Animal Lesson #14: Winter the Dolphin at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida

Winter, the dolphin movie star

 If your kids grew up watching Dolphin Tale movie (2011)  about a boy and a dolphin whose tail was lost in a crab trap, they likely have special interest in visiting Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida.  The authors wrote the story based upon Winter the bottlenose dolphin and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium acted as the hero in creating a prosthetic so she could swim well.  The movie had such success that producers made a sequel called Dolphin Tale 2 (2014).  This sequel introduces a new dolphin superstar named Hope.  There's two other movie charters that live at the aquarium in real life - 1) Nicholas, a stranded dolphin briefly featured in Dolphin Tale and filmed in Dolphin Tale 2, 2) Rufus, a great white pelican trained for both movies and lives with 3 other great white pelicans.  Winter passed away in Nov. 2021, but you can still visit Hope at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

We visited during Spring Break and the place had quite the crowd.  My daughter even found a classmate from Illinois!  However, the facility significantly expanded since our trip, so enjoy the space.  There's no doubt that Winter was the star of the show and handlers showed the prosthetic and how well she could swim.  However, the aquarium offered other shows too and the animals showed off impressive stunts.  Kids will learn about conservation too.  The facility hosts many free talks throughout the day including 

Turtle Talk, Otter Talk, Resident Dolphin Talk, 

Stingray Talk, and Shark Talk.  

Turtle photo by Krenda

We listened to most of them and visited all the exhibits which included river otters, turtles, stingrays, sharks, and pelicans.

If you want to extend your experience, the aquarium offers a stingray feeding experience in which you can feed fish to stingray for $10 extra fee.  You can also purchase a 60-minute dolphin and wildlife tour boat ride, $20 for child or adult, which travels around a bird sanctuary island while the crew discusses local wildlife.

Aquarium entrance fee cost nearly $40 for adults and $30 for kids, but the fee supports a good cause.  The aquarium is run by a non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of sick and injured marine animals.  Marine animals not fit to release remain at the aquarium.  Hats off to the aquarium employees, real heroes of the marine world.

Clearwater Marin Aquarium lists as a dolphinarium in wikipedia.  I didn't realize the special term for an aquarium for dolphins at marine parks, zoos, or theme parks.  I realized we have visited many other dolphinariums including Sea World, Georgia Aquarium, Indianapolis Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, and Texas State Aquarium.  See also my blog article about a dolphin encounter in Honduras.  Our family just can't get enough of these smart creatures.

 

Art Lesson #11: Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg Florida

Salvador Dali Museum, Photo by Krenda

Before you even enter the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, you are looking at art.  The 75 foot tall building built in 2011 has a geodesic glass bubble known as the "enigma".  Ask your kids to guess the number of triangles! Answer equals 1,062.  With gardens and a waterfront location on Tampa Bay, it's a nice place to stroll too.  With the long line to enter the museum, I was glad we had architecture and nature to admire.  Entry fee is $25 adults, $10 kids age 6-12.  Time it right for discounted Thursday after 5PM ($12.50 adults, $8 kids).  The evening also gives you a cool interior lighted view.

Go to the third floor for a cool view over the garden and waterfront and admire the helical staircase celebrating spirals too.  While I have a preference from Impressionist art, this museum boasts of having the most Dali masterworks in any one location, 8 of the 18 masterworks.  The museum also impresses you with the breadth of Salvador Dali art with landscapes, portraits, still lifes, and religious paintings.  Totaling over 2,400 works by Dali, you should budget a few hours.  Patricia Schultz's book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die breaks down the articles, "Today the museum's collection encompasses works from every major period of Dali's long career, spanning the years 1917 through 1976 including 95 oil paintings; more than 100 watercolors and drawings, 1,300 sketches, sculptures, photographs and objects d'art: and a large archival library.

The kids surprised me at the amount of attention that they paid to each painting.  I think the Dali app with history stories really helped them understand the significance.  During high school, I studied Dali prior to being an exchange student to Spain.  Dali grew up in Figueras Spain, studied in Barcelona and Madrid, and became the world's best known Surrealist painter.  Surrealists, inspired by Sigmund Freud, explore subconscious images.  They can place common place objects in juxtaposed or deformed positions, use optical illusions, and symbolisms.  Some paintings had big crowds and others had peace.  Many gathered and stared at The Hallucingenic Toreador, inspired by Dali's wife's dislike for bullfighting.

