Travels with Children

Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico

jonahlisa — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:06:02 +0000

The following post was authored by Jonah Lisa of The Toby Show.

903 Tenth Street SW, south of Lead and Coal and north of Bridge Blvd.
www.cabq.gov/biopark/zoo
9:00am-5:00pm daily, except January 1, Thanksgiving Day (11/27/08), and December 25. Ticket booths close one half-hour before closing and no one will be admitted after this time.
Adults $7, Children $3, Kids under 3 are free. $12 for adults if you get a pass that includes the Rio Grande Aquarium and Botanic Gardens.
Great stroller and wheelchair accessibility.

This is a really good zoo. It’s got all the typical stuff you’d expect plus a few added, interactive bonus exhibits. The enclosures are big enough that you don’t get too depressed about the animals being caged up (except for the big cats), but they’re still close enough that you can really see them. The layout is easy and intuitive and it’s big enough that it didn’t feel super crowded, even on a Saturday.

One of the cool extras at this zoo is getting to feed the Lorikeets (African Parrots).

They are gorgeous birds and a tad aggressive. As fun as it was be warned that young kids should not be allowed to hold the nectar cups unless they are really okay with having these birds ALL OVER THEM. They are not tiny and their talons can be a it uncomfortable. Also, some of them..well, nibble…like, on you. Most kids will probably have a better time watching a parent feed the birds so they can get a close up look without the birds actually ON them. The staff is pretty good about warning you of these things when you go in.

You can also feed the giraffes at this zoo.

It’s really amazing to get so close to these animals (longest tongues EVER!) and though they don’t like for you to pet them, they are very gentle about taking the leaves from you. Nectar for the birds and leaves for the giraffes are each an extra $1.50. We could have had a camel ride too, but Huck just wasn’t into it and, being big and pregnant, I wasn’t very into it either. And, of course, there are several zookeeper led events throughout the day: seals feeding, nature theatre show, etc

We didn’t eat at the zoo but there did seem to be plenty of options of the snack bar variety–no chain restuarants in the zoo that I saw. There’s also a bandshell and spaciou Cottonwood Park inside the zoo where you can spread out a picnic lunch. I saw lots of people pulling coolers. The other nice feature is a big maze-like playground near the mid-point of the zoo.

This zoo also boasts 2 trains. A small one that just runs inside the zoo and a larger one that goes to the Botanic Gardens & Aquarium. If you plan a full day at the Rio Grande BioPark, get the package deal with the big train ride for only $12 for adults.

As far as zoos go, this is a very good one. Maybe not quite as good as the Fort Worth Zoo, in my opinion, but still very nice.

Road Trip Journal Readers Choice Award

minnemom — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:16:57 +0000

Recently, some of my blog posts have been included on a site called Road Trip Journal. Road Trip Journal features entries from out-of-the-way places around the United States. Do you have any idea why I like the site so much?

One of my posts, “Historic Forestville, MN,” has now been entered for a Reader’s Choice award at Road Trip Journal. Dear readers, would you mind hopping over there and voting for me? It only takes a second; you use the “Enter the Survey Here” link, vote for the article of your choice , and enter your e-mail address, which they will only use if you win. What’s that, you say? Yes, while voting for me can help me to win a gas card (which I would certainly put to good use), it also enters YOU in a drawing for a $100 gas card.

So it’s possible that we both can win.

While you’re there, check out the posts for your home state, somewhere you’re planning to visit, or just poke around to find something interesting and new. The site also accepts submissions (and even pays a little bit), so you can be part of the road-trip fun as well if you’re a blogger or traveler.

Will you help me?

Notes from the Road, Day 17

minnemom — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:46:17 +0000

6 people
10 states
17 days
3725 miles

We did it!

Only 5 hours in the car today and the kids were much calmer. We left Iowa City at 7 a.m. and got home just after noon with a quick stop for milk along the way. Shortly thereafter, freezing rain started, so we were glad to be home!

The house was 40 degrees when we walked in; hubby figured out the problem and now it’s gradually warming up. The older kids are wrapped in blankets, the youngest begged for a nap and is sleeping soundly, and we have the car unloaded and laundry started and piles of home-again things to do.

In the coming weeks I’ll share specifics and photos of the places we visited. Thanks for following us along the way!

Notes from the Road, Day 16

minnemom — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 02:38:55 +0000

The kids were starting to show their travel weariness today. Even the new books and activities we had for them didn’t keep them from arguing, pestering, complaining, etc.

After driving 6 hours, we stopped at the Children’s Discovery Museum in Normal, Illinois. Even this diversion didn’t serve in calming the kids down much.

We were then met with the misfortune of trying to figure out what to do about supper, how far to drive, and where to stay. Decisions that are easy when driving with two adults are complicated with kids and a food allergy.

