The saying “necessity is the mother of invention” can be traced back to ancient Greece to both Aesop, of the famed Fables, and the philosopher, Plato. Somewhere around the mid-1800s, an Englishman translated the saying as we know it today. Whatever the origin, we find it interesting that both mothers and inventors are honored in the month of May. Make a plan to check out some of these inventor-focused spots.
First off, let’s start with women inventors. If you’re planning a camping trip to Brennan Beach, make sure that the Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca, New York, is on your agenda. The Museum honors the outstanding accomplishments of American women in many areas including the arts, humanities, and science, and includes several inventors such as Virginia Apgar, a physician whose test, known as the Apgar Score, is still given to newborn babies born in the U.S; Madam C.J. Walker (aka Sara Breedlove), a Black entrepreneur who pioneered a hair and grooming system for African-Americans; and Stephanie Kwolek, a chemist working for DuPont Chemicals whose work led to the discovery of the fabric used in the bullet-proof Kevlar vest. Museum information can be found at womenofthehall.org.
Then there are the women inductees in the Inventors Hall of Fame in Alexandria, Virginia. A special exhibit “Women in Innovation” honors women inventors and features several interviews from women and girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Inductees to the museum from the class of 2022 include the three women who created the revolutionary Jogbra. Admission is free and the museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the first Saturday of every month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information visit invent.org/museum/plan-your-visit. Camp at nearby Thousand Trails Harbor View to visit the museum.
If computers are your thing, plan a trip to the Computer History Museum (about a half-hour’s drive from Thousand Trails Morgan Hill). Open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the museum has several exhibits that detail the history of computing, several cool demo labs, and is home to the world’s largest computer chip! For details, visit computerhistory.org.
A great idea when camping at Florida’s Encore Pioneer Village is to head over to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates attraction, which is home to the winter estates of two of America’s greatest inventors, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. In addition to touring the two historic homes, visitors can tour the gardens and other historic buildings including the Edison Botanical Research Laboratory where, in 1928, concerned about America’s dependence on foreign rubber sources, Edison, Ford, and Harvey Firestone teamed up to research alternate sources that could be grown in the U.S. Details on this historic attraction can be found at edisonfordwinterestates.org.
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- Plan a Mother’s Day fit for a queen, since mom is the queen of the family after all!
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- Explore the Thousand Trails Camping Pass and the Thousand Trails Cabin Pass
- Find more campgrounds at ThousandTrails.com.