The Southeast

Kids impressed by superlatives will find plenty of them – the highest mountain peak east of the Mississippi River, the oldest continually occupied city in the U.S., the first permanent English settlement in North America, the longest hiking-only footpath in the world, the longest-known system of caves, to name just a few. Kids will want to pack a bag and hop on a train to travel through mountains, plateaus, swamps, marshlands, and plains. History buffs may want to time travel to the days of Daniel Boone or to the time when the Confederacy challenged the nation. Those interested in Booker T. Washington, Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, and Frederick Douglass will find plenty to sate their appetite.

Kids who wonder where their “stuff” comes from will want to know that if it comes into or leaves the U.S., there’s a good chance it’ll pass through a port along the Southeast coast. Young naturalists will appreciate getting to know the Florida Everglades, one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems, while beach enthusiasts will want to put Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Miami, Florida, on their to-go list. If it’s music they’re interested in, kids will find variety here and plenty of it, from jazz in New Orleans to country in Nashville. With the possibility of diamonds in Diamond State Park, Arkansas, and the vision of gold bullion in Fort Knox, Kentucky, the Southeast has something to spark just about everyone’s interest.