The Halterman Weekend that Nearly Failed: High Bridge Trail State Park

Walking part of High Bridge Trail State Park was on Kim's annual bucket list, so we all headed to Farmville, VA, to enter the trail and walk out to the bridge.  It was a breezy day, and in the spirit of full disclosure, we need to share that K and G were not feeling their best.  Nonetheless, this Halterman Weekend falls in an odd category in that, overall, we were at best lukewarm about our experiences.

Firstly, we found it difficult to access timely information about High Bridge State Park, which made enjoying it difficult.  We don't explore the Virginia State Park system as often as we'd like, so we're not experts--but our impression is that first-time visitors are at a real disadvantage when it comes to figuring out the practical ins-and-outs of enjoying the day.  For instance, for a family with small children, there's a big difference in "restrooms" and "vault toilets" and a huge difference in a 5-mile walk and a 1.5-mile walk.  While we saw many others enjoying what seemed to be rich interactions with a wandering education ranger, our only interaction was with park staff who told us to park in a specific space and then criticized us for doing so.

Now, we've had good experience in state parks previously.  Natural Tunnel is also on Kim's current to-do list, we've always heard Fairy Stone is fun, and Douthat was simply lovely to J when he completed a digital history project about Civilian Conservation Corps activity there when he was in graduate school.  We may not visit Virginia State Parks all the time, but we are proud of their reputation--and the national awards they've won.  After all, we're Virginians, and we want folks to enjoy the outdoors here.  So, let us emphasize the brighter side and share a summary:  High Bridge State Park is really a trail, incorporating a walk to, literally, a high (and long) bridge.  It affords lovely views, and the trail area near the bridge is essentially flat (fine for strollers) and easy to access from the parking lot closest to the bridge (the "River Road" lot).  The bridge also has shaded seating at various stops on the way across, good for a pause for conversation or a snack and capable of helping make the trail more accessible to children and other folks who may have trouble walking.  

Farmville appeared to be a pleasant town for a walk in and of itself, complete with a LOVE Virginia sign for photo ops.  However, we must admit we really didn't feel welcomed by the town, down to less-than-adequate service in a local restaurant we patronized.  Kim especially feels comfortable in most settings--formal to informal, rural to urban, affluent and humble--so when Kim in particular feels uncomfortable in a place, that's saying something.

There have been many Halterman Weekends since we started this tradition, so to have just a few that didn't go as well as we'd like is a nice record.  We'd be willing to give High Bridge another shot.

Speaking of Indulging Our Interests: Pennsylvania National Fire Museum

E wants to be a firefighter.  He adores stopping at fire stations and driving by fire stations--we even sometimes plan drives around our home city of Roanoke, Virginia, to incorporate multiple fire stations.  When we realized the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum in Harrisburg, PA, was just a short drive from Gettysburg, PA, we planned a visit.

A charming, well-kept specialty museum, the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum possesses an impressive collection of fire apparatuses, including steamers dating to the 1700s and 1800s.  The museum clearly shows the history of fire fighting in America, including the roles of horses and dogs. Displays include fire fighting-related toys and a functioning alarm headquarters, circa 1900.  On the day of our visit, specialists were working on the headquarters, and they allowed us to pull a fire alarm box, using one of the alarms boxes to trigger various communications at headquarters.    There's also a charming collection of firefighter "parade hats" from days long gone.

Upon arrival, our visit was immediately welcomed, and we received the attention we needed as we toured--but we were not "suffocated" by museum staff.  The host was knowledgeable and answered our questions, and there's a small gift shop that sells souvenirs.  If you go, note the easy, fee-free surface parking nearby, and you are just a very short drive from Whitaker Center.

Still More Science Fun: Whitaker Center, Harrisburg, PA

On a recent family trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Kim, E, and G explored "up the road" to Harrisburg.  Again armed with our ASTC Passport science museum membership, we found the Whitaker Center.  A broad-based center with arts programming as well, we focused our visit on the Harsco Science Center and had a great time.

This museum is yet another beautiful science center with 3 floors of exhibits, most of which are highly interactive.  As an educator, Kim would recommend the bulk of the center for ages 7-13 for field trip planning purposes, but E, then 5, and G, then almost 2, had a blast interacting with the displays and learned content as well.  If you are familiar with Pennsylvania, you'll appreciate the connections to the state.  For instance, Move It!, an engineering and transportation area, simulates manufacturing processes and is a great link to a trip to a nearby factory tour.  The kids' favorite activities included making and test racing cars, with E trying to beat his previous times; and Forces of Nature's hurricane chamber.  Both kids also thoroughly enjoyed the "children's museum" section of the museum, KidsPlace.  This gated section was wonderful for free play with friends we met along the way and featured a fabulous ambulance center, grocery store/market, and construction site.  In this area, you'll also find the best water table we've yet to see--and as water table connoisseurs, you should take our word on it.  The table features fountains as well as movable pipes for constructing your own fountains, embedded baby seats, multiple levels, the capability to build dams, and nearby hand dryers.  If you, too, are a little too into water tables, the Forces of Nature area also includes a water/sand table capable of simulating erosion that's similar to the one recently in the rotating exhibit area at the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

If you go, there is pay garage parking very nearby in the Walnut Center Garage.  We found parking a bit pricey (about $10 for our 2-to-3 hour visit), but the garage was very convenient to the museum--like we-didn't-have-to-go-outside-to-walk-in convenient.  The museum staff and volunteers were also very welcoming and helpful, and there were no large crowds when we visited.

A Favorite Children's Museum: Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC

If you have young kids, you are definitely going to want to visit Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, North Carolina!  Kim had heard of Marbles after visiting the Greensboro Children's Museum and then became quite pleased to note admission to Marbles is free to ASTC Passport holders.  We simply had to make at least one trip there this year with E, almost 6, and G, almost 2.  Yes, it's about 3 hours from home in Roanoke, but it was definitely worth it.  We are actually surprised we hadn't heard about it earlier.

Marbles features two large floors of spacious, well-kept exhibits.  On our 3-hour visit, we took in the Around Town, Idea Works, Moneypalooza, and Splash! areas.  We could have spent more time in each, and we did not cover the entire museum.  Our kids were thrilled with a firetruck setup featuring a fire pole, a large train table, lots of moving parts (simple machines, pneumatic tubes, etc.) in Moneypalooza, and opportunities to build in Idea Works.  E even used a hand saw here in a special area that allows kids to create with found objects and safe building materials.  There's lots of fun to be had in art stations, at special events (a vet and a therapy dog were there to greet kids during our visit), and more.  Expect a good crowd, and know the Around Town area is a good one for the smallest explorers--it's gated.  We highly recommend this museum for the toddler-to-early elementary school set.

In short, Marbles was one of the best children's museums we've seen. It was a great place for E and G to enjoy a playdate with their cousin R.  If you go, consider roaming the museum with a small group of similar-aged children and a couple of adults for good measure.  Admission is just $5 if you do not have membership rights; parking is nearby (pay to park in a surface lot or in a garage).  There's an IMAX theatre and restaurant on site, and you are within walking distance to the North Carolina Museum of History.  There's also an attractive museum courtyard, so if the weather cooperates, we don't know why you couldn't bring a picnic.

ASTC passport holders traveling to/from Roanoke, consider planning your visit route to incorporate the Museum of Life + Science, Greensboro Science Center, and/or other museums on the passport list--you are within driving range!  We have family in North Carolina, and we are planning more joint play date trips this year.