Travels with Children

First I just want to say hi to all the Travels with Children readers!  Our recent trip to Texas was filled with Adventures and I’m thrilled to share a few of them with you.  Thanks Minnemom!

I grew up going to the Fort Worth Zoo, back when the animals were crammed into tiny cages and no one thought there was anything wrong with that.  Now, the 99-year-old Fort Worth Zoo is considered one of the top zoos in the country.  I have to agree.  The habitats are large and beautiful, the paths are wide and the education program is extensive.

Besides all the usual zoo features–hippos, zebras, giraffes (including a new baby!), a primate house, herpetarium, and big cats–the Fort Worth Zoo also has an area called Texas Wild! with animals native to the region and a replica of an old Texas town.  It would be a nice addition to a homeschooling section on Texas or natural history.  There are plenty of interactive features at many of the exhibits, especially at the herpetarium.  Kids gets to guess which snakes are venmous and which are non-venomous.  It’s a feature I fondly remember from childhood and was happy to see they’ve kept.

The highlight of the zoo for us was The Bird House.  It’s a big aviary filled with day-glow blue, green and yellow cockatiels and parakeets.  For $1 you can purchase little popcicle stick that’s been dipped in nectar and rolled in birdseed.  My toddler absolutely loved hand feeding the birds and so close to the action.  Be forewarned that the aviary is closed in the winter months.

There’s also an old fashioned carousel and 2 trains.  The Yellow Rose express runs back and forth from the north end to the south end of the zoo with stops along the way.  You can get a ticket for the carousel and a one-way on the train (in case your kids poop out at the far end and you need the quickest way back to the entrance) for $2.  The Forrest Park Mini-Train is a much longer ride (45 minutes) and circles the outside of the zoo and botanical gardens.  It’s a blast.

In general: The zoo boasts being open 365 days a year (10am-5pm).  We went in January and it was both lovely weather and we had the entire park to ourselves.  When we went again in April the place was packed with school kids on field trips.  It was still a wonderful visit just a little more difficult to keep up with a roaming toddler in the sea of people.  You can get detailed admission info and driving direction atwww.fortworthzoo.com.  The quick breakdown is that adults are $10.50, kids 3-12 are $8 and 2 and under are free but if you purchase tickets in advance from any Albertson’s grocery store you can get $1 off each ticket.  If your child is stroller age, bring your own.  I didn’t like the strollers and thought the rentals were expensive at $7 a pop for a single and $9 for a double.  Eateries include Pizza Hut, Dickey’s Barbeque, Ranch Grill, Grandy’s, an Ice Cream Parlor with Bluebell Ice Cream and a food court with Tex-Mex and Burger King.  It’s hard to eat healthy here so if you’re info that, pack your own snacks and sack lunch. There are plenty of shady spots to picnic.

As much as I’d like to, I can’t possibly visit all the fun places with my children. Fortunately, there are other adventurous parents in the world, and some of them have agreed to write about their own travels with children.

Starting tomorrow, you’ll see occasional posts by Travels with Children contributors. This will expand the content of the site as well as its geographic diversity. I’ll be adding more adventure ideas to my list, and I hope you’ll enjoy the added content as well!

Of course, my kids and I will still be on our journeys, and I’ll be writing about those as well.

Do you like to travel with your children? Do you have great ideas for saving money, or saving your sanity, while out and about with your kids? If you’d like to write for Travels with Children, use the “Contact Minnemom” page under “The Basics” and I’ll give you more information.

In the meantime, stay tuned for more travel adventure ideas!

When we went to see the Declaration of Independence, we also got tickets to see the rest of the History Center, using our Minnesota Historical Society membership.  New this year is the “Sesqui-Scouts” program, where you can ask for a button and get a discount on admission to historic sites or on membership to MNHS.  If you head to any Minnesota historic sites in 2008, be sure to ask for or wear your Sequi-Scouts badge.

We’ve been to the History Center before, but they’ve added some new exhibits recently.

While I was waiting in line for the Declaration of Independence, my husband took the kids up to the weather exhibit.  My 7-year-old especially likes the model of the St. Paul Winter Carnival Ice Castle that lights up.  They didn’t take time to go into the house basement during the tornado this time around.

