By Stacy Dymalski
May 24, 2010
So here it is the start of the summer and your kids are whining that you haven’t gone on a family vacation in over a year. Problem is, you can’t afford the expense or the time away from work to go to some theme park where all the employees dress like cartoon characters and speak in rhyme. What to do, what to do?
Put your thinking cap on and get creative. If you can get to New England (via a drive or with your frequent flyer miles) then it might be fun to tour a few of those little states on your own. Oh sure, you can spend days photographing the fall foliage, but let’s face it, how long will that entertain the kids? And by the way, aren’t they in school then, anyway? No, we’re talking about doing inexpensive, yet cool stuff that you wouldn’t think to do in Paul Revere country.
For such a tiny state, there’s lots of family fun to be had, for example, in Vermont, including the Monteshire Museum of Science in Norwich. According to the NY Times, the Montshire has one of the greatest collection of kid-friendly, hands-on scientific exhibits in the country. From oceanography to space exploration to nature and technology, the Monteshire is sure to have something that will wow each member of your family. (Check out www.monteshire.net to see even more of what they have to offer.)
But if the theatre is more to your family’s liking, you can skip Broadway altogether and check out the Dorset Theatre Festival, where students can see a play for as little as $15. In the past, the theatre company has performed family-friendly plays such as A Year with Frog and Toad, but if your kids are teens, they’ll enjoy the regular repertoire of George S. Kaufman, Agatha Christie, and Stephen Sondheim plays. For a complete schedule and price list, go to www.dorsettheatrefestival.org.
And of course, no trip to Vermont is complete without visiting a maple syrup farm. Maple Grove Farms of Vermont in Johnsbury is the largest supplier of maple syrup and maple candy in the world. Guided tours of their factory show how their products are made, and then afterward you can visit the Sugar House Museum, where you’ll learn all about “sugaring,” (making sugar or syrup from maple sap). For more information, visit www.maplegrove.com.
A short drive south gets you to Boston and the Freedom Trail. A historic walking tour of the city, The Freedom Trail is marked on the pavement (so you won’t get lost) and is free to anyone with a good pair of walking shoes. The entire tour will take you at least all day, where you’ll get to see iconic Revolutionary War landmarks like Boston Common, the first public school site, the Boston Massacre Site, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere’s house, The USS Constitution, and Bunker Hill (go to www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail to read about all the landmarks on the trail.)
Another short drive takes you to Rhode Island where you can see how the other half used to live by touring the Newport Mansions. The Preservation Society of Newport County is a non-profit dedicated to preserving 11 historic Newport homes (seven of which are historic landmarks) and educating the public about their architecture and the role these homes played in the social development of our country. Guided tours are reasonably priced, but vary for each home. For schedule and prices go to www.newportmansions.org.
And for the sports nuts in your family you’ll find the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (www.tennisfame.com). If you plan your trip right your family can actually play tennis on the grass courts at the ITHF or you can simply tour the museum and grounds. With over 20,000 square feet of exhibits, the museum is home to tons of memorabilia from both famous and infamous tennis legends.
So as you can see, there are great ways to spend your summer vacation, other than getting motion sick on the rides at Knott’s Berry Farm. Sometimes you can even include a little art, culture, history and science in your family vacation. But don’t tell the kids they might actually have fun and learn something. You don’t want to spoil it for them.
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Stacy Dymalski is a freelance writer, filmmaker, and stand-up comic. Her screen credits include co-writer (with Zack Van Eyck)/director of the feature film "Jupiter Landing" and writer/director of the web sitcom series "Hagnet." Stacy learned about being a parent the hard way: she became one. A working mom, Stacy finds the humorous lessons in family life and then writes about them in magazines and books (much to the annoyance of her two sons). Stacy recently co-authored 'The Vixen Chronicles' with Brandy Pinkerman:
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The Vixen Chronicles follows one woman’s backward search for Mr. Right
Brandy Pinkerman’s serial dating begins AFTER she marries a potato farmer at 18 just to get away from her controlling, abusive parents. Soon disillusioned by a husband who prefers business calls to blowjobs, Brandy eventually finds solace in the beds of other men, all of whom turn out to be just as dysfunctional as the family she left behind in small town Nebraska. Proving you can’t get rid of your demons until you bitch-slap them square in the face, Brandy ironically gains wisdom and self-esteem only after keeping company with some of the most narcissistic and morally-deficient men ever to walk the planet.
Brutally honest, painfully funny, and based on true events, Brandy Pinkerman will have you laughing through tears as she shares some of her most ill-advised dating adventures. We’ve all been there, but Brandy shows you that not only will you survive, but somewhere along the way you’ll realize that choosing the tougher road gives you answers to questions you never knew you had.
Brandy Pinkerman Janke is the owner of Tri-State Insurance and an associate at Renaissance Financial Services. She lives in Lubbock, TX, with her daughters, Hailey and Sydney. Currently, she's working on her second book "Adventures in Brandyland." And yes, she is still dating.
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