Time Travel at Living History Museums
by Candyce H. Stapen
Living history museums breathe excitement into textbook
studies. Blacksmiths forging horseshoes fascinate young kids as
do the pigs, goats and sheep in the barns. The apothecary, the wigmaker
and the teacher in the one-room schoolhouse show children the necessities
of pioneer life as well as its difficulties and dilemmas.
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, and Conner Prairie, Indiana, offer
special programs that intensify your time travel. At Colonial Williamsburg,
rally with rebels and at Conner Prairie, take on the role of a runaway
slave. Learn what it means to risk everything for freedom, whether
fighting a revolution or fleeing for your life.
For families with older grade-schoolers and teens, these immersion
experiences create powerful opportunities to ponder larger issues
such as: "Is it okay to break the law if policies prove morally
wrong?" and "Would you endanger the ones you love to help others?"
The best living history museums are about a lot more than merely
old buildings.
Colonial Williamsburg
Williamsburg, VA
You never know who you'll meet in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia's
re-created 1770s capital, especially since mid-March when the top-rated
living history museum rolled out "Revolutionary City," a two-hour
program that puts you in the middle of the town's central controversy.
You may be pulled into a rally for independence by a bewigged gentleman
or asked whether you're a traitor by a bonneted woman with hoop
skirts as broad as a barn.
Historic Williamsburg, with its scores of re-created 18th century
buildings, lets you see life as the colonists did. The town bred
independent politics and drew revolutionaries such as Thomas Jefferson
and Patrick Henry. The Governor's Palace with its bayonets, muskets,
swords, and rifles reinforces the sense of the Crown's power. At
the shoemaker's, watch the craftsman fashion footwear from leather
and at the Benjamin Powell House you may come upon the teenage daughters
weeding the garden or meet Benjamin and Sarah, the children of Mrs.
Powell's personal slave, Rose.
The best way to see beyond the area's commercialism is to take part
in the special programs, many of which require an upgraded admission
ticket. Check the Visitors Companion for a schedule. Participate
in a court trial where the punishment might be public dunking; find
out about the latest fashion in children's clothing from the milliner
or chat with a soldier about life at a military encampment.
With "Enslaving Virginia," follow several African-American characters
through their day. The "Other Half Tour," a two-hour walk through
the historic area, highlights sites important to African-American
history (800-HISTORY; www.colonialwilliamsburg.org).
Conner Prairie Museum
Fishers, IN
Make your way downhill in the darkness guided only
by lantern light. Despite directions from a reluctant farmer and
a map from a free black family, slave traders jump out of the woods
and grab you, shouting, "Get down on your knees and stay quiet if
you know what's good for you."
You and your children can be part of this harrowing re-creation
of the plight of runaway slaves at Conner Prairie, a living history
museum depicting 19th century Midwest life. Called "Follow the North
Star"-the advice given to slaves fleeing the South-the realistic
educational program drops visitors into situations that runaways
experienced as they traveled the Underground Railroad in the 1830s.
Some do escape. Because of the intensity of the two-hour activity,
"Follow the North Star" is recommended for parents, and children
ages 12 and older.
Less intense, "Weekend on the Farm" is still work; there's time
for fun-after chores, of course. Up to 12 guests ages six and older
board for two days and one night at the Zimmerman's Victorian-era
farmhouse. Bedrooms have washbasins, the outhouse is in the backyard,
and kerosene lamps brighten the rooms. Depending on your character,
you chop wood, muck stalls, milk cows, plow with horses or bake
graham biscuits and kiss pie, a custard concoction with a meringue
topping. Come evening, the children play string games and the adults
puzzle out riddles.
Even if you can't stay overnight, meet costumed residents as you
stroll through Conner Prairie's three historical areas. At the 1816
Lenape Indian Camp, strike a deal with fur traders and, depending
on the day, help craft a dugout canoe, work a hide into soft buckskin
or hear tales of the natives who lived in the region centuries ago.
In Prairietown, an 1836 village, learn to use a bellows at the smithy's,
watch jugs being made at the potters, or chat with the local doctor.
Stroll Liberty Corner, circa 1886, and chat with Mrs. Zimmerman
and find out about the farm. Kids can milk a cow, card wool, churn
butter and walk on stilts at Pastport, the hands-on section.
The historic areas of Conner Prairie, located about six miles from
Indianapolis, are open April through October. Book ahead for the
special immersion experiences. "Follow the North Star" is held November
4, 5, 11, 12, 18, and 19, 2006 as well as in April 2007. "Weekend
on the Farm" is held August 12 to 13, and September 30 to October
1, 2006 as well as on selected weekends April through July 2007
(800-966-1836; www.connerprairie.org).
Halloween Happenings - Universal Studios
Orlando, FL
Take your pre-teens and teens to this preeminent
spooky spectacular. Universal uses its highly skilled creators,
makeup artists and technicians to deliver creepy critters and well-timed
surprises. The haunted houses are scary and ghouls, vampires, witches,
and other weird fiends pop out at you in the fog-enveloped outdoor
area, the Midway of the Bizarre. Because the after-dark chills pack
a wallop, Universal Studios recommends that children be at least
ten years old. Halloween Horror Nights: September 29 and 30; October
6 to 8, 11 to 15, 19 to 22, 26 to 29, and 31 (407-363-8000; www.universalorlando.com).
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Great Places, Great Deals
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Canouan Island, the Grenadines, West Indies:
In homage to Johnny Depp and crew who anchored
in the Grenadines when filming Pirates of the
Caribbean versions II and III, upmarket Raffles
Resort Canouan Island has created the Little Raffles
package Kids' Pirate Play, which includes a treasure
hunt on a deserted beach, pirate outfits and unlimited
use of the Sugar Palm Kids Club as well as Movie
Night, room-service pizza, popcorn, and a babysitter
while parents enjoy dinner out. Book any number
of nights through December 15, 2006 and add this
package on for $1,355 per family. Room rates are
extra (877-CANOUAN; www.raffles-canouanisland.com).
Nevis: Nevis blends rain forest and beach.
The island is a laid-back, off-the-beaten-path
Caribbean destination whose largest hotel is the
196-room, Five Diamond-rated Four Seasons Resort.
With a five-night booking
through October 31, 2006, receive a $500 airfare
credit. With the Family Plan, a second room for
kids 17 and younger is available less the credit
(800-332-3442; www.fourseasons.com).
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*****
– Candyce H. Stapen is the author of
27 books, including National Geographic Guide to Caribbean Family
Vacations.
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