Travels with Children
The adventures I embark upon with my four young children.Archive for kids
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?
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.
DuPage Children’s Museum
DuPage Children’s Museum
301 N. Washington St., Naperville, IL. 630-637-8000. www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org
$7.50 ages 1 and up; $6.50 seniors 60 and up. Free parking. Stroller accessible. Restrooms with changing tables available.
Reciprocal admission through ACM (see “Adventures on a Budget” above for more information).
Our trip to the DuPage Children’s Museum was somewhat unplanned. We wanted to go to the Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier, but the Navy Pier parking lots were full and we gave up on finding the alternate parking in downtown Chicago, so we looked at our list of potential Chicago-area places to visit and decided on DuPage Children’s Museum. It ended up working out well, as the 30-40 minute trip there gave the kids a chance for a little nap in the car.
We had called for directions, so we found the museum without any trouble. The museum is also right next to a Metra train station, so that would be another transportation option.
Inside, most of the exhibits are on one level. (We didn’t even realize there was a second exhibit area until we were on our way out at closing time.) Instead of being separate rooms, they are grouped into “neighborhoods” that flow from one into another. In some ways, this is nice, because our children could be exploring different things at different times, but on the other hand, it was hard to keep track of everyone!
I really liked the special baby and toddler areas so that the little ones had some age-appropriate things to do. The building workshop was a hit with my four-year-old, and the six- and three-year-olds liked the music area (which is in its own room to help contain the noise of the bells and drums). The water/bubble area succeeded in getting everyone wet despite the plastic smocks, but that comes with the territory.
This is a bright and cheery children’s museum, with large windows that let in sunlight. It is also well-staffed so that you see museum workers out on the exhibit floor. (This is not true at every children’s museum.) I did think it was loud in there in a white-noise kind of way; I’m not sure if was the ventilation system or the ball-blast exhibit, but there was a general loudness (beyond children’s voices) there.
There’s a huge purple chair available for kids to take a rest or climb on, and it’s the perfect place to take a souvenir photo. Benches for parents or grandparents to rest on are also plentiful throughout the museum.
We hadn’t arrived at the museum until mid-afternoon, so our visit was cut short by the closing of the museum. We would have liked to explore even more.
I really liked the choo-choo train outside by the door.
I liked the balls when they sent them different places.
Duluth Children’s Museum
Duluth Children’s Museum
506 W. Michigan St., Duluth, MN. 218-733-7543. www.duluthchildrensmuseum.org
$10 adults, $5.50 ages 3-13, 2 and under free; admission also includes Duluth Art Institute, Lake Superior Railroad Museum, Veteran’s Memorial, and the St. Louis County Historical Society exhibits in the same building. Parking adjacent (fee?). Stroller accessible. Restrooms available.
Reciprocal admission through ACM and ASTM (see “Adventures on a Budget” for more information).
The Duluth Children’s Museum is part of the Depot, a complex that includes a train museum, veteran’s memorial, art museum, and county historical exhibits, so when we made our plans, I expected we’d be there most of the day. We arrived just as the museum opened on a crisp January morning and paid our admission, then visited the train museum first. Then we made our way across the hallway to the children’s museum.
As children’s museums go, this one is small, but it does have some of the traveling exhibits I’ve seen at other museums. On the lower level, there were two exhibit areas, and upstairs another exhibit area and a hallway displaying children’s toys through the years. Connecting the two is a treehouse staircase. As an adult, the treehouse isn’t spectacular, but my parents had taken us to the museum when I was a young child, and I fondly remembered the treehouse. It’s just a lot bigger when you’re small than when you’re grown! An elevator is also available for moving strollers up and down.
Although the museum is small, it had enough to keep the kids busy for a while, but because of their different interests and the fun of playing in the treehouse, it was hard to keep track of them. Eventually my husband went downstairs and I stayed up so we could successfully keep an eye on all of our children.
The museum is located in downtown Duluth, and we didn’t find any eating establishments nearby (within a quick walking distance) so I was glad we saw what we wanted before lunch, when we made the short drive to the Canal Park area to eat. I believe there were vending machines with snacks in the building, so you could probably tide the kids over if you needed to, but but there is no on-site cafe.
Combined with the train museum, this was a nice stop for us although the children’s museum itself isn’t as spectacular as some others. A note about membership, however–their membership rates that include reciprocities with ACM and/or ASTM are some of the best bargains in the country.
