For the last few months I’ve been using this great app on my phone called Flipboard. It provides a super nice way to get at a bunch of the latest news in a variety of my favorite topic areas quickly and easily in a format which is conducive to quick reads. Yesterday I was literally thumbing through Flipboard when I came across this article from Parents entitled, “7 Places to Take Your Kids (Before They Grow Up)”.
The list is more than 7 items as it groups a bunch of potential spots into groupings:
- A Natural Wonder
An American Monument
A Civil War Battlefield
A Great American City
An Unspoiled Beach
A Desert Landscape
A Man-Made Wonder
I am an East Coaster and as such I have seen a lot of the individual suggested areas listed (Gettysburg, Lincoln Memorial, Boston, NYC, and the Statue of Liberty to name a few) and through my travels later in life I have (or will soon have) seen some others. However, I’m not sure if taking my kids to these places as children will do that much for them.
Let’s take, for example, Gettysburg. I visited the area with Scouts when I was probably 12 or 13. While I remember the trip itself, a whirlwind 3 day weekend, and the fact that one of the other Scouts’ fathers had a van with a TV and a Nintendo in the back, I couldn’t really tell you all that much about Gettysburg itself. However, since I saw Niagara Falls when I was 17 and the Hoover Dam when I was in my late 20s, I have a much better remembrance of those visits.
I have told The Wife that I really want to take the kids to see Mount Rushmore (I’ve never been to the Black Hills myself) and to the Grand Canyon where smog may eventually severely limit visibility on a regular basis but I really hope they can get something more out of it than remembering about some random unrelated memory like the van story and a patch on a shirt.
However, I don’t know if this list is good enough. What places have you visited that you would add to a must-see for your kids list? What about it made them worthwhile and what was memorable about them for you? Did you dread these sorts of trips as a kid or did you look forward to them? What made them exciting or boring? How many of these places have you visited? Are any of them on your must do list? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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January 22nd, 2013 at 8:01 am
I’ve been to the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore 3 times (twice with my parents as a kid and once with my own children). I’ve also been to the Yellowstone and had planned on taking the family there again this year but now are going to a wedding in Colorado. So, we will do the Pike’s Peek thing, whitewater rafting and check out all the other fun things to do in Colorado this summer and save Yellowstone for another year. We love the outdoors and we want our children to see as many of the National Parks as possible.
January 22nd, 2013 at 8:23 am
While not necessarily “Wonders” There are a lot of really cool things to see. Just a short list of the ones that immediately came to mind.
Man-made:
- Mount Rushmore (been twice)
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Arlington National Cemetery
- National Space Center
- Empire State Building
- Sears Tower
Natural:
- Mammoth Caves (Kentucky)
- Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Black Hills (South Dakota)
- Everglades (Florida)
- Grand Canyon (Arizona side)
- Both Oceans that touch the US
January 22nd, 2013 at 8:45 am
Although I remember some moments and trips more than others, family road trips and just simply being in a different place are pieces of growing up that I look back on as rewarding and valuable.
Personally, I think it’s important to get kids out in the world as much as possible and as early as possible but I’m too lazy. There’s a big planet full of fascinating scenery, culture, people, challenges, and so on out there. Whether it’s adults or tiny kids, a broader exposure (I feel) is going to give a person a better sense of place in the world.
I don’t have any hard data to support this, but the three mini-MSPDs have been to upwards of 35 states (about 20 for the 6 year-old) and some Canadian provinces and I believe it has made them more aware and adaptable in everyday life. Bill, just because you and I don’t remember all of the details from every trip as a kid, don’t sell your kids short. My brother and my kids have an amazing ability to recall all sorts of things. Conversations frequently start with “Do you remember that….” and what follows will often surprise.
Anyway, my goal is to continue to expose the kids to as many situations, places, and experiences as possible before I turn them loose.
January 22nd, 2013 at 9:38 am
1. I fucking love Flipboard. It’s my version of the morning paper.
2. We took Zach, 8, to D.C. this summer and he loved it even more than expected. One of the good things about D.C. is that there is a pretty big diversity of things to see, so you can switch gears when the wee ones get bored. Bonus: most of it costs you nothing. Take the Smithsonian, for example. While it’s hard to imagine a kid not loving the Air and Space Museum, Zach was completely tweaked over the Natural History building. So much so, we went two days in a row.* The Zoo has pandas. ZOMFG PANDAS!
Zach’s been asking to see Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone is on the list. We also want to take him back to the Oregon coast. We own an RV (highly recommended!) so that is part of the adventure.
*Zach got to see parts of the Nat. Hist. Museum that most people do not get to see due to unique circumstances. YMMV
Do you run the risk of smaller kids not appreciating such trips? Absolutely. Do it anyway, if you can.
January 22nd, 2013 at 10:05 am
jorn, I grew up in the DC area and used to love going to the Natural History Museum as a kid. I was always mesmerized by the room with all of the rocks and gemstones and whatnot. Some pretty amazing stuff in there.
