Just for fun: What's your favorite place to visit where you live?

[mommy_someday]

DS and I went on an outing today with FIL, SIL and her two kids to the St. Louis City Museum. It was my third time and I decided that it's my favorite place in all of St. Louis. It's not really a museum, per se. They have old stuff, for certain, but it's more like a crazy-funhouse type of place. It used to be a shoe factory, but some people bought it back in the early 90s and started welding junk together to turn it into this industrial monument to recycling. It's so impossible to explain, but really incredibly cool to experience. Check out their website for some pics:

www.citymuseum.org

http://www.citymuseum.org/3D.html (panoramic tour!)

What's your favorite place to visit in your hometown? This can be something for DC or not. Please share!

ETA a better link :)

[ribbit1019]

I really love the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I don't get to go as often as I like, but the displays and all the reading you can do along with great music in the background. Makes me feel good, and I love music, obviously! Otherwise I really like the Cleveland Museum of Art-bonus is that it is free, expect for special exhibits. Neither of these places are toddler friendly. I have been told that the children's museum is the place to go with DD, I think we will try it out this spring. Maybe it will be a new favorite. :)
StL city museum looks like fun!!

Christy
Maddy born 6/09/04
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Co-Owner Ribbit Baby

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[Lovingliv]

Great Thread Erica!

I LOVE the Swan Boats and can't wait to take Liv there. I'm going to see if I can bribe her cousins from CT to come up and experience it with us this spring. It is sure to be a blast...with a 4 year old and three babies under 2!

[jbowman]

There is a beautiful (and relatively famous, at least in these parts ;)) rose garden in the town where I live. I love visiting there! We also have a small, but fabulous zoo that we love to visit.

[bcky2]

we love going to the zoo but i think that we may find a new place this summer. we just moved and have a outside train museum with a ghost town type thing near by. if the boys love it like we think they will it will be a place that we will see alot of this spring and summer :)

[jbowman]

Yes, Christy, the Cleveland Museum rocks, and I love the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (the building itself is amazing!).

[mommy_someday]

I live for music, so I'm sure the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would be right up my alley. It sounds amazing!

Here's a wild idea...if we have the 2006 retreat in STL, then everybody would get a chance to visit the CM! Hmmm... Any takers? :P

[o_mom]

Indianapolis Children's Musuem - probably the best children's museum in the country.

http://www.childrensmuseum.org/catalog/home.asp

[mommy_someday]

Wow, that looks really neat! My mom, who teaches art for kids K-8, would absolutely adore the Norman Rockwell part! Thanks for sharing!

[mudder17]

Hmm...that's a good question. If I exclude DC (which is about an hour's travel, at least), then here are some of my favorite places:

Baltimore Zoo--this is a lot of fun now that Kaya is much more interested in the animals. It's a nice place to walk around and get some exercise and fresh air, at least when the weather is nice.

Baltimore Aquarium--okay, this has got to be one of my favorite places (extremely well organized) especially now with the new Australia exhibit (which I haven't seen yet, but will). It's kind of expensive, but if you go on "dollar days" or you get a membership, it's not that bad. We haven't been members for the past two years because you can't take a stroller inside, but now that Kaya is older, we may join up again. The only problem is parking is not always the easiest, but the exhibits are wonderful and of course, the dolphin show is always fun. :)

Inner Harbor--just wandering around the Inner Harbor, visiting the little shops, eating food at the wonderful restaurants, seeing the Tall Ships, when they come in, wandering around Barnes and Noble or going to the Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, Public Works Museum, African History Museum, etc. (there are tons of museums in this area) This is a great place to bring visitors (there's also a visitor's center), but is also nice if you want to just wander around. We haven't done it much since Kaya was born, but I'm hoping we'll be able to do it again, now that she's older.

Lyric Opera--I wish I had the time and $$ to attend more, but I do love this place.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra--ditto on this

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
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Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[jbowman]

It is an amazing place! I went there all of the time as a child! :)

[kelly ann]

Becky-

Have you been to the discovery museum in Rockford? We went last year. I heard that it is rated one of the top ten children's museums in the country.

[elliput]

I wouldn't call Dearborn my hometown, but I really, really like the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village enough to pay for a yearly family pass. http://www.hfmgv.org/ Added benefits - the IMAX Theater, summer concerts, and it is one mile from my house!

[kelly ann]

In Chicagoland...

The Children's Garden at the Morton Arboretum is like nothing else I have ever seen. It is such a wonderful place to bring children and it is brand-spanking new...

http://www.mortonarb.org/ChildrensGarden/index.php

[lizamann]

I lived in St. Louis for a year - loved the City Museum! I was just thinking about it the other day. There is really nothing like it.

Here, I think I really like the Garfield Park conservatory, the Botanical Gardens, North Park Nature Center. Being a nature lover stuck in the city, I really appreciate getting a little green into my day.

[kboyle]

We went to both those places for a 5th grade trip and I remember how neat they were. I still have silly pictures from that fieldtrip!!

[smilequeen]

I love the City Museum, although my favorites in St. Louis are the ever popular zoo and the Magic House (good childhood memories).

I don't want to claim Springfield as my hometown, but since I have to live here...my favorite thing to do is pack up the stroller and take Simon walking at the Nature Center.

[bcky2]

i totally forgot about it!!!! i have heard of it and wanted to get there with the boys this winter. thanks for the reminder, i will have to look into going some time really soon :)

[DebbieJ]

>In Chicagoland...
>
>The Children's Garden at the Morton Arboretum is like nothing
>else I have ever seen. It is such a wonderful place to bring
>children and it is brand-spanking new...
>
>http://www.mortonarb.org/ChildrensGarden/index.php

Oh yes, we love it there! We will definitely be making more visits this spring and summer. Perhaps a BBB Chicago outing?

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

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[mommy_someday]

>I lived in St. Louis for a year - loved the City Museum! I
>was just thinking about it the other day. There is really
>nothing like it.

Isn't it the most difficult thing to describe to someone who's never been??? Today was the first time for everyone but DS and me. I **tried** explaining what it was to my SIL and it just didn't make any sense until she saw it. It really is 'a museum unlike any other'! I love that everything in there has a 'past life', even the building itself. :)

[mommy_someday]

Eileen, the Inner Harbor sounds **wonderful**! How cool to be able to wander around, at a Barnes & Noble no less, and see/smell the ocean. I really think I'm supposed to live near the sea. My grandpa took me on a trip up the West Coast a few years ago and I fell in love with the sounds and smells of the Oregon coastline. I could've sat there forever. Thanks for reminding me of that! :)

[mommy_someday]

My FIL actually works at the zoo! He's been there forever, first in the education dept and now in the insectarium. We go to the zoo a lot since we get family discounts on the train rides, free parking and admission to the children's zoo and our own personal guided tour by FIL. I can't wait until DS can really enjoy it.

The Magic House is pretty amazing, too! Even as an adult, I still have a great time. :P