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Massachusetts with kids: Purgatory Chasm

September 5, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

A unique natural landmark, Purgatory Chasm State Reservation runs for a quarter of a mile between granite walls rising as high as 70 feet. Popular with picnickers and rock-climbers alike, the Chasm is believed to have its origin in the sudden release of dammed-up glacial meltwater near the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 14,000 years ago.

Trails lead to a wide variety of rock formations, with such romantic names as The Corn Crib, The Coffin, The Pulpit, Lovers’ Leap and Fat Man’s Misery.An adventurous playground, equipped with a play structure, swings and a merry-go-round, is now located near the visitor center.

Please be aware chasm rocks and slopes are slippery and deceiving. Wear rubber soled shoes or hiking boots. Please stay away from the edges of the chasm. It is not recommended to hike the chasm after or during inclement weather due to extremely slippery rocks.

Note: Well behaved dogs are welcome, but must be leashed at all times.

We stopped by the Chasm for lunch on our way out to Narragansett Beach, Rhode Island, during a summer getaway. It is about an hour from Northampton, Massachusetts. It is a large state reservation park with lots of hiking trails, picnic spots, a visitor center, bathrooms and parking. But the main attraction is the ½ mile long “chasm” where kids can climb on, over, under all kinds of rocks and boulders. There were even some rock climbing classes going on when we were there. The chasm is right across from the visitor center and has a trail marker. You can hike it in a loop by exploring the rocky chasm and then returning along the ridge above the chasm. It was the perfect pit stop on the way to the beach. Or it could be a destination for a picnic and afternoon of adventure.

There are no food services in the park area, but it is right off the highway.

Rates:

No fee. There is a daily parking fee of $5 for MA vehicle, $6 non-MA vehicles.

Directions:

Purgatory Chasm is off route 146 about an hour south-west from Boston.

Pin it for later!

Photo credit: Flickr/Matt Runkle

New Hampshire with kids: Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves

August 31, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

The Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves is a great location for exploration that families can take at their own pace. It starts with a three-fourth mile boardwalk through the gorge. You may remain on the boardwalk, or, if your kids love off-roading, you can explore the boulder caves. This is an excellent outdoor activity in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

The Mysterious Boulder Caves

The site starts with a short walk descending approximately 300 feet along the entrance trail. The first stop from the trail is a viewing platform with great views of the gorge. From there, you enter the gorge and meet your first cave, The Sun Altar.

Next up, families explore more rock and boulder formations, caves, and waterfalls. We visited this spot in July 2016 with a five, seven, and 15-year-old. Basically it is about a mile long “trail” with boardwalks, ramps and ladders that takes you through about a dozen glacial caves. There’s “The Bear Crawl”, “Lemon Squeezer” and “Devil’s Kitchen’ to name a few. All three kids loved it! At each cave there was an alternate route in case someone in your group did not want to crawl on their hands and knees through a cave. It took us a little over an hour and we could have gone back around again if we’d had time. Although other groups were there, it never felt rushed or crowded. You can always let people go by you. Babies in backpacks couldn’t get through and those parents took the alternate routes. (Note: no strollers are allowed.) And not all the grandparents could make it through each area, or wanted to, either! There’s a very pretty waterfall at one point.

There’s plenty of parking and, of course, a gift shop. But there is not a restaurant. Pack a lunch! We thought we’d buy lunch there, but ended up with snacks like yogurt, granola bars, etc from the snack bar area. There are restrooms at the gift shop/ticket area but none along the trail.

There’s a clever little “quiz card” kids can pick up at the ticket booth, fill out along the trail and then turn in for a sticker and prize. We also panned for treasure at the Lost River Mining Sluice after the hike.

Rates and Hours:

Open daily early May—mid-Oct (July and August 9 am-5 pm). Cost is $19/adults and $15/4-12 3 and under free.

Directions:

It’s about 40 minutes from the Montshire Museum in Vermont that has already been reviewed. It took us over 2 hours from Northampton. The address is 1712 Lost River Road, North Woodstock, NH.

Big Surf waterpark in Lake of the Ozarks

August 22, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Big Surf waterpark, in Linn Creek, Missouri, is an exceptionally well-maintained waterpark at the Lake of the Ozarks, offering thrill levels appropriate for all ages and comfort zones.

