See, the problem with taking frequent family road trips is that it gets to be a part of you, and you end up needing to hit the road as frequently as possible. We didn’t travel anywhere this month. It’s killing me.
However, staying put gave me the opportunity to plan out our next several adventures. Travel planning is almost as fun as the travel itself; without all the back seat fight refereeing. (“Stop singing in your brother’s ear. Let your sister pick the DVD. Give him back the pretzels. Did you just take her last sip? LET’S ALL PLAY THE QUIET GAME!!”)
In a few short weeks, the Go BIG family is wheels up! Here’s what the next few months look like:
February – Pittsburgh, PA
The world’s largest permanent robotics exhibition – “roboworld” – at the Carnegie Science Center
The world’s largest collection of Jurassic dinosaurs at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Credit: Joshua Franzos for Carnegie Museum of Natural History
What passes for excitement in these parts is seeing not one, but TWO “world’s largests” in one day. In September, we went to the world’s largest DIY Festival, the World Maker Faire, held at the New York Science Center in Queens. It was A. MAZING. But this post is about globes.
On the walk from the parking lot to the main gate, we stopped by the world’s largest globe.The Unisphere in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was built for the 1964-1965 World’s Fair as a symbol of world peace. It is 140 feet high (that’s 12 stories) and 120 feet in diameter. Made of stainless steel, it weighs 900,000 pounds! It is stationery. It is beautiful.
Wearing our goofball T-shirts in front of the Unisphere
Of course, we’ve also seen another BIG globe, specifically, the world’s largest rotating globe, at the DeLorme headquarters in Yarmouth, ME.
The word “museum” is subject to qualification when you’re traveling with young kids. Is it a place with hands-on, interactive exhibits, or static displays? Is there a restaurant on premise, and does it serve chicken nuggets? And if they do serve nuggets, are they shaped like dinosaurs??
Sometimes, a museum doesn’t quite meet my kid-friendly criteria. And yet, there is still that moment which justifies the visit.
Where we went, and who was coerced into going:
While in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts, we decided to check out the world’s largest public collection of Norman Rockwell’s works, at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge.
WHY did you go there, exactly?
I wasn’t too sure that this museum would interest the kids, but then I found out about two temporary exhibits which changed my mind. “Curious George Saves The Day: The Art of Margret and H. A. Rey” and “Pop-Up! The Magical World of Movable Books,” are both on view through February 5th.
The Girl adores Curious George, and I figured The Boy would enjoy the artistry of the pop-up books.
The thing about grandparents is – if they’re the good kind – they will babysit for free. Over multiple days. My parents are the good kind. Matt and I never got a chance to celebrate our 15th anniversary in October, so last week, while my Mom and Dad were visiting from Florida, we escaped for a few days.
Little did Dad know he would also be called into duty as The Boy’s social studies project assistant. I came home to find a soundly-constructed, two-story cardboard Egyptian villa. (Phew.)
Where we went, and who was coerced into going:
Matt and I went to the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, CT for three days. With the promise of spa treatments for me, and hours at the poker table for Matt, we knew this would be a destination we could both enjoy.
This is the view from the Pequot Museum observation tower. I was plastered against the far wall with jelly knees, so Matt took this shot.
Let’s talk about Christmas! Primarily, let’s talk about what I want for Christmas {sheepish grin}. Then we’ll get to you.
I would like your vote! Go BIG or Go Home has made Christopher Elliott’s list of nominees for favorite travel bloggers! He’s a consumer travel advocate who publishes this annual list, and it would mean significant exposure for us. We’re included in a list of 25 blogs, from which 12 will make the cut for “Top 12 Favorite Travel Bloggers.” The final list will be posted this Friday. Thanks in advance for voting for Go BIG or Go Home!
Moving on…have youentered our giveaway yet for some fun stocking stuffers? You could win a $50 gift certificate to Appalachian Outdoors or a pair of BTB Sunglasses. Winners will be chosen tonight and announced tomorrow, so enter now!
