Virginia Living Museum

The Virginia Living Museum was a few blocks down the street from our hotel. While we mainly went to see their Laser iPop show in the planetarium, my family also enjoys zoos and aquariums. (As a side note, I would totally love to have a laser show on the ceiling in my house with the booming 5.1 home theatre system for the soundtrack. Ah, dreams.)

The VLM is basically a little bit of everything thrown into one place. There is an outdoor zoo-type area with beavers, raccoons, red wolves, bobcats, and other animals. Along the outdoor path, there are a variety of plants and trees nicely pointed out with orange circles accompanying their information blurbs. Through September 5, a butterfly house compliments the outdoor attractions. Inside, you'll find the other half of the butterfly exhibit, which features activities for the kids. Also inside is the aquarium/aviary section of the museum. The various fish and birds of Virginia can be found in habitats similar to where they would be found in nature. Each section has two stories. The first floor features the fish, while the second floor highlights the birds.

While the VLM was nice, it was rather small. We were able to visit every section of the museum, including spending time in the butterfly play area, in a couple of hours. Luckily, we were allowed to leave the museum and return for the laser show. I must admit that the laser show was excellent. The music selection kept us quietly singing along while the lasers entertained our eyes. I thought it was much better than the Laser Floyd shows I've seen.

If you are in the Newport News area and need to fill a few hours, the VLM is worth checking out. Just don't expect to spend an entire day there.

Washington Monument

The Washington Monument is the last museum I have to talk about. Even though most people are familiar with the monument, it's difficult to truly realize how huge it is until you are standing next to it. It stands approximately 555 feet tall. The building was finished on December 6, 1884. Think about how awesome that is. Way back in the late 1800s, they were able to erect this humongous pillar in honor of the first president of the United States. It almost makes today's buildings look lame.

Admission to the monument is free, but you do need a ticket since they can only let so many people in at one time. It's very tiny at the top. As a note, if you order your tickets online, there is a $1.50 service charge.

At the top of the tower, there are two windows on each of the four sides. While it is a little difficult to fit into the space near the window (unless you are a child), it is possible. You can see about 30 miles in each direction. That means you'll be able to see both Maryland and Virginia. I'm not particularly fond of heights but I did find the view impressive. (I stood in the back by the elevators instead of going right up to the window.)

The longest part of the museum is the elevator ride up and down. If you have a half hour or so to spare during your trip, you should check out the monument. It's just plain neat.

National Zoo

We're almost to the end of the places I visited in Washington, D.C. One of the last places we saw was the National Zoo. Since it is a part of the Smithsonian group of museums, admission to the zoo is free. Of course, I think that makes it the best zoo ever.

Unfortunately, we happened to go while the elephant enclosures were being upgraded so they was closed. No elephants for us. (Phase One of the exhibit opened September 3.) It was also rather hot out. As a result, most of the animals were just hanging out in the shade. We must be the kings of bad timing. On the other hand, the red pandas were extraordinarily active. I've never seen red pandas wandering around their enclosure. This time, one of them actually walked right next to the glass. It was awesome. We also had a ball in both the bird house and the small mammal house.

Overall, the zoo was well-kept and fairly easy to navigate. The parking can get a bit expensive but I'm willing to forgive that since there is no admission fee. Also, if you become a member, you get free parking. We are definitely planning on going back the next time we are in the area.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

I'm not usually a science person. However, the National Museum of Natural History is an amazing museum. I really think this is a museum that has something for everyone. Not only are there fossils and insects, this is also where the Hope Diamond is on display. (By the way, the Hope Diamond is the centerpiece of the gemstone collection so there are rubies, emeralds, and other gems as well.)

My favorite display was the deep sea creatures. There's a giant squid, which I found pretty interesting. I also highly enjoyed the film about a group of scientists that get to explore the sea floor. As a matter of fact, my daughter even sat still to watch this one! That is a feat in itself.

Usually, I have a difficult time recommending museums to people who aren't the nerdy type. However, I truly feel this is a museum that everyone can enjoy. Between the butterfly enclosure, the gemstone collection, the live insects, and the history of the creatures of the earth...I'm sure everyone can find at least one thing they'll love. I know it was true in our group!

National Air and Space Museum

Another Smithsonian museum we hit while we were in DC was the National Air and Space Museum. There are actually two of these now. We went to the 'original' one and not the one outside the city.

This place is pretty much designed for geeks. Almost every exhibit has some sort of 'behind the scenes' aspect to it. In the airplane section, there's a cockpit (glassed off so you can't touch it) that shows how the controls work while the plane is landing or taking off. A video plays where the front window should be so you can fully understand what is happening. Of course, tons of people gather here but it was neat to see nonetheless.

