Here are some of my favorite family-travel blog posts from the past month or so:

• Family Travel in Nevada: The 50 States Series at WhyGo Family.
• Southern Iowa Gateway Welcome Center at Family Rambling.
• NBC Studio Tours in New York City at New York City Mama.
• Five Fab Freebies in Burlington, Vermont, at We Just Got Back.
• World’s Biggest “Paper” Cup in Riverside, California, at Eccentric Roadside.
• Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour, Waterbury, Vermont, at Crazy Kids Boston.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium with Kids (California)at Delicious Baby.
• Birch Aquarium, La Jolla, California, at Double the Adventure.
• Five Marshmallow Sticks for Family Camping at CampingBlogger.
• EdVenture Children’s Museum in Columbia, South Carolina, at Carolina Nomad.
• Como Zoo in St. Paul, Minnesota, at Uptake Attractions.
• Visiting the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, at the Silent I.
• Orlando With Kids: Free Things to Do Beyond Disney World at The Q Family Adventures.
• Rhinelander, Wisconsin, Welcomes New Monsters at Roadside America.
• Mrs. Grossman’s Sticker Factory (Petaluma, California) at Pitstops for Kids.
• Cherry Bowl Drive-In, Honor, Michigan, at Midwest Guest.
• San Francisco Cable Car Museum at Kids Go West.
• Nevada’s 7 Wackiest Wonders at Jurnii.
• 10 Secrets for Making Museums and Zoos Fun for Kids of All Ages at Frommer’s.
• San Francisco Museums You May Not Know About at Frisco Kids.
• San Antonio Children’s Museum (Texas) at Wandering Off.

We’re not big shoppers; in fact, we rarely even buy souvenirs when on vacation.  It may seem strange, then, that we have several stores that we’ve explored as destinations.  Sometimes a store is big enough or unique enough to merit a special stop, however.

We’ve been to several Cabela’s locations; often my husband has a piece of gear that he’s seeking, but the kids and I go along to watch the fish or see the animal displays.  They can be entertained at Cabela’s for quite a while.

Once kids are potty-trained, IKEA can be a nice escape for the adults.  The kids can play in the Smaaland play area while their parents explore the rest of the store.  It’s a nice way to keep everyone happy.

For the younger set, especially those who love trains, Choo Choo Bob’s Train Store in St. Paul, Minnesota, is an excellent destination.  In addition to a wide variety of supplies for both model railroaders and kids’ train sets, they have two play tables for tots and some working electric trains sets in the store.  My kids loved watching and playing with the trains, as well as looking at all of the items for sale in the store.

The American Girl stores are another place that’s fun to visit even if your intention isn’t to take home a new doll.  A snack or lunch in the cafe, watching the doll hairdressers at work, or just seeing all of the dolls and their accessories on display can be fun for kids.

Do you ever go to a store just for the fun of it?  If so, which stores do you visit?

Hull Rust Mahoning Mine Historic Marker

Hull-Rust-Mahoning Mine

It has been called the “Grand Canyon of the North,” a fitting title for the world’s largest open pit iorn mine.  The Hull-Rust-Mahoning pit actually began as separate mines, named for their owners, first dug in 1895, that gradually merged into one.  Today this enormous pit measures 1.5 by 3.5 miles with a depth of 600 feet.  Because of its size and the important developments that took place here, the Hull-Rust-Mahoning mine played a key role in making Minnesota the leading iron-ore producer in the country.

Setting in the midst of the Mesabi Range, the largest of Minnesota’s three iron ranges, this mine owed its dominance to its particular iron formations.  Here, vast stretches of high-grade, soft ore lay in shallow deposits that could be scooped up with giant steam shovels, machinery perfected at this site.  Using the open pit method, mining companies removed huge quantities of iron ore quickly and economically, dumping it into rail cars that were moved out of the mine on tracks circling the slopes of the pit.

Large mining operations required extensive financial resources.  Small local developers were soon driven out, and the wealthy ones with names like Rockefeller and Carnegie took over.  In 1901 J. P. Morgan consolidated their mining and manufacturing operations as United States Steel, creating what was then the biggeste corporation in the world.

