Aug 28 2010

Maize Maze near Elgin, Iowa

Living in Minnesota, our kids have gone through their fair share of corn mazes.  Some, like Sever’s Corn Maze in Shakopee are commercial ventures.  Others are part of orchards or other fall-fun venues, or agricultural museums like Farmamerica.

But even though we’ve been to several corn mazes, that didn’t stop us from tackling one in Iowa.  On a beautiful late-summer day, what better way to enjoy the weather than with a run through a corn maze?

We found our maze near Elgin, Iowa.  The Country Heritage Community Maize Maze exists not just for fun, but to educate people about the agricultural heritage of the area.

In the 3.5 acre maze, paths are cut into the 12-foot-high corn.  Your goal as you navigate the maze is to find twelve mailboxes that contain answers to a quiz you receive upon entering the maze.  This year’s theme is “electrifying,” and along the way you’ll learn about both agriculture and energy conservation.  If you manage to find all of the answers and find your way out of the maze, a prize awaits you at the end.  Don’t worry, they give you a map so you have a chance at finding your way out again.

The corn maze is the main attraction, but there are several other activities that kids will enjoy.  My seven-year-old enjoyed the rope maze and other small but challenging mazes on the site, and our kids liked having the chance to pick their own Indian corn and popcorn from the fields adjacent to the maze.

While visiting the Maize Maze, you may also want to wander across the road to the Gilbertson Conservation area, where there’s a petting zoo, farm tool museum, and more.  Our kids liked seeing the different animal mounts (including a bear!) in the visitor center.  If you visit the Gilbertson visitor center, be sure to take your National Parks passport to have it stamped with the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area stamp.

Families will enjoy the Maize Maze, but it’s also an excellent field trip destination for school or community groups in east central and northeast Iowa, and even southern Minnesota.  If you’d like to schedule your group for a field trip, they’d be more than happy to have you!

The Maize Maze is located just east of Elgin, Iowa.  If you get anywhere near Elgin, there will be signs to direct you.  For more information or to schedule a field trip, there are details at the city of Elgin’s website for all the Maize Maze information you need.

Aug 27 2010

Scenic Iowa

I think that Robert Frost and I would have gotten along very well.  After all, he took the road less traveled by.  And stopped by woods on a snowy evening.  And even believed that good fences make good neighbors.  (Wasn’t that him?)

Iowa, however, is not the land of Robert Frost.  It is the land of Grant Wood.  Most everyone recognizes American Gothic, Grant Wood’s famous painting of a woman and a man with a pitchfork in front of a Gothic Revival-Style farmhouse.  Although some of his works are sculptures or other media, Grant Wood most often painted what he knew best:  Iowa.

In driving through Northeast Iowa, we found rolling cornfields with grassy waterways that help to prevent erosion.  Sure, we could have taken the straighter road, but we opted for the “scenic route.”  It paid off when our 9-year-old said, “Guys!  Look!  Do you see all of those hills?”  The hills around Decorah were exciting for him.

Northeast Iowa is also where we found that our 4-year-old is disappointed if someone else spots a barn quilt while sailing down the road and she misses it because her head is turned the wrong way.

It’s where we all stopped to ooh and aah at the World’s Largest Strawberry.

It’s where we took some time to play on the Field of Dreams and to see what really is out there in that cornfield.

It’s where one of the most scenic roads we found, US 52 northeast of Dubuque, is not even designated as an Iowa Scenic Byway or the Great River Road or any other scenic destination.

And it’s there that our 7-year-old, looking down at the rolling hills and cornfields from atop the ridge, said, “I’m seeing a Grant Wood picture, only in real life.”  Yes, Grant Wood painted what he knew:  the landscape and the people of Iowa.  And my kids seem to have figured out that a road doesn’t have to be labeled as “scenic” to be interesting and beautiful.  An attraction doesn’t have to be big or expensive to be fun.

Is this heaven?  No, it’s Iowa.  We’ve enjoyed it.  And that has made all the difference.

Aug 23 2010

My Secret for Parking at the Minnesota State Fair

The Great Minnesota Get-Together begins this Thursday and runs through Labor Day.  I’ve taken the kids the past few years (see Minnesota State Fair!; Minnesota State Fair with Kids; and Minnesota State Fair Checklist) but I’m not sure if we’ll be able to make it this year.

And since I may not need it, I’m going to share with you my secret to getting a decent parking spot at the State Fair.  The one thing I dislike more than big crowds (and I always try to pick a “quiet” day at the Fair, although I’m not always good at guessing that) is sitting in traffic.  So, here’s the keep-you-moving, get-you-to-the-lot route that we use each time we attend the Fair.  Keep in mind that lots fill up through the day, but this has always worked well for us if we’ve arrived by mid-morning.

This will work for people coming from south of the fairgrounds.  I’ll start the directions at I-94 and Snelling Ave. in St. Paul.
View Minnesota State Fair Parking Directions in a larger map

From I-94, go north on Snelling.  As you approach the railroad overpass near Energy Park Drive, stay in the left lane.  A lot of cars will be exiting to the right to try to park from Como Ave.  Zoom right past them in the left lane.

