I know what you’re thinking. Tacoma? Why stop in Tacoma when Seattle’s less than 35 miles away, and when Tacoma smells kinda funny from I-5, anyway? I thought these very things (and worse) for about 15 years, until I finally pulled off the highway and found myself in the uber-cute downtown Tacoma, muttering apologies under my breath.

Imagine how I felt, then, when I explored Tacoma’s exceptionally cool Museum of Glass. If you guessed “positively penitent,” you’d be right. It’s that awesome.

Chihuly Bridge of Glass pedestrian overpass linking the Museum of Glass to downtown Tacoma.

Many people are likely familiar with the often oversized and usually playful glass sculptures created by Dale Chihuly, but not as many people know that the artist was born and raised in Tacoma. He left the city a long time ago, but he’s brought his considerable influence in the art world back in the form of the city’s Museum of Glass, which he helped found in the early 2000s. The Museum isn’t a Chihuly gallery, although there are some smaller Chihuly pieces in the main part of the museum and an enormous collection of Chihuly pieces on display as part of the nearby Chihuly Bridge of Glass – rather it’s a showcase for glass art by a wide selection of artists, including permanent and temporary exhibits.

Rooms in the Museum of Glass include works of art created by museum staff members and visiting artists, but my favorite gallery – and the favorite of every kid I saw in the museum – was the Kids Design Glass Collection. It’s a concept so simple, and yet so brilliant, you wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself. Each piece on display in this gallery was designed by a child (age 12 and under) and then realized by the glass sculpting team at the museum. The display includes the child’s original drawing and explanation, and it’s nothing short of amazing to see how closely the finished piece resembles the colored-marker designs. What’s more, each design is rendered twice – once for the gallery and once for the kid to keep.

Colorful example of a piece of art in the Kids Design Glass Collection.

Perhaps the best part of a visit to the Museum of Glass, however, is a peek into the Hot Shop. There’s always a team of glassblowers at work in the Hot Shop, with or without a visiting artist, and between stadium seating on one side and a balcony overlooking the artists on another it’s impossible to not get a great view. Kids of all ages will be fascinated with the process, at once graceful and perilous, and there’s usually one person explaining what’s going on at all times. If you’ve never seen glass sculpting in person – and even if you have – that’s enough reason to make a beeline for the Museum of Glass next time you’re in the area.

Working "Hot Shop" at the Museum of Glass.

It may be that part of my penance for maligning Tacoma for so many years is to try and convince as many people as possible to get off the highway and visit the Museum of Glass, but even if I didn’t owe the city a thing I still couldn’t recommend this museum more highly. As the museum’s own website says, “Get your glass down here.”

Museum of Glass Visitor Information:

The open hours, admission prices, and driving directions are listed on the museum’s visitor information page, and they offer tips for visiting (such as, no photography in the galleries, but in the Hot Shop it’s fine). There’s a cafe on-site if you get peckish, and there are usually hands-on glassmaking classes going on that even the kids can get involved with.

Photo credits: Dale Chihuly Bridge of Glass by Mahesh Thapa;”Shark Attack” and 8-year-old designer Erica by Russell Johnson; Hot Shop by Ken Emly. All courtesy Museum of Glass.

GelatoGal Jessica Spiegel is a Portland-based travel writer for RTW travel experts BootsnAll, and she’s really glad she finally got off I-5 en route home from Seattle one day. Don’t live in the area? No problem – Sea-Tac Airport is a short 24 miles away, and finding cheap flights to Seattle is easier than you might think. There are hotels within walking distance of the museum, but Tacoma may be a better option as a day trip from Seattle, so you might want to look for Seattle hotels instead. And please tell Tacoma I think we’re good now, okay?

As we packed the car and prepared to leave our lake cottage at the end of the unpaved road, I was already missing New Hampshire: the white spired churches, our rope swing, “lobstah rolls” and the lazy roads. We were destined for Vermont.

We bade farewell to New Hampshire in Hanover,  site of Dartmouth College and equally impressive Lou’s Restaurant and Bakery, the longest-operated restaurant in Hanover. Opened in 1947, with a menu that featured “hamburger….35 cents,” Lou’s now welcomes guests with a dessert case that makes you realize you have some serious decisions to make if you’re not staying four years.

