We went to Magiquest while in Tennessee. If you look at the website, it looks a lot like Wizard Quest that we did at the Dells last year, which was a huge disappointment for us. I was really hesitant to attempt this attraction because I didn't want to be disappointed again. After much persuasion, I relented to go and see what the deal was. I also commented that, worst case, this place just opened a few months ago so things shouldn't be broken yet. In addition to the "quest" aspect, they also had other things like black light pirate mini golf, a mirror maze and "The Vault". They offer several pricing options that include an "all you can play option" for $32.99 per person. It gets you 90 minutes of questing and one pass at each of the other attractions. You can also pay for each item individually or get just an upstairs pass for questing or just a downstairs pass for the other items.
Because of our bad experience with Wizard Quest, we chose not to quest but we did purchase a downstairs pass for all of us. We started by doing "The Vault" which is just a darkened room with laser beams requires no small amount of agility. Basically, like breaking into a bank vault, it requires you to climb over and under the beams without setting them off. MT, who was a little freaked at the idea of going into the dark room, totally rocked it. There is something to be said for being little and wily.
After "The Vault", we did the mirror maze. As we entered, they had everyone put on plastic gloves to keep finger prints off the mirrors and not ruin it for everyone else. It was a huge maze, with lots of flashing lights and loud music. There is one room that was just a big open room, with mirrors all the way around. It was outrageously funny to watch other people stand in the room and swing their arms to try and find the mirrors so they didn't run into them. The maze ends with a forest of mirrors. They are mirrors set in tree like frames and is by far the most difficult part of the maze to navigate. The kids and I and my brother made it through fine but my parents got lost and my brother had to go back and get them.
We then spent an hour playing mini golf. Generally, I'm not a fan of mini golf but I AM a fan of pirates and black lights are pretty cool too. They had plenty of selections of sizes of golf clubs, so everyone could get one that could fit them. The course was easy enough for the kids but still enjoyable for the adults. There were several screens in the room that played various videos as well so you had something to do while you waited for your turn.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how much fun we had. I'm also glad that we didn't spend the time questing, even if I was a little curious about how it stacked up to Wizard Quest. This attraction gets 4 stars.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Star Cars Museum
With our admission to the Hollywood Wax Museum, we purchased a combo pass that allowed us admission to the Star Cars Museum for a reduced price.
This museum offers a glimpse inside famous cars including the Jurassic Park truck
the truck from M.A.S.H
and the Delorean for Back to the Future
among other famous cars. Mostly it is a "look and read" museum as opposed to a "touch and feel" museum. The kids were kind of bored and we hurried through because I'm not remotely interested in cars.
Overall, I give this 3 stars. This would be really great for car freaks because all of the details of some of the most famous cars in the world are laid out for their examination.
This museum offers a glimpse inside famous cars including the Jurassic Park truck
the truck from M.A.S.H
and the Delorean for Back to the Future
among other famous cars. Mostly it is a "look and read" museum as opposed to a "touch and feel" museum. The kids were kind of bored and we hurried through because I'm not remotely interested in cars.
Overall, I give this 3 stars. This would be really great for car freaks because all of the details of some of the most famous cars in the world are laid out for their examination.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Hollywood Wax Museum
We went to the Hollywood Wax Museum I'm apparently some kind of anomaly in that I really thing wax museums are cool. This one has the distinction of being even cooler by not simply having you walk through and look at stuff. It dresses it's mannequins as their characters and poses them on a set, where visitors can join them for picture taking. They also have mostly recent celebrities ranging from the Pop Divas
To Hugh Hefner
To Jeff Gordon
To the new Charlie's Angels
They also have a horror chamber, which is set in an alcove away from the other sets. That is especially nice for younger kids who might be frightened by the scenes inside. Although it is expensive, it is pretty fun and they do offer a discount if you purchase Star Cars tickets as well.
Overall, it was a funny, silly way to kill about 45 minutes, especially if you have kids, or adults that act like kids, who are willing to pose on the various sets. This attraction gets 3.5 stars because of the limited time the enjoyment lasts, the cost involved, and the fact that some of the mannequins were so poorly rendered I had a hard time figuring out who they were supposed to be.
To Hugh Hefner
To Jeff Gordon
To the new Charlie's Angels
They also have a horror chamber, which is set in an alcove away from the other sets. That is especially nice for younger kids who might be frightened by the scenes inside. Although it is expensive, it is pretty fun and they do offer a discount if you purchase Star Cars tickets as well.
Overall, it was a funny, silly way to kill about 45 minutes, especially if you have kids, or adults that act like kids, who are willing to pose on the various sets. This attraction gets 3.5 stars because of the limited time the enjoyment lasts, the cost involved, and the fact that some of the mannequins were so poorly rendered I had a hard time figuring out who they were supposed to be.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
We went to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies and it was COOL! It was awfully crowded and they layout of the exhibits didn't promote much space but a lot of it was super neat. Tickets are purchased outside and then enter the main hall. You can overlook the discovery area, which is more hands on than the rest of aquarium. The first really cool exhibit you get to is Shark Lagoon, where you can look down into the shark tank see these bad boys swimming around
It is a large enclosure, with fake rocks placed around it for kids to stand on and see in. They also have glass walls around so the kids can look in that way as well. You continue around the enclosure and down into a room with an floor to ceiling window so you can see large groups of tropical fish. As we walked into the room, people were sitting down to watch a dive show so we joined in and watched a bit of the feeding time. There are several dive shows throughout the day, in various tanks.
We watched the diver for a few minutes, then moved on into what is by far the best feature of the whole aquarium. It is a moving sidewalk that runs through a tunnel under Shark Lagoon. You can stand on the sidewalk and look up as fish swim above and around you. Not only do you see the fish, you also see sharks
who will swim right up in your face. There is actually a place on the tunnel that is scratched and a plaque indicating that it is from an irritated shark who attacked the glass! I'm glad I wasn't the person standing there when that happened! You also see sawnoses, that aren't sharks but are beasts in their own right.
This one is draped across the top of the tunnel and measured nearly seven feet long!
After you leave the tunnel, you can play in the discovery center, which has horseshoe crabs you can touch, tanks you can climb into the middle of and a small aquatic themed play space. Then you move on to the weapons of the water, where they talk about sting rays, jelly fish, etc. Anything that has some kind of defense. Beyond those displays, you get to Stingray Bay, which is a 12 foot deep stingray enclosure. The viewing window is directly in front of the eating area for the Feeding Frenzy restaurant, that way, you can have your lunch or snack and still get to see the stingrays play.
We stopped and ate a snack at Feeding Frenzy, just as the stingray dive show was starting. My brother ate an actual meal, while the rest of us had snacks. The fair was pretty standard with soft pretzels, pizza, burgers, chicken fingers and pop. The cost was about average for typical tourist attractions, which runs about $7 for a meal and $4 for the pretzel
We continued past, at which point as you follow the hallway, you can see into various points of Stingray Bay. At the top of the hall, you reach Touch a Ray Bay, where the water is shallow and you can lean over the rocks and touch the rays. That was were we found the option to upgrade our tickets to "splash with the stingrays". We opted to pay the 16 extra dollars to actually get in the water with the rays. We started by meeting with our dive instructor (although we weren't actually diving, merely kneeling) who took us to a classroom so we could learn more about the rays before we got in the water. We learned that the rays there do not have stingers. They either surgically remove them or clip them every few months. Then we were taken back up, where we were fitted with wetsuits and booties and got in the water. It was a little cool (the tank is kept about 70 degrees) but it was really fun. My brother, TB and I really liked it but MT got freaked. There was one ray that was probably 3 feet across and had a tail almost as long. It kept bumping her and trailing its tail on her and she didn't like it. Several of the rays were really attracted to my brother who let them suck on his hands!
After that, it was trip through the gift shop, then on to other destinations for the day.
Overall, I give this attraction 4.5 stars. It was super fun, it offered food, there were hands on things to do, and plenty to keep everyone entertained.
It is a large enclosure, with fake rocks placed around it for kids to stand on and see in. They also have glass walls around so the kids can look in that way as well. You continue around the enclosure and down into a room with an floor to ceiling window so you can see large groups of tropical fish. As we walked into the room, people were sitting down to watch a dive show so we joined in and watched a bit of the feeding time. There are several dive shows throughout the day, in various tanks.
We watched the diver for a few minutes, then moved on into what is by far the best feature of the whole aquarium. It is a moving sidewalk that runs through a tunnel under Shark Lagoon. You can stand on the sidewalk and look up as fish swim above and around you. Not only do you see the fish, you also see sharks
who will swim right up in your face. There is actually a place on the tunnel that is scratched and a plaque indicating that it is from an irritated shark who attacked the glass! I'm glad I wasn't the person standing there when that happened! You also see sawnoses, that aren't sharks but are beasts in their own right.
This one is draped across the top of the tunnel and measured nearly seven feet long!
After you leave the tunnel, you can play in the discovery center, which has horseshoe crabs you can touch, tanks you can climb into the middle of and a small aquatic themed play space. Then you move on to the weapons of the water, where they talk about sting rays, jelly fish, etc. Anything that has some kind of defense. Beyond those displays, you get to Stingray Bay, which is a 12 foot deep stingray enclosure. The viewing window is directly in front of the eating area for the Feeding Frenzy restaurant, that way, you can have your lunch or snack and still get to see the stingrays play.
We stopped and ate a snack at Feeding Frenzy, just as the stingray dive show was starting. My brother ate an actual meal, while the rest of us had snacks. The fair was pretty standard with soft pretzels, pizza, burgers, chicken fingers and pop. The cost was about average for typical tourist attractions, which runs about $7 for a meal and $4 for the pretzel
We continued past, at which point as you follow the hallway, you can see into various points of Stingray Bay. At the top of the hall, you reach Touch a Ray Bay, where the water is shallow and you can lean over the rocks and touch the rays. That was were we found the option to upgrade our tickets to "splash with the stingrays". We opted to pay the 16 extra dollars to actually get in the water with the rays. We started by meeting with our dive instructor (although we weren't actually diving, merely kneeling) who took us to a classroom so we could learn more about the rays before we got in the water. We learned that the rays there do not have stingers. They either surgically remove them or clip them every few months. Then we were taken back up, where we were fitted with wetsuits and booties and got in the water. It was a little cool (the tank is kept about 70 degrees) but it was really fun. My brother, TB and I really liked it but MT got freaked. There was one ray that was probably 3 feet across and had a tail almost as long. It kept bumping her and trailing its tail on her and she didn't like it. Several of the rays were really attracted to my brother who let them suck on his hands!
After that, it was trip through the gift shop, then on to other destinations for the day.
Overall, I give this attraction 4.5 stars. It was super fun, it offered food, there were hands on things to do, and plenty to keep everyone entertained.
Friday, August 7, 2009
WonderWorks
While we were in Pigeon Forge, we saw many advertisements for WonderWorks. We spent a lot of time saying that we didn't want to go there because we had basically been there and done that in Wisconsin Dells at the Upside Down White House. My brother, who wasn't able to go to the Dells finally flat out insisted that we at least go in and check it out. Fortunately, we listened to him because WW turned out to be a LOT of fun.
