Pit Stops - Pitstops for Kids

Beneski Museum of Natural History, Amherst College

March 27, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

If you’re traveling to western Massachusetts and have a dinosaur-lover in your family, then the Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College is a must-stop! The Beneski Museum is a small, but well-stocked natural history museum featuring a wide variety of dinosaur artifacts, including the skulls of a Triceratops and a T-Rex! The museum also has full skeletons of animals from the Pleistocene, including a mammoth, a mastadon, and a sabertooth cat.

There’s an entire room dedicated to fossilized dinosaur footprints, many of which were found in the surrounding Pioneer Valley. If this piques your child’s interest, it would be worth your time to stop over at Dinosaur Footprints in nearby Holyoke. This Trustees of Reservations site is home to over 130 dinosaur tracks imprinted in slabs of sandstone.

All in all, the Beneski Museum is a great (and free!) way to spend a few hours in the Northampton-Amherst area. I know my three year old is already begging to go back!

<h3:Date last visited:</h3
March 17, 2012

Distance from the interstate:

The Beneski Museum is approximately 6 miles off Interstate 91, in Amherst.

Hours of operation:

Tuesday – Sunday 11am–4pm
Additional hours on Thursday evenings from 6pm to 10pm

Admission or ticket prices:

Free for everyone!

Food services:

There are no food services at the museum, but Amherst College is a beautiful spot for a picnic. Alternatively, there are lots of good cafes and restaurants in the town center of Amherst.

Directions:

The museum is located at 11 Barrett Hill Road, Amherst College, Amherst, MA. Full directions are available.

The Dr. Pepper Museum

March 2, 2012 By Sharlene Earnshaw

The following pit stop has been submitted by guest reviewer and blogger Rebecca of RWeThereYetMom.com. Reach Rebecca @RWeThereYetMom on Twitter.

Texans are very proud of their Dr. Pepper. It’s a legendary soda, created in a small Texas town called Waco. Open to the public, one can learn all about its famous history at the Dr Pepper Museum.

Dr Pepper was created in 1885 in Morrison’s Old Country Store in Waco, Texas by a pharmacist, and no, his name was not Dr. Pepper. It was Charles Alderton and he made it out of 23 unique flavors. What are they? The museum never tells, as it is supposed to be a secret. However, my little friend Google shared with me that some of the 23 flavors are vanilla, black licorice, carrot, rum, and yes, pepper. Most people think that it has prune juice in it…nope, not a drop!

And why was it named Dr Pepper? They are a lot of rumors out there that involve young love of a girl with the last name of Pepper, but none have been proven. As the museum says, “we don’t know the true origin of the name; Mr. Morrison came up with it and it stuck.”

This great little museum is proud to have one of the world’s largest collections of soda pop memorabilia, including the original drugstore countertop where Mr. Alderton created Dr Pepper, the history of the bottling plant, and actually shows the deep well where the water was brought up to make the original Dr. Pepper. Adults and children alike can easily spend a fun hour here, and the best part? Getting a taste of the “original” Dr. Pepper in the downstairs Soda Shop!

Closest interstate: Interstate 35, in Waco, Texas.

Cost of admission: Adults are $8.00, students and children are $4.00.

hours: Mon-Sat (10 am – 4:15 pm), Sun (12 pm – 4:15 pm)

Dining: None.

Driving directions: Take I-35 into Waco and exit 4th and 5th Streets exit. Turn west on 4th street. Go to Mary Ave. Turn left on Mary. The museum is on the corner of 5th & Mary.

Photos are courtesy of RWeThereYetMom.com.

Northampton Parents’ Center

February 1, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

Visiting western Massachusetts with young kids this winter? A great option for a cold or rainy morning is the Northampton Parents Center, a co-operative community center for young kids (birth to kindergarten) and their caregivers. While most visitors live in the area (my kids are regulars at the parents center—we’re there each week!), there are always new families stopping by, many of whom are in the area for a visit with local family or friends.

The Northampton Parents Center is open Monday to Thursday from 9:30 to 11:30am, has music class on Thursday mornings, and often hosts special events, such as local storytellers, musicians, or puppeteers (check the website for an updated schedule). There is a big room for tumbling, tricycles, and ride-on cars; a smaller room with rice and play-doh tables; and another small room with books and toys for younger babies.

