Visit Arkansas: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

If you find yourself in Bentonville, Arkansas, you must stop at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.  Thanks to the generosity of Walmart, general admission is completely free (you have to pay for any special exhibits).  

The museum's bridges are stunning themselves, and they connect the various exhibits that showcase American Art.

There are also a series of outdoor trails that run through the 120-acre property, which offers even more spectacular art installations.

We had very limited time at Crystal Bridges of Museum of American Art, so we perused some of the indoor exhibits and then did a quick walk outdoors.

I enjoyed the outdoor trails the most.  The weather was lovely, and I saw a lot of familiar sculptures, as well as pieces by artists I knew of.   

It's so awesome that you can explore the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art for free!

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
600 Museum Way

Bentonville, AR 72712

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Visit Atlanta: Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Disclosure: Complimentary CityPASSes were received.  

The Fernbank Museum of Natural History is one of the attractions you can visit with the Atlanta CityPASS.

The Fernbank Museum of Natural History combines science, history, and nature, offering an enriched experience for all who visit.  

During our visit, Vikings: Warriors of the Sea was the special exhibit, and it was quite fascinating to see so many artifacts of the Viking Age.

They even had a replica of a Jelling runestone.

 

Other exhibits included Reflections on Culture, A Walk Through Time in Georgia, World of Shells, and Giants of the Mesozoic. 

My kids' favorite exhibit was Fantastic Forces, where there were numerous interactive exhibits through which the kids could experiment with the forces of nature and physics, and learn by building, pulling, spinning, and more.  

My favorite part of the museum was the WildWoods and Fernbank Forest.  It was so nice to explore the outdoors and learn more about the plants and animals that are native to the area. 

Fernbank Museum of Natural History offered all sorts of fun and interesting exhibits for visitors of all ages!  

For more information on the Atlanta CityPASS, click here.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History
767 Clifton Rd

Atlanta, GA 30307

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Visit Los Angeles: La Brea Tar Pits & Museum

Despite living in Los Angeles for four years, and having visited numerous times, it wasn't until my  most recent trip did I visit the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum.  I can't believe I waited so long, because it turned out to be such a fascinating place to visit!

La Brea Tar Pits is a unique site, where asphalt seeps are amidst towering buildings and car-filled streets.  Excavations from the tar pits give us a peek into what life was like 50,000 years ago, as fossils from large Ice Age creatures, as well as microfossils of small plants and animals, are discovered and researched. 

Within the Museum are fossils, tactile displays, interactive exhibits, and even a Fossil Lab.

My kids thought the poop-identifying exhibit was funny, and they all enjoyed the exhibit which gave them an idea of what it was like to be trapped in tar (it's quite an unnerving feeling to know that animals were helplessly trapped in the substance).

In the museum we could feel the skulls of a Dire Wolf and a Sabertooth Cat.

A display of hundreds of Dire Wolf skulls was a mesmerizing depiction of how enormous numbers of the pack-traveling wolves found themselves victims of the inescapable tar.

Outside of the museum are the La Brea Tar Pits.

It's just incredible that these tar pits are in the middle of an urban city!

Excavations never cease, as the discovery of fossils is ongoing.

If you have time, I highly recommend watching the film Titans of the Ice Age 3D. It's a great visual explanation of how creatures of the Ice Age became trapped in the Tar Pits.

We learned so much about the La Brea Tar Pits, and I loved that there were so many engaging exhibits for the kids.

La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
5801 Wilshire Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90036
(213) 763-3499

Mahalo to La Brea Tar Pits & Museum for hosting our visit!

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Visit Minnesota: SPAM Museum

We of course had to stop by the SPAM Museum while in Minnesota, since we live in the "SPAM capitol of the world."

There were lots of engaging exhibits throughout the museum, and you could learn all sorts of facts, get recipes emailed to you, and so much more.

It was interesting to see the evolution of the SPAM can, and how the product has evolved into a current 15 different varities.

I also thought it was neat to see how much the museum recognized Hawaii as playing such an important role in SPAM's history.

There were several interactive stations for the kiddos, and even a playground and play kitchen so kids could cook up their own SPAM dishes!

And yes, you can even get samples of SPAM!

We couldn't leave without buying some SPAM!  I know our local grocery stories carry several varieties of SPAM, but if I buy SPAM it's typically the original version, so I decided to buy a few other varieties I never tried, including the Tocino, which was made for the Philippines.

You could get all sorts of SPAM memorabilia - t-shirts, stuffed animals, and even SPAM slicers!

The SPAM Museum was quite crowded, and I heard many other guests say they only have one kind of SPAM at their local grocer, so many of them ending up buying variety packs.

If you happen to end up near Austin, Minnesota, definitely stop by the SPAM Museum!

SPAM Museum

101 3rd Ave NE

Austin, MN 55912
 (507) 437-5100

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