Four pit stop-worthy children museum holiday exhibits

December 17, 2014 By

‘Tis the season to travel, and while braving those interstates, you and your family will need places to stop along the way. What better opportunity to visit one of these four children museum holiday events  at children’s museums across the country! Each are sure to get your family in a festive mood during the holiday travel season!

breakfast-with-santa

If traveling on I-75:

Stop at the Cincinnati Museum Center (the history museum location off Public Landing) and see the Duke Energy holiday trains! A beloved holiday tradition in Cincinnati, the exhibit is open to the public with ticket purchase. There’s also a 1/3 scale locomotive rumored to have been built by Santa himself.

Admission: Museum costs are $8.50 for adults, $6.50 for children; on the site linked above, get free vouchers for the trains.

Open: Nov. 7th-Jan 4th, 10 am to 5 pm Mon-Fri, 10 am to 8 pm on Saturdays, 11 am to 6 pm on Sundays.

Directions: Located at 1301 Western Ave., Cincinnati OH. From I-75 south, head toward downtown Cincinnati. Take the right side exit, Exit 2A, Western Avenue. Merge onto Western going south (do not turn); Museum Center entrance is on the right at the third traffic light.

If traveling on I-95:

Take a break at the Connecticut River Museum to check out their holiday train display. This museum recently withstood a fire, and needs all the support they can get from the local community and those passing through! While you’re there, learn more about the Connecticut River and its history.

Admission: $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for children

Hours: 10 am to 5 pm (Tues-Sun)

Directions: Located at 67 Main Street, Essex, CT. From Interstate 95, take Exit 69 (CT Route 9 North). Take CT Route 9 North to Exit 3 (Essex) and follow signs to Connecticut River Museum and Essex Historic Waterfront. Steamboat Dock is located at the foot of Main Street on the Connecticut River.

If traveling on I-10:

Learn about holidays from around the world at the Children’s Museum of Houston. The Seasons of Sharing exhibit tours kids around the world with holiday traditions, meals, celebrations, and gifts. Tour a block-long neighborhood of holiday houses, each with a different celebration inside. And if you’re traveling on a Thursday, you’re in luck: Thursday nights are free!

Admission: $9.00 adults and children over one year

Hours: 10 am to 6 pm (Tues-Sat) Noon to 6 pm (Sun)

Directions: Located at 1500 Binz, Houston, TX. From I-10, take 610 South, then 288 North. Exit on Binz (take a left). Museum is seven blocks on the left.

If traveling on I-65:

Have breakfast with Santa at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, a holiday event that opens November 30th and goes through December 14th. Eat with Santa, then create your own slide bag to ride down the museum’s ‘yule slide’. Combine breakfast with a day at the museum!

Note: Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has a Kidscore of 100. Learn more about Kidscore.

Admission: $19.50 for adults, $14.50 for children

Hours: 10 am to 5 pm (Tues-Sun)

Directions: Located at 3000 N. Meridian, Indianapolis, IN. From I-65 South, head into Indianapolis.
Exit at the 21st Street exit. At the bottom of the ramp, turn left on 21st Street. Follow 21st Street east to Illinois Street. Turn left on Illinois and continue north to 30th and Illinois Streets.

Photo credit
Indianapolis Cincinnati Houston Essex

Fair Oaks Farms

April 13, 2011 By

This review of Fair Oaks Farms has been submitted by Nicole Wiltrout of Arrows Sent Forth.

A stop at Fair Oaks Farms in northern Indiana is a great opportunity to teach your kids where their milk, cheese and ice cream comes from. Fair Oaks Farms is one of the largest dairy farms in the country. You’ll see cows being milked on a mass scale. Often, you’ll get to see a calf being born in the birthing room. While it’s not an organic farm and the sheer number of cows being raised there (30,000+) can be a bit overwhelming, the farm is committed to sustainable practices. It’s a chance to see what life is like on a real, working farm.

Fair Oaks

Fair Oaks Farms is also great because it’s one of the few stops on the three-hour stretch between Chicago and Indianapolis that offers kids something to do. Anyone who has traveled this stretch of road knows that it’s quite rural and lacks entertainment options or pit stops beyond fast food restaurants and gas stations. Read more about Nicole’s experiences at Fair Oaks Farms here and here.

