Posted by Cindy on August 30, 2010
We love the State Fair! This year was our first time being more than spectators and we had a busy, but exciting blast. The big kids showed goats two nights in a row, which left two days full of exploring all the sights and sounds.
Some kind friends hauled our two goats to the fair with them. We just had to unpack our things and check on the goats once we arrived. Bless their hearts – our friends saved us a lot of hassle!
Our goats were penned just inside the stadium, so we had great seats for all the shows. We just parked ourselves right above our goats’ pen and enjoyed the view.
Some of our daytime excitement included exhibits of all sorts. The 4-H experiment stations were the most fun! Below, we’re testing the pH levels of various liquids. We also got to make electrical circuits, extract DNA strands from fruit, and become CSI’s by examining maggots on a “dead body”, among other things.
In the health section of the fair, we were able to have vision, skin cancer and chiropractic screenings – and could’ve had several other screenings ALL FREE if we had wanted to. One of the local cancer hospitals had a robot like they use for laser surgery that we were able to use, and there were all sorts of healthy eating games for the kids to play.
Eli enjoyed a ride through the KY State Police Safety City (even though the officer had to put his foot in front of Eli’s wheel to keep him from taking off as instructions were given.)
Even the livestock barns had a few hands-on things to do.
Our evenings were spent doing a lot of waiting for goat shows, but the time spent was sweet.
Math, grammar, spelling and all the other book work is important, but these are the learning experiences that will really make long term impressions!
Posted by Cindy on August 28, 2010
Our last night of hotel life in Virginia led us to Charlottesville, home to Monticello – Thomas Jefferson’s homestead. We got into town late and were led by our hotel clerk to Charlottesville’s historical downtown mall for dinner. We ate outdoors and enjoyed their weekly Friday night music – this place was hopping and quite fun!
A weary crew with a skinny wallet spent much of Saturday visiting a few of the hotspots of historical significance in Charlottesville. First stop was Monticello. Unfortunately, tickets to tour Jefferson’s house were $22/person (more than Jamestown & Yorktown combined!), so we opted to enjoy the free children’s and adult’s museums instead. Again, these were very nice museums and the children’s section was completely hands-on.
Michie Tavern was a fun stop on the way. As with everything this last day, we chose not to pay for a tour, but enjoyed the outdoor sites and fun gift shop. (I didn’t get a good picture of Ash Lawn-Highland, James Monroe’s home, but we stopped in there for a peak, too. All three of these sites were within a couple miles of one another.)
And finally, an exhausted crew headed back through the Blue Ridge Mountains to arrive home very late Saturday night. If only we had an extra day, we would’ve made one last stop in Lexington, VA to visit VMI and Washington & Lee. For now, we’ll just dream about the next fun-filled vacation – whenever and wherever that may be!
Posted by Cindy on August 26, 2010
As with every single aspect of our vacation, we were completely impressed with the quality and child-friendliness of the Yorktown Victory Center. Hands-on exhibits, actors, camps, films and indoor walk-through museums made this yet another wonderful stop.
In the Revolutionary War camp, we watched as a cannon was fired…
plotted our war strategy…
wrote journal entries…
and had to discipline a couple of characters.
On the colonial farm, we washed clothes…
carded wool…
and took some time out for fun.
After the museum, we caught the free trolley that took us on a tour of downtown Yorktown. As with several other stops, if we had more time, we could’ve spent the entire day (or more) meandering through the town and the actual battlefield. Not only did those mean more time, they also meant more money – something we were beginning to run out of at this point on the vacation!
Final stop: Charlottesville, VA
Posted by Cindy on August 25, 2010
Hang in there, I only have six parts in this series. On our whirlwind tour of Virginia, we visited Jamestown and Yorktown in the same day. In order to share several pictures from each tour, I’m writing two posts.
Jamestown, VA has two attractions (each requiring their own ticket), Historic Jamestown and the Jamestown Settlement. We only toured Jamestown Settlement because it seemed to be the more kid-friendly visit. As with every single place we stopped, it was amazingly hands-on and worth every penny!
During the outdoor tour you visit three main areas:
1. A Powhatan village re-creation
2. Replicas of the Godspeed, Discovery and Susan Constant
3. A replica of the early settler’s fort
At each stop, in-costume tour guides answered any questions you might have and/or were working on their appropriate trades.
That’s not all, though! After the outdoor walk, there’s a wonderful museum and film that take you through the history of the area from the 1600′s through present time. This place was top-notch!
Next stop: Yorktown
Posted by Cindy on August 24, 2010
One entire day of our vacation was spent in Colonial Williamsburg. This is a WONDERFUL walk-through town of real and replica buildings that house in-costume craftsmen who are working their trades…
and allow you to help sometimes.
Actors gather in the streets to reenact Revolutionary events…
and play various parts as you tour magnificent buildings.
You can play the part, too!
There are children’s activities galore.
From open to close, we were busy and having a blast! The tickets were a tad pricey (it cost our family a little over $100 for the day), but there was A LOT to experience and A LOT that goes into keeping this place going.
Next stop – Jamestown and Yorktown, VA
