Travels with Children
The adventures I embark upon with my four young children.New Sweden Creamery Historic Marker
New Sweden Creamery Historic Marker
Originally uploaded by minnemom
Located on west side of MN Hwy 111, just south of junction with MN Hwy 22.
State Capitol from inside the Minnesota History Center
State Capitol from MNHS
Originally uploaded by minnemom
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Travels with Children at this address will no longer be updated. For all the content found here, and everything that follows, please visit the new blog at http://minnemom.com.
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How Long Has This Been Going On?
OK, I’ll admit it. When I’m out on adventures with the kids, we sometimes (gasp!) eat at McDonald’s.
We have a pretty standard order, and it’s usually in the same ballpark price-wise. Today I was surprised at the price, and since my husband was along, I actually had time to look at the receipt in detail. I was shocked and disappointed when I went back to the counter to question the manager.
My order for the kids was this:
- 1 Hamburger Happy Meal, French Fries, Chocolate Milk, menu price $2.60.
- 2 Chicken Nuggets Happy Meal, French Fries, Chocolate Milk, menu price $3.20.
- 1 Chicken Nuggets Happy Meal, Apples, Chocolate Milk, menu price $3.20.
But on the receipt it looked like this.
- 1 4NUG/AD HPY ML TOY $2.30
- 1 HAMB/FRY HPY ML TOY $1.70
- 2 4NUG/FRY HPY ML TOY $4.60
- 4 CHOCOLATE MILK $5.80
These receipts have never been the easiest to decipher, which is probably why I didn’t figure this out sooner.
The “$5.80” is what caught my eye, so I broke it down, and found that I was paying $1.45 per milk above the Happy Meal price on the receipt. This brought the Hamburger Happy Meal to $3.15 and the Chicken Nuggets to $3.75. Each Happy Meal was $.55 more than the price in the menu.
I went to the counter and asked the manager about it. I was directed to the “prices may vary” asterisk by the Happy Meal options and informed that the milk costs more than the pop does, so the Happy Meal with milk does as well. (The asterisk was next to the french fry/apple dippers choice as well, but they cost the same, at least at this particular restaurant.)
I’ve been ordering milk with Happy Meals as long as I’ve had kids eating solid foods, which is about 7 years now, and this is the first time I’ve noticed that the milk cost more. When my oldest was a toddler, the Happy Meals only cost $.10 more than the All-American meal (hamburger, small fries, tiny drink) so I would splurge and spend the dime to get him the little toy. As my life got more hectic, I didn’t pay as much attention to the prices because I was just trying to get everyone fed and out of the restaurant in a well-behaved manner. How long has this been going on?
What’s your experience with kids’ meals? Do the healthier options cost more at other restaurants (fast-food or sit-down) as well? I’m feeling really foolish right now and would love any insight you might have.
And, yes, next time I go in to McDonald’s, I’ll be pricing out the following: 1 hamburger, 3 4-pc. Chicken Nuggets, 1 medium or large fries, and 4 waters, to see how much these Happy Meals have really been costing me.
Crossing the Bridge
Today we crossed the new 35W bridge in Minneapolis for the first time. It’s been a week since the bridge opened; just over a year since the old one collapsed.
I remember the day the bridge collapsed, thinking, “It couldn’t really have happened, could it?” as we so often do when tragedies occur.
But it did, and now it’s been rebuilt, with a memorial planned near the site along the Minneapolis riverfront.
And so today, a little because it was a good route to take, and a little because of curiosity, I talked to my kids about the bridge collapse, and told them that we’d be driving over the new bridge. They are still young enough that the significance missed them, and they said, “OK, Mom,” and went right back to counting buses and airplanes and UPS trucks with the excitement of kids who rarely see these things in their rural life.
Traffic was blissfully quiet as we crossed the new span. I didn’t hold my breath, as I’ve heard of others doing as they crossed this new piece of pavement. I didn’t worry that this bridge would collapse, because it’s new and wide and strong, and there are so many older bridges that really are crumbling where I do say a prayer for safety as I speed across.
I did, however, think of the thirteen people who lost their lives on that August day, and of their families, and of the survivors of the bridge collapse, those who will forever have scars from it.
And then it was done. It took only a few seconds to cross the bridge, and now I can say I’ve done it. Why I think that’s important, I’m not sure. But it’s a milestone nonetheless.
Moving on two wheels . . . and then some
At the beginning of the summer, we outfitted ourselves with some bikes and equipment so that we could take the family out on some bike rides. Our criteria were a little unusual, I suppose: we didn’t want to spend a lot of money since we didn’t know how it would go, and because our kids are so young and not accustomed to navigating traffic with their bikes (we live on a farm), we wanted them all attached to us.
Hubby and I each got a new bike, and we got two tagalongs and a double trailer. (I had joked that if I got a tandem bike I could have handled all four kids by myself, but we didn’t go that far.) Again, these were all basic models, so our outlay for everything was less than $600, and we anticipate decent resale from the taglongs and trailer in a few years. The kids and I all got new helmets at a bike fair, they were good helmets at a bargain price.
When we ride, I have our five-year-old behind me on a taglong, and hubby has our seven-year-old on a tagalong, with the girls (2 and 4) in the trailer attached behind it.
Our first “big” trip was a trip into town. 3 miles didn’t sound so bad, even on gravel. Funny how I hadn’t realized how hilly our roads were until that time. And hadn’t thought about the wind being against us on the way home. But we made it home and everyone enjoyed the ride.
Our next stop was the paved portion of the Luce Line trail in Hutchinson, MN, which runs from one end of town to the other with some nice parks along the way, as well as restaurants. We even made a shopping stop at Shopko, which is just off the trail.
We took the gear along when we spent a week at the lake and went on rides almost every morning. We rode through Sibley State Park near New London, Minnesota, which is beautiful; along the Glacial Lakes trail beginning at Willmar, Minnesota, which is wide and smooth and flat and very peaceful; and around Spicer’s Green Lake, which we had estimated at 6-7 miles but found out when we were done that it was closer to 12!
At the end of the summer, hubby and I got away for a rare night out and decided to see how our bikes handle without trailers and tagalongs attached. It was so gloriously easy without the extra 50-150 pounds of kids behind! We rode the trail in New Ulm, Minnesota, and we’re planning to take the kids along on it soon. On the north half, there’s only one street to cross, so we may actually unleash the kids and let them ride by themselves with their training wheels on it.
We’re still novices at this bike thing, but it was a fun way to spend some family time together this summer.
Do you take your kids on bike rides? What kind of equipment do you use? Do you have any favorite trails? How do you teach your kids road safety? Please let us know with a comment!
At the orchard
One of my favorite fall things to do with the kids is to go to an orchard. Usually we’re in search of the Minnesota favorite Honeycrisp, and today we weren’t disappointed. We stopped at Holmberg Orchard near Vesta/Marshall, Minnesota, where we’ve gone annually for the past four or five years. I also realized that, although the kids and I have been on 10 or 11 orchard trips in the past five years or so, hubby has only been along on one of them, so it was a treat to have him accompany us today!
Since the kids still had their church clothes on, we didn’t allow a tromp in the corn-filled boats (yes, real corn in real boats, and it is fun for kids!) but we did take the tractor-pulled hayride through the orchard. In previous years, the wagon took us out to the pumpkin-picking area, but this year it was just a tour of the orchard. For some of their fall events weekends, the orchard has special activities going on as well. In past years we’ve been treated to clowns and pony rides.
While hubby and the kids picked out a huge pumpkin to carve (a steal at $5), I went into the gift shop and made our apple purchase. I had my heart set on both Honeycrisps and Zestars, but the price deterred me from buying more than one bag and Honeycrisp won out. (Honeycrisps were $11 for 1/2 pk bag and $20 for a pk; Zestars were $10 1/2 pk and $19/pk.)
Before we left, we stopped in the snack bar area where we each chose between apple crisp, ice cream, or cider (hot or cold). Older son wanted a barbecue, but we had to remind him that we’d had lunch only an hour earlier.
A trip to the orchard is always a good way to celebrate fall. I suspect that we’ll continue our orchard treats even when our own trees (hopefully soon!) bear enough fruit that I don’t have to buy apples.
What orchard memories do you have? Do you have a favorite orchard to visit?
If you’re in Minnesota and have seen Honeycrisp or Zestar apples at better prices than I mentioned above, please let me know, as I’d love to stock the fridge. Honeycrisps easily keep into January or February if cared for properly!
A lakeside haven
I’ve always been surprised when I drive through the towns surrounding Lake Minnetonka. They seem to have a different feel to them–not suburban, not rural, but like a resort town. I’ve always enjoyed driving these twisting, turning routes because it’s like I went far away without crossing the state line.
I wasn’t entirely surprised, then, when we ventured off Highway 7 into downtown Excelsior, Minnesota. Within a few blocks, we were off the busy road and into a quaint downtown area with unique shops, interesting restaurants, and a main street that leads right up to the lake. People everywhere were walking and biking, with friends, alone, with pets.
It reminded me a lot of a smaller-scale Mackinac Island or Bar Harbor, Maine, with breezes coming off the lake, people wandering in and out of stores, and restaurant patios filled with people enjoying the day.
Banners across the street advertised “Girls’ Nights Out” throughout the summer, which I’m going to recommend to my friends as a nice outing in the future.
I was very pleasantly surprised to find this area. All it took was a turn off the beaten path.
Do you know of any great places that the main roads have passed by? I’d love to hear about them!
Where will the signs lead you?
We’re backroads people. If we have to get there quick, sure, we’ll use the Interstate, but if time isn’t important, or if we want to avoid going through towns, we head for the county roads and find a scenic route. Even better, sometimes we find something that’s really off the beaten path that’s a very pleasant surprise.
This was the case on a recent trip. We were only an hour and a half from home, but deviated from our usual route. (Actually, we don’t have many “usual” routes because I love to see as many different things as I can.) Hubby had a certain county road in mind, so we headed for it.
Along the way, though, I spotted a sign that intrigued me. It said “Capitol City” and pointed us down another road. “Capitol City?” I thought? Out in the middle of rural Minnesota? We followed the sign, which led us six or seven miles and around a few more corners, ending up on a spot on a gravel road that overlooks two lakes.