The building is built upside and the lobby inside (the ticketing area) was also upside down. The building creaks and groans a little but looks pretty neat. After paying $19.95 for adults and $12.95 for kids, we entered the "inversion tunnel" which took us into the upside down part of the house. It is a dark spinning tunnel and causes some pretty severe disorientation. TB closed his eyes and held my hand and I basically drug him through. Apparently, my mom did the same thing and let my brother drag her :) WW is a cross between a children's museum and a simulator ride. In the first room, they have an earthquake simulator, where up to six people can take a seat at the Quake cafe and experience and earthquake. After we got all shook up, we took a turn in the hurricane simulator, dipped our hands in water that simulated the temperatures Titanic survivors endured and climbed the rock wall. TB really rocked, although MT and I sure tried our best. Beyond that is a space room with some shuttles to climb in and play with the buttons. In the next room is projectors and motion sensors and some of the coolest exhibits. There was an air hockey table, that didn't have a puck. It is a projection and you use your hands to block and push the shadow puck around. There were motion rooms, giant Simon games, steady hand wires, a bubble room and a bed of nails. Then we played "Mind Ball" where the player puts on a headband that measures alpha and theta brain waves and the person who has the calmest brain waves pushes the ball at the other person and eventually wins. Apparently my brain waves fires like monkey on crack because my brother beat me soundly in a matter of seconds.
The second floor is mainly optical illusions and other things like that. TB was much more interested in this floor than MT. She ran right one by, while he was willing to stop and look, at least for a few seconds. We did get to see a cool bathroom with clear glass while it was unlocked and smoked glass when it was locked. Beyond the exhibits was an arcade and laser tag. We chose to upgrade our ticket to include laser tag because the kids love it. We played a game and then headed out for lunch, with the ability to come back later that evening and play again for less per game.
Overall, WonderWorks wasn't your average children's museum. It had some standard exhibits, like the bubble room but it had a lot more stuff that you wouldn't expect, like the simulators and rock climbing. This attraction earns a full 4 stars for being super fun for all of us as well as educational.
I would recommend this as an attraction for 5 and up or kids that are used to going to children's museums and understand that some things require explaining. MT really enjoyed it, but I could see this being too much for some younger kids. It was awfully crowded and very young children or people with sensory issues might get overwhelmed quickly.
The building is built upside and the lobby inside (the ticketing area) was also upside down. The building creaks and groans a little but looks pretty neat. After paying $19.95 for adults and $12.95 for kids, we entered the "inversion tunnel" which took us into the upside down part of the house. It is a dark spinning tunnel and causes some pretty severe disorientation. TB closed his eyes and held my hand and I basically drug him through. Apparently, my mom did the same thing and let my brother drag her :) WW is a cross between a children's museum and a simulator ride. In the first room, they have an earthquake simulator, where up to six people can take a seat at the Quake cafe and experience and earthquake. After we got all shook up, we took a turn in the hurricane simulator, dipped our hands in water that simulated the temperatures Titanic survivors endured and climbed the rock wall. TB really rocked, although MT and I sure tried our best. Beyond that is a space room with some shuttles to climb in and play with the buttons. In the next room is projectors and motion sensors and some of the coolest exhibits. There was an air hockey table, that didn't have a puck. It is a projection and you use your hands to block and push the shadow puck around. There were motion rooms, giant Simon games, steady hand wires, a bubble room and a bed of nails. Then we played "Mind Ball" where the player puts on a headband that measures alpha and theta brain waves and the person who has the calmest brain waves pushes the ball at the other person and eventually wins. Apparently my brain waves fires like monkey on crack because my brother beat me soundly in a matter of seconds.
The second floor is mainly optical illusions and other things like that. TB was much more interested in this floor than MT. She ran right one by, while he was willing to stop and look, at least for a few seconds. We did get to see a cool bathroom with clear glass while it was unlocked and smoked glass when it was locked. Beyond the exhibits was an arcade and laser tag. We chose to upgrade our ticket to include laser tag because the kids love it. We played a game and then headed out for lunch, with the ability to come back later that evening and play again for less per game.
Overall, WonderWorks wasn't your average children's museum. It had some standard exhibits, like the bubble room but it had a lot more stuff that you wouldn't expect, like the simulators and rock climbing. This attraction earns a full 4 stars for being super fun for all of us as well as educational.
I would recommend this as an attraction for 5 and up or kids that are used to going to children's museums and understand that some things require explaining. MT really enjoyed it, but I could see this being too much for some younger kids. It was awfully crowded and very young children or people with sensory issues might get overwhelmed quickly.
Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride
Driving down the strip in Pigeon Forge, we spotted what looked like a really cool attraction. It was the Jurassic Jungle Boat and it looks really neat from the outside. MT was a little apprehensive about it, but we assured her that it was similar to the Scooby Doo tunnel ride at Six Flags; a little dark, maybe a little spooky but nothing scary, it is just dinosaurs, no biggie. TB was pretty excited about it because he had done nothing but talk about Dinosaur World (another review coming up soon) so this was like a preview of a later event for him.
The outside of the building had a few small dinosaurs that moved a little but nothing too intense. We asked about whether people would get wet on the ride and if it was scary and were assured that there might be a splash of water and that it was absolutely not scary. We paid the $13 per adult and hopped on the boat. Our first clue that all was not as it seemed should have been the fact that the "tourists" standing and checking out the ride, were actually mannequins.
The ride started and the first thing that happened was all the lights went off. Not a happy beginning but then some ground lights came on and there was an innocent looking plant eating dinosaur. Just as everyone was looking in that direction, the music changed and the lights came on on the other side, to show a meat eater stalking the plant eater. Pretty standard dinosaur stuff. The boat continued on, into further blackness, were suddenly something that looked like a mutant saber tooth tiger leapt out of the wall above the heads of the people on the right side of the boat (including TB). By this time, the kids were both pretty scared but we assured them that it was ok and nothing would hurt them. As we continued through the hurky jerky ride, in near total darkness, we encountered larger and scarier "dinosaurs", most of which looked nothing like dinosaurs. Several looked more like winged demons. At one point, you encounter a small dinosaur who spits water on the boat, you continue along to encounter giant snakes, spiders, a larger spitting dinosaur who splashes some foul water in the faces of the most of the boat and a gigantic "pterodactyl" who seems to be commanding minions to attack boats of people. The final moments of the ride involve the boat pulling up to the exit doors and then rising up on a lift until you feel like you are about to tip over. Once your boat is several feet in the air, a large dinosaur head pops out o the wall near your head and sticks out it's forked tongue and roars for what felt like minutes.
About the time we hit the small spitter (not quite halfway through the ride) both kids were completely terrified. They were both sobbing and crying and TB had his head buried in my side with both hands clamped over his eyes and begged me to cover his ears. By the time we finally made it to the car, he was mess and cried most of the way back to the hotel and talked about how scary it was the whole rest of the trip.
Overall, this ride was terrible. It cost too much, it wasn't fun or interesting for the adults, it terrified the kids and it was terribly maintained. Several of the creatures had holes, a lot of the lighting didn't work properly, etc. This attraction gets 1 star and I recommend you stay far far away from it should you have the opportunity to visit Pigeon Forge.
The outside of the building had a few small dinosaurs that moved a little but nothing too intense. We asked about whether people would get wet on the ride and if it was scary and were assured that there might be a splash of water and that it was absolutely not scary. We paid the $13 per adult and hopped on the boat. Our first clue that all was not as it seemed should have been the fact that the "tourists" standing and checking out the ride, were actually mannequins.
The ride started and the first thing that happened was all the lights went off. Not a happy beginning but then some ground lights came on and there was an innocent looking plant eating dinosaur. Just as everyone was looking in that direction, the music changed and the lights came on on the other side, to show a meat eater stalking the plant eater. Pretty standard dinosaur stuff. The boat continued on, into further blackness, were suddenly something that looked like a mutant saber tooth tiger leapt out of the wall above the heads of the people on the right side of the boat (including TB). By this time, the kids were both pretty scared but we assured them that it was ok and nothing would hurt them. As we continued through the hurky jerky ride, in near total darkness, we encountered larger and scarier "dinosaurs", most of which looked nothing like dinosaurs. Several looked more like winged demons. At one point, you encounter a small dinosaur who spits water on the boat, you continue along to encounter giant snakes, spiders, a larger spitting dinosaur who splashes some foul water in the faces of the most of the boat and a gigantic "pterodactyl" who seems to be commanding minions to attack boats of people. The final moments of the ride involve the boat pulling up to the exit doors and then rising up on a lift until you feel like you are about to tip over. Once your boat is several feet in the air, a large dinosaur head pops out o the wall near your head and sticks out it's forked tongue and roars for what felt like minutes.
About the time we hit the small spitter (not quite halfway through the ride) both kids were completely terrified. They were both sobbing and crying and TB had his head buried in my side with both hands clamped over his eyes and begged me to cover his ears. By the time we finally made it to the car, he was mess and cried most of the way back to the hotel and talked about how scary it was the whole rest of the trip.
Overall, this ride was terrible. It cost too much, it wasn't fun or interesting for the adults, it terrified the kids and it was terribly maintained. Several of the creatures had holes, a lot of the lighting didn't work properly, etc. This attraction gets 1 star and I recommend you stay far far away from it should you have the opportunity to visit Pigeon Forge.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Smoky Mountain Helicopter tours
In and around Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg TN, helicopter tours are a big thing. We saw 5 or 6 in the two miles from the interstate to our hotel. My mom decided this was the thing to do our first evening in town. Since we had no frame of reference for who was good or who was bad, we just picked the one nearest our hotel and hoped for the best.
It turned out that the nearest was pretty darn good. We found ourselves at Smoky Mountain Helicopter Tours. We initially decided to take a short tour because we weren't sure how TB would do and we weren't sure if MT would get bored. They offer several tours over various parts of the area and we settle on one that took 11 minutes. We went the kids with my dad and brother because mom and I aren't all that interested in flying. The cost was $65 per person for the 11 minute ride. The kids, surprisingly, LOVED it and begged for more.
As we stood there discussing, the guy running the place offered us a buy 3 get one free pass for the rest of the week. Of course, I realize that it was a sales gimmick but still, it ended up being a pretty good deal. We went to dinner and came back at 8 (the suggested time) to partake in the sunset ride. We sent them up for a 30 minute trip, which in the end, proved to be a little too long. MT got bored but that only speaks of her attention span, not the ride itself. The 30 minute trip was $175 per person but we had the one free so it saved us nearly $200. While my mom and I waited on the ground, the guy running the tour was telling us about all the other neat things to do in the area. Although we ended up not getting to do most of them, his suggestions could easily have made an "action adventure" trip all on their own.
Overall, the kids (and my dad and brother) really enjoyed this attraction. I would rank it 4.5 stars because it was fun, interesting, and educational. The only drawback was that it was pricey. You will find this is a standard theme in most of my reviews of this trip.
It turned out that the nearest was pretty darn good. We found ourselves at Smoky Mountain Helicopter Tours. We initially decided to take a short tour because we weren't sure how TB would do and we weren't sure if MT would get bored. They offer several tours over various parts of the area and we settle on one that took 11 minutes. We went the kids with my dad and brother because mom and I aren't all that interested in flying. The cost was $65 per person for the 11 minute ride. The kids, surprisingly, LOVED it and begged for more.
