On our 3rd visit to historic Wilmington my daughter and I stopped by the

Black Beard wannabe

After some online research I figured it will take us little over an hour to go through all the exhibits.

Well 3 hours later we were still strong into it…

Admission is $8 (free for kids under 1).

The museum is located one block from the awesome Cape Fear Serpentarium and is open 9AM – 5PM (1PM Sundays).

What kids like to do at the museum

Get their hands dirty and create masterpieces. This is one of the better organized and supplied “Arts and Crafts” room I’ve seen.

Little Picasso

Be a rock star, play in the glow room and try on many cool outfits.

Lets dance!

Drive the magic school bus, climb the Spider Man’s web and play inside the little cottage.

Hop on in kids!

Put on your scientist hat and discover all the wonderful things of Mother Nature.

Future biologists under the miscroscope

and the list goes on… play doctor at the Teddy Bear Hospital, test your Circus skills, shop at the supermarket and go camping and kayaking.

More fun places to visit the family downtown

• Check out Southeast’s largest museum-quality model layout at the Railroad Museum ($7 adults, $3 children 2-12).

• Get a thrill at the Cape Fear Serpentarium, featuring the world’s largest collection of deadly venomous snakes like the black headed bushmaster, Gaboon viper, Tropical rattlers, Fer-de-lance, and King Cobra ($8 admission, live feedings in the weekends around 3PM).

• Be awed and inspired aboard the most decorated WWII Battleship, The North Carolina ($12 adults, $10 seniors and military, $6 children 6-11, free for children 5 and under).

There’s always something fun going on downtown Wilmington!

The Children’s Museum is finally open! Downtown Greenville is now sizzling with another fun family friendly attraction.

Lights, Camera, Action!

The museum is open Monday – Saturday 9AM to 5PM and Sunday 1 – 5PM. Admission is $12 (free for kids 1 and under).

TIP! Get in for just $2 on following Tuesdays evenings (from 5 to 7PM): September 17th, October 15th, November 19th and December 17th.

Tickets will be sold in advance on a first-come, first-served basis beginning the Monday prior to each “Two for $2 event”.

Fun things to do

Kids can be pop stars in a live recording studio, land a space shuttle airplane, race a Formula One car, climb a mind-boggling 2 stories high structure, shop in a real supermarket, play doctor, scientist, architect, environmentalist and much, much more…

Here’s an exciting sneak peak of the exhibits:

On our second Hilton Head vacation I finally got a chance to explore the amazing Sea Pines Forest Preserve.

On the Buggy Gut swamp trail

Admission is free, however visitors need $5 all day guest pass to get inside the Sea Pines Plantation.

In less than 2 hours we came close to alligators, anhingas and blue herons, and stepped back in time along the old Lawton rice fields and the prehistoric Indian shell ring.

That’s about all the outdoor trekking my 5 year old could take…so I drove to the Harbor Town playground, her favorite spot at Sea Pines.

Fun things to do and see

• Walk or bike on the historic trails through lush maritime forests and around pristine lakes. The most popular one is the 1 mile Boggy Gut board walk that takes you along an 1840 rice fields operation. Here is a detailed map along with the preserve overview.

• Admire the abundant wildlife, plants and trees. Common reptiles: alligators, snakes (copperhead, cottonmouth, black racer, Eastern King and yellow rat) and yellow-bellied turtles. The forest is a bird paradise, home or winter rest to over 200 species. Popular plants are the cat tail, saw grass, swamp willow, duck weed and marsh perry-wart.

Cute baby alligator resting on a log at Sea Pines

• Fish at one of the several freshwater lakes inside the preserve. Only children can fish at Lake Joe. You can drive or walk to Fish Island. There are picnic tables, a shelter and restrooms. Permits can be for free obtained at the CSA Security Office. More info by phone at (843) 671-7170.

Organized “catch and release” fishing is provided by Sea Pines Plantation guides on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 10:30 AM. Fish for large mouth bass, crappie, bream and catfish with tackle provided by Shakespeare. Reservations are required, call (843) 842-1979.

Family fun fishing at Lake Joe

• Walk around a replica of a 4,000 years old Native American ceremonial site made out of oyster shells. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Indian Shell Ring remains a mystery as no signs of permanent settlements have been found to date. Experts believe the area was used only for celebrations and hunting rituals.

In the middle of a 4,000 years old shell ring replica

Tips to know before you go
• Bring a bug spray! No see ums and mosquitoes really own the place. Apply sunscreen generously every 2 hours.
• Make sure to carry water with you, there are no water fountains around (at least none that I could see / use)
• Expect the unexpected…you never know what wildlife you may encounter. Some attractions look better on paper (like the shell ring)… while pleasant surprises pop up at every corner (we ran into a Christmas Present poem, a funny buck head like tree stomp and a baby gator)

Hi there Anhinga bird!

