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Favorite History Field Trips CO,WY, SD, KS, UT?


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Cheyenne has the Wyoming state museum, about a block from the state Capitol. The museum is free and they have activities for kids like scavenger hunts and a room where you can try on period clothes and play with frontier stuff. The state Capitol building is really accessible and they are great about letting you walk around and have self guiding stuff. Also in Cheyenne for kids they have really cool botanical gardens, the train depot has a museum on the Union Pacific, and then all the smaller cowboy/cowgirl museums. The Terry Bison buffalo ranch is just south of town and does trail rides, and has a tiny frontier town and petting zoo. There's also all the Frontier Days stuff, if you are into the rodeo.

West of Cheyenne before Laramie is Vedauwoo. Even if you aren't rock climbers, the hiking is amazing. It's also free.

Laramie has the university, and has a few smaller museums. They also have a rec center that you can drop in and they have pools and a kids' area.

Casper has some museums, including a small child friendly one. There isn't a lot else there other then some cool parks.

 

I am less familiar with the northern part of the state. There's obviously Grand Tetons and Yellowstone and there have been quite a few threads on that.

 

Hope that helps!

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Cheyenne has the Wyoming state museum, about a block from the state Capitol. The museum is free and they have activities for kids like scavenger hunts and a room where you can try on period clothes and play with frontier stuff. The state Capitol building is really accessible and they are great about letting you walk around and have self guiding stuff. Also in Cheyenne for kids they have really cool botanical gardens, the train depot has a museum on the Union Pacific, and then all the smaller cowboy/cowgirl museums. The Terry Bison buffalo ranch is just south of town and does trail rides, and has a tiny frontier town and petting zoo. There's also all the Frontier Days stuff, if you are into the rodeo.

West of Cheyenne before Laramie is Vedauwoo. Even if you aren't rock climbers, the hiking is amazing. It's also free.

Laramie has the university, and has a few smaller museums. They also have a rec center that you can drop in and they have pools and a kids' area.

Casper has some museums, including a small child friendly one. There isn't a lot else there other then some cool parks.

 

I am less familiar with the northern part of the state. There's obviously Grand Tetons and Yellowstone and there have been quite a few threads on that.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Great to know about all the stuff in Cheyenne, thanks! That's an easy drive for us. The museum sounds great and so does the hiking.

 

And gotta love free!

 

The last rodeo I went to was the American Royal way back in 4th grade, so no idea if I'm into that or not. I know Frontier Days gets amazing concerts. We have a multiple day rodeo/carnival/thing here and I haven't made it yet....

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We loved Dinosaur Ridge in Colorado (especially good for those who aren't young earth, as you can physically touch the layers of geologic time!). Red Rock is nearby and gorgeous. We also enjoyed visiting the cliff dwellings in Colorado Springs and the tour of Cave of the Winds. I loved hiking in Boulder and a day trip to Nederland as well.

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We live in NE CO and took a 4-day tour of the state for our state history. First we drove to CoSprings and went to Focus on the Family, then we went to Garden of the Gods, to finish off day one- we drove to Pueblo and stayed the night. The next day, we went to the Sand Dunes and drove all the back roads we could. Late in the afternoon, we went to Four Corners, then stayed the night in Cortez. Early the next day, we drove up to Mesa Verde to see the ruins- the views there are amazing. In the afternoon, we took scenic routes thru the mountains and spent the night in Canon City. Our final day started out at the Royal Gorge. When we were done, we took scenic routes home to NE CO. We still talk about what a fun trip it was and the Sand Dunes is still top of my kids favorite destination list. We do take day trips here and there to the zoo, museum, historical sites, etc.