Go past the fairgrounds.  You may have to move to the right lane to get past the people turning left into the fairgrounds at Hoyt Ave.  Continue north through the light at Larpenteur; again, many people will be turning left at Larpenteur, but you will want to go straight through the light.

Once through the Larpenteur light, get in the left lane and turn left at the next light, Roselawn.  Traffic from the north may be backed up from Larpenteur to this light, so it may be a bit of a trick to turn left through it, but be patient, and you’ll get through.

Continue west on Roselawn to Fairview.  Turn left on Fairview.

Continue south on Fairview to Larpenteur.  Turn left on Larpenteur, and immediately get into the right lane.

Go past the floral shop and some apartments that make it clear that they offer no State Fair parking.  Turn right at the State Fair entrance on Underwood.  You’re almost there!

For the best spot, get into one of the two left lanes; if you are in the right lane you’ll end up parking in the large lot to the right, which is farther from the fairgrounds entrance.  The left lane is your safest bet for parking to the left, and the middle lane can either get you a really good spot in the left parking lot, or get you diverted to the right.  Assess the situation when you get there.  One year when we did this, we ended up in the first row, across the street from the north entrance.

By using this parking plan, you’ll enter the fairgrounds at the far north gate.  Little Farmhands, the end of the skyride, and the progress building won’t be far away.

If you have small kids, get ID bracelets for them at the information booth, just inside the fair gates, and enjoy your day at the fair!

Do you have a favorite trick for parking at the Minnesota State Fair?  If you’re willing to share, post it in the comments below.

Aug 19 2010

The Vacation that Fits You Best

Many of you have probably already taken your summer vacations; in fact, in many parts of the United States, school is already back in session.  Others, like our family, might be trying to fit in some last family fun before classes begin again.  When it comes to planning your family’s vacation, how do you decide what to do and where to go?

For several years, I had four kids in carseats, harnessed seats that were a puzzle to fit to our kids and to our vehicles.  I had so many kids in carseats that, instead of taking up four slots at a carseat clinic, I got my CPST certification so I’d know exactly what I was doing when it came to choosing and installing carseats.  One of the things I learned in the class was that there’s no one right carseat for everyone.  The best seat is the one that fits your child, your vehicle, and your budget, and that you can fasten properly every single time.

Sometimes, when I hear about other people’s vacations, I think maybe we’re not doing it right.  All my friends seem to be planning Disney vacations with their families.  Fellow family-travel writers are taking their kids to faraway lands or all-inclusive resorts.

And us?  We’re going to spend a week camping. In Iowa.

Now, I’m certainly not saying there’s anything wrong with Iowa.  I’ve lived there, and I’d move back in a heartbeat.  And the only problem with our Iowa vacation is that a week isn’t long enough to see and do everything I’d like to see and do.

But sometimes I still get vacation envy, wishing we had more free time or more money or the kind of family that would fit in a normal hotel room.

At those times, I have to remind myself that there is no one right vacation for everyone.  The right vacation is the one that fits your time, your family, and your budget, and that you can enjoy every single time.

Right now we don’t have the time to get away for a cross-country trip, nor the money to fly somewhere far away.  But we do have a 1989 travel trailer and a fits-our-family vehicle that will pull it.  We have a sense of adventure and and interest in finding new and curious things.  We have an oft-overlooked vacation destination just across our state border.  And we enjoy traveling as a family, no matter where the road takes us.

So while I may dream of jetting off with my family to destinations unknown, I’m really very much ok with doing what we can, when we can, and making the most of whatever vacation time we have.

I hope you do the same.

Now, tell me about your summer vacation.  Did you take your family somewhere new or somewhere familiar?  Was it far away or close to home?  And most importantly, did you enjoy the time you spent together, bringing home precious memories?

Aug 16 2010

Marine Mill Historic Site in Marine on St. Croix, MN

We’ve been to all but six of the Minnesota Historical Society’s 26 sites, and overall we’ve been impressed with them.  Most are nice museums with visitor centers, or historic buildings that have been preserved, and staff are friendly and helpful.

When we visited Marine Mill this past weekend, however, we learned about the other definition of historical “site.”

Marine Mill is the site of the first commercial sawmill in Minnesota, located in Marine on St. Croix, 11 miles north of Stillwater along the St. Croix River.  Follow the signs for the business district, and at the first intersection, choose the street with the general store on it and go about a block past the store.  The site is on your left, with parking available on the street.  There are no signs from the road indicating that there is a historic site in the area, and the small park that borders Highway 95 and has a historical marker with millstones by it is not quite what you’re looking for, although it’s another stop of interest in the town.

The Marine Mill site itself is a series of signs describing where former mill buildings stood.  There is no actual mill to see.  A short path will lead you past the interpretive signs toward the bluff, and another path through the woods contains more signs.  There are a few picnic tables near the parking lot.  And that’s the site.

Across the street there’s a refurbished log cabin that is open on weekends, and the Stonehouse Museum in town is also open weekends only.  There’s a general store and an ice cream shop in town as well, so if you’ve come to explore one of Minnesota’s oldest towns, you’ll find something to do.