Park Features:

The wave pool

The centerpiece of the park is the wave pool, which runs ten minutes on and ten minutes off all day long. In the rest periods, it’s a massive zero-entry wading pool that, eventually, reaches a depth of 6 feet, though at least half of it is 3 feet or less. In the wave periods, you get deep swells and a few low breakers. The park rents single ($6) and double ($8) tubes, but truthfully we found good old-fashioned body surfing more fun—and easier on the stomach.

In this area of the park, music plays through loudspeakers, but unlike most pools and water parks, it’s kept to a good volume, loud enough to hear but not loud enough to have to shout over.

For little ones

For the little ones, Big Surf has two play areas. The first, with zero entry ranging up to about 18 inches deep, is aimed at little ones, with teeter totters and ride-on animals that squirt water, plus short open slides and even a bouncy swing for babies. The other, which reaches 4 feet deep, is aimed at the preschool/young elementary crowd, with short tunnel slides and a lily pad jungle gym.

For the more adventurous set

For the older crowd, the park offers five adventure rides. Several of these require riders to be 48 inches tall. The least intense involves riding an inner tube down a twisty slide and then bouncing through a series of short rapids separated by pools. The two most intense are the Space Bowl (think of a spiral wishing well, where you insert a coin and it rolls around on centrifugal force until it falls down the center) and Zambezi Falls, which involves a near-vertical drop. Where tubes are required, they are provided by Big Surf, and they are color coded for use in different areas of the park.

Lazy river

Threading between the adventure rides and the kiddie area is the Lazy River, which, along with the wave pool, was the favorite for our set of preschool- and elementary-age kids.

Other considerations:

The water in the park is crystal clear, and the grounds and walkways are exceptionally clean and well maintained. One especially nice feature is the large (free!) supply of infant, child, and youth sized life jackets. Amusement parks can be chaotic, and having the extra layer of security added a lot to our peace of mind. The park is well-staffed with lifeguards, too, although signage is quick to emphasize that you still bear primary responsibility for your kids’ safety.

Three-sided tents are available for rent around the edges of the park, and there are many tables with umbrellas and lounge chairs lining the wave pool and the kids’ areas. You can also rent lockers in which to keep wallets, keys, and phones.

If everybody gets tired of water play, there’s also a small basketball court, playground, and sandbox on an upper level.

Food/Shopping:

Outside food and drink are not allowed inside the park, but re-entry is permitted, so you can bring lunch and leave it in the car. A concession stand serves hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken fingers, and pizza as well as ice cream, pretzels, and funnel cakes. Meal combos are available. A gift shop sells branded merchandise at the entrance.

Hours/Admission:

Big Surf is open daily all summer and Saturday and Sunday until mid-September. Inclement weather closures are announced on the website header, Facebook and Twitter.

Single day tickets run $29.95 for ages 11-59 and $24.95 for kids 4-10, with discounted rates for non-swimmers, after-3 admission, and more. If you’re in town for a few days, hang onto your full-priced ticket. It’s worth a 50% discount for a return trip on another day. Also follow their Facebook page for specials and discounts.

Location/Parking:

Big Surf is located next to Highway 54 at Linn Creek, MO, a few miles south of the Lake of the Ozarks. Parking is free.

Our family enjoyed Big Surf Waterpark as guests of the Tri-County Lodging Association’s Lake of the Ozark’s Hospitality Bank, in exchange for an honest review.

Exploring Bridal Cave Missouri with kids

August 17, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Missouri is well known for its caves, and the Lake of the Ozarks, an hour south of the state capital, boasts several that are open to the public. Of these, the most well-known is Bridal Cave, which lies beneath Thunder Mountain near Camdenton, Missouri.

Bridal Cave got its name from a legendary Native American couple who got married in one of its front “rooms.” It has hosted over three thousand weddings since. But you don’t have to be getting married to visit. In fact, it’s a great place to introduce kids to the beauty of the underground world.

Before you go:

If you can, let your kids explore the “Kids Only” pages on Bridal Cave’s website, which offer educational materials and a couple of activities. Also, plan to pack a picnic lunch. The cave and park are well off the beaten path, and it’s worth sticking around to climb the fire tower and explore the nature trail on Thunder Mountain.

At the cave:

Carved millions of years ago by an ancient river, Bridal Cave has been slowly re-filling itself ever since. As water seeps through the layers of limestone, it drips to the floor, leaving minuscule deposits behind and building any number of formations: soda straws, stalactites, stalagmites, columns, draperies, bacon strips, and more. The limestone formations are tinted white, reddish, black, and even green by trace amounts of minerals. In the deepest part of the cave that is open to the public, you’ll look down on a lake so blue and clear, you can see a mysterious wooden object on its bottom, twenty feet below the surface. Our guide told us that a diver was sent down once to carbon date it, but the wood disintegrated as soon as it was touched, so they decided to leave it a mystery.

