Children's Museum of Indianapolis

Day 5: Children's Museum of Indianapolis

What a cool entrance to the museum!

If you're in Indianapolis, you've got to visit the children's museum. We happened to find some great coupons online which made it very affordable, but we certainly would have gotten our money's worth even if we had paid full price. There was just so much to do that a full day wasn't enough to take it all in. So we priortized and saw all that we could.

Link to the museum website here: http://www.childrensmuseum.org/

First stop...Dinosphere. Cretaceous Period. 65 million years ago.

This exhibit is impressive. It's one of the largest displays of real juvenile and family dinosaur fossils in the United States, and includes a functioning lab and hands-on activities for the kids.

A close-up view of a tiny dinosaur.

Second stop...Treasures of the Earth by National Geographic. It was an accidental discovery. In 1974 a group of Chinese farmers in danger of losing their crops to dry conditions, began digging a well. After digging 13 feet deep, the ground was still dry. A shovel struck something hard. And they discovered a human body made of baked clay!

An excavation of the site unearthed what many call the Eighth Wonder of the World. A full army of terra cotta warrirors of China's first emperor. Nearly 8,000 of them.

The exhibit shows how archaeologists unearthed and pieced back together the life-sized army, unraveling the mystery of the warriors. Each, individually sculpted, with unique facial features, hairstyles, and clothing details.

Although there is some debate about the origins of the Terra Cotta Warriors, most archaeologists believe they were created as part of a massive underground city for emperor Qin. To guard and protect him for eternity due to the proximity of his burial mound.

We explored two more Treasures of the Earth (the Tomb of the Ancient Egyptian and the Shipwreck of Captain William Kidd), but I I'll limit myself to this. And next time I'll share some pics from the LEGO Travel Adventure exhibit. I wasn't planning more than one entry on any single vacation stop. But clearly, the museum was a big hit!

Fort Boonesborough

Day 5: Fort Boonesborough, Kentucky

You remember the stories of Daniel Boone from American folklore, right? Sadly, in my mind this story had gotten mangled in a foggy swirl of tales with Davy Crockett, Paul Bunyan, and a young George Washington. Until there may as well just have been one coonskin-cap-wearing giant, fighting indians and cutting down cherry trees. Thank goodness for historic Fort Boonesborough to set me straight. At least on Daniel Boone.

Fort Boonesborough is a reconstruction of Daniel Boone's 1775 settlement along the Kentucky River. At that time it was part of Virginia, but on the other side of the mountains from the settled areas. Despite resistance from American Indians, Boone blazed his Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap in the Appalachian Mountains from North Carolina and Tennessee into Kentucky. His frontier at Fort Boonesborough was one of the first American settlements west of the Appalachians. And by the end of the 18th century, more than 200,000 European people would migrate to Kentucky/Virginia by following Boone's marked route.

The fort's walls offered protection from savages, but Boone ended up being captured and kept by Shawnee Indians for years. Although they adopted him into their tribe, he ultimately, returned to defend his settlement.

Inside the walls of Fort Boonesborough. Each of the first few cabins show different stages of settlement. The first cabins are very rough with floor mats for beds and travel crates for furniture. But they gradually evolve to include tables, lofts, and fireplaces.

The rest of the cabins depict the life of crafters and tradesmen, with interactive demonstrations. This one is obviously a furtrader's home. Hands-on learning makes for fun exploration of many local hides and furs.

A whitesmith's house. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a whitesmith! (They work with metals like tin and pewter.)

A blacksmith teaches his apprentice.

DT showing his most solemn face at the Fort Boonesborough plackard. He recognizes the grave truth of the end of the Native Americans' livelihood and eventual conquer.

We rounded out our day here, off the well-beaten path at the the Kentucky River Museum. Literally, just off a well-beaten path. The museum (in the background) sits on top of a hill, accessible only by following this little footpath. It's a small, but educational stop that would interest the avid river history buff.

Renfro Valley Entertainment Center

Day 4: Jackson County and Renfro Valley, Kentucky

My parents worked in the back hills of Jackson County, Kentucky for a short time after graduating from college. In fact, my brother was born there (rumor has it, incurring a hospital bill of a whopping $12). My dad worked for the US government and my mom as a rural school teacher. They were idealists with integrity. They stirred the pot and ultimately chose an early exit from the ugly politics of this depressed area.

