Strollerderby : national geographic

The 10 Best Famous Road Trips in the U.S.

editors — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Last summer was all about the 'staycation'. This year, ditch the kiddie pool for the open road. Sure, the classic road trip usually includes a bunch of 20- somethings on a Kerouacian romp- But, hey, why wait until then for your kids to know the grandeur and diversity of this great nation? National Geographic's 10 Best of Everything: Families will take you far beyond Route 66.

1. Covered Bridges, Vermont

See five covered bridges on one drive through Vermont's Bennington County: Silk Bridge, Paper Mill, Village Bridge, Henry Bridge, and West Arlington Brigde. Autumn is the best time to go, but it's also lovely in late spring.

2. Lighthouse Tour, Maine

There are 65 lighthouses still standing in Maine. Today, about ten light stations include museums; others are bird sanctuaries, wildlife refuges, or a nature preserve; and a few house research facilities. Drive from Frazer Point Picnic Area and Winter Harbor light to Prospect harbor and Prospect Harbor Light, Maine, in one day.

3. Skyline Drive, Virginia

The 105-mile parkway along the crest of the Blue Ridge mountains starts in Fort Royal, Virginia, and winds above the Shenandoah River valley, where early American Indians lived and where Daniel Boone and settlers passed through on their way to the western frontier. The mountains here are smooth and low, and famed for the blue mist created by foliage.

4. A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway, Florida

Allow two hours to drive this byway, which lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intercoastal Waterway on a narrow barrier island. Along with breathtaking views, you'll see the Gulf Coast, flora and fauna, resorts, and art deco architecture.

5. Michigan's Peninsulas

See the iconic dunes, shoreline, waterfalls, pines, and famed cherry orchards. The road stretches from Sleeping Bear Dunes to Petoskey to St.Ignace to Sault Ste.Marie to Munsing.

6. San Juan Skyway, Colorado

Travel the "road to the sky," which offers views of the towering 14,000-foot San Juan Mountains to rolling hillsides speckled with ancient Pueblo Indian ruins. It's a 236-mile route from Durango to Ouray, through Telluride and Mancos, back to Durango.

7. Albuquerque to Taos, New Mexico

Explore the Southwest through its fabled history and figures. Drive the Turquoise Trail from Albuquerque to Santa Fe to Taos, then back to Albuquerque to discover the culture of the Pueblo Indians, Georgia O'Keeffe, mountains, canyons, cliffs, cliff paintings, ghost towns, and artist colonies.

8. Goint-to-the-Sun Road, Montana

Lake McDonald is Glacier National Park's largest lake, at ten miles long. Driving along the McDonald Valley provides a history of the glaciers that carved the U-shaped valley. Families can park at the visitor's center at Logan Pass, the top of the Continental Divide. The road leads to the Going-to-the-Sun Mountain, at 9,642 the highest in this area of the park.

9. Pacific Coastal Highways, California

Take in the West Coast in its entierety or in manageable short jaunts.The first section begins in Portland, passing the Willamette River, early pioneer settlements, stunning waterfalls, rugged coastline, weird monoliths, and towering redwoods. The second section from San Francisco to L.A. features the Golden Gate, Big Sur, wine country, Hearst Castle, Spanish missions, Hollywood, mountains, beaches, surfing and harbors.

10. Chain of Craters, Hawaii

Chain of Craters Road, located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, is a 20-mile journey that showcases a natural landscape shaped by volcanoes. Whether driving or hiking, visitors can see craters, lava flows, tropical rain forests, mountains, and coastal areas.

Amy, Florida: "Out for a drive I always say that my car has better upholstery than most of the furniture in my house. No wonder we all love leisurely sightseeing drives, with time to talk, look out the window, maybe stop for ice cream..."

Reprinted with permission of the National Geographic Society from the book The 10 Best of Everything: Families by Susan Magsamen. Copyright ©2009 National Geographic Society.
Photo: Bernie McCann

Related Links: The 10 Best Carousels in the U.S., The 10 Best Children's Museums in the U.S., The 10 Best Living History Sites

The 10 Best Living History Sites

editors — Wed, 06 May 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Move over Felicity, Samantha, Kit Kitson and the rest of the bunch; American Girl dolls don't hold a candle to the country's finest historical reenactments. With National Geographic's 10 Best of Everything: Families as your guide, your tots can become Minnesota farmhands for a day or climb aboard the Pony Express.

1. Actor's Beechwood Mansion
580 bellevue Ave., Newport, RI 02840, 401-846-3772

Step back in time at the Astors' opulent Beechwood Museum. The Beechwood Theatre Company brings to life the Astor family, their friends and servants. There are daily tours of the early 20th-century mansion given by living history performers.