Spend an hour with the earth and her nature
And I promise that you will surely see
The truest meaning of the season
The one best present you could receive – The Christmas Gift

Make sure to also visit the rewarding Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn plantation for nature and turtle walks, exclusive history tours and beautiful butterflies! (admission is free, donations welcome)

Take advantage of reduced admission ($7 through November 22) and come see rats play ball at Discovery Place downtown Charlotte.

Get ready for the game!

This is serious business: there is a pre-game warm up presentation of Nacho the Rat Queen, referees, cheerleaders and non stop action basketball. The rats know their stuff!

Here’s a preview…

While at Discovery embark on an deep-ocean treasure hunt adventure courtesy of the new blockbuster exhibit SHIPWRECK! Pirates and Treasure (free with museum admission)!

Uncover the mysteries of the world’s most-famous shipwrecks, like the SS Republic®, the greatest Civil War lost treasure (hint: 51,000 gold and silver coins are involved…)

If time permits go to Freedom Park to enjoy an outdoor oasis and the fun Charlotte Nature Museum.

With a flap of its wings a butterfly can change the world.

Come to Edventure children museum downtown Columbia to see the incredible life journey of one of the most beloved creature on Earth! The butterfly exhibit is open daily May through October from 9:30AM to 4:30PM (Sundays from 12:30PM). Admission is free for members and and $3 for non-members (on top of the normal museum admission of $6.95 for kids and $8.95 for adults).

Monarch and Tiger Swallowtail, the most popular butterflies in the exhibit

Tips and Things to Know Before You Go
• Go on sunny days, that’s when butterflies are most active
• Best time to visit is weekdays early morning or late in the afternoon.
• Shutterbugs come alone (or have extra hands to keep an eye on kids). As you all know you need patience, luck and determination to catch that Nat Geo-like wildlife photo.
• Moms and grannies here’s your golden opportunity to get a photo of the year postcard perfect with the little ones. Nothing is cuter than a butterfly sitting on top of your kid nose!
• Get the free butterfly brochure and have your children do a “scavenger hunt” trying to correctly identify the butterflies in the exhibit. Currently they have: Monarch, Tiger and Black Swallowtail, Queen, Julia, Zebra Longwing, Buckeye, and Cabbage White. New species are added every month.
• Save $2 by not reserving your tickets online, you’ll get a spot anytime of the day assuming your group is less than 10 persons. Keep in mind only 30 people at a time are admitted in the exhibit.

Kids love being surrounded by colorful butterflies

Exhibit Rules
• You can’t touch the butterflies as it damages their wings. If they voluntarily land on you that’s OK.
• Food, drinks and strollers are not allowed inside. There’s a coat area across the exhibit entrance where you can park the stroller.
• Each admission has a stamp time (9:30, 10, 10:30 etc) and you’re allowed 30 minutes per admission. You can go in and out during this half an hour.

Frequently asked questions and butterfly trivia

How and what do butterflies eat?
They use their front feet to taste and the proboscis to suck nectar from the flower. The Longwing species can also eat pollen.

Black Swallowtail beauty using its proboscis to eat nectar

How long do butterflies live once they hatch out?
About 2-3 weeks. The Monarch and the Longwing can live for months.

How can you tell a boy from a girl?
It’s hard as most look the same. For the Monarch the male butterfly has black spots on the lower side of its wings. The Longwing males are thinner than the females and have claspers on the end to grip the female during mating.

What plants are most likely to attract butterflies?
Some of the plants they love to eat from are the butterfly bush, cone flower, lantana, salvia, hydrangea, verbena, black-eyed Susan, sage, hibiscus. As a host plant for laying their eggs butterflies (and especially the Longwing) use the passion vine (locally referred to as “May pops”)

What’s in the purple bowls and what’s their purpose?
Gatorade! The staff at Edventure is very keen on keeping their butterflies in shape! The bowls are drinking stations meant to supplement the natural feeding process. Butterflies can safely land on suck Gatorade though the sponges similar to drinking nectar from the flowers.

What’s in the little back shed?
That’s the “Blue Room” the staff uses to bring and attach new pupa to the window display, and once hatched out from their chrysalis, to release the butterflies into the exhibit.

While visiting Edventure make sure to check out the newest traveling exhibit Let’s Team Up! filled with fun sports games, real locker dress up and interesting facts.

Let the sun shine in at Edventure Children Museum!

For the past 2 years I’ve traveled up and down the Carolina Coast looking for great adventures, mysteries and memorable wildlife encounters. Here is a list of wonderful things – blessed my 4 years old – that you can do with your kids while vacationing in Myrtle Beach. All for under $10!

