North East US

Boston, MA

Museum of Science

Science Park

Boston, MA 02114-1099

617-723-0300

http://www.museumofscience.org

 

It could be the class act of science museums.  It certainly ranks among the best in the nation, with hands-on displays, courses for children and an on-site staffed library.  When you visit, be sure to see the demonstration of the huge static electric generator.  It is easy to get lost in the exhibits: the big dig or the optical illusions.  More than a museum, it is a bastion of accessible science in the midst of the city.

 

August 2004

Freedom Trail

Boston National Historical Park

Charlestown Navy Yard
Boston, MA 02129

617-242-5642

BOST_Email@nps.gov

http://www.nps.gov/bost/

 

The Freedom Trail is something of a concoction of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, though it is successful because there is plenty of value in connecting a number of unique historical sites.  The walk is rather easy, with plenty of places to stop.  The subway is always close by, too.  Tours are offered by the Freedom Trail Foundation (617-357-8300).

 

 

August 2004

The trail passes numerous places enshrined in US history: Boston Common; the Massachusetts State House; Park Street Church, location of the first performance of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”; Old State House, now a museum; the site of the Boston Massacre, marked on a traffic island;

Faneuil Hall; Paul Revere House; Old North Church; Bunker Hill, where you, too, can charge if your constitution is strong; USS Constitution, “Old Ironsides”..

 

Paul Revere House

The Paul Revere Memorial Association

19 North Square

Boston, MA 02113

617-523-2338

http://www.paulreverehouse.org

 

August 2004

This house went through several owners and Paul Revere may never have even lived in it, but it has been restored to model a 17th century home.  The conveniences, or lack thereof, are an eye-opener to modern children.

 

Old North Church

193 Salem Street

Boston, MA 02113

 

http://www.oldnorth.com

 

 

August 2004

This is the church immortalized in Longfellow’s Paul Revere’s Ride.  Properly called Christ Church, it is currently an Episcopal church, so mind your manners when you visit.  (There were two lights in the tower that night – the Redcoats came by sea.)

 

Bunker Hill National Historical Park

Boston, MA

http://www.nps.gov/bost/Bunker_Hill.htm

 

 

August 2004

The story of the battle of Bunker Hill makes fascinating history.  The machines of war, on display in the memorial building, dictated the tactics, which led to the very high casualty rates, particularly on the side of the British regulars.

 

USS Constitution

Commanding Officer
Bldg 5 Charlestown Navy Yard
Charlestown, MA 02129

(617) 242 - 7511

Constitution.pao@navy.mil

http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/

 

USS Constitution Museum
P.O. Box 1812
Boston, Massachusetts 02129

617-426-1812

http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/

 

The USS Constitution is still a commissioned Navy vessel.  Impressive how low-tech everything was then.  Actually, the most impressive part is how small those old sailing vessels were.

 

August 2004

 

Near Boston, MA

Mayflower II

Plimoth Plantation
137 Warren Avenue
Plymouth, MA 02360

508-746-1622

http://www.plimoth.org/

 

The Mayflower II is a replica of the original Mayflower.  It is something of a historical curiosity.  Yet it was the Boeing 747 of its day.

 

August 2004

Plymouth Rock

Plymouth, MA

 

August 2004

The Mayflower passengers and crew do not mention a specific rock in their diaries, but the legend persists that this is the place where they disembarked.  It is good for tourism.

 

Minute Man National Historical Park

174 Liberty Street
Concord, MA 01742

978-369-6993

http://www.nps.gov/mima/

 

This park encompasses the long trail followed by the British regulars out from Boston Harbor to Concord Bridge and Lexington, where the first battles of the Revolutionary War were fought.  Sites include important stops on Paul Revere’s ride as well as the legendary site at Concord Bridge.  The most popular demonstration by the docents is the firing of the musket.

 

August 2004

Salem Witch Museum

Washington Square   

 Salem, MA 01970

978-744-1692

http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/

 

As easy as it would have been to produce a silly supernatural-slanted spookfest, the Witch Museum provides a broader, more mature presentation, including a history of the Salem witch trials, with particular attention to the social science behind the success of the baseless accusations.  Of particular note is the thought-provoking section challenging modern-day “witch hunts”.

