Tag Archives: museum

Kid-Friendly Travel Destinations—Baltimore

If you are a parent like me, trips to new cities typically include obligatory tours of the local zoo, the children’s museum, parks, or the aquarium. If you are lucky your destination city offers even more in the way of hands on learning via lesser-known attractions. In Maryland one such place is The Baltimore Museum of Industry. The building was designed to give visitors insight to the history of machinery in the city. But since its opening the museum has become a magnet for school groups and a place where parents can participate in hands on history lessons with their … Continue reading →

Elvis Finds a New Home and Broadway Still Dark

And the winner is… Elvis fans who think the King is still alive. In a previous blog I discussed an interesting item I saw on eBay—-the contents of the Elvis is Alive Museum. The museum’s 81-year-old owner decided it was time to pass on his expansive collection of Elvis memorabilia–including an inordinate amount of photographs, books, FBI files, and DNA reports that aimed to support the theory that Presley never died—–to someone who could keep the debate alive for decades to come. Enter Andy Key who offered a winning bid of $8,000. The die-hard Elvis fan who insists the King … Continue reading →

Travel Tidbits: Mod Mini-Golf and An Art Gallery Doing Double Duty

MOD MINI GOLF It may be the ideal destination on a multi-generation vacation… Miami’s newest tourist attraction combines mini-golf, a garden and contemporary art all on the same piece of property. Located in the city’s Upper East Side Garden, Back 9 features a mini-golf course that sits in a park filled with exotic tropical plants and spotlights a work of art at each hole. The pieces are colorful, whimsical and appeal to kids. Which is exactly what the course’s creator had in mind. The brainchild behind the mod mini golf course says he wanted to create a family friendly outdoor … Continue reading →

Museum Mania in Philly

Philadelphia is home to a host of America’s most historic relics. It also boasts the nation’s oldest natural history museum. It’s not exactly as old as the dinosaurs that stand tall within its walls, but the Academy of Natural Sciences is getting ready to celebrate a big birthday. The major milestone—birthday number 200—won’t get underway for another four years, but the institution is already planning for a multi-million dollar extravaganza, complete with new exhibits and additional family-friendly attractions. Museum directors are not revealing all the details of their master plan, but did release bits of information, including the news that … Continue reading →

Travel Tidbits–Museum Moves

Good news for those of you who missed out on the headline grabbing King Tut museum tour. The mega-popular exhibit, which features objects buried with Egypt’s King Tutankhamun is returning to the United States next year. It will include three stops, beginning in Dallas. I was fortunate to be one of the 4 million visitors to take in the “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” exhibit during its two-year, four-city tour. I saw the exhibit in Chicago, but it also visited museums in Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, and Philadelphia before wrapping up a few weeks ago. The exhibit … Continue reading →

Weird and Wacky Travel Tales

Yet another reason why you should NOT send text messages while you are driving… A man in Eugene, Oregon learned that lesson the hard way. The really hard way. As in slamming-into-a-freight-train-with-a-car hard way. According to police reports, the man was texting a pal from his cellphone while he was driving his car. At one point he looked up from his message and saw a freight train. Eugene police say the man tried to brake for the train, but it was too close and he crashed his car into the side of the Union Pacific freight train about 2 a.m. … Continue reading →

Family-Friendly Attractions in Dallas

You’ve visited Southfork and spent hours looking at the exhibits displayed at the Six Floor Museum—-so what else does Dallas, Texas have to offer you and your family. Take a look: Reunion Tower You can’t miss it and you’ll probably keep wondering what it is until you go inside. The 50-story Reunion Tower looms over downtown Dallas with a giant ball-shaped dome that houses an observation deck and a restaurant. If you want a bird’s-eye view of the city (and a pretty good meal) then head to the very top of the tower. The observation area is open from 10 … Continue reading →

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Comes To The Big Easy

It’s been more than four years since the indelible Fred Rogers died of stomach cancer, but the legacy of the soft-spoken “neighbor” lives on in reruns of his popular PBS show, and now in a museum exhibit that is expected to draw thousands to New Orleans. The Louisiana Children’s Museum is about to get a much-needed shot in the arm thanks to the new Rogers inspired exhibit. The exhibit, which includes a replica of King Friday’s castle and a closet full of sweaters and sneakers (replicas of the ones worn by Fred Rogers) opens this Friday, the one year anniversary … Continue reading →

Indianapolis Fever

In less than 20 hours a field of 30 men and three women will start their engines and gun it around the track for the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500. Coincidentally, my family will be attending a wedding in Indiana next month and I have recently written several blogs about the area’s accommodations, outdoor activities, and other points of interest. In honor of the Indianapolis 500 I figured it was appropriate to add a few more must-see attractions to the list—both are new and have opened in just the past few days. Indianapolis Zoo—Oceans Exhibit According to zoo officials, … Continue reading →

The Big Dig

In a previous blog I profiled one of the country’s most popular places to dig for dinosaur bones—real dinosaur bones. (Yes, my young daughter was catching on to the fact that the “bones” she dug for in the sand box at our local children’s museum were not the real deal so I started to explore travel options to allow her to experience life as a real paleontologist.) If you have a budding paleontologist in your home who is looking to get his or her pick dirty digging into the past you may consider visiting the Museum of Western Colorado in … Continue reading →