Did Dr. Seuss mean a lot to you? There are places you can go, it’s true. Whether you’re big or small, short or tall, red or blue, here are three fun things to see and do. So enjoy the man, read his books. Take a trip, have a look!
1. Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden at the Springfield Museums. Springfield, Mass.
Nearly a century ago, Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Mass. He grew up on Fairfield Street, the son of a parks commissioner who was in charge of the Forest Park Zoo.
When Geisel began writing children’s books under the pen name Dr. Seuss, he peppered his stories with references to Springfield. According to local historians, a Knox tractor was reinterpreted as Sylvester McMonkey McBean’s truck in The Sneetches and Springfield’s mayor and police officers appear as caricatures in And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which was named after a local thoroughfare.
The city created the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden at the Springfield Museums as a tribute to Geisel and his imaginative work. Open year-round, the sculpture garden is divided into three large groupings of familiar characters, including the Lorax; the Grinch and his dog, Max; and the Cat in the Hat, to name a few.
2. Universal Studios Orlando’s Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure. Orlando.
This colorful, whimsical section of the massive Universal Studios theme park features kiddie rides that also appeal to nostalgic parents.
Start with the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride, which provides a bird’s-eye view of Circus McGurkus, the Sneetches and other favorite Seuss characters. Then delve a little deeper by riding the animatronic animals of the Caro-Seuss-el. (Go ahead, pull on the reigns and see what happens!) Or pilot a fish on One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. The entire story of The Cat in the Hat is retold on the ride of that name. As a bonus, you get to travel on a couch.
3. Geisel Library. San Diego.
In 1991, Geisel died in La Jolla, Calif. Four years later, the University of California at San Diego renamed this library building in his honor.
Appropriately enough, it looks like a flying saucer, which has given rise to rumors that it’s been featured in sci-fi TV shows and movies like “Star Trek” and Close Encounters of the Third Kind as a spaceship (it wasn’t). It houses the university’s arts library, including its film and video libraries, and the Mandeville Special Collections Library, which houses 8,500 Seuss artifacts, including manuscripts, sketches, original inked drawings, books, photographs, videotapes and memorabilia.
You won’t be able to see these items year-round, but the university does put on regular exhibits of Seuss materials, typically during the summer session and the month of March, for Geisel’s birthday. Check UCSD’s schedule of exhibits for up-to-date information.