 

August 2004

New England Pirate Museum
274 Derby Street
Salem, MA 01970

978-741-2800
http://www.piratemuseum.com

 

In the early, lawless days of the European exploration of North America, pirates operated with surprising freedom in the New England waters.  This museum highlights the more colorful characters from early New England history.

 

August 2004

 

New England

Seacoast Science Center

570 Ocean Blvd Rye, NH 03870

603-436-8043

http://www.seacentr.org/

 

This small science center located near Portsmouth is hidden out-of-the-way on the New Hampshire coast. The center is geared toward younger children.  It is located inside the state park, so expect to pay twice: once for the Odiorne Point State Park, once for the Seacoast Science Center.

 

August 2004

Portland Observatory

138 Congress St.

Portland, ME

http://www.portlandlandmarks.org

 

This is not an astronomical observatory, but rather a tower for watching for approaching trading ships from colonial days.  The merchant watching from the tower could know what goods were arriving and arrange quick unloading.  There was significant renovation going on at the time of our visit.

 

August 2004

White Mountain National Forest

PO Box 638
Laconia, NH
3247
603-528-8722

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/white/

 

Crawford Notch

http://www.nhstateparks.org/ParksPages/
CrawfordNotch/CrawfordNotch.html

 

http://www.VisitWhiteMountains.com

 

August 2004

This national forest is near huge Eastern population centers and provides recreation and getaways for large numbers of visitors every year.  The forest is rather well-developed by the standards of those who are familiar with national forests in the Western part of the US.

American Precision Museum

196 Main Street, Windsor, Vermont 05089
Phone (802) 674-5781

http://www.americanprecision.org/

 

The building is packed with historic machine tools.  You even get to watch some of them work. Though somewhat off the beaten track, this is a really fun place.  You could spend hours playing with the toys or just seeing the link from hand-tooling to modern assembly-line precision machining took place.  This museum has it all. The museum is carrying on a building renovation program.  Hopefully the smell of fine machine oil will remain.

 

August 2004

 

Old Sturbridge Village
1 Old Sturbridge Village Road
Sturbridge, Massachusetts 01566

508-347-3362

http://www.osv.org

 

This is a reenactment, re-creation of an 18th century village.  Actors/docents remain in character as they describe their homes and places of business. The most interesting places for us were the working waterwheel-driven sawmill and the blacksmith shop.  These were clearly not try-it-yourself stops, but how great would that be to give it it a try.

 

August 2004

Project Oceanology

University of Connecticut

Avery Point

Groton, CT 06340

800-364-8472

http://www.oceanology.org

 

Project Oceanology provides a hands-on introduction to – what else – oceanology on a half-day trip on Long Island Sound.  Participants take on responsibility for specific measurements, such as water temperature, color or salinity; run the drag nets and study the animals collected from the bottom.  A couple hours of hands-on experience is worth more than months in a classroom!  Ideal for families and scout troops.

 

August 2004

Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration
55 Coogan Blvd.
Mystic, CT 06355-1997

860.572.5955

http://www.mysticaquarium.org/

 

The belugas behind their huge windows are probably the highlight of the aquarium.  The exploration part of the house works with Robert Ballard – of Titanic exploration fame, so exhibits include his recent activity: PT109 and ancient Black Sea ships.

 

August 2004

Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut is a historical shipyard that has been refurbished, and is constantly refurbishing historic ships. The town itself is recreated and there are workers who interact as if you have walked into the shipyard in its prime. When visited, the shipyard was in the middle of restorations to the Mayflower II, a to scale reproduction of the Mayflower. In addition to the shipyard, there is a small planetarium.

 

2020

 

Peabody Museum of Natural History

170 Whitney Avenue

New Haven, CT

 

Peabody Museum of Natural History
Yale University

P.O. Box 208118
New Haven, CT 06520
-8118

203-432-5426

203-432-5050 recording

http://www.peabody.yale.edu/

 

This is a very accessible museum with an impressive crystal collection.  The enormous murals on the age of mammals and the age of reptiles are not to be missed (how could you miss them?).  The timeline of human evolution shows skull changes through time, and the computer-assisted comparative paleontology exhibit really ought to be a required web site for all middle-schoolers.

 

August 2004

Glass House, Norwalk, CT.