There we found it, a piece of Minnesota history I’d never heard of. It wasn’t a city, or even any buildings, this Capitol City. Instead, we found a series of signs that detailed a capitol city that almost was.
St. Paul was originally set up to be the temporary capitol of Minnesota, so Governor Henry Hastings Sibley sent out a party of searchers to find an ideal location. They recommended this site in Kandiyohi County. It went through some political twists and turns, and at one point was actually slated to become the new capitol, but the order was repealed by the next governor.
The plats had been laid out, with the capitol atop the hill and a town on the shores of the nearby lakes. It led me to wonder how different our state would be with the capitol in Capitol City instead of St. Paul. How would it have affected rural development? How would the Twin Cities be different? One can only wonder, because the state capitol stayed in St. Paul, and all that remains of Capitol City are the markers and documents that describe what it was to be.
Photo Friday : Buffalo Ridge Windmills
On our latest trip to Iowa, we got up close to some of the many windmills on the Buffalo Ridge in southwest MInnesota. The windmills go on for miles and miles, quiet giants waving their arms over the prairie. The kids always are excited when we see a windmill on a drive, and to see so many was absolute excitement for them!
To see more Photo Friday travel photos, head to DeliciousBaby.
In our own backyard
There are days when we don’t have to go very far for excitement.
One morning in August, we were on our way to return books at the library when we came upon this spray ‘copter reloading. It was in the middle of our road, so we had to stop and wait for it. Boy, that’s tough for kids, to have to sit and watch a helicopter up close . . . and then take off from the truck.
We dropped off our books and headed to see Grandma, when we came upon this in front of her house.
To an adult, a mere annoyance, but to the kids, a lot of interest added to their day!
What interesting things have you seen in your own neighborhoods?
If you’re in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area this week . . .
and can find a way, go to Civic Fest at the Minneapolis Convention Center! I’m too beat for a full review right now, but it was very well done. The floor was not crowded and there were lots of things for kids (and adults!) to do. Civic Fest runs through Thursday (coinciding with the Republican National Convention), so if you can clear your calendar for a few hours, take advantage of this opportunity. Be sure to take your camera as there are some nice photo areas as well.
Video of the Tractor Square Dance
It took all day, but my first Youtube upload is finally complete. Now you can see some video clips of the Farmall Promenade. I apologize for the mediocre quality of the picture; my little digital camera did the best it could. Enjoy!
The Last Dance
We made a two-day trip to Iowa this weekend and did some fun and interesting things that I’ll write about in the days to come, but I’m going to post about our last stop first.
We visited the tiny town of Nemaha, Iowa, (population 70), with a couple thousand other people who wanted to see the Farmall Promenade. I had heard about these square-dancing tractors earlier this summer and had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to go see them. Suddenly summer was closing in on us, and we found our opportunity.
As we talked to people in the area, we almost decided against going. One woman told us that the show is really entertaining, but that they were expecting a lot of people and that it would probably be hard to see. Unless they brought in bleachers; maybe they’ll have bleachers, she said . . . but it’s going to be hard to see. With this information, we hemmed and hawed about whether we should go. In the end, we decided that we had nothing to lose, and since my husband and I really did want to see the show, we’d give it a try.
We arrived in Nemaha at 2:45 for the 4:00 show. Attendants showed us where to park, and we headed to the site. The organizers had indeed set up bleachers, as well as benches on hay bales, and space for people who’d brought their own lawn chairs. We spotted an elevated platform with a few chairs on it and staked our claim on the rest of the area. That was definitely our best move, because it allowed us a good view, as well as a little space for the kids to move around without bothering other people. If we hadn’t arrived early, it would have been difficult to find a vantage point for the kids (and us) to really see the show well.
It was hot in Nemaha, and the wait was pretty long, but I’ll give the kids a lot of credit: they handled it well. I had brought snacks and drinks for them, which helped as well, and there were reasonably-priced concessions available.
Finally, at 4:00, the show began. The four groups of Mr. and “Mrs.” boarded their Farmall tractors and the dancing began to the call of a very capable and entertaining Laurie Mason-Schmidt, who put her heart and soul into the show. In between “dances,” there were entertaining bits and some nice tributes to the people who have worked with the Farmall Promenade for the past ten years–the lady who made cookies before every bus trip, the Star Energy station that provided the gas for the tractors and never sent a bill, the wives of the dancer-drivers, and many more.
The best part, though, was the dancing. Watching eight tractors do-si-do and swing their partners was a sight to see. The tractor wheels were often just inches apart as they spun in their circles, and these are tractors without power steering.
This was small-town Iowa at its best. People from Nemaha and the surrounding communities had gotten the promenade set up for their visitors, and had a meal for 1,800 people planned afterward. From the national anthem to the last bow, I had tears in my eyes several times as I watched how this group of people and their community had come together with something unique and entertaining.
We were so glad we went. The kids each had their own favorite parts–the tractors “wound and wound,” the big circle at the end, the antics of the drivers–and although they complained about the heat, they were fully at attention when the tractors were dancing. It’s hard to describe exactly how and why we enjoyed this so much, but it was really one of the nicest family things we’ve done together.
If you want to go to the Farmall Promenade, well . . . you can’t. You see, this was the last dance. After ten years of promenading, the Farmalls will be parked once again. They’ll be missed.
For more information on the Farmall Promenade, visit www.farmallpromenade.com
I also posted some video clips on Youtube.
And we’re off!
We’re planning a little end-of-the-summer getaway tomorrow and Saturday. Our first thought was to go to Wisconsin Dells since we’d heard there were good deals there after the lake floated away. I couldn’t find anything in our budget, though, and it’s a long drive for a 2-day trip, so we scratched that. (I’d love to hear Dells recommendations, especially on a budget, to file away for a future trip!)
Instead we’re heading to Iowa. We found a nice-looking waterpark hotel and I have a few other ideas up my sleeve. My database of possible things to do in Minnesota will come in handy because I can look things up by town. I can also dig out my Iowa Off the Beaten Path book.
I’m not looking forward to packing. I never like that part but I always manage to get it done.
I hope you all enjoy your weekend. Do you have plans to go anywhere fun? If so, please share in the comments.
Rio Grande Botanic Gardens & Albuquerque Aquarium
- 2601 Central Ave. NW at the intersection of Central and New York Avenues, just east of the Central Avenue bridge over the Rio Grande.
- 311 locally or (505) 768-2000
- 9:00am-5:00pm daily, except January 1, Thanksgiving Day and December 25. Ticket booths close one half-hour before closing and no one will be admitted after this time.
- Adults $7 for both attractions, kids $3, and children under 3 get in free. For an extra $5 you can also get admission to the Albuquerque Zoo and a train ride.
- Stroller & wheelchair friendly, but a few paths are cinder and it’s a little harder than normal to push.
I began our visit to the Rio Grande Botanic Gardens & Albuquerque Aquarium thinking I would love the gardens but my 2 1/2 year old would be bored silly. I thought we wouldn’t stay very long. Boy, was I wrong. He ended up loving it so much we went back again 2 days later.
The first thing you see when you enter the garden is a giant castle.
This is the start of the adventure–the Childrens Fantasy Garden. I’d say we spent 75% of our time in this area. It’s a wonderful labyrinthine world that begins when you walk under the curling tail of a dragon with smoke puffing out of his nostrils and over a moat. Inside the castle walls are fruit and flowering trees and a tower with a sand floor, perfect for sitting and digging in.
In the next section of the fantasy garden you seem to have been magically shrunk down to the size of a bug. Everything is huge–the vegetables and tools in the garden, the ants and bees, the pinecones. It’s truly as if you’ve gone through the looking glass. There’s also a giant pumpkin to climb inside with a spongy gym floor perfect for tumbling.
Slides through logs, mazes, hidden caves and hidey holes can all be found throughout. And of course, all along the way there are real plants, flowers and bugs to stop and examine.
Back outside the castle grounds you move on to a model train village that winds though the trees. The train wasn’t running when we were there but we had just as much fun looking at all the little houses and farms in the village. Then it was on to a big duck pond.
The second major highlight of the garden is the butterfly enclosure.
It’s just beautiful and amazing. Your not supposed to touch the butterflies but that doesn’t mean they can’t touch you! I recommend wearing bright clothing if you want to attract them. A woman with a silk flower in her hair got the most attention, but with my red hair, I had a little halo of them as well. We used the charts on the wall to identify a few of them and my son had a great time yelling out the few varieties he learned when he spotted them. There’s also a display where you can watch butterflies hatch out of their chrysalis. It’s amazing.
Though the fantasy garden and butterfly enclosure were easily the highlights we also enjoyed the rose garden, the herb garden (both great for little kids who like to sniff), the koi pond in the Japanese garden, and farm with its chickens, apple orchard and towering sunflowers.
If junk food isn’t your bag, skip the snack stand and bring your own lunch. There’s a wonderful open lawn in the middle of the garden with plenty of shade for a picnic and enough room for a great game of chase.
Now I’ve spent all this time talking about the Botanic Gardens and you’re probably wondering about the Aquarium. I have to say, I thought it was kind of lame. It’s small. It does have a couple of large tanks, one with sharks. It also has a very cool jelly fish display. But for the most part, we liked it mainly as an opportunity to get out of the heat at the end of our visit to the garden. Kids very into fish will still like it, but I think I’ve been ruined by the amazing Aquariums I’ve been to in Dallas & New York.
If you live in this area and have small children, it’s well worth the cost to invest in a yearly pass just for the garden and the zoo (post on that to come…). Can you tell how much I loved this place?
Photo Friday: Minnesota State Fair
Billed as one of the best state fairs in the United States, the “great Minnesota get-together” can sometimes be seen as the “great Minnesota sea of people.” This was the biggest crowd my kids have ever seen.
To see more Photo Friday travel photos, head over to DeliciousBaby.
Minnesota State Fair!
Well, it’s official. I’m “brave.” Or at least that’s what I heard from a number of people when they encountered our group as we walked around the Minnesota State Fair today. I’m sure “crazy” crossed the minds of a few as well, but those were polite enough to keep it to themselves.
