Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Oregon

 

Start your quest to follow in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark at the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center. You’ll receive a brochure with information about the twelve sites spread over 40 miles which comprise the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. Peruse the gift shop for guidebooks, maps, toys and an extensive selection of books.

The staff recommended Stephen Ambrose’s “Undaunted Courage” to gain an informative understanding of the epic journey.

Browse the exhibit hall which includes a detailed list of preparations for the journey, a panoramic map of the expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific, their clothing, rifles and muskets which were used for hunting, trading and self-defense, the tools they utilized, a replica of a canoe and a diorama of the natives showing the explorers a beached whale.

View the two orientation movies: “Confluence of Time and Courage” about their journey and “A Clatsop Winter Story,” representing Native American views of the visitors, with their different customs and rules.

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Museum of Flight, Washington

The Museum of Flight, home to more than 150 historic planes, spacecraft and related artifacts, celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2015. It offers an interactive experience for aviation enthusiasts and families at each of its main areas: the Great Gallery, the Tower at Boeing Field, the Red Barn, the Personal Courage Wing, the Space Gallery and the Airpark.

Start your adventure with a 30- or 60-minute guided tour of the Great Gallery. Walk among the reproductions and aircraft, ranging from an 1896 biplane glider to the popular M-21 Blackbird spy plane. Indulge your Red Baron fantasies by climbing into the cockpit of an SR-81 Blackbird or an F/A-18 Hornet.

If feeling adventurous, check out the X-Pilot simulator and take the controls. Fly a jet fighter or a WWII combat plane, engage in a dog fight, doing loops and 360 degree rolls. The 13-seat 4D-X simulator is tamer with 3-D graphics and some motion.

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