Tag: family fun vacations

Categories
Tips USA

Back to the basics: hone your primitive skills at a Knap-in

Looking for a unique way to teach your kids about the past? Enjoy taking the family to living history museums?

Keep an eye out on your travels for events called “Knap-ins” or “primitive arts festivals,” where your kids can revel in their inner Sacajawea or Daniel Boone.

Similar to reenactments or battlefield encampments, a Knap-in brings together many enthusiasts who enjoy re-creating the daily lives, dress and meals of people who lived long ago (the term Knap-in is derived from the ancient practice of knapping flint into tools.)

Other primitive skills include hand-beading of cloth and skins, tracking animals, herbal medicine, knot-tying, making fires with friction tools and creating basic musical instruments. There are usually vendors and artists at a Knap-in selling such items, either already made or sometimes in kits to take home.

Children can learn a lot in one day about basic skills and tools that kept our ancestors alive.

We attended a Knap-in at beautiful Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park in north central Florida; look for such events January-April in many warm weather/Deep South US states, to avoid searing heat and bugs.

The big winner for my son was a chance to work with a costumed reenactor to learn how to throw an ancient spearing weapon, the atlatl (there’s even a World Atlatl Association for mega-enthusiasts.)

I found a few calendars for scheduled Knap-in events, and also take a look at your regional or state tourism events Website as well for possible announcements.

***  Directory of Primitive Living Skills Gatherings and Knap-ins of North America
***  Eskimo.com Upcoming Knap-ins
***  Missouri Trading Company Calendar of Events

Categories
Texas USA

A day out with kids in Austin, Texas

I don’t know about you, but lack of time and cash flow have both combined to really crimp the ol’ travel plans this winter.  Too bad, because you can find lots of bargains in January and February, when many places are in the off-season and people are busy cocoon-ing in their houses.

This past weekend, we had a nice Saturday in downtown Austin, Texas, and even though it wasn’t a “trip” per se, it was at least a day out of the house despite rather crummy weather.

Our main reason for heading downtown was a summer camp fair sponsored by Austin Family Magazine. Yes, it’s already time to think about summer camp options, and we wanted to get on the ball because I’ll quite cheerfully admit that we blow it every year and my kids tend to end up in front of video games instead of leaping into some Hill Country lake, as they should be doing during a sweltering Texas summer.

If we hadn’t gone to the fair, we still might have had some fun at the excellent Austin Children’s Museum or maybe the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, which has three floors of exhibits and a popular IMAX theater.

The Texas Capitol is also in Austin and is always good for a stroll, especially when the Legislature is in session. There’s a good Visitor’s Center to get you started.

We also keep meaning to check out the O. Henry House (the famous author lived in Austin for awhile) but I particularly want to take the family to see the annual O. Henry Pun-Off, held every May. My Sainted Husband and son adore puns!

As for our personal excursion, once we finished at the camp fair, we drove over to Zilker Park to see if anyone was swimming at Barton Springs, a lovely freshwater spring pool that is open year-round, with a constant 68 degree F water temperature.

That means that on a 45 degree day, the water feels positively balmy, and we watched a couple of lap swimmers motoring through the 3 acres of clear spring water.

(We also needed to make a bathroom call for the kids. Don’t they ever go at a convenient time?)

After admiring a nice view of the Austin skyline from Zilker, we headed back down Barton Springs Road to find some dinner. Local Tex-Mex joint Chuy’s is a perennial hit (the downtown location has a room with the entire ceiling covered in car hubcaps) but I was feeling burger-y so we went to Hut’s on Sixth Street.

It’s been around forever and serves up excellent burgers, fries and humongous onion rings. The waitstaff is friendly and efficient, and there are lots of kids.

We wanted a reasonably quick turnaround, because we were wrapping up the day at the venerable Paramount Theater on Congress Avenue – they were playing a beautifully restored 70 mm version of the movie West Side Story, on a big screen, the way it was meant to be seen. My nine-year-old son likes music and dance, and he loved it.

The Paramount has a popular summer film series that’s a don’t-miss here in Austin, but they play special movies throughout the year plus lots of superb live performances, many quite family-friendly. The theater’s Executive Director even writes an excellent blog, Off-Stage with Ken Stein.