The Hull-Rust-Mahoning Mine developed rapidly in the early 1900s, when demand was high for iron and steel to build railroads, bridges, and skyscrapers.  In its peak production years during World Wars I and II, this pit supplied as much as one-fourth of all the iorn ore mined in the United States.  It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

Erected by the Minnesota Historical Society.

If you live in or near Minnesota, you’re sure to have heard that the Minnesota Twins will soon have a new home, Target Field in downtown Minneapolis, just a block from the Timberwolves’ Target Center.

Today was the grand opening and dedication of Target Plaza, the outdoor gathering space that brings the ticket office, gift shop, and gates 34 and 29 together.  It is meant to be a community space both for Twins games and on non-game days.

In addition to the brief dedication ceremony, which featured Kent Hrbek dropping the ball into the golden glove, the Twins and Target had some great family activities on deck for the day.  The kids could hit a ball (and get a free Target Plaza hat), throw a baseball (and get to keep it),  get tattooed, and make a Twins pennant.  Wally the Beerman was even on hand giving out free hot chocolate.  My son got his picture taken with T.C., the Twins mascot, and my husband was disappointed that he just missed a chance to get Kent Hrbek’s autograph.  Staff on hand were friendly and happy despite the cool and dreary day.

Target Plaza is a comfortable space where it’s easy to find the ticket counter and other essentials.  We parked in Garage A and it was just across the street, and access to 394 afterward is a breeze.  Although I’d known the new ballfield was close to Target Center, I hadn’t realized just how close it was.  When we were looking for a restaurant, Target Center’s NBA City was the closest one we found, just a block from Target Field.

Art and history are evident at the plaza, from the kinetic sculpture that disguises a parking ramp to the pictures of former Twins homes to pennants for each year’s teams.  The gates to Target Field from Target Plaza are Gate 34 (Kirby Puckett’s number) and Gate 29 (for Rod Carew).

After visiting Target Plaza today and peeking in on the field, we’re excited to get tickets and cheer on the Twins in their new home.  How about you?

Yesterday I wrote that the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition was opening at the Science Museum of Minnesota and I didn’t know when we’d get there.

Today we went to see it.

It happened that we had a free family day and two things we wanted to do in the Cities, so off we went.  We were concerned about not getting tickets ahead of time, but we arrived at 1:15 and got tickets for 1:30 exhibit admittance, so that was not a problem.  It was busy but not crowded in the exhibit hall.

In contrast to the Star Wars exhibit a few years ago, I knew that this would not be interactive, so I wasn’t sure how it would be for kids.  At our 1:30 time, we were allowed into an area where we could pick up handheld listening devices, and we had time to practice using them.  There’s one set of broadcasts for adults and another for kids.  After a few minutes there, we were led to an area with benches, where we heard a short introduction to the exhibition, and then we entered the exhibit area itself.

The kids really liked listening to the information as we moved through the exhibit.  I listened to the kids’ version most of the time as well, so I’d know what they had heard and could ask them questions and elaborate on things they had heard and seen.  Many of the pieces of the exhibit were easily related to their Sunday School lessons–the size of the temple in Jerusalem, the oil-burning lamps, the jars like at the wedding in Cana.  While our older boys went with my husband, I stayed with our four- and six-year-old daughters and they kept a good level of interest throughout the exhibit, especially for something with very few hands-on opportunities.

We learned a lot about the Dead Sea Scrolls and about other archeological finds in the area, and found that the scrolls are kept safely in Jerusalem.  Upon hearing this, I almost gave up hope that we’d see the scrolls themselves, but just then we rounded the bend to a dimly lit room where there were indeed parts of the scrolls.  We could see the actual pieces under glass, as well as displays showing photographs of them and translations.  It was very interesting.

Dead Sea Scrolls Genesis. Photo credit: Science Museum of Minnesota.

After the scrolls, we entered another exhibit area, that of the St. John’s Bible.  The St. John’s Bible is the first hand-written illuminated Bible to be made in 500 years, since the printing press was brought into use.  The illustrations, or illuminations, are made with real gold and platinum.  On display are actual pages of the Bible, and when all of the pages are finished, they will be bound into the St. John’s Bible.  Explanations about the process and the artwork accompany each page on display.  The calligraphy and illuminations are beautiful and fit the words of the page.

The St. John’s Bible fits well with the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition, as both are works of scribes–some ancient and some modern.

