3. Become a Park and Museum Hunter. Yes, that’s right. I hunt for parks and museums when I travel. Once I know my travel route, I usually look up the local parks and recreation departments in cities/counties we plan to travel through. I’ve found some of the best children’s museums, monstrous playgrounds and cool public pools thanks to my research. These small pit stops are usually free or at a low cost and wipe out my kids for the duration of the trip.
Visit www.mapofplay.kaboom.org for parks/playgrounds along your route.
Looking for specific city/county website? Visit www.usa.gov/Agencies/Local-Government/Cities for listings.
Don’t forget about local Children’s Museums. I found this great list on Wikipedia.org. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_children’s_museums_in_the_United_States
4. The Good Behavior Bag. For those long trips with little ones, having a bag full of cheap toys and games is a great way to bribe them into good behavior. Before your trip, head over to your local dollar store or the dollar bins at Wal-Mart or Target. Grab as many toys/snacks as the number of hours you’re on the road. One toy per kid, of course. I don’t recommend sharing. Place them in a paper sack or non transparent bag.
Then, when you are off and driving, use the lure of new toy/snack for every hour they are on the road. Cheap, fun items like silly glasses, made libs, miniatures, doodle pads and play dough and window markers – if you’re brave, work perfectly. You’ll be surprised how good they can be when they know something mysteriously fun is owed to them!
