Attractions

Amsterdam

So much of the history and culture of a place can be found in its museums.  If you’re thinking of a visit to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, these museums may be part of your itinerary.  For more information on Amsterdam’s museums, see Visit Holland’s Amsterdam Museums page.

• Art:  Van Gogh Museum has the largest Van Gogh collection in the world, or see the Rembrandt Huis with its collection of Rembrandt etchings.
• The Holocaust: Anne Frank Huis tells the story of Holocaust victim Anne Frank.
• Past Civilizations: Allard Pierson Museum, which features exhibits on Egyptian mummies, pyramids and more, or Bijbels Museum, with Bibles and religious objects as well as archeological pieces.
• Science and Nature:  Artis includes a zoo, botanical gardens, planetarium, and more, and Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam has historic botanical gardens.
• Amsterdam History: Amsterdams Historisch Museum, with its permanent collections of city history as well as traveling exhibits, or the Houseboatmuseum, which tells the story of the people who live in Amsterdam’s house boats.

Whatever you’re interested in, Amsterdam has a museum for you.

Photo credit: hiddedevries on flickr

Linda (minnemom) writes about family travel at Travels with Children.

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Last Monday, workers removed the scaffolding off the entrance of the Athens Acropolis, the successful culmination of a marathon 9-year restoration project.

The New Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece

The $9.3 billion Propylaea restoration project involved the dismantling and reassembly of 600 tons of blocks, in order to take out metal pins used by some pinheads during an earlier restoration attempt.

The project is part of an on-going effort to preserve the most important structures of the Acropolis, built in the 5th century BC, during Athens’ Golden Age of Democracy. The restoration work on the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena Nike is scheduled for completion in 2010.

The renewed interest in the Acropolis as one of the foremost tourist attractions in the world has also contributed to the buzz surrounding the opening of the New Acropolis Museum – an incongruous structure of glass and concrete which has managed to live up to the awesome task of serving as a museum to display the heritage of the Gods.

In a sure sign that the Goddess Athena – protector of Athens, approves of the museum being built on her abode, the museum was coincidentally selected to be built on top of a 5000 year old settlement, and when the site below was uncovered, it was left untouched. Visitors can now look down on the archaeological excavation below through the glass floor of the museum.

Take a virtual tour of the New Acropolis Museum here, and if you’re looking for a hotel in Athens with a view of the Acropolis, head straight for the Athens Marriott Ledra.

Photo by nenyaki

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Trail of Florida's Indian Heritage

When the Spanish arrived in the early 1500’s, it is estimated that up to 300,000 indigenous people occupied Florida. These Indian cultures were powerful chiefdom societies that built villages characterized by temple mounds, burial mounds, and middens (trash heaps). After contact by Ponce de Leon, Hernando de Soto, and other explorers, the natives endured decades of stress from warfare, starvation, and diseases such as smallpox and measles. With no natural immunity, disease initially wiped out up to 95% of the native population; within 150 years, virtually all indigenous people were gone from Florida. The few remaining Native Americans eventually merged to become the present day Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes.

Although long gone, the original natives left behind a wealth of evidence that their civilizations flourished. Today, the non-profit Trail of Florida’s Indian Heritage has created a network of archaeological sites, museums and heritage interpreters committed to responsible site visitation and public education of Florida’s Indian heritage. This network encompasses 28 sites across the State, including the following:

The Museum of Florida History, Tallahassee (panhandle)

Collections include 19th century lithographic prints of Native America leaders in Florida, Seminole and Miccosukee patchwork clothing, traditional arts and crafts such as dolls and wood carvings, and 20th century ceremonial artifacts.

Mount Royal Mound

Mount Royal Archaeological Site, Welaka (NE Florida)

Site of native American burial ground, earthworks, a village, and evidence of a Spanish mission. Excavations have turned up embossed copper breast plate, polished stone tools, pearl and shell beads, and decorated ceramic vessels. Read More »

Science Gallery at The Manitoba Museum

I’ve written about other Winnipeg attractions, such as Assiniboine Park and Zoo, Lower Fort Garry, and the Western Canada Aviation Museum, but that’s not all there is to do in Winnipeg.  Those interested in natural history or hands-on science shouldn’t miss The Manitoba Museum.

The Manitoba Museum consists of primary galleries relating to the history, geography, and culture of the area, as well as a planetarium and science gallery.  Admission can be purchased for separate areas or bundled together to see the entire museum.  When we visited with our young children, the Science Gallery was our destination, although I would have loved to have shown my children the Nonsuch ship replica I remembered from childhood. Read More »

Rick Treworgy purchased his first beat-up old car at the age of 16. Back then, it was all he could afford; at the time he had no idea that classic cars would become a lifelong obsession. He restored that first car and sold it for a profit, then repeated the process because he enjoyed the work and it provided him with good pocket money. But somewhere along the line, Treworgy stopped selling and began collecting the vehicles he restored, becoming especially enamored with mid-60’s to early 70’s General Motors muscle cars.

Gorgeous grillework on an old Chevy

For years, his successful real estate and development company subsidized the expensive hobby. Now 60, Treworgy still oversees operations in his firm, but these days he is more likely to be found in a small office at the rear of the old WalMart in Punta Gorda, Florida that he recently purchased and converted into 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 »

At $10, $15, or more – adult admission to the Shedd Aquarium in nearly $25! –  visiting several of Chicago’s great museums can really take a toll on your budget. If you plan on going to more than one during your stay in the Windy City, it makes financial sense to look into one of the city’s multi-attraction passes. There are two options.