So, is it possible for a mom of four young kids to take them to the fair? Absolutely! I’ll admit that, even with all the places I’ve taken the kids, the fair made me a little nervous, but it really turned out well.
Here’s how we did it. Hopefully other parents hoping to go to the State Fair will find some useful tips here.
We left home at 6:45 a.m. (Skip this next part if you have your own favorite route and/or parking plan.) I went in on the new Hwy 212 (love that road!) and around on 494 to Hwy 5 onto W 7th St. Up the hill on Snelling (where you forget you’re in the city), and here’s my parking trick that we found by accident several years ago: Stay in the left lane on Snelling until you pass the Energy Park Drive/Como exits. Then get in the right lane by the fairgrounds and miss the long lines waiting to turn left at the east entrance(s). Go back into the left lane, but don’t turn left on Larpenteur. Continue north to the next light (is it Roselawn?) and turn left (west) there. Go to the 4-way stop at Fairview and turn left there, then left again on Larpenteur. Get in the right lane and turn into the fairgrounds parking area. If you’re in the left line for parking, you should end up in the Camel Lot very close to the north gate. We’ve had very good luck with this plan the last four times we went to the fair. (End of route/parking recommendation.)
We arrived at the fairgrounds right at 9:00. After putting on sunscreen and loading up the stroller with snacks and water, we headed to the gate. I took pictures of each of the kids so I’d remember what they had been wearing in the event that we got separated. Our first step once paying for our admission was to stop at the information booth just inside the gate and fill out ID bracelets for the kids. These are free and allow you to write your name, your child’s name, phone numbers, and important medical information on a small card, which is then inserted into an orange bracelet to be placed on the child’s arm. The only way to get the information out is to cut off the bracelet, so you don’t have to worry about losing it or having your child tamper with it. I always rest easier once I have these on the kids.
The Eco Experience was our next stop. We actually went through it twice throughout the day. It has interesting exhibits on recycling, wind energy, water quality, and so on, and has a lot of activities for kids. There’s a scavenger hunt/passport that kids can get filled out at various stations throughout the building and then get a prize at the end. There’s also a nice little play/activity area next to the stage where we spent some time later in the day.
One other important thing about the Eco Experience is that it has one of the best unisex/handicapped restrooms I’ve found on the fairgrounds, so if you have a stroller and/or small children, you don’t have to let them out of your sight while you use the restroom.
Down the street, the Thrivent Builds/Habitat for Humanity “big red truck” was a very family-friendly area, and it surprised me that it was one of the kids’ favorites at the end of the day. The truck tour is very moving, and there are supervised activities for the kids to do.
Across from that, I spent $6.00 on a small bag of sand to divide between the kids and let them pan for jewels at the Niagara Cave booth. They came out with a nice little bag of colored rocks and will enjoy going back and looking at them another day.
We headed across the fairgrounds to Famous Dave’s for an early lunch at 10:30. Here I tried our only real “fair food,” the Pig Lickers (chocolate covered bacon), and it was yummy! Famous Dave’s is a family favorite, so we split two meals and had plenty of food for the five of us.
Along the way (I think just south of the Kidway on the east side) we happened upon a JFK exhibit. It includes a replica of the car Kennedy was riding in when he was assassinated, and some other memorabilia. The kids liked the height chart of the presidents and loved that one was as tall as Mom and several the same height as Dad.
After lunch we went to look at the animals. The kids were most interested in the Miracle of Birth Center, but it seems that everyone else at the fair was as well. We couldn’t even get the stroller in the door, so we exited through the grain bin amidst some disappointment.
Next stop, the all-you-can-drink-milk for $1 each, with our choice of chocolate or white milk. The cups are 12 oz., so we didn’t end up needing many refills, but it was nice to have something cold and healthy to drink mid-day.
Then we were off to see Princess Kay. The newly crowned Princess Kay of the Milky Way had the honor of sitting in the 40-degree rotating booth for 8 hours today while her likeness was carved in a block of butter. The kids thought it was really neat to see.
We stopped at the WCCO radio booth on Carnes Avenue and the kids were really excited to see and hear the on-air personalities. Susie Jones and Mike Lynch each took some time to visit with us, and the kids were just slightly confused that Dave Lee wasn’t there since he’d been on the air as we drove in the morning.
They also had some confusion over whether the 830-WCCO people were on TV somewhere else, so we headed down the street to WCCO-TV and watched part of their live-from-the-fair noon broadcast.
Since it’s an election year, there were plenty of candidates’ booths, and we spotted one of our U.S. Senate candidates.
We picked up a very large rootbeer for $3 at the 1919 stand, drank our fill, and had some left over. It was a decent price as far as soda goes at the fair.
Another bathroom stop under the grandstand ramp (not nearly as family-friendly as the Eco building), and we were off to the booths at the Education Building. Here is where I came to the distinct realization that the fair with kids is different than the fair without kids. The Education Building is usually one of my favorites, but we breezed quickly along the outer edges to avoid the crowded aisles. (Note to fair-goers: There are a lot of strollers, wheelchairs, and scooters throughout the fairgrounds. If you stop to look at a display, or visit with your neighbor, can you please pay attention to where you are and take a step to the side rather than stopping in (and blocking for everyone else) the middle of the aisle? Thanks!)
I had promised the kids they’d each get one ride on the Kidway so they chose their rides and we bought the tickets. The rides were discounted all day today (2-4 tickets instead of 3-5 per ride) and I believe they’re also discounted in the mornings throughout the fair.
Then we were off to Little Farmhands. This is a really nice area for kids aged 3-10 where they can pretend to be farm helpers. They plant “seeds,” harvest vegetables, feed the animals, gather eggs, and “milk” the cow, then take their goods to market and receive play money which they can spend in the store. This area is free and is a really nice activity for kids to do.
By then it was almost 3:00 and I thought our day was almost to an end, but the kids wanted to go back to the Eco Experience since we hadn’t spent much time there in the morning. When we left there, a crowd was gathering at the Northwoods Stage, where we were treated to a presentation by Ron Schara of Minnesota Bound and his dog, Raven. It was interesting and brief (only about 20 minutes long), which is a good combination for kids, and at the end the boys went up to pet Raven. This was one of the highlights of their day.
We were close to the parking lot, but I asked the kids one last time if there was anything they wanted to do again before we left the fair. I didn’t exactly love their responses since they were on the other end of the fairgrounds: 1) see if Don Shelby was at the WCCO radio booth now, 2) see if the Miracle of Birth Center was less crowded now, and 3) check the progress of the Princess Kay butter sculpture.
So, back we went, stopping along the way to see the new Welcome to Minnesota mosaic on the side of the health fair building.
Don Shelby was indeed broadcasting by then, so the kids saw him banter with Jeff McKinney before we went to Miracle of Birth. It was much more manageable mid-afternoon, and the kids could see the animals up-close and witnessed the birth of a lamb on the TV screens. Princess Kay was still being sculpted but had much more detail than in the morning, and the kids were still really enamored with the process.
By this time, it was 4:30 so we started to head back to the car. The crowds were growing as the afternoon progressed, and the boys finally started to complain that their legs were tired. (I can’t blame them, as I was wearing down as well.) I never thought that our outing to the fair would last for 8 hours!
The kids’ biggest disappointment was that Dad couldn’t go with us, but I have a feeling that we’ll be begged to go back annually now, so we hope he can accompany us next year.
If I had to pick one thing that made our day go smoothly, it was our stroller. I debated taking the side-by-side double, but decided it might be wider than I liked. Instead, I took a single stroller with a footboard. (I saw a lot of sit’n’stands that would accomplish the same thing.) Our two-year-old rode in the stroller, our four-year-old rode on the footboard, and the boys each hung on to one stroller handle. The only times I had trouble were when they let go of the stroller–then the seven-year-old would tend to wander and the five-year-old would lag behind. Having them all “attached” to me worked really well.
I’m exhausted after our day! Are you tired yet from reading about it? I realize this is a reeeeaaallly long post, but I hope it will help some other parents brave the Minnesota State Fair with their kids and have a great time as well.
Find all the details about the Minnesota State Fair at www.mnstatefair.org.
Minnesota State Fair?
I’m thinking of taking the kids to the State Fair tomorrow. I never plan to go to the fair, but then it gets here and I get fair fever and end up going more often than not.
The last time we went was without the kids, and I remember thinking how nice it was to go without pushing the stroller and counting heads. I think the last time we took kids, we “only” had three and there were two adults. If I go tomorrow, it will be with four kids and no husband.
On the other hand, if I’m going to go to the fair this year, tomorrow’s the day to do it. The first day traditionally has the smallest crowds (by a longshot) and it’s “Thrifty Thursday” so I’d save $9 on admission and there are some other money-savers around the fair.
Then again, if I take the kids this year I’m afraid they’ll get the fair bug and want to go every year.
What do you think? Should I be adventurous and take the kids to the State Fair? We blocked off tomorrow for some sort of an outing, so is that where we should go? Or will I end up wishing I hadn’t braved it? Post your opinions in the comments, and I’ll let you know what we decide!
Welcome, new readers!
This site was recently featured in our school district’s newsletter. Welcome to any new local readers! Here you’ll find some ideas for fun places to take your kids without spending a lot of money. Some of them may even be right in your own backyard! Most of the places featured are in Minnesota, but due to my own travels and some great guest posts, you might find some vacation ideas as well.
I hope this site will inspire you to explore with your kids. Remember that a place doesn’t have to be big or fancy or famous to be fun and interesting for kids. Adventures can be found most anywhere.
I’m always on the lookout for new places to visit, so if you have ideas, please post a comment, and let me know if you’ve found this site to be useful!
Renaissance Festival on a Budget
How to go to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival with five people on a budget:
- Be sure three of the five are under age 6 so they’re free.
- Get a free child’s ticket for an older child at GoCityKids Steals & Deals.
- Buy one adult admission for $19.95.
- Eat a big breakfast/lunch before heading in.
- Warn kids that you won’t be paying for expensive food, trinkets, or activities.
- Be prepared for a constant line of “Why can’t we do that?” and “Why can’t I have that?” when you realize that nearly everything at the festival that is fun for kids costs $3-$5 per child, and that a bottle of water is $2.00 and soda is $3.50.
