The651.com

For me, the key to a good family activity is finding something that will sufficiently entertain both parents and children. In the case of our visit last weekend to the final installment of Urban Expedition at Landmark Center, I was fairly certain that the interests of all parties would be attended to. Urban Expedition is a series of 5 cultural events that feature a different country and takes place on Sundays in March and April. I was familiar with this series as it has taken place each year over the last couple years, but I have not had the opportunity to attend prior to this.

Sunday’s event was dedicated to the Czech Republic / Slovakia (the others were Nepal, Chile, Somalia and Egypt), and featured the prerequisite native costumes, with music, dancing and food, plus crafts and vendors ranging from jewelry and cultural clubs to information on the Ms. Czech Minnesota contest. Urban Expedition is definitely billed as a kid-friendly event, but I was struck by the number of adults in attendance. None-the-less, there were plenty of activities to keep the young ones entertained.

The series features an activity called Passport to Adventure. To participate, kids attend each or any of the events in the series, visit a few passport stations at the event and write something they learned about each country in the passport. Upon entering Landmark Center, they have the chance to get their picture taken, it’s placed in the passport and off they go. My 4 year old daughter Anna is chronically shy in these situations and refused to get her picture taken, but my 7 year old son Leo was persuaded to participate and enjoyed it. The stations offered projects and entertainment areas, such as a postcard making table and a puppet show. Czech children’s books, toys and other artifacts were also on display.

One thing I’ve learned as a parent is that kids love costumes and perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this event for Leo and Anna was seeing other children decked out in costumes and participating in dances. This, plus the hot dogs and dessert, was enough to make the visit worthwhile by Brock children standards.

Although this was the last of the series for this year’s Urban Expedition, I definitely recommend families pencil it in on their calendars for 2012. Also, Landmark Center is a magnificent building, one of my favorite places in Saint Paul. It offers year-round events, many of which (similar to Urban Expedition) are geared towards families. It features a visitor information center that provides info on events and attractions in Saint Paul, plus the terrific Uncle Sam Worked Here exhibit, the American Association of Woodturners Galleries, The Schubert Club Museum of music and the Ramsey County Historical Society’s exhibit. Though the permanent exhibits and galleries may not be well-suited for young kids, the building itself is spectacular, and the view from the upper floors to the atrium and cortile below will fascinate most children and makes Landmark Center worth dropping in on from time to time. For more information, check out www.landmarkcenter.org.