Naval Aviation Museum

January 13, 2010 By
Photo courtesy of Two Kids and a Map

Photo courtesy of Two Kids and a Map

1750 Radford Blvd., Suite C
Naval Air Station
Pensacola, FL

The National Naval Aviation Museum, located within Navel Air Station Pensacola, makes for a wonderful (and free!) pitstop along I-10. Parent reviewer Jen of Two Kids and a Map and Pensacola with Kids has written about this attraction in her hometown numerous times, and gives it her expert seal of approval. In one entry she writes: The Air Museum is great for all ages. There are so many exhibits, an IMAX theater that shows several movies a day, a small restaurant, a flight simulator, and lots of hands-on activities! Kids visiting the museum (and adults too!) can climb into the cockpit of several aircraft, watch a flight simulator, and get up close and personal with the famed Blue Angels.

Date last visited: Often!

Distance off the interstate: About 15 miles off I-10.

Hours and Admission Prices: FREE! The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week year-round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s days. The IMAX movie theater begins shows on the hour starting at 10 am and ending at 4 pm.

Food Services: The Cubi Bar Cafe, located within the museum, is both a restaurant and an exhibit!

Website: http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org

Phone: (850) 452-3604 or (850) 452-3606

Directions: From I-10: Take Exit 7 (Pine Forest Road, 297). Head south about 1.5 miles to Blue Angel Parkway. Turn right and drive about 12 miles to the west gate of NAS Pensacola. Museum is three miles ahead on left.

Agrirama: Georgia’s Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village

December 30, 2009 By

1392 Whiddon Mill Road
Tifton, Georgia

Photo courtesy of Brown's Guide to GA

Photo courtesy of Brown’s Guide to GA

Always one to love living history exhibits, I knew Id found the perfect pitstop in Tifton, Georgia’s Agrirama, Georgia’s Museum of Agriculture and Living History Museum. Touted as where the present meets the past’, Agrirama is a 95-acre complex featuring an historic village with over 35 structures which have been relocated to the site and faithfully restored or preserved. Included is a museum, a main street, farmsteads, homesteads, a schoolhouse, community buildings, and more, all replicating the 1870-1890’s era. And it’s located on I-75, which makes it a very convenient pitstop for families heading down the interstate toward Florida! Sherri Smith Brown of Brown’s Guide to Georgia reviewed it recently, writing:

Costumed interpreters perform the daily activities of life¦you’ll see people working in the fields, the sawmill, the turpentine still, the blacksmith’s shop and the gristmill. On Main Street, you can visit the drug store, the print shop and the train depot. A 1.3-mile railroad system circles the site; but due to state budget cuts, the steam locomotive only runs during special events. You can walk through farmsteads of different eras as well as a mid-1890s one-room schoolhouse.”

Distance off the interstate: Less than a few minutes!

Hours and Admission Prices: Open Tuesday-Saturday from 9am until 4:30 pm
Closed for Labor Day, Thanksgiving Holidays (Thursday & Friday) and
Christmas Break (December 20 – Jan 5).

Admission is as follows: Adults – $7.00, Seniors – (age 55+) $6.00, Children – (5 – 16) $4.00, Children 4 and under FREE. (Group rates are available.)

Food Services: The Sandwich Shop is on premises. For a good price, you can find hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, or get it to go with one of their sack lunch options!

Website: http://agrirama.com/main/index.php

Directions: Easy to find right off I-75 at Exit 63B. Turn right at 8th St, then continue onto Whiddon Mill Rd.
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Tallahassee Museum with kids

July 19, 2009 By
Discovery Center at the Tallahassee Museum

Discovery Center at the Tallahassee Museum

3945 Museum Drive
Tallahassee, FL

The Tallahassee Museum is located on I-10 mid-way between Pensacola and Jacksonville. Says Lucia of Dim Sum, Bagels and Crawfish, We drive I-10 between Florida and Louisiana on a pretty regular basis and each time we drive through Tallahassee I see the signs for the Tallahassee Museum. I often wonder about it and make a mental note to stop on a future trip. Well, last weekend on the way back from a week at the beach my mom and my son turned it into a memorable pit stop. They kept raving about all of the interesting animals they saw. My mom was especially impressed with the cypress lake and the fact that most of the paths are well shaded (very important and not always easy to find on hot Southern days). In addition to the outdoor exhibits, there are also some interesting hands-on displays inside.

For a map and more positive reviews on the Tallahassee Museum, check here.

Date last visited: July 2009

Distance off the interstate: Ten minutes from the I-10 exit (well marked with sign for the museum).

Hours and Admission Prices: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 12:30 p.m.  5 p.m. Sunday. Entry fees are $9.00 for adults and $6.00 for children, per their official website.

Bathrooms: Yes.

Food Services: A quick service cafe with kids’ meals.

Website: http://tallahasseemuseum.org

Directions: Take exit 196 for FL-263. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Tallahassee. Turn left at Capital Circle NW/FL-263, then left W. Orange Ave. Turn right at Rankin Ave. Rankin Ave becomes Museum Dr.