I’ve been going to the Toronto Zoo regularly for 7 or 8 years now -basically once or twice a year since my daughter was born. I went a few times as a kid as well, but there’s a period of probably around 15 or 20 years where I never got around to visiting. That period […]
Continue ReadingIt’s a yearly tradition in my family to take the kids to the Toronto Zoo on Thanksgiving (that would be October 13, Canadian Thanksgiving) and the 2008 version of our trek was even better than usual. The autumn leaves were probably at their peak and the zoo’s forested grounds put on an awesome display. It […]
Continue ReadingIt’s probably one of the most clichéd and derided theme restaurants going (and trust me, I’ve long been among the group that made fun of the whole concept), but damn, it turns out that Medieval Times is a lot of fun. The occasion was our yearly birthday spectacular; my twins (Jonathan and Aidan) were turning […]
Continue ReadingWith my wife studying for exams, it was up to the kids and I to undertake what was likely our final camping trip of the season. Most of the Provincial Parks will be shutting down until the spring during the next few weeks, so unless a birthday party or two falls off the […]
Continue ReadingThe launch schedule for remaining two Space Shuttle launches in 2008 has been changed. The adjustments took place once Tropical Storm Hanna had moved beyond the Kennedy Space Center. STS-125, Shuttle Atlantis’ mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, is now planned for October 10, 2008. Shuttle Endeavor’s STS-126 mission to resupply the International Space […]
Continue ReadingIn my continuing quest to see every aerospace related attraction across the country (as my poor wife can wearily testify) the family and I recently visited Space Center Houston, the official visitor’s center for the Johnson Space Center. If you have just emerged from a 50-year stint in cryogenic suspension, the Johnson Space Center is […]
Continue ReadingTickets go on sale this Monday, August 25, 2008 at 9:00 AM EDT to view the next launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis from the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center. The STS-125 mission will be the final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. This rare night launch is scheduled for Wednesday, October 8, 2008 […]
Continue ReadingThis is alternatively titled "What I Did For My Summer Vacation" or (in keeping with this month’s GeekDad theme…) "Bad Dad: Leaving the GeekMom and kids While Jetting off to Africa." I found a fascinating country filled with warm, friendly people and beautiful natural scenery. Why did I go? To help out a school there […]
Continue ReadingIn the suburbs of Atlanta, there is a natural wonder with a storied history and a very unique ecosystem. Stone Mountain is a granite dome monadnock with rocky roots reaching out to several surrounding Georgia counties. It’s quite a sight to behold: a huge blank slate of granite, visible for miles around, which makes it […]
Continue ReadingNote: For Father’s Day, I’m taking the day off. So this post is being written by my son, six-year-old, Ian Banks. Last week, I went to Big Cedar Lodge with my daddy. On the way there we went on a cave tour. They turned off all the lights and it was darker than I’ve ever […]
Continue ReadingSchool is out, or very nearly out, for many, which means there are family field trips to plan! If you’re a geek family in the New Mexico region, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science has a new exhibit "Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Triassic New Mexico" that started on May 17. The exhibit […]
Continue ReadingMy daughter, Natasha, is eight years old and loves animals; she’s a long-time fan of the Zoo Tycoon video games series, devours books on animals and enjoys publications that frequently feature wildlife, like National Geographic. So it was pretty much a no-brainer when we were leafing through the list of city-run children’s programs here in […]
Continue ReadingLast year, GeekDad Vincent Janoski wrote about a new traveling show produced by the BBC called "Walking with Dinosaurs: The Live Experience". The live show is based on the six-part BBC series, Walking with Dinosaurs. Well, nine months later and the show has finally made its way to my city for eight shows of roaring […]
Continue ReadingSometimes, a brief stop along the road can become a teaching moment… Our clan had just relocated to Manhattan, Kansas. Having never lived in this part of the country before, I hit the Internet to find interesting attractions in the area that I might take the kids to visit. In pretty short order, I had […]
Continue ReadingIf you are out east in New York city May 29 through June 1, you will want to check out the events of The World Science Festival. The event features a variety of scientific and cultural events spread out through Manhattan with the goal of connecting the public to science. The festival is set up […]