My Dad went to the Paramount as a child, and he always comments that his first movie there was Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, which apparently scared the daylights out of him.

I promise future Austin and Texas highlights, as we continue to travel close to home. Let me know if you have any particular requests.

Categories
USA

Getting nautical at Nauticus in Norfolk, Virginia

Nauticus National Maritime Center in Norfolk, VirginiaThe Nauticus National Maritime Center in downtown Norfolk, Virginia is a family-friendly travel destination for anyone who is interested in seafaring.

An interactive history, science and technology center, it features hundred of exhibits, including deep ocean exploration, US Navy history and NOAA’s “Science on a Sphere” weather display.

There is also a shark petting lagoon and a 2000-gallon touch tank (with a new horseshoe crab family!) that is quite a hit with young kids.

A zippy AEGIS Command Center lets visitors see a narrated, simulated engagement using much of the display equipment that is currently installed aboard Navy AEGIS destroyers and cruisers.

The 887-foot-long battleship Wisconsin is permanently docked adjacent to the main Nauticus museum building, and you can climb around on a lot of it, both topside and below decks.

There are often special events and exhibits, and on January 21, 2009 there’s a day of educational programming just for homeschoolers.

The city of Norfolk (adjacent to Virginia Beach – the whole region is called Hampton Roads) has a promotional right now called “Half-Off.”  Family travelers can get 50% off of admission to many popular city attractions (including Nauticus) and some restaurant discounts by booking one night at participating hotels, until January 31, 2009.

I’ll bet you anything that given the current economic client, they’ll either extend that offer or come up with a similar one, so contact the Norfolk CVB at (757) 664-6620 or click here for info on tourist special offers and packages.

Remember that this is a heavily military area, with lots of bases and Department of Defense facilities, so military families may have options available in temporary lodging. For more details, I like the military recreation facility books by retirees Ann and Roy Crawford: Military Living.

Update: I forgot to include a link to this excellent article by Budget Travel on other things to do and see in Norfolk VA.

Categories
Book Reviews Hawaii Tips USA

Win my copy of Pauline Frommer’s Hawaii guidebook

As I mentioned in my last guidebook giveaway (for Pauline Frommer’s New York City – the winner was Heather On Her Travels) I received 3 guidebooks to review and then launch to lucky readers.

Next up is Pauline Frommer’s Hawaii: Spend Less, See More.

As I’ve written before, I’ve always been a fan of the various Frommer’s travel guides, because they are budget-friendly, full of helpful details and info-packed sidebars, and they make a big effort to show people how to find local experiences and atmosphere.

Pauline Frommer is the daughter of Arthur Frommer, who launched the original Europe on $5/Day back in 1957. She’s also a mother of two, so her books tend to carefully include family-friendly attractions in addition to the “usual suspects” at a destination.

Hawaii is a soft spot for me since my first Navy ship was homeported in Pearl Harbor.  I also want to put in a plug for the folks who work to support Hawaii tourism; I’ve met Michael Ni (@michaelni) and Nathan Kam (@nathankam) on Twitter (plus Michael in person!) and I also follow @DavidHTA who markets his beautiful state worldwide.

Here are particular highlights from the Hawaii guidebook:

  • “Best beaches if you’re a kid” are listed, but none are on Oahu (where most tourists tend to go.)  Pauline does recommend Waikiki Beach for people-watching and the North Shore for water sports. (If you’re a beachy person, you might enjoy the scenery and friendly philosophizing on Beach Walks With Rox, a video series filmed on a Hawaii beach.)
  • Kauai beaches are her pick for the best, but she also notes that they have more drownings than other islands. “Never turn your back on the water.” She also lists some fun one-of-kind boutiques on Kauai – which is not known for its shopping – and also covers opportunities for volunteer work on the island, in gardens and for whale-counting.
  • On Oahu, I like her thorough discussion of World War II sites like the Arizona Memorial, Bowfin submarine and battleship Missouri.  There are good “local info” sidebars on things like yummy food from island “shrimp trucks,” and a frank discussion of the “cheesy and heinous” Polynesian Cultural Center. I appreciate forthright opinions in guidebooks, even when I don’t agree with the assertions.
  • The guidebook has a comprehensive list of annual events – like the Merrie Monarch hula festival – a discussion of why Hawaii prices are sometimes so high for basics (no, it’s not just to rip off tourists,) an overview of coral reef “etiquette” for snorkelers/divers and a Hawaiian language glossary.
  • The Maui section features detailed dining options to fit most budgets.
  • Great tip from Molokai: you can mail a coconut with a message on it from the Hoolehua Post Office: Post-a-nut. I mean, what kid wouldn’t want to do that?!

