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)

Agriculture Lesson #8: Frankfurt Germany's Market Hall & 15 U.S. Farmers' Markets

When my business partners take me to local sites, it's a real treat to learn about the culture, history, and local agriculture.  I appreciated my business partners taking me to the Klein Market Halle in Frankfurt, Germany.  The market had a building built in the early 19th century, but it World War II destroyed it.  Reconstructed in the mid-Fifties, you can now appreciate the European art deco style.  With over 1,200 sq m of space and 156 market stalls, you can find a wide variety of fresh produce and flowers including wurst, mustard, dried fruit, and Frankfurt's famous green sauce.  The fishmonger resides downstairs and we treated ourselves to fresh oysters upstairs, overlooking the market.

You don't need to fly to Germany to give your kids the experience of buying fresh produce from farmers.  Visit your local farmers' market.  When you plan a vacation, look up the dates and places of farmers' markets.

As a college student at the University of Wisconsin, I enjoyed beautiful summer and fall days at the Dane County Farmers' Market on the Square.  Located on the sidewalks surrounding the State Capitol, the smells, bright colors, and sounds was like a weekly celebration.  Instruments played, people laughed and ate on the lawn.  Who can resist bread full of melted cheese?  I'm not the only one who enjoyed the experience.  I met Peter Greenberg, New York Times Bestselling Author and fellow UW-grad, and he included Madison in "Best Places to Visit Food Markets" within his book The Best Places for Everything:  "Guess where my favorite farmers' market in the country is located.  Napa Valley?  New York City?  Nope.  It's in Madison, Wisconsin.  The Dane County Farmers' market is the largest producer-only farmers' market in the United States.  The "no resale" rule means that the person behind the tables is the same person who grew or made the product."

I've sold behind the table a few times, invited by my aunts, uncles, and cousin who are the farmers growing the produce.  It's healthy to buy local and fresh.  If you visit the Quad Cities (Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, Moline), stop by the farmers' market say "hi" to the farmers and purchase vegetables or flower. 

The 2014 Fodor "America's 15 Best Farmers' Markets" includes the Dane County Farmers' Market and these 14 other markets:
1.  Portland Farmers' Market on Portland State University's campus (WA) - 140 vendors
2.  Union Square Greenmarket (NY) - 140 farmers, open year-round
3.  Pike Place Market (Seattle,WA) - 80 farmers
4.  Santa Fe Farmers (NM) - 150 vendors
5.  Charleston Farmer's Market (SC)
6.  Davis Farmer's Market (CA)
7.  Green City Market (Chicago, IL) near Lincoln Park - 55 vendors
8.  Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (San Francisco, CA)
9.  Eastern Market at D.C.'s historic Capitol Hill
10.  St. Paul Farmers' Market (MN)
11.  Santa Monica Farmers' Market (CA)- 75 farmers
12.  Sweet Auburn Market near Atlanta (GA) - 20 vendors
13. Crescent City Farmer's Market New Orleans (LA)
14.  Burlington Farmers' Market (VT) - 40 vendors, Sat. May to Oct. since 1980

Geography #4: Spain and Four Flamenco Dance Festivals

My most direct exposure to flamenco dancing began as an exchange student in Spain.  My host family dressed up in flamenco costumes and danced as their uncles played guitar and sang on the tv.

I took my kids to a flamenco performance at our local library.  Our library goes beyond expectations, offering cultural events.  Check out your local library calendar.

When I returned to Spain years later, a business partner recommended a beautiful opera house named The Gran Teatre del Liceu on La Rambla.  I followed his recommendation and took a stroll to the opera house.  To my luck, the box office had tickets for the evening performance featuring flamenco dancing.  The building had beauty outside and even more inside.  You enter and admire the Corinthian columns and brass and glass lamps.  You sit in an armchair of steel and red velvet.  The show matched the drama - costumes with flare, vibrant colors, explosive moves, and the distinct sound from shoes hitting the wood floor.  What a sensorial treat!

While Barcelona rates as one of my favorite cities in the world, you don't need to fly to Barcelona to experience flamenco.  Here's four flamenco events in the United States:

1.  Festival Flamenco Internacional de Albuquerque - New Mexico

Considered the oldest, largest, and most significant flamenco event outside Spain.  An eight to nine day festival with over sixty artists from Spain.

2.  Austin Flamenco Festival - Texas

Five days of workshops, feria offers paella, tapas, and wine

3. Flamenco Feria in Boston - MA

Dance halls using make-shift tents inspired by Seville, food includes chorizo, ham, and tapas

4.  Chicago Flamenco Festival - Instituto Cervantes in IL

Opening includes networking event with wine and beer, variety of performances

World of Difference #2: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Years working in the pet industry made me especially enthusiastic about helping pet adoption.  I looked forward to our volunteer day every year.  The entire office team worked together to upgrade an adoption facility.  Lots of heavy lifting, planting, and painting and everyone left on the bus with a smile.

The National Geographic book 100 Best Affordable Vacations lists volunteer work as a vacation idea.  In the section "nurture the big cats", the author highlights Best Friends animal sanctuary, "The country's biggest no-kill sanctuary, Best Friends of Kanab, Utah, welcomed volunteers to work with it's dogs, cats, horses, waterfowl, pigs, parrots, and rabbits to name its most common residents.  On an average day, the shelter is home to 2,000 animals, rescued all across the country."  The sanctuary rents cabins at reasonable rates.  We chose to rent a log home offsite and make the sanctuary part of our vacation.  