 

For SD, we started out in Sioux Falls and drove to the Corn Palace. The next day, we toured the capital building in Pierre. There are blue tiles hidden throughout that the kids had fun trying to find. The next day, we visited Wall Drug and drove through the Badlands. Our final day was spent in the Black Hills. I am originally from the Black Hills and we only live 4.5 hours away so we go back to visit often. Our favorites there are Mt. Rushmore, SDSM museum, Crazy Horse, Dinosaur Hill(used to be Hangman's Hill), Custer State Park, Spearfish Canyon, Lead and Deadwood, touring caves, and going on lots of hikes.

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If you decide to make it over to eastern SoDak, the Ingalls homestead in DeSmet is a really cool, very hands on, accessible and fun trip. Plus, we could meet you! :D

 

 

My kids all enjoyed the Ingalls homestead. We stayed the night in our RV and had a blast.

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If you decide to make it over to eastern SoDak, the Ingalls homestead in DeSmet is a really cool, very hands on, accessible and fun trip.

 

:iagree: We spent 2 nights in the bunkhouse last summer - it was great. The homestead is way better than the town sites, if you can only do one.

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Utah's This Is The Place is fun. They have a nice pioneer era living museum + a fun general store.

 

Ks: eisenhower museum, dodge city's boot hill, topeka's state museum, and kc's mahaffie stage coach museum. There is some big museum along 70 closer to the co border we always talk abt stopping at, but we never do.

 

Thanks! I looked these up and they look great!

 

If you decide to make it over to eastern SoDak, the Ingalls homestead in DeSmet is a really cool, very hands on, accessible and fun trip. Plus, we could meet you! :D

 

How funny, I just finished The Wilder Life yesterday and I remember thinking that the De Smet homestead sounded like a lot of fun, even if the writer was a bit....odd about it.

 

So, two great reasons to visit E. South Dakota. Just how far are you guys from say Rushmore?

 

Can you believe I forgot all about Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial.

 

We loved Dinosaur Ridge in Colorado (especially good for those who aren't young earth, as you can physically touch the layers of geologic time!). Red Rock is nearby and gorgeous. We also enjoyed visiting the cliff dwellings in Colorado Springs and the tour of Cave of the Winds. I loved hiking in Boulder and a day trip to Nederland as well.

 

Oh these are so very doable! Thanks. Had to look to see that Dinosaur Ridge does not equal Dinosaur monument. We are not young earth, that sounds really fun and interesting.

 

How was Nederland? The only thing I know about them is the Frozen Dead Guys Fest and....well, that's all I know about Nederland. :lol:

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We live in NE CO and took a 4-day tour of the state for our state history. First we drove to CoSprings and went to Focus on the Family, then we went to Garden of the Gods, to finish off day one- we drove to Pueblo and stayed the night. The next day, we went to the Sand Dunes and drove all the back roads we could. Late in the afternoon, we went to Four Corners, then stayed the night in Cortez. Early the next day, we drove up to Mesa Verde to see the ruins- the views there are amazing. In the afternoon, we took scenic routes thru the mountains and spent the night in Canon City. Our final day started out at the Royal Gorge. When we were done, we took scenic routes home to NE CO. We still talk about what a fun trip it was and the Sand Dunes is still top of my kids favorite destination list. We do take day trips here and there to the zoo, museum, historical sites, etc.

 

For SD, we started out in Sioux Falls and drove to the Corn Palace. The next day, we toured the capital building in Pierre. There are blue tiles hidden throughout that the kids had fun trying to find. The next day, we visited Wall Drug and drove through the Badlands. Our final day was spent in the Black Hills. I am originally from the Black Hills and we only live 4.5 hours away so we go back to visit often. Our favorites there are Mt. Rushmore, SDSM museum, Crazy Horse, Dinosaur Hill(used to be Hangman's Hill), Custer State Park, Spearfish Canyon, Lead and Deadwood, touring caves, and going on lots of hikes.

 

 

This is so very helpful, especially seeing what you accomplished in 4 days in state. Thank you! The info on SD is great, we're considering a family trip there next year. My in laws just moved near here and he's always wanted to see Mt. Rushmore. We're in northern CO as well.