If all this sounds like your kind of book, here’s what to do to win my copy:

  • Leave a brief comment below about why you’d like to read “Pauline Frommer’s Hawaii”
  • At the end of this week, on Friday, December 12, 2008, I will randomly pick one of your comments using one of the cool tools on Random.org, then I’ll announce the winner in a separate post.
  • If you win, I’ll email you at the address you leave when you comment (to get your snail mail address,) then I’ll box up the book and send it to you. Yes, I’ll mail to places outside the US.

Thanks for participating, and thanks to Sarah Gorback at Wiley Publishing for sending me a review copy.

Good luck!

Categories
Uncategorized

Fabulous for families: California

Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California (courtesy nplugd on Flickr CC)

It is certainly difficult to narrow down a list of family-friendly, educational travel attractions in the massive Golden State, but I gave it a try….

Kid-friendly fun and learning in California is now posted on Education.com.

Here are four of the 21 items that I featured, to whet your family travel whistle:

  • Monterey Bay Aquarium– Located on author John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, this world-famous aquarium submerges visitors into watery California marine habitats and offers close-up encounters with hundreds of sea creatures, enhanced by special programs and hands-on activities for kids. Bonus: drive some of the Pacific Coast Highway around scenic Big Sur while you’re there.
  • Butterflies – The migratory paths of the Monarch butterfly bring them to California from about mid-October through March. See them at state parks like Point Mugu, Leo Carillo, Malibu Lagoon State Beach and the town of Pacific Grove.
  • Walt Disney Concert Hall– The twisty, curvy Frank Gehry-designed metallic home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic appeals to kids not only with its looks, but also the Saturday morning Toyota Symphonies for Youth.
  • Love Your Food– The modern movement to “eat local” can be credited to Alice Waters and the Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley. Older kids might enjoy sampling the imaginative rotating menu (lunch in the more casual Café at Chez Panisse might be the best bet.) Another way to introduce great fresh food is to visit the San Francisco Farmer’s Market at the Ferry Building Marketplace on Tuesday and Saturday, when local restaurants bring samples and California farmers are out in force.

The other 17 recommendations are here on Education.com.

The state has long drawn adventurers (Gold Rush, anyone?) and is famously tolerant of the unusual, but that’s precisely why I love it.

Categories
Texas USA

Fun at the Children’s Museum of Houston

Front entrance, Children’s Museum of Houston, Texas (Scarborough photo)Many major US cities have opened interactive “Children’s Museums.”

Unlike stodgier institutions, these special museums are built so that kids can run around, blow off steam, grab and poke things with abandon and learn new things in the process.

The boomtown city of Houston, Texas is no exception.

We visited the Children’s Museum of Houston recently and my 8-year-old son spent two full hours going from one fun exhibit to another.

The big winner for him was the How Does It Work room.

It featured “communications ping-pong balls” zipping through pneumatic tubes, unique telephone stations, a giant spring to show wave technology and a massive robot-ish character built out of old telephones.

Future engineer? Getting the ball to the bottom, Houston Children’s Museum (Scarborough photo)

The My Home Planet Earth room was a winner, too, mostly because of the pinball-ish machine that kids could play on and prevent “pollution balls” from moving into the “pond.”

We also watched tiny chicks breaking free from their eggs in a hatchery, then watched them run around and be adorable in the nearby brooder.

