Entry bubble American Indian Heritage Month

By: Nancy | November 13, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

With curved walls of golden limestone and gardens filled with wetlands, boulders and crops like corn and squash, the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian doesn't look like all the other marble monuments and museums that surround it in Washington, DC. And in celebration of American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, I thought I'd take a peek to see if the inside was as intriguing as the outside.

National Museum of the American Indian

Eight hundred thousand. That's how many artifacts the museum holds—beaded jewelry and clothing, tools and toys, exhibits on hunting and housing, celebrations and tribal nations. Daily special events like storytelling, dance exhibitions, drama and films add to a visitor's understanding of Native American life.

This museum isn't the only place you can learn about the life of, and government services for, Native Americans though:

  • The Indian Health Service focuses on life and medical issues that affect the Native American and Alaska Native communities.
  • The National Park Service's National American Indian Heritage Month page links to information about places you can visit that are important to Native American history.

Back at the museum, I head toward the Mitsitam Cafe (that's Delaware and Piscataway for "Let's Eat!" ) This is a unique museum cafeteria; the food here represents the indigenous cuisines of the Americas. I stand back as a gaggle of blue-blazered school boys charge the "Great Plains" food line for buffalo burgers. I find what I’m looking for at the "South America" food station: a quick snack of chicken tamal and blue cornbread before continuing my tour.

old photo of indian girlMore than the beautiful and functional handcrafted items on display all around me, I think what fascinates me most are the video monitors throughout the museum playing interviews with members of different Native American communities, sharing stories of their tribal and family histories and how those experiences were sometimes at odds, and sometimes interwoven with the common American experience.

As I look around at my fellow museum goers, not counting those school kids, one in three of us seem to be of Native American descent. While my own blood runs Scottish and German, I yearn for but don't have strong ancestral ties. I watch the Cherokee, Navajo and Sioux visitors around me, studying the exhibits marking their ancestors' lives. And I wonder what it's like for them, as part of a community that knows so well its past, to see their histories—the proud and the painful—in those exhibits and videos.

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Entry bubble Museums and Halls of Fame

By: Jim | September 29, 2008 | Category: Travel

Museum at nightA recent weekend away got me thinking about some of the historic and artistic destinations in the DC area that I’ve not yet seen. A lot of them free at that! Why is it that so many of us who live in cities with a variety of attractions rarely take advantage of them? For example, I have yet to finish touring all of the museums of the Smithsonian Institution or go to one of its Folklife Festivals.

If you're like me, you probably have the usual excuses, like being too busy or wanting to wait until you have houseguests. Others of us may have children and think the kids may not enjoy a trip the local museum. Not to fear! Museums and Learning has tips on how to prepare for and enjoy a trip to the museum with your kids. If you think you're not ready for a trip to the Museum of Modern Art with the kids, then maybe a visit to a children's museum is in order.

For something a little unusual, try a hall of fame. Back home in Northeastern Ohio there are such diverse venues as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron. If you or your kids have a particular interest or hobby, do a quick search using your hobby with the term "hall of fame" or "museum" and see what you come up with, like the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg, TN. Another way to find about interesting cultural opportunities is to go to your town's chamber of commerce or department of tourism. Check out USA.gov's history, arts, and culture page page for more ideas, too.

Does your home town have an unusual attraction?

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Entry bubble Vacation Close to Home This Year

By: Nancy | May 01, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

Air travel, food and those gas prices we keep talking about—with everything getting more expensive, it might be hard to justify breaking the bank to go far away on a full-blown vacation this summer. But you really would feel better if you could take a break and get away, even if it's for just a day. So consider taking a mini vacation in your own town or discovering someplace within an hour or two away on a day trip.

There wasn't a whole lot going on in my town when I was a kid. But living in South Jersey put my parents and me within 90 minutes of some great day tripping destinations like the Jersey Shore, historic Philadelphia and the Amish countryside.

couple with map

Now that I live in the Washington, DC area, I have a lot of events to choose from and historic places to visit. But I still like to wander to towns I don't know very well.

With today's gas prices though, wandering aimlessly can be an expensive adventure. So before you go, visit your state's tourism web site to find out about places you never knew about or always wanted to visit and map things out. You can also find an abundance of links to historical sites, all kinds of great museums, parks and more in USA.gov's Recreation and Tourism section.

When I visit a town, I like to try to blend in with "the locals." And one thing locals know about is where to get good food, cheap. Learn about the best hometown and hole-in-the-wall restaurants around the country on RoadFood.com. One of my favorites not listed there is a cafeteria I found that's located inside a craft store in Woodstock, Virginia. For about five bucks, I can belly up to the lunch counter and get a big, hot roast beef sandwich and a cherry Coke—the real kind: the lady in the hairnet who calls me "Hon" puts the cherry syrup in herself.

Ready for dessert? Let's go berry picking! I have a favorite spot in Virginia near George Washington's birthplace where I pick blackberries and blueberries by the Potomac River. There are few places I feel more relaxed and at peace than in the middle of that berry patch.

What do they make in your region—a popular food or product? Consider taking a factory tour to see how things are made. Some places, like my childhood favorite, Wilbur Chocolate Factory in Littitz, PA give free samples.

If your interests take a quirky turn like mine do, you might want to explore the more playful side of America by visiting unusual landmarks like the world's largest ball of twine or the guitar-shaped building that I stumbled upon as I was driving through the Tennessee/Virginia border. Search RoadSideAmerica.com for more unique landmarks near you.

Wow. After all that, I'm ready to hit the road again. What have been some of your favorite day trips?

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