My parents were those parents that when we went to a museum, they would stop and read everything.

Every plaque, every little inscription hanging on the wall or mounted to an artifact. They took my sister and I to lots of cool places as kids, but man they were so slow making their way through exhibits.

For example at The World of Coca-Cola, they would creep through the sections on the history of the soft drink while my sister and I pulled at their shirts, begging them to hurry so we could get to “the fun stuff” in the museum. Fun stuff meaning the taste testing room for Coca-Cola and, of course, the gift shop.

Kids do not always understand the magnitude of things. Like when our family went to Ellis Island — my sister and I had no idea why my mom was crying about standing where our distant ancestor stood when he arrived in the U.S. We thought it was funny that she was crying and everyone was looking at her (we not only were impatient but also had attitude problems.)

But even though as a child I did not appreciate things the same way my parents did, I watched how they reacted to certain things and saw what types of things they took interest in.

Today as I live in what I believe to be the most historic city in Alabama, I cannot help but creep through places like the Old Depot Museum and try to read every plaque, and every little inscription on the old photographs hanging in the depot. I love sitting and listening to snippets of stories from Jean Martin. I am that person that stops my car to read roadside historical markers.

How. Embarrassing.

It took a while for me to appreciate museums and history in general, but I guess what rubbed off on me from my parents is the importance of history. The fact that they took me to museums and spent time absorbing all of the information showed me how important it is to learn, even when you are a grown up.

In the last week I had the privilege of attending the ribbon cutting for the Old Cahawba Bicycle Trail. It is a trail where families can go and explore the old ghost town as a fun outdoor adventure. It seems like an awesome family activity and the bikes cost absolutely nothing to rent.

As I cover many of the education stories within the city, I hear a lot about how our city’s children do not have an understanding or appreciation for their cultural heritage or their city’s heritage. I feel that if we show them by example how important those things are to us, then maybe one day ­— they too will be those citizens that read historical markers instead of defacing them.

I think that all of the sponsors did just that by donating bicycles and helping to preserve Old Cahawba. Because of the emphasis the organizers placed on the historic site, our children will certainly benefit.

I get it. History is boring for kids, or nuggets as I often refer to them. But discovering history in a hands-on setting can inspire nugget imagination and creativity.

Take your children today to explore Old Cahawba via bicycle. I will be taking my parents there this weekend but it is so hot outside — I hope my parents and I do not take forever to read all of the information as we bicycle and explore.