All in all, we spent an hour and fifteen minutes in the special exhibition areas.

Tickets for the Dead Sea Scrolls include admission to the Science Museum of Minnesota and range from $22-$34, but museum members get a substantial discount, so if you haven’t considered a museum membership before, now might be a good time.  Discounted rates of $6-$8 are also available for those with limited incomes; the Great Tix program is excellent in making the museum, including special exhibits, accessible to people of all income levels.

The Dead Sea Scrolls will be at the Science Museum through October 24, 2010.

While the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition is not interactive, I was pleasantly surprised at how our children, ages 4-9, were interested in it.  This was helped dramatically by the handheld listening devices, which allowed them to learn about the pieces as we moved through the exhibit.

New London Historic Marker

New London

Louis Larson, a Swedish emigrant, found the falls on the Crow River in 1860.  In 1861 he built a cabin nearby and the following year started a dam and sawmill.

On August 17, 1862, the Dakota Indian War broke out.  Larson and all the settlers in the area were forced to flee for safety and did not return until 1865.

Larson and Samuel Stone, returned to find the dam washed out.  The rebuilt the dam and sawmill and added a gristmill.  Settlers came from miles around for lumber, flour and other needs.  Larson named the town New London after New London, Wisconsin.  By 1868 New London had grown to forty people, three stores and a blacksmith shop.  It was the county seat of Mononagalia County from 1866 to 1870 when it merged with Kandiyohi County.  The original court house still stands, identified on Main Street.

Sponsored by the Kandiyohi County Historical Society and erected in [can't see date].

The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition opens today at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Explore the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century—the Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the earliest known texts of the Bible. These 2,000 year-old, authentic text fragments are steeped in scientific, religious, and cultural significance. The Dead Sea Scrolls: Words That Changed the World, a special exhibition at the Science Museum of Minnesota from March 12 through October 24, 2010, offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness something truly remarkable. For more information, call (651) 221-9444 or visit www.smm.org/scrolls.

Tickets range from $22-$34, but museum members receive a substantial discount, so this might be a good time to consider a membership to the Science Museum.

I’m hoping to get to the exhibition at some point, but if you beat me to it, would you report back as to its appeal for kids?

Some of my favorite photos aren’t the ones I spent hours setting up, or even using my better camera.  Sometimes a photo is my favorite simply because I got the picture before it was too late.

When speeding down an interstate highway at 70 mph, I’m usually too slow to snap a photo of something interesting that I see out the car window, but once in a while I’m successful at capturing the shot.

It may not be the best in quality, due to the speed of the moving vehicle (my husband was driving) and the rain coming down, but because of my little GPS tracker, if I desire, I can go back to the exact spot someday and get a better picture.

And so, with all of that explanation, I present the pumpkin silo, as seen from Interstate 39/51 between Madison and Janesville, Wisconsin.

Pumpkin Silo in Wisconsin

To see more travel photos, visit Photo Fridays at DeliciousBaby.

We first visited Minnemishinona Falls last summer, when the falls were but a trickle, but a beautiful one.

We returned last weekend, when the temperature finally reached 40 degrees for the first time in 3 months and we left our jackets behind, to take a peek at the falls in winter.  This is what we found.

The falls are beautifully frozen, stopped in time.

Minnemishinona Falls in Winter

My husband could hear something, though, and when he quieted the kids, they could hear it as well.  Under all of the ice, the sound of running water, behind the falls.  The creek at the bottom of the falls presented a beautiful wintry scene.

We also pointed out to the kids a large crack in the ice, and wondered aloud what a magnificent sound it will make when the falls break in two.

It’s such an easy thing, to take a different route home and stop for a few minutes to see something familiar look so different because of a change in the seasons.  It’s something we need to remember to do more often.

The second post I wrote for this blog was called Adventures on a Budget.  The advice contained there really hasn’t changed.  We still use our museum memberships extensively; the reciprocal admission has let us see museums in Texas and Pennsylania, and everywhere in between, without a big expense for us.

We still try to travel quite frugally, often on a budget of $150-$200 a day including food and hotel.  Because of this budget, we find it hard to go to well-known places like Disney World because of the cost.  We find a lot of fun in lesser-known attractions that are less expensive.

How do you save money when you go to fun places?