Deardorff Orchards
Deardorff Orchards
8350 Parley Lake Rd., Waconia, MN. www.deardorfforchards.com
Free. Free parking (along gravel road). Stroller accessible. Restrooms (porta-potties) available. Some foods available in apple store.
Fall in Minnesota wouldn’t be complete without a trip to an orchard to find some home-grown Honeycrisp apples. Our orchard of choice this year was Deardorff Orchards, between Waconia and Victoria, Minnesota. We arrived on a crisp September morning and parked along the road, then walked onto the farm site that is home to the orchard. We played on the hay pile and saw a few farm animals, then boarded a flatbed, tractor-pulled wagon to pick our own apples.
When we visited Deardorff two years ago, I had three children, ages 4, 2, and 1, and I was nervous enough about the flatbed ride that we didn’t go to the pick-your-own area. With the kids a little older, though, and the staff being willing to help me lift the stroller onto the cart (and me locking the wheels), I gave it a try, being sure we were sitting in the middle of the trailer. The tractor deposited us in the orchard after describing where we could find various varieties of apples. We picked some apples and then returned to the farm, where we walked through the store. There, in refrigerators, were additional pre-picked apples, as well as pumpkins, jams and jellies, doughnuts, and other goods. We paid for our apples and made our way back to the car. Deardorff also has special activities, including cider and hotdogs, at certain times, and they have wagons for pulling apples or kids, and the site is picturesque enough that it served as our Christmas card picture a few years ago. So, take the kids and your camera to Deardorff Orchards when you want some good, homegrown Minnesota apples!
Como Zoo
Como Zoo
1225 Estabrook Drive (in Como Park), St. Paul, MN. 651-487-8200. www.comozooconservatory.org/
Free (but donation of $2 adult/$1 child suggested). Free parking. Stroller accessible. Restrooms available, family restroom in main building. Cafe on-site, concessions available.
We’ve been to a few zoos in the past few years, and we’ve noticed that there are two types: big ones, where you walk for miles to see animals in their “natural” habitats, and smaller zoos where the animals each have their own little area. St. Paul’s Como Zoo is of the latter type, making it fun for kids without being exhausting for stroller pushers.
One of the nice things about Como Zoo is that you can see all of the typical “zoo” animals–lions and tigers and (polar) bears, plus zebras and giraffes. We’ve been to zoos where we walked and walked looking for the lions, only to learn that they didn’t have any. Something else nice is that if you get lost, or if your kids want to dart from one exhibit area to another, it’s all in close proximity, so you really can let the kids lead you if that’s what you choose to do. All of the buildings are stroller-accessible, but a few have stairs on one side and a ramp on the other, so you can’t just file in one door and out the other.
Favorites of the kids this time around were the polar bear and the lions (since we’d recently watched the Lion King). Inside the new visitor center is a “tropical encounters” exhibit where we could see tropical plants and birds.
The zoo is open year-round, and we have learned that it’s a lot quieter there on a chilly November day than on a warm August day. Parking was difficult to find; both of the zoo lots and the nearby park lots were full so we ended up parking along the street and walking quite a way.
Also accessible through the visitor center is the Marjorie McNeely conservatory, which we did not visit this time.
We did take a ride on the historic Cafesjian’s Carousel, however, and it was a real treat! A restored antique carousel, all of the horses are hand-carved. My older three rode on horses, and I sat in a chariot with my toddler. It was one of the fastest and longest carousel rides I’ve been on.
Also, be aware that there is an amusement park called Como Town adjacent to and visible from the zoo, so if you’re not interested in spending extra money on fair-type rides, you can prepare your “no” answers ahead of time.
Como Zoo is one of those classic zoos that is a delight to visit with young children.
I really liked looking at the lion and I liked going on the carousel, too.
New Ulm
Brown County Historical Society
2 N. Broadway St. (Corner of Center and Broadway), New Ulm, MN. 507-233-2616. http://browncountyhistorymnusa.org/
$3 adults, students free. Free parking on-street and behind museum. Stroller accessible–maybe–see below. Restrooms available.
I’ve known for a while that my four-year-old is atypical in many ways, but still I was surprised when his favored subject this summer became the Dakota Conflict of 1862. After visiting the Lower Sioux Agency and Fort Ridgely historic sites, he still had questions, and first and foremost in his mind was this: How much of New Ulm was burned in the battles?