As we stood there discussing, the guy running the place offered us a buy 3 get one free pass for the rest of the week. Of course, I realize that it was a sales gimmick but still, it ended up being a pretty good deal. We went to dinner and came back at 8 (the suggested time) to partake in the sunset ride. We sent them up for a 30 minute trip, which in the end, proved to be a little too long. MT got bored but that only speaks of her attention span, not the ride itself. The 30 minute trip was $175 per person but we had the one free so it saved us nearly $200. While my mom and I waited on the ground, the guy running the tour was telling us about all the other neat things to do in the area. Although we ended up not getting to do most of them, his suggestions could easily have made an "action adventure" trip all on their own.
Overall, the kids (and my dad and brother) really enjoyed this attraction. I would rank it 4.5 stars because it was fun, interesting, and educational. The only drawback was that it was pricey. You will find this is a standard theme in most of my reviews of this trip.
Ober Gatlinburg
We have been traveling in Tennessee this week and I now have several reviews waiting to be written. The first one is Ober Gatlinburg. You start by riding either a ski lift or a gondola car up the side of the mountain (you can also drive but according to the guide in the gondola it is rough on brakes an transmissions and not recommended, do yourself and your car a favor and ride up. The view alone is worth it).
We chose the gondola because my mom can barely handle the ski lift at places like Six Flags, that just go in a circle. Going up the mountain would have killed her. The tram costs $10 for adults, $8.50 for ages 7-11 and under 6 is free. The tram can be done alone or it can serve as merely a gateway to the exhibits at the top of the mountain. Once you get to top, you find a mall with trinket shops, food, and an indoor ice skating rink. You will also be able to buy admission to all of the attractions on top of the mountain. The attractions include a small amusement park, animal enclosure, an alpine slide, and a "spider web" Tickets are $3.50 a piece or a book of ten for $31.50. Most of the rides takes 1 or 2 tickets or you can purchase an all day wrist band. The bands are offered either as an "all day pass", which includes all the outside rides for $20 for adults and and $16 for 7-11 or as an "all activity pass" which includes all the indoor and outdoor for $30 for adults and $25 for 7-11.
They also offer winter sports as weather permits. We, of course being that it is August, were unable to take advantage of those offerings. We chose not to do the ice skating, despite TB's protests because it was $9 per person and I can't ice skate to save my life. We did decide to do the amusement park things, which proved to be less than pleasant. Originally, it was promoted as being something small, maybe taking an hour to complete. After we got to the hotel, there were brochures that showed it to be a much bigger deal, so we allotted half a day for it. Sadly, it ended up more than we thought and less than we hoped for.
The major sticking point proved to be the fact that under 6 can do anything on the mountain, without charge, provided they do it with a paying adult. This is despite other height restrictions and allowances. This was the major issue with our visit because MT wanted to do everything and none of it was really worth the effort for me. They have 3 water slides, which I would have had to change into a swimming suit to do because I have wet clothes issues (totally my own issue). According to one sign, over 42 inches could ride alone. According to another, children had to be 6 to ride without an adult. We asked an employee, who told us the 42 inch was the limit and as long as she met that, she could ride. Hooray, we sent the kids to the top of the slide to ride together only to have TB come down the slide and MT come wailing down the stairs, telling us that the guy at the top told her she needed a parent. After some argument and insisting that a manager get involved, the guy at the bottom took the kids to the top and put them on a slide. They rode a second time and all was right with the world. TB rode one of the other slides a couple of times. He luckily found another boy his age to ride with because, unknown to those of us at the bottom, he had to have someone to ride with because it was a requirement that there were 2 riders per raft.
After that, it was time for a snack and a rest because despite a lovely mild summer back home, the average temps were running in the upper 80s and lower 90s while we were here. After our break, we finished up using our tickets on the bumper cars (small and rickety and crowded) and the pirate ship fun house (house and smelly and too scary for the kids) and hit the tram back down.
Overall, I felt things were poorly maintained, rules were poorly communicated, the rides were far too expensive for the amount of things they offered. This would be an ok attraction for kids in the 7-8 and above range but doesn't cut it for the under 6 crowd, unless you have a parent willing to endure the janky rides for the sake of their kids.
Ober Gatlinburg gets 2 stars as an attraction. The tram ride gets 4 stars, unless you are afraid of heights, then you should probably pass all together.
We chose the gondola because my mom can barely handle the ski lift at places like Six Flags, that just go in a circle. Going up the mountain would have killed her. The tram costs $10 for adults, $8.50 for ages 7-11 and under 6 is free. The tram can be done alone or it can serve as merely a gateway to the exhibits at the top of the mountain. Once you get to top, you find a mall with trinket shops, food, and an indoor ice skating rink. You will also be able to buy admission to all of the attractions on top of the mountain. The attractions include a small amusement park, animal enclosure, an alpine slide, and a "spider web" Tickets are $3.50 a piece or a book of ten for $31.50. Most of the rides takes 1 or 2 tickets or you can purchase an all day wrist band. The bands are offered either as an "all day pass", which includes all the outside rides for $20 for adults and and $16 for 7-11 or as an "all activity pass" which includes all the indoor and outdoor for $30 for adults and $25 for 7-11.
They also offer winter sports as weather permits. We, of course being that it is August, were unable to take advantage of those offerings. We chose not to do the ice skating, despite TB's protests because it was $9 per person and I can't ice skate to save my life. We did decide to do the amusement park things, which proved to be less than pleasant. Originally, it was promoted as being something small, maybe taking an hour to complete. After we got to the hotel, there were brochures that showed it to be a much bigger deal, so we allotted half a day for it. Sadly, it ended up more than we thought and less than we hoped for.
The major sticking point proved to be the fact that under 6 can do anything on the mountain, without charge, provided they do it with a paying adult. This is despite other height restrictions and allowances. This was the major issue with our visit because MT wanted to do everything and none of it was really worth the effort for me. They have 3 water slides, which I would have had to change into a swimming suit to do because I have wet clothes issues (totally my own issue). According to one sign, over 42 inches could ride alone. According to another, children had to be 6 to ride without an adult. We asked an employee, who told us the 42 inch was the limit and as long as she met that, she could ride. Hooray, we sent the kids to the top of the slide to ride together only to have TB come down the slide and MT come wailing down the stairs, telling us that the guy at the top told her she needed a parent. After some argument and insisting that a manager get involved, the guy at the bottom took the kids to the top and put them on a slide. They rode a second time and all was right with the world. TB rode one of the other slides a couple of times. He luckily found another boy his age to ride with because, unknown to those of us at the bottom, he had to have someone to ride with because it was a requirement that there were 2 riders per raft.
After that, it was time for a snack and a rest because despite a lovely mild summer back home, the average temps were running in the upper 80s and lower 90s while we were here. After our break, we finished up using our tickets on the bumper cars (small and rickety and crowded) and the pirate ship fun house (house and smelly and too scary for the kids) and hit the tram back down.
Overall, I felt things were poorly maintained, rules were poorly communicated, the rides were far too expensive for the amount of things they offered. This would be an ok attraction for kids in the 7-8 and above range but doesn't cut it for the under 6 crowd, unless you have a parent willing to endure the janky rides for the sake of their kids.
Ober Gatlinburg gets 2 stars as an attraction. The tram ride gets 4 stars, unless you are afraid of heights, then you should probably pass all together.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Magic House review redue
Back in November, I wrote a review for the Magic House in St. Louis. At the time, I commented that I thought the expansion would help with some of the congestion. Unfortunately, I was totally wrong. It could have been the day we picked to go (Tuesday of Spring Break, not for STL schools but all the surrounding area schools) or it could have been just that busy. Either way, the expansion didn't really help and wasn't that impressive.
The new area starts with a new exhibit about fairy tales. It has the banquet table from Beauty and the Beast, some animal costumes to dress up with, a small Jack and the Beanstalk themed slide and the giant's stool from Jack and the Beanstalk.
TB proclaimed this area "for girls" and asked to leave shortly after we arrived.
On the 3rd floor are several new exhibits, including the forensic lab, the "sunshine classroom" (an outdoor area for growing things). TB wanted to be impressed with the forensics but being that he couldn't read and couldn't figure out the clues, he ended up frustrated and bored. We went through the "secret passageway" into the lab (parents, take note, this passageway is for short short people and there is a door nearby for those of us of normal height). In that area, there is a slide. It is a cool twisty black slide. The entrance to the slide is on the other side of the room. When you get there, there will likely be a line. After you stand in that line, you will find out that the slide is only for kids 5+. This will likely cause your under 5 child no end of torment and you will leave the area with a child in tears. You won't be alone. Every other parent of an under 5 child will be doing the same thing. If you are me, you are by now really angry and have written the 3rd floor off as an entire loss.
In the basement, they have a judicial process area with a mock Oval Office, a court room and a mock Congress. TB REALLY enjoyed this area.
It was very interesting for him to see how that stuff looked. Especially coming right on the heels of the election and all the time spent talking about it recently. MT was not so impressed but did like being the judge in the courtroom.
Also in basement, they have a construction zone.
There is a house frame where you can run wire and lay flooring. There is a skyscraper where you can practice bricklaying. There is a design office where you can learn about the layouts of buildings and how they are decorated. And the biggest draw of all is the rock pit, with shovels and brooms to dig or clean the area. Both kids really enjoyed it and played there longer than anywhere else in the whole section. the one major drawback to this area is that it is basically outside. It is enclosed on 3 sides and has a roof but the 4th wall is a plastic half fence, letting all the weather in. It was pouring down rain the day the we were there but it was about 65 so it was quite comfortable in there. When it opened in January, I'm sure that was a different story. There is a fan for the summer but I can't imagine too many people going there during either extreme heat or cold.
There is also one of the "airblowers" that is pretty much SOP for children's museums. It is the thing with the tubes that you put scarves or balls in and they blow out different places based on which switches you flip.
The basement also has direct access to the parking lot when you leave. This was especially great for us, with the pouring rain and all
In the new section, they have built a "climber". One of those things with platforms of varying size that kids climb around in, that also seems to be SOP for children's museums. Typically, there is one entrance so the child has to come out where they went in. Not so here. There are exits on all 3 floors of the new area, meaning if you let your child climb in, they may not come back to where you are. This is dangerous and stupid in all sorts of ways. Fortunately for us, MT is scared to climb in them and TB knows enough to come back.
They very best thing about the expansion was the new resturant! If you remember in November, I said that if not for the crowds and the lack of food, we would have stayed longer. Well they addressed at least one of those issues and it was done well.
The menu includes sandwiches, salads, soups, snacks and drinks. The prices are high, but that is too be expected when you have a captive audience. A sandwich, chips and a drink runs about $8.50. We only had the ice cream because we made a point of eating lunch before we went. The cafe area is kind of small and crowded but there is an outdoor seating area that is covered so if it isn't too bad, you can sit out there and eat.
The final issue I had was the "you can't get there from here" problem. Both sections have 3 floors but you can only get from one section to the other on the main floor. This was a problem when the kids wanted to leave the construction zone and go to the Lewis and Clark adventure. Both were in the basement, in seperate sections. Did it kill us to climb up then down the stairs? No, but it was difficult for my mom with her broken foot and it took unnecessary time.
