The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
Driving up from South Dakota up to Fargo, we stopped at Bonanzaville, a pioneer village with 12 acres, 43 historic buildings, 400,000 artifacts, and millions of memories. It is the region’s largest historical attraction. Bonanzaville is kind of a museum whose exhibits are old buildings. We found out that most of these buildings were not here originally but were painstakingly moved here to create this sort of … [Read more...]
I ask you, who doesn't love pinball? For me visiting the Pinball Hall of Fame was a terrific throwback jogging all kinds of memories of my free spirited youth. For my kids, it was an opportunity to discover simpler pleasures and the ancient origins of the games they now play on their phones. We happened on The Pinball Hall of Fame after doing some road trip research and I am beyond thrilled to share this find with … [Read more...]
The Ingalls Family Homestead in De Smet is the original homestead where the Ingalls family settled after coming out west and was the inspiration for many of the stories in the Little House On The Prairie series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder who lived here as a young girl. You need not have read any of her books to appreciate this stop-though my daughter Lilia had and she gave us a running commentary through our … [Read more...]
A Jet Boat ride is a fantastic way to break up the museums and educational stuff and one of the best most memorable we've ever done was on the Willamette River in Portland. What starts out as a leisurely cruise on the gorgeous Willamette River gets wild and crazy when the captain goes full throttle. While we were cruising the kids and I were lucky enough to see an eagle which was pretty amazing. We also got a brief … [Read more...]
The first thing you are struck by when you arrive in Washington is the lush greenery everywhere. Seattle is often referred to as "The Emerald City" as the copious rainfall results in rich green foliage. Washington is a wondrous natural place with lots to explore, from the splendorous food choices available at the Pike Place Market in Seattle, to the gorgeous artwork made of glass in Tacoma, to the breathtaking … [Read more...]
So you’ve probably heard of Duke University, and maybe even Duke Energy and the legendary heiress Doris Duke. But did you know that the Duke fortune was amassed through the production of tobacco? The Duke Homestead State Historic Site is where you can tour the early home and factory where Washington Duke first grew and processed tobacco. Duke’s sons later founded the American Tobacco Company, the largest tobacco … [Read more...]
The Experience Music Project is definitely one of our most memorable museum experiences of all time. Created by Paul Allen of Microsoft fame, it’s sort of like a museum about music, but not quite…it really is an "experience" and one that everyone should partake in. Walking in, we were immediately awestruck by the “tornado” of guitars that stretched 3 full floors. Inside you can explore music history with … [Read more...]
I don't know about you, but my kids and I LOVE Pez. Checking out the Pez Visitor Center was definitely the highlight of the day, and one of the most memorable things on the trip. Driving up from New Haven, our GPS took us through this weird little residential area, and when we turned a corner we came upon this big commercial building with huge bright Pez wrappers hanging on the top. The kids were squealing … [Read more...]
Apparently there is some discrepancy as to whether or not this really is the oldest house in the USA, but that’s what the sign said. Here’s what we found out: The house was originally constructed as a part of the Pueblo de Analco—a Pueblo Indian community that existed in what is now Santa Fe, New Mexico. While the exact date of construction is unknown, it was probably constructed some time in the Thirteenth … [Read more...]
Planning a trip around an idea When planning a trip I like to focus on an idea or message based on the places we are going and the sights we’ll see. Themes are a great way to connect an entire itinerary to what your kids are learning in school, or to general ideas in everyday life. It’s important to make sure that your theme is age appropriate so everyone gets the most out of each trip. Our very first road … [Read more...]
