Attractions

Netherlands is no slouch when it comes to being progressive and liberal. After all, Copenhagen just finished hosting the UN Climate Change Conference (COP15), and Amsterdam is famed for it’s coffee houses where you can smoke pot and the Red Light District where prostitutes advertise themselves in storefront window displays.

Johan's Ark

So it is a bit of a contrast to also find a major creationist attraction like the Biblical (Bijbels) Museum in Amsterdam competing for attention with the Museum of Sex. Even more surprising to find a giant scaled replica of Noah’s Ark navigating canals like a traveling zoo.

Biblical Museum – Located in two historic buildings from 1662 on the Herengracht canal in Amsterdam, the Biblical Museum explains how the Bible has influenced Dutch culture, and brings the stories in the Bible to life using artefacts from ancient Egypt, centuries-old models of the temple of Solomon and Herod, and religious objects from the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Theres a 19th-century model of the Tabernacle, and a model of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem which explains the significance of this sacred place in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Visitor info   

Johan’s Ark - After dreaming about Netherlands getting flooded, Dutch creationist Johan Huibers started building a replica of Noah’s Ark in 2005. He wanted to it to be of the exact same size, but because he wanted it to be able to navigate the canals, the size of the Ark was halved.

So now you have Johan’s Ark, 150 cubits in length and 3 storeys tall, containing lifesize giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras and bison. There’s also a 50-seat theater inside the Ark. Since it’s opening in Schagen in April 2007, the Ark has traveled to 11 cities, attracting 430,000 visitors.

Johan’s Ark is now berthed in Harderwijk, where it stays through the New Year and until Jan 30, 2010. Visitor info

Photo by Ceinturion

Union Station, Kansas City Photo by Jody Halsted

Walking in to Kansas City’s Union Station is like taking a step back in time to the gilded age of rail transit.

Union Station was built in 1914 and in 1917 almost 80,000 trains came through the station.  The 850,000 square foot facility originally had 900 rooms and a glance at the ceilings gives you an idea of the grandeur that greeted travelers in the early 20th century. Read More »

Some might remember the Franklin Institute from the movie “National Treasure,” where a young boy goes into the foyer and copies down letters of a code from under the statue of a Benjamin Franklin statue.  While the Franklin statue is indeed impressive, there’s much, much more to see and do at the Franklin Institute.

Health Exhibit at Franklin Institute

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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 »

Hockey Hall of Fame

Right now the MLB Playoffs are in full swing, the NFL has a month under its belt and NCAA Football is well underway. Amongst all of that you may have missed the fact that the NHL season just began again. Hockey is struggling to gain a larger share of the sports spotlight again, and perhaps one of the reasons they have trouble drawing fans is that they make it nearly impossible to find the entrance to their Hall of Fame.

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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 »

Sculptures at City Garden, St. Louis, Missouri Photo by Jody Halsted, www.havekidwilltravel.com

Let me begin with this statement: I do not understand art.  Anything modern is lost on me.  If I can’t look at it and know what it is, well, it’s not really my cup of tea.

So when we stopped by the new City Garden in St. Louis I wasn’t sure what to expect.  But the layout of the park along with the fun water features and the fact that the art isn’t only art but is meant to be played on and around, to be experienced.  And that I can understand.

The City Garden is within walking distance of one of the Midwest’s most recognizable landmarks- the Gateway Arch – and many downtown hotels.

City Garden is meant to be enjoyed by everyone.  Paths meander through more than a hundred different species of flora and fauna.  Fountains and pools are made to splash in.  The art is meant to be climbed upon, around or in to.

If you are really into the art you can pick up a map at the garden (or download it here) and get detailed information about every sculpture.  Our personal favorites were the unnamed rabbits in the top left of my collage and Eros Bendato (top center), a large head that he kids crawled around inside of.

If you get hungry the Terrace View Cafe is open Monday through Thursday – 7 am to 7 pm, Friday through Saturday – 7 am to 10 pm, closed on Sunday, and serves fresh regional cuisine.  Reservations are recommended for groups of six or more: (314) 436-8855.

City Garden is an amazingly tranquil spot not far from the busiest part of St. Louis.  It’s a wonderful retreat whether you are visiting St. Louis or you live there.  City Garden is free and open every day from sunrise until 10pm.

If you go be sure to find the “hidden” music spot near the Pinocchio sculpture. It’s not on the map but is well worth tracking down.

Jody Halsted writes about travels with her family at Have Kid Will Travel.

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

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Jackie Robinson Exhibit in the Baseball Hall of Fame

Strolling down Main Street in the village of Cooperstown is a bit like going back in time. You feel transplanted to the days when people walked to town to take care of their errands and visited with neighbors along the way. And kids would ride by, unscheduled and unsupervised, with baseball cards in their bicycle spokes. You can buy those same baseball cards in collectors’ shops on Main Street or you can head down a few more blocks to the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum and see displays of them and other treasures while learning all about the history of the game.

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Irène Némirovsky, 1938 (Courtesy Irène Némirovsky Archive/IMEC — All rights reserved)

By Molly G. @ The Bumbles Blog

Irène Némirovsky was a woman running out of time. And she sensed it. While being a witness to the German invasion and subsequent occupation of France, she created the beginnings of an incredibly written novel capturing what she saw. But no one knew about it or had the privilege to read it for over 60 years.

The reason her desired epic was never completed was because she was sent to Auschwitz for being Jewish where she died shortly after arriving. The reason it wasn’t discovered until recently is that her daughter didn’t know the manuscript was under her nose her entire life.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City has a special exhibit devoted to Némirovsky and her unfinished novel, Suite Française, running through 08/30/09. It tells the story of Read More »