The time change put the kids’ bellies on “it’s late for supper” much before the clock said it was. We wanted to drive as far as possible in daylight. We did not want fast food for supper. But by the time we got to an allergy-friendly sit-down restaurant, it was busy with a waiting line.

The girls fell asleep the last 30 minutes before our supper stop, but managed to wake up calmly so our meal was quiet, even though they didn’t eat much. Then we had to decide which would be worse: keeping them quiet in a motel room, or driving longer and risking them all falling asleep and then being awake half the night.

Since we may be in for some interesting weather tomorrow, we opted to drive another hour and get closer to home. All the kids fell asleep in the car. We checked in, got them upstairs, dropped them in bed, clothes and all . . . and they all went right back to sleep!

Hopefully the last six hours of our trip will go well tomorrow. We’re in familiar territory now, the road one we’ve traveled many times before.

We had a surprising calculation today–our stop-to-stop direct route for the trip was to be 2700 miles. By the time we get home, we’ll be right at 3700, which means we drove 1000 miles of side trips, back roads, and other fun along the way. Today we inadvertently traveled a few miles of Route 66, which fits in nicely with our Lincoln Highway and National Road travels.

The kids seem to be ready to get home; the boys ready to get back to school, the girls missing some of their toys. Quite honestly, though, I’ve enjoyed almost every minute of it. (It’s hard to say I liked the sickness or the kids’ not-so-fine moments.) I’ve loved spending the time with my family, seeing and experiencing new things together. It’s been a great trip!

Notes from the Road, Day 15

minnemom — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:41:53 +0000

Today’s big event was the Columbus Zoo and its Wild Lights. Although the thermometer said 34 degrees, it was cold out, even for us Minnesotans.

Another highlight of the day was Chinese take-out. Since we’re 30 minutes from a restaurant, take-out isn’t something we do at home. (Ordering pizza is another big deal for us.) Others who live in rural areas may know what I mean.

Tomorrow we head for home, hopefully arriving by Saturday afternoon. I cancelled my hotel reservation for tomorrow night in case our plans or route change due to weather, so we’ll have to hope we can find someplace to stay when we’re ready to stop.

Hope your 2009 is off to a great start!

Notes from the Road, Day 14

minnemom — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:05:55 +0000

We spent six hours at a single museum today–that’s something we’ve never done before. Columbus’ COSI has a lot to do for tots and school-age kids. We didn’t even get to see the special Sesame Street exhibit. It was fun to go with my sister and niece and meet a friend and her kids there.

Quiet New Year’s Eve for us; the big highlight will be ordering pizza since that’s something we never get to do on the farm!

I hope you all have a great 2009. I’m looking forward to continuing to share our adventures with you in the coming year. Happy New Year!

Notes from the Road, Day 13

minnemom — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:12:52 +0000

Today we did a few things in Pittsburgh and we were certainly glad to have the GPS to guide us. Roads there aren’t like in the Midwest where they go straight and flat. We went up the Duquesne Incine, which is surprisingly stable for something built in 1877, but still didn’t mesh well with my fear of heights.

Then off to the children’s museum to meet a friend; this was a good stop for the kids before we headed back to Ohio.

Mealtimes were completely off today, as was bedtime. Dare I hope the kids will sleep late tomorrow?

We’ve still got one bag of tricks left for keeping the kids occupied in the car; we’re fortunate to not have needed it yet. We’ll save it for the longer of our two driving-home days.

Since we’ve been gone, we’ve completely ignored the weather and news in Minnesota. Any word on the Senate recount? Will we return to two feet of snow in the yard? I suppose we’ll have to think about that soon!

Notes from the Road, Day 12

minnemom — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:19:24 +0000

New hotels certainly have a mod design now, and a “partial room divider” apparently means a wall that extends all of two feet. They needn’t have bothered with that! Flatscreen tv’s in the main room and bathroom have been met with much excitement by husband and children alike.

Some notes from our day:

Overrated: The Hershey’s Chocolate World “tour.” At least it was free, and parking was, too.

Waste of money: The Big 3D Show at Hershey. Completely Hollywoodized and cheesy, but the only place you’ll get any history of the company. Not worth $25 for the 15-minute show. (Although the kids liked it…)

Disappointing: The freebie at the end of the Chocolate World tour was peanut-containing, and the supposedly peanut-free alternative was Hershey’s Bliss, which is a “may-contain” peanut product.

Almost unbelievable: Bedford County’s “Gravity Hill.”

Continuing on our themes: More of the Lincoln Highway, and a covered bridge. We even managed to drive on some gravel roads.

Avoiding too much time at the motel: Reading books at Barnes & Noble. (We also bought a few more to help ensure continued quiet in the car.)

Sobering: The Flight 93 site and memorial.

Notes from the Road, Day 11

minnemom — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 01:02:17 +0000

Since we all went to bed early last night, we all were up early this morning. Even after a quick stop at Walmart, we were to church about 30 minutes early, so we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood since it was 61 degrees outside! These warm spells are something I could get used to.