January 22nd, 2013 at 10:15 am
Growing up, my family took one family vacation outside of Minnesota. That one trip happened when I was about 9 or 10 to Wyoming by way of Black Hills/Mount Rushmore. I remember more about that trip than I do about most of the trips I’ve taken since becoming an adult. Maybe it was because we never went anywhere as kids that it stands out so much, but I remember so many details it is weird. Especially since I have a terrible, terrible memory.
So I say do it! Bring your kids to as many as those things as you can. You never know what will be there in 20 years. The chance you have now could by your child’s last. Maybe they will remember, maybe they won’t, but it is worth doing.
January 22nd, 2013 at 10:15 am
I have an annoying natural reflex that rejects anything that “must” be done. Kids will be fine if they never see anything that fits in that list. Just seeing a site does not make you a better person.
The trouble with a list is that its become items to check off. Goals to complete and eliminate from your life.
What is important is spending time with your kids, sharing what you love and discovering what they love. For example, I also saw Gettysburg as a kid. It was a great time. While I do love old battlefields and history in general, what really made the time memorable was that it was just me and my dad on a road trip. Mom and sister we at home. I have countless other memories that were made at famous places, nameless towns and the journey in between. What ties them all together is adventure, play and family. The actual destination is trivial.
January 22nd, 2013 at 10:19 am
MSPD, you should see some of the amazing stuff that’s NOT on display. The basement in that building is nerd heaven.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=193460417450935&l=b58af39f93
January 22nd, 2013 at 3:52 pm
I imagine it is! I would like that tour someday.
Growing up in DC and elsewhere out east with my Dad in the military (and pre-9/11/01), I occasionally got access to things/places that weren’t public. I spent a lot of time in various parts of the Pentagon and on military installations and in ships. Favorites were a personal tour of the USS Forestall (aircraft carrier) while it was in drydock in Philadelphia and the occasional trip to Langley AFB. There’s a golf course there we would play on and, simultaneously, enjoy a 5 hour-long parade of stealth bombers and other assorted fighter jets flying right over our heads. It was unreal.
I can’t remember if it was an “inside connection”, but I also got an in-depth tour of the Smithsonian “Silver Hill” facility (the Air & Space Museum restoration and storage site). There was some great stuff in there. The Enola Gay was stored there and was being restored while I was there. I actually stood in the open bomb bay that “Little Boy” dropped out of.
I’ll also never forget the WWII Japanese “Ohka” planes they had there. You can’t tell me a kid wouldn’t be changed learning about that…and to see them and touch them was kind of chilling (and I don’t use that word lightly). Here’s a link for the uninitiated:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokosuka_MXY7_Ohka
Like I said earlier, there’s an incredibly fascinating world out there.
January 22nd, 2013 at 4:07 pm
My Mother in Law tells the story of their trip to the Grand Canyon when Mrs S was about 6. Story goes they pull into an overlook, Mrs S, she went by Cheryl then, got out of the car looked into America’s greatest natural feature and profoundly remarked “Big hole in the ground” and promptly got back in the car.
She does not remember the event.
January 22nd, 2013 at 5:44 pm
My offspring are all post 20 years now… but we made pilgrimages to
Rushmore/Black Hills, Disney World, DC and NYC when they were young. The Rushmore trip is a good one, easy from the TC… (Wall Drug and the Corn Palace being en route stops of much kitsch). However the kids need to be old enough to appreciate it… Custer State park is actually very nice, we rented a cabin there which was a nice alternative to a hotel or camping. My kids were from about 4 years to 12 years at the time and it was good, we went to some cave there too, but my claustrophobia got the better of me.
I think DC and NYC are the two best cities to visit for kids, Chicago is a drivable option and has great museums and family experiences with excellent foodie friendly options that kids like (hot dogs, Maxwell street Polish)…. . We had a great time in DC, stayed in a hotel in Alexandria and took the metro into DC every day and visited all the sights.
My best memory was that my sister and her husband and their 6 year old daughter took me on a great road trip from Michigan to Los angeles via Route 66 and back via Vegas, Utah, Yellowstone and rushmore. I believe we were gone over 2 weeks and it was about 1966 or so… two lane highways in New Mexico and Wyoming … I really remember being stopped for 15 mins on US 16 up in the Powder River Pass in Wyoming for a bunch of actual cowboys moving a large herd of cattle across the road…. .
Other things that I recommend : taking the SS Badger across Lake Michigan and taking in the the west coast of Michigan up to Mackinac Island, the San Juan Islands/Seattle and Vancouver; Montreal and Quebec city; Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak, Cape Canaveral, yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, the Oregon Coast (August or Sept best); touring a destroyer or aircraft carrier (Mobile or San Diego ); a baseball game in Wrigley Field; the North shore of MN; the area of the historic stockyards and old Fort Worth; the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City; great Childrens Museums and Aquariums in Chicago and new orleans. (though New Orleans is not really a kids place).
Finally , great Minnesota old fashioned family lodge: The Northern Pine Lodge north of Park Rapids on Potato Lake. Great family place.
