Day Tripping On The Cheap

We had planned to make the rounds of yard sales on Saturday, but the rain sort of ruined our plans. So what to do with the kids on a rainy Saturday that’s educational, fun and (most important to my budget) cheap?

Well, never fear, the City of Brotherly Love came through again. First, our foursome (one 6 year old in pigtails, one 12 year old art lover, my dh and I) headed over to the historic district, where we visited the Betsy Ross House on Arch Street. This is a great bargain – $3 for adults, $2 for kids, which means we could flag down (hee) an educational museum experience for just one Alexander Hamilton ($10).

And we were doubly lucky on this particular trip. First, the guy selling us the tickets asked if we wanted the audio tour, which was being offered at the sale price of just a dollar that day (it’s usually two). So we snatched up the headphones, which saved us a lot of reading aloud. (Note to self: wait until the kids are old enough to read before taking them to museums. If that’s impossible, bring along a lot of Sucrets.)

Second, the museum was holding a special exhibit called Marching to the White House: Election Memorabilia from the Sublime to the Ridiculous which was free with admission. This was so neat – presidential campaign buttons (like “Nixon Now!” and “All the Way With JFK“) were displayed along with surprising posters (Elvis for president? Really?) and even Jimmy Carter toilet paper. The kids had a blast checking out the oddball items, while I tried to see which campaigns I could actually remember based on the memorabilia (I’ll admit to the Nixon – Humphrey race).

After finishing the tour, we were directed to the courtyard, where the famed seamstress and her husband are buried. Although we were too late to catch her Saturday, “Betsy Ross” also makes personal appearances out there and is quick to teach children her one-snip method of making five-pointed stars.

The campaign memorabilia will be on display through May. Betsy Ross makes the rounds daily, with a special story hour on Sunday mornings.

Black and Decker Will Take You Day Trippin’

In honor of the launch of CitiesOnTheCheap – and in the spirit of my blog post yesterday – the good folks at Black and Decker are offering OnTheCheap readers a chance to win the latest in Day Trip gadgetry – the Black and Decker portable 100 watt Power Inverter. Just plug this handy dandy little gadget into your car’s cigarette lighter and instantly you have a portable household outlet – perfect for recharging iPods, cell phones and all those other electronic devices that make riding in the car for an hour so much more pleasant than it was when I was growing up. (Twenty seven rounds of “Kumbya,” anyone?)

So how do you win one for your own? Simple. In my post “Quoth the Raven,” I shared a recent day trip I took with two of my children. Now I want you to do the same. Share a great day trip destination in the Delaware Valley.  This way, I’ll have new ideas the next time my family hits the road…and you may just have your very own Power Inverter.  No more “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” for you.

ALSO – IMPORTANT – Leave your email address with the post. If you don’t wish to do that, please email your address to me at phillyonthecheap at gmail.com. I need some way to reach you if you win!

Post your idea in the comments section between now and March 20.  For you sticklers, the official rules are here, and the winner will be chosen at random.  Good luck, and happy launching, CitiesOnTheCheap!