We had the fortune of visiting while the museum also offered the Dali & Schiaparelli Paris special exhibition.  As a friend, Dali influenced fashion designer Elisa Schiaparelli (1890-1973).  Elsa was born in Rome, Italy and lived in the UK, France, and United States and became one of the most prominent figures in fashion between the two World Wars.  Challenging the status quo, she used dream-based designs, imagery, fantasy, vibrant colors, experimental fabrics, and handmade decorations.  Some described her art as elegant, brazen, and unrestrained.  The exhibit featured haute couture gowns and new designs by Bertrand Guyon for Maison Schiaparelli.  

History Lesson #10: Fort Mackinac in Michigan

Cannons ready at Fort Mackinac

If you want to visit one of the best-preserved military forts in the country, you need to take a ferry to an island and walk, bike, or hike to the fort.  You can't drive a car on Mackinac Island.  Every aspect will take you back in time.  It sounds like a travel challenge, but the nature, views, and history make it worth the effort.  Besides learning history at Fort Mackinac, you can't beat the views.  Located on 150 foot bluffs, you look over the idyllic island and beautiful blue water.  I don't often repeat vacation spots, but this one I've visited three times - as a child, a couple, and a parent.  Each time I learn more.

If you read my article on Fort Michilmackinac, this article moves you forward in history.  You also know that you can buy a season pass that covers admission to both sites.  As a recap, the British felt threatened by having a vulnerable fort location in Mackinac along the shore, so they dismantled their buildings and reassembled the buildings on Mackinac Island.  Although the location change, the name remained the same.  

The British only relinquished the fort 15 years after Americans won the Revolutionary War.  The British captured the fort during the War of 1812.  The Americans tried to regain the fort during the 1814 Battle of Mackinac Island, but the British defeated them.  The Americans successfully occupied the fort in 1815 aft the Treaty of Ghent.

Kids enjoy view 

In the move from the fur trading to tourist island, the military changed duties and became park rangers of the second U.S. National Park after Yellowstone.  In 1895, ownership transferred from the U.S. government to Michigan State property and it became part of Mackinac Island State Park.

When you arrive, make sure to check out the schedule and give yourself a couple hours.  It's some of the interactive demonstrations and interpreter stories that make it most interesting for kids.  Take the tour.  You'll stroll along and hear new stories.  For example, internet stories tell you the government built the canteen to make the fort desirable.  Our guide told us the soldiers caused too much trouble drinking in town and the canteen kept the loud entertainment within the walls.  Besides watching riffles fire and music play, interpreters taught our entire family old fashioned games in the lawn.

I also recommend eating at the Tea Room within the fort for added historical experience and possibly the best views on the island.  The Tea Room utilizes the Officers Stone Quarters, the oldest public building in Michigan, which workers restored as part of the WPA program.  While you'll likely pay more than normal for a sandwich, part of the profit supports the Mackinac State Historic Parks.  Since the restaurant was operated by the Grand Hotel, we also gained admission to the Grand Hotel.  Grand Hotel entrance prices rose, so this deal may not still hold - check when entering.

Photo by Krenda

Teaching games in the lawn

Industrial Arts - Woodworking & Factory Tour

 If you visit the Netherlands, you will see a lot of wooden shoe gifts to purchase.  The citizens wore wooden shoes for centuries.  Wooden shoes had many advantages for gardening and outdoor wear - less expensive than leather at the time, insulated to keep feet cool in summer and warm and winter, protective if tool dropped, and water resistant.  When we visited Michigan with young kids, we visited a wooden shoe factory and watched the woodworking.  A later trip took us to another woodworking factory tour.

