10 (American) Places Every Kid Should See

[LadyShea]

I came across this 10 Places Every Kid Should See (http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-38846834), and have only been to 3 of the 10, mostly because my kiddom was spent in the W/SW and I still have not been to New England nor most of the East Coast

That doesn't mean I haven't seen anything though. I might make my own top 10 list here in the next few days now that my interest is piqued.

How about you, what's your top 10?

[Angakuk]

I have been to six of the ten. Most of them not when I was still a child.

[Demimonde]

I have seen three of the ten as well.

I would add to the natural wonders section Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. That place enchanted me as a child and was very educational.

Cape Kennedy in FL is a shocking ommission IMO. If I had my way every child would get the chance to see a launch there and visit.

If you are Texan, you are required to visit the Alamo. But I understand that is a cultural pilgrimage more than any thing else.

ETA: There is also a shocking lack of Arts in that list. What about museums? The Met, the Guggenhiem, The Getty, The Chigaco Museum of Art, and The Kimball. Also, the Smithsonian is not on that list, and while I haven't been, I am sure it should be.

[livius drusus]

Colonial Williamsburg is aight but I would replace it on my must-see list with Plimouth Plantation (http://www.plimoth.org/) in Massachusetts. It's far more rustic (as befits its 1620s setting) and the actors aren't just in period costume, they're in full period character, complete with a variety of British dialects and not understanding when you talk about modern things like airplanes.

There's an English village from 1627 (http://www.plimoth.org/features/village.php), a Wampanoag homesite (http://www.plimoth.org/features/homesite.php) staffed not by actors but by Native American people in traditional dress demonstrative native crafts, cooking, medicine, and there's a reproduction ship called the Mayflower II (http://www.plimoth.org/features/mayflower-2/) which is so awesome it couldn't be awesomer.

On the seaward side of the ship, there are reproductions of the two boats that came to America with the original Mayflower. The smaller vessel is a ship's boat and the larger is a shallop (coastal working vessel). In 1621, the ship's boat returned with Mayflower to England while the shallop remained as the colonist's first sailing craft.

Next to Mayflower II, a dockside exhibit traces the history and origins of the ship's passengers, and describes the navigation techniques the crew used to find their way at sea. As you leave the ship, a collection of vintage photographs documents the construction of Mayflower II in England and her 1957 Atlantic crossing. [...]

You will meet costumed role players, modern-day staff and maritime artisans. The range of staff on the ship will provide you with a broad picture of the history of Mayflower and Mayflower II. The role players, who are portraying English colonists (popularly called “Pilgrims”), will give you a personal, intimate view of 17th-century shipboard life and their reasons for leaving England. The modern-day staff, including the maritime artisans, can provide background on many historical topics, from the English view of Native People to the history of maritime navigation. They can also talk about the construction and sailing of Mayflower II from England to America in 1957, a fascinating story in its own right.

I was 12 or 13 when I went, and I had a phenomenally great time. It's an imagination wonderland for the nascent history nerd, of course, but also for kids who have heard the same ol' boring "First Thanksgiving" lecture a thousand times before they turn 10. I've never been any place where history came more alive.

[Ari]

Been to 5 out of the 10.

I would take out the National mall and say specifically the Smithsonian and the Vietnam war memorial. The smithsonian is just cool and if they want some education there hasn't been a single object that has made me understand war and its impact like the memorial but yet they didn't seem to mention it.

On there should be Bryce Canyon or similar small Canyons
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/BryceCanyon-Amphiteatre1.jpg/283px-BryceCanyon-Amphiteatre1.jpg

I will also be biased and say that even though I've never been to yellowstone, Yosemite beat it.

and WTF no Disneyland or Disneyworld? Sure they might be an evil soulless company but Disneyland is pretty magical as a kid, especially while double fisting churros.

[Qingdai]

Yeah, I've seen one of those places (Redwoods) and that wasn't until 5 years ago. I've seen Alcatraz from a distance.

I'd have to go way too far to see most of the sites.

