First of all, I love art. I may not know the history behind it or the context within which it should be viewed, but I certainly love to look at it. From historical paintings such as Diego Velázquez’ The Surrender of Breda to Salvador Dalí’s surrealist masterpiece The Persistence of Memory, to even those modern works of art that don’t seem to have any real meaning, I find art to be beautiful and intriguing.
Unfortunately, I’ve only been able to visit a limited number of museums in my lifetime, which include those in Boston and Madrid. And yes, I know many people would think it a great privilege to have been able to go to museums in Madrid. But when I think about the sheer number of museums that exist all over the world, I cannot help but wish I could see more.
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Sometimes sightseeing vacations can get a little overwhelming no matter your age, your kids ages, or worldly experience. Visiting a big city, especially one with a lot of historical significance, creates a desire to see everything while you’re there and leaves little downtime to actually enjoy where you’re staying. (I lived in Boston for six years and STILL didn’t get to everything I wanted to do!)
Having travelled to many large cities and spent more miles walked and hours in museums than I can count, I resolved to visit a far-flung destination that had sights to see but relaxing scenery, a small distance to cover, and of course, good food.
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Visit your public library. Take in story time with your kids, or just curl up and read a book all by yourself!
Go to the movies. Most theaters have free movies for kids during the summer, usually on Tuesday or Saturday mornings. Even if it's not a free flick, with all the big blockbusters out in the summer, there's likely to be something the whole family will want to watch.
Visit a museum. You can easily spend hours walking through a museum. Eat at the cafe. Browse the gift shop.
Visit a nature center. Like a museum, a nature center can captivate children for a long time! There are often special programs during the summer where you can drop kids off for a while.
Go on a night tour. See what your city has to offer after hours! There may be special nightly tours, either walking or by Segway.
Play “hotel” with your kids. Pull out the sofa bed, pull up an On Demand movie on TV, and serve them breakfast in bed the next morning.
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