Some East Coast Historic Sites That Are Great for Families
We’ve been slowly trying to see many of the famous historical parks here in the U.S. This by no means a comprehensive list, but since not everyone is from the east coast, I thought I’d put together a list of some other well-known historic places we’ve visited and blogged about. These are mostly located in the mid-Atlantic states-NC, VA, PA, NY. We’ve been meaning to get up to New England but haven’t made it there (yet!).
I was going to link to these yesterday at the end of our post about Valley Forge, but my list was so long I thought it made more sense to write a separate post, especially since a lot of us are making travel plans for the summer!
Before linking to these historic sites, I wanted to mention a really neat tool you can find over at Homeschool Buyer’s Coop. It’s an interactive map for finding field trips!! You click on the state you want to visit and it comes up with dozens upon dozens of options — from children’s museums to factory tours, museums to zoos. I was so excited when I saw this great tool I wanted to be sure to mention it here.
Roanoke Island Festival Park, NC: The site of the “Lost Colony of Roanoke” (1585) – This is part of a post about activities to do at the Outer Banks, NC so you’ll need to scroll part way down the post. You might also be interested in this post I wrote: Clues to the 400+ Year Mystery of Roanoke Island when some new historical discoveries were made back in 2013.
Jamestown, VA: The first permanent colony in the American colonies (1607) Books I Recommend for a Study of Jamestown Colony and another visit we made to Jamestown more recently: A Tour of Jamestown, Virginia – Fabulous for Kids; Powhatan Indian Exhibit at Jamestown
Colonial Williamsburg, VA: Homeschool Week at Colonial Williamsburg A colonial town with lots of buildings and interactive displays. Hands-On Activities at Williamsburg
Davy Crockett’s (Reconstructed) Cabin– East Tennessee — and also in that post was our visit to the reconstruction of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee
Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell: When we visited Philadelphia several years ago the kids were still a bit too young for the tour. We definitely need to make another trip into the historic area.
Washington Crossing State Park : Where Washington and his army snuck across the Delaware River Christmas 1776
Valley Forge National Park, PA: Where Washington and his army spent the winter of 1777-1778.
Yorktown, VA: Where the last battle of the American Revolution was fought
Mt. Vernon, VA: George Washington’s home
Monticello, VA: (We’ll be visiting this very soon and we’ll update with a link then!) 🙂
Harper’s Ferry, WVa: The site of John Brown’s raid (at the beginning of the Civil War) which has lots of different displays throughout the downtown area. You probably know the song — John Brown died to put an end to slavery (the tune of Glory, Glory Hallelujah)
Antietam, MD: This is a little bit out of the way, but if combined with the site below it’s well worth the visit!
Global Village at Heiffer International, MD (and other locations): an education center (we went to the one in Maryland) which helps kids learn about some of the countries where Heiffer International tries to help the local communities. Here was the service project the kids did to raise money to help buy a goat.
Gettysburg, PA: Our family has had plans to visit twice and both times we had to cancel. We hope to make a trip there next fall. 🙂
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, NY: The museum at Ellis Island was really amazing.
One last thing before it go, simply because it is SO cool and well worth the trip is the safari we went to in Ohio last August. It is *amazing.* It’s 10,000 acres and houses all kinds of animals. I know you’re still scratching your head, so be sure to check out this post… What?! A Safari in Ohio to see Rhino, Giraffe, and More? It’s True
That’s about it for now!
See you again soon here or over at our Homeschool Den Facebook Page!