I don’t recommend going out of your way with kids for a visit to the Marine Mill historic site.  If you’re expecting something like Mill City or Fort Snelling, you’ll be disappointed.  If you enjoy reading signs and trying to picture the past, you’ll enjoy the site more.

Marine Mill is open from dawn to dusk, just like Birch Coulee Battlefield, which is another unmanned, self-guided Minnesota Historical Society site.

Aug 11 2010

The Nina and the Pinta in Hudson, Wisconsin

We took our kids to see the replicas of Columbus’ Nina and Pinta today in Hudson, Wisconsin.

The two ships are located at Hudson Docks through August 16.  There is free parking available along the riverside park area and throughout Hudson’s downtown.

The cost to board the ship is $8 for adults and $5 for kids 5-12, and they accept CASH ONLY.

Volunteer deck hands are available to answer questions, but their knowledge varies from person to person.  A small gift shop is also available, and there are deckhand tip jars in many locations.

All in all, it was interesting to see the ships and to carry on a conversation with the kids about their size and setup and how it would be to look for a new land in a vessel such as these.

On the other hand, we felt that the charge was quite high for the amount of time we actually spent on board.  Tours are self-guided, so you can spend as much time as you want on each ship.  I’m sure that part of the cost is for the maintenance and sailing of the ships.

Upcoming stops include Davenport, Iowa; Grand River, Kentucky; Florence, Alabama; Huntsville, Alabama; Knoxville, Tennessee; Lenoir City, Tennessee; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Guntersville, Alabama; Columbus, Georgia; Demopolis, Alabama; and Biloxi, Mississippi.

For more information, please see my previous post about this sailing museum.

Aug 11 2010

How to See a Free Movie at Mall of America

Did you know that the theatres at Mall of America offer free family movies each Saturday, and additional showings on Wednesdays in the summer?  We were delighted to see The Sound of Music on the big screen today at no charge, which allowed us to indulge in popcorn and sodas.  Apparently a lot of other families had the same idea, because the theater was nearly full, and one of the staff members commented that it was a great turnout.  Movies vary from animated to old-fashioned, but are always family-friendly.

Since this was our first time at the Free Family Flicks, we weren’t sure exactly how it would work.  Here’s what you need to know if you go.

1. Check the Free Family Flicks listings on the Mall of America Theatres website.  (You may need to scroll to the bottom of the page for dates and times.)
2. Show up at the theater about 20 minutes before the scheduled start time.  They won’t open the doors much before that.  Seats are first-come, first-served.
3. You don’t need a ticket from the box office.  Just go inside the theatre and they’ll tell you which theater you’ll be in as you near the concession area.
4. You may wish to patronize the concession area with some of the money you’re saving by not paying for tickets.  For $15.75, we got a huge bucket of popcorn with one refill, plus two large sodas.  It was plenty of snacks for the six of us.
5. There are booster seats available just outside the theater door.  Small kids will probably need them, as the high-backed reclining seats make it hard for them to see the screen otherwise.
6. Be in your seat on time, as you may be eligible for some giveaways.
7. There were no ads or trailers before our movie began.
8. Turn off your cell phone!
9. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

This post has been featured at Trekaroo’s Spotlight Thursdays.  Stop by to see more travel posts!

Aug 05 2010

Free in the Cities: Kids’ Meals at Ikea

Today’s unexpected find was of the best kind.  I needed to return something to Ikea, so I timed it that we’d eat lunch there.  At $2.49, their kids’ meals are reasonably-priced, and kids aren’t restricted to the usual entree/side/drink combination.  They can choose three sides if they choose, or, as my seven-year-old suggested, three different drinks if so inclined.  My daughter was happy to choose yogurt and applesauce with her milk, which is as complete a meal as it gets for her.  Although my kids reviewed the mac & cheese as mediocre, the meatballs got a thumbs-up.

As we perused the menu, I was surprised and delighted to see that kids are eating free at the Ikea restaurant (at least the Minnesota location, near Mall of America).  The offer lasts, I believe, through August 15, although I might be a few days off on the date.  The requirements are few:  kids must be 12 or under, and must be present.

There was no mention of a limit of kids per adult, so I was curious to see how it would play out.  We loaded up our trays on the specially-designed tray cart:  four kids’ meals, soup (creamy chicken rice, which was ok), summer salad (lettuce, fruit, and poppy seed dressing, which was delicious), garlic toast (a hit with the kids), two $.99 cups of jello (blue and yellow, of course), and my drink.  The grand total? $11.83 with tax.

Yes, all four kids’ meals were free.  No questions asked.  It felt like my lucky day.

If you want to get in on this deal, head to Ikea and see if it’s still available.  (It was posted on the menu board at the entrance to the restaurant at our location.)  The restaurant is one of the few Ikea areas you can get in and out of without becoming entangled in the maze of follow-the-arrow paths through the store, so you might even have a chance at getting out without spending a dime on other things.

Maybe.

Good luck!