Wisconsin Dells – The Tommy Bartlett Exploratory

July 27, 2007

The Tommy Bartlett Expository offers a number of fun attractions that will test your mind.  Making your family vacation an eductional experience is not difficult at all at this attraction, as you will explore a variety of different scientific concepts with the hands on activities the Exploratory provides.

When you visit the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory on  your family vacation, you will find that there is a kiosk outside.  I highly recommend stopping off at this kiosk before you visit any of the attractions in Wisconsin Dells.  Here, you can buy packages that will save you quite a bit on your Wisconsin Dells trip.  Even better, you can select the tickets you want and how many different attractions you want to add to your package.  Therefore, you are not tied down to attractions you may not really be interested in.

Many of the attractions at the Tommy Bartlette Exploratory actually seem like magic tricks as they trick your eye and your mind.  Others challenge you to perform certain tasks, such as remaining balanced on a tricky rolly-polly device or trying to put puzzles together and solve mysteries.

When you visit the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory, be sure to spend time with your kids at each exhibit so they will get the most fun and educational value the exhibit has to offer.

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Great Smoky Mountains – Educational Ideas Part 1

July 2, 2007

Although there are a number of educational activities that are quite obvious when you visit the Great Smoky Mountains, there are others that you might not have thought of.  These educational ideas are those that you can do while at the park itself.

  • Play with mental math –  There are many variations of topography within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Ask your youngster to determine how high you are traveling by subtracting the elevation of your starting point from the elevation of your endpoint.
  • Pretend to be a ranger – One of the duties of the rangers is to take a regular census of the animals living within the park.  Have your child keep track of the type and number of animals you spot while on your family vacation to the Smokies.  Stop off at the Sugarlands Visitor Center first so you can learn more about the animals that make their home in the Great Smoky Mountains.
  • Explore fauna – Before you set out to hiking within the park, get a field guide to plants that are found in the Great Smoky Mountains region.  Then, encourage your child to identify as many plants as possible.  You can extend this further by having your child make his or her own field guide by taking pictures of the plants you see or by drawing the pictures.
  • Roleplay - Since the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is just as rich in history as it is in natural beauty, you have a great opportunity for role-playing.  When you visit the churches, farms, and homesteads within the park, have your child pretend to be living years ago.  Join in the role playing to deepen the learning and to have some fun yourself!

With these activities, your family vacation to the Smokies will be even more memorable for the entire family. If you have any other ideas or if you want clarification on any of these activities, feel free to drop me a comment!

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Great Smoky Mountains – Part 3 – Gatlinburg, Tennessee

June 29, 2007

Gatlinburg, Tennesse is perhaps the biggest “tourist draw” in the Great Smoky Mountains area.  If you are looking to explore interesting museums and activities, this is the place to go.  During a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, it is definitely worthwhile to pop into Gatlinburg for a day.  Or, you might find that it is better to spend a couple of partial days in Gatlinburg, as the trip to Gatlinburg from Townsend is gorgeous and also offers places to pull off, to hike trails, and to see some magnificent natural sites.

It is my belief that the best family vacations involve spending some time getting closer to nature as well as exploring fun and interesting attractions.  Gatlinburg provides the opportunity to see some really cool museums.  Perhaps or favorite site to see in Gatlinburg is Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.  Here, you get the opportunity to go through a tunnel that surrounds you with an aquarium filled with sharks and other sea life.  There are also plenty of cute photo opportunities that are a must for any family travel experience.

Gatlinburg is also home to one of the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museums.  My experience as both a teacher and a mother of four boys has shown that kids are enthralled with the sites of this museum.  Similarly, the Guinness World of Records Museum is worth a visit, unless time and money is short.  In that case, this is a stop that can be saved for another visit.

Gatlinburg also offers a number of fun mini-golf courses that can be quite an adventure.  My oldest boys (then ages 4 and 6) had their first mini-golf experience at the Hillybill Golf course.   After that, they were hooked and begged us to go mini-golfing every time we passed a course.

Gatlinburg is also home to a number of unique shopping experiences.  I am personally not much of a shopper and my husband absolutely despises it, so I have not spent much time in the stores.  I do know, however, tha there are many people who come to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge just for the shopping opportunities. 

 Gatlinburg is considered a walking community.  This means you will need to find a place to park, which can be costly and difficult to find, if you plan to visit any of the shops.  Since there are large crowds and a high amount of traffic, this isn’t necessarily the best scenario for a family vacation – particularly if your kids are still quite young.  Be sure to bring a stroller or wagon if you plan to walk the stretch.  Driving through the town can also be quite frustrating as it can take quite a bit of time to go just a short distance.  So, go to Gatlinburg with these things in mind and be prepared to spend a good portion of your day trying to get through and past other tourists.

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