The largest wooden bowl factory actually resides in the United States, not the Netherlands.  I recommend you visit the Holland Bowl Mill in Holland, Michigan.  It first began as the Wooden Shoe Factory by Chester.  HBM began in 1984 and now led by Chester's great grandson.  It's now the largest commercial wooden bowl manufacturer in the country and you can take a tour.  We began by watching the Discover and Science Channels 'How It's Made" 2007 episode for background.  In the factory, we saw all the steps from cutting the fresh log wood to bowl blanks to bowl turning to smoothing.  Factory employees answered questions and we marveled at how one log could turn into multiple nested bowls.  It looked like a process minimizing waste.  Later research confirmed their zero waste philosophy.  The company demands select cutting, choosing larger trees (min. 16" diameter) to leave smaller trees to grow.  Hardwoods including cherry, walnut, beech, maple, and red oak grow and harvest from Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.  Leftover wood from bowls turn into other wood products such as cutting boards and utensils.  Shavings have a use as horse bedding.

After the tour, you can browse the company store.  While some discounts exist, don't expect cheap products.  These bowls are handmade with no seams or glue and protected with a mineral and bees oil preserver.  You can take care of your bowl with coconut oil.  Don't place your bowl in the dishwasher.  With so many unique bowls with different colors and grain patterns, it took time to choose just one.  They serve as heirloom gifts.  At no extra cost, I had a bowl engraved as a gift to my husband with our wedding date.  Holland Bowl Mill provides a lifetime guarantee for their products.

Thinking Global in the USA #5: Korean Friendship Bell (San Pedro California)

Korean Friendship Bell, Photo by Krenda

Viewed by some Koreans as the West Coast Statue of Liberty, the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro California is a good place to talk to kids about the friendship between Korean and the United States. Korean bells were believed to have the power to restore peace.  It is fitting that the Korean Friendship Bell has an inscription "May this bell ring and sound forth the hope and resolve of our two nations in their common devotion to enduring prosperity, liberty, and peace."

The bell sits within a beautiful pavilion in a grassy area overlooking the Pacific Ocean and giving you a view of the Los Angeles harbor.  Drive to the Angel Gate Park in San Pedro.  You'll notice two totem poles with the artist name Jong-heung Kim.  After visiting, it inspired me to learn more.  Jong-heung Kim is a traditional Korean Totem Pole Master.  He presented his work to Queen Elizabeth II, President Bush, and President George W. Bush.  Korean traditional totem poles were meant to protect Korean villages against evil spirits or other disasters.  They don't tell stories, but also meant to bring good fortune.  One male with description 'Great General Under Heaven' and 'Great General Under Earth' make the park even more interesting.

The pagoda-like structure housing the bell was constructed by craftsmen in Korea.  The 12 columns represent the 12 designs of the Oriental Zodiac.  In 1976, both the pavilion and the bell were given to the people of Los Angeles from Korea for the U.S. Bicentennial.  By 1978, the bell was declared a Los Angeles Historic Monument.  The United States now has the second-largest Korean population living outside Korea.  China ranks #1.  Within the US, Los Angeles area has the highest population of Korean Americans, followed by New York City area.

When you approach the Belfry of Friendship Pavilion, the bell size will impress you at 7 feet high, 7.5 feet in diameter, and 17 tons in weight.  Patterned after the Bronze Bell of King Sondok which was cast in 1771 A.D, these bells are among the largest bells in the world.  In comparison, there's only one Korean Bell Pavilion on the East Coast, Korean Bell Garden in Virginia, and it weighs 3 tons.  The bell structure goes straight down versus curving outward and is rung by a log.  If you want to see the bell rung, you need to choose your visit to specific dates - 1) US Independence Day (July 4th), 2) National Liberation Day of Korea (August 15th), 3) New Year's Eve, 4) Constitution Week (September 17th), and Korean-American Day (January 13th).

Visiting this site won't take the entire day, so visit the nearby Marine Mammal Care Center and Point Fermin Lighthouse too.

Lighthouse Lesson #10: Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro, California

Fermin Lighthouse, Photo by Krenda

You and your kids will enjoy the picture perfect lighthouse in San Pedro Point Fermin Park called Fermin Lighthouse.  A British explorer George Vancouver influenced the name.  He wanted to honor Father Fermin Francisco de Lausen and named Point Fermin and Point Lasuen.  The Stick Style early Victorian architecture with gabled roofs, decorative cross beams, and overhanging eaves makes the building so charming for photos.  Then you have the beautiful blooming gardens surrounding and a view of the ocean.