We’ve taken a number of cave tours, and this one was one of the better ones. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and the tour sizes wasn’t too big, so we didn’t feel rushed going through the cave. It’s also not as tight as some we’ve visited. Only one place, the “lemon squeezer,” gets small, and even then there was enough open space around the columns on either side to prevent my claustrophobic family member from getting anxious.

However, be aware that Bridal Cave is not wheelchair/stroller accessible. There are stairs and uneven surfaces to navigate within the passages.

Shopping:

Bridal Cave has two gift shops. The lower one, adjacent to the cave entrance, is stocked with traditional gift shop fare. But the upper shop, Thunder Mountain Mining Company, is focused on geology. You can browse slices of agate, choose a mineral pendant off a tree, or even crush your own geode. You can even buy bags of debris for “panning” in the sluices outside the store.

Popcorn, candy and bottled drinks are available on site, but no formal dining. Pack your lunch and use the picnic tables on the hill above the cave for a peaceful meal.

Hours:

The cave opens at 9 a.m. daily, with a few holiday exceptions. Tours run every few minutes and last about an hour. Come early to beat the crowds in the rock store; by noon in the summer it was pretty busy, even on a Monday. The cave is open until 6 p.m. during the summer, 5 during the transitional seasons, and 4 in the heart of the winter. This can help you stay active when the weather is too hot, cold, or stormy to enjoy outdoor activities.

Location & Admission:

Bridal Cave and Thunder Mountain Park is off Highway 5, two miles south of Camdenton, Missouri, on the shore of the Lake of the Ozarks. There is access by boat as well as by road. Admission is $18 for ages 13+; $9 for ages 5-12. Group “Discovery” tours, offering access to a second cave and an interpretive walk through the park, are available to educational groups.

Our family visited Bridal Cave as guests of the Tri-County Lodging Association’s Lake of the Ozarks Hospitality Bank

What to do on Mt. Hood in summer: a three day itinerary

August 15, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Mt. Hood Oregon is a winter playground, but it’s an amazing outdoor destination in the summer months as well. Located just an hour from Portland, Mt. Hood National Forest offers stunning mountain vistas for hikers, backpackers, campers, and kayakers. The central ‘town’ is Government Camp, which is a smaller community of outdoor-focused shops and dining, but the actual towns of Welches and Rhododendron are nearby and have more options. Families can fill their days walking in the woods, swimming in alpine lakes, and enjoying the fun of Mt. Hood’s ski areas in the off-season. Here’s what to do on Mt. Hood in summer!

Spend a day at Trillium Lake:

This stunning lake sits beneath Mt. Hood, allowing families to view the mountain from just about all points. You can camp here, though most of the sites are away from the water in the woods, but the best feature is the day use area, which offers picnic areas lakeside around the whole far side of Trillium. Bring the water toys, including stand-up paddle boards and rafts…but no motorized craft. Plan to come early to get your pick of day use spots! You can also hike around the lake, which is a two mile loop.

Go hiking:

Best hiking in the Mount Hood National Forest:

Paradise Park: An eye-popping wildflower meadow lies about five miles west of Timberline Lodge via the Pacific Crest Trail. We saw blooms as late as early August. The route dips in an out of several of the southwest side’s big glacial stream canyons.
Cooper Spur: This hike starts from Cloud Cap on the mountain’s northeast side. Take the Timberline Trail, then veer off toward Mount Hood on the well-trod path along Cooper Spur. When you get to Tie-In Rock, at 8,600 feet, it’s time to turn around.
Mirror Lake: Always popular with day hikers, this hike begins on the south side of U.S. 26 about one mile west of Government Camp. It leads to a lake that reflects Mount Hood, and is a great place to sample local huckleberries in late August/early September.
Tamanawas Falls: This five mile loop is easy to moderate along the east fork of the Hood River, and starts off Hwy 35 past Government Camp. You can scramble up the back of the falls if you’re daring.
Ramona Falls: You cross the Sandy River and follow along the PCT for this seven-mile loop to and around Ramona Falls, arguably one of the most scenic of falls in Hood River National Forest. This is a fantastic hike…see photo below!
Timothy Lake: Start at Little Crater campground south of Mount Hood, which is a wonderful sight in its own right…this tiny lake is very deep and has an incredible blue color, much like its big sister, Crater Lake. Then tour around Timothy Lake for a 13 miler, with places to swim along the way.

