 |
Fun Trips with Kids:
Oddities Attract
by Laurel Smith
Side Tracks to Remind you that half
the fun is getting there.
|
Break up a long drive with
a short stop to see something out of the ordinary. Just a fifteen minute
pit stop can refresh the attitudes of your small passengers and make the
next several hours sail by calmly.
America is loaded with roadside
attractions along every highway. There's more out there than you may realize.
So, how do you find them? Start with one of the a multitude
of guide books
on the subject. If you travel often, then you need your own copy to keep
in the car so that you'll never be without it. One of my favorites is "Roadside
Attractions: Cool Cafes, Souvenir Stands, Route 66 Relics, & Other
Road Trip Fun". Browse the pages on your journey to find out
what you may be driving right past without realizing.
If you get a chance to map your
trip before you go, there are some great web resources to help you find
something amusing along the road to make your trip more interesting.
Road
Side America is one that I have used myself. Just enter the state
you'll be traveling through, and you'll get a map with all the local attractions
marked on it.
Some attractions are just
a ten minute stop, but others will take a little more time to fully appreciate
and will involve flexibility on your trip schedule unless you have allowed
for some stops. If you have to pay admission, then definitely plan on spending
a little more time.
| Some road side sights are
man-made, but others are natural oddities. One of my favorite nature made
sights is Devils Tower in Wyoming. This bizzaro formation is weird in it's
own right, but it's made even weirder by its role in the movies.
If you have a creative edge and plan it right, your kids can be watching
Close
Encounters of the Third Kind on your on-board DVD player as you pass
through the state. Don't tell them about this little side trip until you
can see it in your sights. Then pull over for a close encounter of your
own. |
|
| Some oddities we find totally
by accident. I got off the freeway once to look for a bathroom in Kentucky,
when we chance encounted a huge pink elephant wearing sunglasses and standing
on a surfboard. |
 |
Here are a few more roadside
stops we've made, just to give you some ideas....
Cooter's
Place
Nashville, TN
My friend Devra
on a road trip with her family. I'm still trying to figure out why
this isn't in Kentucky! |
 |
The
Mystery Spot
Santa Cruz, CA. |
 |
Swetsville Zoo
Fort Collins, CO
Not really a zoo. It's
an art sculpture park of over 150 animals created from spare parts and
scrap metal. Check out the huge dinosaurs, bugs, aliens, and all kinds
of real and fictitious creatures. Admission is free-- optional donations
are appreciated. |
 |
Truckload of Turkeys
Sometimes the roadside oddities
are actually right ON the road instead of along side it. |
 |
Dinosaur
World
Cave City, Kentucky
"Look Mom! It's HUUUGE!"
My family has a particular
affinity for things that are gigantic. If it's huge, we want to see it. |
 |
Curiosity tickles your mind
and adds fun and novelty to your trip. Have your book in hand, or a list
of options for stops available. Then be spontaneous. Make a stop. Give
your family the chance to tell a story later about how HUGE something was
or how completely WEIRD without even having to exaggerate. As a bonus
you get to be a kid again by seeing something through a child's eyes, and
you'll truly understand that getting there really can be half the fun.
"Look Ma! No Pants!"
--Laurel (Road Trip Mom)
~ ..· ´¨¨))
-:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´
..·´ Road Trip Mom -:¦:-
-:¦:-
((¸¸.·´*
Don't miss all the Printable
Car Games at Momsminivan.com |