2. Gettysburg National Military Park
97 Taneytown Rd., Gettysburg, PA 17325, 717-334-1124

The most epic battle of the Civil War was fought here on July 1, 2, and 3, 1863. Confederate troops attempted their second invasion of the North at Gettysburg, not far from the state lines of Maryland and West Virginia. Union soldiers pushed back--at a cost of more than 7,000 lives. Five months later, Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address here. Reenactments are regularly scheduled.

3. Colonial Williamsburg
101A Visitor Center Dr., Williamsburg, VA 23187, 757-229-1000

Duke of Gloucester Street and the reconstructed governor's mansion are the centerpieces of this re-created historic city depicting the best of British colonial life in the New World. Shop for authentic toys, wear a tricorn hat, and return the greetings of costumed barristers, shopkeepers, and servants.

4. Middleton Place Plantation
4300 Ashley River Rd., Charleston, SC 29414, 800-782-3608

Experience a taste of the Old South, with the benefit of a view from the 21st century. This carefully preserved low-country plantation is now a resort, working farm, and historic garden area-- and a beautiful family destination. Staff members here are characters who introduce you to life on a 19th century southern rice plantation.

5. Castillo de San Marcos
1 Castillo Dr. S, St. Augustine, FL 32084, 904-829-6506

This fort was built in 1972 to protect Spain's footprint on the North American continent. Reenactments and weapons demonstrations are regularly scheduled, and rangers are on hand.

6. Conner Prairie
13400 Allisonville Rd., Fishers, IN 46038, 800-966-1836

A renowned living history museum, farm, and learning center where families can explore 19th century life of the American Midwest. It's divided into four main areas: a homestead, a prairie town, a farm, and a Lenape camp. Events are planned every weekend, including storytelling, traditional arts, farm experiences and more.

7. Oliver H. Kelley Farm
15788 Kelley Farm Rd., Elk River, MN 55330, 763-441-6896

Be a Minnesota farmhand for a day. Try churning butter and weaving a straw hat, and see oxen and horses at work in the fields. Dressed as farmers and field hands, staff members show families how a 19th-century farm was run. Seasonal activities and daily chores provide a hands-on view of daily farm life and early American agriculture.

8. Pony Express Re-Ride
1202 Penn St., Saint Joseph, MO 64503, 816-232-8206

This annual event commemorates the founding of the Central Overland and California Pikes Peak Express Company, also known as the Pony Express. In June, teams of horses and riders ride the original trail from Missouri, with handoffs along the way in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and then across California to Sacramento. The ride begins at the original Pony Express headquarters, now a Missouri musuem. Families can mail a letter that will be carried along the route.

9. Flint Hills Overland Wagon Train
El Dorado, KS 67042, 316-321-6300

Experience life on the pioneer trail with an overnight covered wagon journey in the Flint Hills, an unspoiled tallgrass prairie that was once a pathway to the American frontier. Traditional entertainment and chuckwagon-style meals are provided, with a campfire and sleeping under the stars at night. You can bring your own horse and ride along.

10. George Ranch
10215 FM 762, Richmond, TX 77469, 281-343-0218

This historic park has been in one family for four generations. It includes a mansion home, working ranch, and seasonal crops that visitors can help to harvest. Schedule your visit for a Saturday and plan on having an authentic 19th-century-style meal at one of five different venues around the park.

Photo: Bates Littlehales

Related Links: The 10 Best Carousels in the U.S., The 10 Best Children's Museums in the U.S.

Get National Geographic Book on Mothers for the Photos, Skip the Words

Miriam Axel-Lute — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:00:00 GMT

For all its insightful information (for a few years I used to read it cover to cover; I miss it), when most of us think of National Geographic magazine, we think of the stunning photography.

And so, it should come as no surprise that the National Geographic Society's little coffee table book (can it still be a coffee table book if it's little? I guess so) Mothers & Children is full of wonderful photos—some beautiful, some tender, some funny, some awkward in their honesty. I love the juxtaposition of cultures and classes.

It's in my nature to overanalyze, though, and I have to say I would have preferred the book without any words at all over the words that were there: over-the-top, one-sided quotes about selfless, all-consuming motherhood (ick!) and three banal essays by the same guy (Craig Wilson, a USA Today writer, whose privilege to get to write most of the text in the book is never explained. His bio is on the Barnes & Noble listing for the book, but nowhere in the book itself). There's no sense of the complexity of defining motherhood, no acknowledgement that while there are commonalities across cultures, there are also huge differences in the experience of it.