Now that you've got our little connection to this place, I'll bring you back to 2012. On Thursday of our vacation with my mom and dad, we continued our travels by Huber van through the winding roads of Jackson County and McKee, Kentucky. Up and down narrow tree-lined mountain highways. Following unmarked, gravel "roads" through standing water and forgotten cemeteries. At the mercy of our GPS navigator, whose roadless floating arrow clearly couldn't identify that we were on a path at all. My parents could find very little along the way that had changed over the past 40 years.

By evening, we rejoined civilization. Well, a small touristy town called Renfro Valley. We promptly picked up tickets for dinner and a show at the Renfro Valley Entertainment Center. And we enjoyed a musical 1950's-style show called "Malt Shop Memories" with busloads of octogenarians from various seniors' groups. DT and I could have easily been spotted as the only audience members not eligible for the senior discount.

This is the barn where the thespian magic happens in Renfro Valley.

The next morning we walked through the town shopping district, which clearly didn't cater to early morning visitors, but didn't seem to bother us much.

We just about had the town to ourselves as crafters began opening their doors.

Who wouldn't want to take a ride in this stage coach?!

We fed the night-starved fish from the wooden bridge by this old mill. And then it was off for another Kentucky adventure in the Huber van.

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill

Day 3: Shaker Village

On Wednesday, we toured Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Kentucky. This was the first of three interactive history stops we would make on our trip.

This historically-accurate restored town was inhabited by simple Shakers until 1910. Mistakenly compared to the conservative Amish due to their handmade garments, Shakers were actually a very progress-thinking community which used the most current technology of the times (including canning jars, commercial looms, sewing machines, and industrial ovens). We took a self-guided tour of the dwellings, and were able to participate in one of their spirited church services which dubbed them "Shaking Quakers" or Shakers.

Loved the interactive aspect of the town with it's weavers, spinners, farmers, etc.

This lady was quite a dynamic singer. She performed some of her favorite Shaker songs in the restored church which was full of visitors. I hadn't known that the song "Simple Gifts" was a Shaker song. And, yes. There were black Shakers. A few. She assured us.

This spiral staircase in the Deacon's house is an architectural wonder that climbs 4 stories high. And it has a twin that mirrors it across the hall. Gorgeous!

Shaker furniture is considered simple, but I fancy it for is's strong straight lines.

Shaker pegs lined the walls of every room of every building in town. How resourceful! And tidy!

You've probably heard of Shaker boxes...

We ended our visit on the Dixie Belle, a riverboat cruise through the limestone cliffs of the Kentucky River pallisades where we enjoyed the peaceful sights and sounds of hidden life.

Clifty Falls State Park

Day 2: Clifty Falls

We spent Tuesday hiking the trails of Clifty Falls State Park with my dad. This is right up his alley. I remember many a Huber vacation in the 1980's, pitching a tent under the stars at state parks across the United States. The vast expanse of natural beauty alive with quiet breath.

But this time, the nostalgic presence of my brother and sister were replaced by the excitement of my son. It was a completely new experience for him.

The beauty of Clifty Falls covers 1,529 acres, preserving wildflowers, wildlife, cliffs, valleys, stone beds, waterfalls, and scenic trails ranging from easy and moderate to rugged.

We let go of our high-tech devices and soaked in the magnificence of nature. DT led the way before retreating to the park with my mom.

Stone and wooden walkways made for easy hiking and viewing of this beautiful place. DT appreciated this kind of hike. But my dad and I would venture out for a more rugged trail later.

The park's naturalist taught us about snakes and turtles native to Indiana today.

The nature center's refugee turtle made a surprise appearance when our naturalist saw how interested DT was in every detail she spoke.

Wildflowers delicately hid color within the naturally rugged terrain of Clifty Falls.

I would have liked nothing more than to stay in the tranquility of this peace, but the Huber fun van was moving. And another day of exploring was ahead.

Our Trip Begins at Whitewater Canal

I can't say enough thanks to my mom and dad for hauling DT and I around southern Indiana and Kentucky with them in the Huber van this summer. We explored historic landmarks. We traveled by van, by foot, and by riverboat. We were entertained. We played. We learned. And we just simply enjoyed being together.