When we went back to the History Center after being at the Capitol, Grainland was the kids’ first request.  Grainland is a mock-up of a grain elevator that kids can climb and slide in, and it’s a great place for kids to run off some energy while possibly learning a little something.

Then we headed over to the mock-up of a house in St. Paul that includes the history of the many families who have lived there over the years.  A guide outside the house spoke directly to the kids.  “Now, kids, when you’re in this house, I want you to snoop around and open as many drawers and doors as you can to find clues about the people who lived here.”  The kids took that advice to heart and enjoyed finding information about the families and playing in the “backyard.”

The Minnesota 150 exhibit showcased 150 special things about Minnesota, its history, and its people.  The highlight there for the kids was driving the Greyhound bus.  (Did you know Greyhound originated in Minnesota?)

Unfortunately, the museum was closing so we had to cut our visit short.  We’ll have to return again this summer because I really want to see the “Suburban World” exhibit of Norling photographs.

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On Mother’s Day, May 11, Minnesota turned 150.  We walked from the History Center to the State Capitol to be part of the festivities.

When we got there, our oldest son joined in marching with the Civil War enacters, and we took a look at the cannons that were there for viewing.  Inside the Capitol, we took in some 1850’s music and dancing in the Rotunda, and my husband and the older kids went up to the Capitol roof to see the quadriga (golden horses) up close.  There were kids’ activities available, and we sat on the steps of the building to watch the wagon train come in.  (Our two-year-old liked that:  “Horseys!  More horseys!  More horseys!  More horseys!”)  After that, there was a ceremony with several dignitaries as speakers, but we stayed on the outskirts of that.

The only downside of the day was that I was unprepared and hadn’t brought any snacks.  There were no food vendors at the party, and when I was directed to vending machines in the basement of the Capitol, I learned that the basement was closed to the public that day.  It’s too bad they didn’t have birthday cake for our state’s birthday party!

Minnesota Statehood Day was a nice way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon at our State Capitol.

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One of the 25 known remaining copies of the Declaration of Independence was at the Minnesota History Center in honor of Minnesota’s Sesquicentennial.  It was only here for a week, so we wanted to take the kids to see this piece of history.  Apparently a lot of other people had the same idea, because we waited in line for an hour before it was our turn.  Fortunately my husband could take the kids to see the exhibits, or to walk around outside on the patio, while I held our place in line.

As we were waiting, we were given information about the Declaration, and this copy in particular, which was found in a picture frame bought at a garage sale.  There were some trivia questions and a puzzle of the Declaration to do as well.

The kids weren’t so sure about waiting in line to see this piece of paper, but my husband and I were excited to be there and view a part of history.

We also learned that we should probably wait a few years before visiting Washington, D.C., Disneyland, or other places where waiting in line is frequent.

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New Ulm’s ECFE sponsors an annual vehicle fair in the parking lot behind Jefferson School.  A vehicle fair is when a variety of vehicles are on hand for kids to look at and often climb inside.  This goes beyond the usual police car and fire truck.  My kids’ favorites were the semi trailer that they could run in, seeing the UPS truck up close, the military vehicles, and race cars.  There were construction vehicles, including a crane, a tractor, and even a hearse at the vehicle fair.

There’s food available for purchase (which I always forget, so we’d eaten supper before we arrived), giveaways, and door prize drawings as well.

The police department and some community agencies sponsor a safety fair.  In the past, we’ve had our carseats checked there to be sure we were using the properly, and this year we had the kids and mom outfitted with new bicycle helmets that fit properly and were offered at a nicely discounted price.

The vehicle fair was a nice way to spend a spring evening.  My two-year-old was allowed to be free of the stroller and climbed on and in the vehicles with the best of them.  Pulling her out of the fire truck driver’s seat was the biggest challenge of the event.  Each of the kids had a favorite vehicle, and they liked testing them all out.

Golden Gate

Originally uploaded by minnemom

After leaving Fort Ridgely State Park, we wandered around the countryside a little bit, taking the “scenic route,” which means “Mom’s not lost, but she doesn’t exactly know how she’s going to get where she’s going.” With gas at almost $4 a gallon, this isn’t the most economical thing to do, but I was hoping to lengthen our trip so the 2-year-old would fall asleep in the car. (It didn’t work.)