Distance from the nearest interstate: Less than one mile from I-65

Date last visited: September, 2010

Hours of operation: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Central time)

Admission cost: To take the Dairy Adventure tour, cost is $10 for adults and $7 for kids 3-12. In addition to the tour, this includes access to the Mooville play area (a large dairy farm-inspired outdoor playground) and the Dairy Fun Room, an indoor exhibit space devoted to educating kids about dairy farming.

The tour itself is probably not ideal for kids three and under. Our little guy (18 months old at the time) got pretty squirmy, although he did enjoy getting to see the cows. Next time we visit, we’ll skip the bus tour and spend more time letting him explore the playground and the Dairy Fun Room.

Fair Oaks

Dining options: If the admission price is beyond your budget, you should still plan a stop at the Cheese Factory building on the property. Here you can get Fair Oaks cheese, ice cream, milk, grilled cheese sandwiches, and other gifts. We ordered some delicious grilled cheese sandwiches and bought some of their cheese cubes to snack on the road. There is also a Subway at this exit.

Website: http://www.fofarms.com

Directions: Take I-65 to Exit 220 (Winamac/SR 14). Fair Oaks Farms is located just west of the exit. You can see the big barns from the highway and there are plenty of signs to direct you.

Nicole Wiltrout is a stay-at-home mom (who rarely stays home) and lives in Columbus, Indiana. Nicole writes about adventures at home and away with her husband and two-year-old son at http://arrowssentforth.com. You can also find her on Twitter at @arrowssentforth. She loves Hoosier road trips and is an Expert Blogger for the state’s tourism blog, the Indiana Insider at Visit Indiana. 

Dinosaur World visit with kids

January 7, 2010 By

Photo courtesy of Dinosaur World website711 Mammoth Cave Road
Cave City, KY

Just 10 miles from Mammoth Cave National Park, Dinosaur World in Cave City is a great place to stop and play while traveling I-65. While walking (or probably running!) along the well-groomed paths, kids come face-to-face with life-sized dinosaurs complete with displays with their names, era, etc. Says parent reviewer Kristy of Appleton, WI, They not only have life-size dinos along paths in the woods, but also a fossil dig area, playground, museum, and picnic areas. We loved it¦it was cool to stand next to the dinos! (There’s also a Dino World in Plant City, FL and Glen Rose, TX.)

Distance off the interstate: Directly off the interstate.

Hours and Admission Prices: Open 8:30 am until sunset every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Prices: $12.75 for adults, $9.75 for children ages 3 to 12, $10.75 for seniors over 60 (friendly pets on leashes – free!)

Food Services: From the official website: there is no food service at Dinosaur World, however, we have excellent picnic areas. Bring a picnic lunch or enjoy one of the local fast food or dine-in restaurants and bring the food back to the park picnic areas.

Website: http://www.dinoworld.net/

Directions: Right off I-65 at Exit 53 – you can even see some of the dinosaurs from the interstate!
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Gunter Air Force Base

May 25, 2009 By
Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base

Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base

Gunter Air Force Base
Montgomery, Alabama

As today is Memorial Day, it seemed fitting to post a pitstop for military families. If that applies to you, and you are driving I-65 in Montgomery, Gunter Air Force Base may be a good (and affordable) overnight option. Lucia at Dim Sum, Bagels, and Crawfish stopped over with her family recently: $46 for two bedrooms separated by a bathroom and fairly close to major interstates. We stopped at the commissary the next morning to stock up on gas and snacks for the road.

Distance off the interstate: 4.5 miles

Food Services: Check out the commissary (links are below).

Website: Both of these provide good contact information:
http://militarymediainc.com/maxwell/
http://www.au.af.mil/usefullinks.asp

Directions: From I-65 south:

Take Exit 172. Turn right at Herron St. Herron St turns slightly left and becomes Bibb St. Continue on AL-108/Madison Ave, then turn left at Federal Dr. Continue on Cong W L Dickinson Dr, then turn right at N Turner Blvd, turn right at Spaatz St, turn left at S Morris Ave, and turn left at Clarke Park.

From I-65 north:

Take exit 173 for North Blvd toward US-231, then merge onto AL-152/Northern Blvd. Turn right at Emory Folmar Blvd, left at Cong W L Dickinson Dr, right at N Turner Blvd, right at Spaatz St, left at S Morris Ave, and left at Clarke Park.
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