I would say the expansion was geared mostly for older kids, which is disappointing because the rest of the museum already leaned that way for the most part. If you have kids 7-10, they would probably really enjoy this museum. My kids were just too young for most of it.
In November, I ranked it at 3.5 stars, stating that I thought the new expansion would bring it even higher. I was wrong. I give it an additional half star for the cafe but then deduct half a star for general lameness of the new area and a full star for making my kid cry twice because of no signs about age limits. Resulting in a grand total of 2.5 stars, including the new area.
The new area starts with a new exhibit about fairy tales. It has the banquet table from Beauty and the Beast, some animal costumes to dress up with, a small Jack and the Beanstalk themed slide and the giant's stool from Jack and the Beanstalk.
TB proclaimed this area "for girls" and asked to leave shortly after we arrived.
On the 3rd floor are several new exhibits, including the forensic lab, the "sunshine classroom" (an outdoor area for growing things). TB wanted to be impressed with the forensics but being that he couldn't read and couldn't figure out the clues, he ended up frustrated and bored. We went through the "secret passageway" into the lab (parents, take note, this passageway is for short short people and there is a door nearby for those of us of normal height). In that area, there is a slide. It is a cool twisty black slide. The entrance to the slide is on the other side of the room. When you get there, there will likely be a line. After you stand in that line, you will find out that the slide is only for kids 5+. This will likely cause your under 5 child no end of torment and you will leave the area with a child in tears. You won't be alone. Every other parent of an under 5 child will be doing the same thing. If you are me, you are by now really angry and have written the 3rd floor off as an entire loss.
In the basement, they have a judicial process area with a mock Oval Office, a court room and a mock Congress. TB REALLY enjoyed this area.
It was very interesting for him to see how that stuff looked. Especially coming right on the heels of the election and all the time spent talking about it recently. MT was not so impressed but did like being the judge in the courtroom.
Also in basement, they have a construction zone.
There is a house frame where you can run wire and lay flooring. There is a skyscraper where you can practice bricklaying. There is a design office where you can learn about the layouts of buildings and how they are decorated. And the biggest draw of all is the rock pit, with shovels and brooms to dig or clean the area. Both kids really enjoyed it and played there longer than anywhere else in the whole section. the one major drawback to this area is that it is basically outside. It is enclosed on 3 sides and has a roof but the 4th wall is a plastic half fence, letting all the weather in. It was pouring down rain the day the we were there but it was about 65 so it was quite comfortable in there. When it opened in January, I'm sure that was a different story. There is a fan for the summer but I can't imagine too many people going there during either extreme heat or cold.
There is also one of the "airblowers" that is pretty much SOP for children's museums. It is the thing with the tubes that you put scarves or balls in and they blow out different places based on which switches you flip.
The basement also has direct access to the parking lot when you leave. This was especially great for us, with the pouring rain and all
In the new section, they have built a "climber". One of those things with platforms of varying size that kids climb around in, that also seems to be SOP for children's museums. Typically, there is one entrance so the child has to come out where they went in. Not so here. There are exits on all 3 floors of the new area, meaning if you let your child climb in, they may not come back to where you are. This is dangerous and stupid in all sorts of ways. Fortunately for us, MT is scared to climb in them and TB knows enough to come back.
They very best thing about the expansion was the new resturant! If you remember in November, I said that if not for the crowds and the lack of food, we would have stayed longer. Well they addressed at least one of those issues and it was done well.
The menu includes sandwiches, salads, soups, snacks and drinks. The prices are high, but that is too be expected when you have a captive audience. A sandwich, chips and a drink runs about $8.50. We only had the ice cream because we made a point of eating lunch before we went. The cafe area is kind of small and crowded but there is an outdoor seating area that is covered so if it isn't too bad, you can sit out there and eat.
The final issue I had was the "you can't get there from here" problem. Both sections have 3 floors but you can only get from one section to the other on the main floor. This was a problem when the kids wanted to leave the construction zone and go to the Lewis and Clark adventure. Both were in the basement, in seperate sections. Did it kill us to climb up then down the stairs? No, but it was difficult for my mom with her broken foot and it took unnecessary time.
I would say the expansion was geared mostly for older kids, which is disappointing because the rest of the museum already leaned that way for the most part. If you have kids 7-10, they would probably really enjoy this museum. My kids were just too young for most of it.
In November, I ranked it at 3.5 stars, stating that I thought the new expansion would bring it even higher. I was wrong. I give it an additional half star for the cafe but then deduct half a star for general lameness of the new area and a full star for making my kid cry twice because of no signs about age limits. Resulting in a grand total of 2.5 stars, including the new area.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
St Louis Zoo
I will tell you right up front, this is THE SINGLE BEST ZOO I have ever been to. I love this zoo and use it as my measuring stick for every other zoo we've ever been to. Most of them don't even come close to this zoo. PS, with my dead laptop, I have no photo editing software right now. Once I get this issue taken care of, this post will have pictures as well. On to the review.
We went Wednesday. According to the weather we had tracked all week, it was was supposed to be in the mid-60s. Unfortunately, TWC was showing us mid-50s, which marred our enjoyment somewhat (not much but it was a little colder than I would have liked). I-64 is totally under construction and simply gone for a large stretch, which made actually getting to the zoo a little difficult. However, because of the detour, we found a section of the zoo we had never seen, called "Turtle Park". It has huge statues of different kinds of turtles for the kids to climb on and play around. We didn't stop to play (see the previous mention of cold) but did make a note of it for future trips. The zoo being all about conservation and saving the earth has installed fancy toilet flushers where you lift it up for liquid waste and push down for solid. MT thought this was the coolest thing ever and took to announcing, loudly, which way she was pushing the handle.
The zoo itself is free. Parking costs $11, unless you get there early (or are willing to hike in). We got there about 8:50 (the zoo opens at 9) and were able to get the second free space so I was happy with that. They also not allow but encourage people to bring in their own food and drinks. There are several outdoor eating spots throughout the zoo and people can take their food into the cafes to get inside for awhile. I would suggest taking your food if at all possible. The food at the zoo is marginal at best and pricey. It was $8.50 for a single cheeseburger, an order of fries and a small drink. The kid meals are also lacking in variety. It was a hot dog or chicken fingers. They do have some healthy side options but my kids, being my kids, opted for the fries.
Some of the attractions, including the "Endangered Species" Carousel, the Children's Zoo, the 3-D movie, the motion ride and the train do cost extra. You can get a "Safari Pass" that is $10/person and includes admission to the Children's Zoo, Zooline Railroad, Sea Lion Show (while in season), Conservation Carousel, Motion Simulator and 3-D Movie (while in season).
The Children's Zoo and the Carousel are free for the first hour. My suggestion would be to hoof it back to the carousel, ride it first and then go to the Children's Zoo and spend as much time as your kids would like. There are a bunch of climbing things, the otters, some animals the kids can touch, and in the summer, there are water sprayers to help kids cool off.
Because of my mom's broken foot, I encouraged her to rent a motorized wheel chair and it came in very handy. The process to rent one was a little tedious, including leaving a driver's license and doing an inspection of the cart before being allowed to leave with it but it was an absolute blessing to have it. Being our second straight day of going full tilt, there is no way she could have managed all the hills and stuff without it. I do need to mention that many areas of the zoo simply aren't set up for scooters or large strollers. Both the gift shops had aisle too narrow, the seating in the cafe was too crowded, and the exit to Peguin and Puffin Cove was hard to navigate, thanks to sharp turns and close quarters. Other than that, she got around remarkably well with it.
Since we were there in the off season, there was quite a bit of construction going on. they are building a new exhibit in the center with sting rays and the like and they have most of the reptile house (including the alligators, TB was devistated) roped off and inaccesable. Most of the stands weren't open as well. This was both a blessing and a curse. It meant I didn't have to keep saying no to junky toys and candy but it also meant we had to hike halfway across the zoo for a drink. Personally, I prefer the off-season because it is less crowded and the animals are more active. It was 11 before it felt like there were more than a handful of people there. We were able to get right up the exhibits and see the animals without anyone being in our way or us being in anyone's way.
The 3-D movie was LAME and so not worth the $4 per person we paid for it, but it was a new one that we hadn't seen and now we can say we've done it and don't have to mess with it the future. We didn't do the motion ride but I have in the past and they aren't for people prone to motion sickness or younger children. It is often violent motion, combined with scary scenes and generally best suited for the late tween/teen crowd.
The only con is that this zoo is BIG. If you have young children or children who aren't used to vacationing at full throttle, this is not a one day zoo. We have been many, many, many time and we have only once or twice hit every exhibit in one day. And those were the days we dropped into bed at the end of the day, wanting to die from exhaustion. Not fun for anyone.
My recommendation would be to pick up a zoo map on your way in (or check out the one on the website before you go)and spend a few minutes figuring out the must see exhibits for your family and making a point of seeing them. Our must sees were the alligators, the monkeys (we saw ONE monkey habitat out of 3 different ones), the elephants, the penguins and Bear Row (they have several different types of bears all along one pathway).
Of course, we saw the animals around those animals as well but we completely skipped the big cats, most of the primates and several other areas.
This zoo is clean, the exhibits are well cared for, the people are friendly and helpful and the price is right. Other than the 3 hour drive to get there (and STL has TONS of other things to see and do, much of it free as well), there is no reason not to make this trip at least annually.
I give St Louis Zoo 5 full stars and highly suggest you check it out.
We went Wednesday. According to the weather we had tracked all week, it was was supposed to be in the mid-60s. Unfortunately, TWC was showing us mid-50s, which marred our enjoyment somewhat (not much but it was a little colder than I would have liked). I-64 is totally under construction and simply gone for a large stretch, which made actually getting to the zoo a little difficult. However, because of the detour, we found a section of the zoo we had never seen, called "Turtle Park". It has huge statues of different kinds of turtles for the kids to climb on and play around. We didn't stop to play (see the previous mention of cold) but did make a note of it for future trips. The zoo being all about conservation and saving the earth has installed fancy toilet flushers where you lift it up for liquid waste and push down for solid. MT thought this was the coolest thing ever and took to announcing, loudly, which way she was pushing the handle.
The zoo itself is free. Parking costs $11, unless you get there early (or are willing to hike in). We got there about 8:50 (the zoo opens at 9) and were able to get the second free space so I was happy with that. They also not allow but encourage people to bring in their own food and drinks. There are several outdoor eating spots throughout the zoo and people can take their food into the cafes to get inside for awhile. I would suggest taking your food if at all possible. The food at the zoo is marginal at best and pricey. It was $8.50 for a single cheeseburger, an order of fries and a small drink. The kid meals are also lacking in variety. It was a hot dog or chicken fingers. They do have some healthy side options but my kids, being my kids, opted for the fries.
Some of the attractions, including the "Endangered Species" Carousel, the Children's Zoo, the 3-D movie, the motion ride and the train do cost extra. You can get a "Safari Pass" that is $10/person and includes admission to the Children's Zoo, Zooline Railroad, Sea Lion Show (while in season), Conservation Carousel, Motion Simulator and 3-D Movie (while in season).