Historically, the lighthouse had great purpose to aid safe passage between the Channel Islands and into the harbor.  You should definitely take a tour to hear the stories.  You will learn about the first lighthouse keepers, sisters Mary and Ella Smith.  You can climb the winding steps and admire the ocean view and coastline in a tower standing 30 feet above ground.

Built in 1874, the lighthouse has a history of survival.  Twice saved by advocates from demolition.  Once the Fresnel Light taken off sight, missing, and later proven as the Fermin Fresnel light and returned to original location.  To avoid aiding our enemy submarines, ships, or planes, most lights on the west coast extinguished during World War II.  The Fermin lighthouse lights extinguished two days after the 1941 Pearl Harbor attacks.  The lighthouse and light keeps advocates taking action.  In 2002, the lighthouse was restored and it re-opened in 2003.  With generous donations, the park also grew over time and now covers 37 acres.

Time your visit right.  Lighthouse is closed on Mondays.  Tours given at three specific times of 1PM, 2PM, and 3PM.  Donation requested.  If you want to see other lighthouses with Victorian design, also consider visiting East Brothers (San Francisco Bay) and Hereford Light (New Jersey).

The lighthouse is a short drive from the Korean Friendship Bell which also has architectural interest and history, so read my story about our visit to the bell.

History Lesson #7: Renaissance and 14 Fun Festivals

Where can your kids dress up in a period costume other than Halloween?  Renaissance festivals across the nation not only enable dressing up, but also learning a little European 14th to 17th century history while having fun watching shows and buying crafts.

Many festivals have multiple stages including music, comedy, and drama.  I believe the most dramatic shows are the fire whip show and the jousting competitions.  Read the show descriptions carefully.  Some shows like trunk shows using props and audience participation may be family friendly and make the kids laugh.  Other acts are meant for adults only with adult humor.

Plan for the cost to go beyond the typical $20 entrance fee per person because your kids will want to try the unique food and drinks.  My son begged for a turkey leg and opportunity to eat with his fingers.  We also liked the sassafras drink, a mixture of root beer and licorice taste.  Plus there's games and crafts to buy.  My daughter could not resist the archery.

The shows and craftsmanship demonstrations get included in the entrance fee.  Look for blacksmiths, glass blowing, and pottery making.

We've taken our kids to both the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Kenosha, WI and Ohio Renaissance Faire in Harveysburg, OH (located between Cincinnati and Columbus Ohio); both rated as best renaissance festivals in the US by the Travel Channel.  Photos taken at the Kenosha festival.  However, you don't need to live in the Midwest for the festivities.  The first one began in Agoura, CA in 1966.  Festivals occur throughout the US today:

1.  Minnesota Renaissance Festival; Shakopee, MN; Aug.-Labor Day
Claimed as the largest in the US with 300,000 attendees

2.  Florida Renaissance Festival; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Feb., March
Large fair with world's largest rocking horse and 12 stages

3.  Georgia Renaissance Festival; Spring
Squire of the wire, hypnotist, acrobatic daredevils, wheel of death

4.  Carolina Renaissance Festival; Charlotte, NC; early Oct. to late Dec.
Fairhaven villagers in charming cottages

5.  Maryland Renaissance Festival; Aug.-early Sept.
Village of Revel Grove, 43rd year of comedy sword fighting show, pirate ship

6.  King Richard's Fair; Carver, MA; Aug.-Oct.
80 acre with royal zoo; vow renewal and Bachlorette Ball

7.  Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair; Mount Hope, PA; Aug.-Sept.
Kings Court, tournament joust, human chess, and trunk shows

8.  New York Renaissance Faire; Tuxedo Park, NY; Aug.-Labor Day
Theme weekends include Time Travelers Weekend and Masquerade Weekend and Ball

9.  Texas Renaissance Festival; Todd Mission, TX; late Oct to Dec.
55 acre theater, polka dancing, and holiday themes such as Oktobersfest and Celtic Christmas