There is also a kid’s TV station with pint-sized cameras, a Tot Spot for toddlers and babies, a mini grocery store, a Mexican market from the Yucatan and a few outdoor exhibits involving the wonders of messy sand and water (these were less popular on a hot summer day.)

The chick hatchery, Children’s Museum of Houston (Scarborough photo)

The Museum has a full schedule of special programs in their auditorium, and special Science Stations manned by helpful staffers to let kids get their curious hands on items that demonstrated concepts like optical illusions, liquid crystals and how classic toys work.

There is a cafe with fairly healthy cuisine inside the Museum (the only cafe open in Houston’s Museum District on a Monday, we discovered) and a small gift shop.

A multi-story parking garage is across the street and costs $5-$7.

Houston Children’s Museum phone guy (Scarborough photo)

Other nearby Museum District attractions include the excellent Houston Museum of Natural Science (where I spent a rather restless night on the floor awhile back during a Cub Scout “Night at the Museum” outing,)   the unique Buffalo Soldiers National Museum (many African-American soldiers served on the Texas frontier) and the Houston Zoo in Hermann Park.

The METRO light rail is also handy for getting around.

(The Children’s Museum of Houston, 1500 Binz, Houston, TX 77004. Phone (713) 522-1138)

Categories
Tips USA

Family-Friendly Pennsylvania

Mountain Craft Days in September, Somerset Historical Center (courtesy LaurelHighlands.org)Today, the 4th of July, seems an appropriate time to post some highlights from my article on Education.com about taking the kids to Pennsylvania.

You can’t lose with the home of the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin and the Philadelphia Art Museum (remember Rocky running up those steps in the movie?)

The article is titled “Plan on Pennsylvania for Family Fun and Learning,” and here are four of the eighteen places and events I featured:

  • Little League Museum – Batter up! Organized baseball for young boys started in 1939 in Williamsport, PA and the Little League World Series is still played here at the hallowed ball field behind the Museum, which also includes softball exhibits. There are displays about the history of the game, including uniforms, equipment and famous players who started in Little League. Batting and pitching areas with instant replay allow swing analysis and the ever-satisfying crack of a ball against a bat.
  • Laurel Highlands – Southeast of Pittsburgh, this pretty part of PA has attractions that run the gamut from the three miles of natural passages in the state’s largest cave, Laurel Caverns, to Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic home built over a creek, Fallingwater (plus two other Wright homes in the region.) There are numerous covered bridges using a variety of construction techniques, several historic roads including part of the first transcontinental highway, the Fort Necessity National Battlefield from the French and Indian Wars, the Johnstown Flood (1889) Museum and the Mountain Playhouse, which is the state’s oldest professional resident summer theater and performs in a 200 year-old grist mill.
  • Washington Crosses the Delaware – Every year on Christmas Day (and also for a dress rehearsal on the second Sunday in December) Revolutionary War uniformed reenactors cross the Delaware River in wooden boats to boldly attack Hessian troops. Washington Crossing Historic Park also has numerous Family Programs year-round, cooking programs, farm demonstrations and a summer history camp.
  • Mütter Museum – Housed in the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, this highly unusual collection of medical artifacts is not for the particularly squeamish (its tagline is “Disturbingly Informative”) but it will be a huge hit for any future doctors or biologists in your house. Over 20,000 anatomic and pathological objects have been collected here since 1858, to educate future physicians about all manner of human body phenomena. Plaster casts of the original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng (and their conjoined livers) and a tumor that was secretly removed from President Grover Cleveland are just a few of the highlights.

Reenactors at Fort Ligonier, Pennsylvania (courtesy LaurelHighlands.org)

Did I miss any good ones?

I know I have at least one reader who lived in PA with three kids for many years….and yeah, I should have called her for input. 🙂

Check out the article on Education.com and leave a comment, either on their site or this one, or both – thanks!

Categories
Florida USA

Hidden treasures for kids in Florida

Snorkel in the clear water at Wakulla Springs, Florida (courtesy Quantum Physics at Flickr CC)Many people see the state of Florida as one big tourism mashup; Disney, beaches, sun, maybe some gators thrown in. I have a new Education.com article up that attempts to reveal some of the lesser-known Sunshine State places/events that families might enjoy.