The Children's Zoo and the Carousel are free for the first hour. My suggestion would be to hoof it back to the carousel, ride it first and then go to the Children's Zoo and spend as much time as your kids would like. There are a bunch of climbing things, the otters, some animals the kids can touch, and in the summer, there are water sprayers to help kids cool off.
Because of my mom's broken foot, I encouraged her to rent a motorized wheel chair and it came in very handy. The process to rent one was a little tedious, including leaving a driver's license and doing an inspection of the cart before being allowed to leave with it but it was an absolute blessing to have it. Being our second straight day of going full tilt, there is no way she could have managed all the hills and stuff without it. I do need to mention that many areas of the zoo simply aren't set up for scooters or large strollers. Both the gift shops had aisle too narrow, the seating in the cafe was too crowded, and the exit to Peguin and Puffin Cove was hard to navigate, thanks to sharp turns and close quarters. Other than that, she got around remarkably well with it.
Since we were there in the off season, there was quite a bit of construction going on. they are building a new exhibit in the center with sting rays and the like and they have most of the reptile house (including the alligators, TB was devistated) roped off and inaccesable. Most of the stands weren't open as well. This was both a blessing and a curse. It meant I didn't have to keep saying no to junky toys and candy but it also meant we had to hike halfway across the zoo for a drink. Personally, I prefer the off-season because it is less crowded and the animals are more active. It was 11 before it felt like there were more than a handful of people there. We were able to get right up the exhibits and see the animals without anyone being in our way or us being in anyone's way.
The 3-D movie was LAME and so not worth the $4 per person we paid for it, but it was a new one that we hadn't seen and now we can say we've done it and don't have to mess with it the future. We didn't do the motion ride but I have in the past and they aren't for people prone to motion sickness or younger children. It is often violent motion, combined with scary scenes and generally best suited for the late tween/teen crowd.
The only con is that this zoo is BIG. If you have young children or children who aren't used to vacationing at full throttle, this is not a one day zoo. We have been many, many, many time and we have only once or twice hit every exhibit in one day. And those were the days we dropped into bed at the end of the day, wanting to die from exhaustion. Not fun for anyone.
My recommendation would be to pick up a zoo map on your way in (or check out the one on the website before you go)and spend a few minutes figuring out the must see exhibits for your family and making a point of seeing them. Our must sees were the alligators, the monkeys (we saw ONE monkey habitat out of 3 different ones), the elephants, the penguins and Bear Row (they have several different types of bears all along one pathway).
Of course, we saw the animals around those animals as well but we completely skipped the big cats, most of the primates and several other areas.
This zoo is clean, the exhibits are well cared for, the people are friendly and helpful and the price is right. Other than the 3 hour drive to get there (and STL has TONS of other things to see and do, much of it free as well), there is no reason not to make this trip at least annually.
I give St Louis Zoo 5 full stars and highly suggest you check it out.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Cakes on Walnut
We visited Cakes on Walnut the other night for book club. We got there about 8 o'clock and there was one other group in the place. It was nice to basically have the place to ourselves and we all hopped in line for food and drinks.
Starting out, Cakes on Walnut has a few marks against. First of all, it is in my second least favorite part of town (downtown, first is campus). Because of it's location, there is little or no parking, which is another black mark. There are various parking lots in the area and if it had been daylight or I had been with a group, I would have felt more comfortable walking a further distance. As it was, it was 8 pm and I was alone and wanted to park as close as possible. Finally, there were no signs identifying what the place was. I circled the block 3 different times looking for it, until I finally saw a car I recognized and figured it had to be close by.
My next issue was that they were out of everything I ordered(mini Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcake, Japanese Cherry and Earl Grey tea). I was able to make substitutions but it wasn't exactly what I wanted. Of course, we were there at 8pm but if they are open, I expect them to have a full selection available. I was also unimpressed with the service and the knowledge of the products by the employee. She moved very slowly and despite the fact that we were nearly the only people in the place, managed to develop quite a long line. I also realize that tea isn't their main product, but if they sell it, their employees should know some tea basics. Like that strawberry white probably isn't the closest to the Japanese Cherry black. Just because they have fruit flavors, doesn't make them the same or even close.
The tea also had some problems. It is brewed hot and poured over ice to make iced tea. This has two issues. One, it melts all the ice in the cup, leaving you with tepid tea and no ice. The other problem is that it melts all the ice and waters down the tea. I will occasionally make tea that way home but I know to make it stronger than normal and use a ton of ice.
In short, not the place to go for tea.
I got a small Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcake which is a cinnamon cupcake topped with chocolate icing. The cake was quite dry. It could be just the way they are or it could have been because we there at 8 at night and the cupcakes had been sitting out all day. Either way, I could have done without the cupcake. The icing was absolutely delish though! It was a light, whipped icing and was not too sweet.
The cost was really high too. The small cupcake is $2.75 (the mini is only $1) and the tea was $2.50. That is about on par for other coffee shops in the area but for that kind of price I expect something better than what I can make at home.
In my opinion, you should save yourself the hassle of trying to park downtown, grab a six pack of cupcakes from the grocery store (or make yourself a couple dozen at home), hit Walnut Street Tea Company and get yourself a whole box of Twinnings flavored tea for the same price as one cupcake and glass of iced tea. Share it with someone you love.
Final verdict? 1 stars because the icing was fantastic. It merits a star all on it's own and carries the whole place
Starting out, Cakes on Walnut has a few marks against. First of all, it is in my second least favorite part of town (downtown, first is campus). Because of it's location, there is little or no parking, which is another black mark. There are various parking lots in the area and if it had been daylight or I had been with a group, I would have felt more comfortable walking a further distance. As it was, it was 8 pm and I was alone and wanted to park as close as possible. Finally, there were no signs identifying what the place was. I circled the block 3 different times looking for it, until I finally saw a car I recognized and figured it had to be close by.
My next issue was that they were out of everything I ordered(mini Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcake, Japanese Cherry and Earl Grey tea). I was able to make substitutions but it wasn't exactly what I wanted. Of course, we were there at 8pm but if they are open, I expect them to have a full selection available. I was also unimpressed with the service and the knowledge of the products by the employee. She moved very slowly and despite the fact that we were nearly the only people in the place, managed to develop quite a long line. I also realize that tea isn't their main product, but if they sell it, their employees should know some tea basics. Like that strawberry white probably isn't the closest to the Japanese Cherry black. Just because they have fruit flavors, doesn't make them the same or even close.
The tea also had some problems. It is brewed hot and poured over ice to make iced tea. This has two issues. One, it melts all the ice in the cup, leaving you with tepid tea and no ice. The other problem is that it melts all the ice and waters down the tea. I will occasionally make tea that way home but I know to make it stronger than normal and use a ton of ice.
In short, not the place to go for tea.
I got a small Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcake which is a cinnamon cupcake topped with chocolate icing. The cake was quite dry. It could be just the way they are or it could have been because we there at 8 at night and the cupcakes had been sitting out all day. Either way, I could have done without the cupcake. The icing was absolutely delish though! It was a light, whipped icing and was not too sweet.
The cost was really high too. The small cupcake is $2.75 (the mini is only $1) and the tea was $2.50. That is about on par for other coffee shops in the area but for that kind of price I expect something better than what I can make at home.
In my opinion, you should save yourself the hassle of trying to park downtown, grab a six pack of cupcakes from the grocery store (or make yourself a couple dozen at home), hit Walnut Street Tea Company and get yourself a whole box of Twinnings flavored tea for the same price as one cupcake and glass of iced tea. Share it with someone you love.
Final verdict? 1 stars because the icing was fantastic. It merits a star all on it's own and carries the whole place
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Lego Land Discovery Center
This weekend, we visited the Lego Land Discovery Center in Schaumburg.
We were really excited about the visit because of other good reviews we've heard and the website makes it look awesome. I'm sad to say that it didn't live up to expectations. It wasn't terrible but I doubt we will be back. The coolest part, by far, are all the Lego models on display.
Through the front door, you have the option to go left into the retail shop or right into the exhibit. Obviously, we went right. We bought our tickets online and printed them at home so all we had to do when they opened was present our tickets and go on in. A word of caution, they do have some coat racks but the space is highly limited so either leave your coat in the car or be prepared to haul it around all day.
The first thing you see is Miniland
It is a replica of the Chicago waterfront done in Lego. They have Navy Pier (which the kids thought was fantastic since that was were we had been the day before), The Sears Tower, the Hancock Building, Millinium Park, etc. They have lights on timer to simulate day and night and even have a little Lego Batman standing on the Sears Tower. I really liked Miniland and was impressed with the level of detail that was included.
Miniland is also the "staging area" for the Jungle Tour.
I was totally unimpressed with the Jungle Tour. Basically, it is an area of models that you go through as group. They let between 40-50 people in at a time and every group is given a test sheet. As you go through, you are supposed to stop and look at the models and answer questions about them. Unfortunately, because you aren't allowed to go through on your own, there are too many people in too small of a space and not only can you not answer any of the questions, you can barely see the models. I was really disappointed and we ended up just walking through and getting out of the way.
The Jungle Trail exits into the Hall of Fame These models were absolutely the kids' favorites. This is where you find the life-sized models of Darth Vader (complete with light saber), Batman, Indian Jones, Harry Potter, Hagrid and R2-D2. The kids spent more time looking at those models (and posing for pictures) than at any other part of the place.
The Hall of Fame is next to the
Dragon Ride. It is a very cute ride through a castle, although it does get dark towards the end and young kids might be scared. It is not a roller coaster but closer to a train ride. I recommend going through 2 or 3 times to see everything because there are lots of details that are easy to miss on the first trip through.
Once done there, we headed upstairs to the
Lego Factory Tour. This looks a lot better on the website but is basically cheesy. The best part was getting our commemorative brick at the end. The first machine is really loud and once it starts up, it is impossible to hear what they are telling you about the making of the Legos. Our tour guide also talked to fast and wasn't able to tailor her spiel to a specific age group. Fortunately, I had a basic understanding of how Legos are made and was able to explain it to MT so she could understand.
After the factory tour, we went to the
4-D theater. I entered this with fear and trepidation because I dislike 3-D in general and 4-D is usually so over done that it is just a miserable exprience. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the end of the movie. It is currently "SpellBreaker" about a wizard who takes over a kingdom with his spell that destroys weapons. We were told that there are water effects in the movie but that the day before they came on as a waterfall instead of a mist and were turned off on Saturday. My first comment about the movie was that it was REALLY well done 3-D. Most 3-D is still a little blurry, even with the glasses on, but this was really crisp and looked great (so great, in fact, that TB nearly jumped out of his seat during the scene where the rhino charged the cage). My other comment is that the 4-D was also well done, in that it wasn't over done. There were a few spots when I thought a 4-D effect was warrented that they didn't have one but I'd rather it be under than over, when it comes to that kind of stuff. It was also subtle. Air blew around when you were falling, bubbles fell when it was snowing but there was nothing to scare the younger crowd.
After the theater, we went into the building center, where they have tons and tons of Lego bricks to build all kinds of stuff. There are several test tracks to test your model cars on.
There were earthquake similator where you build a building and then it shakes it to see if it is stable.