Field Museum

Read More »

Museum admission fees can range from a nominal donation of a few bucks, to over $20 per person. For families, that can really add up. But on Saturday, September 26th, hundreds of museums across the US will offer free admission, as part of Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day. To take part, you’ll need to register on the Smithsonian website and then print out your free admission card, which will get you and a friend into the museum of your choice absolutely free.

To find out which museums near you are participating in the promotion, just head over to the Smithsonian website, where you can search by location, browse by state, or view the complete alphabetical list of the hundreds of museums taking part in the day. Some of the museums include the San Diego Air and Space Museum, The Museum of Flight in Seattle, The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, and the Woodrow Wilson House in Washington, DC. A small portion of the museums will be closed on September 26th – for those, the offer is valid the following day, September 27th. Smithsonian Museums in DC will be free as always.

One pass may be used per household and you can only use it once for the promotion. The pass is only good for general admission and does not include special exhibits

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

Key West has always attracted characters. From early settlers who salvaged goods off sunken vessels to present day drifters who exist on tips from their nightly acrobatic and juggling performances at the Sunset Celebration, this tiny island seems to welcome all manner of souls. While this wealth of local color ensures Key West will always be a popular tourist destination (where else can you see a half naked man riding down the main drag on a motorcycle, with a cat sitting on his head?) it has another effect: Key West has attracted some of the world’s greatest writers.

With no slight intended to Robert Frost, Tennessee Williams, Thornton Wilder, Gloria Swanson, or Sally Rand – all famous authors who lived or spent time in Key West – Ernest Hemingway was undoubtedly the island’s most famous resident writer. Hemingway ended up in Key West by accident. During a trip between Cuba and the U.S., he stopped in Key West to pick up a new Ford Roadster that his wife’s wealthy uncle had purchased for them. The car had not yet arrived and the Ford dealership insisted the couple stay in the apartment above the showroom while waiting for it. By the time the Roadster arrived, Key West had charmed Ernest.

Ernest Hemingway historic house and museum, Key West

The Hemingways purchased a home and settled into island life. Ernest spent mornings writing and afternoons at Sloppy Joe’s Saloon, chumming it up with the locals. Evenings, he retired to his private studio above the old coach house to record the stories he’d heard while perched on his favorite bar stool. From from wealthy merchants to down-on-their-luck fishermen and wreckers, Hemingways books are filled with Key West characters. His contentment was so great in Key West that more than half of his published novels were written during the ten years he resided on the island.

Hemingway's master suite is furnished in the heavy Spanish mediterranean furniture he so loved

Today the historic residence has been converted into the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. The house and grounds provide a fascinating glimpse into the life of the author – visitors are allowed to wander through rooms filled with his collection of hand-carved Spanish furniture, peer into the studio where he wrote “For Whom The Bell Tolls,” and roam perfectly manicured yards in search of one of the six-toed cats descended from a single six-toed feline gifted to Hemingway by a local sea captain.

Hemingway's studio, where he wrote more than half of his published novels

Hemingway’s House is located at 907 Whitehead Street, in the center of Old Town Key West. Admission is $12 for adults and $6 for children (under six free).

Photos courtesy of Barbara Weibel

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

Most visitors to the Florida Keys are focused on coral reefs, coconut palms, and turquoise water. But there is another side of the Keys that is worth discovering – the natural woodland hammocks, thatch palm hammocks, and mangrove forests that used to cover the islands. These precious ecosystems are not as prevalent as in years past because to a large degree they have been leveled and developed. Luckily, visitors can still experience these precious natural environments at the Crane Point Museum and Nature Center.

Hardwoods and thatch palms border the narrow leaf-carpeted trails that traverse the hammock

Evidence of human use at Crane Point dates back more than seven hundred years but the first documented permanent settlers were George and Olivia Adderley, who came to Florida from the Bahamas in the 1890’s. They purchased 32 acres and constructed a classic Bahamian home of Tabby, a concrete like material made of burned conch and other shells. The Adderley’s lived on the site from 1902 until 1949, eking out an existence by selling turtles they caught, sponges they harvested, and charcoal they made from abundant buttonwood. For food they grew root vegetables, pigeon peas, and fruit trees.

George and Olivia Adderley constructe a classic Bahamian home of Tabby

After living off the land for nearly half a century, George Adderley sold his property to Francis and Mary Crane, after whom the site was named. The Cranes built a modern house on the property, locating it at the water’s edge on the parcel’s most remote point. As conservationists and horticulturists, they worked tirelessly to preserve the hammock until they sold it in 1970. Before long a complex of private homes and a shopping mall were proposed for the site. Thankfully, the Florida Keys Land Trust acquired the land and preserved it for future generations.

Giant weaver spider catches a bee in its giant web

Today Crane Point offers several miles of self-guiding trails where visitors can learn about some of the 160 species of native plants found in the hammock. The facility also includes a Museum of Natural History; the Marathon Wild Bird Rescue Center; the historic Adderley House; the Cracker House, where visitors can observe native snakes, purple pincher crabs, and an observational bee hive exhibit; and a childrens’ activity center. The museum and nature center is located in Marathon, and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Photos by Barbara Weibel