TripLearning

1 adult.  4 children.  1 afternoon.  4 museums.  Total cost:  $2 (and some change). Thursday was a great day for a field trip.  Our children had learned about weather at the library this month, so I finally pulled the trigger and decided to visit The Weather Museum with them.  I knew it was a smaller museum and I wanted to make the most use of our trip downtown, so I decided we would try to visit a couple museums during their free admission times on Thursday.  Of course, once I mentioned the plan to the kids, they wanted to try to visit as many as possible.  It was decided that we would go to The Weather Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts and then the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  As the afternoon went on I realized that we would be finished at the Museum of Natural Science when the free admission time began at the Children's Museum, so by the time we headed for home, we had visited four museums in the Museum district of Houston. ...

Independence Hall Being residents of Texas, it has been important to learn about Texas history.  Washington on the Brazos is the Birthplace of Texas and an important part of that history. So, one Friday afternoon we drove up to the park.  It was a nice drive from Houston.  We drove past Lake Conroe, numerous ranches and even a Cowboy Church.  Getting out of the city was a nice change of pace for our family. We left later than planned, so by the time we arrived it was late afternoon.  Following Davy Crockett This meant we didn't have enough time to do everything there.  We went in the Visitor Center & Gift Shop first.  There they told us what attractions they had and the cost for the various activities.  They also had a small, interactive exhibit with pictures, artifacts and history facts about Washington on the Brazos. After leaving the Visitor Center we walked over to Independence Hall .  This is where Texas became a R...

One of the many brain teasers After finishing our second day of school I decided to take the kids to the Health Museum in Houston's Museum District near the zoo.  It is free on Thursdays from 2-5 pm.  We only had about an hour in the museum and the time went by quickly.  We had been there one time before and even though it is a small museum we had a great time, saw new things and didn't get to do everything.  They had a new exhibit about cells that we had not seen before.  It used a lot of technology with touch screens, video screens and interactive displays.  It will be there until August 26th.  The next upcoming exhibit, Sonic Sensation , starts September 15th.   They also had brain teasers set up in the entry hall that we could have easily spent all of our time doing.  But, my favorite area is the Amazing Body Pavilion .  They give lots of information about different parts of the body and have a variety of hands-on display...

Once again Houston has an amazing selection of free places to visit in the city.  There are a number of completely free museums, as well as museums with free times each week.  Here is a great list of options for adults and families: The Elder Sister (Bouguereau) Museum of Fine Arts Houston Museums That Are Always Free · Asia Society Texas Center ·   Contemporary Arts Museum Houston ·   Holocaust Museum Houston ·   Houston Center for Contemporary Craft ·   Houston Center for Photography ·   Houston Museum of African American Culture ·   The Jung Center of Houston ·   Lawndale Art Center ·   The Menil Collection ·   Rice University Art Gallery ·   Rothko Chapel Specific Free Museum Times (General Admission Only) ·   Buffalo Soldiers National Museum - FREE Monday 10am - 5pm ·   Children’s Museum of Houston - FREE Thursday   5 - 8pm  (Excellent museum for childr...

Wednesday will now be the day when I focus on a particular state.  I will give you links to helpful sites, pictures, and some state facts.  So, whether you are able to go there right now or not, you can learn about it and dream of going someday. Alabama We visited Alabama for the first time in 2008 and stayed in Orange Beach.  I really enjoyed our stay and have fond memories of Alabama.  We traveled back through this summer and I think it is a great state to visit.   Main Cities (2000 Estimates)* Birmingham - (Blount, Jefferson including the city of St. Clair, and Shelby counties) 921,106 Mobile - (Baldwin and Mobile counties) 540,258 ...

While in Pensacola we enjoyed a great morning at the Naval Air Station .  We went to the National Naval Aviation Museum .  It is FREE admission and has planes, special exhibits, simulators and a nice kid's play area.  They also have a FREE 45 minute trolley tour to see other aircraft outside.  We did not have time for the trolley ride, but we did get to go inside the new hangar bay which had Vietnam era aircraft as well as a Marine One Presidential Helicopter.  A view of one side of the main museum from the 2nd floor balcony.  There are exhibits on both floors as well as a new hangar. There are several Blue Angel planes on display in the atrium as well as on the base.  They also have planes for children and adults to sit in near the front entrance. The kid's play area Part of the WWII Home Front Exhibit on the 2nd floor.  WWII Ration Stamp Books Nixon Era Marine One- The President's Helicopter The Pensacola Lighthous...

Image Credit We had another long day of driving.  We left the Eastern Shore of Maryland , traveled south through Virginia , across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and stopped to visit a cousin in Portsmouth.  I wish we had time to explore Portsmouth further.  I saw lots of neat shops and a sign for a children's museum that was hard to ignore.  From Portsmouth we traveled to Emporia, which was our normal place to stop for food, restrooms and fuel.  Our only regret was buying fuel there because just a couple miles south on I-95 there was fuel for 30 cents cheaper.  When we entered North Carolina on I-95 South I stopped at the state Welcome Center.  These are great places to get out and let the kids stretch their legs.  Our kids like to pick out a brochure or two as a free souvenir and most of them have something for kids.  Don't be afraid to ask.  I went into this one alone, so I asked if they had coloring books for the kids....