There is a large climbing structure for kids that are done with the blocks to run around in. There is a large Duplo area for the toddlers and there is a section with huge soft blocks for even littler kids to play in. TB had a great time building and testing cars and MT liked the earthquakes. She was too practical though, and never got anything to fall because she built them too well. There were a couple of employees walking around, helping the kids build their models who seemed to work really well with kids. They both knew what they were doing, as far as building, as well.
This was also the area where the cafe was. It was pretty basic and not somewhere I would have eaten a meal. However, we go too many places that have no food of any kind so I was glad to see it. We did have some snacks and drinks there and it was fine.
After the building area, we had seen and done everything there was to see and headed for the gift shop. I was disappointed with the gift shop. Besides being over-priced (the theme to the whole place), there wasn't much unique there. I expected to find hard to find pieces, unique sets, etc. Unfortunately, they had a lot of wall space devoted to the same kits you can buy at any Toys R Us. We did find a new Lego Star Wars shirt for TB, but it was the ONLY youth shirt in the whole store. The big find of the day was the Lego figure keychains. Lego people will know that people are often the big draw of the kits because they can't be bought seperately. What we found were characters from most of the major sets made as keychains. They were $3.99 a piece and we bought several of them. When we got home, we took a pair of pliers and opened up the O-ring holding the keychain on and took it off. They all have little metal knobs stuck in their heads but the kids don't care. They have Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Harry Potter.
Finally, the only model picture I took with my phone so the only that is getting uploaded. MT hanging with Spongebob
Overall, it was neat to see the models and things and the kids had a decent time in the building area. I would go back again just to see the new 4-D movies that are coming out.
This would be a really great trip for a crazy Lego fanatic and is best for ages 6 and up.
I'm giving this 2.5 stars because there wasn't enough bang for our buck, in my opinion. If I'm paying $20 to get into something, it better give the kids more than a couple of hours entertainment. And that couple of hours included going back and doing some things a couple of times, just to kill time.
We were really excited about the visit because of other good reviews we've heard and the website makes it look awesome. I'm sad to say that it didn't live up to expectations. It wasn't terrible but I doubt we will be back. The coolest part, by far, are all the Lego models on display.
Through the front door, you have the option to go left into the retail shop or right into the exhibit. Obviously, we went right. We bought our tickets online and printed them at home so all we had to do when they opened was present our tickets and go on in. A word of caution, they do have some coat racks but the space is highly limited so either leave your coat in the car or be prepared to haul it around all day.
The first thing you see is Miniland
It is a replica of the Chicago waterfront done in Lego. They have Navy Pier (which the kids thought was fantastic since that was were we had been the day before), The Sears Tower, the Hancock Building, Millinium Park, etc. They have lights on timer to simulate day and night and even have a little Lego Batman standing on the Sears Tower. I really liked Miniland and was impressed with the level of detail that was included.
Miniland is also the "staging area" for the Jungle Tour.
I was totally unimpressed with the Jungle Tour. Basically, it is an area of models that you go through as group. They let between 40-50 people in at a time and every group is given a test sheet. As you go through, you are supposed to stop and look at the models and answer questions about them. Unfortunately, because you aren't allowed to go through on your own, there are too many people in too small of a space and not only can you not answer any of the questions, you can barely see the models. I was really disappointed and we ended up just walking through and getting out of the way.
The Jungle Trail exits into the Hall of Fame These models were absolutely the kids' favorites. This is where you find the life-sized models of Darth Vader (complete with light saber), Batman, Indian Jones, Harry Potter, Hagrid and R2-D2. The kids spent more time looking at those models (and posing for pictures) than at any other part of the place.
The Hall of Fame is next to the
Dragon Ride. It is a very cute ride through a castle, although it does get dark towards the end and young kids might be scared. It is not a roller coaster but closer to a train ride. I recommend going through 2 or 3 times to see everything because there are lots of details that are easy to miss on the first trip through.
Once done there, we headed upstairs to the
Lego Factory Tour. This looks a lot better on the website but is basically cheesy. The best part was getting our commemorative brick at the end. The first machine is really loud and once it starts up, it is impossible to hear what they are telling you about the making of the Legos. Our tour guide also talked to fast and wasn't able to tailor her spiel to a specific age group. Fortunately, I had a basic understanding of how Legos are made and was able to explain it to MT so she could understand.
After the factory tour, we went to the
4-D theater. I entered this with fear and trepidation because I dislike 3-D in general and 4-D is usually so over done that it is just a miserable exprience. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the end of the movie. It is currently "SpellBreaker" about a wizard who takes over a kingdom with his spell that destroys weapons. We were told that there are water effects in the movie but that the day before they came on as a waterfall instead of a mist and were turned off on Saturday. My first comment about the movie was that it was REALLY well done 3-D. Most 3-D is still a little blurry, even with the glasses on, but this was really crisp and looked great (so great, in fact, that TB nearly jumped out of his seat during the scene where the rhino charged the cage). My other comment is that the 4-D was also well done, in that it wasn't over done. There were a few spots when I thought a 4-D effect was warrented that they didn't have one but I'd rather it be under than over, when it comes to that kind of stuff. It was also subtle. Air blew around when you were falling, bubbles fell when it was snowing but there was nothing to scare the younger crowd.
After the theater, we went into the building center, where they have tons and tons of Lego bricks to build all kinds of stuff. There are several test tracks to test your model cars on.
There were earthquake similator where you build a building and then it shakes it to see if it is stable.
There is a large climbing structure for kids that are done with the blocks to run around in. There is a large Duplo area for the toddlers and there is a section with huge soft blocks for even littler kids to play in. TB had a great time building and testing cars and MT liked the earthquakes. She was too practical though, and never got anything to fall because she built them too well. There were a couple of employees walking around, helping the kids build their models who seemed to work really well with kids. They both knew what they were doing, as far as building, as well.
This was also the area where the cafe was. It was pretty basic and not somewhere I would have eaten a meal. However, we go too many places that have no food of any kind so I was glad to see it. We did have some snacks and drinks there and it was fine.
After the building area, we had seen and done everything there was to see and headed for the gift shop. I was disappointed with the gift shop. Besides being over-priced (the theme to the whole place), there wasn't much unique there. I expected to find hard to find pieces, unique sets, etc. Unfortunately, they had a lot of wall space devoted to the same kits you can buy at any Toys R Us. We did find a new Lego Star Wars shirt for TB, but it was the ONLY youth shirt in the whole store. The big find of the day was the Lego figure keychains. Lego people will know that people are often the big draw of the kits because they can't be bought seperately. What we found were characters from most of the major sets made as keychains. They were $3.99 a piece and we bought several of them. When we got home, we took a pair of pliers and opened up the O-ring holding the keychain on and took it off. They all have little metal knobs stuck in their heads but the kids don't care. They have Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Harry Potter.
Finally, the only model picture I took with my phone so the only that is getting uploaded. MT hanging with Spongebob
Overall, it was neat to see the models and things and the kids had a decent time in the building area. I would go back again just to see the new 4-D movies that are coming out.
This would be a really great trip for a crazy Lego fanatic and is best for ages 6 and up.
I'm giving this 2.5 stars because there wasn't enough bang for our buck, in my opinion. If I'm paying $20 to get into something, it better give the kids more than a couple of hours entertainment. And that couple of hours included going back and doing some things a couple of times, just to kill time.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Children's Museum of Chicago
This weekend we went to the Children's Museum of Chicago. We were there a little early and were able to see some of the Navy Pier shops while we waited. Once we were able to get in, we were directed to the "other admission" desk because we were using our pass for a reciprocle ACM membership. Normal price is $9 for adults and children 2 and up. Seniors are $8. This is a smaller museum (compared to something like Indy, which I realized I have never reviewed) but offer plenty to keep the kids entertained. We started on the second floor, where the admission desk is and quickly made our way through the children's museum standard "health and safety area" They had exhibits on riding in and driving an ambulance, why you should buckle up in the car and how to call 911. The best part of the second floor was the climbing schooner. There is a "below decks" area, that includes some playground type climbing equiptment and a slide. Adults aren't comfortably able to get below so I would suggest this area for ages 5 and up, unless you have a super independant preschooler (MT had no issue climbing down and playing by herself). They also a net tube that goes all the way to the second floor. It is recommended for ages 5 and up but younger kids can climb with guardian permission. MT couldn't be held back once she found out her brother was going up so we just met them at the top. On the third floor, there is a short net tube that goes up to a rope cage that kids can climb through to get to the "suspension" bridge (sections of it move but it is totally supported) to exit.
From there, we went to the skyline building area. MT had a good time pounding the nails into the foam board they had out but that is a rotating exhibit and is only out occasionally. There is plenty to build, with real wood, bolts nuts and tools. I was impressed that they used real hardware instead of plastic junky stuff. MT screwed a few screws but mostly wasn't interested. TB, on the other hand, was enthralled. He built (surprise, surprise) a Star Wars ship
that he and Nonni worked on for nearly an hour.
Once he was done with his building, we went on to "Snow Much Fun" (Waterworks was closed or we would have stopped there but it is water, things that float, etc, can't say anything bad about it LOL). They had the BEST exhibit ever in the snow area. It is "Pretend to ice skate" and it was great. They have a large piece of linolium on the floor that is waxed and the kids slide around on it in their socks. They placed some fun music and the attendants really got involved with the kids. The guy attendant was getting the kids to skate like airplanes, then having them run and fall down and slide across the floor. The girl was having the kids practice jumping and falling and sliding like penguins. Because they were involved, it kept it from turing into a free for all and having someone get hurt. When they were done skating, they built a snow fort out of interlocking cardboard blocks and had a snowball fight with white puff balls.
Then we went to "Big Backyard" where the kids had their pictures taken and their faces were put on bugs. I wish they would have had a print out option because they were cute but you could see them on the screen. They dressed up like bugs and played in the giant shoe. The best part of that area was the shadow wall. One side has rain falling down it and the other side has butterflies. If you stand still in front of either one, the things will interact with your shadow. They rain will fall around you and the butterflies will land on you. It was a lot of fun.
From there, it was the museum standard "pretend town" They have a grocery store, a bus to drive and a mechanic's shop. Nothing exceptional about it but it is something that all kids seem to enjoy.
After lunch (the museum doesn't have food but the Navy Pier food court is right around the corner and you have in and out priviledge) we started on the first floor. The first floor includes the gift shop and the art area.
The art area had a huge table to do art at. They had the standard markers, glue scissors, etc but they also had cardboard boxes, metallic paper, mailing tubes, etc that the kids could use to decorate or create other things. They also had a stage where the kids could do a show and tell of the things they made or perform for the group. Neither kid used the stage, but we did spend a fair amount of time in the art area.
According to the map, there was an aquarium on the first floor as well. We ended having to ask at the gift shop where it was because it is actually between the two levels on a landing. We assumed, being called an "aquarium" that it was fairly large and TB was quite excited (he wanted to go to Shedd's while we were there but we had other stuff planned and couldn't make it this trip). Unfortunately, it 2 small fish tanks with maybe 10 fish between the 2. We were pretty disappointed.
Overall, the museum was good but I'm glad I had free admission because it is too small to justify the $9 per person admission.
