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Field trip ideas for earth science?


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I am about to start planning our trips for next year and I was wondering if anyone had some interesting ideas for field trips that related to earth science...Preferably, on the east coast and even more wonderful if located in the southeast.

 

Thanks so much for any ideas.

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Smokey Mountain NP might be your best choice on the East Coast. Stop at the Visitor's Center first to get an overview of the park and all it offers, then start exploring. The Adirondack Mountains in the northeast are also decent, but they aren't southeast.

 

Personally though, the best earth science places are in the west... you could hit volcanoes with Rainier (not yet exploded), Mt St Helens (exploded 30+ years ago), and Lassen (exploded 100+ years ago) and see the progression nature makes. With this trip you can also hit the seashore/tide pools, etc., temperate rain forest, lava tubes and more along the way.

 

If you want tropical and can afford it, Hawaii's Big Island has desert, tropical rain forest, volcanoes (including the active volcano), the ocean, and more.

 

I could go on, but if you want east coast, I still think Smokey Mountain NP is probably my #1 suggestion.

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Cheap flight to Iceland? Much less expensive than Hawaii if you're on the east coast. ;)

 

We mostly just stayed local. We made a sort of checklist to see a natural lake, a cave, a waterfall, a mountain, etc. Since we live in DC, we ended up going to Luray Caverns, Natural Bridge, Shenandoah, and some spots locally in VA and MD to see the layers of the earth. There were a couple of local parks with good geology signage that explained things well. One was at a tiny greenway entrance parking lot next to a strip mall of all places - so you never know! It was fun and I learned a lot about where we live. I don't think it has to be spectacular to be worthwhile.

 

Say more specifically where you are and maybe people will have good suggestions. If you're in Georgia, we also went (when visiting my dad) to Dahlonega and learned around the gold mining and we thought about going to the Little Grand Canyon on the way to my grandmother's but ended up not. That's what I mean though - there's something everywhere and finding the story behind it will be fun and worthwhile.

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These are pretty local to NC (and not as spectacular as the Grand Canyon, Iceland or Hawaii ;) ).

 

Geology: Hiddenite offers gem mining (including in the stream http://www.hiddenitegems.com/), Reed's Gold Mine (http://www.nchistori...g/reed/reed.htm) which is the site of the first documented gold find in the US, and Stone Mountain State Park (http://www.ncgeology...ology_home.html) is supposed to have some nice points of interest. We've done a group tour of a local quarry. The Schiele Museum in Gastonia has a nice gem/mineral display as well as a large exhibit on prehistory. Mt. Mitchell in the Appalachian Mtns is the highest peak in the eastern US. On the Blue Ridge Parkway you can cross the Eastern Continental Divide. Linville Falls and Linville Gorge, along with Linville Caverns could be of interest.

 

Ocean: Ripley's Aquarium (Myrtle Beach and Gatlinburg) offers a really good homeschool discount and is a nice aquarium. NC has a series of aquaria along the coast https://reservations...om/fortfisher/. I remember going to Shackleford Banks for a field trip in high school---exploring the Outer Banks in general would be an option. There are places near Wilmington that offer marsh tours, and Murrells Inlet in SC has a salt marsh preserve.

 

Freshwater: check to see if you have a local river with a riverkeeper. We have done nice things with our local nature centers for this and local ecosystems, both field trips and classes.

 

Here's a good website for field trip ideas in NC http://www.learnnc.org/discover/. I would also google "science field trips" or "earth science field trips" and the states or areas in which you are interested. What makes good sense if you are near Florida won't necessarily work if you are in Virginia. :)

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I second the recommendation for Smoky Mountain National Park (consider planning your trip there during a Dollywood Homeschool Day for extra fun?)

 

If you get down as far as Chattanooga there's a great aquarium there, and half of it is dedicated to Tennessee River and the local freshwater biology. They have homeschool days too which for a bargain $5 you can get the educational behind-the-scenes tour which is fantastic. Rock City/Ruby Falls is near there too and worth a visit.

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Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

 

We are in north central FL and have been to the caverns that are to the northeast of Tallahassee. We also went out to Mt. Rainier this past September and both experiences have sparked an interest in my dd. My parents live in NoVa so going to places in the mid-Atlantic would be easily feasible. I have no problem driving a ways to see something fantastic and we have also started a quest to see all 50 states so tying in with that would be delightful.

 

I agree that going west would be best, especially since my dd's biggest wish is to see boiling mud!

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Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

 

We are in north central FL and have been to the caverns that are to the northeast of Tallahassee. We also went out to Mt. Rainier this past September and both experiences have sparked an interest in my dd. My parents live in NoVa so going to places in the mid-Atlantic would be easily feasible. I have no problem driving a ways to see something fantastic and we have also started a quest to see all 50 states so tying in with that would be delightful.

 

I agree that going west would be best, especially since my dd's biggest wish is to see boiling mud!

 

We hit 49 of the 50 states (and Eastern Canada) before the economy stopped the majority of our travel. The state we have yet to go to is Alaska... I wish you the best on your quest!!!

 

When we started our Western trips we let each member of our family pick something they wanted to see and connected the dots adding in other things along the way. That first trip took a month, and was wonderful... On a second trip we took 2 months - even better.

 

Assuming you have less time... Yellowstone will get the boiling mud and is an awesome geological area. The Grand Tetons are right next to it. Devil's Tower is a little bit of a drive.

 

If you still want mid Atlantic, I still recommend the Smokies. Shenandoah is nice too, but the Smokies offer more.

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If your parents are in NoVa, definitely hit Natural Bridge and Luray Caverns. Both are great geology trips.

 

I definitely agree...I remember going there when I was little. I'm curious about your previous post when you mentioned local parks with good signage. Care to elaborate?

 

Thanks so much.

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All the ones I'm thinking of are in Maryland, unfortunately. The only place I can think of that would be worth the trip to go out of your way would be Sugarloaf Mountain off 270. I meant more that if you keep your eyes peeled or ask around locally, there may be some around you.

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If you are really willing to travel Yellowstone is amazing. Closer by Mamouth Caves in KY.

 

I think most states have some kind of mineral places to pan and mine for various things so check for some of those local to you.

 

Also, since you are in Florida, I'd check out this cool book: http://www.amazon.com/Grain-Sand-Natures-Secret-Wonder/dp/0760331987/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354403215&sr=1-2&keywords=sand

 

And go to hot springs!

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