Attractions

Fanshawe Pioneer Village in London, Ontario, Canada

London, Ontario is one of Canada’s most charming destinations. London has many worthwhile attractions and things to do year-round; the challenge is choosing between activities if you’re short on time! London, Ontario is smack in the middle of Ontario’s Shakespeare County, and as the name implies, you will find lovely, old-world style streets, quaint shops and a thriving performing arts and cultural scene. The next time you’re in London, Ontario, be sure to check out some of the following – if you’re a history buff, you’ll be especially thrilled:

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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.

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I am not sure what you think of when you first think of New York City, but for me, when I am away from my beloved city there are two things I miss: Central Park and the performing arts scene.

I’ve talked a little bit about it here before; the lights of Times Square, the beauty of the rows of theaters hosting the latest, greatest shows.  I’ve talked about ways to take advantage of ticket sales and discounts, whether it be through TKTS or with seasonal sales and offers like the ones that can be had now through November with the Seasons of Savings.

But Times Square isn’t the only great place to catch a good show.  Take the train (or cab) a little further uptown and you will come upon the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts.

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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 »

My husband has been wanting to take a road trip with the family fo’evah. Yup, that’s how we hard core New Yorkers say it. Another thing about us hard core New Yorkers: we don’t take road trips…to far away lands…like the Rocky Mountains and beyond.  Nope.  We fly.

But, when you are a member of a family of five, it seems that road trips become the way to go, no matter where you are from.  So we ventured out on our trip, and saw several great places,  and the one place I was eager to see was Yellowstone National Park. I have always heard it’s a wonderful place to visit, especially with kids and that it is beautiful. And when we arrived there I could see that all of that was true.

We did several things while in Yellowstone.  We skipped pebbles on the lake, we camped, we saw caribou and buffalo, we even went for hikes.  But it was the scenery in Yellowstone that really made the trip wonderful. First let me just say, that to get from the East entrance of the park to the West entrance it took us about 2 hours.  It is, of course, huge.

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Imagine that you’re in a place where cars roll uphill and water flows the wrong way.  You just may have found yourself at Gravity Hill, near New Paris, Pennsylvania.

Photo taken out the windshield as the car is backing up Gravity Hill in neutral.

By following the detailed directions to Gravity Hill and putting your vehicle in park, you too can experience the excitement as your car starts to roll uphill.  You’ll look at each other, dumbfounded, and then try the second spot just down the road, only to have it happen all over again.

“How is this possible?”  “It can’t be!”  “We were rolling uphill!”

Yes, it’s strange, it’s incredible, it’s unbelievable. Read More »

When we visited Philadelphia’s historic section with four young kids, it was hard to guess which things the kids would like and which would be, well, boring for them.  Even kids who like history like to have it be interesting.  It turns out that Franklin Court was one of our favorite stops of the day.

The photos I’d seen of Franklin Court were strange, showing a huge metal frame of a house, and descriptions of an underground museum were hard for me to picture.  Once we arrived, however, it all made sense.

The big metal frame is indeed there, indicating the place where Benjamin Franklin’s house stood.  Around the courtyard that contains the house frame are the museum entrance, print shop, and post office.

The museum is indeed underground, with a long ramp in the hallway from the outside entrance.  It is run by the National Park Service, and rangers are on hand to answer your questions.  We got there just in time for a movie about Benjamin Franklin’s life, which was interesting and informative for all of us.  I hadn’t realized just how much time Ben Franklin had spent away from his wife and family in order to serve the United States.

From the museum, we moved to the printing office, where a park ranger gave a demonstration of a printing press like Franklin would have used.  Many of Ben Franklin’s sayings were posted on the walls.  We enjoyed watching the printer in action.

Next door, Benjamin Franklin’s early post office still stands.  Upstairs is a postal museum, which is a series of displays on the walls, but downstairs is a working post office.  We had purchased postcards earlier in the day, and addressed one to each of the kids to be postmarked and sent from the post office.  It’s a special remembrance of our trip.

If you visit Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, don’t miss Franklin Court.  It was one of the highlights of our day.

Photo credits:  minnemom on flickr

Linda (minnemom) and her family braved a 17-day, 3700-mile winter roadtrip to Philadelphia.
She writes of her family vacations at Travels with Children.

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Medora, North Dakota, in the North Dakota Badlands and at the edge of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, is North Dakota’s top tourist attraction.  With a musical variety show, the national park, a golf course, and many shopping and eating choices, Medora has a lot to offer visitors.

The history of the area can be seen in several museums in town, and at the Chateau de Mores State Historic Site on the edge of Medora.

The Chateau de Mores was the summer “cabin” of the Marquis de Mores and and his family.  Its 26 rooms were built in 1883 and showcase many of the family’s original belongings.  Among the Chateau’s famous frontier guests was Theodore Roosevelt, who frequented the Medora area. Read More »

Southeastern Minnesota is home to many caves.  A few years ago, my husband and I visited Niagara Cave near Harmony, MN.  It was beautiful, but one of the things I remember most was the number of stairs we had to climb during the tour.

When I took the kids to Historic Forestville, down the road from Harmony at Preston, and they asked to go to Mystery Cave, I hesitated, not knowing how one mom with four kids would do on a cave tour.  We learned the easy way that Mystery Cave is great for families.

Although both are in Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park, Mystery Cave is a few miles away from Historic Forestville.  A modern visitor center at the cave area welcomes visitors.  We paid our admission, and since we had forgotten our sweatshirts for the 48-degree cave weather, the ranger offered us jackets to wear during the tour.  Strollers are permitted in the cave, although backpack carriers are not.  If you’ve forgotten your stroller, they’ll loan you one of those as well.

The paths inside the cave are wide and level and well-lit.  There was only one spot where I had to leave the stroller behind temporarily; otherwise it was easy pushing throughout the tour.

Mystery Cave tours are led by state park rangers, and are more scientifically based than the touristy Niagara Cave.  We learned about stalactites and stalagmites and “cave bacon” and other formations in the cave.  My kids were captivated by the tour and appreciated the opportunity to ask questions of the knowledgeable ranger.

The basic Mystery Cave tour lasts for one hour; if you’re more adventurous, they have longer tours available periodically that go deeper into the cave.

If you have to wait for your tour to start, there’s plenty of room to roam, including a picturesque bridge across the creek near the cave.

Visiting Mystery Cave

$10, ages 13 and over
$6, ages 5-12
Free, ages 4 and under

A state park permit ($5 daily or $25 annually) is also required to enter the park.

21071 County 118
Preston, MN 55965

Main Park:(507) 352-5111, Mystery Cave (507) 937-3251

Photo credits:  minnemom on flickr.

Linda (minnemom) writes about family travel in Minnesota and beyond at Travels with Children.

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