I would rate it 3.5 stars
From there, we went to the skyline building area. MT had a good time pounding the nails into the foam board they had out but that is a rotating exhibit and is only out occasionally. There is plenty to build, with real wood, bolts nuts and tools. I was impressed that they used real hardware instead of plastic junky stuff. MT screwed a few screws but mostly wasn't interested. TB, on the other hand, was enthralled. He built (surprise, surprise) a Star Wars ship
that he and Nonni worked on for nearly an hour.
Once he was done with his building, we went on to "Snow Much Fun" (Waterworks was closed or we would have stopped there but it is water, things that float, etc, can't say anything bad about it LOL). They had the BEST exhibit ever in the snow area. It is "Pretend to ice skate" and it was great. They have a large piece of linolium on the floor that is waxed and the kids slide around on it in their socks. They placed some fun music and the attendants really got involved with the kids. The guy attendant was getting the kids to skate like airplanes, then having them run and fall down and slide across the floor. The girl was having the kids practice jumping and falling and sliding like penguins. Because they were involved, it kept it from turing into a free for all and having someone get hurt. When they were done skating, they built a snow fort out of interlocking cardboard blocks and had a snowball fight with white puff balls.
Then we went to "Big Backyard" where the kids had their pictures taken and their faces were put on bugs. I wish they would have had a print out option because they were cute but you could see them on the screen. They dressed up like bugs and played in the giant shoe. The best part of that area was the shadow wall. One side has rain falling down it and the other side has butterflies. If you stand still in front of either one, the things will interact with your shadow. They rain will fall around you and the butterflies will land on you. It was a lot of fun.
From there, it was the museum standard "pretend town" They have a grocery store, a bus to drive and a mechanic's shop. Nothing exceptional about it but it is something that all kids seem to enjoy.
After lunch (the museum doesn't have food but the Navy Pier food court is right around the corner and you have in and out priviledge) we started on the first floor. The first floor includes the gift shop and the art area.
The art area had a huge table to do art at. They had the standard markers, glue scissors, etc but they also had cardboard boxes, metallic paper, mailing tubes, etc that the kids could use to decorate or create other things. They also had a stage where the kids could do a show and tell of the things they made or perform for the group. Neither kid used the stage, but we did spend a fair amount of time in the art area.
According to the map, there was an aquarium on the first floor as well. We ended having to ask at the gift shop where it was because it is actually between the two levels on a landing. We assumed, being called an "aquarium" that it was fairly large and TB was quite excited (he wanted to go to Shedd's while we were there but we had other stuff planned and couldn't make it this trip). Unfortunately, it 2 small fish tanks with maybe 10 fish between the 2. We were pretty disappointed.
Overall, the museum was good but I'm glad I had free admission because it is too small to justify the $9 per person admission.
I would rate it 3.5 stars
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Houlihan's
We went to the new Houlihan's resturant last week for lunch. Despite it being 12:30 by the time we got there, they were amazingly empty. We were seated right away and had drinks for everyone by the time I got back from taking the kids to the bathroom. After much perusing of the menu, MT settled on mac and cheese (big surprise) and the rest of us got cheeseburgers. The food was kind of different, although for someone that doesn't eat like your average 4 year old, it probably would have been ok.
The food tasted ok but was overpriced for what you got. TB ordered the "Itsy Bitsy Burgers" (picture was taken after he had eaten the first one)
that was $4.99 and came with 2 mini burgers, fries, veggies and dip, a drink and ice cream (we passed on the veggies and I didn't mention the ice cream to them) and a kid sized drink. MT got mac and cheese that came with the same things.
RF and I ordered the "Mini Burger platter"
which was $7.95. It came with 2 mini burgers (same size as the kid mini burgers), an order of fries and either soup or salad. The soup was ok, nice and thick but BLAND! I had to pour on a ton of salt to get it to taste right. The burgers we also ok. The bread was kind of sweet, which gave them kind of an odd taste. Also, if you get these, keep in mind that the "ranch style greens" basically means "coleslaw". The lettuce and tomatoes are chopped up and mixed together with some kind of sauce (possibly mayo) and dumped on your burger. It wasn't good and I scraped most of mine off.
Although I doubt there will be a next time, if for some reason we go back, I will make a point of ordering off the kid menu. The adult menu isn't worth it.
The atmosphere was nice, although I would bet that it morphs to more of a bar at night and wouldn't be very family friendly. It is big and open with lots of light from high windows.
I give it 2 out of 5 stars for atmosphere and prompt service. The food and prices left much to be desired.
The food tasted ok but was overpriced for what you got. TB ordered the "Itsy Bitsy Burgers" (picture was taken after he had eaten the first one)
that was $4.99 and came with 2 mini burgers, fries, veggies and dip, a drink and ice cream (we passed on the veggies and I didn't mention the ice cream to them) and a kid sized drink. MT got mac and cheese that came with the same things.
RF and I ordered the "Mini Burger platter"
which was $7.95. It came with 2 mini burgers (same size as the kid mini burgers), an order of fries and either soup or salad. The soup was ok, nice and thick but BLAND! I had to pour on a ton of salt to get it to taste right. The burgers we also ok. The bread was kind of sweet, which gave them kind of an odd taste. Also, if you get these, keep in mind that the "ranch style greens" basically means "coleslaw". The lettuce and tomatoes are chopped up and mixed together with some kind of sauce (possibly mayo) and dumped on your burger. It wasn't good and I scraped most of mine off.
Although I doubt there will be a next time, if for some reason we go back, I will make a point of ordering off the kid menu. The adult menu isn't worth it.
The atmosphere was nice, although I would bet that it morphs to more of a bar at night and wouldn't be very family friendly. It is big and open with lots of light from high windows.
I give it 2 out of 5 stars for atmosphere and prompt service. The food and prices left much to be desired.
Magic house Review
While we were in St Louis last weekend, we went to the Magic House. I had been several times when I was kid but hadn't been in about 20 years. Apparently, according to my mom because I didn't remember, it is COMPLETELY different.
When you walk in the door, there is the admission desk where you pay and get your sticker, letting people know you have paid. To the left are a few benches and the gift shop. Beyond the benches, there is a large expansion area, which is opening next week. To the right is the actual museum area. As you head down the hallway, they have the "Little bit of magic" area for kids under 6 (shh, don't tell but we snuck TB in). In it, they have some slides, a sand table, a water play table, a climbing area. In the back corner, they have a baby area for kids under 2.
Around the corner from the LBOM area, there is the Math Path, which is all numbers. From math puzzles and guess the number of items to giant calculators and build the fastest Lego car, the Math Path is a dream come true for your budding Einstein.
Beyond the Math Path, you will find the Children's Village. It includes magnetic fishing, a mechanic's shop with a car up on a lift, an electric company, a store, a pizza palor and a tree fort. This also were the elevator to the basement is located. MT loved playing in the mechanic's shop, changing the tires and the license plate on the cars (this tells me she will either be a mechanic or a car thief LOL) TB liked the tree house and the pizza palor.
From there, we took the elevator down to the basement because the kids were hungry and there was a vending area marked on the map. We were disappointed to find that their vending area consisted of a couple of drink machines and no food. Both kids ended up getting sugary caffinated drinks so they were really hopped up for the rest of the visit.
After our drink stop, we continued down the hall, past the experiment center. It looked like something TB would have enjoyed but there was really nothing for MT so we bypassed it. The majority of the basement is given over to Lewis and Clark. In one area, they have a Lewis and Clark camp site, with a wooden canoe, a teepee and a fire, as well as some costumes to dress up in. MT proclaimed it "boring" and insisted on going elsewhere. Off of the camp site, they have a Lewis and Clark Trail setup. WARNING, this exhibit is NOT for young children, old people, or anyone with any kind of limited mobility. The age range for it is 5-12 but we took MT in because wouldn't allow us to leave her out. 10 feet into the exhibit, there is a rope you have to use to swing across a gap in the floor (you can walk across if you must, but what is the fun in that), that leads to stumps to step on, ladders to climb and slides to slide down. Over all the whole exhibit was pretty dark, with some pitch black spots. It was also pretty physical and quite fun. The kids wanted to make a repeat trip through but each guest is only allowed through once, for some reason.
Then it was up to the third floor to see the fitness center, the shadow wall and the coolest of all, the electro-static generator. That is the machine that when you touch it, makes your hair stand up all wild. Unfortunately, it didn't work at all for TB. It worked fairly well for MT but because I had to hold her to reach it, I didn't get a picture of it. However, we found that my hair worked GREAT so I went back and TB took a picture of my crazy hair.
By then the kids were hungry and tired and we decided to call it a day. We stopped off in the gift shop which was pretty much to be expected. It had the components of the various exhibits, highly priced for children to beg for. We picked up a couple of things and got some ideas for Christmas as well.
I remember it being mostly a museum for older kids, but MT had a really great time. There were a few things she couldn't do (the Lego racers were for kids 4+ but I think that was because they are considered chocking hazards) but she didn't lack for things to keep her busy.
Over all, I would give it 3.5 stars. I think it will be better when the new expansion opens up and when it is warmer, the outside stuff will be available. As it is right now, the really fun exhibits (LBOM, Math Path, etc) were really crowed and moving around and keeping your kids in sight was fairly difficult. With more space, some of that congestion would be relieved. I was also umimpressed with the lack of snack machines. If we had something to eat and if the crowds had been less, we probably would have stayed longer. As it was, we rushed through some exhibits and bypassed other completely, just to move things
When you walk in the door, there is the admission desk where you pay and get your sticker, letting people know you have paid. To the left are a few benches and the gift shop. Beyond the benches, there is a large expansion area, which is opening next week. To the right is the actual museum area. As you head down the hallway, they have the "Little bit of magic" area for kids under 6 (shh, don't tell but we snuck TB in). In it, they have some slides, a sand table, a water play table, a climbing area. In the back corner, they have a baby area for kids under 2.
Around the corner from the LBOM area, there is the Math Path, which is all numbers. From math puzzles and guess the number of items to giant calculators and build the fastest Lego car, the Math Path is a dream come true for your budding Einstein.
Beyond the Math Path, you will find the Children's Village. It includes magnetic fishing, a mechanic's shop with a car up on a lift, an electric company, a store, a pizza palor and a tree fort. This also were the elevator to the basement is located. MT loved playing in the mechanic's shop, changing the tires and the license plate on the cars (this tells me she will either be a mechanic or a car thief LOL) TB liked the tree house and the pizza palor.
From there, we took the elevator down to the basement because the kids were hungry and there was a vending area marked on the map. We were disappointed to find that their vending area consisted of a couple of drink machines and no food. Both kids ended up getting sugary caffinated drinks so they were really hopped up for the rest of the visit.
After our drink stop, we continued down the hall, past the experiment center. It looked like something TB would have enjoyed but there was really nothing for MT so we bypassed it. The majority of the basement is given over to Lewis and Clark. In one area, they have a Lewis and Clark camp site, with a wooden canoe, a teepee and a fire, as well as some costumes to dress up in. MT proclaimed it "boring" and insisted on going elsewhere. Off of the camp site, they have a Lewis and Clark Trail setup. WARNING, this exhibit is NOT for young children, old people, or anyone with any kind of limited mobility. The age range for it is 5-12 but we took MT in because wouldn't allow us to leave her out. 10 feet into the exhibit, there is a rope you have to use to swing across a gap in the floor (you can walk across if you must, but what is the fun in that), that leads to stumps to step on, ladders to climb and slides to slide down. Over all the whole exhibit was pretty dark, with some pitch black spots. It was also pretty physical and quite fun. The kids wanted to make a repeat trip through but each guest is only allowed through once, for some reason.
