It’s Pioneer Day in Utah, which is a state holiday that celebrates the heritage of the settlers who came here in the 19th century. We have parades and fireworks and everyone hangs out and barbecues all day. For Eva’s first Pioneer Day, we took her to the local living history museum, This is the Place park, so we could get the real pioneer experience.
That turned out to be a completely horrible idea, because the rest of Utah was crammed into the same park, but we enjoy the park on all other days of the year. It’s fun to wander through the cabins, visit with the farm animals, and talk to the volunteers who walk around in period costume. It’s been a great way for the kids to start learning about history and, if I could find pioneers in our past, I would love being able to point out what their great-great-grandparents lives looked like. Alas, our family pioneers have yet to reveal themselves.
Luckily, pioneers aren’t the only subject for living history museums. I’ve collected a list of history-based tourist attractions by state that would be a fun family genealogy outing:
Alabama
Alaska
California
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Utah
Washington
West Virginia