On to the fun part! We like BIG expressions of holiday spirit, so we thought we would share a few with you. Like…
The world’s largest Santa Claus! You can find this sizable St. Nick at the Santa Claus House in North Pole, AK. Our friend Erin writes about family fun in the 49th state at AK on the GO. She tells us that the 42-ft, 900 lb. fiberglass statue has stood in front of this attraction since 1983, although he was originally built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.
The world's largest Santa lives in...where else? North Pole, Alaska!
There’s a live Santa here all year with whom you can share your wish list. You can also have a letter delivered from the Big Guy, see reindeer, shop and grab a snack. Erin says, “It’s pretty fun to visit, a little kitschy, but a worthwhile place to stop, especially since it’s the North Pole, for goodness sake!”
“I don’t like shopping. I don’t like candles. I really don’t like shopping for candles.” So proclaimed my grumpy husband upon exiting the Yankee Candle flagship store. I was on a “retail therapy” high, so I didn’t let it bother me.
Deceivingly small from the outside. 90,000 sq ft of shopping goodness on the inside.
Where we went, and who was coerced into going:
Earlier this month, we drove up to the world’s largest candle store to see the world’s largest candle. And, naturally, to part with some of our money. Matt needed the most coercion, especially since he would miss the Giants game, and would have to watch it later on the DVR.
WHY did you go there, exactly?
While in the Berkshires for a reunion, I picked up some travel brochures. The heavens parted, and a ray of sunlight shone down on the one for Yankee Candle. Though misty with joyful tears, my eyes focused on the words “world’s largest candle store,” and “world’s largest candle.” 90,000 square feet! 400,000 candles! 200 different scents!
Look who we ran into this weekend! This BIG stegosaurus sits in front of the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, MA. We were in the Berkshires for a reunion for the PR company where Matt and I both worked – and met – way back in the Jurassic Period.
Speaking of the Jurassic Period…this is Wally the Stegosaurus, so named because this creature’s brain was the size of a walnut. A life-size replica, he’s 26 feet long, 12 feet tall, and 7 feet wide. Since he’s made of fiberglass, he only weighs 1,200 lbs, versus a real Stegosaurus weight of 6,000 lbs.
I’ve mentioned before that we have some very loyal friends who are fans of this blog. This summer, several of them reported in with their tales of purposely seeking out BIG stuff to share with us. I couldn’t be more flattered and…well, smugly satisfied that our “Go BIG” movement is quietly taking over the world.
I'd say they're pretty excited!
This month’s guest post is submitted from my college friend Joanne, who originally hails from the “Granite State,” New Hampshire. It’s not a large state, but it IS home to the world’s largest arcade! Here’s her report:
Where we went, and who was coerced into going:
While searching the internet I discovered that the world’s largest arcade, FUNSPOT, is at Weirs Beach, NH! Luckily, I didn’t have to coerce my husband and kids, ages 10 and 4, into going since everyone loves an arcade, right?
WHY did you go there, exactly?
We decided to go to Weirs Beach at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire for our summer vacation because that was the location for my 25th high school reunion. I did some advance research on fun area attractions in case it rained. Once I discovered that it was home to the world’s largest arcade I was determined to check it out for inclusion on this blog!
Okay, what was so cool about it?
My four-year old was in heaven! We never made it from the main floor although there are more activities on the second floor, including indoor mini golf! It’s usually a challenge to find a place to take both a ten year old and a four year old and have both be equally entertained.
World's largest shoe house! (And possibly the world's ONLY shoe house.)
There was an old woman who visited a shoe. It was closed and her children didn’t know what to do.
Sorry. I’ll stop mangling nursery rhymes now.
This is the Haines Shoe House in Hellam, PA. We found it while visiting the “snack food corridor” of York, Lancaster, and Chester counties in Pennsylvania Dutch Country last month. Built in 1948, it’s 25 feet high and 48 feet long.
