GRISWOLDDAD
Parenting, Entertainment, and Travel Tips
Educational Outings
Children's Museums
Children's museums are a ton of fun and educational. Depending on the museum, they have fun science activities, dress-up and pretend things, play areas, etc. These museums are in many cities under various names, like the Children's Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana or the Discovery Place in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Museums (Also Zoos & Aquariums) (for all ages)
Even if the museum isn't designed for kids to have fun and are instead just "regular museums", they still have lots within their walls that kids will enjoy, like dinosaurs, knights, Vikings, mummies, pyramids, and so on. Again, they'll be learning along the way! There's more about zoos and aquariums on the "Things to Do Near or in Any Town" page...but they are also educational and deserve a mention on this page.
Keep in mind that museums can exist in many forms. They can be giant museums like the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois or the museums that exist at historical sites, like the old western town in Witchita, Kansas' Old Cowtown museum or Tombstone itself in Tombstone, Arizona and Abraham Lincoln's birthplace in Hogdenvlle, Kentucky. Still others are living museums, like Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia or Taos Pueblo in Taos Pueblo, New Mexico or riding a riverboat in St. Louis, Missouri.
Police and Fire Department Sponsored Activities
These public departments often offer programs and activities to educate children in safety, such as "Safety Town" in which kids walk or ride bikes through a small model town to learn about police, fire, road safety, railroad crossings, stranger danger, and so much more.
Libraries
Libraries are so much more than books. They have educational programs, teaching everything from computers for adults to informational presentations about animals. They typically have computers for Internet access as well. So many of the activities talked about within this site happened at one of our nearby libraries, including our first Roger Day show, the Farmer Jason show, puppet shows, science shows, storytimes, art activities, author signings, free comic book days, and on and on.
