Time Travel Vacation – 6 Ways to Vacation in the Past without a Time Machine

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Eric Watermolen from Eden Journal.

Imagine a future where time travel is possible. We are free to travel backward in time to any point in history. Where would you go? Who would you like to meet? What time period would you like to visit? Wouldn’t it be fun to take a vacation and travel back in time? A time travel vacation.

You could go back to ancient Rome and see how this great society flourished. You could go back to the times of Jesus, and meet the man in person. You could go back to the early days of your country and see how your forefathers formed your government. You could see how folks lived before flush toilets and running water.

Luckily, history is a very interesting subject. So much so that you can likely a time travel vacation without leaving your town, and without risking life and limb in a time machine. (I’ve seen Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and that phone booth time machine looks dangerous.)

Here are six ways to travel back in time without setting foot in a time machine.

1. Visit Historic Homes

Most cities I’ve lived in or visited have historic homes open to the public. Many of these are beautifully restored to their original glory. Most charge a small and reasonable fee to explore the house and many often have guided tours. These guided tours are the true gems, as the tour guides are a wealth of information. They will tell you all about the house, its inhabitants, the items in the house, and often little bits of trivia and interesting facts. I like to imagine myself living in the historic house and think about what a typical day might be like. Imagine walking down to the well for water or reading by candlelight. Imagine living without air conditioning during the hottest days of summer. A visit to a historic house can really make you appreciate all the things we have today.

Even my small town of 20,000 residents has a beautifully restored historic home. An easy way to find historic homes in your area is to simply Google search “historic home your-city.” This will usually turn up a historic home in or near your city.

2. Visit a Historic Site

Like historic homes, many cities also have historic sites. While some of these sites are might also be historic homes, many are other bits of history. Things like old forts, battle fields, landmarks, bridges, light houses, train stations, factories, etc. The list really goes on and on. Historic sites are fun because they usually come with some good stories, especially if you have a good tour guide. And for those sites that don’t offer tours, they usually have signs describing the events surrounding this little bit of history.

3. Visit a Local History Museum

Most towns I’ve visited have a history museum. Some are small and quaint and others are large and expansive. These museums are great places to learn about the history of the local area. I always find it very interesting to see how people lived in various regions and areas of the country. There are often quite dramatic differences, as the environment played a larger role before the days of electricity and modern conveniences. They also have artifacts from the area and often tell stories of the people that inhabited the area.

4. Visit your Childhood Home

What better way to be a blast form the past than to visit your childhood home? My parents actually still live in the home I grew up in, so it’s easy for me. I like to walk around the yard there and remember bits and pieces from my childhood. If your parents no longer live in your childhood home, you can still head back there and visit the old neighborhood. See what changes have been made and see what things have remained unchanged. If it’s a friendly sort of town, you may even knock on the door of your childhood home and ask the new residents if you might come in for a minute. If you’re going to try that, I recommend brining some old photos to share with the new residents. It will make them feel more comfortable about letting a stranger in, and will be fun for both parties.

5. Attend a History Themed Event

Many communities have history themed events at various times of the year. These can be in the form of battle reenactments, renaissance fairs, pioneer days, or historic living. We have a place nearby that has a big pioneer fair each year. The location is an old pioneer settlement, and they have people dressed in period clothing and working period jobs. Attending an event like this is a great way to slip back into history and experience bits of it firsthand.

6. Visit a Theme Park with History Themed Areas

When thinking history, theme parks aren’t usually the first thing popping to mind. Many theme parks do offer glimpses of history. The Disney parks are especially good at slipping a little history into your day and making it fun. At the Magic Kingdom in Florida, they have a steam ship, Tom Sawyer Island, The Hall of Presidents, World of Tomorrow (which is the future as perceived in the 1970s.) At Epcot the main attraction (that big giant Epcot ball) houses Spaceship Earth; a ride that takes you back through the history of our little planet. Epcot also has the Universe of Energy that takes you back to the times of the dinosaurs. Next time you’re planning that family vacation to a theme park, slip in a little history; the kids probably won’t even know you’re doing it.

My family loves to add a little history to our vacations, and these six items have served us well. I hope you can add a little history to your next vacation. Of course, you don’t have to wait until your vacation; many of these time travel trips can be taken right in your own town and can be great mini time travel vacations to take on the weekends.

Do you have other ideas for time traveling? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments section.

Eric Watermolen writes at Eden Journal where he shares ideas of Personal Development and Self Improvement.