State Capitol Building – Why Bother Visiting with the kids?

We visited two state capitol buildings in one week (State Capitol Building in Austin, Texas and the State Capitol Building in Denver, CO) and I thought that might be some sort of record. My kids, though, assured me that surely somewhere someone had done this very thing before so alas….I shall have to just settle on it being a personal best type of record. 😉

State Capitol Building: A few questions:

1) Have you visited the state capitol building? A state capitol building? Your state capitol building?

2) If yes…..did you do so because you were dragged there as part of a) a school field trip or b) a family field trip where your mom was determined you would not be intellectually lazy for the summer?

3) If you went of your own accord…. Are you a history major? Do you work in the building? I would love to hear your reason for the visit in the comment section below.

We visited the state capitol buildings in both Austin, Texas

and Denver, Colorado in the same week.

Both are gorgeous buildings that are amazingly ornate,

full of history, and serve important functions as a space for government offices.

But….isn’t that a little dull for the kids?  How can any building compete with a water slide or a camel ride at the zoo? At first glance, it doesn’t, but dig a little deeper and these buildings can tell fascinating stories and give the whole family something to talk about.

How high is it is the Capitol Building?

Colorado’s state capitol building:

This building is more than 1 mile above sea level. That is how Denver got the nickname “The Mile High City” and you can find the mile high markers on the front steps of the capitol. Yes, markers plural. Over the years different groups have measured and each decided how far up was a mile. Take a photo near the one you feel is most accurate. We went with the latest that was measured by the newest measurement technology – GPS.

How many stars does the State Capitol Building have?

Texas’ state capitol building:

Texas is called the Lone Star State because there is only one star on the flag. But, Texas LOVE that one star. You will find it EVERYWHERE you look in the capitol building. How many can you find? This is a door knob!

Does anyone in your party like bling?

Colorado’s state capitol building has a dome that is covered in….GOLD. 24 K gold. How is that for bling? Guess how many ounces it takes to cover the entire dome. (Answer at the bottom of the article.) This gold has is well traveled! It was mined in Colorado, refined in Utah, and hammered into leaf in Florence, Italy.

Everything is BIGGER in Texas – even the State Capitol Building.

The saying is true. Everything really IS bigger in Texas. The state capitol building in Texas in the biggest in the nation – even the dome is 7 feet taller than the Nation’s capitol in Washington, D.C.

See? Historical sights can be interesting and fun! History is valuable and we need to expose kids to history because we all know…..

“Those who do not remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.”

George Santayana

If a repeat of history wouldn’t be bad enough…without knowledge of history our kids will only have knowledge of water slides, lions at the zoo, and Sponge Bob. What sort of a future will that bring? To them? To our country?

Refresh your memory and introduce your kids to the history of your town and all the places you visit. Learn together! They don’t need to remember every detail or date, and neither do you. Maybe they will be history majors and maybe they won’t, but being well rounded and knowledgeable about the world around them is a PLUS!! Learning the story behind the history and the world makes the whole place more interesting.

Search it up yourself or look to my eBooks for help. If you need a new destination for your travels, let me know. I’m always working on another one!

Happy Educational and Eye Opening Travels,

Natalie, The Educational Tourist

ANSWER: 65 ounces