 

Glass House is one of if not the best place to visit if in Norwalk CT. It is located just outside of town, and was the home of Phillip Johnson. Knowing very little about the architectural history of the house, and the Bauhaus movement in architecture did not detract from the surprising nature of the property. Phillip Johnson spent his whole life meticulously sculpting the landscape of his property to his liking such that every aspect of the scenery was just the way he liked it, and this can definitely be seen in the landscape. My only regret about visiting the Glass House when I did is that we could not enter it and walk around to experience the lot in its fullest. 

 

2020

East Rock Loop Trail (Soldiers and Sailors Monument), New Haven, CT.

 

Short hike up to an overlook over the city of New Haven. At the summit there are multiple informational stops describing the formation of the New Haven geology due glacier flow in the region. In addition to that, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument graces the peak, describing the good luck of which sculpture faces your home. It also speaks to how important to the early new Haveners the sailors and solders of the area were that they would sculpt them into their monument. 

2020

PEZ Visitor Center, Orange, CT.

 

The PEZ visitor center is an exciting stop off highway 95. What might first sound like a boring room full of candy dispensers is actually a very interesting journey through the history and development of PEZ from its early origins in Austria through the manufacturing in New Haven CT. In addition to the history, you also have access to almost every PEZ dispenser ever created, so peel your eyes and pick your favorite! Cost of admission comes with a credit for use in the gift shop you also get to leave with a dispenser of your own! Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area! 

2020

Robert Frost Grave at Old First Church, Bennington, VT.

 

If you are a fan of Robert Frost, it is worth taking this road and stepping out of the car to visit his grave. Nor far from the church you can read a few of his poems and pay your respects. Not a lot to do in Bennington, but this is up there on the list. 

2020

 

 

 

 

Springfield Museums, Springfield, MA.

 

A cluster of 5 different museums; Fine Arts, Art, Springfield History, Science, and Dr. Seuss museums. There was too much to do here for one afternoon, and as such we were unable to visit the museum on Springfield history. That said, the entrance grant visitors’ access to so many differing sights and information that this ranks highly on the list of things to do in the Hartford/ Springfield area. Local science deals a lot with dinosaur footprints based on migration paths, and this is definitely mentioned in the exhibits, but in addition there is an extensive wing dedicated to local animals, which have been stuffed to provide very interesting exhibits. The Fine Art Museum was taken from a local Springfield resident’s personal collection, but even still has a wide range of styles though did not leave an impression. The Art Museum however was much more enthralling and provides multiple hours’ worth of perusing. The art is not specific to any one style, artist, or period which makes for very varied viewing.  The Dr. Seuss exhibit was a nice addition the typical hits that people attend, but if you do not have an interest in Dr. Seuss before visiting, this exhibit will likely not interest you. There is a disappointing lack of information on the early life of Dr. Seuss with a heavier emphasis on the later years, and his family relationships. This is understandable as the whole exhibit was assembled by his step-daughter and contains many personal letters between Dr Seuss and his children. 

2020

 

 

New York, NY

Empire State Building

350 Fifth Avenue at 34th Street

New York, NY

http://www.esbnyc.com/

 

Before the age of International Style glass-sided skyscrapers, the Empire State Building was built solid and massive with imposing limestone siding.  The construction story is riveting (sorry, I just had to say it!).  This building is just too hard to be a terrorist target.

 

August 2004

 

World Trade Center

West-Church-Vesey-Liberty Streets

New York, NY 10048

 

This is currently a construction site.  The destruction of 9/11/2001 is gone.  The reminders are around, though.  There is the wall of photos, left by people missing their loved ones, and also a memorial in Battery Park.

August 2004

Association for Computing Machinery

One Astor Plaza

1515 Broadway 17th Floor

New York, NY 10036

212-869-7440

http://www.acm.org

 

August 2004

The ACM sponsors education in electronics and computer science.  Their work is primarily in professional training: conferences, journals and magazines.  We met with Donna Baglio regarding projects of mutual interest.

Statue of Liberty National Monument

http://www.nps.gov/stli/

Ellis Island National Monument

http://www.nps.gov/elis/

New York, NY

 

The Statue of Liberty has all the glamour, but Ellis Island has a thought-provoking museum, showing artifacts from immigrants to the US.  Find your ancestors. Be sure to see the display of the sources of all immigration to the US from 1500 to 2000.  Of particular interest is the large number of indentured servants brought to the colonies.