. . .

The physical journey from New Hampshire to Vermont is brief; you need only cross the Connecticut River. But the spiritual distance between New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die” and Vermont’s “Freedom and Unity” mottos suggested we would be traveling a great distance.

As we made our way north and east on Highway 89, we had three major destinations on our Vermont itinerary: the Green Mountains of Stowe, the Lake Champlain area of Burlington, and the ice cream of Waterbury. Yes, after weeks of travel, we would finally arrive at Mecca: the Ben & Jerry’s factory tour.

While the kids lobbied to stop first at Ben & Jerry’s, we had the advantage of being in charge of the steering wheel. As we approached the highway exit to Vermont’s capital city, Montpelier, we knew we had to make a detour.

The boys rolled their eyes as Christopher intoned, “Guys, did you know this is the least populous capitol in the nation?” (I didn’t doubt it. I had the feeling I could walk into the Governor’s office next door to the capitol building and ask if he wanted anything from Dunkin’ Donuts.) It also has to be one of the prettiest, its golden dome gleaming against the deep green of the tree-engulfed mountains behind it.

We got out of the car in front of the capitol to snap a picture. The novelty of capitol buildings was wearing thin. After the photo shoot, they asked “Now can we go to Ben & Jerry’s?”

“Almost…” we answered in that noncommittal way that means, “We’re not quite done causing you misery.” (No freedom or unity for our family unit, at least for the moment.)

We forced the poor things to enter a museum.

Adjacent to the capitol, the Vermont Historical Society has a hands-on, kid-friendly exhibit about the state we had just entered. Kid-friendly is so my speed. We walked through a full-sized Abenaki wigwam, a re-creation of the Catamount Tavern where Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys gathered, a railroad station complete with a working telegraph and a WWII living room furnished with period music and magazines. From abolishing slavery in its first constitution in 1787, through the gay marriage debate, the Vermont Historical Society gave us the skinny on Vermont. Definite thumbs up.

At last we hightailed it to Waterbury and joined the throngs at the Ben & Jerry’s factory. Christopher, ripe with Vermont factoids, piped up: “Did you know this is the most visited tourist attraction in Vermont?” From the moment we entered the parking lot, it was easy to believe. And why shouldn’t it be? With reasonable tour prices (adults $3, kids free), a heaping taste of a new flavor (“Late Night Snack” for us, featuring chocolate covered potato chips mixed into vanilla!), and good karmic corporate practices, I was happy to add my name to the list of people who’ve stopped by and taken the requisite photo.

As the day faded, we left the land of sweet cream and turned up the mountain road to complete the short distance to Stowe, and our accommodations at the Grey Fox Inn. Ah, Stowe. As soon as we entered the town, I stopped missing New Hampshire.

I realized I’d be missing this place all too soon.

FamilyGal Laura Diamond of Southern California is in the midst of a two-month adventure on the East Coast with her husband and two sons, ages 7 and 11. This is her seventh installment; she and her family went to Six Flags Wild Animal Safari in New Jersey,  floated down the Delaware River, reveled in history in Philadelphia,  traipsed all over New York City and played in the lake and explored small towns in New Hampshire. 

It ends up that the Jelly Belly Tour isn’t the only fun family-friendly thing to do in the Kenosha area. In fact, Kenosha, Wisconsin has a wealth of fascinating family-friendly museums.

This year is the Kenosha Public Museum’s 75th anniversary and visiting is a real treat. The museum’s collection consists of more than 90,000 natural science, history, art and artifacts and specimens. Some of the highlights of this natural sciences and fine and decorative arts museum includes the significant mammoth exhibits. The Schaefer mammoth, named for the Paris, Wisconsin farm it was found on, was discovered in 1964 and fully excavated in 1993 and 1994. The exhibit bones are displayed and arranged exactly as they were discovered. The most exciting news is that the Schaefer mammoth discovery reveals that this site is one of the oldest areas of human habitation in all of the Americas – 1,000 years longer than originally thought and it documents the earliest interaction of mammoth and man east of the Mississippi River. The life-size Hebior mammoth replica represents the largest, most complete mammoth excavated in North America. This is a local treasure – it was excavated in Kenosha County.