 

What historical sites have you found interesting to visit? I do love the museum, the zoo, and even have warm fuzzies for the aquarium. It's not great, but my DS loves being able to see the sea life up close.

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Here are some ideas for Kansas historical sites and other Kansas places. (The whole 8 Wonders website and Marci Penner's books are great resources for info about traveling in Kansas.) My kids especially like the Sternberg museum off I-70 in Hays--fossils, traveling exhibits, a discovery room, and a huge mechanical T Rex. The quirky town of Lucas is a must-see if you're in the area, including the Grassroots Art Museum, The Garden of Eden, and the new Toilet Bowl Plaza, a public restroom that is itself a work of art.

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We live in NE CO and took a 4-day tour of the state for our state history. First we drove to CoSprings and went to Focus on the Family, then we went to Garden of the Gods, to finish off day one- we drove to Pueblo and stayed the night. The next day, we went to the Sand Dunes and drove all the back roads we could. Late in the afternoon, we went to Four Corners, then stayed the night in Cortez. Early the next day, we drove up to Mesa Verde to see the ruins- the views there are amazing. In the afternoon, we took scenic routes thru the mountains and spent the night in Canon City. Our final day started out at the Royal Gorge. When we were done, we took scenic routes home to NE CO. We still talk about what a fun trip it was and the Sand Dunes is still top of my kids favorite destination list. We do take day trips here and there to the zoo, museum, historical sites, etc.

 

.

 

We did a very similar trip several years ago but stayed in Ouray to explore Mesa Verde, Telluride, and Durango, then drove back north in the western part of the state to see the Black Canyon and Glenwood Springs.

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The WW1 museum in KCMO is very good. The Nelson is art, but much of the art is old :), including some Abyssinian and Egyptian and Roman pieces. Elegantlions atavar is at the museum! It is a great museum with very good food.

If you are into military planes, the old base just south of Topeka is very hands on, and the (old) docents actually flew some of the planes.

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Denver has a good transportation musem, good state history museum, good zoo and good natural history museum with IMAX. There's Rocky Mountain National Park, Dinosaur National Monument and Currecanti Rec Area. Curecanti has a VERY cool boat ride on the reservoirs and lots of good windsurfing. Lake San Cristobal is fun for kayaking. Great fishing at Taylor Park. We're about to host the USA Pro Challenge bike race. Cattlemen's Days Rodeo is fun. There's the Wildflower Festival in Crested Butte, along with the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Don't forget the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Train, but there are also ones in Georgetown, Cumbres-Toltec and while standard-gauge, there's the one in Royal Gorge. Don't miss the Sand Dunes and there's a fun alligator farm near there, along with a Hot Springs. There's Bent's Fort near La Junta--it was on the Santa Fe Trail. Canon City has a prison museum. Grand Junction has a good Museum of Western Colorado. The Sountern Utes have a brand-new museum and cultural center in Ignacio. There's a mining museum in Leadville. The Meeker Sheep Dog Trials are cool. Denver has a good art museum with a bunch of mummies. There's Wings over the Rocies Museum and don't forget the Air Force Academy.

 

That should keep ya' busy!

 

Oh, this is perfect! Thank you. A lot of these could be day trips or easy overnights.

 

Here are some ideas for Kansas historical sites and other Kansas places. (The whole 8 Wonders website and Marci Penner's books are great resources for info about traveling in Kansas.) My kids especially like the Sternberg museum off I-70 in Hays--fossils, traveling exhibits, a discovery room, and a huge mechanical T Rex. The quirky town of Lucas is a must-see if you're in the area, including the Grassroots Art Museum, The Garden of Eden, and the new Toilet Bowl Plaza, a public restroom that is itself a work of art.

 

Thank you!! The mechanical T-Rex would be worth a trip to Hays on its own, the rest sounds great as well, but I have dinosaur fiend here. Having never heard of a public restroom described as a work of art, I admit to being very curious now!