After church, we headed downtown to the Please Touch Museum. We met a friend and her family there, so the four adults were kept busy counting nine heads. What a fun museum, with a perfect name. The kids were excited that they could touch anything they wanted. Even though it was busy, there was plenty for all of the kids to do. We were pleased that everything in the cafe was peanut-free, making our lunch a little easier as well. And it was fun to explore with friends!

As if four hours at a children’s museum wasn’t enough, we decided to check out the Franklin Institute next, since we were in the vicinity. This, too, was busy, with lots of things for the kids to touch, although many of the activities there are designed for older kids and adults. Still, we managed to stay two hours and close the place down before heading back to the hotel for supper in our room.

Tomorrow we begin the gradual journey home. We’re determined to drive through the Pennsylvania mountains in daylight this time, but we have a few other tricks up our sleeves as well.

Notes from the Road, Day 10

minnemom — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:14:05 +0000

Sorry for the late post this time; when we arrived back at the hotel we watched a movie with the kids (on the computer) and then I was so tired that I went to bed with them at 7:00.

Yesterday we actually (are you ready for this?) followed our itinerary! We drove to the historic part of Philadelphia. Fortunately there were good signs for the Visitor Center, because it’s not on any of our maps or GPS yet.

With a 40 degree temp in the morning and a forecast of 50, we each wore two layers of shirts instead of wearing our winter coats; this made the day much easier. Does it surprise you that we were the only ones not bundled up? There must not have been a lot of Minnesotans around Philadelphia yesterday.

We got tickets for the 9:00 tour of Independence Hall, and then worked our way back to the Liberty Bell. Did you know that it was used for over 100 years before it cracked? And that the bell in the tower at Independence Hall now has been there since 1876?

Then back to the Visitor Center to inquire about trolley tour prices. (We decided not to spend the $80 for our family.) As we were there, the fire alarm went off, so we got to practice a calm and orderly exit from the building. (”Weally, weally, woud, mommy.”)

We walked through Chinatown to Reading Terminal Market and got some lunch, then saw the (unimpressive) holiday train display we’d seen advertised before heading back to the historic area.

Carpenters Hall was where the 1st Continental Congress met; they were offered use of Independence Hall but declined.

Franklin Court is where Ben Franklin’s house stood; we watched an informative film in the museum about Franklin’s family. Did you know that he went to England to help negotiate peace and ended up staying 10 years? His wife died just before he returned. Also at Franklin Court is Ben’s print shop, where the park rangers demonstrate printing as it was done in Franklin’s time, and the post office next door offers a unique postmark. We had the kids send their postcards for the day to themselves so they’ll have special mail when we get home.

Then we walked to the Betsy Ross House, Elfreth’s Alley (the oldest residential street in the USA), and Firefighters Hall before returning to the visitor center to get the kids’ Junior Ranger badges, and heading back toward the hotel for an early supper.

Some general notes about our trip:

Souvenirs–We don’t buy much in the way of souvenirs for the kids. Usually postcards and souvenir pennies, which are cheap and portable, and of course new books that serve the dual purpose of being informative and keeping the kids quiet in the car. The boys each got a tri-corner hat and the girls a t-shirt when we found reasonably-priced ones. Hubby and I occasionally buy a Christmas ornament. Other than that, the trinkets usually stay in the shop.

Junior Ranger programs–The National Park Service has created these workbooks at each NPS site. The kids complete a certain number of activities (depends on how old they are) and return it for a certificate and badge. Some are more fun than others, and a few have been too difficult for the kids to complete, but they’re a neat way to keep them interested in things along the way. As the kids get older, they’ll work even better; our 7-year-old is just starting to get the idea of it and complete the pages on his own.

National Park stamps–The first time you go to a NPS site, buy a souvenir passport and have it stamped. We’ve been collecting the stamps on this trip, but I regret that I hadn’t done this when we visited Pipestone National Monument this summer, thinking I’d never get anywhere to get other stamps.

Traveling with kids–A few people have commented that we make this look easy. Truthfully, we really enjoy 90% of the time when we’re out with the kids seeing the sights. (There’s still some work to do in the “stay by us and watch where you’re walking” department.) The most trying time for us is when we return to the hotel. Trying to keep kids quiet and calm in this small space isn’t much fun. Even with the a two-room suite, it’s difficult. And though we love how flexible the kids have been with when we get up, where we go, etc., their bedtimes have been all over the place so they haven’t settled into a good routine. We’ve also discussed switching carseats around for the return trip because the boys have been getting pretty silly in the backseat. So, yes, for the most part this is fun, but it’s not without its moments. Still, we’re glad to have had the chance to take this big family adventure.

One week yet before we get home–let’s see if we’re still having fun by then!