(If it seems like I’ve done a lot of these state roundups lately – Georgia, Michigan and Texas is still coming – it’s because I have, which is why my posting rate here on the Family Travel blog has slipped a bit. 🙂 )

Here are 4 highlights out of 20 in the article:

  • Wakulla Springs State Park – Perfect for a stop-off between Tallahassee and Jacksonville, the park is home to a massive freshwater spring, one of the delights of northern Florida and a great excuse to go swimming. Take one of the glass-bottom boat tours to get crystal-clear views of spring wildlife below the boat. The comfy Lodge in the middle of the Park was built in 1937, and still welcomes guests for meals or an overnight stay.
  • Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City – One of the oldest areas in Tampa, Ybor City was the center of the Florida cigar-making industry in the early 1900s, and it still has a very strong Spanish and Cuban flavor. Opened in 1905, the flagship Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City is a local landmark serving a wide variety of traditional Latin cuisine. They also have live flamenco shows twice nightly except Sunday. There is a children’s menu.
  • Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki – This excellent museum of Seminole culture is about one hour west of Fort Lauderdale, and includes audiovisual exhibits, a living village, rare artifacts and a one-mile boardwalk around the property.
  • Miami Festivals – Festival action never stops in multicultural Miami. In March, the traditional Cuban heart of the city is filled for the Calle Ocho Festival (where you may get to join the world’s largest conga line.) The Miami Children’s Museum sponsors a popular Children’s Film Festival in May, and in June the nation’s largest black heritage festival, the Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival, kicks off in nearby Coconut Grove. In November the Miami Book Fair International celebrates literary delights and has a Children’s Alley, and the Junior Orange Bowl festival is stuffed with arts and sports events in late fall and into January.

For the rest of the goodies, please visit Fun and Learning in Florida! on Education.com.

Related posts:

Categories
Blog

Family Travel taking a break

I’m going to back away from Family Travel posting this week to give me a chance to catch up on some other blogging assignments and get my head, home and calendar ready for the upcoming South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) tech conference here in Austin March 7-11.

Based on my experiences at SXSWi last year, I’ll be going full-tilt the entire time. If I don’t do some prep work now, it’ll get ugly in terms of general organization and functioning at chez Seafarer.

See you again on Friday, February 29th, when I’ll be back in the saddle.

Categories
USA

Ground Control to All the Kids: Cool NASA sites to visit

A model of the Mars Pathfinder rover at NASA’s Glenn Research Center (courtesy NASA Glenn)The space program has taken a few lumps and seen some rough times in recent years, but the magic and excitement of reaching beyond our planet still draws our eyes upwards to the heavens.

I just had an article published on education.com about exploring family-friendly NASA sites across the US.

Highlighted centers include:

  • The Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Virginia
  • The Stennis Space Center in Bay St Louis, Mississippi (yes, thanks in part to political influence and largesse, NASA’s rocket-testing center is located in southern Mississippi — and so is a major Navy weather tracking facility.)
  • The Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California
  • The Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas
  • The Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio

I hope to show parents that their young ones can learn about space operations someplace besides the famous Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

One neat facility that we didn’t have quite enough room were able to include is in Cleveland, Ohio….the Glenn Research Center.

Named for Ohio native John Glenn, the first person to orbit the Earth, this Center conducts research on planetary exploration, space propulsion and communications technology. Six exhibit galleries include the Apollo Command module used on Skylab 3, the Aero Adventures interactive flight simulator, a tribute to Glenn’s historic Mercury flight and a life-sized model of Sojourner, the Mars rover.

Special events every third Saturday of the month give unique insights into topics like the Constellation program to return humans to the moon, the Phoenix mission to Mars and the Hubble telescope.

By the way, NASA has lots of podcasts, videos and blogs, including Shana’s Blog by Deputy Administrator Shana Dale, and NASA EDGE (where “hosts Chris and Blair offer an offbeat look behind the NASA curtain.”)

The initial rush of excitement about going to the moon is almost forty years old; today’s children will push beyond our solar system, and visiting a NASA facility can inspire their dreams.