- Explain that there are several shows that are free. Then feel like a thief if you don’t contribute when the performers “pass the hat” after the show.
- Finally find the Children’s Realm where the kids can make a wand or mask or have a balloon animal made and do a few other play things. But wait, are you supposed to tip for those activities as well?
- Leave the festival with kids disappointed because they didn’t get to do much that was fun and you disenfranchised because you wonder what your admission price got you.
- Realize that the only way to take your family to the Renaissance Festival on a budget is if your budget for the day is $200.
Minnesota Renaissance Festival
- http://www.renaissancefest.com/MRF/index.html
- Off Highway 169, just south of MN 41, Shakopee, MN
- 800-966-8215
- Weekends and Labor Day, mid-August through September
- Adults $19.95, ages 6-12 $10.95, seniors 65+ $17.95. Discount tickets available; check website for details.
- Stroller accessible, although terrain is rough through parking area.
- Restrooms (“privies”/portapotties) available
- Concessions available
Photo Friday: Mt. Tom, Sibley State Park, MN
This is the view from “Mt. Tom” in Sibley State Park, west central Minnesota. It’s a short hike up a path from the parking lot, and then up a few steps to the “tower,” to be able to see for miles and miles. Even though the area was in near-drought conditions, the area was beautifully green from above.
The kids loved climbing the tower and trying to spot the resort where we’d be staying for the week.
Do you have a travel photo you’d like to share? See how to add it to Photo Fridays at www.deliciousbaby.com.
A special day out
Usually when I go anywhere, I have four kids in tow. While we usually make it work quite well, there is a fair amount of stress that comes with keeping track of everyone, stopping arguments, and keeping everyone happy.
Today I had the pleasure of spending a long-awaited day out with just my oldest, who is 7 1/2. We drove into the Cities to run some errands, eat at a restaurant I knew he’d enjoy (Pei Wei Diner, where he could have “Chinese chicken” AND watch them make it), and do something fun.
I gave him several options for our “fun” activity–a movie, a chutes and ladders park, the arboretum, and more–but even though we’ve been there several times before, he chose the Science Museum of Minnesota.
I learned that the Science Museum is a lot more fun when I’m one-on-one with a child. He was able to set the pace and choose what he wanted to see without interference from anyone else. We panned for jewels in the Big Backyard and did some other things, like special snacks, that I could afford for one child but would never do when the cost is multiplied by four.
All in all, we had a great day. It’s nice to spend some special time with each of my children once in a while.
Related posts: Star Wars at the Science Museum of Minnesota; Science Museum of Minnesota
Railroad Days: Durham Museum [Part 5 of 5]
The Durham Museum
• 801 South 10th Street (on the 10th Street Bridge), Omaha, Nebraska
• 402-444-5071
• www.durhammuseum.org
• Hours: Tuesdays: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Wednesday through Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sundays: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Closed Mondays & Major Holidays
• Admission: Adults: $7, Seniors (62+): $6, Children (3-12): $5, Members & children 2 & under are free.
• Most parts of the museum and exhibits are stroller-friendly & handicap accessible. There are a few exceptions.
• Free parking at the adjacent parking garage
When I was growing up, it was called The Western Heritage Museum. I remember going there with my fellow students once or twice on field trips. My mom said that her family went there when it was still a train station (Union Station) a LOONG time ago to wait for her brother to arrive back from the war (World War II). Then, it was the Durham Western Heritage Museum. Now, it is just the Durham Museum. The Durhams must have given a LOT of money. Their name is over a lot of other buildings in the Omaha area, too, I’ve noticed. Anyway, back to the museum.
We didn’t spend much time upstairs in the old waiting room area. We didn’t visit the old-fashion soda fountain. We went downstairs to see the real train cars on the Harriman Track level. We were able to walk through lounge cars, a pullman (where the kids climbed up on a pulled-down bed), see the steam engine (with a bit of coal still in the attached coal car), and caboose. They each got mock tickets that could be punched to show where you were going, when you were traveling, and how much you paid for it.
There was an Amazon rain forest temporary exhibit going on in the Velde Gallery of American History. The kids loved this section as there was a snake they could pick up, a place where they could pretend to be in the water with fish through a bubble dome, dress up like a fish and do an interpretive dance, and various interactive exhibits about life in the Amazon area or types of wild life there. (It made me shiver a bit, but the kids liked them.)
The kids liked lifting the scaled down model of a native snake.
From here, we went past the “Educational Classrooms.” These included a model of an old one-room schoolhouse, a one-room log cabin from Little House on the Prairie days, among other things. There were exhibits on family life in Omaha from the 1800s to today. There was a section on the history of Omaha through architecture, education, religion, immigration, parks, and the arts.
There was a glassed-in 100-foot-long O-scale model train layout representing Union Pacific’s double track main line from Omaha to Ogden, Utah during the 1950s. Thomas the Engine was actively pulling a few cars around and around the track. The two-year-old was on tip-toes watching it go around over and over again.
We zipped through in just a couple of hours, but could have spent much longer. Definitely worth a trip back. I wish I would have been able to go a year or two ago when they had a ‘fashion in the movies’ exhibit. They had the costume worn by Drew Barrymore in the movie “Ever After.” What an amazing exhibit that would have been to see! 
If you are in this neck of the woods, this is a great museum to visit.
This concludes the five part series on attractions featured as part of Omaha’s Railroad Days. To read more by this guest author, visit “Learning As I Go.” Thanks to minnemom for the opportunity to share our adventures!
Railroad Days: Union Pacific Railroad Museum [Part 4 of 5]
Union Pacific Railroad Museum
• 200 Pearl St, Council Bluffs, Iowa
• 712-329-8307
• http://www.uprrmuseum.org
• Hours: Tuesday through Saturday
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Closed Sundays & Mondays
• Free
• Stroller & handicap friendly – ramps & elevators available
This isn’t the first location of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum. It used to be located in Omaha at UP’s headquarters building. The museum was founded in 1921 after the discovery of some silver serving pieces from President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral car. There are now a LOT more pieces in their collection that showcase the history of the Union Pacific Railroad from 1862 until now. The museum opened at this new location, the former Council Bluffs Free Public Library, in 2003.
The bathrooms were on the first level (basement) as you go into the museum. There was an elevator available or you could take the numerous stairs.
We saw an exhibit titled “Dining in Railroad Style” that showed what dining aboard a Streamliner was like. The kids wrote and decorated their own circus-themed children’s menu to take home. There was a real dining car chime that explained what the call for dinner sounded like and you could try to make the same sound yourself. My kids were more partial to playing it like a regular xylophone.
There was a huge section on building the transcontinental railroad – including one of the spikes from Utah! On the top floor, there were various safety and other railroad equipment exhibits. In one corner was a locomotive simulator where kids could supposedly sit in the engineer’s seat to control the route. (Mine were a bit disappointed that it didn’t turn the way they were turning it and didn’t stop when they pushed the brake.)
One of the brochures we received as part of Railroad Days included a little section on how this display (shown) was not of a buffalo – but instead a bison. Do you know the difference?
Also, just for Railroad Days, there was an incredible 20+ foot layout of N-track model trains. My kids were fascinated – and there wasn’t enough room for them to rope it off, so I spent most of my time keeping the children from touching! It was the closest they got to the model trains that were exhibited at the different locations as part of Railroad Days. Sorry, I don’t have a picture!
There are many photos available of the museum, but I thought it best just to include a link to the archival photos.
There is a lot more to this museum than what I’ve listed. The kids were not overly interested in most of the in depth things. We only spent about an hour here and you could easily spend several and not read (or, in some cases, hear) all of the exhibits. This was the only regularly “free” stop as part of Railroad Days. Not my first preference for a field trip, but we might head back when we are studying this time period in U.S. history.
This post was submitted by a guest blogger who regularly writes for Learning As I Go.
Photo Friday: Little Crow Ski Show
As I child, I loved going to the waterski shows in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, when we’d go to see my grandparents each summer.
We recently had the chance to take our own children to the Little Crow Ski Show in New London, Minnesota. At first not convinced that it would be fun, they changed their minds when they saw the first skiiers come through the water.
Sitting on the grass beside the river on a beautiful summer evening was a great way to end our week at the lake.
Want to join in on Photo Fridays? Go over to DeliciousBaby to see more and add your own travel photos!
Railroad Days: RailsWest Railroad Museum [Part 3 of 5]
RailsWest Railroad Museum
• 16th Avenue & South Main Street, Council Bluffs, Iowa (I-80, Exit 3)
• 712-323-2509
• http://www.thehistoricalsociety.org/depot.htm
• Open April 2 through October 31
Wednesday through Saturday: 10 am to 4 pm
Sunday: 1 pm to 4 pm
Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and Holidays
• Admission: Adults: $6, Seniors & AAA members (60 & over): $5, Ages 6-16: $4, Ages 5 & under are free.
• The depot building is stroller-friendly, but the actual rail cars are not handicap or stroller-friendly at all. Plan to carry any babies into & out of rail cars.
Other than Lauritzen Gardens and the bear trap at the Dodge House, RailsWest Railroad Museum had to be my children’s favorite stop during Railroad Days. We ended up spending time there on both days. The first day, this was the only stop in Council Bluffs that we toured. On the second day, we wanted to see the other Council Bluffs locations, but we didn’t want to waste the time on the bus. So, we decided to park on the Iowa side. We parked here because I was confident I could find this location and knew there would be parking available. The kids begged to see (and run through) the railroad cars again, so we spent some time doing that after we had visited the other two Council Bluffs sites.
This museum used to be the Rock Island Depot and it was built in 1899. The last Rock Island passenger train pulled out of the depot in 1970. General Dodge surveyed the railroad lines east of Council Bluffs back in 1853 and later the route west, enabling Council Bluffs to be a key terminal in the transcontinental railroad. It was renovated starting in 1985, but does show its age.
We didn’t spend too much time inside the former Depot. We briefly saw the HO scale model railroad display, but it wasn’t running like a couple of the other displays we had seen at other locations. Besides, we were thirsty and the water was being sold outside. After some water (only $0.50, compared to $1.50 at some of the other Railroad Days locations), the kids were ready to go see the railroad engines, caboose, and different types of cars.
