We spent a few days in Rhode Island. This is one of the few states none of us had been to, and we were looking forward to adding another state to our been to list. We decided to stay at Burlingame State Park for two nights and then go to Providence on our way to Massachusetts. We have spent very little time during our trip not doing anything. In fact this was only our second day of the trip where we had zero plans or drives. The rest was very much needed. It is fun to move around the US and seeing so many cool things, yet it is also exhausting and tough on us all. Our nerves were shot and everyone was fighting (more then usual) so a rest was needed.
Our site was large, simple with no hookups, and quiet. It rained the first night but not until we were in bed. The weather was cool and we enjoyed doing nothing. We stayed in our PJ’s all day except for the couple hours we went to the lake and park. We played card games, dug in the dirt, layer in hammocks, read, and generally did nothing. At night we sat around the fire, roasted sausage, and had cookies and milk.
In the morning we packed up and headed to Providence to visit the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium. We did not have all day and wanted something simple. We figured for $5 a piece it could not be much but it was something different. We were pleasantly surprised to find an amazing (although small) museum and greatly enjoyed the Planetarium’s simple show. sometimes as we visit large museums and science centers we can get overwhelmed. Or the information is too high for some of our younger kids to understand. This was neither of those and we loved it.
They had six rooms, three on each floor, and each was filled with lots of information. There were many things we had never seen before in all our travels and museum experiences. There was a lot of taxidermy mounts more then any of us had ever seen. In the Natural Selections exhibit they even had a section of extinct animals. This was very interesting to see these life size and full body animals in detail. The Circle of the Sea exhibit had an amazing collection of Polynesian and Malaysian artifacts, especially considering we were in Rhode Island. The maps of islands made from sticks and shells were particularly interesting to us all. After our visit to Cape Canaveral and watching Apollo 13, we all enjoyed the room on moon landings. the kids particularly liked the exhibit on radiation and moon rocks as well as the plasma dome.
The Urban Wildlife exhibit had many taxidermy mounts as well. It was very interesting to get up close to the animals we know, but never get to see in such detail. There was an art exhibit on postcards through the years from the Roger Williams Park, unfortunately there were no current postcards to buy. After our discussions recently on the California earthquakes the Seismic Shift exhibit was particularly interesting.
The last thing we did in Rhode Island was see the planetarium show. It was all about the plants, moon, and constellations we see in the summer sky. It has been a long time since the kids were in a planetarium and they all enjoyed it. Especially D who spent a lot of time trying to figure out how the machines worked, she is always trying to figure out the mechanics of things.
We left Rhode Island, stoped for Poke bowls for lunch, and headed to the Boston Minuteman Campground. it is beautiful with lots of trees, a pool, a playground, and cool rocks around the fire pits. It was also a bit rainy but we still enjoyed an outside meal under our awning.
Our 6S Full Life 