10.  Scarborough Renaissance Festival; Warahachie, TX (south of Dallas)
Wedding packages available

11.  Sherwood Forest Faire; McDade, TX; Feb. to March
All you can eat dining, parade and 40 stage acts

12.  Arizonia Renaissance Festival; Apache Junction, AZ;
250,000 attendees, 2,000 actors, over 200 craft shops

13.  Northern California Renaissance Faire; Hollister, CA; October
Concert series every Saturday; costume contest

14.  Valhalla Renaissance Faire; South Lake Tahoe, CA; two weekends in June
Shakespearean bignettes

Animal Lesson #12: Rare Alligators at Newport Aquarium in Newport, KY

While alligator populations have risen and were removed from the Endangered Species List in 1987, it's rare to see white alligators.  There's two types: 1) albino, meaning lack of melanin resulting in white shin and red eyes, and 2) leucism, meaning partial loss of pigmentation resulting in white or patchy skin and normal color eyes.  Biologist estimate only 100 white alligators in the world and two of them are at the Newport Aquarium in Newport, KY (across the river from Cincinnati, OH).  Leucistic alligators are even more rare with 12 believed remaining, two featured at Gatorland in Orlando, Florida.  

While the white alligators may lure you to the Newport Aquarium, you'll also like the kid friendly activities.  Included in your admission, approximately $28, is three unique activities: 

1) Shark Touch at Shark Central where you can touch sharks with two fingers

2) Tide Pool Touch where you can touch sea stars, horseshoe crabs, and anemones

3) Shark Bridge - dare your kids to cross a 75-foot suspended rope bridge to walk across a 385,000 gallon shark exhibit.  

I like that these activities are for everyone vs. an extra charge.  There's also many exhibits including 

1) Shipwreck Realm of the Eels - batfish, frog fish, green moray eels, and spiny lobsters

2) Seahorses Unbridled Fun - seahorses, sea dragons, razor fish, and pipefish

3) Stingray Hideaway

4) Gator Alley - see two white gators named Snowball (male) and Snowflake (female)

5) Penguin Palooza

6) Freshwater Falls - tunnel underneath a Kentucky waterfall landscape includes bass, black crappie, and perch

7) Coral Reef - rays, eels, unicorn fish

8) Amazon Tunnel - 32 foot tunnel and 117,000 gallons of freshwater with exotic species including Arapaina and Pacu

Also, consider the aquarium for a business event.  I attended a training at the Newport Aquarium and having a penguin as the surprise lunch guest certainly makes a joyful impression.

For more information visit the Newport Aquarium website http://www.newportaquarium.com/; for a couple more personal photos visit "Newport, KY" set at http://www.flickr.com/photos/krenda/sets/.

If you want to see more white alligators, here's two more places open to the public for viewing:

1) Clyde Peeling's Reptileland in Allenwood, PA ($16)

2) St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park St. Augustine, FL ($28)

Transportation Lesson #2: Mail Boat Delivery Jump Tour (Lake Geneva, WI)

Lake Geneva, Photo by Krenda

"Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat...", we all hear about how the United States Post Office employees deliver mail despite bad weather.  We also hear about the many different transportation methods needed throughout history to transport the mail - horse drawn wagons, airplanes, trucks, etc.  There's stories about mail delivered by bush pilots in Alaska and mule train to the Havasupai Indians at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  To learn more, you can take your kids to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.  

The museum includes an exhibit about the relationship between mail and our national parks "Trailblazing 100 Years of Our National Parks."

Then I heard about an experiential learning opportunity on CBS News Sunday Morning segment in which Bill Geist describes a timeless place where the arrival of summer is announced by the first mailboat.  In Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, mail still gets delivered by boat daily from June to September.  It began approximately 100 years ago before the government built roads around the lake.  Before the summer season, Gage boat company holds tryouts for mail jumpers who will ride the boat, jump onto the pier, put mail in and out of the mailbox, and jump back on the boat.

You can take your kids on the Gage boat tour "U.S. Mailboat Tour".  The 2.5 hour tour takes you on a cruise around Lake Geneva to watch a mail jumper in action.  He or she delivers the mail to about 75 homes on the lake with approximately 160 tourists watching.  The service continues as a free service.  To watch the action on Wadsworth 11, the only mail jumping boat in the U.S., you'll need to pay $38 for adults and $22 for children.

