Oh, the places you’ll go!
There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored.
There are games to be won.

Dr. Seuss (Theodore Seuss Geisel), Oh, The Places You’ll Go! (1990)

The Grinch and Max

It starts earlier every year. The Christmas sales. The Christmas music. The Christmas decorations. By the day after Thanksgiving, we’ve all given in to Black Friday sales, twenty-four hours of Christmas music, and planning nonstop until December twenty-fifth.

One thing that’s usually welcome amid all the holiday chaos (at least for families with kids) is Christmas specials on TV. Santa. Rudolph. Frosty. Even the Grinch is welcome this time of year.

The Grinch of course was created by Dr. Seuss in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, one of the forty-four books Theodore Geisel wrote under the pen name Dr. Seuss. Geisel became such a well-known author that his books (from 1937’s And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street to 1990’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go!) have been translated into over twenty languages. Geisel also won a Pulitzer Prize, three Academy awards, and his works have provided the material and inspiration for television specials, Hollywood films, and a Broadway musical.

The Cat in the Hat watching over his creator, Dr. Seuss

For true fans of Dr. Seuss, a vacation to New England wouldn’t be complete without visiting the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden in Geisel’s hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts. Located in a quadrangle of museums, the bronze works were sculpted by Geisel’s step-daughter, Lark Grey Dimond-Cates, for the Springfield Library & Museums Association. Among the characters in the quad are Horton the Elephant, Sam-I-Am, Yertle the Turtle, the Grinch with his dog Max, and the Cat in the Hat looking over Dr. Seuss himself.

The Sculpture Garden is accessible year-round. The adjacent Springfield Museums are the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, the Springfield Science Museum, the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts. Hours and admission fees for the museums are available at the Springfield Museum website.

Las Vegas Premium Outlets is located in downtown Las Vegas and features the finest designer labels.

Some people come to Las Vegas to gamble. Others come to eat at the city’s fine restaurants or party at popular night spots. Then there are others who come to Las Vegas exclusively to shop. With three major outlet malls offering bargains on designer label merchandise, Las Vegas is the perfect vacation destination for the holiday shopping season.

Located at 875 South Grand Central Parkway in downtown, the Las Vegas Premium Outlets is an outdoor mall featuring more than 150 stores, including retailers A|X Armani Exchange, Ann Taylor, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Coach, Cole Haan and Dolce & Gabbana, among others. 

Whether you’re staying at a hotel nearby, such as the popular Golden Nugget or Main Street Station Hotel Casino, or at a resort on the Las Vegas Strip, you can take advantage of the mall’s extended holiday shopping hours of 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

A newly constructed parking garage provides convenient parking at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets, however it can fill up. Early arrival is recommended to avoid the deluge of vehicles. Bus service is available from anywhere along the Las Vegas Strip. Take route 301on The Deuce, a double-decker bus, to the Downtown Transportation Center. From there, take the Downtown Shoppers’ Express or route 106 or 108 south. It picks up every 20 minutes. 

Las Vegas Outlet Center is located on the Las Vegas Strip.

At 7400 Las Vegas Boulevard South near Blue Diamond Road, Las Vegas Outlet Center features 130 stores, including Adidas, Ashworth-Callaway Golf, Calvin Klein, Coach, Gymboree, Liz Claiborne, Nautica, Nike, Reebok and Tommy Hilfiger. A favorite store for holiday gifts is Harry & David. Their baskets of fruit, salsas and other gourmet foods can be purchased on site and shipped to anywhere in the country.

Bus service to the mall from nearly all hotels on the Las Vegas Strip on The Deuce is available. For added convenience, nearby hotels include the Silverton Lodge and Casino and the South Point Hotel and Casino.

Located about a half hour south of Las Vegas on the California state line in Primm, the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas is considered a favorite for visitors and locals alike. The indoor mall features more than 100 stores, including Neiman Marcus Last Call, Polo Ralph Lauren, Williams-Sonoma, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Tommy Bahama, BCBG and Versace.

Located on the California state line, Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas features more than 100 stores.

The Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas operates a daily Shoppers’ Shuttle from the Las Vegas Strip with departures from the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and the Fashion Show Mall. The round-trip fare is only $15.00 and includes a complimentary Savings Book with more than $800 in savings at participating stores. Shopping packages are also available and include shuttle service, dining, discounts and gifts. For visitors with a car, from Las Vegas take I-15 south to the Primm exit.

To turn your trip to the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas into a shopping vacation, the mall is connected to the Primm Valley Resort & Casino. Nearby are Buffalo Bill’s and Whiskey Pete’s.

All three outlet malls offer VIP club memberships, providing additional discounts and shopping privileges. Visit the malls’ information centers to sign up and save.