Go mountain biking:

Families can try gravity-based mountain biking (lift-served) at Mt. Hood SkiBowl, one of Mt. Hood’s three local ski resorts. If you’re looking for something less steep but just as challenging in terms of exertion, Mt. Hood National Forest is criss-crossed with free mountain biking trails as well. We opted for SkiBowl mountain biking, at the West entrance of the resort.

It involved a $39 day lift ticket to ride the chair up with our bikes, and all-day access to their single track and dirt roads. If you need to rent bikes, they start at $15 for one hour, or up to $45 for all day. I rented for four hours for $35, and having a quality bike with shocks and sturdy tires was well worth it. Of course, you can bring your own bikes, too.

If you bike at SkiBowl, be aware that Monday through Friday, only one chair is operating, giving access to the front face of the mountain with one main intermediate run and one black diamond run that ends in a bike park with various elements. To find more trails, simply go left at the top of the chair and access several additional green and blue single track runs via High Road or Low Road (dirt roads). You’ll be given a map when you get your lift ticket. On weekends, even more of the mountain is open.

Note: I would say it would be good to be at least an intermediate mountain biker to safely navigate even the green runs here.

Play at Mt. Hood SkiBowl:

Not sure if you want to mountain bike? SkiBowl’s East Entrance has all sorts of fun summer activities, ranging from mini golf to go-karts to a bungee jump and bungee trampolines. There’s a canopy walk that’s similar to a ropes course, but much more low-key, and those ‘human hamster balls’ where you get into plastic balls and roll around. In other words, lots of fun to be had. You can get a day pass for all of it for around $40 a person, or pay for things a la carte. If you want to try the alpine slide, that’s over on the West entrance by the mountain biking. Go early if you want to really open up the track and go fast, as it gets congested later in the day, slowing everyone down. Disc golf is also located on the West side.

Where to eat:

First and foremost, opt to eat one breakfast at Timberline Lodge’s famous breakfast buffet. It’s $15 per person, and worth every penny. Plus, you get to explore this historic lodge located right at the base of Mt. Hood. It’s stunningly beautiful, with gorgeous mountain views, and a great starting place for a shorter hike around the base. Their breakfast buffet is served in their historic dining room, and includes numerous egg and meat dishes, huckleberry pancakes, house-made granola, fresh pastries and fruit, and even a Bloody Mary bar.

Rathskeller Alpine Bar and Pizzeria is located in the town of Government Camp, which is a small community built around the ski industry. In summer, it’s sleepy but quaint. The pizza joint in town has great slices, but also a friendly atmosphere with an arcade/game room for the kids.

High Mountain Cafe: this sandwich shop is located in Government Camp, and has the best sandwiches we’d tasted in a long while (but maybe we were just really hungry!). It’s counter service, so it’s quick!

Volcano Cone is a little kiosk ice cream place in Government Camp. The ice cream is nothing amazing, but the staff is very friendly and it’s an easy place to grab a nice dessert. Also look for various food trucks in Government Camp during the day, including Asian cuisine and gourmet hot dogs.

Where to stay:

Cabin rental: We rented this HomeAway rental cabin in Government Camp via Vacasa. It was a rustic A-frame with a wood-fired stove and an outdoor fire pit, plus sleeping for eight. While small, this cabin was just what we needed, and no more. We could walk into Government Camp or to Ski Bowl.

Local campgrounds: numerous Mt. Hood National Forest campgrounds are located in the Mt. Hood area. All of them are rustic, with pit toilets and no showers or plumbing. They are are very pretty and in wooded areas.

Resorts: A few resorts are in the area, though Mt. Hood is better known for camping and rustic rentals. Stay in Welches, just a few miles from Mt. Hood, at Resort at the Mountain, or at Collins Lake Resort closer to the action. Both are good options if you want a more pampered experience.

Have you been in the Mt. Hood area? What do you like to do there?

Nebraska with kids: Where to play and eat in Omaha

August 10, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Situated at the intersection of Interstate 80 and the Missouri River, the city of Omaha offers a surprisingly broad array of great attractions for families–and for Midwestern families, a vacation destination within driving distance of home. We’ve already covered Omaha’s world-class zoo, two of its museums, and the Holiday Inn Downtown. For more of a taste of where to eat in Omaha, read on:

The Amazing Pizza Machine:

If you’re on the road and you need dinner and a place for the kids to stretch their legs for a while, try the Amazing Pizza Machine, a buffet, arcade, and fun-plex located in the southwest part of the metro area. Featuring an extensive buffet of pizza (the standard flavors as well as more creative types), salads, soups, desserts, baked potatoes, taco bar, pasta bar, and a nightly special, even the pickiest eaters will find something to their liking. The dining area was sparkling clean when we visited.