Our mail jumper had skills.  He'd sprint to the mailbox.  At one point, he had to jump off the boat and put mail in an entire row of mailboxes, run about a mile, and time it right to jump back on the moving boat.  He really showed off by jumping off a dock and then doing a cartwheel before placing mail into the box.  Everyone cheered for him.  The residents also seem to enjoy the service.  Some would sit on their pier in big wooden chairs waiting for the mail delivery and waving to the tourists.  Another resident waited by his box for a hand delivery.

Besides the entertainment, the boat emcee provides history lessons about the mansions surrounding the lakes and the famous business families like Wrigley owning them.

Today email works fast.  But think about the years of news delivered by the mailman.  Letters from soldiers, love letters, holiday cards, postcards giving you a glimpse of a place far away.  I still find joy in sending and receiving postcards.  Thanks to the U.S. Postal Service employees for delivering through difficult weather or taking a risk to fall in the lake so residents can open a envelope of joy.

Lighthouse Lesson #4: Point Betsie Lighthouse in Frankfurt, Michigan

Point Bestie Lighthouse, Photo by Krenda

Take a trip to Frankfurt, Michigan and go north to Point Betsie Lighthous.  Point Betsie Lighthouse was originally named Pointe Aux Bec Scies, meaning point point of sawbill ducks, by French explorers. The lighthouse provided safety to the ships coming from the southern entrance to the Manitou Passage.

The combination of the beautiful hipped-roofed lighthouse and location with amazing views (Lake Michigan, Sleeping Bear, and Manitou Islands), it's no wonder it is one of the most photographed lighthouses.  It sits upon a dune, placing it 52 feet above lake level.  Locals recognize the site too.  It's rated as #1 lighthouse according to a Michigan resident survey (10,000 voters) about things they love about Northern Michigan.  All ages will appreciate the surrounding beautiful nature and nearby beach.

The site has had multiple buildings for many years.  Even with the light and sound of the fog horn warning ships getting close to the shore, a life-saving station was deemed necessary.  It opened in 1877 to rescue shipwrecked victims.  The lighthouse has been operating since 1858 and changing throughout time. It was later painted white to increase visibility during the day.  To house two families, the house was enlarged in 1895 and the hip roof replaced the gambrel design.  The fog signal building was rebuilt in 1912 and moved from locomotive whistles to chime whistles.  Electric bulb installed in 1921.  It was one of the last lighthouses in Michigan to be automated.  The fourth-fresnel lens once removed in 1996 was returned.  The Friends of Point Betsie Lighthouse led the restorations and recognized for their achievements with The Governor's Award for Historic Preservation.  It's recognized as the oldest standing structure in Benzie County and also listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  Coast Guard now operates using an automated light. 

You can take a tour for only $5 and that includes the climb up the 34-step tower.  You'll see the Boathouse Museum and Fog Signal Building.  Note that you must be at least 3 1/2 feet to climb the tower.  When you make purchases at the gift shop, you also help support the lighthouse.  The lighthouse needs high financial support.  With climate change, the lake has record high water levels that erode the shoreline.   The Shoreline Protection System (SPS) installed in 1869 and reconstructed in 1944 needs updates to keep protecting the lighthouse.  You can donate directly to the capital campaign.

 

Art Lesson #9: Quad Cities Botanical Center Flamingo Follies

When you combine art and nature, you have an extra special experience.  If you visit Rock Island, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities, you should visit The Quad Cities Botanical Garden located near the Mississippi River with a striking glass building.  If you time it right, you could visit their "Flamingo Follies" event which displays plastic flamingo art.

The art program supports the non-profit.  With a $10 fee, you pick up a plastic flamingo, decorate it, and deliver it to the garden for display.  Participants have an opportunity to win in one of three categories (adult, youth, or professional).  The botanical center utilizes the art to entertain guests and provide a second fund-raiser.  Adult entries raffled off at Art in the Garden help support the non-profit.