I'm going to do local stuff like the John Day park with the painted hills
http://www.oregon150.org/wp-content/uploads/painted-hills_50.jpg

Maybe Crater Lake
http://planetoddity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/crater-lake-1.jpg

[Angakuk]

I would agree with Liv about Plimouth Plantation. Not only are the staff in character, they portray the real individuals who made up the population of Plimouth Plantation.

[ITSOZAZ]

take them to the rock and roll hall of fame...then turn around and get the fuck out of cleveland.

[LadyShea]

These are the places that stick out in my memory from being a kid

1. Yosemite
2. Lassen Volcanic Park
3. Zion Canyon (Utah sucks as a political entity, but has some beautiful natural scenery)
4. Petrified Forest
5. Painted Desert

[Adam]

5 for me. 6 if you count seeing Alcatraz from the outside. I wasn't a child when I saw any of them, though. Not chronologically, anyway,

[wildernesse]

As a child, I went to five of those listed on various family vacations. RA showed me a list like this the other day, and I loved that Craters of the Moon made the list. What I thought was really funny, though, is that what they highlighted--exploring the lava tubes--we didn't even visit and I still think it is a great place to visit. We did climb up the giant ash mountain, which is pictured in the article, which was fun. And, especially compared to Yellowstone, we were pretty much the only ones there.

We went to Niagra when my brother and I were pretty young, and I will agree that dressing in the yellow slicker and going down to the falls was a lot of fun.

I also agree that there should be some cave system on the list. I've never been to Carlsbad or Mammoth, but it was fun to go into a cave as a child (and now, although most smaller cave tours are not as interesting to listen to now).

There are other types of places that I would add, because I don't think that everyone needs to see the exact same things and the great variety of our country is something that should be celebrated. One would be a place where you can see fossils outside of a museum. I was 15 when we visited Dinosaur National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm), but it was still amazing. Another would be a place where you can learn about Native Americans and the societies they created long before there was a US--whether that is a mound complex (http://www.gastateparks.org/EtowahMounds) or effigy site, petroglyphs (http://www.nps.gov/petr/index.htm), cave dwellings (http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm), etc. I would include a place significant to the Civil War, and a place significant to an American writer or artist.

I also thought that leaving museums off the list was silly. We visited art and history museums on almost every vacation, and I don't recall any of them being children's museums. And, for the most part, we liked them. Even though we didn't always love the whole visit to a museum as children, my brother and I both tend to seek museums out when we are on a trip to a new place. How else would you know you were on a vacation?

ETA: Oh, and I would include a place where you learn how something mechanical worked before electricity. Something big, like a lock system or canal or even a mill.

[LadyShea]

Kiddo has visited like 5 caves to date. None of the super well know ones though, but interesting nonetheless.

Oh, I need to add these to my list

6. Cave of the Winds
7. Mesa Verde

A Mound complex not far from here is on my short list, probably for camping this summer.

[The Lone Ranger]

I would add Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Shenandoah National Park to the list, but the problem with both of them (especially GSMNP) is that they're too popular. You've gotta hit the trails and get away from all the people.

I think I'd add the Blue Ridge Parkway to the list as well.

And Acadia National Park, too.


Rocky Mountains National Park and Olympic National Park would be nice additions too, I think.


Hmm. I'm sensing a trend ...


So for variety, how about the Everglades?

[LadyShea]

Everglades is on my list for within the next 5 years :) Definitely going to hit Payne's Prairie (http://www.floridastateparks.org/paynesprairie/)on the same trip, because "See wild horses" is on my bucket list, and somehow I managed to live 30+ years in the West and never made it to a Mustang viewing area :(

We did Smoky Mountains for Kiddo's 4th birthday, and have driven the Parkway as well

[wildernesse]

Major wetlands! That is a good one, especially for the Southeast US. Barrier islands are another good concept to understand and see in the SEUS. Examples of eco-zones are lots of fun to visit and educational.

