One of my favorite family traditions is meeting my cousins for a fabulous day of winter fun. Over the years, we’ve spent time sledding, ice skating and hiking. We’ve ended the day making s’mores and hot dogs over a roaring campfire. It’s always a wonderful time! But this year was different. My cousins have a new baby brother and we needed to find an activity where he could stay warm and happy. No skiing for the little guy just yet! 

Not a problem! My family was very excited to head indoors and visit one of the many awesome museums we have in our state. Today, we returned to one of our favorites, the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, Ohio.

Dayton is a city 50 miles north of Cincinnati and 130 miles south of Bowling Green. It was founded in 1796 along the banks of the Great Miami River. It’s home to many inventors, including the Wright brothers who created the first successful motorized airplane in history. Dayton is a centerpiece of Ohio’s “Birthplace of Aviation” and the location of Wright-Patterson AirForce Base, and the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

We have visited the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery many times. It’s a wonderful mix of a natural history museum and a children’s discovery center. We always find something of interest in their changing displays, and my parents love that it is very affordable. Admission is half off with our local zoo pass and there are other discounts as well. Always a consideration with a growing frog family!

Our adventure begins in the main lobby, decorated with dinosaurs and remnants of a long-ago ice age. We then weave through the planetarium and learn all about our solar system. While this is interesting, I am very eager to get to my favorite area, the Boonshoft Kids Park. There, my cousins and I love playing with the water features and my little sisters enjoy climbing the rope tunnel. Our parents appreciate the Bieser Room of Wonders where they look at beautiful artifacts from around the world and relax while playing all types of games. I think they would have stayed there all day, but there was more to see.

We moved on to the second floor and visited the Discovery Zoo. Here, the zookeepers talk about all the critters that reside there. From Sheldon the Armadillo to Eno the Otter I learned so much about small animal care. The Bugly House and bat displays in the Treehouse were fascinating, and the rooms of Ancient Egypt and the Sonoran Desert are places I won’t soon forget. It was all so cool! What I most enjoy about this floor is visiting the numerous hands-on play areas. My little cousin acts like a vet to help stuffed animals while my sisters have fun pretending to cook in the pizza kitchen. I like looking at all the Lego displays and creating something awesome of my own. 

Such an excellent adventure but now everyone is getting tired and hungry. Time to head to the little café, The Eco Eatery. It was so nice to have delicious snacks and talk about the best parts of this cold winter day. We can’t wait to return.

Until next time…

Froggily,

Ruby