Then it was up to the third floor to see the fitness center, the shadow wall and the coolest of all, the electro-static generator. That is the machine that when you touch it, makes your hair stand up all wild. Unfortunately, it didn't work at all for TB. It worked fairly well for MT but because I had to hold her to reach it, I didn't get a picture of it. However, we found that my hair worked GREAT so I went back and TB took a picture of my crazy hair.
By then the kids were hungry and tired and we decided to call it a day. We stopped off in the gift shop which was pretty much to be expected. It had the components of the various exhibits, highly priced for children to beg for. We picked up a couple of things and got some ideas for Christmas as well.
I remember it being mostly a museum for older kids, but MT had a really great time. There were a few things she couldn't do (the Lego racers were for kids 4+ but I think that was because they are considered chocking hazards) but she didn't lack for things to keep her busy.
Over all, I would give it 3.5 stars. I think it will be better when the new expansion opens up and when it is warmer, the outside stuff will be available. As it is right now, the really fun exhibits (LBOM, Math Path, etc) were really crowed and moving around and keeping your kids in sight was fairly difficult. With more space, some of that congestion would be relieved. I was also umimpressed with the lack of snack machines. If we had something to eat and if the crowds had been less, we probably would have stayed longer. As it was, we rushed through some exhibits and bypassed other completely, just to move things
Kick's in Springfield
Yesterday, we went to Kick's in Springfield. I was fully prepared to hate it because it is one of those places where you have to pay, individually, for everything you do and I hate that crap. I was pleasantly suprised once we got there. For startes they offer several package deals, including $10, $20 and $30 dollars, at a discount or you can buy an hour of unlimited play. For us, the by the hour deal was the best deal at $16.99 per kid for an hour of everything they wanted to do. Instead of hauling around handfuls of tokens, they give you a swipe card, that you swipe in the reader at each thing and it deducts your money or activates the game if you have the unlimited. Then, when you win tickets, you feed them into the counter and swipe your card, which records your tickets right there. The major drawback to the swipe card system is that you can only swipe once every 60 seconds. This is designed to prevent sharing of the card but causes problem with quicky games. MT likes the games of chance, where you put money in, the light goes around and you hit the button to stop it. It takes all of 10 seconds for her to play, then she had to sit and wait for the card to reactivate.
In addition to the video games, they also have bumper cars for older kids (TB did great at them but MT was a little too small to be able to drive them), go carts that kids as small as 42 inches can be passengers in (they have to be 54 inches to drive but as long as there is an adult driving, they can ride along), laser tag and mini-bowling. While we were there, the mini bowling was down so that was disappointing.
The games were your standard ticket games for the most part. They had some "drop the token" games which MT loves and took me a while to figure out how to use with the swipe card. There are a couple of token machines that you swipe the card and they dispense tokens for those games. Very handy! I was really impessed with the amount of tickets the games paid out, as well. Skee ball at somewhere like Chuck E Cheese will pay out 3 tickets for 150,000 points where these paid out 20 for 20,000. MT won 150 tickets on one drop on the ball game! The other part of the games were heavy on shooting games and racing games. MT couldn't manage those (although she tried) but TB loved them.
In addition to all the games and attractions, they have an all you eat buffet. The food is "fine". Nothing spectacular and kind of expensive. It is 10.99 for adults and 9.99 for kids. The thing about the kid's meals is that with the purchase of their meal, you get a free $5 of game play. The food was fairly kid friendly, with fried chicken, pizza, chicken fingers, and ice cream. However, it wasn't that good. We all got full but I wouldn't get the buffet again.
All in all, I would give 3.5 out of 5 stars and we will be going back again.
Update to the orignal post: The second and third times we went, the food was much better. The fried chicken was tender and juicy and quite tasty and with the food being better, I would bump this up to 4 full stars
In addition to the video games, they also have bumper cars for older kids (TB did great at them but MT was a little too small to be able to drive them), go carts that kids as small as 42 inches can be passengers in (they have to be 54 inches to drive but as long as there is an adult driving, they can ride along), laser tag and mini-bowling. While we were there, the mini bowling was down so that was disappointing.
The games were your standard ticket games for the most part. They had some "drop the token" games which MT loves and took me a while to figure out how to use with the swipe card. There are a couple of token machines that you swipe the card and they dispense tokens for those games. Very handy! I was really impessed with the amount of tickets the games paid out, as well. Skee ball at somewhere like Chuck E Cheese will pay out 3 tickets for 150,000 points where these paid out 20 for 20,000. MT won 150 tickets on one drop on the ball game! The other part of the games were heavy on shooting games and racing games. MT couldn't manage those (although she tried) but TB loved them.
In addition to all the games and attractions, they have an all you eat buffet. The food is "fine". Nothing spectacular and kind of expensive. It is 10.99 for adults and 9.99 for kids. The thing about the kid's meals is that with the purchase of their meal, you get a free $5 of game play. The food was fairly kid friendly, with fried chicken, pizza, chicken fingers, and ice cream. However, it wasn't that good. We all got full but I wouldn't get the buffet again.
All in all, I would give 3.5 out of 5 stars and we will be going back again.
Knight's Action Park
We went to Knight's Action Park in Springfield over the weekend. I hadn't been in a while (not since I was pregnant with TB) and I was wholly unimpressed. Pricing is pretty expensive. For an adult to get into the waterpark, it is $23.99. If you add in a ride pass, it is an additional $14.95. If you do the math on that it is a total of $38.94. That price doesn't include the go-karts, mini golf, driving range, or batting cages they also offer. Currently, that is more expensive than going to Six Flags since they are running the "everyone pays kid's price" promotion. Even regular priced, Six Flags is only $1.05 more expensive. Knight's Action Park is also pretty small. For the rides, they are all carnival type rides and if you have little kids forget it. There are only 3 rides they can ride :( For the bigger kids there are only a few rides as well. Very disappointing selection.
The waterpark isn't a lot better, but there is enough stuff to do to keep busy for part of a day. They have a couple of kiddie areas, 4 big water slides, a wave pool, an "action" river, bumper boats and peddle boats on the lake. The wave pool is decent, although they require a tube past the 3 foot line. My kids just weren't sure what to do about that because they like being in the deeper water but not with tubes. The action river was nice and a great way to get around the back side of the park. It was one of the fastest "lazy" river's that I have been on, with a serious current, as well as sprayers, white water sections and a wave area. TB enjoyed it as much as anything else.
Seal Bay is a nice play area for middle sized kids. There are several small slides a couple of things to climb on and best of all, there were 3 bigger kid slides that were perfect for my 2. It was perfect because you could sit at the bottom of the slides and still see the ramp up to the top so you weren't walking back and forth to get them up and down. MT spent a lot of time running up the ramp and sliding down one of the 3 slides.
Besides that, they have 4 big kid/adult water slides. 2 of them are new and 2 of them are original. The new ones are the "Royal Flush" which is a bowl type slide. The other one is called the "Devil Ray" and it looks like a half pipe. You sit on a raft and slide down and up the other side, then back down and so forth. The 2 original slides are built into the side of a hill and are flat abusive. TB and I both got hurt on one and although it wasn't an active hurt, I came off the other one feeling like I had been beaten. They are old and poorly maintained, as well as too narrow to be comfortable. The twists are sharp, the bumps are hard and I was left with a headache that took the rest of the day to get rid of.
The bumper boats and the peddle boats were both nice. The bumper boats are big enough for adults to ride and younger kids are able to ride with an adult. The peddle boats are peddle boats. You do get to take them through the "feed the fish" part of the lake so the kids were able to se the gigantic fish pretty up close.
The food is marginal. We ate at Barnical Bill's and were disappointed to find out that they only offer nacho cheese sauce for their burgers. The chicken was decent and the amount of food was better than expected. I was also impressed with the price of the food. The meal (entree, fries and a drink) was around $6 and contained plenty of food.
The bathroom/changing rooms where gross. They were small and inadaquate. There were 5 stalls, one small bench and 4 open stalls to be used for changing. There was no where dry to put our stuff and no where closed to change, unless you took up a bathroom stall. The lack of privacy doesn't concern me but other might well be bothered by it.
Overall, the place was over priced, small, old and poorly maintained. Everything had paint peeling off of it and looked a general mess. I would give it 2 stars, simply for proximity. It is closer to drive to Springfield than to St Louis or Chicago for something bigger and better. If given the choice, I would absolutely drive further to one of the other options.
The waterpark isn't a lot better, but there is enough stuff to do to keep busy for part of a day. They have a couple of kiddie areas, 4 big water slides, a wave pool, an "action" river, bumper boats and peddle boats on the lake. The wave pool is decent, although they require a tube past the 3 foot line. My kids just weren't sure what to do about that because they like being in the deeper water but not with tubes. The action river was nice and a great way to get around the back side of the park. It was one of the fastest "lazy" river's that I have been on, with a serious current, as well as sprayers, white water sections and a wave area. TB enjoyed it as much as anything else.
Seal Bay is a nice play area for middle sized kids. There are several small slides a couple of things to climb on and best of all, there were 3 bigger kid slides that were perfect for my 2. It was perfect because you could sit at the bottom of the slides and still see the ramp up to the top so you weren't walking back and forth to get them up and down. MT spent a lot of time running up the ramp and sliding down one of the 3 slides.
Besides that, they have 4 big kid/adult water slides. 2 of them are new and 2 of them are original. The new ones are the "Royal Flush" which is a bowl type slide. The other one is called the "Devil Ray" and it looks like a half pipe. You sit on a raft and slide down and up the other side, then back down and so forth. The 2 original slides are built into the side of a hill and are flat abusive. TB and I both got hurt on one and although it wasn't an active hurt, I came off the other one feeling like I had been beaten. They are old and poorly maintained, as well as too narrow to be comfortable. The twists are sharp, the bumps are hard and I was left with a headache that took the rest of the day to get rid of.
The bumper boats and the peddle boats were both nice. The bumper boats are big enough for adults to ride and younger kids are able to ride with an adult. The peddle boats are peddle boats. You do get to take them through the "feed the fish" part of the lake so the kids were able to se the gigantic fish pretty up close.
The food is marginal. We ate at Barnical Bill's and were disappointed to find out that they only offer nacho cheese sauce for their burgers. The chicken was decent and the amount of food was better than expected. I was also impressed with the price of the food. The meal (entree, fries and a drink) was around $6 and contained plenty of food.
The bathroom/changing rooms where gross. They were small and inadaquate. There were 5 stalls, one small bench and 4 open stalls to be used for changing. There was no where dry to put our stuff and no where closed to change, unless you took up a bathroom stall. The lack of privacy doesn't concern me but other might well be bothered by it.
Overall, the place was over priced, small, old and poorly maintained. Everything had paint peeling off of it and looked a general mess. I would give it 2 stars, simply for proximity. It is closer to drive to Springfield than to St Louis or Chicago for something bigger and better. If given the choice, I would absolutely drive further to one of the other options.
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