Take 'em on a history-packed vacation
Could trips to places such as Williamsburg and Washington, D.C., and stays at history-rich hotels with child-centered tours and books as backup be the vehicle to a lifelong love of the past?
All I know is that my now-teenage son, the hipster, indie musician with a penchant for all things electronic and modern, had a childhood dotted with visits to places that revered the past. Today, he toys with the idea of becoming a history teacher or a landscape architect (but I think the curiosity about history will be forever with him).
When the curriculum comes home from school, see if you can sneak in a little living history in the form of a not-too-far family getaway.
Way back in the mid-1800s an act of Congress determined that Independence, Mo., would be the official start of the Oregon Trail. As any young player of the popular computer game will tell you, Independence was the site where soon-to-be emigrants stocked up on vittles, medicine and supplies and prepared their wagons for the long and winding road.
Today, the National Frontier Trails Museum tells the saga of America's three great Western routes -- the Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails -- through museum exhibits, an interpretive center and research library. Kids, especially those who have moved from one town to another, easily relate to reminiscences of the journey, in the form of journals and letters penned by children as young as 7. Point out how lucky they were to have to contend with a moving van and not stampeding cattle and churning their own butter. Check out the authentic covered wagons, trail artifacts, activity room for kids and even covered-wagon rides with historical narration. Outside, look for the trail ruts that are still visible after 175 years.
For more information about the fall events and programs at the National Frontier Trails Museum, call (816) 325-7575 or ride over to www.frontiertrailsmuseum.org.
While in Independence, stroll the historic square's galleries, shops and restaurants or catch a show at the Puppetry Arts Institute (www.hazelle.org). From Oct. 1 through Nov. 24, see reproductions of the Dead Sea Scrolls for free at the Independence Mormon Visitors Center. For lodging packages and a list of events, including Halloween activities and ghost tours, contact Independence Tourism, (800) 748-7323 or go to www.visitindependence.com.
If the longest overland trail in North America doesn't do it, perhaps a journey on the Mighty Mississippi at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium will grab them by the gills.
Located at the Port of Dubuque, Iowa, the facility offers a boatload of adventure at one site. The William Woodward Discovery Center features five freshwater aquariums taking you beneath the surface of the Mississippi River; lots of live animals such as alligators and snapping turtles; towboat simulators; a barge where you can take the helm in your own pilothouse; and other state-of-the-art exhibits.
Hear the oral history of the river in the storyteller lodge or hop on a real River Wildlife Cruise with a museum guide to explore natural and historic elements of the Mississippi River. The 90-minute cruise takes place through October.
Learn about the pathfinders and builders as well as the artists, writers and musicians who made extraordinary contributions to the river at the National Rivers Hall of Fame. Hear steamboat stories and climb on the "floating" log raft at the Fred W. Woodward Riverboat Museum; understand the natural habitat of the Mississippi in the Woodward Wetlands; and explore houseboats, scientific vessels and the traveling Audubon Ark in the boatyard.
You can even "boat and breakfast" with an overnight stay on a 1934 steamer. For details, call (800) 226-3369 or cruise to www.mississippirivermuseum.com.
The city of Dubuque features geography one doesn't necessarily associate with Iowa: steep hills and towering river bluffs. For a great view of the river, city and three states, be sure to take a ride on the 1882 Fenelon Place Elevator, the shortest and steepest scenic railway in the world. Lodge in historic Galena, Ill., or at the family-friendly Grand Harbor Resort and Water Park in Dubuque.
The Dubuque Area Chamber can help when you call (800) 798-8844 or visit www.dubuquechamber.com/visit.