Fishermen unite at the outstanding Cherry Grove Pier, home to many record catches such as a 1780 lbs Tiger Shark and a 98 lbs Tarpon. Just bring your fishing talent as bait, tackle, and rods rentals are available at the pier shop. All day pass to the pier is $1.50 (free if you are lodged at the Prince Resort).

The fishing pier at Cherry Grove Beach

To get you started I’ve put together a nice Google Map with all the attractions.

Free things to do at Broadway at the Beach and Barefoot Landing
• Splash around at the water fountain. Don’t be shy, join in the fun, just remember to bring extra clothes

Water splashing fun at Broadway at the Beach

• Jump, slide, crawl at the playground, most likely the most scenic in the Carolinas!
• Sprinkle more laughs at the fish and duck feeding stations
• See up-close Bengal, Siberian, Royal White Bengal and the super stars Golden Tabby tigers playing in an outdoor environment at the remarkable T.I.G.E.R.S Preservation Station inside Barefoot Landing

Museums and amusement parks
• Let your kids imagination flourish at CMSC featuring a USS Coast Guard boat, an authentic X-ray machine, diamond mining, a magical school bus and a pizza delivery truck ($7)

Come on board!

• Climb on baby elephants and zebras at Jungle Safari mini-golf! Oh yeah when you really feel like it put that ball into the hole… “I like to move it, move it” ($8 admission)

• Test your wits and navigation skills at the mind-boggling Mirror Maze inside the Barefoot Landing shopping and entertainment center($7.99 for all day pass)

• Race into space, play astronaut, build your own constellation and learn all there is to know about planets at Ingram Planetarium in Sunset Beach. Grownups can rock on at the cool laser shows featuring songs from Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, The Beatles and more (admission is $8 adults and $4 kids 3 to 5)

I'm flying mom!

• Have a tea cup party ride at the nostalgic Pavilion at Broadway at the Beach ($3 per ride, less for bulk purchases)

Zoos, parks and historical sites
• Reward your nature loving spirit at Waccatee Zoo – The Beast Things to Do – featuring hundreds of exotic and wierd animals ($7)

• Visit the romantic Atalaya Castle inside the Huntington Beach State Park where the Wild Things Are! Beware of free roaming jaws snapping alligators! ($5 park admission, free entrance to Atalaya)

Mysterious Atalaya Tower

• Be amazed, awed and bewildered at Cape Fear Serpentarium in historic Wilmington NC home to the most venomous snakes in the world: bushmasters, Gaboon vipers, King cobras, Tropical rattlers and Fer-de-lance ($8, live feedings in the weekends at 3PM)

Enjoy your family vacation at the beautiful Carolina Coast!

Turn on the laughter, spark your imagination and free your spirit at the EdVenture Children Museum, the biggest indoor playground in Columbia, SC!

Driving the fire truck

EdVenture is open 9AM – 5 PM Tuesday to Saturday and 12PM – 5PM on Sunday. You can also visit them during holidays and school breaks. Admission is $6.95 for children 1 year and older and $8.95 for adults. Parking is FREE.

Learning it’s always fun at EdVenture. Take a virtual tour to see for yourself:

Great Outdoors
Rain or shine, hot or cold kids love playing with water. From setting the giant wheel in motion to shooting water cannons to sending boats down the river.

Body Works
When was your last checkup? See how your tummy digests food, check your heart rates and clean your teeth…for real!

Journey through West Africa
Let’s dance with the African band! You got moves, they got grooves…Put on the cool costumes, see yourself on TV and drum on the tambourines.

Friendly Farm
Milk the angry cow, pick up the peaches, count the eggs and plow the land with a real John Deer tractor

Dalmatian Station
Be a firefighter for a day. Put on the gear, climb aboard a real fire truck, slide down the fire pole and go through the Dark Tunnel…scary!

Winter Exhibit Highlight
Get the inside scoop on Snowville the coolest place inside EdVenture!

Let your imagination flourish and your wildest dreams come to life at Edventure’s Chagall for Children art exhibit. Each station presents one of Marc Chagall’s magical paintings alongside a working area where kids can draw, weave, decorate and re-arrange the art the way they feel it. The exhibit let’s you experience a full range of art concepts and media such as self-portrait, layered images, collages, relief, mosaic, lithography and tapestry.

Dressing up The Rooster….

Dressing up The Rooster's tail

Do your self-portrait in red, blue and purple colors!

Family doing their portrait with the touch screen

Discover the world through art using all your senses. Chagall for Children let’s kids touch, smell, listen to, see and feel the artistic creations…

Smelling the Flowers

Things to know before you go:

• The touch screen “do your own (family) portrait” station it’s the exhibit’s winner. We spent most of our time there goofing around taking different shots and experimenting with the colors. While kids have fun playing there you can read the descriptions and enjoy the art on your own terms.

