The Explore All 50 States Project
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As I planned our trip to Alaska, one of our main goals was to learn more about the native peoples-their history, their culture and their relationship with the land, surviving brutal winters in sub freezing temperatures. As we arrived in Anchorage we couldn't wait to explore the Alaska Native Heritage Center, a wonderful experiential museum that is a great introduction to all the native villages. Living in Alaska is … [Read more...]
Sadly, the Kentucky History Center was certainly not one of the better history museums we’ve seen. It appeared that the folks who put the museum together did try to create an engaging experience but t seemed as if this museum was wrestling with its past, not knowing exactly how to show things like slavery and the Civil War. The exhibits seemed almost cartoonish, just scratching the surface over the most painful … [Read more...]
You simply cannot visit Louisville without visiting Churchill Downs, home to the most famous horse race in the country—the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Derby Museum. I don't know why, but this is just one of those storied places where I had to pinch myself to make sure I was really here. Out front the kids posed with a gorgeous sculpture of Barbaro the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner who later shattered his leg 2 … [Read more...]
Wow, the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory was beyond fantastic and best of all it's a real factory turning out an all-American product. Did you know that most big league ball players have their own bats made to their specifications? We found that out and so much more. We spent some time in the exhibit area while waiting for our tour to start, reading about interesting facts about the Louisville slugger bats … [Read more...]
The museum experience at the Indiana History Center is so unique that I have to say, the kids and I have never seen anything like it. Let me think how I can best describe this to you. The centerpiece of the whole experience is the “You Are There” exhibits. There are three period scenes—a grocery store during WWII, an auto garage in the early 1920’s, and an embroidery and violin repair shop during the late … [Read more...]
The Detroit Historical Museum was the perfect museum to give everyone a nice introduction to Motor City. It's not too big and gives a broad history of the various things Detroit is famous for. The kids and I enjoyed the interesting displays, but they did look a little dated. Detroit is a city that has faced some really difficult times so it wasn't a surprise to find the museum in the condition that it was in. … [Read more...]
The Motown Museum, the home of Hitsville USA is a treasure trove of musical history. Hopefully you’ve added some Motown hits on your soundtrack that you’ve been listening to on the road—some Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye , Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5—the list could to one and on. There were so many fabulous artists that emerged under the guidance of Berry Gordy and his visionary Motown label. … [Read more...]
The Cincinnati History Museum located in the old Cincinnati Train Station, is an incredible museum that showcases the city's history in some really unique and exciting ways. Enter into the lobby and you are instantly transported to another era, the era of the greatest generation, WWII. As we moved into the first space, we got to see a history of the city by looking at various scale models of the city in miniature … [Read more...]
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a wonderful and moving museum that explains the path runaway slaves would take to escape to the North to freedom. It is located here on the banks of the river on the Kentucky-Ohio border, which at one point was the dividing line between slavery and freedom. Many former slaves crossed right here to freedom after a long and arduous journey. What I loved about this … [Read more...]
The Michigan Historical Center is an outstanding museum, but what we liked about it most is that it shows you that Michigan is more than just cars—and yes, there are plenty of those here too (which is nice because Michigan was home to more than just Ford…how about Cadillac, GM, Oldsmobile, to name just a few). Some of the more interesting things we discovered were how the brands of cars got their names. … [Read more...]
