Tillamook Cheese Factory

April 13, 2010 By

Tillamook Factory Visitor\’s Center

4175 Highway 101 North,
Tillamook, Oregon

Located conveniently along scenic Highway 101 between the tourist towns of Cannon Beach and Lincoln City, the Tillamook Cheese Factory makes for a great pit stop and picnic lunch spot (1-2 hours max). You can take a self-guided tour of the production floor (viewed from above), then sample all the cheese you want (yes you read that right!). Definitely try the curds (they’re surprisingly great!) and stop by the store, too!

From the official website: “See our cheesemakers and packaging staff at work. Hear about our history and the cheesemaking process. Touch the interactive kiosk screens to learn about our cooperative and our products. Smell the delicious aroma of freshly baked waffle cones. And best of all, taste our award-winning cheeses, 38 flavors of ice cream and the hearty meals available in our Farmhouse Cafe!”

Date last visited: We were last there in July 2006.

Distance off the interstate: Directly off Hwy 101.

Hours and Admission Prices: Free. Hours are: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Labor Day through mid-June)
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Mid-June through Labor Day).

Bathrooms: Bathrooms are clean and spacious, and have changing tables.

Food Services: The Farmhouse Cafe offers lots of kid favorites, such as grilled cheese sandwiches, cheeseburgers, and more. Ample tables are also available for picnicking.

Website: http://www.tillamookcheese.com/VisitorsCenter/

Directions: You can see the factory directly off 101!

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Cave Campground California

April 1, 2010 By

Creek running through Cave Campground

Junct. of Hwy 89 and Hwy 44
Hat Creek, CA

Part of the Lassen National Forest, Cave Campground near Hat Creek makes for a nice pit stop along Hwy 89, especially if you only have time for a bathroom break and maybe a picnic lunch. (If you have more time at your disposal, consider hiking to the falls at nearby McArthur Burney State Park.)

The campground, open with full services April through October, was empty of overnighters when we stopped in March. The larger restroom facilities at the front of the campground were locked, but pit toilets were available at the end of the loop (a few hundred yards away). With no fee for day use, Cave Campground was a great spot to picnic, with easy access to the highway and a stream (rushing in springtime) with a footpath bridge the kids enjoyed exploring. We just pulled into an empty campsite and used the picnic table! (During the busier summer months, day use visitors can use the picnic tables near the front of the campground.)

Date last visited: March 2010

Distance off the interstate: Directly off Hwy 89.

Hours and Admission Prices: No day use admission fee. Overnight fee from April to October is $11 per night.

Bathrooms: See above.

Food Services: None. Closest convenient food is Susanville (another 1.5 hours south).

Website: None.

Directions: Directly off of Hwy 89 just before the junction of Hwy 44 (driving south).

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Kid Time! Discovery Experience

March 23, 2010 By

Kids are both chef and waitstaff in the play cafe.

Kid Time!, previously K.I.D.S, is a great place to stop and play while driving I-5 or just visiting the Rogue Valley, especially if the weather isn’t cooperating. A large, hands-on kids’ museum and play space, Kid Time has lots of imaginary place areas, including a store, a kitchen, a lemonade stand, a full stage and costumes, a camping set-up complete with tent, picnic table, and camping supplies, and more. They have a jungle room for climbing and playing (it even has a low rock wall!), and a large art area, water play area, and outdoor section for when the weather is nice.

Date last visited: March 2010

Distance off the interstate: 5 minutes

Hours and Admission Prices: Monday- Saturday 10:00-5:00,
Sunday 11:00- 4:00. $3.00/adult, $6.00/children (under age 1 is free).

Bathrooms: Two bathrooms are situated on opposite sides of the museum.

Food Services: The ‘Break Away Cafe’ is currently closed, but due to open again soon. When it was last open (under different management), it featured many healthy options at decent prices, and even foods adults like!

Website: http://www.discoveryspace.org/

Directions: Kid Time is located at 106 N. Central Avenue, Medford, OR. It’s less than three minutes from I-5.

Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

March 18, 2010 By

Polar exhibit at Point Defiance

5400 N. Pearl St.
Tacoma, Washington

If you’re looking for a zoo that’s easy to access off the freeway but rivals the big names, stop at Tacoma’s Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Exhibits and sections include an Asian forest, marine discovery center, aquarium, polar exhibit, and red wolf sanctuary.

The newly added Kid Zone is a great place to let kids run around and explore. From the official website: “The new Kids’ Zone is a bright, colorful environment designed for the way children learn: through touch, exploration and movement. Here, children can explore the Magical Movement area where they can climb and move in ways that mimic how animals move. The kids can then spy on live animals that move in very cool ways, such as wallabies, stingrays and millipedes.”

Recent reviewers at popular parent-travel site Trekaroo have been impressed by all Point Defiance has done to make this zoo on par with the best. Read Trekaroo reviews.

Date last visited: February 2010

Distance off the interstate: Just a few minutes off I-5.

Hours and Admission Prices: Opens at 9:30 am daily. Closing hours vary depending on the season.

Admission:
Adults (ages 13-64) $13.50
Seniors (ages 65 & older) $12.50
Youth (ages 5-12) $11.50
Tots (3 & 4) $7.50

You might consider a family annual pass if you think you might visit more than twice a year! (There is also a AAA discount available.)

Bathrooms: Several located within the zoo.

Food Services: There are three cafes located within the zoo (two only open seasonally). Try the Plaza Cafe for the greatest selection (open year round).

Website: http://www.pdza.org/

Directions: Take Exit 132 (Highway 16 West). Exit at 6th Avenue (exit #3) and turn left. Take the next right on to Pearl Street. Follow Pearl Street into Point Defiance Park. Directional signs will lead you to the Zoo parking lots. Parking is FREE!

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Science Center of Iowa

March 11, 2010 By

Science Center of Iowa

401 West Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway
Des Moines, IA

The Science Center of Iowa is an ideal place to stop and play for at least several hours. There are shows and demonstrations scheduled throughout the day, no matter how high the attendance, which is nice on uncrowded weekdays. Visit the IMAX theater as well (currently showing Avatar) and the star theater for night sky demonstrations. From the official website: “Live programs and hands-on activities encourage you to touch, play, discover and experiment. Explore a cave, blow a bubble, or create your own planetarium show in dynamic experience platforms. These themed spaces are the heart of the facility, each offering participants the opportunity to explore their curiosities and engage their interests in topics ranging from the inner workings of the human body to the outer reaches of the solar system.” Read more reviews of the Science Center of Iowa.

Date last visited: February 2010

Distance off the interstate: Just a few minutes off I-235.

Hours and Admission Prices: The science center’s hours differ from the IMAX Dome hours.

Bathrooms: Several located within the building.

Food Services: The Food Chain Cafe is located within the museum, and is pretty reasonably priced.

Website: http://www.sciowa.org/

Directions: Take Exit I-235 on Martin Luther King Parkway. Turn East onto W. Martin Luther King Parkway, then turn North onto 5th Street. Turn East onto Market Street to the SCI Entrance.

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Cantrall Buckley County Park

March 5, 2010 By

Wading in the river at Cantrall Buckley.

Cantrall Road
Ruch, Oregon

If you’re exploring the pioneer town of Jacksonville (10 minutes off I-5) and have more time to spend, drive out into the Applegate Valley and visit Cantrall Buckley County Park. Set on the shores of the Applegate River, Cantrall Buckley has a long, sloping lawn and picnic areas. The river is slow-moving in this area and great for wading, minnow-fishing (bring nets!) and inner tubing or rafting. Wear water shoes (the pebbles on the river bottom are slippery!) and bring cash for the $4 parking fee.

Toby finding crawdads and minnows!

There’s a little playground right across the road from the river as well. It’s an older one, so be careful of hot metal in the summertime. Dogs welcome on a leash.

Date last visited: September 2009

Distance off the interstate: 30 minutes

Hours and Admission Prices: $4 admission to the county park, open sunrise to sunset.

Bathrooms: Located by the playground.

Dogs welcome!

Food Services: None. There’s a fun drive-through ice cream and coffee stand in nearby Ruch, or better yet, hold off and eat hamburgers and onion rings at Jasper’s, located on California Street in Jacksonville (on the way back out to I-5).