As mentioned, there’s more to the museum than mammoths. Children enjoy the hand’s-on Field Station.

The Ice Age exhibit thrills with sealife overhead which gives the impression you’re in ocean.

The Wisconsin Story was my favorite exhibit. Visitors become immersed in the life of Native Americans and how they lived though the seasons hundreds of thousands of years ago.

And you will find a Pressed Penny Machine!

As soon as I walked into the Dinosaur Discovery Museum I thought of the movie Night in the Museum, mainly because of the T-Rex skeleton flashing his toothy grin – or growl. Once the vision passed, I became immersed in the the massive display of dinosaur skeletons. You can’t help but feel a deep appreciation for the variety of life that walked the planet before us. What’s also cool about the Dinosaur Discovery Museum is it focuses on the link between birds and meat-eating dinosaurs. In addition, the Carthage Institute of Paleontology, which focuses on conserving authentic dinosaur fossils, is based here.

Downstairs the children can explore and practice being paleontologists…

And make crafts and read dinosaur books…

Civil War Museum. Considering no Civil War battles were fought in Wisconsin, you may be surprised to find Kenosha has a state-of-the-art Civil War Museum. However, this region was involved in the war by providing troops and supplies. This Fiery Trial Exhibit tells the personal stories and shares the contributions of the men and women of the Upper Middle West – specifically, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota during this tense era. As you roam from exhibit to exhibit expect to be filled with emotion and pride.

You can board a train car and sit next to the passengers to hear their personal stories as they ride “The Iron Road to War.” Expect to spend a long time here. The museum is extensive and educational.

See how the men spent their time, fought to stay warm and the stories of courage and despair.

My kids fell in love with the Children Activities Corner upstairs. They were both entranced by the abundance of historic books and activities.

Touring these three Kenosha museums are a great way to spend the day. Both the Dinosaur Discovery Museum and Kenosha Public Museum offer free admission and Civil War Museum is $7 for adults and free for children under 15. Each location has a gift shop filled with nice souvenirs and memorabilia. Visit one or all – each Kenosha museum is fun to explore! Be sure to visit the Kenosha CVB website to learn more about this charming Wisconsin town.

I’ve lived in Los Angeles since 2003, but only now am I (somewhat shamefully) coming to fully appreciate all the many terrific attractions in downtown LA. This is largely because of the continuing emergence of a newly vibrant downtown; even 5 years ago, downtown Los Angeles basically shut down at 5:00 PM, when all the bankers, merchants (etc) would close up shop and head home. These days, downtown LA is experiencing something of a renaissance. The attractions in downtown Los Angeles vary from historic tours to foodie delights to bar hopping: There’s something for everyone in the downtown area these days. These are my 5 favorite attractions in downtown Los Angeles.

LA Live — This is a huge entertainment megacomplex — there’s even talk of putting a football stadium here, if Los Angeles ever gets that NFL team we keep hearing about. LA Live is more than bustling; there’s something to do or see here every day of the year. Nokia Plaza is a 40,000 square foot open-air plaza, and the Nokia Theatre/Club Nokia hosts world-class rock stars and musicians, as well as the annual ESPY Awards and the Primetime Emmy Awards. The Grammy Museum is part of LA Live as well. and, of course, LA Live hosts downtown Los Angeles meetings and conventions of all sizes. Staples Center is the massive sports arena right next to LA Live, and they’re often spoken of as one (though, technically, they aren’t).

Walt Disney Concert Hall — When ground was first broken for Walt Disney Concert Hall, it was a real head-scratcher. Back then, there wasn’t much to promote about downtown LA. Since then the Walt Disney Concert Hall has been seen as one of the motivating forces behind downtown LA’s revitalization. It’s hard to miss the beautifully designed architecture (by Frank Gehry) of this building, with undulating waves of silver…at one point, light reflecting off parts of it was so blinding to commuters that its reflectivity had to be toned down. That doesn’t diminish at all from what’s inside; genuine culture, in a city that’s stereotyped as being culturally bereft. The LA Philharmonic is led by internationally renown conductor and music director Gustavo Dudamel, but jazz, pop, country, and other musical genres are often on show at the LA Phil as well.