They were fascinated with the “fake food” on one of the cars and the bell anyone could ring in the railroad yard. They liked the cabooses, climbing on the engines, and just about everything about this location.
I put the baby in a back carrier to take him up the stairs and through the exhibits, trying to keep up with the other children. If you have a kid who likes trains, this is a great place to go to help them get a feel for their real size and function.
Here are some pictures of what you will see here, courtesy of the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County.
[This post was submitted by a guest blogger. See what else the family is up to at “Learning As I Go.”]
Railroad Days: Historic General Dodge House [Part 2 of 5]
Historic General Dodge House
• 605 Third Street, Council Bluffs, Iowa
• www.dodgehouse.org
• 712-322-2406
• Open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday. Closed most holidays and during the month of January.
• Admission: Adults: $7, Seniors (62+): $5, Children (6-16): $3, Children under 6 are free.
There are discounts for group of 20 or more. See website for details.
• Definitely NOT stroller-friendly or handicap-accessible.
• Limited on-street parking
There were actually two houses on this part of the tour. The first house we visited as part of Railroad Days was the August Beresheim House. It is next door to the Dodge House and functions as the orientation center for the Dodge House. It was built in 1899 and used to belong to close associates of General Dodge and his family. There are three floors, although the third floor was roped-off so we were unable to tour it. With a central staircase, bathroom, and four bedrooms – it was definitely spacious for the time period. The original den is now decorated as a child’s playroom, complete with child-size dolls wearing period clothing. There are supposedly bathrooms available behind this house, but we did not utilize them so I can’t comment.
From there, we continued across to the Historic General Dodge House. It is a registered national historic landmark. General Grenville M. Dodge was the chief construction engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad. He participated in the Civil War and hobnobbed several people whose names you will recognize: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Jim Bridger, and Jay Gould.
It is listed on the attraction page of www.councilbluffsiowa.com page as: “This three-story, 14-room, lavish Victorian home, is one of Iowa’s premier historic homes. Built in 1869 by Gen. Grenville M. Dodge, a Civil War veteran, was dubbed “greatest railroad builder of all time.” The mansion is historically authentic, complete with the majority of original furnishings. Events include a garden walk in July, annual fall tea and a five-week Christmas celebration where the house is decorated in Victorian splendor with more than 25 themed holiday trees.” In 1869, it cost $35,000 to build. That would be over $775,000 in today’s money (based on 1913 to 2008 inflation calculator).
There are some neat items in this house – including a bear trap in the basement, very narrow shoes in the closet of Mrs. Dodge’s room, and a ballroom on the third level. Don’t bring your stroller. Watch your toddlers as they attempt to climb up and down the relatively steep stairs by themselves. (Mine said, “I do it!”)
The volunteers who take you through the tour move you through fairly quickly, so this was not a lengthy stop. I don’t have a lot of interest in this period, but even I found things fascinating – like the pictures in the basement or the stories the volunteers tell you about the house’s history or stories of ‘the day’ such as the ladies cutting off their little toes so they can fit into the very narrow boots we saw.
One of my daughters loved the dolls in the basement with their beautiful clothes. My kids all agreed they liked the real bear trap best, though. Who woulda thunk it?
[This post was submitted by a guest author. You can read more by going to her blog, “Learning As I Go.”]
Railroad Days: Lauritzen Gardens [Part 1 of 5]
Lauritzen Gardens
• North of I-80: 100 Bancroft St in Omaha, Nebraska
• www.omahabotanicalgardens.org
• 402-346-4002
• Open daily 9 a.m to 5 p.m. except for some holidays
• Admission varies by season
November to March: Adults: $6, Children (ages 6 to 12): $3, Members and those under the age of 6 are free.
April to October: Adults:$7, Children (ages 6 to 12): $3, Members and those under the age of 6 are free.
• Free parking (upper & lower lots)
• Restrooms available in the Visitor Center
• Most areas are stroller-accessible.
Lauritzen Gardens was our first stop on Saturday. Railroad Days runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and we should have arrived as early as possible. However, we were driving in from out of town and hadn’t stayed overnight, so we got a late start.
We arrived at Lauritzen Gardens around 10:30 a.m. The upper parking lot was already packed, but there was still plenty of room in the lower lot. The lower lot is quite a walk from the main entrance. (We used the provided shuttle service on the way up but walked the winding path on the way back down to our vehicle.)
Be prepared at Lauritzen Gardens to do a lot of walking. We went through only a small portion of the 100-acre site. In essence, it is a botanical garden. For Railroad Days, however, they had added many activities for families and children. This year, there were Mini Train Rides on a scaled-down version of a Union Pacific train. There was an area where kids could make their own train engineer’s hats, make train pictures using their thumb and finger-prints and markers, and make train necklaces using dyed dry pasta pieces. Union Pacific posters and memorabilia from the heyday of railroads was on display. There was a storyteller and musician, singers, and model trains all over the place.
They had food available right outside the Visitor Center for this event, but we did not try any. The restrooms were also located in the Visitors Center, so use them before you get too far.
We did all the children’s activities before walking what we were told by a volunteer would be a “two minute” walk to the KidStructure. I think she meant to say two MILE walk (that’s what it felt like) on the main access road. It was beautiful as we passed many labeled flowers and plants – some that we even recognized from our own or friends’ gardens.
We passed a model railroad garden – including buildings, tressels and bridges constructed of natural materials. We didn’t count them, but we were told that there were seven G-scale model train lines running.
The roads were asphalt and definitely stroller-friendly. Some areas were handicap-accessible on one end, but not on the other. In some cases, you would have to double-back unless you were willing to do some stair-hiking.
On the way back, we took a winding route through some of the rose gardens. I think it was a bit shorter. There were lots of hills, so wear your walking shoes!
The KidStructures featured a huge “honeycomb” display, a building to showcase “spacial” changes to kids, a corn-growing explanation, cows, marbles, and a few buildings that despite the adult misgivings, the kids climbed up. There was also a mini “Mount Fuji” for the kids to climb.
We covered only a small portion of the gardens and left around 1:30 p.m. as we wanted to get to the other locations as part of Railroad Days as well. This was definitely the best of the five locations and one we could have spent the whole day at. Well-worth a visit if you are in the area, even with the steep admission prices.
This post was submitted by a guest author. You can see more at Learning As I Go.
Railroad Days: 5 Great Stops, 2 Days, $10
The following is a guest contribution to Travels With Children. You can read more from the author at her blog, “Learning As I Go“.
Mark next year’s calendar now.
“Road trip! June 20-21, 2009. Railroad Days.“
If you are within a day’s drive of Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska, you really should plan to make next year’s “Railroad Days.” What is this Railroad Days? Why should you go? What’s so special?
• http://www.omaharailroaddays.com
• $10 for two adults and unlimited dependent children
Railroad Days is a five-for-one deal. You can visit five different (mostly “train-related” attractions in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area in the two day event for only $10. Not $10 per person. But $10 per FAMILY (two adults, unlimited children). You park at one of the locations and FREE bus or TROLLEY service will take you between the other locations. Here is what the website has to say about RR Days:
“Celebrate our region’s railroad heritage and spend the day visiting some of the best railroad-themed attractions that Omaha and Council Bluffs have to offer. Explore Lauritzen Gardens, The Durham Museum, the RailsWest Railroad Museum, the Union Pacific Railroad Museum and The Historic General Dodge House. You can leave your car at any of the five locations and take free trolley service to each destination. ALL ABOARD for $10 per family!”
These attractions EACH normally cost at least $5 for each adult and $3 to $4 for each child. The event is sponsored by Union Pacific Railroad and the Iowa West Foundation with donations from a variety of other local businesses, individuals, and foundations. The third annual Railroad Days took place on July 12-13, 2008. In the follow-up installments, each attraction will be featured in “Traveling With Children” fashion.
For now, here are some general comments:
The trolleys were great, although we didn’t get to ride on any of them until the second day because of none of them were available after 2 p.m.
The ride across the Missouri River between Omaha and Council Bluffs (and back) took an hour each way. If I were to do it all over again (and what we did the second day), was ride the trolley back to the place we parked our vehicle and drive ourselves across the river. It would have been much faster. The trolleys don’t cross over, so we rode a “tour bus.” All of us would have rather rode in our own vehicle and used the saved time to pick up some cheaper food along the way.
The attractions were very diverse – some were stroller friendly and others were definitely not. Some took a fairly short time to go through and we could have stayed at a couple of the others all day long.
There was definitely some hit-and-miss on the bathrooms and water/food availability. Plan ahead, use the facilities when they are provided, and be flexible. There is some more detail in the follow-up installments.
Four of the five attractions have admission fees. Only the Union Pacific Railroad Museum is free to the public. For Railroad Days, my family of two adults and four children got into all five for only $10. It would have cost us $74 for entry to these places normally. Railroad Days is a great experience for the whole family at an even greater price!
Photo Friday: Capturing the Lake
Here’s my first entry in the “Photo Fridays” collection at Deliciousbaby. We’re in the midst of spending a week at a resort in Minnesota, and the kids have wanted to be part of documenting all of the action. While most of their shots are questionable, they think of shooting things that we as adults don’t consider, so we’ve had some good “keepers.” I enjoy this picture of my five-year-old son taking his own pictures.
Minnesota is known as the land of 10,000 lakes, and the time spent at this one has been a blast for the kids.
Hermann Heights Park and Hermann Monument
New Ulm has many nice parks, but Hermann Heights is one of our favorites. In addition to containing Hermann Monument, there are also shelters, rest rooms, and some nice open areas. Our favorite part, however, is that there is a nice play area with great swings, and the playground is in the shade for much of the day.
We usually let the kids play for a while, pay our admission and climb up in Hermann (where the kids and my husband go to the top, and I usually stop at the first landing), and then go play for a while longer.
If you’re in New Ulm with small children, take them up to Hermann to see some great views from the historic monument, and then let them have some fun in Hermann Heights Park.
Springfield Public Library
If we’re short on adventure ideas, have some extra time along the way, or just are curious, we like to visit libraries in other towns. Big or small, there’s always something new to see and read. Some offer puzzles and toys, some have special computer for kids, and some have special programs.
