150 places we have been but did not go on this trip

So we got to thinking of all the places we have been in America and Canada that we did not visit on this trip and would still recommend as fun places to stop and see. We came up with 150 places either Patsy or I have been to in these two great countries that we did not visit during our Napkin Dreams Excursion. Most of them we have been to together since we have been married. Can you tell we love to travel? Here is our list in alphabetical order:

150 places we have been but did not go on this trip

Adler Planetarium, Chicago, IL

Adventure Land, Des Moines, IA

Amana Colonies, Iowa

Amish Country, Lancaster, PA

Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, MD

Appomattox Courthouse National Historic Site, VA

Aquarium of the Smokies, Gatlinburg, TN

Arlington National Cemetery, VA

Art Institute of Chicago

Banff National Park, Alberta, CA

Betsy Ross House, Philadelphia, PA

Biblical Tabernacle Reproduction – Lancaster, PA

Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC

Booker T Washington National Monument– Hardy, VA

Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL

Burpee Museum, Rockford, IL

Butterfly Conservatory, Cambridge, ON

Cahokia Mounds State Historical Park, Collinsville, IL

Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland

Canal Walk, Richmond, VA

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras, NC

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina

Cape May County Zoo, NJ

Capitol Building, Washington DC

Carowinds, Charlotte, NC

Cave of the Mounds, Blue Mounds, WI

Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, GA

Chancellorsville Battlefield, Virginia

Chase Tower, Indianapolis, IN

Claytor Lake State Park, Dublin, VA

CN Tower, Toronto, ON

Colonial Michilimackinac, Makinaw City, MI

Comiskey Park (US Celluar Field), Chicago, IL

Coronado Theater – Rockford, IL

Cowtown, Wichita, KS

Crazy Horse Memorial – Crazy Horse, SD

Creation Museum – Kentucky

Disneyworld, Orlando, FL

Dixie Caverns, Salem, VA

Dodge City, KS

Donley’s Wild West Town, Union, IL

Empire State Building, New York, NY

Fairy Stone State Park – Martinsville, VA

Family Museum, Bettendorf, IA

Faust Landmark, Rockford, IL

Field Museum, Chicago, IL

Ford’s Theater, Washington DC

Fort Sumter, Charleston, SC

Franklin D Roosevelt Memorial, Washington DC

Galena, Illinois

George Washington Office Museum, Winchester, VA

Gettysburg National Battlefield, Pennsylvania

Gino’s East, Chicago, IL

Grand Ole Opry Hotel, Nashville, TN

Great America, Gurnee, PA

Great Wolf Lodge – you pick location

Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI

Henry Villas Zoo, Madison, WI

Hershey Farm Restaurant and Inn – Strusburg, PA

Hershey’s Chocolate World, Hershey, PA

Hoosier National Forest, IN

Hotel del Coronado - Coronado, CA

Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke, VA

House on the Rock, Spring Green, WI

Humpback Covered Bridge, Covington, VA

Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL

Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA

Independence Historical Park, Philadelphia, PA

James Madison Gravesite, Montpelier Station, VA

Jamestown, VA

Jay Cooke State Park, Carlton, MN

Jefferson Memorial, Washington DC

John Deere Pavilion, Moline, IL

John Hancock Building, Chicago, IL

Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, FL

Knotts Berry Farm, Buena Park, CA

Korean War Memorial, Washington DC

Lady and Sons, Savannah, GA

Legoland, Carlsbad, CA

Liberty Bell Center, Philadelphia, PA

Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC

Lincoln’s Boyhood Home, Lincoln, IL

Lookout Mountain, TN

Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, Louisville, KY

Luray Caverns, Luray, VA

Mackinac Island, Michigan

Magic Waters – Cherry Valley, IL

Mayflower 2, Plimouth Plantation, Plymouth, MA

Times – choose your location

Midway Village, Rockford, IL

Milwaukee County Zoo, WI

Monticello, Charlottesville, VA

Mt. Rainer, Washington

Museum of Flight and Space – Washington DC

Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL

National Archives, Washington DC

National Zoo – Washington DC

Natural Bridge Zoo, Natural Bridge, VA

Natural Bridge, VA

Navy Pier, Chicago, IL

NFL Hall of Fame, Canton, OH

Niagara Falls, ON, NY

North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro, NC

Ocean City Boardwalk and Beach, NJ

Oriental Museum Institute, Chicago, IL

Packers Hall of Fame, Green Bay, WI

Patriot’s Point – Mt. Pleasant, SC

Petersburg National Battlefield, VA

Pony Express Station, Gothenburg, Nebraska

Port Discovery, Baltimore, MD

Putnam Museum, Davenport, IA

Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia, PA

Redwood National Park, CA

Roanoke Island, North Carolina

Roanoke Wiener Stand, Roanoke, VA

Rogers Centre, Toronto, CA

Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON

Ryan Round Ban, Kewanee, IL

Science Museum of Western Virginia, Roanoke, VA

Sears (Willis) Tower – Chicago

Seattle Aquarium, Seattle, WA

Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita, KS

Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL

Sinnissippi Gardens, Rockford, IL

Smith Mountain Lake State Park, Moneta, VA

Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, SC

