrance of the Aquarium of the Pacific
I’ve been to aquariums in Monterey, California and Seattle, Washington–heck, I’ve even been to Seaworld in San Diego, California. However, I truly believe the best aquarium on the West Coast is the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.
First of all, you need to know it’s in Long Beach, so no matter where you are coming from in California’s Southland (unless you are coming from the yacht parked next door) you are going to be on ugly freeways and stuck in traffic on your way there. (Some of us, truth be told, have caused four-car pileups on the 405 Freeway on our way to the aquarium–I’m just saying … )
But once you get there, the sight of the ocean takes all that stress away. (Well, not so much after the four-car pileup.) It’s not outrageously expensive–especially for kids. In fact, right now they are having special rates for their tenth anniversary.
It’s a very kid-friendly place. If I had a nickel for every time I pushed a stroller around the place, I’d be a rich woman. There’s sea life to touch (the stingrays are amazingly soft), but really the most memorable part of this aquarium–ask anyone who’s been there–are the insanely amazing creatures you will see in the aquarium’s glow-in-the-dark exhibit. Creatures who literally light up. Hold on to your kids–it’s pretty dark after all–but you will both be mesmerized.
Glow in the Dark Jellies at the Aquarium
Jellyfish at the Aquarium of the Pacific
These pictures are not from Animal Planet or stills from one of those fancy earth documentary series. These are pictures taken by a visitor at the aquarium.
Sure, he had a good camera. Still, I think they speak more highly of the place than I ever could.
The Aquarium's Finest Sea Creature
Photos by Woofiegrrl, Vihn! and mstickmanp of flickr.com
by Linda (minnemom) of Travels with Children
DuPage Children
With four young children, a lot of our outings involve children’s museums. Whether close to home or on vacation, we usually find at least one or two children’s museums along the way.
When in Chicago, we explored the DuPage Children’s Museum in the western suburb of Naperville. This sprawling hands-on museum has three floors of activities. Instead of being divided into separate galleries, the exhibit areas are grouped into more fluid “neighborhoods,” allowing siblings from one family to do different activities while remaining under the eye of one parent. Even the toddler areas are adjacent to bigger-kid activities rather than being in a separate room, and offer a variety of activities that are fun for little tots, including scaled-down versions of some of the regular exhibits.
Our kids especially enjoyed the kinetic sculpture, the building workshop, the music area, the ball blast, and the water tables. We ran out of time during our visit, so we didn’t even get to explore the second and third floors.
The museum is brightly colored and fun throughout. Windows allow natural light in many areas.
Clear directions for reaching the museum are given on its website, and there’s a Metra train station just across the parking lot.
We’d love to return to the DuPage Children’s Museum and explore some more.
Habitot Area at Minnesota Children's Museum in St. Paul
by Linda K (minnemom) of Travels with Children
As the cooler weather approaches, it’s time to start thinking about indoor places to visit. One that my kids ask to go back to, time and again, is the Minnesota Children’s Museum in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota.
There’s plenty to do at the Minnesota Children’s Museum, and it’s all interactive for kids. Check in and pay your admission, and then head up to the second floor, where you can visit the World Works gallery. This is always my kids’ favorite–the older ones love to move foam blocks on the assembly line or work the model crane, and the youngers love the water tables and bubble area. Next door is an art area, where kids can be creative with different themes and materials. Then it’s around the corner to Our World, where the kid-sized community includes a grocery store, mail route, restaurant, clinic, music studio, and a bus that the kids can “drive.”
Making a Thunderstorm at Minnesota Children's Museum in St. Paul
Upstairs there are more exhibit areas: Habitot is designed for babies and toddlers and includes diaper-changing and baby-feeding areas; Earth World allows kids to climb in a giant anthill and make their own thunderstorm; and the seasonal Rooftop Art Park allows kids to paint the rocks with water and explore nature and art while overlooking downtown St. Paul.
The museum also has two galleries that have traveling exhibits. In the past, we’ve seen Sesame Street, Curious George, and Fairy Tales, and the current offerings are Ball-0-Rama and Hmong at Heart.
Throughout the day, there are many special activities going on: story time and “big fun” on the mezzanine, music sessions, face painting, art projects, and more.
The biggest problem for visitors is good for the museum itself; it’s so popular that it’s very crowded at times. If you’re hoping to avoid crowds, don’t go on the third Sunday of the month, when admission is free. Instead, try for a Habitot Tuesday when there are no groups scheduled in the museum.
The best part about a children’s museum is that children experience their world through play and hands-on activities without realizing how much they’re learning.
Do you have a favorite children’s museum? What do you like about it?
Photo credits: minnemom
by Linda (minnemom of Travels with Children)
SPAM®. The food, that is. You may love it or hate it, but did you know there’s a museum dedicated to it? It’s a great place for a family outing, and best of all, it’s free.
To tell you the truth, I had never even tasted SPAM before we stepped foot in the SPAM Museum in Austin, Minnesota. After watching the movie about the history of SPAM, and learning about SPAM fans and SPAM conventions, and finally stepping out into the museum’s exhibit area, I was brave when the SPAM samples came out and had my first taste of SPAM.
Before I went to the museum, I didn’t know how many kinds of SPAM there were, or how many countries it was sold in, or how many cans of SPAM are sold each year. Nor did I really care. But the SPAM museum is just fun and interesting and interactive enough that all of the SPAM facts seem important.
SPAM Museum, Austin, MN
Our kids loved putting on their lab coats and pretending to make some SPAM in the Hands-On SPAM area. They loved watching the cans of SPAM on the overhead track, moving along like a train. They especially liked that I bought them each a SPAM-mobile in the gift shop. Really, how many kids have a SPAM-mobile in their Matchbox car collection?
Hands-On SPAM
If you’re driving along I-90 in Southern Minnesota, be sure to stop in at the SPAM Museum. You can get your own SPAM-mobile, learn a little about SPAM, and have some fun as well.
Have you ever been to the SPAM Museum? What did you think? Have you been to other museums created around particular products?
Read about more fun things to do in Minnesota and beyond at Travels with Children.
Photo credits: SPAM Museum by minnemom; Hands-On SPAM by minnemom
by Linda (minnemom) of Travels with Children
Like many little boys, my sons have been drawn to trains since they were babies. “Mom, can we go to the train museum?” is a question I hear often, and we’re fortunate to live in an area where we have several railroad-museum options available. If you’re in Minnesota and want a railroad-themed outing, consider these possibilities:
Luce Line Railroad Club
The Depot in Duluth
What fun places have you found to delight your train lovers, young or old?
Photo credits: Luce Line Railroad Club by minnemom, The Depot in Duluth by minnemom.
© UpTake Networks, Inc. 2009
