50 States Trip #2: Mid-Atlantic States

Wanna make your minivan smell unique? Drive around with your family of 6 for a week or so visiting whichever states are within your reach in the time allotted. Our family has achieved this goal and then some. The minivan will never be the same.

We recently knocked off 5 more states and Washington, D.C. from our 50 states goal. We hit Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. We also spent another night in North Carolina for the sake of logistics.

Our goal is to see everything, everywhere so that we never have to return to that place again.

No, wait. That's not our goal at all.

Our actual goal is to see a little bit of everything and encourage our kids to see traveling as one big adventure.

And I think we're doing o.k. on that one.

In North Carolina, we visited the Duke University campus and relived a bit of our younger days (before children) when Jay and I lived in Durham. It happened to be the day that Duke was playing for the NCAAchampionship so everyone we saw was wearing blue and staring at us because we weren't. And also because we have a lot of loud children.

Boys and Duke Chapel

We went to Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown Settlement in Virginia (not on the same day) and I have to say that Jamestown won hands down for me. Not only do they have a living history museum (replica ships that brought over the first permanent settlers from England, a Powhatan village, and a recreated fort), but their indoor museum was also really well done.

Learning from an original Jamestown settler (hee-hee, 'cause he's really old)

Harry, our four-year-old, has been telling every person who asks about our trip that "all the Native Amewicans died and that made me cwy." He gleaned this information from an interactive map that showed the decrease in Powhatan settlements as the English settlements increased. You may not see that as a positive, but I am a history dork and I do. And kids could be outside and they had a musket demonstration that was a really big hit with our bloodthirsty crowd.

 

Jamestown Musket Demonstration

Williamsburg would probably be more fun if you stayed longer and participated in all of the historical reenactment activities (they have a trial and a mob that starts the revolution, for instance), but with kids ranging in age from 2 to 10 it was not that great for us. It was, however, predominantly outside and involved running, which we always appreciate.

 

The Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg, VA

In Maryland we hung out in the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, ate some delicious crab cakes at Mo's, and toured Fort McHenry. McHenry's claim to fame is that it was the site of the flag that Francis Scott Key was looking for when he penned the eventual national anthem. Although we were all taught Betsy Ross's name for sewing the first American flag during the American Revolution, it was really the War of 1812 and Key's era that saw the flag as we think of it as a symbol of the United States.

 

Baltimore Lighthouse at Inner Harbor

The short film at the fort was well done and made me feel pretty darn patriotic. Although to be honest, it is not all that difficult to make me feel patriotic. I learned that Key's grandson was actually held as a prisoner in Fort McHenry during the Civil War for criticizing Lincoln's use of force in eradicating slavery from the southern states. And, of course, I was reminded yet again that I'm glad I do not live 200 years ago. Or 100. Or even 50. It was fairly cold and miserable and windy, but all the people we encountered in Maryland were incredibly nice. And if I, a native Southerner, noticed polite behavior toward others, it was above average at the least.

 

Cannons at the ready at Fort McHenry

We kept our tour of Pennsylvania to Philadelphia just so that we could see the former capital of the United States and let our kids see that broken bell. The cold and rain (and occasional sleet) followed us into Philly so our cheesesteaks wound up being needed for warmth and not just delicious sustenance. The last time we were in the City of Brotherly Love it was 95 degrees and I had to take a baby to the emergency room, so this was still better than that.

 

The Liberty Bell, up close and personal

We toured Independence Hall and saw original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. We were also unfortunately asked to leave by the grumpiest park ranger I have ever met. He was arrogant and rude and proudly told our group that he had his doctorate, which we later learned was in Sociology, not History. Our 2-year-old was rather loudly talking during the presentation and unfortunately there is no other way but the guided tour to see Independence Hall. It was embarrassing and not cool. Oh, well. I am perfectly capable of explaining what happened in those rooms to the kids and we watched National Treasure so we would feel happy about Philadelphia and Independence Hall again.

 

Independence Hall before we got kicked out

And then there was Delaware. When we got this idea to see all the states we joked about something that we could do in every one--take a picture of a mascot of some sort or drink a local beer in every state or something like that. We realized we just didn't know what to expect in each one so we haven't really been doing any of that. I do wish we had tried to take a picture of each state's welcome sign. Georgia's says "We're glad Georgia's On Your Mind," which references a great song, but is also weirdly obvious. Virginia's says "Open for Business" which feels vaguely desperate, as though you need to be reminded that it's still there. Maryland's has every color of their awesomely busy flag and an arched shape and so many words I'm not sure what it said.

But Delaware. Delaware's is plain blue with white letters and says "Welcome to Delaware." That's it. No motto or pithy saying. No colors or flag. It doesn't even say "The First State," even though Delaware was the first to ratify the Constitution. Delaware is not flashy. It is absolutely lovely in parts and incredibly industrial in parts and practical everywhere in between. When researching the state I kept running into the DuPont name--the famous chemical company started in Delaware as a black powder manufacturer when E.I. du Pont de Nemour immigrated to the U.S from France.

