What are some of your favorite field trips when studying the Modern period?

[Kim in SouthGa]

We live in south GA, so anything from TN to FL to LA would be great. We will also be traveling up to Maine this summer and could possibly make a couple of stops along the way. My kiddos are 13, 10, almost 9, and 2.

TIA

[WTMCassandra]

WWII Memorial in Bedford, VA, is a good stop. When we went a couple of years ago our docent was a WWII vet and a wealth of information.

 

Oh, and I think the Vietnam Memorial in DC is a must-see also.

[Suzannah]

I just learned about the WWII Memorial in Virginia a few weeks ago. It definitely sounds worth the time if you can manage it as you drive through. I think Washington DC really must also be in there as well. My recommendation to anyone visiting DC for the first time is to buy a Tourmobile ticket. You can ride around all day, getting on and off the bus as you like. The tour guide on the bus can be very informative (and often entertaining.) And you'll cover a lot more ground with a lot less foot-work.

http://www.tourmobile.com/index.php

 

The whole city is worth seeing, but here are a few ideas for the modern era:

 

Arlington Cemetery: Civil War, Kennedy graves, Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington House--home of Robert E. Lee

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/

 

Iwo Jima Marine Memorial

http://www.nps.gov/archive/gwmp/usmc.htm

 

National Cathedral: begun in 1907, used for state funerals, burial place of Woodrow Wilson, "space exploration"-themed

http://www.nationalcathedral.org/visit/

 

National Air and Space Museum: Hot-air balloons and Wright brothers to space exploration and modern super-sonic jets

http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/flagship.cfm

 

U. S. Capitol Building: History in the making...if you call your Senator or Representative a few weeks in advance they can arrange for gallery ticket or a staff-led tour. FWIW, the staff tours are less informative than the regular tours (the staffers actually do other work most of the time, like answering constituent letters and legislative duties.) However the staffers can sometimes take you on a slightly different tour and will point out artwork, offices and other things related specifically to your state. The newly completed Capitol Visitor's Center is supposed to be great.

http://www.aoc.gov/cvc/

 

Ford's Theater--this is a working theater so if you are visiting outside of the normal tourist season (spring/summer) you may find that they've closed for rehearsals or something. There's a museum downstairs with various Lincolnia and of course the theater itself. Guides are knowledgable. Across the street, the Peterson House is really just a small house with a couple of rooms open to the public. These include the very small room where Lincoln died.

http://www.fordstheatre.org/

 

The Mall--This is where all the major monuments, memorials and museums are: Lincoln Memorial, reflecting pool, Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial, Washington Monument, FDR Memorial, most of the Smithsonian Museums (check their website to plan your visit--you can only do one or two in a day). Jefferson is there too, but it's a little out of the way. While many of these monuments commemorate people from other time periods, the monuments themselves were all constructed during the modern era (I think.) It is a much longer walk from the Lincoln to the Capitol than it looks. Tourmobile will take you the whole way, stopping at all the places you might be interested in. But it's a neat walk too, keeping in mind all of the various marches that have taken place there over the years, including Martin Luther King, Jr.'s.

http://www.nps.gov/NAMA/

 

National Air and Space Museum Udvar Hazy Center in Dulles, VA: Newer facility with even more aircraft (no metro service, admission free but pay for parking)

http://www.nasm.si.edu/UdvarHazy/

 

O.k., so I have to stop now. But I think you can see that there are many good things to see and do in the DC area. If you only have an hour or two and don't have a strong opinion about any one thing, I'd say buy the Tourmobile Tickets at Arlington Cemetery and enjoy the ride. :)

 

Blessings!

Edited May 26, 2009 by Suzannah

[Suzannah]

I didn't mean to leave out the Holocaust Museum. I would only recommend it for older students, although there are low walls to block young children from seeing particularly upsetting videos or displays. I think we went once when DD was about 2 or 3yo. She was fine. It was just another old museum to her since she didn't know anything at all about the subject matter. I wouldn't take a 4-7yo. Somewhere between 8-12 you'd just have to decide based on the sensitivity of the child. It is not gratuitously shocking or in poor taste. But the whole idea of the Holocaust is disturbing. It can get crowded in spots and I think most young children would be more likely to be bored than alarmed.

 

It is not a run-in-to-see-one-exhibit museum like some of the others (Hope Diamond, Wright Bros. Flier, Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, etc.) When they are busy they issue free, timed tickets and you may have to return later to actually go in. Once inside, if I remember correctly, you go up to the top floor and work your way down.

 

http://www.ushmm.org/

[Laura W.]

There are several to your south and west that I can think of.

 

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (but it can be intense for younger children. Even sensitive teens and adult have difficulty with some of the exhibits)

http://www.bcri.org/exhibitions/permanent_exhibitions/index_page.htm

 

Mercedes-Benz US International Visitor's Center (history of automobiles from 1886 to the present)

http://www.mbusi.com/pages/vc_home.asp

 

The National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida

http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/

 

Tuscumbia, AL - birthplace of Helen Keller. The play, "The Miracle Worker" is performed at the house where Helen grew up in June and July every year.

http://huntsville.about.com/cs/attractions/a/helenkeller.htm

 

US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

http://www.spacecamp.com/museum/

OR

Kennedy Space Center in Florida

http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/visit-us.aspx

 

One last note - I agree with the others that Washington, DC is one place you should not miss. The museums there are awesome!

 

Blessings,

 

Laura

[way2cross]

We moved to central Maine recently from south Georgia (Waycross) where my husband is from.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

I agree with everything already listed. Also, I think it's a great time to get a "behind the scenes" view of how different things work in our modern world.

Try these:

a factory tour

an airport tour

post office

fire station

statehouse

courtroom/courthouse

or anything else that puts your children in touch with how our modern society functions. These field trips can vary widely in a small town vs. a large city.

 

HTH,

Leanna