pit stop - Pitstops for Kids

Children’s Discovery Garden at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark

May 18, 2012 By Sharlene Earnshaw

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

The Children’s Discovery Garden at Wegerzyn Gardens, in Dayton, Ohio is a treat! It’s a free metro park, dedicated to teaching kids about the different natural habitats of the Miami Valley, and encouraging discovery and play. The Children’s Discovery Gardens was founded in 2006, and is staffed by volunteers.

The Discovery Garden is split into different habitats, including woods, prairie, wetlands, a limestone cave featuring local fossils, a sensory garden, a wildlife garden, a skeeter’s garden, a musical garden, a sandbox, waterfalls and ponds, and for the next few years, an outdoor sculpture woven from willow branches, called A Wiggle in Its Walk.

There are a few small picnic benches for families, a large (and clean) family bathroom, and plenty of places to sit along the meandering path.

Date last visited:

April 2012

Distance from the interstate:

Just off I-75.

Hours of operation:

Spring and Fall (April/May and Sept/Oct): 10:00am-6:00pm
Summer (June/July/August): 10:00am – 8:00pm, water play area open (View Summer Activity Schedule.)
Winter (March/Nov/Dec):10:00am-4:00pm (Closed Jan and Feb.)
Closed for pathway maintenance Sep 4-7, 2012

Admission cost:

Free!

Dining options:

None on site; picnic areas available.

Directions:

Wegerzyn Gardens is located at 1301 E. Siebenthaler Avenue , Dayton, Ohio.

The Solar Living Institute

May 14, 2012 By Sharlene Earnshaw

The following pit stop is submitted by guest reviewer Barbara Zaragoza. Barbara blogs about off-beat adventures in California at California Notebook.

Everyone wants to save the earth these days, but do we really know how to do it? The Solar Living Institute in Hopland, California gives visitors a wealth of eco-living tips. A tour of their rustic property is free and plaques everywhere describe innovative technology that can save our planet.

The property boasts the largest number of solar panels in the state of California, hooked up to the deregulated electricity grid. They also have a hands-on display of a solar oven as well as a solar water pump that takes water from a pond to irrigate their organic farm.

Beyond solar energy, The Solar Living Institute makes sure that everything on the property is earth friendly. There’s a ‘Sun Frost’ refrigerator that uses Krypton gas. The parking lot has a biodiesel fueling station and electric vehicle charging stations. Several small buildings are made of cob: a mixture of straw bales, clay, and strew infill, which are considered low-impact materials that replace wood or concrete.

Kids will especially love this place thanks to the solar powered ferris wheel during the summer, the bamboo pyramid pruned in the shape of Egypt’s Cheops pyramid, a rotunda that touts a Mayan solar calendar, a tree house, and a sundial. Through some brush they’ll find 1950’s automobiles that have been turned into planters for large trees. Finally, kids can ride on the pedal power bike generators to see how much electricity they are able to generate through exercise.

The Solar Living Institute holds workshops throughout the year and, most importantly, takes any visitor into a world that is possible.

Closest interstate:

Highway 101

Cost of admission:

Free!

Hours of operation:

Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week for self-guided tours.

Driving directions:

The Solar Living Institute is located at 13771 S Highway 101, Hopland, CA.

Wildlife Safari

May 7, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

Every once in a while, a potential pit stop surprises me. We’d traveled Oregon’s I-5 stretch countless times before we took the opportunity to visit Wildlife Safari outside Winston, Oregon. Why the delay? I tend to be suspicious of roadside animal attractions: as a card-carrying PETA member, I want to be sure the zoos and preserves I support are in the best interest the animals. I’m glad to say that Winston’s Wildlife Safari is a first class operation and a truly fantastic zoological park.

Located just a few miles off I-5 south of Roseburg, colorful billboards will direct you to the park (don’t be fooled by the somewhat less classy looking animal ‘ark’ attraction located nearby…this is a separate operation). Upon entering Wildlife Safari, you have two options: begin with the driving tour of the safari grounds, where you’ll cruise slowly through various sanctuaries housing free-roaming zebras, giraffes, elephants, and everything else you can imagine (lions and tigers and bears oh my!), or park and walk through the center safari square, where you’ll find the gift shop, surprisingly decent food, and some smaller animals, like reptiles, turtles, a very loud monkey, and a small train ride. Intuition would tell you to start there–get out and release your own monkeys from the confines of the car–but my suggestion is the driving tour, because with admission, you get to go through twice. It works well to drive through, park and visit the walking grounds, then drive through once more on your way out.

Plan to spend at least 3-4 hours here to see it all (1.5 to drive through, and at least one more to tour the grounds).