On a hot and sunny summer day, we set off to New Ulm to find the answers. I remembered seeing historical plaques around the downtown area. Our first stop was at the New Ulm visitor center (corner of Center and Minnesota, http://www.newulm.com/), where a brochure helped us ensure that we saw all the markers. Then we walked around downtown and saw the plaques explaining the boundaries of the battle and some of the important buildings, such as the Erd building, the Kiesling House, and the Grand Hotel.
Armed with this information, we headed to the Historical Society Museum to see what else we could learn.
The museum is in the old New Ulm post office, and it’s a building I’ve driven past and admired many times, but had never gotten around to stopping at, partly because I wasn’t sure how kid-friendly it would be. My first obstacle met us even before the door–a forbidding set of beautiful stairs to the main entrance, stairs that a stroller would not easily ascend. I sent my six-year-old up to inquire whether there might be another door that we could use with the stroller, and he came back with the message of “no,” so I proceeded to carry my 25-lb toddler up the stairs in her stroller. (It’s a good thing I had the “lightweight” stroller that day.) Now, while it is possible that he misconstrued either the question or the answer, after carrying the stroller up the steps and struggling with the door, we were not offered an alternate way of leaving the building.
Here’s a hint, however: there is a handicapped entrance on the north (well, New-Ulm-north, which is actually pretty much northeast, but that’s another story) side of the building; it is visible from Broadway. I didn’t notice it until after our visit, but if I attempt to visit again with a stroller, I’m certainly going to try to beg my way into that entrance.
Once inside, we fared much better, however; an elevator moved us from floor to floor. There were several artifacts from the Dakota Conflict as well as some paintings that showed the amount of destruction to the town. In another exhibit area, information on general Brown County history was presented, and I found the exhibits on shoes and butter (two different displays, by the way) to be surprisingly interesting.
We succeeded in quenching most of the 4-year-old’s knowledge about the Dakota Conflict, although we did have to go to the library, and Memories of New Ulm, translated from the German, became his bedtime story for several summer evenings.
If you ever visit New Ulm, there are other fun things to do there with kids.
- If you’re not afraid of heights, and can handle walking spiral stairs, make the trek to the top of Hermann Monument (aka “Hermann the German”) for a spectacular view of New Ulm and the Minnesota River valley. And don’t worry, dreams of being chased by men with swords are only occasional. Besides, my children quickly reasoned that if they are ever chased by someone with a sword, they should run away quickly and close the door. End of problem.
- If your kids can sit through a short video and then a guided tour, and if you show up on the right day of the week, a tour of Schell’s Brewery can be interesting. Beer (regular and root) is provided at the end of the tour, in case you need some incentive. If you aren’t up for the tour, though, wander out to Schell’s anyway and visit the gardens. The kids love to look for deer in the fenced area and peacocks wandering about the place.
- The Glockenspiel is fun to visit if you catch it at the right time. Usually we’re a ways down the street so don’t get to see it in action, but the kids know it when the hear it. Unless they get it confused with one of the church’s chimes. Sometimes I’m not sure where the bells are coming from, but it’s hard not to know what time it is in New Ulm.
- German Park, or as we affectionately call it, “the castle park,” has only one piece of playground equipment, but it sparks more imagination and creativity than any other park I’ve seen. Is it a castle? Is it a jail? Is it a store? Is it a drawbridge? This is my kids’ favorite park, and convenient located just two blocks from the Glockenspiel.
The Bakken Museum
The Bakken Museum
3537 Zenith Ave. S (off Lake Calhoun), Minneapolis, MN. 612-926-3878. www.thebakken.org
$7 adults, $5 students & senior, 3 and under free. Free parking. Stroller accessible, though easier in some areas than others. Restrooms available.
We visited the Bakken Museum last spring while using our first Museum Adventure Pass, which was available from Minneapolis-St. Paul area libraries for admission to several different museums. The Bakken was unique enough that I hadn’t heard of it before, but since I had a free pass, we gave it a try.
The Bakken is truly an electrifying place. Most of its exhibits are on the theme of electricity. Visitors can crank a wheel to make a spark, see how primitive batteries worked, and learn about magnetism and the history of electricity. A hands-on area (with capable guide) allowed the kids to be “charged up” and demonstrate how static electricity works.
The museum was very quiet when we were there, which allowed the kids to explore their favorites several times over. I had been afraid that it would be a “looking only” museum, but there were a nice number of hands-on activities the kids could try.
There is also a Frankenstein exhibit, but the posted warnings said it might not be suitable for young children, so we didn’t go in that area.
