Places to Go - Learning about "The Old Days" at The Baltimore Museum of Industry (Baltimore, MD)

I've wanted to visit the Baltimore Museum of Industry for awhile, based on the fabulous tripadvisor reviews. But Baltimore is far (though now that DC rerouted the parkway exit so you don't have to sit at the Pennsylania Ave. light for minutes/hours/day, Baltimore is a MUCH easier drive) and the museum didn't sound like an all day destination (it isn't). So we decided to stop and check the museum out while roadtripping to NYC to visit my friend Jenny. And it didn't disappoint.

After paying admission and receiving a map, we headed to the general store. The kids didn't show much interest at first, stating "it's probably all behind glass, museum stuff always is." But, impressively, IT WASN'T. Everything was out in the open to explore and look at (though not to touch). Since the "no touch" rule can pose a problem with kids, each room houses a green kids' box, some are better than others, but all of them contained toys and pictures and various other things for both learning and playing. My children loved them and ran from room to room searching for the best boxes. While the kids colored and played, I read the exhibit signs documenting Baltimore's industrial revolution.

After the general store, we learned about the history of canning. The kids particularly enjoyed the manager's office, where they could try on various playclothes, color, and stamp time cards. Then we sported some coolio goggles and checked out an old tooshed/workroom, full of "builder stuff." Eventually we made our way to a recreated pharmacy/soda fountain, clothing store, and printing press (the world before computers fascinates my children). Along the way we saw various historic cars and learned about the Maryland lottery. Later in our visit we pretended we worked on the docks of a shipping display exhibit, fought for time in the phone booth, and debated which huge old tv we would have purchased for our home. One room offered tons of legos and blocks to play with, T started to create but the girls were antsy to "see more stuff." Outside, old boats and hundreds of ducks intermingled on the harbor.

Though the museum isn't huge, it presents well and really makes you feel as if you're traveling back in time. Plus, parking is free and abundant. A great way to spend an hour or two. Admission costs $12 for adults and $7 for children 7-12 (younger children are free). Click here for more information.



My kids chose office work over factory work.



We love "builder stuff."



Project Runway, old school style.



Lots and lots to explore. All my kids couldn't stop fighting over the phonebooth. Some things never change.

Places to Go - The National Aquarium (Baltimore, MD)

As you can probably tell from Monday's post, I've been feeling a little disconnected lately. So I decided the kids and I needed some good bonding time, plus (honestly) between playdates and conflicting schedules it feels like we never get to go anywhere fun. Thus I took the girls out of school for a day and planned a trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. At first the girls were ecstatic ("dolphin show!! dolphin show!!") then they wavered - "what if we miss something in school? what if our teachers have something special planned? what if we become schoolsick?". I ignored such fears and loaded up the minivan. After a long, whiny car ride, finally we arrived. We've visited the aquarium several times in the past, but usually on weekends, when crowds fill every nook and cranny. So all of us couldn't believe our luck that there were no lines and few "tall" people - we could actually see and explore everything. finally.

For those of you who have never visited, the aquarium exemplifies good museum design. The first floor contains a huge tank of stingrays, eels, and fish, you can lean over several railings and watch them up close. It's all sort of mesmerizing. After the stingrays, moving walkways carry you to higher floors, and each level contains balconies where you can look down and view the stingrays on the first floor (I tried to photograph it above, though the result doesn't really show much).

Regarding the exhibits, the kids all ran from tank to tank. P just studied sea life in preschool, so she kept finding and pointing out different fish to us. And one big huge fish (pictured above) checked us out for quite awhile, so we started to talk with him and ask about life. The top floor of the aquarium hosts a huge mock-rainforest (almost identical to the national zoo's amazonia) where we visited a golden lion tamarin and various tortoises. From the top floor, a carpeted walkway leads you down through the shark tanks and everything becomes progressively darker and you descend. The kids expressed "fear" but it was closer to "fun, roller-coaster fear" than "real tears" fear.

Eventually we made it over to the dolphin section of the aquarium, bummed to learn that they have permanently discontinued the dolphin show, but still excited to watch the dolphins swim around for awhile. After checking out the jellyfish exhibit (probably my favorite part of the day) we lunched at Hard Rock (cheesy i know, but the kids love it) and wandered around Baltimore's inner harbor - watching P chase pigeons ("they're so hard to catch") and looking for fish in the grey/black water. We contemplated touring the inner harbor ships, but i sensed meltdowns on the horizon so we decided to hold off for another day.

Sometimes we all need a day off. especially when we can spend it by the water.

If you're interested in a day at the aquarium, the price is steep - $20.95 for children 3-11 and $29.95 for adults. wowsers. If you live in the area, I highly suggest a season pass for the bargain rate of $159 a family. The aquarium is open 9 am to 5 pm Monday - Thursday. Weekend hours vary by month, click here for the schedule. Strollers ARE NOT ALLOWED, so plan accordingly.

WEDNESDAY LINKS:

*Kidfriendly DC posted about a fabulous street art festival going on right now. Yesterday, we checked out Circo Para Todos (a Columbian circus act) for free at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage and the show was fantastic!! The festival goes through Saturday (with tons of weekend performances at Yards Park) - check it out if you have a chance (click here for the schedule). And thank you to Kidfriendly DC for the great suggestion!!!

*10 tv characters we can't decide whether to like or hate (i knew roger sterling would be up there, i sort of love him).

*I would love to go to one of these playgrounds. Even without the kids.

*15 clever ideas for instagram photos.



They pick all of their own outfits now, for better or worse.

Places to Go - Maryland Science Center (Baltimore, MD)

A few weeks ago, my husband and I took the kids to Maryland Science Center, located right on the Inner Harbor, and everyone in the family had a wonderful time. First of all, the museum has a LARGE kids' room complete with "underwater" caves, waterplay, an upstairs fishing/boating area, train table, and several other fun activities (including an aquarium-themed baby room). Seriously, this room alone warrants a trip, my kids can play in it for hours. Museum Admission also includes entry to the planetarium where a rotating series of shows plays every hour to two hours (at 1:00 everyday the planetarium shows Sesame Street's One World, One Sky, perfect for the under 6 crowd). Regarding exhibits, the museum hosts a large dinosaur exhibit (where you can dig for "fossils"), a series of hands-on exhibits entitled "Newton's Alley" (T, in particular, loved the cloud-making machine pictured above), a great outer space exhibit (the girls are fascinated by Pluto's loss of planetness), and several other activities and things to do. A reasonably-priced cafe means you can extend any visit for hours. Due to the diversity of the exhibits both older and younger children will have a great time. Basic admission (excluding IMAX and special exhibits) is $14.95 for adults and $11.95 for children 3-12, though much more pricey than the Smithsonian Natural History Museum (which is free), it's worth the price as there is a lot more hands-on, kid-focused stuff to do than at the Smithsonian. For more information, click here.