Every person who enters is required to purchase a buffet (prices here), but the Amazing Pizza Machine offers a number of dine-and-play packages. You can also buy a more extensive package for the kids while you sit in the relative quiet and peace of the dining area, which is at the far end of the building from the games and rides and has TVs everywhere.

The play area is expansive and varied, with all the usual things you’d expect to see at an arcade. When we were there, we only found one that was out of order. There are many different play packages, including one for unlimited games like pinball machines and rides (rides are Go Karts, bumper cars, a mini roller coaster that’s more intense than it looks, and Frog jumper). We found that for our family, with kids who aren’t used to amusement park rides, a ride or two apiece was plenty. Note: laser tag is available, but purchased separately from all packages.

Of particular note is the area for little ones, with a climbing structure and arcade games aimed at the younger set. Prices and crowding are lower during the week. However, that’s not always a good thing; Go Karts and bumper cars, for instance, are more fun with a crowd.

A partial list of other things to do in the Omaha area:

Enjoy the beauty of nature with a stroll through Lauritzen Gardens.
Attend an art program or explore the fabulous (free) art collection housed in the Joslyn Art Museum.
Take in a minor league baseball game with the Omaha Storm Chasers, affiliated with the Kansas City Royals.
Take a walk over the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge and stand in two states (Iowa and Nebraska) at once.
Take a gondola ride around the fountain at Heartland of America Park.
Stay and/or play at the Coco Key Water Resort
Shop or dine in the Old Market district near the river.

A handful of shout-outs to places we stopped to eat:

The Ethnic Sandwich Shop: Housed in a red barn in a nondescript neighborhood, with outdoor seating only. If you want to picnic, this is your source. Serves hot and cold 8-inch subs, primarily Italian. We can recommend the Capone, the meatball sub, the Reba’s Boy, pasta salad and tossed salad. Bonus: the brownies and cookies! Location: 1438 S. 13th.
Dolci: Vanilla soft-serve ice cream with mix-ins, plus Italian desserts from napoleons to canoli. Bonus: adjacent to a candy store! Location: 1003 Howard St.
Cupcake Omaha: Cupcakes. Big cupcakes. Big, filled cupcakes. Need I say more? Location: 501 S. 11th.
Old Spaghetti Works: Pasta and fabulous, quirky decor (think carousel horses hanging from the ceiling and a salad bar housed in the bed of an antique truck). Most entrees come with salad bar, which is fairly basic but very fresh and very good. On a Monday night, our kids ate free. Location: 502 S. 11th street.

Whatever you do, make sure to download the Omaha Savings app, which is a streamlined, easy to use visual list of discounts usable at many of Omaha’s headline attractions.

Our family enjoyed the Amazing Pizza Machine as guests of Visit Omaha, in exchange for an honest review. Photo credit: Flickr Commons.

More adventures in Gulf County Florida

August 5, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gulf County Florida for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Visiting or living in the Southeast and wondering if there’s outdoor recreation around you? There is! Last year, we outlined an outdoor adventure itinerary for Gulf County, Florida, filled with biking trails, hiking, and kayaking. I had truly no idea there was so much in the way of wilderness in this state.

What makes Gulf County different than much of Florida is its access to waterways of all sorts. You’re actually never more than 15 minutes away from water, whether that be the Gulf of Mexico, the saltwater St. Joseph Bay, Indian Pass Lagoon, the Gulf County Canal, the Intracoastal Waterway, the Apalachicola Bay and river basin, and the freshwater of the Dead Lakes and Chipola River. Florida is about more than theme parks and beach days! And perhaps best of all, this year, Pit Stops for Kids readers have the chance to win a $50 AMEX card just for commenting on their favorite option during a Gulf County vacation! Read on to learn more!