The Bakken was a nice surprise to find. I wish I would have planned ahead a little more so that we would have had time for a nice walk around Lake Calhoun, which is just across the street.
We’ll probably go back again when the kids are a little older, and when my husband can come as well, since I think he would be interested in a lot of things at the Bakken.
I really liked doing the electricity wheel.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL. 312-443-3600. www.artic.edu
$12, children under 12 are free. Parking available in nearby garages (fee). Stroller accessible. Restrooms with changing tables available.
Free Thursdays from 5-8 p.m.
When we vacationed in Chicago this summer, the Art Institute was a spot I definitely wanted to make for very one specific reason: while living in Iowa, I had become a fan of Grant Wood’s art, and the famous American Gothic is housed at the Art Institute of Chicago.
We ended a Thursday in downtown Chicago at the Art Institute (which, not coincidentally, had free admission on Thursday evenings). Our first stop was in the Kraft Education Center, where guidebooks had advised stopping for information on seeing the museum with children. We got more than we bargained for. We were led to an activity room where there were supplies for each child to make his or her own collage picture, and then shown the family room, where there were picture books about arts, blocks for building, and most importantly for us, puzzles of artwork from the Institute, including American Gothic.
Our kids have been to a lot of museums, but not a lot of art museums, so I was pleasantly surprised when they picked up quickly on the terminology (galleries) and themes (these are all Jesus pictures), and behavior (keeping their voices appropriately low for the most part). Although we kept the strollers moving at a steady pace, we saw almost all of the galleries while on our quest for American Gothic.
Finally, we found our “I Spy” piece and the kids were thrilled. (They still talk about it and get excited when they see replicas or spoofs of the painting.) All in all, we spent about an hour and a half at the Art Institute–not nearly enough time to do it justice, but a decent amount of time to give some young children gradual exposure to a variety of art pieces. I would not hesitate to return there with the kids.
Too bad Chicago’s a day’s drive away!
I really liked going in the children’s place where they had all the crafts.
I liked doing the “I spy with my little eye” and finding American Gothic.
Alexander Ramsey House
Alexander Ramsey House
265 S. Exchange St., St. Paul, MN. 651-296-8760. http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/arh/
$7 adults, $4 ages 6-17, 5 and under free. Free parking. Not stroller accessible. Restrooms available in gift shop.
Free for members of Minnesota Historical Society.
My four-year-old had been begging to go to the Alexander Ramsey House all summer. We’d been to other Minnesota historic sites, but for some reason, the Alexander Ramsey House had caught his fancy and he really really really wanted to go there. So, finally, in September, my husband was able to take a day off and we headed to St. Paul for the big tour.
The Alexander Ramsey House is a large Victorian-era home, and the tour is led by a white-gloved guide. You’re not supposed to touch anything, not even the woodwork. While I’ve been told that some guides are more kid-friendly than others, ours wasn’t particularly helpful in livening up the discussion. Nonetheless, we made it through the hour-long tour without any major mishaps. The kids did enjoy the series of bells throughout the house, and cookies were offered in the kitchen (some did have peanuts but the “kitchen help” was aware of this, for fellow peanut-allergy families). My most nervous moments were when we were on the third level and the railing on the staircase wasn’t particularly high; I tried to keep a hand on all the kids while we were up there lest someone go over the edge. (To a less height-frightened person, this would probably not be a problem.)
We did learn a lot about Alexander Ramsey, including the fact that he did not have a middle name. (Yes, my four-year-old asked about that.) The tour began with a video in the gift-shop building adjacent to the main house, which gave us some background information, and other questions were answered both by the guide and by the gift shop staff.
All in all, I probably wouldn’t take this tour with four very young children again. When they are a little older, it might be more interesting, but it was just a little nerve-wracking to keep them from touching anything at their ages. Still, we did succeed in making our little boy’s summer dream come true, and because we’re members of the historical society, it didn’t cost us any more than the trip to get there.
Science Center of Iowa — Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad
Science Center of Iowa
401 West Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, Des Moines, IA. 515-274-6868. www.sciowa.org.
Regular admission w/o IMAX: $8 adults, $6 age 2-12. Parking in adjacent ramp, $1 per hour. Stroller accessible. Restrooms available; family restroom with changing table in children’s area. Restaurant on-site.
Membership reciprocity (free) through ASTM.
I’ll be honest, from the website I wasn’t sure there would be much to interest us at the Science Center of Iowa. But the facts that we had a reciprocal membership and that someone had mentioned that the museum was only about a year old and was very nice convinced me that we should give it a try.
