The Varsity Restaurant

April 22, 2009 By

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61 North Ave NW
Atlanta, GA

Make sure you’re hungry for a meal while cruising through Atlanta on I-75, because you’re going to want to stop at The Varsity. According to a member of Disboards.com’s Transportation board, it’s a must: To say they serve burgers and chili dogs is unfair. It’s indescribable.

You’ll find burgers, hot dogs, and chili at The Varsity, but according to most reviews, it’s the hand-cut fries, onion rings, and fried pies that are to die for. What? I never said it was healthy! It’s also the world’s largest drive-in. You know you’ve got to see that!…read more»

Play Area in SEATAC Airport

April 17, 2009 By

Ahhh, the layover, everyone’s favorite travel hiccup.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve spent some of my most miserable parenthood moments on the floor of airport terminals, trying in vain to corral unhappy and overtired kids. Over the course of nine years of travel with children, I’ve stumbled upon more than one nice airport play space (and ‘stumbled upon’ really is an apt description, since airports seem to find perverse joy in hiding these amenities from weary travelers), but never have I been so pleasantly surprised as at Seattle’s SEATAC Airport. Stuck one long, loooong winter’s night waiting for a delayed flight from Orlando back to Medford, I took the kids on yet another round past The Body Shop and Starbucks to find this lovely oasis:

Seatac playspace, photo courtesy of Delicious Baby

Seatac playspace, photo courtesy of Delicious Baby

The entire room is soft-sided and spongy, from the floor to the walls, and kids can roll, climb, jump, and flop at whim. If only massage chairs had been installed among the bench seats, it would be airport nirvana.

Located here just behind security in the Central Terminal, it’s 1400 square feet of fun with an attached family restroom and private nursing room with rocking chairs. As a side note that’s only applicable during the holiday season, when we were there on December 20, Santa and his elves had taken up residency in the atrium of Central Terminal, and true to form, he came bearing gifts: the packets of coloring books, stickers, and markers he handed out lasted our kids until our flight was finally boarding.

Last Visited: December 2007

Food Services: Qdoba and Wendy’s are both nearby.

Website: http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/

For more SEATAC airport tips, see Flying with Babies, Toddlers, and Kids at Delicious Baby.

 

Jelly Belly Factory Tour

April 11, 2009 By
Fairfield factory main floor, photo courtesy of www.jellybelly.com

Fairfield factory main floor, photo courtesy of www.jellybelly.com

1 Jelly Belly Lane
Fairfield, CA

What I seem to remember most about Jelly Belly’s California factory is the absolutely horrendous tantrum my then-three-year-old (now seven-year-old) decided to throw somewhere between the sorting floor and the tasting room. And yet, despite the fact that mortal embarrassment is my first connotation with this attraction, it still makes my list of reviews. It’s that great.

And it’s free! Tours of the factory go from 9 am to 4 pm every day (every 15 minutes) and are 45 minutes long (about 10 minutes TOO long for my three-year-old…but maybe not yours). Guides take you past viewing areas of all aspects of the factory (beware primary color overload!). You end up in a gift shop (surprise!) but do get free samples.

Tip: look for the section with the ‘Belly Flops’ (misshapen but perfectly edible discount beans).

Try to avoid on holidays. It will be crowded, causing wait times for the tours, and some of the machinery won’t be running.

…read more»

Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery

April 8, 2009 By

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Exit 40 of I-84
Cascade Locks, Oregon

The first time my husband convinced me to stop at the Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery, I was skeptical at best. To me, a fish hatchery sounds about as exciting as a coma, but kids love it. You also can’t beat the price (free!) or the stunning Oregon scenery. The dam is about 40 miles east of Portland, Oregon, and perfect for a quick stop after or before entering the city. (Another great–but widely known and easy to spot–option is Multnomah Falls, a bit further west, toward Portland.) The hatchery is set in a nice wooded area featuring lots of, well…hatcheries…and ponds, some featuring sturgeons up to six feet long! At the adjacent dam, learn about the Columbia River’s history and then go downstairs to the large glass viewing window to watch wild salmon ‘jumping’ up the fish ladder as they migrate to the other side of the dam (or go outside and see it up close in nice weather).

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KidZone in Club Northwest

April 7, 2009 By

2160 N.W. Vine Street
Grants Pass, Oregon

You can’t miss KidZone from I-5 (see photo of the outside of the building), but you will be left wondering what it is you’re looking at, it’s so poorly marked from the outside. Put simply, it’s kid-heaven: 60,000 cubic feet of tubes, slides, and ball pits, housed within Club Northwest, a fitness and health club. It’s open to the public, and while it may lean toward the spendy side for a quick pit stop ($6.95 per child admission, parents free), it’s worth its weight in gold on a rainy Oregon day.

KidZone is divided into three sections: Bigs (5 and up), Gettin’ Bigs (2-5), and Lil’ Bitties (under 2). If you have a ‘Bitty’ who has no intention of spending his or her time in the designated 0-2 section, or a ‘Big’ who would rather play in the smaller, more manageable areas designed for younger kids, don’t fear: as long as a parent stays with the child, he or she can wander wherever. The age categories are put in place for local members of the adjacent gym, who have the option of dropping off kids to work out. (But if you see yourself spending quality time in the tubes with an excited toddler, ask for kneepads at the front desk…trust me on this one.)

KidZone also has a great security system in place: no child can leave the facility without his or her wristband matching a parent’s.

…read more»

Columbia Park

April 7, 2009 By

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 Highway 240, W. Columbia Drive
Kennewick, WA

Columbia Park is located in Washington’s Tri-Cities, just off Highway 395 (from I-84 from Portland, OR or I-90 form Spokane). It’s a great place to stop to stretch legs and have a quick picnic. Situated along the Columbia River, the park is over five miles long, but the section you want is at the west end where a large fort-style climbing structure awaits.

The park is free, and there are half a dozen fast food restaurants nearby if you need to grab something to go. Dig swimsuits out of the car, because a great splash park, with fountains, squirt nozzles, and cascading buckets of water is adjacent to the play structure. Picnic tables under shade canopies are available, but fill up fast in the summer. The park is year round, although the splash park shuts off for the winter months.

The only downside: Unless you’re route is taking you northwest on 240, you do have to go several miles out of your way in that direction to get back onto 395 East or West to resume your trip.

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Fairytale Town

April 6, 2009 By

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3901 Land Park Drive, Sacramento CA

I’d like to start this, my first review on this site, with a short story. In the summer of 2008, my mom and I found ourselves six hours into a 10 hour drive with my three kids when we became desperate for somewhere fun to stop. The eight-year-old was squirmy, the six-year-old was getting carsick, and the three-year-old was…being a three-year-old. It was about 2 pm, but despite the 95 degree heat as we rolled through Sacramento, CA, we were ready and willing to break free of the confines of the air-conditioned car for a break. Any break.

I remembered that I’d once heard from a friend of a friend that somewhere in the vicinity was a park to die for: splash pool, huge climbing structure, the works. The problem was, we didn’t know what it was called, so our map and navigation system could only tell us so much. We could see that there were three parks within a ten-mile radius, but without knowing anything about the area, we could only guess which one might be the one we were looking for, or failing that, at least shaded and in a safe neighborhood. We ended up wasting precious time and energy traversing suburbs seeking out a place to stop…and by the time we gave up, the kids were about ready to revolt.*

We ended up at a tried and true favorite for more than one generation of our family: Fairytale Town. …read more»