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BAY STATE MAKES FAMILY VACATIONS
CHILD'S PLAY
Massachusetts' most famous
mother -- Mother Goose -- once lamented that she had so many
children she didn't know what to do. Parents visiting the Bay
State today are confronted with a different dilemma -- not knowing
what to do first. With a host of imaginative historical
sites, pristine beaches,
interactive museums and kid-friendly accommodations, the state
offers hundreds of exciting options to keep families busy. Here's
a run-down of attractions guaranteed to please even the most
finicky tots:
Animal Encounters
Children love animals,
and Massachusetts has more than its fair share of furry friends
to discover. Boston's Franklin Park Zoo provides a perfect
opportunity to get a close-up view of an array of wildlife. Children
can mingle with New England farm animals at the Petting Zoo or
check out the
popular reptile and amphibian collection at the Children's Zoo.
At the opposite end of the state, Springfield's Zoo at Forest
Park is open year-round and boasts more than 200 domestic
and exotic animals. Other state zoos include Southwick's Wild
Animal Farm in Mendon and the Buttonwood
Park Zoo in New Bedford.
For a whale of a time, venture to the
New Bedford Whaling Museum to learn the story of New England's
whaling industry. Children will marvel at the legends of the
era and how sailors lived at sea, not to mention the life-size
whales hanging from the ceiling. In Woods Hole on Cape Cod, two
marine centers provide additional activities for children: Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institute and the Northeast Fisheries
Aquarium and Science Center. At the Oceanographic Institute,
visitors can learn about the high-tech world of ocean exploration
and the geological processes that shape our planet. Northeast
Fisheries provides powerful environmental messages within fun,
hands-on exhibits.
"Dino"mite Prehistoric
Wonders
If mezozoic monsters are
your child's obsession, make a trip to Harvard's Museum of
Cultural and Natural History to see its extensive collection
of bones and skeletons as well as a gemstone and crystal exhibit.
Or, visit the Dinosaur Hall at the Springfield Science Museum,
famed for luring
dinophiles from the adjacent planetarium and aquarium by its
full-size replica of T-Rex and a huge dinosaur footprint into
which kids can climb.
Art & Music That's in Tune
Art museums and musical
groups throughout the Bay State are committed to raising culture-loving
tots by offering special programs for children. One musical stand-out
is the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which provides classical
music in a kid-friendly format through its Youth Concert Series.
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has a number of special
programs, including special guidebooks for families, a free drop-in
workshop for kids ages six-12 as well as "Artful Adventures"
programs for youngsters between the ages of five and 18. In Plymouth's
Pilgrim Hall Museum,
children are given age-appropriate lists to participate in a
scavenger hunt while they peruse the museum. In addition, the
Worcester Art Museum, Norman Rockwell Museum and Peabody
Essex Museum all have acclaimed fine arts programs for children
and families.
Throughout the state, a number of theaters
present imaginative and engaging performances geared specifically
to kids. One noteworthy show that is guaranteed to convert the
most stubborn theater-phobes is "Le Grand David and his
Spectacular Magic Company" at the Cabot Theater in
Beverly, where clowns, jugglers, dancers and elaborate costumes
delight children of all ages. Other theater highlights include
the Mystery Cafe Dinner Theaters in Boston, Salem and
Andover, which present a special mystery show for seven-12th
grade students; family programming at the Zeiterion Theatre,
a restored vaudeville theater; performances at Boston's Children's
Theatre, which feature young thespians from Boston's Children's
Theatre School; and the hand-crafted puppets and heartwarming
performances at Puppet Showplace Theatre from September
to June.
Get "Past" the Textbooks
Forget the dusty facts
and figures of textbooks and conventional history museums. History
is alive in Massachusetts, with living museums that make it easy
to fall in love with the past. Children can step back in time
to a rural 1830's community at Old Sturbridge Village.
At Plimoth Plantation in
Plymouth, youngsters are transported to a village of thatched-roof
cottages, beehive ovens and costumed locals with early American
dialects of 1627. Nearby, on the Mayflower II -- a reproduction
of the ship that originally crossed the Atlantic -- a troupe
recounts tales of life at seas and their first impressions of
the New World. Across the state in the Berkshires, the Shaker
lifestyle has been preserved at Hancock Shaker Village,
a nineteenth century living museum with working craftspeople,
restored Shaker buildings and an historic farm. Also far from
staid is the Pirate Museum in Salem, which activates imaginations
through chilling exhibits of high-seas robbery and a journey
through an 80-foot-long cave. Maritime buffs and their children
will be awed by Battleship Cove and the Marine Museum
in Fall River, with its large collection of vessels from
World War II and Vietnam.
On Boston's waterfront, the Computer
Museum offers fun for the whole family by occupying technophobic
adults with Internet lessons while children play with robots
and other high-tech gadgetry. Next door, the Children's Museum
offers four stories of interactive activities for children
of all ages. Elsewhere in the state, smaller yet impressive museums
provide stimulating fun for families. Additional top interactive
museums include Children's Museum at Holyoke, New England
Science Center in Worcester and the Alice G. Wallace Planetarium
in Fitchberg. Other museums catering to small frys that are
definitely worth a visit include the Children's Museum in
Dartmouth, Plymouth Children's Museum, the Wonder Museum
in Foxboro and Acton's Discovery Museum.
Outdoor Playground
Families seeking wide-open
spaces and fresh air will find plenty of it in the Bay State.
More than 100 state parks and forests provide opportunities for
hiking, biking, camping or outdoor picnics. Inaddition, some
1500 miles of shoreline and famous coastal areas like Cape Cod,
Martha's Vineyard and
Nantucket provide year-round opportunities for seaside escapes
or marine studies. A winter wonderland, Massachusetts boasts
some of the most reasonably priced, convenient skiing in the
Northeast as well as Amesbury, the only snow tubing facility
in New England.
Visit massvacation.com
for additional information on attractions and events and to book
accommodations online. Or call 800-447-MASS ext. 300 for a free
Massachusetts Getaway Guide.
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