 

The WW1 museum in KCMO is very good. The Nelson is art, but much of the art is old :), including some Abyssinian and Egyptian and Roman pieces. Elegantlions atavar is at the museum! It is a great museum with very good food.

If you are into military planes, the old base just south of Topeka is very hands on, and the (old) docents actually flew some of the planes.

 

Thanks! Sounds great, KCMO is a full day drive for us, but there's so much there that it would be worth a little trip.

 

I alway suggest when people are looking for places to visit that they go to Familydayout.com http://www.familydaysout.com/. This sight has every place you would want to see in the US. Just click on the state you want to go to and presto you have a categorized list.

 

Great, thank you! That is so helpful.

 

Mrs. Basil, we're a good 5-6 hours from Mt. Rushmore, sorry! :lol: But my sister lives in Rapid City...;) If you head our way, do let me know! :D

 

Pfft, my DH used to be an over the road trucker. Depending onw much time off we take, that might be feasible.

 

I found this http://www.historycolorado.org/ while searching information about a specific Fort we always pass that I knew nothing about. Looks like some great information and places to visit.

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We live in Sterling and it only takes us 4.5 hours to get to Mount Rushmore. Some of our favorite day trips are the Overland Trail Museum here. Other educational day trips we have had include: The Summit Springs Massacre site, Ft. Collin's Children's Museum, Estes Park, Denver Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain, Museum of Science and History, Denver Mint, homeschool day at the Capitol, and more that I cannot think of right now.

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Utah has This Is The Place, which has already been mentioned.

 

We also have Promotory Point, where the golden spike was hammered into the railroad tracks.

 

We also have Arches National Park, which isn't history, but really quite nice.

 

Temple Square has several historical exhibits about the Mormons travelling to Utah and setting up Utah as a state and stuff like that.

 

Here's a site about historical places in Utah. Looks like we've also got some military and Pony Express sites. Did not know that. :)

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Utah has This Is The Place, which has already been mentioned.

 

We also have Promotory Point, where the golden spike was hammered into the railroad tracks.

 

We also have Arches National Park, which isn't history, but really quite nice.

 

Temple Square has several historical exhibits about the Mormons travelling to Utah and setting up Utah as a state and stuff like that.

 

Here's a site about historical places in Utah. Looks like we've also got some military and Pony Express sites. Did not know that. :)

 

All of these (and if you're at This is the Place on the right day, you may even see me in my pioneer outfit :D), plus Hogle zoo, the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, the Leonardo Science and Technology Museum downtown, the Clark Planetarium at Gateway (free to see the exhibits, the shows and Imax cost money), the Discovery Children's Museum (also at Gateway), Temple Square and the surrounding area (all free, including our family history center...the world's largest geneaological library. Volunteers will help you discover your family roots.),

 

And then we have Park City, Sundance and any of our other gorgeous canyons which are great fun for outdoor activities like hiking, alpine slides, etc.

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Oh, today was the last day of the summer season at Rock Ledge Ranch (at the edge of Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs). However, they are open for Labor Day, Powwow (but that's a totally different feel -- not a good history day), and some other days (hog butchering, harvest, etc.). Google them. If you can scrape together 20 people, you could go as a school group during the fall, but you have to make reservations in advance: http://www.rockledgeranch.com/

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We live in Sterling and it only takes us 4.5 hours to get to Mount Rushmore. Some of our favorite day trips are the Overland Trail Museum here. Other educational day trips we have had include: The Summit Springs Massacre site, Ft. Collin's Children's Museum, Estes Park, Denver Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain, Museum of Science and History, Denver Mint, homeschool day at the Capitol, and more that I cannot think of right now.

 

Thanks! I didn't know Sterling had a museum....I'm a bit oblivious, which is why this thread is so helpful. I'd never heard of the Summits Springs Massacre and I'd forgotten all about the Fort Collins museum. Looks like it will re open soon with a planetarium.