Directions: From I-5: Take the Phoenix/Jacksonville exit (south of Medford). Turn right on US Hwy 99 to South Stage Road. Left on South Stage to Jacksonville. Turn right at E California St/OR-238 W and continue 9 miles. Turn left at Hamilton Rd, then take the 2nd right onto Cantrall Rd. Follow signs.

This post part of Photo Friday at www.deliciousbaby.com!

Andalo’s Clubhouse

March 4, 2010 By

Photo courtesy of Two Kids and a Map

420 High Street
Portsmouth, VA

The Children’s Museum of Virginia is currently closed for renovations, and in the meantime, they’re diecting families toward Andalo’s Clubhouse in Portsmouth. While not as extensive as a full children’s museum, Andalo’s does the job as a place for kids to stop and play on a dreary winter day or while traveling. You’ll find the usual imaginative play centers, such as a play kitchen and lots of building toys. Reviewer Jen of Two Kids and a Map visited recently to escape the snow: “Despite the fact that I was annoyed that I had to pay $20 for the visit, the kids really did have a blast. The eight year old loved reading and trying the few science exhibits. The little ones enjoyed building castles in the block section. There is a separate room for children three and under but we also skipped this section.” Read her complete review!

Date last visited: February 2010

Distance off the interstate: 5 minutes from I-264

Hours and Admission Prices: $5 per person (children and adults). Under 2 is free. Hours are: Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bathrooms: Located within.

Website: http://www.childrensmuseumva.com/index2.html

Phone: 757-393-5258

Directions: From I-264: take exit 7 toward Downtown Portsmouth/Harbor Center Pavillion. Turn left at Court St, then left at High St. Andolo’s Clubhouse is located next to the Courthouse Galleries and across the street from the Commodore Theater. There is a small, metered parking lot behind Andalo’s Clubhouse off Court Street.

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The Petersen Urban Wildlife Refuge

March 2, 2010 By

View from the Dupont Environmental Education Center bridge (photo courtesy of Mother of all Trips)

1400 Delmarva Lane
Wilmington, DE

The Russell W. Petersen Urban Wildlife Refuge is 212 acres of protected urban wetland along the Christina River just outside downtown Wilmington. Reviewer Mara of The Mother of All Trips writes, “The place is a fascinating intersection of the industrial and the natural. Freight trains thunder over a sculptural bridge that spans the river. To the north, the banks and churches of Wilmington stretch skyward. Not too far in the distance traffic hums by, the murmur of cars and trucks punctuated by the cries of Canada geese landing in the marsh. On the day we were there, fox footprints dotted the snow. A small botanical garden, which is beautifully landscaped and in warmer weather has series of stone-line paths and waterfalls, is a delightful place to play.” Read her entire article on the refuge.

Be sure to check out the DuPont Environmental Education Center, located by the Riverwalk, to learn more about the wildlife you might encounter. Educational programs for children are run from this building as well; check the board for the daily schedule.

Date last visited: February 2010

Distance off the interstate: Just a couple minutes off I-95.

Hours and Admission Prices: Free admission. Hours are: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday–Friday (Closed Mondays)

Website: http://www.duponteec.org/

Directions: Free parking is available on site and in several Riverfront parking lots located at the end of Justison Street, south of Frawley Stadium. You can also arrive via the Riverwalk: The DuPont Environmental Education Center (within the refuge) is located at the south end of the Riverwalk, which now extends beyond the Shipyard Shops, through a botanical garden to a new “flyover” bridge that arches above the railroad tracks and slopes gently down to the building’s third-story entrance. The refuge is accessible via the Riverwalk from dawn to dusk.

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Mrs. Grossman’s Sticker Factory

February 23, 2010 By

Mrs. Grossman's Stickers (photo courtesy of Delicious Baby)

3810 Cypress Dr.
Petaluma, CA

If you look back with longing to your sticker-trading days, you won’t want to pass up a stop at Mrs. Grossman’ Sticker Factory in Petaluma, CA. Free one-hour tours run multiple times per day, and include a video, a guided tour of the sticker factory, a fun sticker craft, a visit to their sticker museum, where you can see every sticker Mrs. Grossman’s has ever made, and a $3 off coupon for your purchase of $20 at the Company Store.