Los Angeles Conservancy Downtown Walking Tours — I first stumbled across a Los Angeles Conservancy walking tour in downtown LA when I was checking out the Millennium Biltmore hotel for an upcoming event. The group friendliness and engagement was so contagious that I was tempted to abandon the task at hand and join them for the rest of the afternoon. Downtown LA has different types of walking tours; the one I crossed paths with was focused on examining the Art Deco architecture that is seen on many historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles. Other walking tours include the Biltmore Hotel itself, Union Station, downtown’s modern architecture, the Broadway Historic Theatre and Commercial District, and more. Now, reservations are required for these walking tours, and they are only available on weekends. Plan ahead, and learn a little about LA’s history, culture and architecture.

El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument — As much as people complain about a a lack of culture in Los Angeles, they complain even more about a lack of history. El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument at Olvera Street handily belies that stereotype (though there’s truth to complaints about traffic, believe me). El Pueblo Historical Monument is considered the birthplace of Los Angeles, and Olvera Street is a focal point of the city’s culture, history, and art. There are the usual tourist trap sorts of shops here, but all in a more charming outdoor mercado environment. Southern California’s history is represented in this one distinct area, having been under Spanish rule (1781-1821), Mexican rule (1821-1847), and then, finally, part of the United States after that. My favorite highlight: The Avila Adobe which, built in 1818, is the oldest standing residence in all of Los Angeles.

The Museum of Contemporary Art — If art museums are your bag, you’ll love strolling through MOCA in downtown Los Angeles. It’s on South Grand Ave near Walt Disney Concert Hall, and while there are two other branches of MOCA in LA, this one is the main one. Pop art and contemporary collections include those of Roy Lichtenstein, mark Rothko, Robert Rauschenberg, and more. Other famous artists represented here include Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollack, Jasper Johns, David Hockney…the list goes on and on. While exhibits rotate, there’s always a crowd-pleaser on display. The  Museum of Contemporary Art is the only LA museum focusing purely on postwar art.

There are other activities in downtown LA, of course, the above are my own favorites. The food scene is really breaking out downtown, and probably deserves a post of its own. Also, the Chinese American Museum, located in LA’s original Chinatown in what is now part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument elucidates Chines Americans’ history and rich cultural legacy in the city and our country as a whole. Modern day Chinatown itself  is pretty good, though it doesn’t really compare to the Chinatowns of New York City or San Francisco. The first Saturday of every month has an “Undiscovered Chinatown” walking tour, and my favorite Chinatown restaurant is the Empress Pavilion; the all dim sum is really fun! Anyone traveling to Los Angeles will find plenty of culture, history and art activities downtown.

Los Angeles

For a small city, Portland, Oregon, offers plenty of things to do. A vacation in Portland is almost always centered on outdoorsy activities. What with the Columbia River Gorge right there, Portland attracts a certain type of soft adventure travel loving tourist. Portland is also a wonderfully “green” city in more ways than one: The plentiful rain leads to lots and lots of verdant vistas, and the general ethos of the small city is quite ecologically minded, as well. Travel to Portland, Oregon also should involve lots of culinary exploration; the food trucks, coffee shops, and funky original restaurants (not national chains) are a big part of Portland’s charm.

My brother- and sister-in-law live in Portland, and on a recent visit, they were perfect hosts to my (and their) family. We ate, did a waterfall hike, and saw the sights. It was a really fun weekend! Because my sister-in-law grew up in Portland, we were more than happy to follow her lead. Here are the family favorites from our vacation in Portland.

Things to Do in Portland, Oregon

Eat at one of the great McMenamin restaurants. The McMenamin brothers take old, sometimes closed houses, schools, and pubs and refurbish them to the theme of whatever the building originally was. The result is a series of completely original pubs and restaurants throughout Portland (and branching out through other parts of the Pacific Northwest, now). McMenamins pubs and breweries are, literally, tourist attractions in themselves, and should rank on any list of things to do in Portland, Oregon. Try the Kennedy School, which was an abandoned schoolhouse, now a hotel, restaurant, brewery, even a movie theater. Guests of the hotel will enjoy seeing how old classrooms have been converted into sleeping quarters, and the Courtyard Restaurant serves pub fare in what was once the school cafeteria. Another one of the McMenamin restaurants my family loved was Edgefield. It was originally a poorhouse (circa 1911), and is now a 74-acre property with guest rooms and hostel lodging, plus a pub, the Black Rabbit restaurant, Ruby’s Spa, and an on-site, working glass-blower and potter. The glass-blower sells his wares: There’s something really wonderful about seeing the vase you may buy be created in front of your eyes. My kids were fascinated.