Utah has This Is The Place, which has already been mentioned.

 

We also have Promotory Point, where the golden spike was hammered into the railroad tracks.

 

We also have Arches National Park, which isn't history, but really quite nice.

 

Temple Square has several historical exhibits about the Mormons travelling to Utah and setting up Utah as a state and stuff like that.

 

Here's a site about historical places in Utah. Looks like we've also got some military and Pony Express sites. Did not know that. :)

 

Thank you! Wow, just a National Park tour of Utah would be amazing. Not really history related, but for fun. :001_smile:

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All of these (and if you're at This is the Place on the right day, you may even see me in my pioneer outfit :D), plus Hogle zoo, the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, the Leonardo Science and Technology Museum downtown, the Clark Planetarium at Gateway (free to see the exhibits, the shows and Imax cost money), the Discovery Children's Museum (also at Gateway), Temple Square and the surrounding area (all free, including our family history center...the world's largest geneaological library. Volunteers will help you discover your family roots.),

 

And then we have Park City, Sundance and any of our other gorgeous canyons which are great fun for outdoor activities like hiking, alpine slides, etc.

 

Well that would be worth the drive. :D Thanks for all the ideas, these sound great.

 

Oh, today was the last day of the summer season at Rock Ledge Ranch (at the edge of Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs). However, they are open for Labor Day, Powwow (but that's a totally different feel -- not a good history day), and some other days (hog butchering, harvest, etc.). Google them. If you can scrape together 20 people, you could go as a school group during the fall, but you have to make reservations in advance: http://www.rockledgeranch.com/

 

Another thing I've never heard of. Thank you!

 

We're going to have some wonderful field trips. :001_smile: I really appreciate all the contributions!

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The (deactivated) missile site park near Greeley is an interesting and unusual Cold War-related historical site.

 

Thanks! I'll have to look that up, it is...extremely local! We also have a dress made of rattlesnake skin at the museum I very recently found about. And a museum dedicated to a model railroad set up. DS might like that.

 

ETA: Not comparing the Cold War site to a rattlesnake dress, just the unusual history angle made me think of it!

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For Utah, This is the Place is great fun for pioneer era history! Lots to do with hands on activities for the kids!

 

The dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point is a must see! Its a huge museum with tons of hands on activities for all ages. Its the best dino museum in the state. They cover prehistoric fish and have a tortois that is huge! Erosion tables to fit 50+ kids and a chance to pretend to dig for fossils. They also have classes where you can learn to make casts of fossils. They put most of the fossils in "environments" for visual appeal. Little waterfalls splash into a stream with live fish. Hands on exhibits to touch and explore. Plus its all inside! No need to worry about the weather! It ends with Ice Age animals and early man. Its a must see!

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For Utah, This is the Place is great fun for pioneer era history! Lots to do with hands on activities for the kids!

 

The dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point is a must see! Its a huge museum with tons of hands on activities for all ages. Its the best dino museum in the state. They cover prehistoric fish and have a tortois that is huge! Erosion tables to fit 50+ kids and a chance to pretend to dig for fossils. They also have classes where you can learn to make casts of fossils. They put most of the fossils in "environments" for visual appeal. Little waterfalls splash into a stream with live fish. Hands on exhibits to touch and explore. Plus its all inside! No need to worry about the weather! It ends with Ice Age animals and early man. Its a must see!

 

Oh wow, that sounds amazing! I have a little guy and a big(lol) guy who.would be enthralled. Thanks!

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Thanks! I'll have to look that up, it is...extremely local! We also have a dress made of rattlesnake skin at the museum I very recently found about. And a museum dedicated to a model railroad set up. DS might like that.

 

ETA: Not comparing the Cold War site to a rattlesnake dress, just the unusual history angle made me think of it!

 

Rattlesnake Kate!

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