We recently went to the library in Springfield, Minnesota, and it was hard to pull the kids away. Their children’s collection, especially the non-fiction, was excellent, and we ended up checking out several items because of the reciprocity offered by our Traverse des Sioux Library System. The library staff were friendly and professional, and the kids were excited to see another library using the same summer reading program as our local library.
While the boys found new nonfiction and chapter books to check out, the girls had fun with the picture books and box of toys. I even found a few things for myself, and now I just need to find time to read them and return them on time.
The Wells Fargo Wagon is in the museum!
Wells Fargo Museum
- Sixth and Marquette, Skyway Level, Minneapolis, MN
- (612) 667-4210
- http://www.wellsfargohistory.com/museums/museums_mn.htm
- Free
- Stroller accessible
- Open during bank hours
Since a lot of our adventures take place on weekends, I had the Wells Fargo Museum on my list for quite a while before we made it there. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but found that although the museum is small, there’s plenty for kids to do, and the guide is very knowledgeable and informative.
Located on the skywalk level of the Wells Fargo building in downtown Minneapolis, some of the museum displays surround the rotunda, and there’s a room with information and equipment from the Wells Fargo of days gone by. There are a few hands-on things that kids can do, like tapping out a telegraph message.
The real fun, however, is the Wells Fargo Wagon. You can climb in, and the guide will rock it back and forth to give you a taste of what it was like to ride in the highbrow mode of travel in the 1800’s. The seats are uncomfortable, the motion constant, and the wagon ran day and night. When she then explained how many people rode on the wagon (6-9 inside and 4-6 on top), it made it hard to believe that this was the good way of travel. On the other hand, it beat walking, taking a ship around South America, or going through the Panama Canal to get to the West Coast. The kids loved the wagon ride.
Just for fun, there’s also a small mechanical wagon that’s free to ride for the kids, but the real Wells Fargo Wagon was their highlight.
Riding the rails
For years, I didn’t go to downtown Minneapolis, no matter what. While a lot of rural Minnesotans refuse to drive at all in “the Cities,” that doesn’t bother me, but there was always something about downtown Minneapolis, with its one-way streets, pedestrian malls, and parking ramps that confused me enough to stay away.
Then they built the Hiawatha Light Rail train line. Now we can park in Bloomington at a Park & Ride lot or take a side trip right from Mall of America, pay a few dollars, and hop on the train headed for downtown.
The first time we rode the light rail was with a friend. We each pushed a double stroller and I had a baby in a front carrier. We got quite a few stares that time. Since then, we’ve gone downtown with and without Dad. We sometimes get off at Metrodome and walk to Mill City Museum or Old Spaghetti Factory, or go to Nicollet Mall and see the displays at Dayton’s Marshall Field’s Macy’s.
The last time I went, I had one child in a stroller and three walking and they loved the train ride. The trains are decorated with advertisements, and they were excited to be on the “South Dakota” train. They thought it was really neat that people brought their bikes onto the train and put them in the special racks, and that they could choose to ride backward or forward.
But best of all, they love riding on a real train that goes fast and goes over bridges and through tunnels. And I love not driving downtown.
Welcome, Deliciousbaby readers!
Thanks to Debbie at www.deliciousbaby.com for the opportunity to write a guest post about our top picks in Chicago, and some of my best travel tips. She travels the world with her children and writes about their journeys near and far, and offers city guides with recommendations from her readers.
If you’re here by way of Deliciousbaby, thanks for stopping by! If you haven’t been to Deliciousbaby yet, please take a look. You’re sure to find some great ideas.
A good old-fashioned parade
In the summer, it seems that one of the surrounding towns has a community celebration almost every weekend, and that usually means a parade on Sunday afternoon. For free entertainment, it doesn’t get much better among the 2-8 crowd, because even our two-year-old knows that a parade means candy.
The kids know how and when to properly salute the flag as the color guard passes by, and then the fun begins. Over the years we have learned that what we need for a parade is simple: lawn chairs for Mom and Dad, hats and sunscreen, and two bags–one for the candy and one for the wrappers.
Fire trucks are always a big hit, as are the local high school marching bands. It’s fun to watch the little girls wave at the local royalty and the boys’ eyes grow big as they see the latest combine models. One of the highlights we saw this year was a tractor pulling a train of fifteen anhydrous tanks. That’s not something you see every day, even in rural America.
A parade offers a chance to meet new people, see new things, and enjoy some good old-fashioned fun in a small town. And did I mention candy?
World War II Day at Historic Fort Snelling
Historic Fort Snelling
- At Hwys 5 and 55 near the airport, St. Paul, MN.
- 612-726-1171.
- www.mnhs.org/places/sites/hfs/
$10 adults, $8 seniors and college students, $5 ages 6-17, 5 and under and MNHS members free. - Free parking.
- Partially stroller accessible.
- Restrooms available.
Although Fort Snelling usually depicts the 1850’s, on occasion they have special days from other time periods. On Father’s Day weekend, we went to learn about Fort Snelling in World War II.
What an interesting trip! The fur-trading days were gone, and Fort Snelling was now set up as it was in World War II, when it was the starting point for Minnesota’s soldiers on their journey to serve. Costumed interpreters took us through Japanese language school, taught us how to swing dance in the canteen, and had Tiddleywinks and Lincoln Logs set up for play. The kids went through an obstacle course and pretended to drive a Jeep.
I was amazed at how complete the transformation was, down to the 48-star flag and the WWII era communications. The kids liked playing the games and planting their “Victory Gardens,” and of course climbing up the big round tower.
The change at Fort Snelling was so complete that my husband was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see the blacksmith at work. We’ll have to go back another time to see that again.
Hitting the Links
Putting Green
- Corner of Valley Street and 20th Street South, New Ulm, MN
- (507) 354 – PUTT ( 7888 )
- www.puttinggreen.org
- Adults: 1 Round – $4.50, 2 Rounds – $6.50
- Students: 1 Round – $3.50, 2 Rounds – $5.50
- A few concessions available on-site
- Porta-potty available
- Stroller accessible
We decided the kids are getting old enough to try mini-golf, so we went to the Putting Green in New Ulm to give it a try. Billed as an “Environmental Adventure Park,” Putting Green offers more than mini-golf. There’s also an interpretive river trail, a native plant garden, and a “Growing Green Farm & Market.” They offer educational field trips as well.
But we were there for the mini-golf, so we paid our fees, got our putters and balls, and hit the greens.
Mini golf with four little kids is interesting to say the least. A seven-year-old understands most of the rules; a two year old not so well. It was also interesting to try to teach them some semblance of proper form. We had two things going for us: there was no one else on the course, and we had forgotten to pick up score cards. This allowed us to play as one large group, and to just make it fun instead of keeping score.
As mini-golf goes, Putting Green isn’t the most polished course I’ve seen. There are some ridges that stop the ball where it shouldn’t, and a tunnel that zooms the ball right out of play. If you’re a mini-golf afficionado, this may not be the course for you. On the other hand, there are some great environmental displays, so you learn something along the way, and because it’s not terribly busy, you can take your time and enjoy the playing of the game.
Even with four kids attempting to play with you.
Minnesota Zoo
Minnesota Zoo
- Minnesota Zoo
13000 Zoo Boulevard
Apple Valley, MN 55124
phone: 952.431.9200 - www.mnzoo.com
- $14 adults, $9 seniors, $8 ages 3-12, Free for ages 0-2. IMAX theater available at additional cost.
- Participates in AZA Reciprocity.
- Stroller accessible. Food available. Restrooms with changing tables in several locations.
We had a great day at the Minnesota Zoo. Since our last visit a year ago, there were three new areas to explore: The Minnesota Trail, the butterfly garden, and Russia’s Grizzly Coast. These attractions, in addition to the existing zoo exhibits, made for a fun day at the zoo.
At first, I wasn’t sure tackling the zoo alone with four kids was such a good idea. The new Russia’s Grizzly Coast exhibit is full of twists and turns and appears to be very popular, judging by the tangle of strollers in the area. The kids were excited to see a bear and a sea otter, however.
Once we got through the Grizzly Coast mess, the foot traffic thinned out considerably on the wider paths. We saw a tiger and several takins, as well as bison and camels and prairie dogs, before getting to the play area. After a rest/play break, we continued on to the Family Farm area. While we waited for the wagon to arrive, the kids played in the “grain elevator.”
The Family Farm is great for kids who love animals. My boys can’t wait to pet and comb the goats and see the other animals. My girls, however, were terrified of most of the animals, although they did think the 3-day-old piglets were cute.
When we returned to the play area with its nearby picnic grounds, I realized that the snacks I had packed were safely stowed in the car. Instead of traipsing halfway through the zoo and out to the parking lot, I opted for pizza and a sandwich for us to share. I was pleasantly surprised that the food prices weren’t outrageous, so we got a decent lunch and refilled our water bottles, which I had remembered to bring in.
Then we were off to the bird show, where the highlight for all of us was the bald eagle. After that, we rode the monorail and walked through the Tropics Trail and Minnesota Trail and saw the fish in the aquarium before seeing the dolphin show.
Altogether, we were at the zoo for six hours and we were all exhausted by the end of the day.
If you go to the Minnesota Zoo, I have these tips:
- Wear good walking shoes. There’s a lot of ground to cover.
- If you have a child of questionable walking ability or stamina, bring the stroller. My three youngest (ages 5, 4, and 2) alternated between the seats in the double stroller.
- Wear a hat and sunscreen. You won’t regret it!
- Bring refillable water bottles. There are lots of water fountains around the zoo where you can refill them.
- There are restrooms in many locations, but if you have a stroller, avoid the ones in the main building. It’s much easier to navigate some of the others. There’s a family restroom with changing table at the back of the granary in the Family Farm area. (There are also family restrooms in a hallway in the middle of the granary, but they don’t have changing tables.)
- If you want to avoid the heat of the day, walk around the outdoor exhibits in the morning and then do the indoor trails, aquarium, and monorail in the afternoon.
See also: A previous trip to the Minnesota Zoo
Mall of America
I’m going to make a confession. I don’t go to Mall of America to shop! In fact, quite often when I go there the only money I spend is on food. That was the case with our most recent trip to MOA.