Stay at Hotel Monaco Portland, a Kimpton hotel. We stayed here, and it was really a fun hotel. It fits Oregon perfectly, in that it’s slightly funky (wildly different wall colors, like purple and maroon, and comfortable, sometimes oversize furniture), very friendly, comfortable, and above all, green. Hotel Monaco Portland received the “silver tier” Green Seal certification for its commitment to environmental responsibility, and was one of two Portland Oregon hotels to receive the City of Portland’s “Recycle at Work” certification. It’s a luxury hotel — especially by the casual standards of Portland — and exceptionally dog-friendly. Portland, Oregon has to be one of the most dog-friendly cities I’ve seen, and this hotel holds true to this credo with an open-heartedness to dogs that’s really refreshing. Outside of staying at a McMenamin-renovated building for a vacation in Portland, the Kimpton hotels (another being Hotel Vintage Plaza) are highly recommended for the full Portland travel experience.

Hike to waterfalls around the Columbia River Gorge. Our family hikes were not difficult, though there are some challenging alternatives. I recommend the Multnomah Falls Trailhead as a great place to start. The Benson Bridge is super-easy to get to (more of an uphill stroll than a hike), as evidenced by the piles of other tourists and daytrippers. Hardy hikers can get all the way up to the top of Multnomah Falls, but families traveling in Portland with younger children should consider staying on the easy path. We hiked part of the Ak-Wanee Trail with our tween daughter; this trail starts flat and dry, but gets more rugged as it progresses. It is a 1978 branch of the Larch Mountain Trail, which is an older trail in the area, circa 1915. We also hiked around Wahkeena Falls trail, which is around 3 miles from the Larch Mountain Trail. Wahkeena Falls makes for another gorgeous but accessible waterfall hike. Unlike Multomah, it’s several smaller waterfalls instead of a single, grand waterfall.  The cascades are a very popular destination, though, and shouldn’t be missed. The highlight for my younger kid on this hike was grossing out her dad and uncle; she found a slimy banana slug (certainly not a rarity), and held it for a while. Hello, Purell!

Spend an afternoon at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). This is one of the best museums of its kind that I’ve seen. My children loved it; we could have spent all day there. There are plenty of interactive stations for children to experience; the hands-on learning here is as fun as it is educational. My younger kid is excited about robotics, and using the robotic arm to play a giant game of Connect Four kept her happily busy for a really long time. There’s a Portland Children’s Museum, too, but OMSI fit the bill so perfectly that we saw no need to go to the other museum. It’s not just for kids — OMSI After Dark has science fun for adults — but the planetarium, exhibit halls, and submarine are perfect for all ages. The submarine, by the way, is a real, decommissioned sub. The tour lets guests understand how submarines work, look through the periscope, push a few buttons (not all of them!) and get a real sense of what it’s like living in such close quarters.

Have a cup of coffee at a Stumptown Coffee Roasters. A much smaller coffee chain than most hailing from the Pacific Northwest –  yes, I’m looking at you, Seattle’s Best Coffee and Starbucks –  Stumptown gets its name from one of Portland’s many nicknames. (Originally a logging town, at one point Portland was so bereft of live trees in some areas that it begat this unusual nickname.) While the bagel was only average, the relaxed ambiance and fantastic coffee makes the Oregon roasters well worth a detour from Starbucks. The cappuccino was as good as that of any upscale restaurant.

Order a waffle at the Waffle Window. Yes, that’s right, Waffle Window. It’s a hilariously cute set-up, wherein people line up, place their orders at a drive-through style window — but on foot — and then take their waffles over to the adjacent picnic benches and dive right in.  There’s a small area reserved for indoor dining; this being Portland, rain is not exactly out of the question. The waffles are just fantastic, with generous and creative toppings. If you don’t want to fall off the nutrition bandwagon too far, try the granola and fruit waffle. On the other hand, you only live once, and this is a vacation weekend we’re talking about — why not go for the berry cheesecake waffle? At least you probably won’t be hungry again before nightfall.