There's also a lot of space exhibitions right now. One entire area consists of various pictures of the planets. Since the planets were covered in my daughter's science class in school, she thought this display was awesome. There's also an area where you can play ground control and launch a shuttle. In the same area, there is a trivia game that the three of us played. It was fun.

But the most popular area is the How Things Fly exhibit. Here kids of all ages can play games to see how things like lift work. There's even a scale so you can see your weight difference between a couple of the planets. Needless to say, when we returned to the museum for a second look around, this was where we spent most of our time.

Obviously, if you aren't into airplanes or space travel, this isn't the museum for you. However, if you have even a little bit of interest, you will have a great time. There's even a planetarium and an IMAX theater and a couple of simulator rides, just in case you find yourself getting bored. Air and Space isn't my favorite museum but it is in the top 10.

National Museum of American History

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is, most likely, one of the most popular museums in Washington, DC. Not only does the museum address the political history of the United States, it also shows the cultural history. What other building would house both Abraham Lincoln's top hat and Kermit the Frog?

I was really looking forward to this part of our trip. This was my favorite museum as a child and I couldn't wait to share it with my daughter. Unfortunately, the museum has changed a great deal since my childhood. The pop culture exhibit has been reduced to an extraordinarily small room, which makes it difficult to see most of the pieces thanks to the tons of people that need to have their pictures taken with them. I appreciate the fact that people want something to help them remember Brian Boitano's skates but, seriously, there are thousands of people trying to get through this small room. MOVE.

Another problem area is the First Ladies' dresses. The room is large enough to handle a decent sized crowd, yet too many people insist on taking pictures. (NOTE: Flash + Glass = A picture of a bright light.) Thankfully, the inauguration dresses are kept in a separate exhibit, which is much larger and easier to navigate. This was my daughter's favorite exhibit.

While we were there, a large exhibit dedicated to Abraham Lincoln took up a lot of the space. This segued into a rather morbid display on presidential assasinations. Eventually, you end up in a collection of memorabilia from the presidents' children. My daughter liked that area as well.

Overall, I found the museum lacking. We all still had a decent time there but I think it would have been better with the larger pop culture exhibit and less about the deaths of past presidents. (I don't know that we really needed a funeral carriage in the center of the room by itself. Many more displays could have fit in there.) I suppose my biggest complaint is the bad use of the space. Exhibits that could be in a small area are put in huge rooms while popular pieces are stuck in small corners for people to try to wedge their way in to see. Still, this museum is a must see if you are in DC.

Parenting: Fun For The Kids

Over the weekend, I took my daughter and one of her friends to the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. While it is mostly geared toward the younger crowd (around 4 to 6), the older kids (7 to 10) will have some fun as well.

There are a number of areas to explore. The first floor has a carousel (which I didn't count as 'exploring'), a water-themed play area, a transportation area, and a sky-themed area. The water area has smocks for little ones so they don't get soaked. A river, which is arm-height for children, moseys around the area. The kids use various buttons and levers to move rubber ducks and boats through the waterways. The sky area has things like a two-seated bicycle that moves flat 'umbrellas' when you pedal. There is also an area where you can build an airplane out of foam pieces, send it up to the ceiling, and see how it floats back to the ground. In between the water and the sky is the transportation themed area. There are cars to build, a SEPTA bus to 'ride,' an SUV to fix up at the service station, and some construction vehicles to pick up balls.

Heading downstairs, the second floor (yes, I think it's weird that the bottom floor is the second) has an Alice in Wonderland themed area, a centennial area, and a...I'm not sure how to explain it other than a play area. The Alice exhibit is wonderful. There is a huge maze that the kids run around in to see various pieces from the story, as well as various characters. This was the biggest hit with our crew. Next to that is the centennial area. To be honest, this was the most boring of all the exhibits. There was little for the children to do and all of the historical stuff bored them. However, next up was an area filled with "dress up" areas. There was a construction set, a McDonalds set, a hospital set, a grocery store set, a shoe store set...and probably more that I forgot! In each set, there were costumes for the kids and various items for them to use to play pretend. However, it was quite crowded.

Amid each section, there were separate areas for children under 3 to play. However, we didn't have any children that young with us so we weren't allowed in those areas. There was also a very good puppet show that engaged the kids and their imaginations. I have to admit that I thought the kids would be bored there. I was under the impression that the museum was geared toward the 5-year old are group. While that is true, there are still plenty of things to keep the older kids occupied. It was a really nice way to spend a couple of hours.