We timed one of our visits to the Quad Cities Botanical Garden right.  We were able to see the decorated flamingos amongst the tropical Sun Garden.  This garden has palm trees, fish, coconut and chocolate trees, and orchids.  The 14-foot waterfall adds to the lush environment. 

When you have a nice day, check out the outdoor garden too.  It includes a butterfly garden and places to relax.

Our interest in this botanical garden began before construction began.  At a bridal expo, I learned about the plans for the botanical garden with a banquet facility.  Considering our love for nature, supporting a non-profit with our wedding reception business felt just right.  Without a brick laid, we took a chance and signed a contract.  We had a wonderful experience with guests able to visit the garden prior to the reception, catered dinner, and a dance floor.  Later we donated to buy an engraved brick that was paved as part of the walkway.  You can help the garden by visiting ($7 adult, $4 youth), buying a membership ($70 annual family), buying a 4x6 brick ($150).  If you have a group of 10 or more, you have more options.  You can arrange a tour (self guided $5 each, tropical paradise $7, chocolate tour $12, botanical bliss with essential oil making $15).  The garden location was so right for our reception.  Taking a chance led to a beautiful experience.  Now you can go visit and decide for yourself.

Agriculture Lesson #5: Pike Place Market - Seattle, Washington

If you visit Seattle, you'll likely shop at the city's #1 attraction - Pike Place Market.  It's a great way to talk about agriculture with your kids because it's the place where producers and consumers meet.  It began by farmers as a way to cut out the middleman.  With an opening in 1907, it is one of the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country.

You'll look for the iconic red "Public Market Center" sign with clock above the building.  Before you enter the market, you can do good by donating your change to the bronze cast piggy bank.  Rachel the Piggy Bank serves as the market mascot and a way to collect money to the Pike Place Market Foundation.  The foundation provides many services including a food bank, senior center support, and preschool financial assistance.  The piggy bank has raised over $200K.

Once in the market, you don't need to go far to see the fishmongers

throwing salmon over the counter.  It began as a way to increase efficiency and now seen as the iconic action in the market.  You might have seen such action on shows such as Frasier and The Learning Channel (TLC).  While the market has fame for fish, you can find so much beautiful, bright colored produce and flowers too.  If you can't buy food that will spoil, look for pasta, nuts, and chocolates.  With over 500 shops, you'll also find crafts and a variety of restaurants, including ethnic - Persian, Thai, Japanese, Mexican, and Italian.  

Walk around the market building too and you'll enjoy views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.  I kept on walking.  It can take less than ten minutes from the market to reach Pier 59.

In my article about the Frankfurt, Germany market, I listed the top farmers' markets according to Frommer book.  Of course, Pike Place Market makes the list.  When Country Living magazine made it's list of top 14 markets per "The Best Farmers' Markets in America" article, Pike Place listed at the top.  Here's their full list:

1.  Pike Place Farmers' Market - Seattle, Washington, June-November

2.  Historic Soulard Farmers' Market - St. Louis, Missouri, year-round Wed.-Sat., since 1779

3.  Crescent City Farmers Market - New Orleans, Louisiana, Tue.-Sat.

4.  Union Square Farmers Market - New York, New York, Sat. until Nov. 23

5.  Baltimore Farmers' Market & Bazaar - Baltimore, Maryland, April-Dec.

6.  Brattleboro Winter Farmers' Market - Brattleboro, Vermont, Sat. Nov. - March

7.  Charleston Farmers' Market - Charleston, South Carolina, Sat., April - Dec.

8.  Des Moines Downtown Farmers' Market - Des Moines, Iowa, Sat., May - Oct.

9.  Portland Farmers Market at PSU - Portland, Oregon, Sat.

10.  Rowayton Farmers' Market - Rowayton, Connecticut, Fri.

11.  Sag Harbor's Fair Foods Farmers' Market - Sag Harbor, New York - Sat.

12.  Green City Market - Chicago, IL Lincoln Park, year-round, outdoors May-Nov.

13.  Aspen Saturday Market - Aspen, Colorado, Sat. June-Oct.

14.  West Tisbury Farmers' Market - West Tisbury, Massachusetts, Sat. & Wed, June - Aug.