Also, along the lines of how things work--some kind of factory tour. I vaguely remember going to a snack food plant as a child, but I remember going to a glassworks factory in either WV or OH much more. And I have visited some sort of paper mill. I can remember coming home from the glassworks, after watching the people hand painting the designs on the glass, and I always made my paints up into a palette in imitation of them after that.

[wildernesse]

Kiddo has visited like 5 caves to date. None of the super well know ones though, but interesting nonetheless.



In some ways, I don't even think it matters. Obviously, the Grand Canyon is magnitudes bigger in scope and opportunity than Providence Canyon, and there are significant differences in each. But everyone can't go to the Grand Canyon. And seeing something on a smaller scale can pique the imagination and lead to goals and learning just the same. Plus, there are lots of places that aren't well known, where the resources are just as good as at the more well-known places. Even local county or city parks can have excellent programs and examples of historical or natural features.

I like lists like the one in your OP, because it makes me think of what places were really fascinating as a child. And because it makes me think of the types of places that I would want my child to experience. But, while I think travel is important, I think you can have lots of great experiences close to home, no matter where you are. I think I would rather my child have been to a dozen local, not very well-known, places of interest over the years, than just one big trip to some place like the Grand Canyon.

[LadyShea]

Excellent thinking Wildy, your kid will have many awesome experiences.

We have taken Kiddo to many interesting places (IMHO), and with 1 exception (he and hubby flew to visit hubby's folks in Colorado) all have been within driving distance, and fallen within the scope of one week vacations and/or weekend getaways and tight budgets. I have a knack for finding educational and/or nerdfeeding and/or fun opportunities most anywhere as well as a knack for finding the most fun for the least money. Seriously one of Kiddo's fave memories is doing this gem panning roadside attraction thing somewhere in the Smokies that cost 5.00.

Yeah, I would love to take Kiddo out West someday to see the giant Redwoods, at least (def bucket list material), and the Smithsonian, and to Europe, but those may or may not be feasible due to time and budget constraints. So, I do the best we can with the resources we have.

I think some people sit around doing nothing because it's not the exact huge thing they want to do. There is a lot to be said about exploring where you are and where you can be, even if it's not the ultimate dream vacation of a lifetime.

[Crumb]

Yeah, I've seen one of those places (Redwoods) and that wasn't until 5 years ago. I've seen Alcatraz from a distance.

I'd have to go way too far to see most of the sites.

I'm going to do local stuff like the John Day park with the painted hills
[pic]

Maybe Crater Lake
[pic]

That's a great list of things to see in the NW. :yup: I would add Oregon Cave, and in Northern California (not just the Redwoods, but also) the lava beds.

[JoeP]

None of them.

OKOK one.

[maddog]

The Grand Canyon is, imo, overrated as a destination, esp. for kids. The thing about the Grand Canyon is that you can only look from the edge. Unless you are a helluva hiker and/or have booked way ahead, there's nowhere to stay and nothing really to experience. You can't get to the river, you can't get up close to the formations, you can't take the burro tour, unless you are there at some exact sunrise or sunset time, you don't experience the awesome colors and shadows of those special times. As a kid, I was there 5 minutes and couldn't figure out what the big deal was; it was much better to view as an adult. To get the real Grand Canyon experience, I think, you'd have to hike down, but the campsites have to be booked well ahead and it's pretty arduous, not fun for a kid. It's upside down from most hikes where you go to the top (the hard part) and relax on the way down. At GC, you hike down, and then at the end of the trip you have all the hard work of getting back up again. I am NOT a hiker/camper, so perhaps it's just all lost on me.

#2581

[wildernesse]

I started thinking of my actual top ten faves as a child, and I can't rank them in order. But these are the things that made the biggest impression on me.

