We left Friday after lunch in hopes that the kids would nap on the way there. We started our trip with a stop at Union Station. The building was beautiful, but that's about all we could say about it. We didn't find it overly exciting. We stepped outside onto a pedestrian bridge that goes over the train tracks and got to see 4 trains go by in a matter of minutes...Rylee at least enjoyed that part of the stop. I would recommend not making this stop if you are not a big train enthusiast. There is a small science center within the station, but we didn't go in since there was an admission fee.
We checked into our hotel after that and Rylee and James went swimming right away (we weren't inside our room 2 minutes and Rylee already had her clothes off in preparation for putting on her swim suit). After swimming we met friends for supper at Jack Stack Barbeque. Their cheesy corn bake -- A-MA-ZING!!!! I'm excited to try out their "at home recipe" they list on their website.
On Saturday morning we set off for the zoo around 8:30...we wanted to get in and out before it got too hot. What we didn't realize was that we would be at the zoo for 5 hours...and it would be 85 degrees the whole time we were there!! It was a hot day and we walked A LOT!!! The zoo is over 200 acres and is pretty spread out. You can walk 6 minutes without seeing an animal. But, this didn't stop my husband and I both from stating that it is our new favorite zoo!! It is so beautiful and so well maintained!! I actually felt like I was in the animals' natural environments. The walkways were plenty wide and even though the zoo was busy, it didn't feel crowded. There were plenty of shady places, benches to sit on and large fans spraying water to cool us off. Something that I really loved was that the animals would lay in the shade right up where we could see them...as opposed to the Des Moines zoo where half the animals are laying so far away from the patrons that you can barely see them. It appears as though the zoo purposefully put the shady spots up next to the spectator fence or glass. The lions and gorillas were playful up against the glass. The polar bear also seemed to be showing off for us as she repeatedly swam right up to the glass.
The elephants were the first thing we went to see, and they didn't disappoint! There were 5 of them and they were all standing right up at the fence and appeared to be watching us. I felt as if they wanted to talk to us...like they knew this little blonde girl drove a long way just to see them :) I was in awe of the large creatures...I may have enjoyed them more than Rylee. We even stopped back by to see them a 2nd time.
James' favorite was the penguin building...I have to admit, watching them speed swim and then pop right out of the water is pretty entertaining!! We also enjoyed a sea lion show -- I am so amazed by their trainability -- smart creatures!
Rylee rode the carousel a few times (her favorite part of the zoo), and we took a train ride of course too. The ride she got to experience for the time though was the sky glider. She and I rode it back to the middle part of the zoo after we finished seeing all of the animals in "Africa", because it was a long way back and we needed a little break (okay, maybe that was just me...she could have ridden in the stroller).
We highly recommend the KC zoo if you haven't been. If you have a membership to Blank Park Zoo, you get in for half price!
On Sunday, we went to Deana Rose Children's Farmstead. We thought the zoo was fun, but this was more "hands on" fun, and we all had a great time!! First of all, it is only $2 admission (free during the week)! And then for $10, a child can fish in the pond with a provided cane pole and worms, ride a pony, mine for mineral rocks to take home, bottle feed a goat, and take a hayride. You could pay for all of these things separately, but this was a great deal! We all took a turn or two fishing (Wyatt just watched) and caught 4 fish...Rylee even kissed hers. She LOVED her pony ride...though I still think she likes to ride the fake horses on the carousel better. She liked mining and brought home about a dozen neat rocks. The hayride was actually pretty long and went through the timber...the Clydesdale horses that pulled the wagon were beautiful!!
My personal favorite activity though was bottle feeding the goats!! You could just walk right into the goat pen and feed them. Rylee was excited as she carried the bottle into the pen....until 3 goats started jumping up on her like a puppy. She freaked out and started bawling. I grabbed the bottle from her and took over as she clung to me like a leach, scared to death. Once I was finished she asked me to pick her up and she wrapped her arms and legs around me so tight...she was truly scared of the little goats!! I could have stayed there and fed them all day long though.
The farmstead had so many other activities as well. We went into the old school house, where Rylee got to write on a little chalkboard and talk to the "teacher". We also fed geese, rode pedal tractors, played on the playground, shopped in the General Store, and got ice cream from the Ice Cream Parlor. The shops were set up as they might have been long ago. I just love visiting places like this!! We spent 3.5 hours there and I could have gone for a second round! The farmstead was so well kept...I still cannot believe they charge so little for admission. I did notice that a lot of the staff were volunteers. We highly recommend this place and will definitely be visiting it again!!
There's nothing like spending time together as a family, and it was a huge bonus to be outside all weekend! Although it was hot, we had plenty of water and sunscreen and were having too much fun to notice how much we were sweating. Little Wyatt was a trooper all weekend as he just chilled in the stroller! I was very impressed with him! He missed a couple of naps and didn't complain at all. And Rylee...we did so much walking and she voluntarily walked about 85% of it!! She did amazing too! Our first family vacation was a success and I cannot wait for #2!!!
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