From popular toys to designer label clothing, you’re sure to find great gifts for friends and family at a great price during your holiday shopping vacation in Las Vegas.

Photos by Las Vegas Premium Outlets, Las Vegas Outlet Center and Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas.

A perfectly prepared holiday meal. A flawlessly set table. A smiling family patiently admiring the Thanksgiving turkey as Mother carries it to be carved. This isn’t my house at Thanksgiving and it may not be yours either. It may not even exist except in some illustration of Norman Rockwell, because Rockwell’s Thanksgiving in Freedom from Want is exactly what I was describing.

Freedom from Want is one of four works Rockwell painted in 1943 in his Four Freedoms series. During World War II, posters of the paintings raised $132 million for the war. That amount would equal over $1.5 billion today.

The Norman Rockwell Museum

Four Freedoms and more than 570 additional Rockwell paintings are in the collection of the Normal Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, along with more than 100,000 photographs, letters and other items originally belonging to one of America’s greatest artists and illustrators of the twentieth century. Among these are several of the 321 covers that Rockwell painted for the Saturday Evening Post between 1916 and 1963. Best known for these magazine covers and other depictions of idealistic American life, Rockwell was also commissioned to paint portraits of presidents, international leaders, and entertainers. Rockwell also used his art to depict historic and political events, such as racial integration in Southern schools in 1964’s The Problem We All Live With which was based on the first day of Kindergarten of Ruby Bridges in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1960.

Norman Rockwell's Studio

Located on 136 acres, the museum grounds also include Rockwell’s studio, which was moved to this location from downtown Stockbridge. The studio is arranged exactly as it was when Rockwell worked there.

In addition to exhibitions and programs dedicated to Rockwell, the museum displays works of modern illustrators and other masters of the twentieth century. Like any art museum, young kids’ attention may not be held. For older kids though, especially those interested in illustration and commercial art, Rockwell is a great introduction.

Stockbridge itself, in the Massachusetts Berkshires, is a popular vacation destination any time of year. Hotels and inns, including the famous Red Lion Inn, are often crowded as are area restaurants. For fans of sculpture, another nearby attraction is Chesterwood, home of Daniel Chester French who created the Lincoln Memorial as well as other famous works.

The Norman Rockwell Museum is open daily except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is $14 for adults, $12.50 for seniors, $10 for college students, and free for kids 18 and under. Further information concerning hours and admission packages is available at the museum website.

Photos courtesy of Rmrfstar under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license.

As Inauguration day approaches the Washington metro area is preparing for the estimated four million or so visitors that will be attending the event. It’s going to be quite a celebration. After the celebration you may want to end your vacation in D.C. on a historic note. How about taking the family on a short road trip to learn about the first president of the United States?

The first inauguration at the Federal Hall in New York

George Washington gave our countries first inaugural address on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York on April 30, 1789. After serving two terms as president of the United States he returned to his home in Mount Vernon where he lived the final two years of his life. Mount Vernon is probably the most famous home of George Washington, but if you have ever wondered about the other places George Washington called home, here are two often overlooked nearby locations.

Popes Creek Plantation, Westmoreland County, Virginia

A quiet spot at Popes Creek Plantation

George Washington was born at Popes Creek Plantation in Westmoreland County Virginia. I’ve visited this location on several occasions and it’s a tranquil, slow moving kind of place. Of all the historic locations I’ve visited, this one feels the most authentic. It’s not as grand as Monticello and it’s not as forced as Colonial Williamsburg but it has charm. You can walk in the quiet along the river or through trails and imagine what was when our country was just beginning. The future paleontologist in the family will enjoy searching for fossilized sharks’ teeth in the sandy river shore. Future graffiti artists can use a stick to carve designs into the clay cliffs. Just be careful of the wildlife when you go. The squirrels at the picnic area will shamelessly steal your Cheetos and the turkeys are a little mean.

Ferry Farm, Fredericksburg, Virginia

Known as George Washington’s boyhood home, Ferry Farm isn’t a re-created historical site as much as an active learning location. They have a beautiful colonial style garden and some trails along the Rappahanock River but that’s not why we visit. We go for the fun, well thought out summer educational programs. In addition to the civil war workshops and gardening programs they can “Dig George” and become junior archaeologists or learn about the “First Virginians”, the Powhatan Indians. They have also created a touch box program that enables the blind and visually impaired to enjoy history with touchable artifacts, Braille maps and text, and large print brochures.

Ferry Farm is located just outside of Fredericksburg, Virginia about 50 minutes from Mount Vernon. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. George Washington’s birthplace is an easy 60 minute drive from Ferry Farm. Admission is $4 for adults and no fee for children. They’re both worth a visit.

Photo Credits : Federal Hall from the public domain. Popes Creek Plantation by Ken Lund