We followed the directions given on the website and found the museum easily, which was good since we didn’t have a good map of downtown Des Moines. We parked in the adjacent parking garage and learned that being a few minutes early was all right; we were allowed to get our tickets and start exploring a few minutes before 9:00.
We missed the memo that there was trick-or-treating at SCI that day, but they gave the kids some bags that they could fill with candy around the museum even though they weren’t in costume.
I did find the signs to be somewhat confusing, but once we got the layout of the place, we did all right. The exhibit areas are called “experience platforms” at SCI. We first went to a hands-on “science around you” area where we spent quite a while before convincing the kids that we should see the rest of the museum. The next stop was a special children’s area, complete with a toddler section and a family restroom.
Upstairs, we saw the traveling “grossology” exhibit, which was fun though loud. The weather area was reminiscent of the Notebaert Nature Museum we had visited in Chicago. And the stars area (which we almost missed) was complete with a planetarium; when there wasn’t a scheduled show, you could make your own show on a computer and then go in to view it.
It was nice that SCI wasn’t too crowded. After visiting jam-packed museums in Minneapolis on weekends, it was a pleasant surprise. We spent about two hours at the museum without seeing an IMAX show, eating, or shopping in the museum store. For having young children with short attention spans, that means there are some good exhibits there!
We paid for our parking at the pay station, which was manned by a real-life, friendly person. I inquired about restaurants and he mentioned that there were several on Court Avenue; what we didn’t realize was that we should have kept our parking spot and walked somewhere to eat. The Des Moines travel guide I had picked up wasn’t particularly good at guiding us through downtown, so after wandering around in circles for a while, we decided to head out to Ankeny for lunch, and then back to Boone for the highlight of our trip, a ride on the rails.
I liked that place even though we didn’t get have our face painted. I liked downstairs when we got to get all that candy and I liked the place where we got to send the thing through the tube all the way around and back.
Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad
11th and Division Street, Boone, IA. 800-626-0319. www.scenic-valleyrr.com
Train ride prices vary. Free parking. Trains not stroller accessible. Restrooms available at depot and on board train. Snack bar at depot; soda vending on train.
We caught the 1:30 train for a seven-mile scenic journey from Boone to Frasier, crossing the high bridge at Bass Creek and the Des Moines River. Guides on each of the nine passenger cars dished out safety rules and local history along the way. At the end of the line in Frasier, we switched sides of the car with other passengers so we could see the other half of the scenery on the way back.
Steam engines run the excursion trains on weekends, while diesel engines pull the cars during the week. There are special dinner and dessert trains available, and a trolley that runs to downtown Boone seasonally.
The 1 hour, 45 minute trip got a little long for the kids, who would have preferred a fast-moving train to the 20 mph we were travelling. Fortunately, some snacks I had along tided them over for the most part. My six-year-old was very quiet during the trip; he later explained that he was just very interested in watching and listening to the sights and sounds of the train. We had a beautiful fall afternoon for our excursion.
Back at the depot, there is a gift shop and the Iowa Railway Museum, which we had visited on a previous trip to Boone but didn’t have time to see this time.
It was fun and also a long ride. We got to see a dessert train.
Cabela’s — Dows Depot — Boone County Historical Society — Living History Farms
Cabela’s
3900 Cabela Drive, Owatonna, MN. 507-451-4545. www.cabelas.com
Free. Free parking. Stroller accessible; shopping carts also available. Restroom with changing table available in store. Restaurant on-site.
Cabela’s is almost as much a museum as it is a store. While my husband shopped, I took the kids around to the displays that rival a natural history museum. Stuffed animals, including an elephant, zebras, bears, and more, live in three “habitats” within the store, and the tunnel of fish tanks complete with posted feeding times allows for a look at various types of fish. If you have to get stuck at a “daddy store,” Cabela’s is probably the best you can hope for. We were in the store for an hour without me pulling my hair out, since there was enough for the kids to look at that they didn’t get bored.
Lunch was at Famous Dave’s Barbecue, adjacent to Cabela’s. Then we headed down I-35 to Iowa. We intended to stop at the Iowa Welcome Center just across the border but got lost in confusion. We knew that the welcome center looked like a nice red barn and silo, but when we got to the exit, the only barn and silo we saw belonged to a new casino along the Interstate. By the time we realized that the dwarfed welcome center barn was behind the casino barn, we had missed the exit. Fortunately for my husband, Iowa has many welcome centers and we found one more interesting less than an hour down the road.