We first stopped at the mall to eat lunch. If you’re eating food-court style with kids at Mall of America, I’ll give you a hint: Choose the south food court, which overlooks the amusement park. It will keep the young ones entertained watching the roller coasters, and it’s where McDonald’s is located. We found a table along the railing, and the kids mindlessly (meaning quietly) ate their lunch while ooohing and aaahing at the rides.
After lunch, we walked through Legoland, and then wandered through the Nickelodeon Universe theme park. Most of the rides are revamped and repainted from the park’s Camp Snoopy days, but it appears that they are adding some new rides as well.
When we got through the park, we headed to the transit station to ride downtown on the light rail train. When we returned, we walked through the park again and saw the character meet-and-greet area, where a freakishly large Diego was greeting fans who were ushered one at a time to his fenced-in area. My kids were scared to go anywhere near him. So much for meet-and-greet excitement.
We headed back upstairs to eat supper at Famous Dave’s. We did stop in a store or two on the way out. (The kids’ clothing stores are conveniently grouped near each other), and headed out into rush hour traffic that was surprisingly manageable heading south on Hwy. 77.
Someday I’ll have the luxury of going to Mall of America without children so I can do some actual shopping.
Read more of our adventures to Mall of America .
Brewster Inn, Dexter, Maine review-Boarders Beware!
This past Friday ( 6/20/08 ) we left on a 5 hour roadtrip to Dexter, Maine for a family wedding. I counted myself lucky that I had found The Brewster Inn online, and booked a Kitchen Suite with them for my family. A Kitchen Suite consists of a living room, kitchen, bath, and two bedrooms. Perfect for a family of 5! The photographs on line showed a charming, rustic little place, and the description sounded lovely….so, after a long journey with the kids (thank God for portable DVD players) and my husband, we arrived.
When we pulled up to the Inn, I noticed a broken shutter, peeling paint,and that the lawn needed mowing, but shrugging it off, proceeded to go ring the bell. The Innkeeper answered the door and stood staring at me. No “Can I help you?” etc. Just a silent stare. I told him that I had a reservation for a kitchen suite and he invited me in, and had me wait in the parlor, as he was on the phone and did not know where his wife was. After a few minutes the Innkeepers wife came in, unsmiling. I explained again who I was and she told me to get the car and follow her. So we did.
Now the website says “Located in a victorian cottage just a short walk from the inn.” So, I am expecting some quaint carriage house on the grounds…oh no no no no no. I was way off. We were brought down a narrow gravel drive toward the back, and straight out the other end to a residential street, off property. There was an old dilapidated house, with thigh-high weeds and a For Sale sign! This is the place??? Oh, yes indeedy.
So we go in. The front exterior door does not lock-indeed, it does not latch, really. You simply push on the door and it opens. This leads to a common hallway that smelled of a thousand musty basements. There was a window with a hole and spiderwebbed cracks to my left. Oye- is that a bullet hole?? We troop down to the end of the hall to Suite #2. A hollow core interior door is all that seperates us from the common hallway with the unlockable front door! Now I am getting anxious. In we go to Suite #2. The Innkeepers wife informs us that the owners of the house are selling (Gee, really?) and that it is vacant. We are all alone. Oh thats comforting, considering the lack of security between the 2 doors. And why are we way in the back, then? So nobody can hear our screams? Yikes. So she leaves, and we look around.
It’s a tad shabby, some broken blinds, very old stove (1960s Harvest Gold) but large enough at least, to keep us all comfortable for the weekend. We decide to call our relatives-and find that the phone is dead!!!! No dial tone- nothing!!! So now, we are isolated completely! I expected Leatherface to spring from a closet, wielding a chainsaw at any moment! This just had all the makings of a bad horror movie! I honestly considered driving over to Newport for a regular hotel room, but the Inn website said that the fee was non-refundable. And I am cheap. So we stuck it out.
We went out for a bit and when we returned, found the lawn weedwhacked in a half-assed kind of way, but it was something. Upon further inspection of the front covered porch we found a badly peeling rocking chair, spiders the size of my thumb in he corners, and broken flower pots filled with faded fake flowers. Charming. So back inside, I am looking at the futon in the living room and trying to decide if the couch is lopsided, or the room is. My 15 year old put a can of soda on the floor and down it rolled. I understand sagging floors in an old house, but this was Reallllly pronounced- visible to the naked eye. The least of the problems with this place in any case.
Upon further inspection, found a small door in the kids bedroom labeled “Fire escape” So of course I have to look. I open the door, and to the right is a staircase heading up to the attic. To the left, a tiny door leading outside to a fire escape. I made sure that door was locked, still feeling like we were at the Bates Motel. We did sleep with a kitchen chair propped under the door to our unit, plus the exterior screen door locked however. I lay awake a good long time, starting at every sound though.
All told, with a few minor fixes, this place could be wonderful. First up, replace the front door with one that locks. Replace the interior doors to the units with solid core doors. Air out the hallway, and replace the broken window. Pay the phone bill. Replace broken blinds. Mow the lawn. Replace broken flower pots & put some real flowers in there. Sweep off the porch and get rid of Spiderzilla. Nothing too major.
Our biggest gripe was the lack of security, and the isolation. We like privacy, but this was ridiculous. We really felt duped because the pictures and description online were not what we got, at all. Total false advertising!
Tripadvisor.com has rave reviews for the Inn proper, but I am guessing that nobody ever stayed in the Kitchen Suites, and had a good review! We sure didn’t!
Next time, we will try Newport Maine for a better place to stay, and suck it up that the drive to see the relatives is slightly longer. I would not recommend the Brewster Inn’s Kitchen Suites to anyone, unless they make some changes!
Take me out to the ballgame
On a rare Saturday with nothing on the schedule, we ran some errands in the morning, and after lunch mowed the lawn. Just as the kids were getting restless, we sprung a surprise on them: We were going to ride our bikes into town for the baseball game.
Now, this is a bigger deal than you might think. First of all, we live three miles from town, with gravel roads all the way. Because it’s been a wet spring, the gravel is loose and not the easiest for riding. There are some low but long hills along the way. And we haven’t been out on the bikes much at all so far this year ever.
Add to that the fact that none of our children ride a two-wheeled bike yet, and training wheels don’t work well on loose gravel. Because we do plan on biking as a family this year and in the years to come, we’ve invested in some contraptions: two “tagalog” trailers for the boys, and a double trailer/stroller for the girls.
I get the five-year-old on the tagalong behind me. He’s a good pedaler, especially when he doesn’t want to lose the “lead.” My husband, on the other hand, gets the seven-year-old on the tagalong, and then the two little girls in the trailer behind that. All in all, I’ve got an extra 50 lbs, and he has 130. Of course, he does physical work for a living and is in much better shape than me.
Anyway, we made it into town without too much trouble and parked the bikes at the ball game. Almost all of the small towns around here have “town ball” baseball teams that play on weekends throughout the summer. Our baseball field is in the city park, so as soon as we had parked the bikes, the kids were off to the playground, and only came to find us when they wanted a snack.
This is one of the things that is really neat about living in a small town. The kids knew the other kids at the park, and we could visit with friends and neighbors, all while sitting outside on a beautiful June day and watching a baseball game.
Our team played to a crowd of around 100 people. The announcer kept us apprised of the game and was sure to work in the game’s sponsor every so often. The concession stand offered the usual baseball game fare, but at affordable prices. And during the 7th inning stretch, there was a motorcycle parade that made a few trips around the park square.
After our experience at a minor league ball game, I think town ball is what we’ll watch for now. As my daughter said, “Mom let us play as long as we wanted, and then we could come eat. And then go play some more.” The kids had fun playing while we watched the game.
The hard part was the trip home. Somehow the hills got longer and higher, and the wind had picked up. My tagalong guy was happy enough to lose the “race” home once he declared that the winner was going to “bake” supper. We made it eventually, arriving home with memories of a pleasant afternoon spent at the ballgame.
Another trip to the Minnesota Children’s Museum
I’ve written about the Minnesota Children’s Museum before, and how it’s a really neat place but sometimes very crowded.
The week after Memorial Day, we hit the Children’s Museum trifecta. 1) My husband was able to get away, so we had a 2-to-1 child-to-adult ratio; 2) we didn’t arrive until 2 p.m., when most of the school groups were leaving, and 3) we visited on a weekday when most of the metro-area schools were still in session.
This meant that there were very few people in the museum, which is a lot more fun for the kids, and less stressful on the parents counting heads.
We started out at a paint-your-own face booth, where we ended up with one child with whiskers on his cheeks, one child with a vehicle upside down in water on his chin, and one with an interesting array of colors and shapes all over her face.
As always, the kids loved the block factory area and the bubble/water stations. This time, we also got in on the new Run! Jump! Fly! exhibit, as well as the fairy tale area where my daughter loved trying on Cinderella’s glass slipper and riding in the pumpkin carriage. The Rooftop Art Park was also open, with some nice nature and art activities for the kids, including an “Eye-Spy” hunt.
The kids always enjoy the children’s museum. All of the activities are kid-sized and hands-on and make learning fun.
Schells Brewery Tour
August Schell Brewing Company
- 1860 Schell Road
- New Ulm, MN 56073
- 800-770-5020 (ph)
- 507-354-5528 (ph)
- www.schellsbrewery.com
- $3 tour admission, under 12 free. No charge for museum or gardens.
- Restrooms with changing tables available. Stroller accessible except for one part of the tour.
My husband and his brother came along on a Sunday afternoon outing, so with a favorable adult-to-child ratio, we toured Schells Brewery in New Ulm, MN.
Schells is the 2nd-oldest family-owned brewery in the country. Built into the side of a bluff in New Ulm, the brewery makes Schell’s, Hauenstein, and Grain Belt beers, as well as 1919 Root Beer and Buddy’s Sodas.
We arrived early for the tour, which gave us time to look around at the museum, gift shop, and gardens. Our guide then gave us the history of the brewery and showed us around the grounds and buildings. We ended in the tasting room, where we viewed a video that provided more information about the making of the beer before sampling the various brews that Schell’s makes.