• Make sure to pick up the Gallery Guide. It has 17 do-it-at-home (or in the class rooom) arts and crafts ideas. Lana’s favorited things to do were Reflections from a Spoon, The Story of The Flying Sleigh, and Faces, Colors and Moods.

• You can’t see and do it all in one visit. Luckily the exhibit is open through January 4, 2009 so you can come back and enjoy it to the fullest. I know we will.

• Admission to the museum is $6.95 for children 2-12 and $8.95 for adults. EdVenture is open Tuesday to Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM and Sunday noon to 5 PM. It is located downtown Columbia at 211 Gervais Street besides the SC State Museum. Parking is FREE.

At Edventure Children Museum “Art picks up where nature ends.”

Need more weekend ideas? Take your kids to Jumps-N-More where for only $6 they can jump, bounce, run the obstacle course, climb and knock down dinosaurs!

Escape the heat and join in the fun at Sandbox, Hilton Head’s awesome interactive children museum. Some of the things kids can do at Sandbox:

• Be a captain or a pirate on The Adventure ship
• Pilot a real airplane or direct a puppet show
• Build like Bob the Builder at the Loggerhead Castle
• Shop at the International Bazaar
• Fight dragons while rock-climbing
• Play with Thomas the train engine…and much more

Charlie's Playouse - dedicated room for babies and toddlers

Things to know before you go
1. Admission is only $6. Sandbox is open Mon to Sat 10 AM – 5 PM (till end of August, May and September is Tue to Sat) and is located on Pope Avenue behind the St. Andrew Methodist Church (off the Sea Pines roundabout).

2. Best time to go is early morning or after 3 PM where is not so crowded. Sandbox is not very big (2 stories with 4 rooms). If more than 15 kids and parents are around you’ll start rubbing elbows looking for places to sit down.

3. There is a dedicated room Charlie’s Perfect Playhouse for babies and toddlers. It’s relatively big and has rocking chairs! The next best thing for little ones is upstairs: Thomas train set for boys, crafts, puppet theater, doctor and tea party stations for girls.

4. For older kids the most fun thing to do playing in the airplane station equipped with real flight piloting instruments and controls.

5. There is no food served on the premises and I don’t think you can bring your own. So plan your lunch time accordinlgy.

Need more ideas on what to do with kids while vacationing at Hilton Head?

• Go to the Public Library. It’s FREE and kids will have a blast reading with you.

• Watch dolphins swim along as you cruise around the island ($20-$30)

• Visit Fort Pulaski near Savannah to see live cannons and musket firing, learn about Immortal 600 tragedy and the Waving Girl legend, and become a Junior Ranger ($3).

• Spend a magical day inside Sea Pines resort to horseback riding, eco kayak tours, water skiing, parasailing and biking. Visit the 4000 years old Indian Village, the ghost haunted Baynard Ruins and the Harbour Town Lighthouse.

• Learn about the Hilton Head island history, the rich Gullah culture and sign up for some fun family programs at the Coastal Discovery Museum (free museum admission; guided tours, cruises and beach walks are $5-$30)

Of course nothing can beat having good old fun at the beach! You get free entertainment watching brown pelicans free fall diving, seagulls chasing shrimp boats, happy dolphins swimming in the ocean and proud boys catching a baby shark!

No wonder the Little Einstein’s corner is one of the most popular exhibits at the awesome Discovery Place museum. Crowds gather quickly and are not shy to cheer on the volunteers as they perform “explosive” and even magical science experiments.

Tips to know before you go:
1. Go early morning, and if possible, during the week. The weekend is really crowded especially this month due to the new exhibit “The Day in Pompeii”. The Dinosaurs exhibit runs through August 10 so go see it while you can. Once this is over it’s worth paying the extra $10 to go see The Day in Pompeii; by then most of the excitement should have cooled off and you can enjoy it in peace at your own pace.

2. Reserve 2-3 hours to enjoy the museum. Plan ahead which exhibits you must attend and go there first. Be realistic, you can’t see and enjoy it all in just one visit.

• Toddlers and young kids: KidsPlace room, Puppet Show Theater (currently featuring Dinosaurs play with shows at 11 AM, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:45 PM), playing with shadows near Virtual Reality exhibit
• School age kids: All the dinosaurs exhibits (including digging for fossils for extra $2), Virtual Reality games, Little Einstein science, The Shop Machine exhibits

3. Parking – Use the museum garage parking ($7 day flat rate fee) and walk straight into the museum. Alternatively, you can park in the garage across the street from the museum ($5 day flat rate fee Fri and Sat)

Take your kids canopy zip-line, ATV, motocross and Black Ops riding at Carolina Adventure World, only 45 minutes drive from Charlotte.