Continue ReadingOne year ago, you were reading this by Russ Neumeier: Wisconsin Day-Trip – Wisconsin Maritime Museum The boys and I spent a day at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. An historical, hands-on, GeekFamily-friendly exhibit in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. A place to see a World War II submarine, to learn about shipping on the Great Lakes, and where […]
Continue ReadingThe NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, will be having their annual Open House on May 17 & 18, 2008. The doors will be open from 11am to 7pm at the Lewis Field Campus and admission is free! The tour will include most of the major facilities, including the Main Hangar, the Super-Sonic Wind […]
Continue ReadingTomorrow is the 7th annual Free Comic Book Day. Yes, stores do in fact give out free comics along with hosting special guests, book signings and raffles. The boy and I will be heading to Brave New Worlds in old city Philadelphia to check out the 501st Stormtrooper Legion. Be sure to grab your […]
Continue ReadingNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA will be having their annual Open House this weekend, May 3 & 4, 2008. Doors will be open 9am-5pm both days and admission is free. Many of JPL’s scientists and engineers will be available to answer questions and there will be lots of hands-on activities set up for […]
Continue ReadingFor those of you lucky enough to be attending the New York Comic Con this weekend, Kids Day offers lots of great fun for both daring GeekDads and their sidekicks. Err, I mean kids. "Remember when comics were only an nickel and read by kids? No? Really? Well, while comics have grown up and so […]
Continue ReadingWant to get all hands on with human anatomy? Corpus, a new amusement park/health education museum, may be just the thing for you. Located in the Dutch town of Oegstgeest (between Amsterdam and The Hague) this facility encourages visitors to learn how the body works. Associated Press reporter Toby Sterling writes: All the walls and […]
Continue ReadingThe Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson is a must visit for anyone in the Wichita area. The museum building may look small from the outside, but inside it is absolutely jam-packed with a huge collection of space artifacts and replicas. They claim to be second only to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum […]
Continue ReadingOne year ago, you were reading this on GeekDad: Last week Thomas Hawk and Kevin Kelly posted their lists of cool GeekDad place to take your kids in the SF Bay Area, and we invited others to submit lists for other cities. Daren Lewis offered this one for the Portland Oregon metro area: You can […]
Continue ReadingFor those Geekdads able to make it to Philadelphia, the Franklin Institute is hosting the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit from February through May 4th. My son watched Star Wars for the first time this weekend (Episode IV: we’re showing him them in release order) so we are definetely going to go see […]
Continue ReadingClaiming to be the number one adventure game convention in North America, Gen Con became known for their multitude of family-friendly attractions including game tournaments and a massive dealer’s room. Of course, everyone with even a peripheral connection to the RPG industry tried to score an invite to the family unfriendly but really fun after-hours […]
Continue ReadingFor those of you located anywhere in the general vicinity of northern California, I just can’t recommend enough taking the family on a short trip to the Monterey Bay peninsula. While not your typical geeky fare (this trip involved no robots, legos or computers), the 4-day outing we just took there was a huge hit […]
Continue ReadingThis afternoon my son and I took a tour of the GM/Toyota NUMMI auto factory located in Freemont, CA. It’s one of the few manufacturing plants in the Bay Area, and luckily for us they give free tours to the public. I’ve been trying to schedule one of these tours for years, but they are […]
Continue ReadingThe Bakken Library and Museum is an “independent, nonprofit education institution that collects archival materials related to the history of electricity and magnetism in medicine and the life sciences.” Founded by Earl E. Bakken, the inventor of the pacemaker, the museum grew out of Bakken’s collection of antique medical devices of an electrical nature. Currently […]
Continue ReadingI missed out on Twin Cities DIY hub Studio Bricolage‘s neato Rube Goldberg Machine event. But it looks like they had a lot of fun! After 90 person hours and an unknown number of beers and glasses of wine (not mention ‘helping’ several times to keep the machine going) the participants succeeded in creating a […]
Continue ReadingComing up, lots of stuff. Leave a comment if I missed anything cool through March. Phoenix Comicon (Phoenix, AZ) http://www.phoenixcomicon.com/ January 26-27, Mesa Convention Center Guest star Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett, for duh!) Greener Gadgets (New York, NY) http://www.greenergadgets.com/ February 1, McGraw-Hill Conference Center Industry conference focused on producing environmentally benign electronics. Con of the […]
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