We were too full from all the waffles to make room for anything from one of the food trucks in Portland. They’re pretty famous, though, and I’d be remiss not to mention them. At least now my family knows that’s another thing to do in Portland…and a great excuse for a return visit.

Thank you to the Hotel Monaco Portland for providing lodging for my family.

One of the more entertaining free or cheap things to do in Las Vegas is coming to an end, sad news for those of us who view the sparkling Strip with a bit of nostalgia. The Liberace Museum is closing. It’s impossible to miss the Liberace Museum’s building, constructed like a piano and all flash-bang attention grabbing. Though I only went to the Liberace Museum once, now I wish I’d made a point of revisiting it. Visitors to the Museum practically need to don a pair of sunglasses to dim the light bouncing off all the glitter, sequins and bling.

The Liberace Museum anchors a strip mall in Las Vegas that has many closed stores — hardly a destination shopping area, in other words. The New York Times reports that its assets won’t be sold off though, and may become a traveling museum. Over at Babble it’s reported that the “new Vegas” has tried to rebrand itself as less over-the-top glamorous, and while this may be true, it’s hardly evidenced on the Strip. What visitor to Las Vegas hasn’t been stunned by the in-your-face glam of it all, with Vegas showgirls, the live lions at MGM Grand, faux Italian appeal of the Venetian and more? People who go to Las Vegas generally know what they’re going to get (besides, perhaps, a lot more poor than when they arrived). The Liberace Museum ethos would seem to fit right in — heck, Liberace practically invented bling.

The mainstream shows, Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soleil, pop singers’ steady gigs and stand up comics making a  name for themselves are testament to the increased amount of sheer entertainment available for Las Vegas tourists. While the family-friendly Vegas thing is possible, it never took off, and those of us who travel to Las Vegas and don’t want to gamble have more entertainment and activity choices than ever. The Liberace Museum didn’t have the visitors it needed to sustain itself, what with all these options. Today’s young adults may not even have much of an idea of who Mr Showmanship was in the first place; he was most popular in the 1970′s, before they were born.

So much of Las Vegas is about self -invention. The Liberace Museum’s closing points to this, as it will make room for newer attractions. It’s the Vegas way, sure, but there’s something about the closing of a door to the bygone era of Liberace’s popularity that can make one wistful. Earlier I wrote that it’s impossible to miss the Liberace Museum’s building. I was wrong; I miss it already.

A cheap East Hampton vacation sounds impossible to the uninitiated, but it’s actually easier than it sounds. East Hampton has a lot of swanky stores and upscale eateries — plenty of things to do to spend your travel dollars in a weekend, if you’re not careful –  but there are also lots of cheap vacation attractions in East Hampton (and neighboring towns like Bridgehampton and Sag Harbor) to experience without busting your summer travel budget. I’ve been spending at least part of the summer out in East Hampton ever since I was a kid, and frankly, I don’t even care for the scene out here: well-heeled Bergdorf Blondes in their tennis skirts, acting blase when entertainment megastars sit near them at Babette’s Feast for lunch. I live in Los Angeles; I see plenty of that year ’round. When my family and I come to the Hamptons every summer for a vacation, we stay away from that “Hollywood East” stuff, and try to give our children a more genuine travel experience. …Although, the authentic Hampton summer experience may, indeed, involve strolling down Main Street, shopping at Tiffany’s and Coach, and preening on the sand at Atlantic Avenue Beach. But that’s not MY East Hampton vacation experience, and it doesn’t have to be your family’s, either.

Cheap East Hampton Vacation Attractions

Ashawagh Hall is a community center that acts as an art gallery. Different local artists’ pieces are shown and sold here year ’round, inlcuding folk artist, painters, and scuptors. The Ashawagh Hall Writers’ Workshop allows authors to read selections from their own stories and poems. The annual Artists of the Springs Invitational Exhibition is typically in August. This makes Ashawagh Hall a perfect, cultural respite from the crowds on Main Street and the ocean beaches.

