My love for travel really started with my Dad. My brother, sister and I would hop into the Mustang or Station Wagon and head out on a Saturday with my Dad. But we would never know where we were going. These Saturday adventures were called the Mystery Ride.
Why just go to a movie in the next town, nope, my Dad made it an adventure. The kids must have asked a million questions, but that was the point. He provided a foundation for our curious minds and supported our wild imaginations.
He would actually ride in and out of parking lots of places that he had no plans of stopping at. We had no idea and would cheer or jeer at these so called detours. We had a name for it, “Burger King,” as that was his favorite parking lot to drive through. And it was never our destination.
The “Mystery Ride” is now part of our family story when we talk about our childhoods and how much fun we had. I am not sure how many Saturday adventures we went on, but it seemed like a weekly thing for a child. My Dad rocked the “Mystery Ride” with adventures to places, including:
- A Diner we did not know
- Great Adventure
- Turtle Back Zoo
- A Broadway Show
- The Ground Round
- The Land of Make Believe
- The Movies
- Bow Craft Amusements
- Arcades
- Asbury Park
- A Ferry Ride
- New Hope, PA
- New York City
- Cider Farm
- Hayride
- Children’s Museum
- Planetarium
- Ice Cream Shop
To plan a Mystery Ride, have a plan, but take the long way and build up the anticipation in your children or nieces and nephews. Let them ask you a million questions and go someplace they know, but then head back out.
What a great idea on building up curious minds, making it fun a long the way.