The Northampton Parents Center provides a comfortable, supportive environment for parents and plenty of fun and stimulation for kids. If you do stop by, be sure to ask for me—I’m sure we’ll be there!

Date last visited:

Distance from the interstate: About one mile off of I-91, in the center of Northampton, Massachusetts.

Hours of operation: Monday-Thursday 9:30–11:30. The Northampton Parents Center follows the Northampton public school calendar, and is closed during school holidays and during the summer (although informal summer playdates at local parks will be posted on the website). Be sure to check the website to plan your visit.

Admission: Everyone is welcome at the Northampton Parents Center, regardless of ability to pay. Visitors donate between $0 and $5 per family for a visit, or local families can buy a year membership for $100.

Food services: Coffee is always brewing in the kitchen! Also, snack time is provided for the kids at 10:15am. There are also plenty of spots nearby in the town center for breakfast or lunch before/after your visit to the parents center.

Directions: The Northampton Parents Center is located in the basement of Edwards Church (the parents center is not affiliated with Edwards Church, although the church generously provides space for the center) on Main Street in Northampton, but the entrance is located on State St. (you’ll notice all the strollers parked by the door!)

Searching for Bigfoot on Collings Mountain

January 9, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

On a dreary but warm day in January, we skipped the ski slopes to brave a wintery hike skirting Applegate Lake near Ruch, Oregon. Our destination? A bona fide Bigfoot trap. Located along the Collings Mountain trail in the Rogue River National Forest, the trap is located on a low rise one-half mile into the hike, off a short spur trail (next to a long-destroyed caretakers’s cabin). The only one of its kind in the world, it resembles a huge wooden box with trap door, now securely bolted open.

The trap was built by ‘researchers’ in 1973 to aid in the capture a Sasquatch, reportedly seen in this area since the 1890s, and was definitely a bit of a thrill to see! The brush is heavy here with madrone, sagebrush, and scrub pine, and with the low-hanging fog tendrils persistent in winter, it was also a bit eerie! Either way, it was by far the coolest thing my kids have hiked into the forest to see.

The fun doesn’t have to end at the trap, however. Another .3 miles further along the main trail, you’ll find the remains of a spectator’s tunnel dug out of the side of the mountain slope. The tunnel is constructed in a short ‘U’ shape (though as my seven-year-old noted, ‘probably too small for Bigfoot to fit into’). If you want to keep your round trip hike under two miles, reverse your course here, returning the way you came. If you’re still game, however, continuing on takes you up a ridge to a summit with a nice overlook of the lake and valley below. We went this far (about 1.5 miles total), and turned around, making our total hike approximately 3 miles. Should you want to make a day of it, however, you can complete a loop instead; the trail continues another 2.9 miles past the summit to Watkins Campground, where you’ll need to hike another 3.5 miles along the paved road back to your car.

Date last visited: January 2, 2012

Distance from the interstate: Approximately 40 minutes from I-5 in Central Point, Oregon, and 10 minutes from Highway 238 in Jacksonville.

Hours of operation: The hike is accessible year round.

Admission cost: None.

Dining options: None, but the Bigfoot site makes for a perfect picnic location!

Directions: From I-5, take the Central Point (from the north) or Phoenix (from the south) exit and follow signage to Jacksonville. Once on Highway 238 in Jacksonville, continue to Ruch, then take Upper Applegate 15 miles to Applegate Lake. Go one mile past the dam. The trailhead is located across the road from Hart-Tish park and boat ramp.

Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

January 2, 2012 By Sharlene Earnshaw

The following pit stop is submitted by Jessie Voigts of WanderingEducators.com.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a world-class treasure. It boasts outdoor sculptures from over 30 renowned sculptors, including the DaVinci Horse, by Nina Akamu, glass works by Chihuly, and works by Goldsworthy, Degas, Rodin, Lichtenstein, Segal, di Suvero, and my favorite, Deborah Butterfield’s Cabin Creek.

Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park has something for everyone: indoor gardens (topical conservatory, Victorian garden, carnivorous and arid gardens), and a huge outdoor area. The outdoor gardens and sculpture park include the Lena Meijer Children’s Garden, a Michigan Farm Garden, different seasonal gardens, a wooded path, nature trails, a boardwalk on the river, an amphitheater, and an extensive (30+ acres!) sculpture park. Meijer Gardens holds two special events each year: Holidays around the World (in December) and Butterflies are Blooming, in the Conservatory in February/March. There are also rotating art exhibits, a library, classrooms, and guided tours.

The Children’s Garden is the most fun for families, and our daughter especially loves the Great Lakes Water Garden. It’s got all five Great Lakes outlined, and they are filled with water! You can play with boats and splash and have all sorts of fun. There is also a huge tree fort, a story telling garden, a kid-sized beaver lodge, a rock quarry where you can dig for fossils, a log cabin, a children’s sculpture walk, a labyrinth, butterfly maze, and more. Kids can spend the whole day here, or just a few hours.

Tip! The gardens are open all year round, and in the winter, the sculptures take on a magical quality with the enhancement of snow! Read more about the gardens, as well as view more photos, at Wandering Educators!

Date last visited: summer 2011

Distance from the interstate: a few blocks from I-96, a mile or so east of US 131

Hours of operation: M/W/Th/F/St from 9 am-5 pm, Tues from 9 am-9 pm, and Sun from 11 am-5 pm.

Admission cost: Adults 14-64 are $12, seniors and students with ID are $9, kids 5-13 are $6, kids 3-4 are $4, and kids 2 and under are free.

Accessibility: Meijer Gardens is totally barrier-free, and has ramps and smooth paths everywhere. All doors have handicap push buttons to open them. Diaper facilities are located in the restroom; family restrooms available.

Dining Options: Taste of the Gardens Café is located right inside Meijer Gardens, near the entrance. It features sculpture by Dale Chihuly, and offers a kids’ menu, entrees, and sandwiches and salads. In the summer, outdoor seating is available. If you want to eat elsewhere, Grand Rapids is full of excellent food. We love the One Stop Coney Shop, in downtown Grand Rapids (10 minutes away).

Directions: The gardens are located at 1000 East Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan. From I-96, go north on East Beltline a few blocks.

Photos courtesy of Jessie Voigts.

Donner Memorial State Park and Emigrant Trail Museum

December 28, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

As Northern California natives and Oregon residents, we’re well-versed in Oregon Trail pioneering history, and specifically, the Donner Party. We’ve taken the kids to Sutter’s Fort State Park in Sacramento, CA, where they first learned about the ill-fated party, and when we found ourselves on Interstate 80 at the beautiful Donner Summit during our Thanksgiving break travels, we just had to make a pit stop at Donner Memorial State Park and Emigrant Trail Museum in Truckee.

In warm-weather months, the park features lakeside access, well-tended picnic grounds, and hiking trails, but it’s still very worthy of a visit in winter. The Emigrant Trail Museum features extensive displays depicting the Donner Party ordeal, and includes exhibits describing general pioneering ways: wagons, tools, maps of established trails, and the like. Most interesting is the video (shown on the hour) and the short walk (accessible even in early winter) to the site of one of the Donner Party cabins. The kids found it fascinating that it was still possible to see the discoloration on the granite slab that served as a cabin wall, caused by chimney smoke. The nearby Donner memorial statue is also worth a look: the pedestal (base) of the memorial illustrates the height of the snowfall during the winter the Donners spent below the summit.

Tip! If you’re visiting in winter, you might want to consider stopping to sled or snowshoe near the state park at the sno-park by Boreal (a few miles south on I-80).

Date last visited: November 2011

Distance from the interstate: Directly off I-80.

Admission costs: $8 per vehicle, payable at a self-pay station or within the museum. Note: cash only!

Hours of operation: The museum is open 9 am to 4 pm, year round. State park grounds are open sunrise to sunset.

Directions: The park is 100 miles east of Sacramento via Interstate 80, and is within the town of Truckee, just west of downtown on the south side of the freeway.

Richland Carrousel Park

November 25, 2011 By Sharlene Earnshaw

The following review is submitted by Kristen Levithan of the blog Motherese.

Richland Carrousel Park in Mansfield, Ohio gives families the chance to step back in time and enjoy the fun of a carrousel ride, a great treat for all kids and kids-at-heart. Although the carrousel looks like a perfectly preserved antique, it is actually only twenty years old. Its 52 hand-carved animals were built and decorated in Mansfield in the style of old-fashioned merry-go-rounds and the scenery panels on the carrousel provide a glimpse into local history.