Seeing wildlife in the wild (buffalo, elk, moose, bear at Yellowstone, alligators at Okefenokee, dolphins on the coast, etc.)
Finding/catching live animals at the beach and shell collecting
Washington, D.C. (Smithsonian, monuments and memorials, White House tour, sitting in the gallery of the Senate watching John Glenn speak)
Willie B. the silverback at Zoo Atlanta and being in a city park, Grant Park
Visiting my great-grandmother in WV because she 1. lived in a town, 2. had a sidewalk outside her house, 3. lived in a two story house, 4. had a claw-foot bathtub. We was country folk! lol
Geysers and other hot water features at Yellowstone
Hiking in different places (to the top of Stone Mtn and Kennesaw Mtn, along the north rim of the Grand Canyon, up the giant cinder heap at Craters of the Moon, in the Smoky Mountains, seeing the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, out to various overlooks), even though I doubt any of them were ever over 2 miles long.
Disneyworld/Epcot
Seeing/driving through the Rockies, Grand Tetons, Painted Desert
Being around people who were different from people back home, especially because people back home were white/black and Protestant.


We would see a lot on our vacations, but I don't think they were incredibly expensive. My dad once remarked that we spent the same amount to go on a 2 week vacation out west that other people (who were all "must be nice") were spending on a weeklong vacation at the beach 4 hours away. And they would go every year on their vacation, while we went on big vacations every three years or so--the rest of the time, we went on weekend trips to Atlanta, Chattanooga, or tagged along on my mom's business trips around the state.

We ate breakfast, lunch, and any snacks out of the cooler in the trunk of the car. Dinner was at the local Pizza Hut or diner. The big luxury was staying at a hotel with a pool, which we did most of the time. It could have been cheaper by camping, but my mom does NOT camp. haha.

[godfry n. glad]

I would add the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park.

Also, the west side of Maui during the winter months when the whales have calved and are sporting with their young'uns. Great snorkling, too, with colorful tropical fish and awesome tortoises.

[LadyShea]

The Hana Coast of Maui is my fave place I have ever visited.

[godfry n. glad]

Also, the Smithsonian is not on that list, and while I haven't been, I am sure it should be.

Akshully...it is. The DC Mall includes several of the biggest Smithsonian museums. They are great for their visual interest and their 'hands-on' stuff.

I also agree with Wildy that seeing big wild animals in the wild was a major thrill. Places like Glacier help that happen...mountain goats and bighorn sheep, galore. The herds of elk roaming the city streets of Banff were way kewl...but that's Canuckistan.

If you have an aviation fan and can't get to the Air & Space Museum on the Mall in Washington, DC, because you're way out west, then the Evergreen Air & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, is a good backup.

[The Lone Ranger]

If the opportunity arises, Mount St. Helens is definitely worth the visit, though you'll probably see everything you'll want to see in a day. Even today, decades after the eruption, it's still awe-inspiring to see the devastation that it wrought. It also makes a good lesson on ecological succession as the ecosystem slowly recovers.

[wildernesse]

RA went snorkeling as a kid and LOVED it. It would probably be at the top of his list for childhood experiences. He pretty much jumps at any occasion to go, still.

[LadyShea]

By all means bring your Wildlette down to the Gulf for snorkeling. We will probably get Kiddo SCUBA certified when he old enough.

[Ari]

I loved snorkeling as a kid. Fish in aqauriums don't really excite me, but getting to float around in their world does. Modern equipment is so much nicer than it used to be.

[Janet]

I am biased, but I'd say people need to visit at least one of the Great Lakes. They are seriously gorgeous and I find people who've never been here have no concept of how huge they really are.

[Ensign Steve]

I am biased, but I'd say people need to visit at least one of the Great Lakes. They are seriously gorgeous and I find people who've never been here have no concept of how huge they really are.

Totally fair. I'm from the pacific coast so when I saw the great lakes I was like, "so it's a freshwater ocean?" It kind of blew my mind.

[LadyShea]

lol I felt that way about Lake Tahoe "Goddamn that's a lot of freshwater", and it's nothing to the Great Lakes. Yes, I think I'd like to see them :)

[The Lone Ranger]

The first time I saw Lake Tahoe, I was looking down on it from high atop a mountain. From that perspective, I could clearly see the tracings of currents moving through it, just like you can see in satellite photographs of the oceans.