The Pollock-Krasner House and Studio is another artistic Hamptons vacation pitstop. Jackson Pollack and his wife, fellow artist Lee Krasner, lived in this house, and Pollack painted in it until his death (in 1956, in East Hampton). You need to call ahead and ask for a tour, and the most interesting part of the house is the adjacent studio, where the splattered paint all over the floors makes it look as though the entire room is an architectural Jackson Pollack painting. For people interested in “Jack the Dripper,” this is a quality thing to do on a summer day.

Charles Parsons Blacksmith Building, right next to Ashawagh Hall, is another cheap Hamptons vacation activity — this one, especially of interest to children. My daughters are fascinated by the displays in this historic building and the demonstrations of blacksmithing. The blacksmith building was built in 1886, and was in operation until 1926. Today, the demonstrations are done by a genial blacksmith hobbyist — we consider our kids lucky when the timing works out.

The South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center (SOFO) opened around five years ago, hence still flies under the radar of many Hamptons summer tourists. It’s a fantastic little natural history museum, though, with live local marine and land animals carefully tended to by the SOFO staff. Kids love the marine touch tank and the “scavenger hunt,” and adults seem to really enjoy the quiet respite of the large observation deck. The young SOFO staff members are particularly adept at talking with children and adults alike about the flora and fauna of eastern Long Island. The small butterfly garden hosts an abundance of butterflies and ladybugs (in August, at least), and the nature path meandering through the large property provides for a peaceful walk. My father is on the board of this nonprofit museum.

The Children’s Museum of the East End is right across the street from SOFO, and is also around five years old. Babies, toddlers and children up to age five enjoy the tot-sized “Main Street,” with stores and a play vegetable stand, and the dress-up area, and the outdoor playground. Once children age out of the Children’s Museum, it’s a simple matter to cross the street and let them explore the natural history museum’s interactive displays.

The beaches are not cheap, in that you need to have a beach permit sticker in your car window. Temporary stickers cost around $100, and while guest permits used to be allowed on a cheaper, per day basis, the Hamptons towns are making these harder and harder to get. If you can hitch a ride, bike, or walk, it’s naturally free to go to one of East Hampton’s beaches. Main Beach, Atlantic Avenue Beach and Indian Wells are incredibly popular and crowded during the peak summer travel months. It’s quite a scene. If your family prefers a quieter, more mellow beach experience, I recommend going to the bays instead of the oceans. Less fashionable, yes, but here’s where you can find a relaxed atmosphere more in keeping with the rejuvenating experience of a beach vacation.

Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum has an impressive collection. There’s one in Amagansett, but the significant whaling and historical museum on the east end of Long Island is in Sag Harbor (bordering East Hampton).  Admission ranges from $1 to $5, making this a cheap Hamptons vacation activity — but it’s only open through October. In the off season, it’s available for group tours by appointment. Whaling used to be a major industry in the maritime village, and the house the museum is in was built in 1845. The museum has commemorated the whaling past of the Hamptons since 1936, and has an abundance of nineteenth century artifacts to rotate in its four galleries’ collections.

The annual Fisherman’s Fair is a terrific little fair, held just once every summer on the grounds around Ashawagh Hall. Try to make this a weekend your family travels to the Hamptons — the Fisherman’s Fair is a fun annual tradition that has great activities for younger children (my kids still like to make fish prints with actual flounders, paint, and paper). The clam pies, steamed mussels, and crab cakes are all made fresh with local ingredients, and for the seafood-adverse, the burgers and hot dogs are grilled to order. It’s a festive atmosphere, and the crowd is the opposite of pretentious. When our summer Hamptons vacation coincides with the Fisherman’s Fair, I love to admire the crafts of Hamptons-area artists as well.

There are other cheap things to do during an East Hampton vacation: Guild Hall has concerts and plays throughout the summer, the Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church (founded 1670) hosts the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival (check each one’s schedule), and the East Hampton Historical Society maintains homes and artifacts from centuries past. There are several playgrounds, and Book Hampton supports local authors too. Anyone thinking that a summer vacation in the Hamptons is by nature very expensive, would do well to consider some of these cheap East Hampton vacation attractions.