Planning an adventure in Gulf County:

After looking through our suggestions from last year, the next step in planning your own Gulf County adventure in the ‘wilds’ of Florida is by reading through the Gulf County Adventure Guide. Here are our top new suggestions to complement your itinerary:

Explore a lake:

The 4,000 natural acres of Lake Wimico is only accessible by boat the Intracoastal, which to west coasters like myself, is an adventure in itself. Fishing is prime at Lake Winico, but there are other attractions as well, including a houseboat village to check out, and wildlife to spot, including, of course, alligators. You’re actually just a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf County has its own adventure guides families can hire, such as Captain Phil Cox, who is part of the new concierge program. He offers eco-tours for those who are not avid fishermen and women.

Want to fish instead? Head to Indian Pass Lagoon with Adventure Guide Captain Carle. Amazingly (to me), you can even see shark in these shallow waters by the gulf.

Watch sea turtles:

Last year, we talked about horseback riding at Cape San Blas, but this area is also well known as a sea turtle habitat. In fact, they’re the highest density-nesting beach in North Florida. The naturalists at the cape invite people to watch their nest evaluations at night, where families have to chance to watch live hatchlings crawl out. Check their Facebook page for nesting information and a timeline this year. In fact, St. John Peninsula has its very own ‘turtle patrol’, which scientists and volunteers constantly monitoring the progress of the babies. Visitors are invited to go on their morning turtle walks in addition to watching the nests. Cool!

Kayak in a ‘dead’ lake:

Kayaking around the South Flats of Gulf County is like visiting another planet. The Dead Lakes get their name from the Cypress and Tupelo trees that stand in the water; when the water is low, the stumps are visible. Add a huge variety of birds and other critters, plus a misty fog off the water, and you have yourself an alien planet! When we finally make it to Gulf County, I’d love to explore this environment with Off The Map Expeditions.

Check out any of these activities using the Adventure Guide linked above, or make it easy on yourself and use the Gulf County Concierge Program. Don’t limit yourself only to summer, because Gulf County shines in fall through spring! While you’re planning, enter Gulf County’s Never Have I Ever Contest!

Now time to enter the sweepstakes for an $50 AMEX card! Which of the adventures in the Adventure Guide would you or your family enjoy taking part in? Why? Answer in the comments for a chance to win!

The fine print: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. One winner, chosen at random from all eligible entries received, will receive a $50 AmEx gift card, and will be announced on or about 10 days after end of entry period. Entrants may enter within 21 days of this post going live. Must be a resident of one of the 48 contiguous United States (excl. PR, HI, AK) the age of majority in his or her jurisdiction at time of entry. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Sweepstakes is sponsored by Gulf County.

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Nebraska travel: Omaha museums to visit with kids

August 1, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Omaha, Nebraska is a thriving metropolis offering lots of attractions to families for a vacation close to home, including arts, sports, outdoors activities, and a number of quality museums. Our family recommends two Omaha museums to visit with kids: the Durham and the Omaha Children’s Museum.

Visiting the Durham Museum with kids

The Durham Museum, housed in Union Station, honors Omaha’s history as the eastern terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad.

The highlights for kids are the hands-on teepee and mud lodge, the stage coach, and of course, the trains: a steam engine, coal car and caboose; a streetcar; and a passenger train where you can walk through a private dining car, seating car, a club car, and sleeper cars. There’s also a big model train.

The rest of the permanent exhibits are interesting and educational, but most are static rather than interactive. Your best bet is to take turns supervising kids in the areas of most interest to them so the adults can peruse the rest at their leisure.

When we visited, there was a temporary exhibit called “Pirates and Shipwrecks.” Everyone in our family enjoyed the hands-on displays, from a n “experience hurricane winds” tube to operating a remote robotic arm to retrieve gold coins from the bottom of the “ocean.”

Dining/Shopping:

The museum gift shop is housed in the former ticket counter. There is also a soda fountain offering ice cream sundaes, shakes and candy as well as brats and hot dogs.

Hours/Admission/Location/Parking:

Plan to spend 2-3 hours at the Durham Museum, which is located at 801 South 10th Street in downtown Omaha. There is a dedicated free parking lot, and also free parking on surrounding streets. Admission is $11 for adults, $7 for kids 3-11. It is open 1-5 on Sundays, and 10-5 Mon.-Sat., with evening hours on Tuesday.

Visiting the Omaha Children’s Museum

The Omaha Children’s Museum was, as you might expect, a highlight of the trip for our younger kids. It was a little young for the eleven-year-old, but he eventually found the ball matrix and kept himself entertained for the rest of the visit.

Housed on two floors, the museum is dedicated to play-focused learning and simple fun. There are party rooms and a nursing room, and the museum offers stroller parking in several locations. The Imagination Playground has a grocery store fire house, bank, and so on; the creative arts center offers places to build and paint. The ball matrix uses mechanical, pneumatic, and ballistic power to move the balls.

