Eight Unique Souvenirs and Keepsakes to Collect When Traveling:

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Many people purchase souvenirs when vacationing as a way to remember their adventures; ornaments, snow globes, and postcards are common mementos children collect and display at home. When our children were younger they collected some of these items (ornaments were especially popular) but over time, we’ve started purchasing and collecting souvenirs that represent a city, attraction, or culture we have experienced. This week, we’re sharing some of the more memorable souvenirs we’ve eaten, collected, and displayed in our home to remind us of wonderful adventures:

kids at Oh My! Cupcakes in Sioux Falls SD
  1. National Park Stamps, stickers, and Junior Ranger badges: My personal favorite keepsake! Almost 20 years ago, my uncle introduced me to the National Park System and shared his love of exploring some of the 52 National Parks in America. Since the early 1970s he and my aunt have collected stamps at dozens (hundreds maybe?) of sites they have explored. His passport is worn, dog eared, and thick as can be in the best possible way. Over the past 14 years I have collected tons of passport stamps and earned lots of Junior Ranger badges; our son had his own passport and loved completing the Junior Ranger booklets, too. 
  2. Personalized candles from Yankee Candle Village in Deerfield, Massachusetts: Visitors can enjoy an entire day at Yankee Candle Village, exploring everything from the Bavarian Christmas Village and meeting Santa Claus (he’s there ALL year!), shopping for a wide variety of Yankee Candle merchandise and housewares, and tasting everything from Yankee candy and fudge to maple products. There’s also seasonal activities and various holiday themed programs. A great memento of your visit is customizing (size, scent, and label!) a Yankee Candle.
mother and son posing with National Park passport books
  1. Glass souvenirs: The 20,000 square foot Pittsburgh Glass Center in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania has an art gallery, educational classrooms, and art studios open to the public by reservation for independent work and guided hands-on classes. Visitors (and locals!) can join a Walk In and Make It Now session to make everything from ornaments and bowls to paperweights and jewelry and take a finished product home in less than three days (the center will also mail creations home). 
  2. T shirts from sports venues: Many of our road trips have involved rooting for the home baseball team (we’ve explored 24 of the 30 MLB parks in American and Canada) and we often buy t-shirts when we’re in a new town (or wear shirts supporting our beloved Boston Red Sox). We’ve also collected shirts from football stadiums, racing tracks, and hockey rinks. Many sports venues have ticket packages and Kids Club that include apparel for children and are a great value. 

family outside Fenway Park in Boston wearing Red Sox shirts
  1. Holiday trees: When we first started road tripping we collected a Christmas ornament from each new city. We still enjoy displaying them on our tree each December. More recently, we’ve begun a “tree collection” that we keep up throughout the entire winter. Many popular cities have a “Christmas Shop” filled with handmade unique gifts, including trees made from everything from wood to ribbon to felt. Some of our favorites come from the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina; Mount Tremblant and Old Quebec in Canada; and Newport, Rhode Island. 
  2. Nutcrackers: Another popular holiday themed souvenir is the nutcracker. There seem to be an endless variety of nutcrackers that are dressed to celebrate various cultures, time periods, cities, sports themes, and hobbies. Some attractions, like Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, even have  collections on display.
nutcrackers on display at Old Sturbridge Village's Christmas by Candlelight

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  1. Medals and awards: Some of our favorite resorts offer programs that include “friendly” competitions and activities. Woodloch, one of our most favorite resorts, has a full calendar of daily activities and awards nightly medals for various competitions. We have loved collecting medals over the years (and having the bragging rights, too!)
  2. Edible treats: Several chocolate shops and ice cream brands around America offer “behind the scenes” and “factory” tours where guests can sample a variety of specialities made on premises. Ben and Jerry’s Factory Experience in Waterbury, Vermont includes a factory tour AND ice cream samples (as well as the chance to bring home pints of dozens of flavors!) and Turkey Hill Experience in Lancaster, Pennsylvania includes ice cream making workshops and unlimited samples of ice cream and Turkey Hill lemonade and iced teas. Fascia’s Chocolates in Waterbury, Connecticut has a teaching lab where “students” can learn about the chocolate making process and create their own chocolate bars to bring home; Hershey World in Hershey, Pennsylvania has a similar program that also includes a keepsake container for storing chocolate.
family posing in front of Woodloch resort sign holding medals
  • family inside pretend ice cream tub at Turkey Hill Experience in PA

New England based, part high school English teacher, part non profit founder, part road tripper who LOVES hopping in the family SUV to explore America. Our bucket list includes National Parks, MLB stadiums, presidential libraries, and eating wherever the locals eat!

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