 

Water Power of the Brandywine River--used to make explosives by the DuPont Company

So we went to see the Hagley Museum--a former home and explosives plant for the DuPont company. It was industrialization (company village, large scale nuts and bolts and gears, industry titans) and peaceful countryside all at once. The plant was along a beautiful river with the family mansions high above overlooking the valley and out of site of the homes of their workers and their families. They have a small explosive demonstration down by the river and we got to explore outside some more. The museum staff were incredibly gracious and proud of their state and we really enjoyed visiting. We also went by the University of Delaware and Jay bought a Blue Hen Snuggie for his boss because one grown man giving another grown man a Snuggie is only made funnier by the Fightin' Blue Hen on it.

 

Small Boy Enjoys the Former Home and Gardens of Rich People

After Delaware we drove west to West Virginia with the plan of coming back through Washington, D.C. on the weekend when hotels are cheaper. This meant we drove across Maryland and into West Virginia. The drive itself was part of the activity. Flat lowlands give way to rolling hills covered in mist and mountains hidden in the clouds. When West Virginia separated from Virginia there was debate about how much of Virginia to cut off. Having driven through that area I can see why.

 

Where the Shenandoah River Meets the Potomac at Harper's Ferry, WV

The busy cities of eastern Virginia look nothing like the hills and valleys of the west. In this one shot above you are within minutes of Maryland and Virginia even though I'm standing in West Virginia. What West Virginia has to offer is a lot of natural beauty and some pretty fun outdoor activities that our youngest kids are just too young for. So we stuck to driving around and visiting Harper's Ferry, site of John Brown's ill-fated raid and so many changes-of-hand during the Civil War that the industry located there was just abandoned after the war due to damage.

Clearly we pushed the little guy hard--he woke up in time for fudge

While on this exploration from Maryland to West Virginia we stopped in Sharpsburg and saw the Antietam Battlefield, site of the bloodiest day in American history. My sons, excited to be out of the car, ran up to a photograph on display and cut in front of an older man wearing an Orioles cap. I pulled them back and told them to apologize and the gentleman said, "No, no, let them up front. We want little ones to be excited about learning their history." I could have hugged him and Maryland continued to impress me with the kindness of its citizens. Good job, Maryland.

 

Boy Inspects Civil War Cannon

Our last stop on this trip was to Washington, D.C. Quite unintentionally we managed to be in D.C. during peak cherry blossom bloom at the end of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Which means that we unintentionally saw a parade. And were unintentionally near a public suicide (although we were in a museum and the kids never knew about it). There were a lot of people, to say the least.

Cherry Blossoms and Washington Monument

Jay and I have been to D.C. several times as tourists so we stuck to the biggies for the kids this time. We saw the American History, Natural History, and Air and Space Museums (all part of the Smithsonian complex) and walked all over the Mall. We visited the Washington, Lincoln, and new(ish) Martin Luther King, Jr. memorials and walked around the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms. Our weather was spectacular and our tired kids were troopers throughout the whole thing.

Our View of Lincoln

Our final day we spent driving back to Atlanta from Washington, D.C. I was worried about an entire day in the car, but we honestly had a pretty good time and the kids were so exhausted from all the D.C. walking that I think they were glad to be sitting down. Jay and I were, too, until we had to get up in Atlanta and nearly died. And, of course, we got to see the Peach Butt in Gaffney, South Carolina. House of Cards may have made it famous, but that thing's been mooning us for years. Here's to you, Peach Butt.

The Pride of Gaffney, a giant Peach Water Tower

We are now up to 11 states and D.C. crossed off our list and Jay is making hotel reservations for our next adventure as I type. Hooray for family adventure and happy travels to all.

50 States Trip #1: The Carolinas

So I mentioned in my last post that we are going to spend 2 years visiting all 50 states. It will probably take us 2 years to get the lower 48 and then two separate, really expensive, trips to hit Alaska and Hawaii. Even knowing from the beginning that we will need to be flexible to achieve our goal, it was awfully surprising that the lesson was learned so very quickly.

We planned our first trip last month to head up to some mid-Atlantic states and see Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, the weather did not agree with us and one of our kids barfed in the hallway on the new carpet the week we were supposed to leave. The recovering barfer and the frost-bite inducing cold forced us to reevaluate our plans.

We decided, days later than we had originally planned, to just head to the Carolinas so that we could at least begin our adventure instead of cancelling altogether. We had no reservations or pre-planning, but since it was February we figured we'd be able to find a decent hotel and packed anyway. We got the car loaded up and all the kids buckled in and then realized we had a flat tire.

So then we went to Discount Tire and got two new tires. The children thought it was awesome, they gave us money back on our two tires still under warranty, and they were done in 30 minutes. Yay, Discount Tire. 