All this is pretty standard for children’s museums. To me, what set this place apart were the presentations and the temporary display called “Pirates and Mermaids.”

At the Star Wars-themed science presentation, the young woman centered her experiments around examples from the movies: Luke’s land speeder (a hovercraft made of particle board and a leaf blower), the swinging log on Endor (to demonstrate momentum and force), and Cloud City (making clouds in a plastic bottle using water and forced air).

My daughter loved the presentations in the fairy tale area. Nothing educational here, just lots of scope for the imagination!

The Pirates and Mermaids area housed a pirate ship with cannons to shoot balls and a rope playground with a menacing shark to hover above it. (There was a height limit.)

Outdoors there is a small spray park, a covered patio with a small fire truck, and a playground, with signs around encouraging families to run, play, and picnic.

Shopping/Dining:

There is a cafe upstairs as well as vending machines. You can also go outside and picnic near the playground.

Admission/Audience:

Admission is $12 for kids and adults alike ($11 for seniors). This price reflects an intention for the parents to be hands on with their kids, rather than sitting off to the side while the kids play. Note: as indicated above, older kids are not the target audience; plan accordingly. Give yourself at least three hours, and prepare for the little ones to want to spend the entire day.

Hours, admission, Location, Parking:

Omaha Children’s Museum is located at 500 S. 20th St, Omaha. The museum has a free parking lot, and if school is not in session, the elementary school across the street serves as overflow. There is also metered parking on the street.

Our family visited the Durham Museum and the Omaha Children’s Museum as guests of Visit Omaha, in exchange for an impartial review.

Nebraska with kids: A stop at Arbor Day Farm

July 27, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

When J. Sterling Morton, founder of Arbor Day, moved to the Nebraska Territory in the 1850s, he wanted to build a home overlooking the Missouri River, but there weren’t enough trees on the grasslands to do it. Morton decided to change that. Today, the fruit of his efforts is the 260-acre Arbor Day Farm, devoted to fostering a love of trees and nature in children and adults alike.

The Arbor Day site consists of two largely separate entities: the state park, and the working farm.

Arbor Lodge State Historical Park

Arbor Lodge, the Morton family’s three-story mansion, sits in a shady, 72-acre state park. The park is free and open to the public daily, and has a playground and walking trails. You can also stroll through the family gardens. Arbor Lodge and its carriage house require an admission fee, which may be purchased separately or bundled with a visit to the farm, which lies across the street.

Tree Adventure

The Arbor Day Farm is a working tree farm, vineyard and orchard. The public area is known as the Tree Adventure. Here, you’ll find:

Two outdoor nature classrooms, which contain areas for art, tree house-building, and music. (Our kids, ages 4-11, didn’t want to leave this area!)
A greenhouse where seedlings are sprouted for shipping and planting all over the country, as well as a cooler in which you can choose a seedling to take home and plant.
Two “rope” adventures: a tightrope and a spider web climbing apparatus.
The paved “tree house” and 2/3-mile wood chip “South Table Creek” trails, both of which are studded with quirky and fun artwork. The tree houses are freestanding structures; my kids had envisioned something more Swiss Family Robinson, but the tree houses are beautiful structures nonetheless. Plan to let your younger kids have some pretend play time here. Both trails offer lots of interpretive boxes, from a chance to imitate bird sounds to a set of signs to help you identify trees.
The Discovery Ride is a canopied wagon that travels around the farm to demonstrate the history and mission of the farm. If you visit in the late summer or fall, you might get to stop and pick an heirloom apple straight off the tree in the “preservation” orchard.

Most of the Tree Adventure is wheelchair/stroller accessible, but not the wood chip trail and the upper levels of the tree houses. Give yourself at least 3 hours to do justice to the Tree Adventure, and if you have a whole day, give yourself permission to fill it.

Shopping, Dining, and Lodging at the Arbor Day Farm:

Both the Arbor Lodge and the Tree Adventure have gift shops; the Tree Adventure shop is filled with home-baked pies, popcorn, jams, jellies, and wines, including wine tastings. The staff was very accommodating, and we were able to take advantage of this even with our kids around. The cafe adjacent to the gift shop serves basic hot dogs and burgers, as well as pies. The farm also provides a shaded picnic area, so you can bring lunch with you. Sit-down dining is available at the Lied Lodge, a log-cabin inspired hotel and conference center, featuring an indoor lap pool, sauna, and fitness center.