Space Needle, Seattle, WA

St. Andrew’s Church – Roanoke, VA

Statue of Liberty, New York, NY

Stratford Hall Plantation, Robert E Lee Home, Stratford, VA

Sweden House, Rockford, IL

Times Square, New York, NY

Underground Station, Atlanta, GA

Vietnam Memorial, Washington DC

Virginia Aquarium, Virginia Beach, VA

Virginia Beach Board Walk

Virginia Safari, Natural Bridge, VA

White House, Washington DC

Williamsburg, VA

Winterplace, Beckley, WV

Wonderworks, Pigeon Forge, TN

World of Coca Cola, Atlanta, GA

World War II Memorial, Washington DC

Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, NC

Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Stadium, New York

Yorktown Victory Center, Yorktown, Virginia

Yosemite National Park – California

Top 10 Workplace Tours

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Jelly Belly Factory

    

Top 10 Great Americans

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Statue of Dwight Eisenhower
in Denison, Texas

Crayola Experience

The Crayola Experience in Easton, Pennsylvania was one stop I had been secretly excited about showing our kids. Not only did the boys learn about how crayons and markers are made, they got to explore the world of crayon art in a myriad of ways.

A life-sized dry erase car, doodling in the dark, and a host of other activities. There were plenty of take-home gifts including a four pack of exclusive crayons. We also got to see the world's biggest crayon, which is blue, which is fitting.

The Crayola Experience was cool, but a bit too crowded and expensive. No parking close to the museum for a big rig motorhome, so if you go, find another parking place nearby and drive your auto over.

Valley Forge

Our family truly enjoyed our visit to Valley Forge in eastern Pennsylvania. I gave my boys a special assignment to find our everything they could about a man named Frederick Von Steuben. If you do not know who he is, then try the magic Google or Wikipedia! Our kids all did a pretty good job of ferreting out information on Von Steuben.

The encampment at Valley Forge is an amazing story of our nation's birth and serves as a lesson to each of us that freedom always comes with a price and that price always involves suffering on someone's part. One of the best moments we shared during our visit was when we saw the famous painting of General Washington on his knees in the snow next to his horse, praying for God's guidance and for the troops. All of the boys were looking in awe at our first President as we admired the painting. Good moment.

Crossing the Delaware

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Kevin Shutterbug & the Fall Leaves

Kevin Shutterbug speaks with my wife as they go through a digital scrapbook of some of the amazing fall sites we have seen on or trip this year! We hope you enjoy the views!

Fort Necessity

So what was our families most memorable experience at Fort Necessity? Caterpillars, slugs and hornets! 

Sure we learned how George Washington once led a group of Colonial militia to this very spot during the French and Indian War. We enjoyed learning more about this site and how Washington had his men build a fort here after an altercation with French troops led him to believe a fort would be necessary for his mens' protection. This was also the site of Washington's firs defeat as a combat commander, surrendering to French forces who greatly outnumbered his own troops.

We discovered a ton more about the French and Indian War and the National Road that runs right by the fort site. The National Road runs right by the fort site and was the first true US highway running from DC all the way to Illinois. A few of the original mile markers dating back over 200 years still exist long what is now US 40!

Overall this visit to this particular National Park was very educational for all of us. But during our visit and upon leaving the only things our boys could talk about was different species of caterpillar, a slimy slug and swarm of hornets on an apple we found meandering our way through the historical park. Maybe we should call it Fort Creepy crawly instead of Fort Necessity?

The Curve in Altoona

Being mild train buffs, our family decided to travel further east than we had planned to a famous train spot called The Curve. The Curve, a National Historic site, was built well over 150 years ago as a means to cross a gulch and climb a hill without a very large and expensive bridge with an unclimbable grade.

The line was being laid from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh when this marvel of engineering was built. Up this point it was an unproven theory that a rail line could curve this much, but the engineers and builders of this line proved it could be done.

The Curve was also on the top 10 targets of Nazi infiltrators during the Second World War due to its importance for shipping, troop and passenger transportation during the 1940s. Today it is still considered one of the manmade wonders of the United States and hundreds of trains travel along the Curve each week. It averages one every twenty minutes and has never had a day off since it opened! Many people climb or ride a small electric tram to top of a crest where they can watch the trains travel the Curve up close, as our family did.