Giant machinery is always cool

Finally, we were on the road and headed to Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston is lovely. There are Spanish moss covered trees and old cobblestone streets and a gas light district that smelled a little too much like natural gas for me to completely relax. We stayed right next to the market that opens every day and were able to walk everywhere we went. Hotels in that area are expensive, but we only stayed two nights so it wasn't too terrible.

Our first day we visited the Old Slave Mart museum, the Old Exchange and Provost, and Fort Sumter. I apparently fall far into the camp of "stark truth-telling parents" because it really didn't occur to me that I might traumatize the children with the history of slavery until someone mentioned it on Facebook. Anyway, we looked at photographs of small children in chains and actual whips and listened to personal stories that have been recorded by actors and it was painful yet enthralling. The children were most interested in the fact that families were broken up as children and parents were sold to different owners.  

It was also painful because we have a 2-year-old and he is incapable of somber reflection. I don't have any pictures of this because human beings were sold like animals in that spot and it didn't seem like an appropriate photo-op for small white children. 

I don't have Old Exchange photos, either, because that included a guided tour and during guided tours Jay and I spend all of our energy and focus keeping our children from destroying historic artifacts and knocking over strangers. It is like taking a litter of 3-foot-tall tiger cubs everywhere we go. Still, the history lover in me enjoyed both of these locations and I am glad we went.

We spent the afternoon at Fort Sumter, the site of the start of the Civil War. To get to the fort you have to take a 30-minute boat ride, which was a big hit with everyone. There is an indoor area on the boat so even though it was cold we didn't freeze. The fort itself is exactly the kind of place we like to take the kids. It is outside, there is plenty to look at, and it has historical significance. You're only allowed to stay about an hour because the boat will leave you (the park rangers actually rode back with us) so we didn't get to spend much time inside the museum on the actual island. Also, my son may be the only tourist ever to have left his winter gloves on Fort Sumter. He had owned them for one day. 

Cannons are amazing

Family Ft Sumter selfie-may need a selfie stick

The next morning we visited the market and said "don't touch that" 147 times and "no, you may not buy that" 412 times. The market is interesting for adults and apparently sheer torture for small boys. We also ate an amazingly delicious breakfast at the Dixie Cafe, which was on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives from the Food Network. You should go there. 

From Charleston we took this awesome bridge over to Sullivan's Island to go run around on the beach for a few minutes.

This wasn't really planned, but we were headed from Charleston to North Carolina and it looked like a fun detour to drive over the bridge. Once we were over, Jay thought we should see the Atlantic because our children either don't remember it or haven't ever done so. It wound up being one of my favorite activities.

Boardwalk to the beach

We literally just drove around until we found a place to park near a public beach access point. We ran down this wonderful boardwalk, past a sign that said to watch out for coyotes, and down to the beach.

The path was surrounded by marsh and grasses and it looked like a secret passage to the sea. I'm sure it's a totally different world in the summer, but in February it was like we had our own personal ocean. Definitely worth the detour.

Here is where we totally short-changed North Carolina. I really love North Carolina. Jay and I lived there for a year and there are many places worth seeing. Asheville, the Outer Banks, and the universities near Raleigh-Durham (University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, Duke, and Wake Forrest) are all fun. Unfortunately, they were all getting snow and crazy weather, too. 

We also were kind of run down from the terrible barfing of earlier in the week and we spent an extra couple of hours on the highway due to a horrific fatal accident that we passed on the way. It resulted in an RV on its roof with a car resting on top of it. I've never seen anything like it.

All that to say, we chose to go to Charlotte, North Carolina because it is close to Charleston and about 3 1/2  hours from our house. We also assume that we will spend the night in North Carolina during other trips to places further away. That turned out to be a good decision because another kid started barfing in the hotel room that night.

But before the barf, we went to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Full Disclosure: I am not actually a NASCAR fan. Growing up in the South, you kind of can't help but hear about races or big names in the sport, but I was totally surprised when my college roommate from Delaware told me her brothers were huge NASCAR fans. I learned that auto racing is actually quite a popular sport, beating out basketball at both the professional and collegiate level for "favorite sport" among Americans for the past several years. 

We decided that a giant NASCAR museum was certainly unique to North Carolina and something that might be fun for the kids. And, honestly, it was a great museum. You get to climb on examples of how the track tilt has changed over the years from flat to over 30 degrees. 

Hanging on at 33 degrees

We got to sit in a race car and pretend we were in the winner's circle.

See how happy I am at winning?

And I got a Dale Earnhardt hat because it was awesome.

Turns out that the NASCAR Hall of Fame is incredibly kid-friendly. It is already loud and you have to try pretty hard to break a car museum. Plus, there are several interactive video-game-like simulations throughout the whole thing. We finished up our evening with some really great Carolina BBQ, but then regretted that when the barfing began.

The next morning we limped home with a garbage bag in front of the poor sick kid, two new tires on the faithful minivan, and two more states crossed off the list. Next stop: the Mid-Atlantic states.