For their first few rides, my sons (ages four and two) loved choosing from among the many different animals the carrousel has to offer. They eventually settled on their favorites: a horse for my knight-happy preschooler and a giraffe for his younger brother. While my husband stood with the riders, I sat on one of the carrousel’s several stationary benches with my infant daughter who delighted in the colorful lights and moving animals. Although my children are quite young, kids of all ages seemed to appreciate the carrousel. One of the highlights of our visit was seeing several multi-generational families – toddlers, teens, parents, and grandparents – enjoying a ride together.

In addition to the carrousel itself, Richland Carrousel Park offers picnic tables, wooden rocking chairs, a nicely appointed gift shop, a small snack bar, and clean public bathrooms. Immediately outside the carrousel pavilion, there are two small grassy areas that gave my kids a great place to run around and blow off some road trip steam. The staff was very friendly and genuinely seemed to enjoy welcoming visitors to this unique attraction.

The only drawback of our visit is one you might expect: although undeniably charming, the traditional organ music that plays non-stop is very loud. My kids didn’t seem to mind the noise at all so I was more than happy to listen to an hour of carrousel polka.

If you ever find yourself in mid-Ohio, do make a pit stop at the Richland Carrousel Park. Your family will enjoy its trip back in time.

Tip: Be sure to pair this pit stop with the nearby Little Buckeye Children’s Museum!

Closest interstate: I-71

Cost of admission: Admission to the facility is free; tickets for the carrousel are $0.75 for one, $2.00 for three, $5.00 for eight, or $25.00 for fifty.

Hours of operation: The park is open every day except for Easter Sunday, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Hours are seasonal. (The pavilion is heated during the colder months.)

Dining options: The Carrousel Park includes a small snack bar that offers hot dogs, nachos, cotton candy, nuts, and popcorn. There are also a number of fast food and casual dining restaurants located near the highway exit and in downtown Mansfield near the park.

Directions: Richland Carrousel Park is located at 75 N. Main Street in Mansfield, Ohio. Take Exit 169 of I-71. Head north on OH-13 for 4.8 miles. Turn right on E. 1st St. Turn left onto S. Diamond St. Turn left onto 4th St. The carrousel is at the corner of 4th and Main Streets. Ample parking is available on the street and in a free public lot.

Little Buckeye Children’s Museum

November 16, 2011 By Sharlene Earnshaw

The brand new Little Buckeye Children’s Museum in Mansfield, Ohio, offers young kids a terrific space for creative play. Set up in a number of open-ended exhibits, the museum is designed for children up to age 12, but I suspect it will be most popular among the preschool set. My boys (ages two and four) moved from exhibit to exhibit, delighting in pretend play in the miniature versions of a bank, a doctor’s office, a grocery store, and a veterinarian’s hospital. My older son eventually hunkered down in the “Super Scientists Laboratory,” proudly donning a lab coat and protective goggles and experimenting with combining different colored liquids. My two-year-old headed straight for the agriculture center where he planted flowers, picked wooden apples from a Velcro tree, and carted his harvest around in a pint-sized wheelbarrow. My baby daughter, meanwhile, was content to play with age-appropriate blocks and books in the “Little People Lounge.”

The environment at the Little Buckeye Children’s Museum was friendly, cooperative, and surprisingly calm. Kids were not only encouraged to explore and play, but also to take responsibility for the materials they were using. The staff was warm, welcoming, and easy-going; they were available when we had questions and encouraged the children without directing their play.

We had a great visit to the Little Buckeye Children’s Museum, a terrific place to recharge your batteries while your kids play and learn. The second floor of the museum is still under construction; my kids can’t wait to return someday to see what else is in store!

Tip: Little Buckeye Children’s Museum is located a block away from another great pit ptop: Richland Carrousel Park.

Closest interstate: I-71 (The museum is located 10 minutes from the highway.)

Cost of admission: $6 for ages 2 and up

Hours of operation: Thursdays, 10-5; Fridays and Saturdays, 10-8; Sundays, 1-5

Dining options: There are a number of fast food and casual dining restaurants located near the highway exit and in downtown Mansfield near the museum.