It’s actually a house with several interior rooms, although it’s now operating as a museum of sorts. Guided tours are offered, but unfortunately, not when we were there!
By the way, the rest of this family getaway along the “sweet and salty trail” was really entertaining! Several snack food companies, like Snyder’s of Hanover, UTZ, Herr’s and Turkey Hill Dairy are headquartered here, and offer free public tours.
I wrote a two-part series for FamilyVacationCritic.com about our trip; check it out for more details if you’re interested in planning a trip!
We didn’t know exactly what to expect on our way to Queens, NY for the 2011 World Maker Faire NY, but we did knew that it was going to be awesome! We had spent some time on the Maker Faire website, which is chock full of videos of people making all sorts of things. The emphasis is on science and technology, and the flashy gadgetry drew in Matt and The Boy like moths to flame.
As the world’s largest DIY festival, it’s a celebration of making “stuff” with your bare hands, with an emphasis on inventing entirely new stuff, or finding a better way to create the stuff already out there!
WHY did you go there, exactly?
The World Maker Faire is an annual event in NYC, and we didn’t want to miss our opportunity to check it out. A cycle of smaller regional Maker Faires around the country begins in the spring and runs through the fall. Several are still to come in various cities through October, so check the website for dates in Phoenix, AZ; East Bay, CA; and Pittsburgh, PA. Next year, they will hopefully return to cities like Toronto, Detroit, Kansas City, and Raleigh/Durham.
Okay, what was so cool about it?
Maker Faire is like a school science fair on steroids, with over 500 exhibits in themed areas, such as robotics, “hackerspaces,” steampunk, art and crafts, and sustainability. They ranged in scope from the earnest 12-year old explaining the house sensor system he built and programmed himself, to the wildly fun Sashimi Tabernacle Choir, a Volvo covered with 250 opera-singing fish and lobster (you know the kind you normally find hanging on the wall affixed to a wood plaque?).
The singing sea creatures of the Sashimi Tabernacle Choir
Over two days, there’s a packed schedule of free workshops. First on The Boy’s agenda was the one teaching how to pick a lock. In ten minutes, he was picking padlocks like Houdini with excited satisfaction! He’s been pleading with me ever since to let him try picking the bolt on our front door. (Ummmm, the answer is still “no.”)
A useful life skill
There were robots of every size, shape, and purpose, including several places to build your own. The “Young Makers” pavilion catered to the school-age set, and The Boy closed in on the LEGO table like a homing pigeon. There’s a heavy “green” message here too. At one table, the kids made art out of reused CD cases, weaving fabric bits through rubber bands encircling them.
I wasn’t sure if The Girl would be as entertained as her older brother. But she was totally on board from the moment we set foot on the GE Carousolar, the world’s only solar-powered carousel. We also climbed aboard the Bio Bus – a traveling mobile science lab – for a quick hands-on presentation about microscopes. We spent some time at the CLIF bar tent, snaring some free samples and making a hat out of recycled packaging and LOTS of stickers.
She's never met a carousel she didn't like!
In addition to the exhibits, we enjoyed two fantastic shows, including the fizzy fountain explosions of over 100 Coke Zero bottles after Mentos candies were dropped into them. The other hit was the life-sized recreation of the game Mouse Trap, based on the Rube Goldberg method of building complicated contraptions to solve simple problems. The show, which ended with a giant weight crashing into a car below, included cheeky antics by a vaudevillian cast. Check it out:
How it rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = snoozefest, 10 = add to your bucket list):★★★★★★★★★★
9!!! Maker Faire was a treat for all our senses! At once entertaining, educational, inspiring and awe-inspiring! I can’t wait to go again next year. The only drawback was the lack of food vendors for the size of the event. The vendors who were there were very good – several ethnic food trucks – but the lines were mercilessly long.
