George Washington Carver National Monument

 With all of the house stuff to do lately, we haven't been on the road much.

 Today was a perfect day for a road trip!  (Well, the weather got a bit chilly, but otherwise it was great!)

 We went to Pioneer Days at the George Washington Carver National Monument in Missouri.

 There were different stations set up for the kids to try out activities like candle making.

 Their finished products!

 I'm pretty sure he wouldn't look this happy about doing the laundry under normal conditions.

 That's Alice behind that towel!

 There was also a station where they learned about food.

 Grinding corn

 The fire felt soooo good!

 After lunch, the kids tried out some old-fashioned toys and games.

 They also spent some time in a one room schoolhouse.

 Inside the visitors center they had a lot of interactive things for the kids to do.  Alice loved the microscope!

 There is also a museum downstairs that tells all about Carver's life--I just didn't get any good pictures!

 We took a tour of the grounds that started with this rock that marks Carver's birthplace.

 A statue of Carver as a boy

 This farmhouse belonged to Moses and Susan Carver, who owned George's mother, Mary, and raised him after she was taken away to Arkansas and couldn't be found.  This house wasn't built until after he left the area, though.

 There is a family cemetery on the grounds.

 You can hear a recording of a speech he gave.

 The kids completed several activities in a little booklet and earned Junior Ranger badges and hats.

 I'm so glad we went!  I had never heard of this before and had no idea he was even from the area, so it was really interesting!

This was also our first road trip since Hobo joined the family, so he was really glad to see us after being in his kennel all day.  This trip's total was 254.2 miles and about 10 hours.  I'm ready for bed!