Day 1: On Monday, we headed south to Metamora, IN. Destination? Whitewater Canal. To learn how the canal came to be in 1836 and it's advantages to industry in Indiana. We walked through the historic little town to the canal bridge and past little shops dotting the path.

The interior of the bridge was strong and substantial. Grandpa and DT looked so small from above, looking down over the edge.

We hoped to take the horse-drawn ride on the canal, but we quicklty discovered that all of town is closed on Mondays. Not the greatest way to start our vacation, but we happened upon an excentric cookie jar/salt and pepper shaker store which doubled as the town's ice-cream shop... and made the best of it with a scoop of ice-cream.

We continued to Madison, IN before evening and shopped at a little bookstore before walking along the Ohio River.

And then we turned in at the Hillside Inn, an old restored hotel high in the hills overlooking the river. The view was refreshing.

The next day would be a new adventure. Courtesy of my ever-adventurous parents.

Life in the '80s

To my loving parents, I say "Thank you."

As kids of the '80s, my brother and sister and I didn't get new toys or books unless it was Christmas or a birthday. We never went out to eat. We didn't have our own phone line. We had one bathroom and one console TV to share among 5 family members. Our parents didn't buy us Air Jordan shoes or Guess jeans. They encouraged us to save our own money to buy these things ourselves. We ate our meals together at the kitchen table. We took utmost care of the Strawberry Shortcake dolls and the electronic Speak & Spell that were given to us at Christmas. We cherished what we had!

You'd probably agree that things have changed since then. Parents now tend to sacrifice all they can to put their kids' wants ahead of everything else. MP3s. Laptop computers. Smart phones. iPods. iPads. iTunes. Wiis. XBox. PlayStations. Lessons of all kinds. Designer clothes from infancy. Priorties are not the same. These days, if you'd meet a family like the one I grew up in, you'd assume we were dealing with extreme financial hardships or parents who didn't love us!

But they so clearly did! Where they sacrificed was in providing us every educational, historical, and cultural experience they could think of. Exchange students from West Germany, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Germany. Vacations together in the family van to historic sites like Mt. Rushmore, Washington D.C., Niagra Falls, the Grand Canyon, and state parks around the country. My parents knew how to plan a memorable and educational trip.

Sadly, when I graduated from high school, I realized any future family vacations with my mom and dad were numbered. Honestly, that's been one of the worst parts of growing up for me. Despite my inevitable road sickness and the typical family squabble in that stinky van, I loved our family vacations!

So, again I say "Thank you" to my most-amazing parenting mentors. My mom and dad. My gratitude comes far too late, but is sincere.

(This particularly nostalgic moment was inspired by my thoughts on blogging our 2012 summer vacation with my mom and dad. They invited DT and I to explore IN and KY with them in June, Huber-style. And we loved it. Pictures and special moments to follow.)

It's Not My Party!

As I planned the perfect 9th birthday party for DT, I found myself wishing this were MY party. A magician. The whole class invited. Endless frolicking at the park's awesome playground by the zoo.

The expense would be more than we'd like, but we hadn't done anything like this before. I got the okay from my supportive husband. I planned to call the magician the next day. I'd reserve our pavilion too. I had already checked; it was still available. And so was the magician. I'd have plenty of time to figure out invitations since the party would be after school starts (a month after DT's actual birthday). Things were really coming together now. I was excited.

And then my husband says, "Does DT even want a big party?"

Who wouldn't?! I'd been talking-up the possibilities for more than a week. Surely he'd like to invite his whole class to a magic show at the park for his 9th birthday.

He asks DT. And DT comes close and sincerely replies, "Can I just invite a few of my friends to come over?"

Defeat! I'm floored! After DT goes to bed, my husband has to remind me that it's not MY birthday.

So, change of plans. We're inviting a few of DT's best buds over to our house for hot dogs, cake, and ice-cream on his birthday. Yes, ON his birthday, in less than 2 weeks! And of course, the theme is Ninjago (DT's current obsession). Today's tasks were accomplished. Made Ninjago party invitations. And searched for 4 buddies' contact information. I found 2 of the 4; that's not bad, right?