Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Make Educational Stops on Vacations a Family Tradition

We were driving away from the Gerald Eddy Discovery Center during our last vacation when my wife said to me “You know you’ve become your Father – you’re taking our children to all the same types of places your Dad dragged you to as a kid.”  She winked at me.  “I love that about you and our kids are going to have great childhood memories when they grow up.”

My Dad always included visits to museums and historical sites on every family vacation.  As a kid, I visited well known places such as Colonial Williamsburg, Gettysburg, and the Smithsonian Museums as well as spots more off the beaten path such as the Gnadenhutten Museum & Massacre Monument, Salamanca Railroad Museum and the Lost Colony on Roanoke Island.  These educational excursions have instilled in me a lifelong passion for discovery and learning.  

Now that I’m a Dad, incorporating educational stops in all our vacations has become a family tradition.  We’ve visited places with our kids like the Air Museum in Akron, American Museum of Natural History in NYC, Children’s Museum of Pittsburg, the Imagination Station in Toledo, Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry, and even stopped by the local Sanibel Historical Village during our beach vacation last winter.  

For suggestions on interesting places to visit on your next vacation, check out the Association of Science-Technology Centers website, contact the Chamber of Commerce or Tourism Bureau for the area you are visiting or ask locals for out of the ordinary suggestions.  Have a goal of making education entertaining for your kids on every trip!

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