Hours/Admission:

The Arbor Day Farm is open daily; check the website, since hours vary by season. The best value for visiting the Arbor Day Farm is the all-access day pass, which grants access to the Tree Adventure and the Arbor Lodge mansion, at $15 for adults, $11 for children 3-12. If you’re on a tight schedule, you can purchase separate entry either to the mansion or the Tree Adventure (adults $8, children $6). Discovery rides are separate at $5 for all ages. The Arbor Day Farm also offers a variety of annual passes, outlined here.

Directions:

The Arbor Day Farm is located in Nebraska City, NE, 45 minutes from both Omaha and Lincoln.

My family and I experienced the site as guests of the Arbor Day Farm, in exchange for an unbiased review.

Nebraska with kids: Henry Doorly Zoo

July 25, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

In 2014, the Travelers’ Choice Awards named the Henry Doorly Zoo, in Omaha, Nebraska, its #1 zoo. This park, with its wide walkways lined with evergreen and deciduous trees, is well worth an extended visit by families of all ages. Here’s how to plan your day at Henry Doorly Zoo with kids:

What to see at Henry Doorly Zoo with kids:

Henry Doorly Zoo is a sprawling complex, and for the most part you’ll find animals in expansive habitats that mimic their natural environs. You cannot take in the entire experience in a single day; there’s just too much there. So take it easy, decide what’s most important to you and plan accordingly, or else give yourself permission to wander until you run out of time and energy. A small sample of highlights:

The Desert Dome, the Lied Jungle Forest, and the Scott Aquarium. All three lie close to the zoo entrance and are well worth the time. The desert dome is the world’s largest indoor desert (though it’s not as hot as you might expect). Below it is the “Kingdom of the Night,” in which the day-night cycles are reversed so visitors can see the nocturnal animals in their active time. The Lied Jungle has both an upper trail and a lower; we only had time for the upper, which put us at eye level with macaws and spider monkeys. The aquarium is simply beautiful—although it was also very crowded.
Multiple play areas. Particularly of note: the Red Barn petting zoo and the African Grasslands, where kids can play on a retired helicopter and a couple of safari trucks.
A huge aviary with mature trees inside. A boardwalk winds through it, with benches to rest and take in the beauty.
The Alaskan Adventure Spray Park. This spectacular sculpture park lets kids play among sea lions and whales while splashing in the water. Let them come to the zoo in swim gear, because after this they’ll be completely soaked.

Practical tips for zoo-goers:

Admission isn’t cheap, so make the most of the investment by coming at opening time and staying as long as you can. Early in the day the zoo was almost deserted, but by shortly after noon on a weekday it was crowded.
This is a big zoo. Bring your walking shoes or be prepared to pay extra for the tram, train, or Skyfari (a ski lift-type ride that bisects the zoo).
Download the free zoo app, which includes a map and pretty much everything on the web site. We did see some people carrying traditional paper maps, but we never saw where to pick them up, and directional signage was not as clear as I would have liked. Having the map on the phone was very helpful.
If you can plan ahead and are willing to splurge, consider camping overnight in the Safari tent camp, next door to the lion enclosure.

Shopping and dining at the zoo:

The cafes and kiosks are clean and well-run, and offer mostly standards. However, next to the elephants you’ll find a window serving four African-themed entrees. We had a pork kabob, sambusa, and sweet potato fries, which were all excellent and a user-friendly way to experience a new ethnic cuisine. There are two gift shops, one at the main entrance and the other at the exit to Scott Aquarium. Zoo members receive a 5% discount.

Hours/Admission:

The zoo is open from 9-5 daily in the summer and 10-4 in the winter, though the buildings stay open an hour later. Summer admission for children 3-11 is $12.95; 12 and up is $18.95, with discounts for seniors, military, and others. Train, tram, Skyfari, IMAX and carousel tickets are separate, and can be bundled into packages, which are outlined here. Members of other zoos may be eligible for a hefty discount on admission; also be sure to take advantage of the $2 discount on the Omaha Savings app, available through iTunes.

Parking/Directions:

Henry Doorly Zoo is at 3701 S. 10th Street, Omaha, Nebraska. Parking is free, but on busy days it fills quickly. Additional parking is available off-site, with free shuttles, and vouchers for $1 off admission are offered to those who use the shuttle.

Our family visited the zoo as guests of Visit Omaha in exchange for an honest review.