"Hit the Road, Covaks!"
Now, if you can manage it, take your family getaway to a locale requiring a short road trip. This is the way to go. It's like eating gooey pizza or rich cheesecake - a little goes a long way when all you want is a touch of taste. We traveled to Denver and right on to our first destination without stopping at the hotel - this maximized the naptime for the toddler while allowing Night at the Museum to finish playing.
And why that movie, you ask?
Well, it seemed to be a good segue to our first stop on our little Rocky Mountain Metropolis Getaway - The Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
"Just the Facts, Man."
Getting there is easy: while it's deep into the east end of Denver's core (think circa 12 miles off Colorado Blvd, locals) - which means stop-and-go traffic for a bit - who cares? You're on vacation!! It's uber-fairly priced - for our family of 5 (which includes a nearly two-year old who was free), our entry cost was a mere $34. Adults need to pony up 11 bucks for museum tickets while kids 3-18 are just $6. Yes, this can add up for a bigger family, but we were 3 hours in the exhibits before the wee ones began to spiral into mayhem and still didn't make it to Space Odyssey and all of the Wildlife Exhibit. They have cafes and a mini-bistro, but it's pricey. They'll let you pack in lunches, though, so if you're planning a day trip (and you really, really should), that's the way to go. Currently through July 18th, Body Worlds exhibit is on display at DMNS: yes, it's extra for entry, and we opted not to shell it out given the ages of our kids (G is the only one who would've appreciated it). It's plasticized skeletons, muscles, organs, and even complete bodies for perusal and education. Could be gorey, could be cool. I'm the latter in my fascination - but don't spread it around. Chuckle.
As for how we fared in the main wing...Grace liked the Wildlife Exhibit the best (followed by the Egyptian display in a close second). I liked the wildlife, too, but mostly because Elijah kept coming up with these crazy poses (like this one)
and asking me to take pics of him and the animals (so entirely his personality, right?) Elijah's fave was the dinosaur wing and Craig's was the Body Health where we pedaled bikes, tested eyesight, and even measured our arm spans - Craig learned that, despite what's typical (arm-span equals height), his has an extra 3". Cool. And good for b-ball.
"Did You Say Free?"
No, but I'm gonna. If you click on the museum link above, you can take a gander at the museum calendar where is posts all special exhibits dates, times, and costs. It also alerts those interested to "Free Days" at the museum. The next is in honor of Earth Day: patrons visiting Sunday, April 18th come in for free! I'm sure it'll be crowded, and the lines for the special interactive features of the Healthy Body featured exhibit are sure to be long. But the other wings shouldn't be too bad...and the savings could be worth it.
"But I'm Nowhere Near Denver!"
Yeah, that's a bummer on so many fronts, really. But don't despair too much: at www.museumlink.com, you can find a complete list of museums (you can browse by state) that tickle the fancy of any getaway, gathering, cash, or come-upping you can imagine. Go explore! Go navigate! Go memory-make! But, whatever you do, go cheap!
This freaky-looking creature is a Three-Toed Horse that lived in the dinosaur eras. Grace insisted on a pic thus proving that ALL things horse are her treasure. Personally, I'm glad the thing is extinct.
Judsen loved this display of fiberglass sticks that formed around faces...when you shoved them into the other side. Seemed absolutely fascinating to him to see shapes of eyes, ears, noses and the like without actually seeing the face itself.
Me and Bubba at the Dinosaur exhibit.
My favorite shot of the day...taken accidentally, as most good shots are. Judsen's and Elijah's hands are carbon copies of one another...big and small. The only hand missing is Daddy's...his is the founding copy of them all. I love that.
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