Dows Depot & Welcome Center
1896 Railroad St., Dows, IA. 515-852-3595. www.dowsiowa.com
Free. Free parking. Not easily stroller accessible. Restrooms available; no changing station.
While most Iowa Welcome Centers are on the well-traveled roads, this one is a few miles off the beaten path. There is a modern rest area at the I-35 Exit 159, but the welcome center itself is in the town of Dows a little farther down the road. Follow the Burma-shave-type signs and you won’t have any trouble finding it.
The Welcome Center is located in the 1896 Dows Depot. One half of the building is set up as a museum of railroad memorabilia and local interest, and the other half is filled with travel information from all parts of Iowa, and a friendly person is there to help you find what you need. A gift shop is located in the former ticket office, and restrooms are in the building.
There are various other historical buildings in Dows, but we had a full agenda for the day so we got the information we needed and headed down the back roads to Boone.
Boone County Historical Society
Northeast Corner of Story Street and 6th Strett, Boone, IA. 515-432-1907.
$2 adults, under 18 free. Free street parking. Stroller accessible. Restrooms available.
Our main purpose for stopping at the Boone County historical museum was to see the lantern that 15-year-old Kate Shelley, Iowa railroad heroine, carried when she traveled through a storm to warn the trains that the Honey Creek bridge was out on the night of July 6, 1881. When we arrived at the museum, we told the guide that we were interested in Kate Shelley, and he led us to a room with a diorama of the route she traveled and a case with her lantern and some medals she was awarded for her heroics. He then offered to show us a 19-minute video about Kate Shelley, which included many pictures from the book we had read about Kate.
The museum also included various local history items and a display of Iowa in the 20th century, broken down into decades.
Before we left, the guide told us how we could drive to see the Kate Shelley Memorial High Bridge outside of Boone, so we drove out of town to catch a glimpse of it. Because a new bridge is being built to replace the existing high bridge, we could not get as close as we had wished, but nonetheless we were able to see the 2685-foot-long bridge that stands 185 feet above the Des Moines River.
On the way to Des Moines, we stopped in Moingona to see the Kate Shelley Railroad Museum, which was not open, but we saw the restored depot where Kate Shelley issued her warning.
Then we were off toward Des Moines, where we dined at the Golden Arches and checked into our hotel, donning costumes for our next bit of excitement.
Living History Farms Family Halloween
2600 111th St., Urbandale, IA. 515-278-5286. www.lhf.org
$4.50 per person. Free parking. Stroller accessible. Restrooms available in main building.
I’ll admit that Halloween isn’t my favorite holiday and I usually do little to celebrate it, but when I read about the safe, non-scary Family Halloween at Living History Farms, I thought we’d give it a try. Running from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on several dates in October, it’s a well-organized trek around the 1875 town of Walnut Hill with stops for candy along the way. (Costumes and flashlights are recommended.) Jugglers, clowns, and storytellers are there to entertain you and there are many photo opportunities with scarecrows available. Popcorn and pop, roasted marshmallows, and ice cream are offered along the way, and a horse-drawn wagon ride is a special treat. Our kids really enjoyed seeing the jack-o-lanterns along the pumpkin walk as we ended the evening.
It truly was non-scary, and a nice bit of fun for an October evening.
I liked watching the Kate Shelley movie at the Boone museum. I liked getting a lot of candy at the Living History Farms but not the stuff with peanuts. I liked the boardwalk.
I liked using our Buzz Lightyear flashlights.
I really liked hearing the train whistle on the clock and using the old applesauce maker by the door and looking at all the axels on the trains (at the Dows Depot).
Hutchinson Model Railroad Show — Minnesota Streetcar Museum — Choo Choo Bob’s Train Store — Minnesota State Capitol — Ikea
13th Annual Hutchinson Model Railroad Show
McLeod County Fairgrounds, Hutchinson, MN . http://luceline.tripod.com/
$3 adults, children free . Free parking . Stroller accessible . Easy restroom access . Concessions on-site.
We arrived shortly after the doors opened at 9 a.m. Although the kids’ admissions were free, we each received a ticket for the half-hourly door prize drawing. There were several model railroad setups for the kids to watch. Some were complete and some were still works-in-progress. Anna could see a few of the trains from her stroller, but many were higher so that she and the kids had a hard time seeing. Vendors selling model train sets, pieces, and memorabilia rounded out the show, billed as “one of the best in Minnesota.” The railroad operators were happy to talk to the kids and answer questions from Mom about getting started with a model railroad. We stayed long enough to have a snack and have one of our numbers drawn for the second door prize, which was our selection from a table of various items. The kids chose “Oh, No!,” a DVD of toy train bloopers, and were excited to have won a prize.