(And how is it that pictures of kids alone fit the theme? Does a child only exist in relation to its mother?)

I would have been much happier to get a couple sentences of context for each photo and draw my own conclusions about what the photos say about the relationship(s) between mother and child.

So get it for the photo-lover in your life (at the NGS bookstore or Amazon), but I recommend skipping the words.

More by this author:

Immaculate Conception: Virgin Shark Gives Birth to Twins

JeanneSager — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:25:00 GMT

It's a miracle! Well, sort of. A female white spotted bamboo shark who hasn't been near a male in six years is now the proud mom of the Belle Isle Aquarium's two newest additions.

So what's the catch? There is none. The curator of fishes at the Detroit aquarium told National Geographic he'd heard of a bonnethead shark that supposedly had a "virgin birth" in Nebraska last year, so when the bamboo shark laid a cluth of eggs in April, he decided to leave them in the tank with her. Usually the eggs are assumed to be infertile and discarded.

Eventually moved to another tank, the eggs hatched 15 weeks after they'd been laid - without ever being touched by a male shark or any other form of intervention. The birth has scientists pondering the possibilities that the bamboo shark may be hermaphroditic or perhaps has been storing sperm from a male for the past six years (although the latter has been largely discounted). Genetic testing will have to be done before any real determination can be made, and that will take some time. In the meantime, the aquarium will not be discarding future clutches of eggs laid by its female sharks.

Sharks have been getting a bad rap since the '70s when Roy Scheider made us all fear the water, but I'm starting to warm to these cold-blooded creatures. Imagine, you don't even have to tell him you have a headache . . . and you still get a baby!

Image: Shark Foundation, egg of a white-spotted shark

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Fall TV Preview: Toot and Puddle

Amy Kuras — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:01:00 GMT

Back in May, we got a screener for Toot and Puddle, a new show premiering on Noggin this November from National Geographic Kids Television.

Based on a series of kids' books, it's the story of two little pigs, globe-trotting Toot and homebody Puddle, who find adventure at home and abroad.

I finally sat down to watch it for the first time with my three-year-old a few weeks ago. On first viewing, she liked it, but I have one of those spirited little ones who locks in on things that she loves and wants to see them again and again and again and are you serious AGAIN?Back in May, we got a screener for Toot and Puddle, a new show premiering on Noggin this November from National Geographic Kids Television.

Based on a series of kids' books, it's the story of two little pigs, globe-trotting Toot and homebody Puddle, who find adventure at home and abroad.

I finally sat down to watch it for the first time with my three-year-old a few weeks ago. On first viewing, she liked it, but I have one of those spirited little ones who locks in on things that she loves and wants to see them again and again and again and are you serious AGAIN? This, she didn’t ever ask for again, and declared "boring" when I made her watch it a second time so I could review it.

And it's not, not really. The drawing of this animated series is beautiful – it looks like a well-made children's book come to life. And the stories, while a little thin, are sweet. I also loved the music and the glimpse I saw of Toot's travels.

If you have a kid who loves more gentle animated series such as Little Bear or Franklin, this will probably be a big hit in your house, as it will with somewhat older kids than my three-year-old who can understand the premise a little better. Same if you're a traveling family – if your kids have seen some of the world, they might really enjoy seeing that reflected on TV. If your kids are younger or fans of louder and brighter series like Yo Gabba Gabba, Bunnytown or Jack's Big Music Show, they might share my daughter's opinion.

National Geographic Pimps Stupid Movies for Kids

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:21:00 GMT

I haven't been a kid for at least a year now, but from what I remember about childhood, animals rocked. Adventures were awesome. And getting dirty was just part of the day. So I was a little surprised to see National Geographic Kids pimping some video about kids asking movie star Jack Black about "his take on the environment, politics, Kung Fu." As if any kid in America puts her fist to her chin and wonders: "Gee, mom and dad have a lot to say about global warming, but I wonder what Jack Black thinks?"

Please.

This cross-promotional movie pimping has gone too far. Jack Black has some insipid looking movie out about a panda bear that knows kung fu and really, truly believes in himself, so you just know everything is going to turn out OK in the end. Well, somehow the movie marketers got National Geographic Kids to do a "promoducational" video with Black, and it's just horrible.

Look, I don't want to get all Cassie on NGK (oh, Cassie -- we kid because we care) but seriously, people. You make shows about animals, about underwater photography, about naked tribal women in Africa. Kids don't need some dumb ass digital fighting panda to make our planet cool -- it already is. If you want kids to get more interested in your shows or the adventures that can be found in the world around them, play your theme song 24/7. That thing still gives me chills. But don't sell them short with your crass commercialization.