Campground Review - Wright's Orchard Campground

We stayed at the Wright's Orchard Campground in Altoona prior to visiting the Curve just outside of town.

Staff - 7 - Employee who checked us in was helpful and helped us with a problem with the washing machine. No one around after 5 pm.

Nearby attractions - 8 - Right on outskirts of Altoona. 

Eat'nPark cookies

Natural surroundings - 7 - On a pretty big street but back in the woods so you do not hear or notice traffic. Lots of trees.

Value - 7 - We paid $31 a night for a back-in gravel site.

Bathrooms - 7 - Bathrooms are older but clean. Bathrooms were not heated.

Roominess - 8 - Site was a little short for our rig and toadie, but it was wide enough. Campground was not crowded this time of year.

Facility fun - 1 - Not much to do here. There is a model train set-up in the office, but it was closed and locked up.

Cleanliness - 7 -  Average park in terms of cleanliness.

Facility usefulness - 7 - Dump station, fire rings, laundry, picnic tables. 

Overall - 7 - Convenient stay if you are ever near Altoona.

Jimmy Stewart Museum

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Campground Review - Mirror Lake

We continued our tour through western Pennsylvania and stayed at a little place called Mirror Lake Campground. 

Staff - 7 - We only spoke on the phone to one of the owners as the season here is winding down. She was pretty nice and helpful.

Nearby attractions - 7 Close to Johnstown, Indiana, Flight 93 Memorial and Pittsburgh. 

Natural surroundings - 9 - We camped on a creek and the campground sits on a smaller lake.

Value - 9 - We paid $23.50 a night for a back-in gravel site with full hook-ups using our Passport America card.

Bathrooms - 7 - Bathrooms are rustic but clean. Bathrooms were not heated.

Roominess - 8 - Site was a little short for our rig and toadie, but it was wide enough. Campground was not crowded this time of year. Big open lot across the road from us.

Facility fun - 7 - Playground, fishing, game room.

Cleanliness - 7 -  Average park in terms of cleanliness.

Facility usefulness - 8 - Dump station, fire rings, laundry, camp store (closed in October), picnic tables. 

Overall - 7 - Loved falling to sleep with the sound of the babbling brook going by outside.

Campground review - Hickory Hollow Campground

Nestled in the Allegheny Mountains of southwest Pennsylvania, Hickory Hollow Campground is an idyllic location! I included this picture of Sherman because it is the only picture we took at this particular campground.

Staff - 7 - Cordial and helpful.

Nearby attractions - Close to Falling Water, Flight 93 Memorial and not super far from Pittsburgh. 

Natural surroundings - 9 - A bit in the country, with nice mature trees and a smaller lake.

Value - 10 - We paid a little over $13 a night for a pull-through gravel site with full hook-ups including cable using our Passport America card.

Bathrooms - 8 - Clean and decent sized showers. Bathrooms were not heated.

Roominess - 9 - Plenty big enough for our rig and toadie.

Facility fun - 8 - Playground, fishing swimming pool, walking path.

Cleanliness - 8 -  Very clean campground. Rain did create a few potholes.

Facility usefulness - 8 - Dump station, fire rings, laundry, camp store, picnic tables.

Overall - 8 - Nice campground, very quiet and pictuesque setting.

Flight 93 Memorial

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Falling Water and a Lesson on Creativity

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Sorry, but this post has been deleted because it is a part of our new book called Napkin Dreams!

 

Carnegie Science Center

We continued enjoying our reciprocal museum membership when we visited the Carnegie Science Center in downtown Pittsburgh for free! This is one amazing museum and we wished we had carved out more time to spend there.

The first exhibit we made a beeline for was the robots exhibit. Here we got to see the robot hall of fame, play air hockey against a robot and watch a robot shoot hoops, among other things. This is a very cool exhibit.

Next we saw the aquarium exhibit where we explored undersea life with cameras, magnifying glasses and  close-up habitats! After this we went to an amazing show on electricity where our family was almost the lone guests for the show, joined by two gentlemen who let us have most of the fun! The boys all got to help first hand in this show, and so did Patsy, who was a source of great laughter. We loved this show and learned lots of things, and our favorite demonstration was the giant "lightning machine" that was loud and crackled with some huge voltage of electrical bursts.

The museum has an entire floor which is set up as a hands-on children's type museum. Here the boys sat in the earthquake cafe, pet a turtle, routed and re-routed water, made their own cartoons, and a host of other activities that put their noggins to work!

We love it when our kids get a mental workout and have a blast doing it! Thanks Carnegie Science Center!!