From the train show, we headed into the Twin Cities. Warning: there is no McDonald’s on Highway 7 between Hutchinson and Lake Street. (There is one in Excelsior but it required a few left turns that I was unwilling to make, thinking we’d find more convenient golden arches along the way.) We had a quick lunch at Subway, and then headed around Lakes Calhoun and Harriet to our next destination.
Minnesota Streetcar Museum
West shore of Lake Harriet at West 42nd St., Minneapolis, MN . http://www.trolleyride.org
$2 ages 4 and up; 3 and under free . Free street parking or $.50 pay lot adjacent to depot . Platform and depot/museum/store are stroller accessible but stroller had to be folded to board the streetcar . Restrooms and concessions may be available at nearby Lake Harriet bandshell area.
The kids were really excited to ride the streetcar. We paid our fare and boarded the antique streetcar, complete with vintage advertisements and uniformed personnel. Although the trip was only about 15 minutes long, we were given a brief history of streetcars in the Twin Cities and had some beautiful views of Lake Harriet. The kids enjoyed riding a real train, even if the trip was short.
From there, we headed around Lake Harriet and back to Lake Street, then across to Marshall Avenue in St. Paul for our next stop.
Choo Choo Bob’s Train Store
2050 Marshall Ave., St. Paul, MN . 651-646-5252 . http://www.choochoobobs.com/
Free . Free street parking; additional parking behind store. Stroller accessible. Restroom with changing table available in store.
We had read about Choo Choo Bob’s and its seven train tables for kids to play on in the store, but with a model setup running and one available for children to run plus ride-ons for the toddler set, we almost didn’t make it to the back of the store where the train tables were. Once there, however, it was a Thomas-loving kid’s dream. Train tables with plenty of trains to go around, benches for parents to sit and watch, and shelves lined with all things Thomas the Tank Engine, Brio, and other train brands for kids plus model railroad supplies. A birthday party room is also available. I almost felt guilty that we didn’t buy anything since the kids had so much fun in the store, but we’ll go back again and remember Choo Choo Bob’s when we need future train gifts.
Since we were in St. Paul, the kids asked to go to the State Capitol.
Minnesota State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, St. Paul, MN . 651-296-2881 . http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/msc/
Free admission. Metered parking. We had the stroller so had to be buzzed into the handicapped entrance under the main stairs. Restrooms available.
Our trip to the Capitol was short since arrived at 2:45 and didn’t realize it closed at 3:00 on Saturdays. We were there just long enough to admire the painted ceilings and elegant staircases and to look up at the rotunda. We’ll return for a longer visit another time.
Then to our last stop of the day . . .
Ikea
8000 Ikea Way, Bloomington, MN . 952-858-8088 . www.ikea.com
Free. Free parking. Stroller accessible; carts with one child seat available. Family restrooms available. Restaurant on-site.
Usually I don’t consider a trip to the store to be part of an adventure, but a few places are unique enough to be added to the list. What makes Ikea special for our family is Smaaland, a supervised children’s play area, where I just happened to have three children who fit the size guidelines. So, while I shopped with just one child in the cart, the other three were playing, coloring, and watching movies in Smaaland. It was the perfect setup for them and for me, and not a bad way for them to run off the last of their energy before the ride home.
I really liked when we played with the Thomas trains and I liked looking around and watching the big model go around in a circle at Choo Choo Bob’s. I really liked it when we won our prize at the Railroad Show and it was “Oh No!” I think that’s what’s going to happen to my trains when I start collecting them.
I really liked the Hutchinson Model Railroad Show. I liked it when it went through the tunnel. I liked the streetcar when it went both ways and we parked by another streetcar.
I really liked watching the trains. It was fun.
Adventures on a Budget
Going on adventures with kids doesn’t necessarily mean spending a lot of money on admission. Here are some tips for seeing the world without breaking the bank.
- Find out if the location has free or discount days. Many museums will have free admission on a weekly or monthly basis; check their websites for details. Amusement parks may offer discounted “twilight” admission.