 

August 2004

United Nations Secretariat Building

1st Ave. and E. 46th St. New York, NY, USA
212-963-7713

 

August 2004

http://www.un.int

 

Central Park

Manhattan, NY

 

Engineers are remembered at engineer’s gate on the east side of Central Park.

 

August 2004

Queens Zoo

Queens, NY

2023-04

The aviary is worth the visit alone. A large number of birds that come  very close to the path with easy cards to identify them with.

Possibly expand, or add more facts about each of the animals.

Queens Botanical Garden

Queens, NY

2023-04

Pretty tulips. We came in the spring time and all the flowers were in  full bloom.

Felt like a nice park, but not quite like a botanical garden with lots of  variety in the plants and flowers on display.

 

Philadelphia, PA

Independence National Historical Park

143 South Third Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

215-965-2305

Philadelphia, PA

http://www.nps.gov/inde/

 

The park includes Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written; the Liberty Bell Center, where the Liberty Bell resides; and the Independence Hall Museum.

 

August 2004

Betsy Ross House

Philadelphia, PA

American Flag House & Betsy Ross Memorial
239 Arch Street, Philadelphia Pennsylvania 19106

215-686-1252

http://www.betsyrosshouse.org/

 

This was the house of one of legendary women of the revolution.  The tour shows a typical house of the period.  More interesting were the demonstrations and re-enactments outdoors in the courtyard.

 

August 2004

Ben Franklin Court

Market Street between 3rd and 4th Street

Philadelphia, PA

http://www.nps.gov/inde/franklin-court.html

 

Franklin Court is part of Independence National Historical Park, but is easy to miss because it is located several blocks from Independence Hall at the side of Franklin’s house in Philadelphia.  This underground museum pays tribute to a stellar mind of the 18th century.  Franklin was a statesman and a scientist.  On display are notes from his transatlantic journeys as well as inventions. Don’t miss this stop.

 

August 2004

 

Pennsylvania

 

 

Punxsutawny, PA. Gobbler's Knob. Learn about the unique history of Punxsutawney Phil, and the history of Groundhog Day. There is a nature trail on the knob which names some of the local fauna, and more information about the Inner Circle (keepers of Punxsutawney Phil) and Groundhog Day. You need to get beyond the campy Groundhog Day.  Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center.  Nice science museum with a focus on weather in the town of Punxsutawney. Scavenger hunt through the exhibits for children to remain engaged, along with a myriad of facts on animals being capable of detecting shifts in the weather to go along with the Groundhog Day theme. Further focus on natural disasters, and their destructive nature and general preparedness. Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society. Historical society house in the town of Punxsutawney that focuses on the history of the town through the 1800, and 1900s and the people who lived there.

 

National Aviary

Pittsburgh, PA

https://www.aviary.org/

2023-06

The National Aviary has many  varieties of birds from all over the world. Our favorite exhibits were their  free roaming bird exhibits for wetlands, grasslands, and tropics. Step into  the room a spot a variety of exotic birds in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I  would guess that there were over 100 species of bird spread out through the  exhibits, many of them rare and fun to look at including some of our  favorites from the day: the ruddy duck, the red-legged honeycreeper, the  Victoria pigeon. They also had individual exhibits for birds such as the  African penguin, the lorikeets, burrowing owl, Andean condor, and king  vulture. We were even pleasantly surprised to see a couple mammals in the  exhibit such as the two-toed sloth and Malayan flying fox.        We paid an additional $5 fee to attend a program on the roof for birds of  prey where we met a variety of African birds of prey including an eagle, a  falcon, a coupe vultures, and a kite. The presenter was knowledgeable and  easy understood. The audience could see the birds up close and enjoyed flying  and hunting demonstration.

One thing that michael and I  would have liked to see more of was information about their wildlife rescue  and rehabilitation partnerships. We heard about one of their partnerships in  South Africa and were encouraged to donate money after the show, but it would  have been nice to see a display on the work this partnership does.        Lastly, we would like to see more information on local community actions to  help preserve birds in our ecosystem such as not throwing food out of cars,  limiting use of rodenticide, keeping cats indoors, using stickers on windows  to prevent bird collisions.

Parking was accessible but limited. Food was available and affordable.