Due to the popularity, I recommend you plan ahead and understand whether you can schedule volunteer spots ahead.  We lucked out with an extra special tour guide.  As the grandson of the original land owner, he had historical stories to share while driving the mini-van around the site.  He stopped and showed us the key buildings, taking time to introduce us to the animals.  We hit the timing in which well known, televised pitbulls were being rescued.  We cuddled with the cats.  We heard about the onsite cafeteria and so glad we hit lunch timing.  We ate our salad buffet lunch outside on the patio with an amazing view.  Meanwhile, my dad and stepmom ate indoors with a bigger surprise - the founder joined their lunch table!

We had such a great experience, we rearranged our vacation schedule to fit in another afternoon at the sanctuary.  This time we watched the horse demonstration and learned about their training techniques.  By donating financially, we became part of their magazine mailing and every month, we are reminded by the amazing work at the Best Friends animal sanctuary.

NPS #6: Wild Ponies & Assateague Island National Seashore

The children's book Misty of Chincoteague helped make the ponies on Assateague Island the most famous mammals on the island.  Some believe that the wild ponies of Assateague arrived on the island when a Spanish cargo ship sank off the coast and the horses swam to shore.  Others believe the wild ponies descend from colonial horses allowed to run loose.  While the history remains uncertain, I'm certain your kids will enjoy seeing wild ponies.

Some sites will call the famous ponies "wild horses" and others will call them "wild ponies".  They are called ponies because they fall under 14.2 hands (85 inches).  The ponies are feral animals, descendants of domestic animals that have reverted to a wild state, which roam freely and feed mainly on saltmarsh cord grass.  You can see them from a distance by visiting Assateague Island along the coast of Maryland or Virginia.  We visited from the Maryland side through the Assateague Island National Seashore.  According to Patricia Schultz’s book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, the Maryland side is the more popular entry point “Two-thirds of the island is in Maryland, where a good portion of the 2.5 million annual visitors gain access”.

The National Park Service dedicated the land as a national seashore in 1965.  For nine other National Seashores, visit my article.  Also visit the nps website for tips.  I should have read their tip to wear bug spray considering the mosquitos and biting flies.  We hiked to see the ponies from a viewing platform which was a beautiful site.  However, we paid for it in bug bites.

You can support the conservation efforts by fostering a horse through the Assateague Island Alliance.  You could also visit the Pony Penning Day auction in July.  Once a year a portion the Salt Water Cowboys from the Chicoteague Volunteer Fire Company round-up the ponies to swim across a channel at low tide and many are put up for action.

Assateague Island makes the list of the Smithsonian magazines "The Best Places to See Wild Horses in North America".  Five other places make the list:
1.  The Virginia Range (NV)
2.  Theodore Roosevelt National Park (ND)
3.  The Pryor Mountains (MT & WY)
4.  Outer Banks (NC)
5.  Sable Island, Nova Scotia (Canada)

Assateague has more to explore than just observing ponies.  Your kids will enjoy seeing or hearing the many birds on Assateague.  The island has over 320 species of birds.  This includes the piping plover, a threatened species that nests on the island.  Besides admiring wild animals, the island offers clamming, swimming, hiking, four wheel driving, and kayaking.  With so much diversity, it's no wonder that Assateague attracts over a million visitors per year.  

Lighthouse Lesson #9: Assateague Lighthouse in Virginia

Looking for a small workout while traveling and learning with the kids?  Climb the 175 steps of the Assateague Lighthouse in Virginia.  The steep stairs seemed like no challenge going up.  On the way down, the cast-iron spiral staircase challenged a few muscles going down.  Can you imagine the keeper taking oil up on an hourly basis?  Of course, our kids bounded down in fast fashion with seemingly no effort at all.

The view certainly makes the climb worth the effort.  You will get a view of Assateague and Chincoteague Islands and the Atlantic Ocean.  Look up at the light.  The lamp flash every five seconds and still brings safety to vessels between the Atlantic Coast and Cape Henlopen.  A nearby museum exhibits the original Fresnel light.

The view from the ground is also delightful.  The tall red-and-white striped lighthouse looks iconic.  At 142 feet high, the lighthouse is easy to see.  Noah Porter, who also built Ocracoke Lighthouse, constructed the original lighthouse in 1833.  The original stood only 45-feet tall and deemed not effective enough at that height.  The current lighthouse, constructed in 1867, took the light to a higher level.  The lights could then be seen 19 miles out to sea.  The red-and-white painting of the conical lighthouse didn't happen until 1968.

The lighthouse has connections to multiple organizations.  Your $5 fee will help support the lighthouse.  While the Coast Guard transferred the lighthouse to the Fish & Wildlife Service in 2002, the U.S. Coast Guard still maintains the active navigational light.  The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuse takes responsibility for preserving the lighthouse.  The non-profit Chincoteague National Historic Association restores the lighthouse and makes the lighthouse accessible to the public.  The lighthouse made the National Register of Historic Places list.

You can only tour the lighthouse between April and November.  Check the timing.  While open throughout the week during the summer, visits are limited to weekends in Spring and Fall.  Also, it closes during their lunch hour.  The Old Keepers Quarters moved offsite and not open to the public.