You’ll get to view thousands of stickers going through every stage of printing, high-speed packaging as well as machines sorting and wrapping. (Strollers permitted everywhere except the factory floor.) In a recent article at Delicious Baby, Debbie admits the stop was probably more for her than her kids, but that soon changed: “Once I finally got the kids inside the company’s sticker store…they were floored. They’ve never seen so many stickers together in one place. Every design needed to be inspected and evaluated. At the cash register we noticed “mystery packs” which included $10 worth of stickers in a box for $2, and these turned out to be a huge hit when they were opened.” Read the full review!

Date last visited: February 2010

Distance off the interstate: 8 minutes

Hours and Admission Prices: Hours vary (Monday through Friday). Closed weekends. Check hours here: http://www.mrsgrossmans.com/7-1_location.cfm

Website: http://www.mrsgrossmans.com/

Directions: Traveling North on Highway 101: Take the Sonoma/Napa East 116 Exit. Turn left at traffic light on Lakeville Hwy. Follow approx. 1 mile. Turn right at the light on South McDowell Blvd. Follow approx. 1/2 mile.

Traveling West on Interstate 80: Take the Marine World Pkwy/Hwy 37 exit. Stay on Hwy 37. You will pass Marine World on left, and continue on Hwy 37. Cross over bridge and you will be on a two-lane road with a barrier between the lanes. You will come to the Sears Point Intersection; continue through to the next intersection, which will be Lakeville Hwy. Turn right on Lakeville Hwy. Follow approx. 9 miles. Turn left on Pineview Way. At the first stop sign, turn right on Cypress Drive. Continue on Cypress Drive until you come to the first stop sign, then turn left onto South McDowell Blvd. Take an immediate left into the first driveway.


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Moab, Utah and Arches National Park

February 16, 2010 By

Since not all great places to stop with kids are along the major interstates, Pitstops for Kids! has added a new series called Off the Beaten Path.

First up, beautiful Moab, Utah and its surrounding areas. We had the pleasure of visiting Moab while touring national parks of the southwest, and quickly realized we could have happily spent many more than the one night we’d reserved in the town. Located 45 minutes from I-70 in Utah along US Highway 191 (2 hours from Grand Juncton, Colorado), Moab is one part champion of the arts, one part gateway to adventure and three parts sun-baked natural beauty.

Moab, Utah and Arches National Park:

Double Arch in Arches National Park…great for climbing and hiking!

Why it’s worth the drive: Moab is home to both Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, which showcase some of the most stunning geological formations we’ve ever seen! Arches in particular is breathtaking, and offers many easy hikes and vista points for kids to explore. We started at the overlook for Delicate Arch (an easier hike with great views), then drive the short distance to Double Arch. You’ll see the visitor’s center directly after entering the park, but do that last when the temperatures rise. (General Tip: whatever your activity, get up and go early; later in the day, temperatures can be unbearable in summer.)

The town of Moab has much to offer in and of itself. If your kids will tolerate such activities, there’s ample shopping (for everything from boutique clothing to high end outdoors equipment to fine art). If you’re up for some adventure, rent bicycles and explore the area on the many trails or book a dune buggy or Jeep expedition to see more of the desert. Read more about our impressions of Moab.

Chuck-wagon style dinner at the Bar M

Date last visited: July 2009

Distance off the interstate: 45 minutes.

Hours and Admission Prices: The National Parks charge $10 per vehicle. Hours vary by season. Check the official websites for more information. There are many hotel and motel options. We stayed in the Days Inn Moab (426 N. Main), which was in walking distance to restaurants and shops and had a nice pool and free wi-fi.

Food Services: Moab is known for both its fine and casual dining. Our favorite spot was a small cafe called the Wake and Bake (57 S. Main), where you can get homemade crepes with a multitude of fillings and eat out on their sun-touched patio. We also ate one dinner at the Bar M Chuck Wagon, a fun wild-west themed dinner show located a few miles out of town. The BBQ offerings and entertainment were family-friendly (and the pre-show ‘shoot out’ was great), but very young kids might get bored (ours did). If you go, be sure to get reservations!

Website: http://www.moab-utah.com/

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