Directions: Little Buckeye Children’s Museum is located at 44 West 4th Street, Mansfield, Ohio. Take Exit 169 of I-71. Head north on OH-13 for 4.8 miles. Turn right on E. 1st St. Turn left onto S. Diamond St. Turn left onto 4th St. Ample parking is available on the street and in a nearby free public lot.

Na Aina Kai: fun for kids in the ‘garden isle’ of Kauai

November 1, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

Kauai is often called the “Garden Isle” of Hawaii, and nowhere is this more apparent than at the Na Aina Kai botanical gardens. Nestled in a residential neighborhood not far from the eco-bed and breakfast North Country Farms, the gardens include 240 acres of gardens, forests, and beaches. For young kids, the Children’s Garden really is a paradise. There are fountains to splash in, a train to climb on, forts and swing sets galore, and even a Navajo village with caves just begging to be explored.

Because the gardens are in a residential neighborhood, and due to the fragile nature of some of the plants, the gardens are only accessible through an organized tour. These tours vary in price and focus, and last anywhere from 1.5 to 5 hours. The “Under the Rainbow” Children’s Garden Family Tour that we were on lasted two hours and included a kid-focused nature walk through the sculpture garden and a chance to feed the fish in the Koi pond. The second hour of the tour was spent exploring the Children’s Garden. If you know your kids are going to want to run and play on their own, rather than participate in an organized tour, you can request that the whole two hours be spent in free-play in the Children’s Garden. However, my three year old had a great time on the garden tour—climbing on bronze statues, picking up fallen leaves and flowers, and exploring the maze.

Because there aren’t many playgrounds to be found on the north shore (oh, right, nature is our playground here!), my toddler had a great time in the Children’s Garden. For the very young set, it can be a nice break from the beaches and hikes and can give parents a little break from the constant vigilance that goes with having toddlers anywhere near crashing waves. In short, Na Aina Kai is an oasis within the paradise of Kauai’s north shore.

Date last visited: September 20, 2011

Hours of operation: Days and times of operation vary depending on the tour you’re interested in. The family tours run on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9:30 and 1:30, and on Fridays at 9:30. For a full list of tours and hours, visit the website.

Admission prices: Again, this varies based on the tour. The family tour was $20 per child and $35 per adult.

Food services: Some of the longer tours include lunch, but for the family tours, your best bet it to come fed and leave hungry!

Website: http://www.naainakai.org/index.html

Directions: Na Aina Kai is located at 4101 Wailapa Road, Kilauea, HI. Driving north from Lihue, on the Island of Kauai, drive past the 21 mile-marker and take the first right turn onto Wailapa Road. At the end of the half-mile road, enter through our iron gate and park next to the Orchid House Visitor Center.

As I disclose whenever applicable, Na Aina Kai hosted our family’s tour of their gardens. This compensation came with no expectation of a positive review.

Wildlife Images, Grants Pass OR

October 18, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

A Southern Oregon gem, Wildlife Images is an animal rehabilitation center located off I-5 near Grants Pass. If you have an animal lover in your car, this is a pit stop that’s not to be missed! Open year round, the facility is beautiful, peaceful, and very educational. Animals are viewed through scheduled tours only (more information on that below), but don’t let that deter you, even if you have young kids. Tours are 1-1 1/2 hours, and are very well done. The guides are knowledgable and interesting, and allow for lots of up close viewing and hands-on experiences with kids.

Because the facility is a working rehab center, the only animals on the tour are the ones which can never return to the world. There is a nursery and charts that show what other animals they have, where they got them, and when they are due to be released. The most interesting part may be hearing the stories behind how these animals (badgers, bears, racoons, wolves, mountain lions, and more) came to be in the facility. It is made very clear that wild animals cannot be pets.

Distance from the interstate: Eight minutes off I-5.

Admission prices: Ages 4-17: $5, Adults $10

Hours of operation: Wildlife Images is open year round, and access is available through scheduled tours only. Call 541-476-0222 to schedule a tour. A day’s notice is best, though tours are often available same day.

Food services: No food services (aside from ice cream sales in the gift shop), but nice picnic facilities are available.

Directions: Wildlife Images is located eight minutes of off I-5 just north of Grants Pass at Merlin exit. Follow signs!