Tip: If you have very small children, they’ll probably only have the ability to sit in the car for one drive through the grounds. Depending on how crowded the tour is, this loop can take as long as an hour. We let our kids unbuckle to see better (you’re only driving 5-10 MPH), but of course that’s a parental preference.

Pets: If you’re traveling with your pets, they are not allowed in the park, but very nice kennels are available on-site for only $5. This is a great option to avoid leaving your pets in a potentially overheated or cold car.

Distance from the interstate:

Ten minutes from I-5.

Admission cost:

Adults are $17.99, and kids (ages 4-12) are $11.99. Depending on the size of your family, a family (annual) membership might be a better option. The membership is only $99, and gets two adults and up to five children into the park and drive-through safari for unlimited visits. This is also a great choice if you think you might traverse I-5 more than once a year.

Hours of operation:

Open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. The cafe closes slightly earlier (usually 4:30 pm).

Food services:

There’s a nice cafe on-site, which serves the usual burger and fries, but also healthy sandwiches and veggie burgers. It’s not cheap (think theme park pricing) but the kids’ meals are a good deal. Families can also picnic in an designated area.

Directions:

Wildlife Safari is located at 1790 Safari Road, Winston Oregon. From I-5, visitors will take Exit 119 west onto Highway 42 to Lookingglass Road. Follow signage from there!

Photo credit: SpringfieldHomer.

3 things to do with kids in Paso Robles CA

April 30, 2012 By Sharlene Earnshaw

The following pit stop was submitted by Bay Area blogger and mom Whitney Moss of 510Families.

Located exactly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Paso Robles, California is an excellent pit stop if you want to get out of the car and feel like you’ve arrived somewhere special. (Pro tip: locals pronounce the town name Paso Robuls, not Paso Roblase.) Here are three things to do with kids in Paso Robles:

Powell’s Sweet Shoppe

Did you say CANDY? The downtown of Paso Robles is set up around a traditional town square, similar to Sonoma if you’ve been there, or the town in Back to the Future with the clock tower on one side and the soda shop on the other side. The square itself is a sufficient park for running around with playground equipment. Parents can take turns manning the playground usage while the other roams around the shops on the perimeter. Powell’s Sweet Shoppe is a super fun vintage candy store which is actually a chain, but maintains a unique small town feel. Find it at 840 11th Street.

Paso Robles Children’s Museum

A short distance from the square is the Paso Robles Children’s Museum. Best for kids 2-7, it has art projects, dress-up, a real fire truck to climb on, and a mini-ball pit for toddlers with a wine barrel theme. There’s lots of amusement packed into this relatively small building, the most noteworthy of which is a netted area that features a complex system of ball chutes and blasters. If you have child whose first word was BALL, you should maybe drive straight there this instant. The museum located at 623 13th Street and is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Barney Schwartz Park

Out a little further from the town (10 minutes) sits our favorite park, Barney Schwartz. The equipment is pretty novel and the setting can’t be beat. Well maybe in Kauai, but it’s like nothing you’ll find in LA or San Francisco — the view is pure Paso Robles. Find it at 2970 Union Road, Paso Robles.

Bonus: wine country:

Paso Robles is wine country. Not a great fit for a day on the road, but I would be remiss to leave out this fact and even downtown, you’ll see tasting opportunities. To really appreciate where the grapes are coming from, head out to winery on one of the nearby highways. I can’t promise that the tasting room won’t have a gift shop full of breakables, but there are certainly several with picnic areas ideal for running around. Bianchi has automated toy sailboats; Castoro has a pot-bellied pig as the house pet; and, Sylvester features vintage train cars in front of the picnic grounds.

Note: Paso Robles has kid-friendly dining listed on Kidscore. Learn more about Kidscore.

Distance from the interstate:

Minutes from HWY 101 (and CA-46)

Cost of admission and hours:

The children’s museum admission is $7 for adults and $6 for kids 1-13.

Headed to the San Francisco Bay Area? Find more pit stops, family outings, and recommendations at PasoKids and 510Families!

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!)

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.

Krupka’s Blueberry Plantation

September 23, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

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

Krupka’s Blueberries is located in the resort lakeside town of Saugatuck, Michigan, and makes for a nice day trip if staying in the area or a pit stop if driving through. Our family finds them to be the best blueberries in the whole state (which is quite a fruit belt)! You can buy pre-picked if you’re in a hurry, or take some time to pick your own (super fun!).

Note: Ten pounds of blueberries for a family of three will only last about 100 miles (at least for my family!). And if it’s hot out, buy the pre-picked!

Distance from the interstate: One mile from Highway US31.

Cost: 10 pounds of picked blueberries cost $22 (at last visit)

Website: None.
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Directions: Take the Blue Star Highway exit and head east less than one mile. Krupka’s is on the left; it’s a big field fronted by blueberry bushes. Enter the driveway and drive to the shop at the back.