Looking for a no-cost activity to enjoy for an hour or so with grandchildren? Want an excuse to stroll 2nd Avenue in Decatur? Interested in brushing up on some history of the River City? Then, what are you waiting for? Click here, print out the clue map at home or download it on your phone, park near The Princess Theater, and prepare for some fun. You'll begin directly in front of The Princess and end right across the street.
Breathe fresh air, get some exercise, learn a few fun facts, and find 10 bronze turtles that want to be found.
You'll discover a turtle with a top hat, a turtle with barbering scissors, a turtle with a suitcase on its back, and a turtle playing the saxophone, to name a few. The turtles have names like Mikey, Loyd, Governor Albert, Barbara, Peggy, Nicky, Casey, Mason, Harry, and Sam, and those names connect to the clues and historical locations.
I went turtle-hunting on a recent Saturday morning with my Silver Fox, who was born and reared in Decatur. He had vague memories of some of the historical connections and found himself learning things he'd never known before. Now we KNOW we want to take some of our youngest grands along next time. They'll have a ball. And they will especially love going by Cook Museum of Natural Science after they find all10 turtles to get their special prize. The turtles are a natural tie-in to the museum as well as to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.
It's free. It's interesting. It's fun.
(P.S. In case you were counting, I've only included photos of 8 turtles in this post. The other 2 will be surprises).
For more information about the sites chosen for each turtle, go to this website -- http://decaturdowntown.org/turtle-trail/ In the block for each turtle, you'll see instructions that say: "Read more about this location." Click on it for additional fascinating facts.
I have also discovered that the trail was developed by Lucy Orr. She did an outstanding job.
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