That's when the thought went through my head: "Dang! That's one big body of water!"


[I second the Great Lakes -- especially from some of the more wild and rugged places in northern Michigan or Wisconsin. I also second snorkeling/SCUBA diving -- I've been wanting to learn to SCUBA dive for a long time; it's one of those things that's on my "must learn" list.]


Cheers,

Michael

[Ari]

I've been wanting to learn to SCUBA dive for a long time; it's one of those things that's on my "must learn" list.
Do it now! No right now, I'll wait!
:diver: :diver: :diver: :diver2:

Back?

Isn't it awesome!
As someone that is fascinated at random river slugs, I'm surprised you haven't done this sooner. Meeting sea creatures on their own terms while floating weightless and breathing underwater. Although there is the danger that you could get fascinated and forget you have a limited supply of air.
It is some work and the gear can be cumbersome but it's worth it.

Also there is SNUBA where hoses hang down from tanks and people breath off of them. I've never tried it but it seems like a good in between.

[LadyShea]

You've been looking for an excuse to come to the Gulf, anyway, right, TLR? Turtle nesting season is coming up too.

[ShottleBop]

I've been to four:

Redwoods National Park (on several occasions; one Thanksgiving, we stayed in cabins on the Avenue of the Giants, and ate Thanksgiving Dinner in a roadside place with takeout burritos and pizza and the like).

The Grand Canyon (a few times).

Colonial Williamsburg (took the grandkids a few years ago, traded a timeshare for a week. It was the 400th anniverary celebration, and there were Revolutionary War re-enacters camped out on the Governor's Lawn).

Alcatraz (a few times).

I'd add Yosemite. Garden of the Gods, in Colorado. The Mystery Spot on old 101, heading up towards Redwood National Park (pure, kid-pleasing cheesiness). Big Sur--shiiiiiiiit, everyone should drive the old Pacific Coast Highway.

Every kid should see Disneyland/World at least once.

I haven't really seen that much of the country, however, so can't speak with any authority.

[Dingfod]

I took my kids to exactly one of those listed, Yellowstone/Teton. But we hit some great places not on the list, Flaming Gorge Dam at Dutch John, Utah, the Dinosaur National Monument at Dinosaur, Colorado, and Arches and Canyonlands National Parks near Moab, Utah, making sure to visit the Hole in the Rock tourist trap south of there. Pikes Peak and the incline railway and nearby Royal Gorge received multiple visits from the Dingfod clan. I concur with Mesa Verde and Cave of the Winds, but I would include Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado in the list. I think Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills should be on the bucket list, I got to go there when I was still a kid (18 is still a kid, right?).

[Dingfod]

How could I have forgotten The Great Salt Lake?

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

Seen the National Mall (many times), GSMNP (grew up next door), and Independence Hall (as an adult).

I loved Arches National Park (I was 22 at the time).

[wildernesse]

I took my kids to exactly one of those listed, Yellowstone/Teton. But we hit some great places not on the list, Flaming Gorge Dam at Dutch John, Utah, the Dinosaur National Monument at Dinosaur, Colorado, and Arches and Canyonlands National Parks near Moab, Utah, making sure to visit the Hole in the Rock tourist trap south of there. Pikes Peak and the incline railway and nearby Royal Gorge received multiple visits from the Dingfod clan. I concur with Mesa Verde and Cave of the Winds, but I would include Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado in the list. I think Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills should be on the bucket list, I got to go there when I was still a kid (18 is still a kid, right?).

LOL, I have been to Flaming Gorge and remember nothing about the place except for the fact that my brother FINALLY caught a trout there. That was all he wanted to do on that trip, so pretty much every time we saw a fishable body of water, we had to stop and let him try to catch a trout (after figuring out if he needed a license, and getting a license, etc.). Not like there aren't trout in Georgia, but whatever.

Now that I'm grown, I think it is a neat little quest for a vacation, but I did not really appreciate it at the time.