Road Trip!

Whether your family is exploring more of our state or taking a road trip up the East Coast this summer, there are a wide variety of programs that can broaden your vacation experience. Girls can learn more about the places that you are visiting by looking into some of the local Girl Scout council-own programs and other activities that IàÔve provided below. If your vacation plans take you into other regions of the country, check with the local council for available programs. As with all council-own programs, please contact the specific council first to request permission to use their program and to check on availability of patches (and be sure to thank them for sharing their program with you.) Note that not all programs have requirements available online, but you may request a hard copy be mailed to you when you contact them.

àÌMany National Parks offer visitors the opportunity to join the National Park Service Family as Junior Rangers. Interested students complete a series of activities during their park visit, share their answers with a park ranger, and receive an official Junior Ranger badge or patch and Junior Ranger certificate.àÏ Some programs are even available by taking a virtual tour of the park. IàÔve included the 7 Junior Ranger programs available in Florida for you below.

For fun, girls might like to collect patches from Advantage Emblem for each state that they travel to.

Help those miles turn into smiles with creative games for the road. Check out Car Travel Games For Big Kids or turn your trip into a Kid's Treasure Hunt. And, remember to save those sample-sized motel toiletries for our councilàÔs fall Holiday Gifts For Children service project (formerly Migrant Farm Boxes). Have a great trip!

Florida

• Walk back in time as you explore our nationàÔs oldest city and earn the St. Augustine try-it or badge or the Fernandina patch (Amelia Island) by GS of Gateway Council, FL
• Florida History patch through GS of Palm Glades Council
• Historically Speaking Florida patch program from Patchworks Designs
• Hike one of FloridaàÔs Historic Trails and earn a patch. Each trail has it's own historical pamphlet.
• Visit and camp at one of our Florida State Parks. Many parks offer patch segments that can be added to a main Florida State Park patch.
• Become a Junior Ranger at the below Florida sites within the National Park Service:

Gulf Islands National Seashore at the Fort Pickens area in Pensacola Beach

Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve in Jacksonville

Fort Caroline National Memorial in Jacksonville

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine

Fort Matanzas National Monument in St. Augustine

Canaveral National Seashore

Everglades National Park

• For a variety of seaside programs go to my By the Beautiful Sea webpage.

Georgia

• Girls are invited to learn more about the founding of our organization during a visit to Savannah. Daisy's Neighborhood Try-it, Badge & IP is available through the GS Council of Savannah, GA.
• Additional patch programs available through GS Council of Savannah include: Coastal Georgia, Discover Savannah, and Savannah Safari.
• Historically Speaking Georgia patch or Historically Speaking Savannah patch programs from Patchworks Designs
• Atlanta Zoo patch program by GS Council of NW Georgia

South Carolina

• Historically Speaking South Carolina patch program from Patchworks Designs

North Carolina /Tennessee

• GS of Tanasi Council, TN has developed the Smokey Mt Try-It, Badge, & IP to broaden girlsàÔ experiences while visiting this national park.
• Learn more about the regionàÔs Native Americans with activities from the Native People try-it, badge, and IP from GS of Tanasi Council, TN.
• If heading over Nashville way, check out the Tennessee State Museum, which has a Tennessee State History Patch for children to earn. GSC of Cumberland Valley has a number of patch programs for this area including a Voices of The Valley Music Note Pin which you may be interested in.
• GSC of Coastal Carolina, NC has a number of council-own programs developed for their area: Coastal Carolina Living patch, Exploring North Carolina patch, and Moores' Creek Battlefield patch (Heroic Women of the American Revolution).
• The following patch programs are from Pines of Carolina GSC, NC: Historical Raleigh, Know Your State Capital, Old Salem, NC Zoological Park, and Know Your Coast
• Historically Speaking North Carolina patch program from Patchworks Designs
  