- Purchase a museum membership. Many museums provide reciprocal free or discounted admission to other museums within their associations. It’s a great deal if you’ll be visiting several museums during the year. The Association of Children’s Museums (www.childrensmuseums.org), Association of Science-Technology Centers (www.astc.org), and American Zoo Association (www.aza.org) are examples. Some museums are members of more than one organization so you can really get a bang for your buck. This year, I invested $224 in museum memberships, and if I had paid regular admission at those sites, it would have totaled $391. I still have 4-6 months left on my memberships, so I’ll save even more before they expire. (Hint: You can purchase a membership at an out-of-state museum via the Internet without ever visiting the museum. Memberships rates vary greatly from museum to museum, so doing some homework can really pay off.)
- Broaden your horizons. Even though I’m not an avid art lover, we’ve gone to art museums on free family days and had a great time while exposing the kids to something new.
- If you’re a member of certain organizations, you may receive a discount on admission. AAA and Farm Bureau are some examples. Your employer may also offer discount tickets to attractions.
- Scour websites for other details. Some museums offer free memberships or greatly reduced admission to families within certain income guidelines.
- Go while the kids are young. 😉 Many places offer free or greatly reduced admission prices for children under 3, under 6, or even under 12. Other places will give a family rate that is a better deal than paying for each individual. Doing your homework ahead of time, especially via the web, can ensure that you get the best price available.
- Look for coupons in visitor’s guides and welcome packets.
- If you live in Minnesota, check out a Museum Adventure Pass for free admission to many metro-area museums. See www.melsa.org/museumadventurepass for details.
On occasion, I do pay full price for admission, and it’s well worth it!
What Are Adventures?
On summer days, weekends, days off school, etc., I like to take my kids on “adventures.” Sometimes they’re close to home, and sometimes they become day trips, weekends, or even a vacation. Sometimes we go to only one place in a day, but often we piggy-back multiple places. Sometimes my husband comes along, but often the kids and I get out and have fun while he’s left behind to work.
People often think I’m crazy to go to museums and other locations with four young children (ages 6.5, 4.5, 3.5, and 1.5) in tow. Choosing the right stroller for the occasion is just part of the fun.
I plan ahead (look at guidebooks and websites), navigate the old-fashioned way (using a map and some good luck), and find a bargain when I can.
To give you an idea of the adventures we take, here’s where we’ve gone in 2007. In the future, I’ll try to catch up on the details of each trip, but for now, here’s the list.
- Alexander Ramsey House, St. Paul, MN
- Amaze-n Farmyard, Eden Valley, MN
- Art Institue of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Bakken Museum, Minneapolis, MN
- Brown County Historical Society Museum, New Ulm, MN
- Charles A. Lindbergh House, Little Falls, MN
- Chicago History Museum, Chicago, IL
- Como Zoo, St. Paul, MN
- Deardorff Orchard, Waconia, MN
- Duluth Children’s Museum, Duluth, MN
- DuPage Children’s Museum, Naperville, IL
- End-o-Line Railroad Park and Museum, Currie, MN
- Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, MN
- Fort Ridgely Historic Site, Fairfax, MN
- Graue Mill, Oak Brook, IL
- Great Lakes Aquarium, Duluth, MN
- Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum, Sioux Falls, SD
- Harkin Store Historic Site, New Ulm, MN
- Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul, MN
- Historic Murphy’s Landing, Shakopee, MN
- Jackson Street Roundhouse, St. Paul, MN
- Kirby Science Discovery Center, Sioux Falls, SD
- LaCrosse Children’s Museum, LaCrosse, WI
- Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL
- Lower Sioux Agency Historic Site, Morton, MN
- Mall of America, Bloomington, MN
- Mill City Museum, Minneapolis, MN
- Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
- Minnesota Children’s Museum, St. Paul, MN
- Minnesota History Center, St. Paul, MN
- Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chanhassen, MN
- Minnesota State Capitol, St. Paul, MN
- Minnesota Streetcar Museum, Minneapolis, MN
- Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley, MN
- Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL
- Northwoods Children’s Museum, Eagle River, WI
- Notebaert Nature Center, Chicago, IL
- Oliver Kelley Farm, Elk River, MN
- Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
- Sears Tower, Chicago, IL
- Sertoma Butterfly House, Sioux Falls, SD
- Sibley House Historic Site, Mendota, MN
- Stearns History Museum, St. Cloud, MN
- Traverse des Sioux Historic Site, St. Peter, MN
- Twin City Model Railroad Museum, St. Paul, MN
- Valleyfair, Shakopee, MN
- Spam Museum, Austin, MN
- The Depot, Duluth, MN
- Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
Travels with Children 