The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
Just at the gateway to Mount Rushmore is the town of Keystone, a true frontier town with lots to see and do. It’s a great place to have lunch, explore some interesting shops and trading posts and engage in some fun activities at some quirky little tourist traps like the National Presidential Wax Museum. While we were having lunch at the local pizza parlor we were startled by some shouting coming from the street. … [Read more...]
Located in the tiny town of Roslyn, South Dakota,The International Vinegar Museum is in a wonderfully interesting place, albeit way off the beaten path-in fact as we were driving I kept asking myself if this was the right move as I wasn't sure it would be worth the long haul. I am so glad I persevered. Not only was it worth it, it was a terrific hands on learning opportunity the everyone enjoyed-especially the … [Read more...]
We stopped in Sturgis to visit the Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame. Sturgis is also home to one of the biggest gathering of motorcycle riders in the entire country—the Sturgis Rally. Thankfully, it wasn’t taking place when we were there; in fact, it felt more like a ghost town. We were desperate to find a family friendly place to eat, so I walked into a storefront where I encountered a very butch looking … [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...]
Wow, we Learned all about how glass is created and crafted into things we use every day and incredible artwork at the Museum of Glass. After venturing inside the cone shaped building we took seats in the amphitheater around 3 hot kilns and watched as artisans blew incredible shapes. The sand was melted into a blob on a metal rod and then put into the fire. It was blown and shaped and reworked a couple of times. It … [Read more...]
The North Carolina Museum of History is a wonderful museum in the center of town that really engaged us with their exhibit titled "The Story of North Carolina". Walking through the museum we were able to trace the story from the ancient peoples all the way up to the present. We explored the native settlements and the early colonists discussing the plantation crops like rice, tobacco, cotton and indigo. We … [Read more...]
Old Salem Museum and Gardens is another great place to learn about another group who sought religious freedom here in the colonies while experiencing persecution in Europe. Old Salem is home to one of the original Moravian settlements called Bethabara. The community was established in a 1753 and made up of many that had been persecuted in Europe and fled to the new world for religious freedom. The Moravians were … [Read more...]
When we visited the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History it was known as the National Atomic Museum. Initially Shari's daughter Maya was a little flipped out because she thought it was all about atomic bombs which are scary. Well, we did learn about the atomic bomb but we also learned a lot about the atom and how it's power can also be used for good like in x-rays. I am not sure how much of the museum … [Read more...]
The Rattlesnake Museum is a kooky museum that is a must see just for the sheer weirdness of it. Inside, there were lots of different snakes and various other reptile that the kids and I found fascinating. There were snakes of every color in lots of glass cases along with skinks,horny toads and a plethora other reptilian critters. The kids and I were fascinated looking at some real rattlers and were mesmerized … [Read more...]
The Turquoise Museum sits in a little mini mall located in a storefront but don't be fooled this is a fantastic stop to learn all about this gemstone that has played such a huge part in Southwestern design and culture. We walked through a simulated turquoise mine shaft and then into the rest of the museum where our first stop was a room with displays of some really big and unusual turquoise stones. The museum … [Read more...]