Virginia

• Girls can hike the Appalachain Trail and earn Virginia Skyline CouncilàÔs Appalachain Trail Badge or Appalachain Trail IP
• The Explore Patch Program Series at GSC of Colonial Coast include: Chesapeake, Colonial Williamsburg, Hampton, Hampton, Historic Jamestowne, Newport News, Norfolk, Outer Banks, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Yorktown.
• Become a Virginia Time Traveler. àÌExplore Virginia's museums and historic sites, attend special events and you can earn a colorful Time Travelers t-shirt, certificate and more...Travels began March 1 and run through November 1, 2003.àÏ Visit six of the listed sites to get your passport stamped during the time period to qualify. Patchworks Designs offers a Time Traveler patch for this program.
• Historically Speaking Virginia patch program from Patchworks Designs

West Virginia

• Historically Speaking West Virginia patch program from Patchworks Designs

Washington DC

• GSC of the NationàÔs Capital has developed two patch programs that girls may earn when visiting their city: National Zoo Safari patch and Discover Our Nation's Capital patch with patch segments for study of statuary, gardens, and transportation
• The Girl Scouts Love DC (click Patch Programs) was developed by GS Suffolk County, NY in remembrance of 9/11.
• Historically Speaking Washington DC patch program from Patchworks Designs
  
  

Maryland

• Maryland State try-it by Penn Laurel GSC, PA
• Chesapeake Bay and Maryland Heritage patch programs from GS of Central Maryland Council.
• Historically Speaking Maryland patch program from Patchworks Designs

Delaware

• Historically Speaking Delaware patch program from Patchworks Designs

Pennsylvania

• The Girl Scouts Love PA (click Patch Programs) was developed by GS Suffolk County, NY in remembrance of 9/11.
• Hemlock GS Council has developed the Experience Harrisburg try-it, badge and IPA.
• A variety of patch programs are available through Penn Laurel GSC, including the Pennsylvania State try-it; and the Gettysburg Historic Brownie patch, Junior badge and Cad/Sr IPA.

• Historically Speaking Pennsylvania patch program from Patchworks Designs
• Safari Quest patch program at the Philadelphia Zoo

New Jersey

• Historically Speaking New Jersey patch program from Patchworks Designs
• GS of Delaware-Raritan, NJ invites you to learn about pioneer life with activities in their Life in Colonial Times try-it or Junior Colonist Badge. Also, explore lighthouses along their coast with the Lighthouse Try-It, Lighthouse Badge and Lighthouse IP. Also available is their Civil War badge and IPP
• The Boy Scouts have a number of historic trails in New York and New Jersey that offer a patch upon completion. They invite others to participate in many of the programs. They also have compiled a listing of suggested Day Trips in NYC.

New York

• The Girl Scouts Love NYC (click Patch Programs) was developed by GS Suffolk County, NY in remembrance of 9/11. This council also has a Statue of Liberty Try-It and Badge
• Historically Speaking New York and Liberty Island/Ellis Island patch programs from Patchworks Designs.
• GS of Genesee Valley has developed patch programs for: the Susan B. Anthony's House and the Rochester Heritage Hike
• The Discover Albany - Uncover the Fun patch program was developed by GS Hudson Valley Council.
• The Boy Scouts have compiled a listing of Historic Trails in New York and New Jersey as well as NYCàÔs Top Ten Nature Walk (scroll down). Many of these offer a patch upon completion. A listing of suggested Day Trips in NYC is also available for reference.

Massachusetts

• PatriotsàÔ Trail GSC provides Information for Troops Planning to Visit the Boston Area
• Learn about BostonàÔs history and landmarks through the Freedom Trail Patch program available at PatriotsàÔ Trail GSC, MA. Juniors could earn the Birth of Our Nation badge.
• GSC of SE Massachusetts developed a Civil War History patch program for Juniors.
• Take a summer whale-watching cruise from Cape Cod to learn more about whales and why they are endangered when you follow the World of Whales patch program from GS San Diego-Imperial Council, CA. Other possible options are the Whale Watching badge or part of the Seashore Life IP from GS of Tres Condatos Council, CA (click GSTC Programs, then Badges and Patches, and scroll to the bottom). Ask if you might adjust the program to cover Atlantic rather than Pacific whale watching.

(May 2004)