The kids thought it was great to get root beer (and 1919 really is the best, in my opinion), but in hindsight, I wouldn’t have taken the youngest on the tour. For kids five and up, though, there’s enough moving around to make the tour interesting, even if they’re just looking for the peacocks that roam the site.
Schell’s has such a picturesque location, away from the hustle and bustle of the town below. I like to go there once or twice a year just to walk through the gardens, which are always open to the public. But a tour of the brewery is interesting once in a while as well.
Still no mail for us at the Harkin Store
- 8 miles northwest of New Ulm, MN, on County Road 21.
- 507-354-8666 or 507-934-2160.
- http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/hs/
- Stroller accessibility via handicapped parking and entrance, but better to leave the stroller behind.
Around this time every year, the kids ask to go to the Harkin Store to see if there’s any mail for us. That’s because each time we tour the historic store, the guide says, “There’s nothing here for you, but check back next time.” They’ve taken his words to heart.
Each time we visit, though, they learn something new. This time, they all wrote their names on the slate board (well, the 2-year-old told us her name and made some scribbles). They all tried on hats so they could do their chores; the fun of coffee grinding was saved until after they’d churned the butter, done the ironing, and carded the wool.
After a quick game of checkers, we headed outside for a special treat–a taste of homemade ice cream. The Harkin Store has special programs on Sundays throughout the summer, and this was 4-H day and the dairy month celebration.
The staff at the Harkin Store work really well with kids to teach them about life in the 1870’s in language kids understand. It’s interesting to take a step back in time and think about a time when all the goods people needed to buy could be found in a single small store.
Read about our previous visit to the Harkin Store.
Sometimes you just strike out.
I’ll admit it. Although the vast majority of our trips and adventures are successes, once in a while we bite off more than we can chew, or we overestimate the kids’ interest in an activity, and we come home without having a lot of fun for the day.
Jonah Lisa’s post about a minor league baseball game was my latest inspiration. Well, that and the fact that there wasn’t much else on the GoCityKids Minneapolis-St. Paul calendar for today. When I told my husband after church that the St. Paul Saints were playing at 1:05 and he had to decided immediately whether to go or to stay home, he say “go!” So I called for tickets and we loaded up the kids. Along the way, we stopped for fast food in the car (an adventure in itself with four little kids) so we could get to the game on time.
We found free on-street parking, not knowing that we’d be walking a half-mile or more, or that $6 would have bought us much closer spots, and headed to Midway Stadium. There was a hold-up at the will-call window, and we had no idea where we were going once in the stadium, but we found seats in the general admission section just as the National Anthem started.
It was a nice afternoon for a ball game, but that was about the end of the positive experience for us. Even the antics between innings didn’t keep the kids entertained. Between them begging for food from the vendors (even though we’d just finished lunch 30 minutes before), the boys saying they were bored, and the girls unable to sit still, we gave up midway through the sixth inning. The kids were looking forward to running the bases after the game, and they were disappointed to miss that part of the day.
So, what went wrong to make a fun day turn out poorly? My husband discussed it on the way home, and it may have been a combination of these factors:
- Since we went at the last minute, I didn’t have time to explore the Saints’ website for stadium area. That, combined with what I consider to be poor signage at the stadium (Would it hurt to have a sign on the back of the general admission area so you know you’ve found it?) sent us to one set of general admission bleachers. Little did I know that there was a kids’ play area on the other section of general admission seats. I didn’t discover it until we were driving past the stadium on the way home. Besides, I wouldn’t have known how to get over there (again, the signage). If I’d planned ahead more, I would have been able to take the kids there to play so that at least my husband could stay to watch the game.
- We didn’t give the kids the “we just ate so we won’t be spending exorbitant amounts of money on food that we don’t know is peanut-safe at the game” speech. Silly us, we assumed that since we’d just eaten, they wouldn’t claim to be hungry and thirsty. We were wrong.
- We were sitting in the cheap seats. By the time we decided to go, general admission was all that was available. But we (even us adults) couldn’t see much of the game, and bleachers seem to invite climbing for kids. Perhaps sitting in stadium seats with a better view would have sparked more interest for the kids.
- We thought one or more of the kids would fall asleep in the car on the way there and be refreshed by a nap. Again, we were wrong. They never sleep when we want them to.
- We’re cheap. I probably could have kept them quiet and still for a while longer with $20 of popcorn and root beer. But we’re trying to teach them that if you’re going to have soda, it’s better to have the $.25 can at home than the $3.00 glass at the ballpark.
- The kids haven’t been to a lot of sporting events and they don’t have the “love of the game” that some kids seem to have.
- They’re young yet. And there are four of them. Maybe we were just plain crazy to think it was going to work.
The lesson continued on the way home. Three of the four fell asleep on our way through the metro area, and my husband stopped to run an errand. After he came back to the car, we were going to eat an early supper. We told the kids upon leaving the store parking lot that Mommy and Daddy were going to choose where we would eat supper, and if there was any complaining about the choice we made, we’d go all the way home (another hour and a half) and eat there. A half-mile later, we pulled into a restaurant parking lot and our four-year-old promptly announced (whined?), “But I don’t like Pizza Hut!” So . . . we continued out through the parking lot and out to the street, despite her quick change of heart. “I really do like Pizza Hut! I’m hungry! I’m thirsty! Please can we go back?” The crying continued for another 30 minutes, but by the time we arrived home, she was happy again.
We quickly heated up leftovers and cracked open some of those $.25 cans of root beer.
So, although we generally have fun on our outings, there are times that it just doesn’t work out so well. Now we’re trying to figure out when we should try it again. We’re thinking we might try it again when the youngest is six or seven.
What do you think? What’s a good age to take kids to the ballpark, and what do you do to make the visit go smoothly?
Related posts: Root, root, root for the home team at Family Travel; Double A Baseball in Frisco, TX at Travels with Children; Take Me Out to the Ballgame at Nerd’s Eye View; Take Me Out to the Ballgame at Midwest Guest.
Minnesota State Public School Orphanage Museum
- 540 West Hills Circle, Owatonna, MN
- 800-423-6466
- www.orphanagemuseum.com
- Free
- Free parking
- Restrooms available
- Stroller accessible
Another museum I’d read about in guidebooks was the “State School” museum in Owatonna. Before we left for the day, we watched the WCCO “Finding Minnesota” segment about the state orphanage and its museum.
Although the museum was interesting, it wasn’t quite what I expected. After watching the news segment, I had envisioned a large museum with guides available. Instead, the State School now houses the Owatonna city offices, an arts center, and other organizations. The museum is a series of display cases on the main floor, adjacent to the city offices, and there is an audio walking tour available to take you around the grounds. A guide is available for scheduled groups, but for the general public, the museum is self-guided.
The information and artifacts were interesting to me, but it wasn’t a great place for small kids, so we did a rather quick tour. From the comments that had been left in the guestbook, the museum holds a lot of special memories for former residents and staff, and it is an important part of Minnesota history. But because it is not hands-on, it is probably better suited for older children and adults.
Farmamerica
- At the intersection of County Roads 2 and 17, west of Waseca, MN
- 507-835-2052
- www.farmamerica.org
- $5 Adults, $4 seniors 62 & over, $3 youth 6-13, free for 5 and under
- Stroller accessible (although possibly not all building interiors)
- Restrooms with changing tables available in visitors’ center.
When we go on our adventures, we try to be flexible in case something comes up. Sometimes I don’t tell the kids where we’re going until we get there. “It’s a surprise!” Sometimes we have more things on our list than we have time for. And sometimes our plans don’t quite work out.
This was the case when we drove to Waseca to see Farmamerica. I had checked the website before we left for the hours, but when we arrived, there was only one car in the parking lot. When the staff member came to help us, she explained that this was supposed to be their opening day of the season, but they’d had so much rain recently that we wouldn’t be able to get to all of the site.
I was just beginning to be disappointed when she gave us the silver lining: She wasn’t going to charge us admission, and instead of the usual walking tour, she’d allow us to go through the “authorized personnel only” area and drive through the site. They’d also open up the buildings in case we wanted to go in, but she asked that we try not to track in mud.
Since we couldn’t see the whole thing, we decided not to get in and out of the car, but we did drive through the site. We’ll go back another time (probably with Dad) to see the interiors. In the meantime, we got a nice taste of the place.
Along the gravel loop, which is set up for a tram to take visitors from area to area, there is a paved sidewalk, so stroller navigation would be all right. There are various sites (1850’s farm, prairie, church and school, feed mill, 1930’s farm) at intervals along the path, with signs explaining each part and its significance.
The visitors center includes rest rooms and a gift shop. Special events are held throughout the season. Some of the fall activities look particularly interesting, so that may be when we head back there.
Although we were disappointed that we didn’t see all of Farmamerica, it was nice to get a taste of it to see that it is worth visiting again.
Village of Yesteryear
- 1448 Austin Road, Owatonna, MN
- 507.451.1420
- http://www.steelecohistoricalsociety.org/village.php
- $5 adults, $3 ages 7-16, 6 and under free
- Free parking
- Mostly stroller accessible
On our list of things to do in Owatonna was the Steele County Historical Society’s Village of Yesteryear. Tours are given at 1:30 daily, and we were guided through the site by a very understanding man named Bob who said to give him a signal if the kids were ready to move on to another building. It turned out that a signal wasn’t needed very often, because the kids were very interested in the site.
The buildings in the Village of Yesteryear were all moved into the historical complex from elsewhere in Steele County. The house was that of a former Congressman who lived in Owatonna, and the other buildings came from other parts of the county. Bob gave us a tour that included the church, log cabins, fire hall, caboose, schoolhouse, general store, and more.
The best part about the tour for the kids was that there were several hand-on activities that they could do. They rang the bells at the school, church, and fire house, climbed up into the caboose, and played the pump organ in the church.
There’s a lot to see at the Village of Yesteryear. It ended up that we took the full hour and a half for the tour, and the kids didn’t get restless because there was such a variety to see. We were able to ask questions, and our guide was very knowledgeable and worked well with the kids to keep it interesting for them.
When we got home, the kids were very excited to tell their dad all about the Village of Yesteryear.
Travels with Children 
