We are closing on our house later today. I’m ridiculously excited and impatient to start getting settled, but I’m also a little sad because it means we definitely aren’t traveling the US for the next 5 years. I really wanted to see all the National Parks.

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

Our first stop was going to be Texas and while we were there, I was planning to explore Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. I was excited to learn that you can take a Virtual Tour of the main floor of the Texas White House, which is closed for renovations. You can also tour Junction School , his Childhood Home and watch Videos from tour guides telling you about the park.

Homeschool Tie-In

The LBJ Library has a plethora information that is perfect for Homeschooling. My favorite are A Vote Is a Powerful Thing for early elementary students, Jim Crow to Johnson which is a history of Civil right in the south aimed at middle school students and I Shall not Seek where high school students can compare Johnson’s choices with Biden’s.

Shenandoah National Park

Located in Virginia, this is on my bucket list of places to visit. The virtual tour doesn’t offer the trails or waterfalls but it does have some of the buildings. There is the Massanutten Lodge, Dickey Ridge which offers a glimpse of the mountains, a descriptive tour of The river cabin and Pocosin Cabin. Now I just need a bear encounter to make it feel real.

Homeschool Tie-In

The National Parks Service has Virtual Field trips to do with your kids. There is a Virtual habitats trip for your 2nd grader. The Virtual Ecosystems trip compares human and animal communities with your 4th grader. My final favorite is 5th grade Virtual Geology but that might be because my kid is super into rocks.

I hope you enjoyed taking a mini trip with me. Thank you for distracting me from my impatience.

Have a great day!

Kristie