We stopped at the Golden Gate Historic Marker just south of the Minnesota River on State Highway 4. Golden Gate is one of Minnesota’s ghost towns. At one time, it was a thriving community, but now the cemetery is the most visible reminder of its existence.

The historic marker said that parts of a dam and mill run were still visible on the creek, so we decided to try to spot them. The most obvious road to the area was closed, but we went around to the other side of the creek to see what we could find. At the corner of 270th Avenue and Golden Gate Road, 270th Ave. continues on in a very narrow fashion, so I decided to give it a try. The road was rutted (and did I mention, narrow?) but it does indeed end at the creek, and some concrete pieces led me to believe that this was part of the Golden Gate operation, although I couldn’t decipher exactly what they were.

I will advise, however, that if you consider sleuthing out Golden Gate, you park the car near the beehives in a clearing and walk the rest of the way. This isn’t a road that you’d want to try to back up, and turning around at the end of it was possible but not easy.

I’ve always thought that lost towns were interesting, and it was certainly an adventure to try to find the remains of Golden Gate.

German Park, New Ulm

Originally uploaded by minnemom

New Ulm’s German Park isn’t your typical playground park. Set downtown, it has formal gardens, a fountain, and a bandstand, as well as paved paths that meander throughout.

That isn’t why we go there, however. My kids love German Park, or, as they call it, “The Castle Park.” The play structure in the park is built to resemble a castle, complete with moat crossing. There are hidden areas and alcoves that inspire imagination. Is it a jail or a ticket booth? Is it a gift shop or toy store? Are you the king or the princess or the storekeeper or the jailkeeper or the inmate? Or just a kid who’s there to go down the slides?

Of all the parks we’ve been to, this one inspires the most creativity in the kids. It’s fun to watch the ideas they come up with. It’s not the biggest play structure around, and it doesn’t have any swings or merry-go-rounds, but it’s a favorite nonetheless.

Bongards Cow

Originally uploaded by minnemom

I always knew there was a cheese plant in Bongards, Minnesota, but driving 1/2 mile away from the town on Highway 212, I had never stopped to see the cow.

I convinced my husband to take the back roads into Bongards, and promised the kids we’d see something interesting along the way. I’m not sure they were impressed with the big cow. Perhaps I’ll have to drive them to New Salem, North Dakota, to see the cow there, and then we can compare.

We’re headed north on I-94 this weekend, and I think this time we’ll actually stop in Rothsay to see the Prairie Chicken. If we’re going to be traveling, we might as well enjoy the sights along the way!

My son’s school had a picnic day at Ft. Ridgely State Park, and parents and friends were invited to attend.  When looking at the park’s website, I learned that the Minnesota State Parks are having a Geocaching History Challenge this year, with commemorative sesquicentennial cards to be found in caches in each of the 72 state parks.

Geocaching is a sport that’s only been around since about 2000.  People hide “caches” in public areas, and then list the latitude and longitude coordinates, and possible a few clues, on the geocaching website.  Others than try to find the cache, using GPS to help them find the spot.  When the cache is found, the seeker logs the entry in the logbook and returns the cache to its hiding place for others to find.  He may also take a trinket that was left by someone else, or leave a trinket for the next cacher.

We’ve never geocached before, but billing anything as a “treasure hunt” is a surefire way to get participation from young kids.  I signed up on the geocaching website, got coordinates for some caches in our area, grabbed the GPS, and off we went.

Our first stop was a cache near our home.  (I was surprised that this sport has reached our small town.)  It took just a few minutes of looking before we found the cache and logged our visit.

The one at Ft. Ridgely proved to be more difficult.  By the end of the picnic, I had enlisted four other adults and several kids to help find the cache, but we were unsuccessful.  We did learn that our handheld “outdoor” GPS was more accurate than the car GPS, but we still didn’t find the cache.

What we did learn, however, was that this could be a fun family activity, providing exercise and exporation while looking for “treasure.”  I think we’ll be trying some more geocaching in the coming months.