January 22nd, 2013 at 7:49 pm
Made my first trip to the Black Hills at age 9, during all of the ‘Spirit of 76′ hoopla. You drove up to the base of Rushmore, parked, walked up and stared up at it. Crazy Horse was just a big hunk of rock and Wall Drug, well, you could park right out front without a problem. Cosmos was trippy and Flintstones Bedrock City was a couple of cutouts and buildings. I had the back of my dad’s 68 Plymouth Fury all to myself!
Fast forward to 2012: I’m the one doing the speeding down I-90 with Mom riding shotgun with Dad watching and protecting from above. This time it’s a ’04 Corolla with the back seat stuffed with ‘stuff’ my aunt really, really needs that she can’t get in Custer. Wall Drug is now a couple of blocks long and has parking lots in addition to on-street parking. Rushmore is impressive, Crazy Horse has made crazy progress, Cosmos is still trippy and if you ask nicely, my uncle may give you a wild ride in Fred Flinstone’s car. Lost money in Deadwood, went to Sturgis and got the t-shirt (my mom still is in disbelief that she actually went into Full Throttle) and put 1600 miles on my car without getting pulled over once. And did I mention the wineries?
Yup, things have changed in the Black Hills…a great place for families, but avoid late July/early August due to Sturgis and extremely high temps (“Is that thing on your dashboard broken or is it really 109 degrees?”)
January 23rd, 2013 at 8:40 am
Can I just say what we are all thinking?
I want to be MSPD’s kid.
January 23rd, 2013 at 8:53 am
I’m a firm believer in getting out and seeing as much of this country (and hopefully beyond) as possible. My family took a big road trip at least every 2 years growing up and before I’d left home, I’d been to 39 states. I crossed the last 11 off over the next 5 years on college road trips and eventually my honeymoon.
I think the earliest trip I have memories from was to North Carolina around age 5. I have a few more memories from a trip to Louisiana at age 7. From age 10 on, I can remember all of the trips in much more detail. I’ve taken a look at some of the routes with my dad and can remember most of the highway routes we took going back to the trip from when I was 7.
My brother, on the other hand, is a year and a half younger than me and doesn’t have that distinct a memory. Even trips I’ve taken with my wife have shown that we’re very different in our memories. A year or so ago my wife and I got talking about a 12-day trip we’d taken to the Pacific Northwest. I could remember the restaurants we ate at each day, highways we took, and where we were each day of that trip. She was dumbfounded.
So how young is too young? That’s the question my wife and I are asking now. Our oldest turn 3 next month. I think 3 is still too young to do anything too ambitious. We’re trying to plan a trip to New Zealand for next year and I think even age 4 is too young for it to be worthwhile for them. But once they’re 5 or 6, I think they’ll be along for the ride. My best memories as a kid were on road trips, which is the one love my dad passed onto me.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:30 am
This is definitely something that Ben and I frequently discuss. I took far more trips as a kid than he did, probably due to the resources my parents had and the fact that there were 2 kids vs 5, but they still did quite a bit too. Almost all of my trips were road trips, and we went to Yosemite, Glacier, Yellowstone, San Antonio, Washington D.C., Seattle, Mount Rushmore and more before I was 16. I have varying degrees of memory of those trips but I am definitely glad to have experienced them. At the time I was annoyed at the lack of Disney World but now I am glad to have gone to the National Parks instead. I certainly would appreciate them more as an adult but they are experiences I have and I’m thankful for that.
Not only did I go on trips with my parents, but they were also very supportive of travel that I did for debate as well, and I got to go to camps at big universities for a month during the summers of HS and also travel to various tournaments around the country.
The first major trip that I remember is going to Seattle with my dad to pick up his spray truck (construction) when I was 5. There were a few before then but it does seem like 5-6 is a good age to start major trips with the expectation that kids will get something out of that experience. We’ve taken smaller trips and plan on doing road trips to Mount Rushmore and Iowa as our first real family vacations that are longer than a weekend. We also have a goal of going to Europe for 2-3 months when the kids are 9 and 11. Travel is definitely something that is important to us, but I’m not chomping at the bit to take the kids on any big trips just yet.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Erin, I’m one of 11 kids, so the smug part of me says, “Ben’s parents could’ve done it.” But I have 3 kids and the thought of being in a car with them for a cross-country trip is a little terrifying. We took the twins to California when they were 5 months old but haven’t ventured further than 4 hours since they were mobile. I’m debating a Kansas City trip in May to test the waters of a trip a liittle further away.
In short, I’m not sure how my parents did it and maintained their sanity, but I’ll be damned if I don’t make an effort to give my kids half of what my parents gave me.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:27 pm
Slightly random: The more we use our RV, the more we love it.
January 26th, 2013 at 9:26 am
I’m a proponent of family travel, although I am still waiting for my sons to appreciate that fact! I also don’t like the goals / check off lists…just get a variety of trips in. Our children have been fortunate to have traveled a great deal – Boundary waters, camping, Mount Rushmore ( the heads!), Yellowstone, Washington DC, DisneyWorld , Banff. Most due to cost restraints were road trip/outdoor camping trips -backpacking in Banff is glorious, driving there was not- that create their own memories.