Ranking: Value - 3 out of 5 Dad Fun Factor - 5 out of 5 Kid Fun Factor - 5 out of 5
Nothing, but nothing, beats a racing go-karts. Here's the back story. We were on vacation a few months back in New England visiting the in-laws. My older little man, Jack, saw a go-kart track while we drove around and just had to try it. The weather didn't cooperate and we didn't get to it. I promised we would do it when we got home and I'm a man of my word. So I started doing some research and came across Sycamore Family Sports Center. It's way off the beaten path unless you live near it. I'm sure there are closer kart tracks to the city but not any I could find around me. So we drove the 30 minutes through the rolling hills and found it. I have to admit I wasn't really expecting much and I was pleasantly surprised. It is a combo go-kart track, mini golf, driving range, and batting cage complex. We went to drive but I wasn't up for many laps when one "race" was close to a matinee at the movies. Not cheap. But the key was that the karts come in single and double seat configuration. For me, and my 4 year old, we could not share better thrill time. He loved it and I had a blast. He isn't able to reach the pedals so I did all of the driving but he was cool with that. We're going to go back. I can't wait. I just have to find the right excuse with the Mrs. My recommendation is to give it a try.
Here are a few other things I noticed. The mini golf course is pretty cool. It's perfect for the little guys. It's not the moving windmill style so I think you can do a little better but not right next to the Kart track. And it's reasonably priced. The driving range is well maintained and does the job. We watched a coach doing his thing with a Little Leaguer in the batting cages. It was cool for my son who's starting to get into baseball and football (thank god!). So, long post short, I give Sycamore a thumbs up. We'll be back soon.
If you want to see some pics and their hours take a look at their site. It's pretty lame but I'm sure they are going to get around to something better eventually: http://www.sycamorefun.com/
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Making Tracks to the Illinois Railway Museum
Ranking: Value - 4 out of 5 Dad Fun Factor - 3 out of 5 Kid Fun Factor - 4 out of 5
Let's face it, trains are cool. I don't count myself in the crowd of men who grew up with a train set and an engineer's hat. I was more of a G.I. Joe guy (classic edition). With that said, I like taking the men to the rail yard. First of all, it's close to us NW suburbanites. It's in a cool, Mayberry-like town named Union. It's a small way off of I-90 heading out by the outlet mall so you can con the Mrs. into thinking it's a shopping trip. They recently paved the lot so that makes it a little more family friendly (think stroller and gravel). It's not too sophisticated. I've seen the gates open 20 minutes late because a volunteer was a little late. It's all volunteers (from what I can tell). The value is pretty god since you can bring in a cooler unchecked and have a picnic on the vast grounds. They also have a cool diner that has good ice cream. It's pretty much a roam-at-will experience.
They do run a schedule of vintage diesel, electric, and steam trains up and down a several mile stretch of track. It's a blast to prop open a window and let the air blow through the cabin. The boys like to try to hang out the window but we had one come crashing down once so we don't let the happen. It's a little long if you have easily bored kids. Make sure they take a leak before as well. No bathrooms. We like the electric best because it's fastest. Nothing better than a fast train. There is also a very old CTA trolley that runs a short course around the main grounds. The talk is very informative but not very interesting to 2 or 4 year olds. You can get on and off at several stops. One is near a big open grassy area prime for a pic-nic. Your call. There are a lot of nice to look at trains and cars at the IRM but not much to climb and explore. I understand why. These folks are spending a lot of time restoring these trains and they don't want my guys wrecking them. Cool. But it loses it's appeal in about an hour. Add in the train ride, a pic-nic lunch, maybe an ice cream, and a browse through the Thomas The Tank Engine-rich store, and you are killing a 2~3 hour afternoon.
I have to admit that I bought a family pass this Spring. It was not a wise investment on my part. It was used three times and we broke even. A fourth trip would have made it worth it but alas, I could not make it happen. There are a few other cool things to see out around Union, IL. I'll hit them up in another entry soon enough. In the meantime, make tracks to the Illinois Railway Museum for a pretty solid afternoon.
More info can be found at one of the poorest designed websites out there: http://www.irm.org/
Let's face it, trains are cool. I don't count myself in the crowd of men who grew up with a train set and an engineer's hat. I was more of a G.I. Joe guy (classic edition). With that said, I like taking the men to the rail yard. First of all, it's close to us NW suburbanites. It's in a cool, Mayberry-like town named Union. It's a small way off of I-90 heading out by the outlet mall so you can con the Mrs. into thinking it's a shopping trip. They recently paved the lot so that makes it a little more family friendly (think stroller and gravel). It's not too sophisticated. I've seen the gates open 20 minutes late because a volunteer was a little late. It's all volunteers (from what I can tell). The value is pretty god since you can bring in a cooler unchecked and have a picnic on the vast grounds. They also have a cool diner that has good ice cream. It's pretty much a roam-at-will experience.
They do run a schedule of vintage diesel, electric, and steam trains up and down a several mile stretch of track. It's a blast to prop open a window and let the air blow through the cabin. The boys like to try to hang out the window but we had one come crashing down once so we don't let the happen. It's a little long if you have easily bored kids. Make sure they take a leak before as well. No bathrooms. We like the electric best because it's fastest. Nothing better than a fast train. There is also a very old CTA trolley that runs a short course around the main grounds. The talk is very informative but not very interesting to 2 or 4 year olds. You can get on and off at several stops. One is near a big open grassy area prime for a pic-nic. Your call. There are a lot of nice to look at trains and cars at the IRM but not much to climb and explore. I understand why. These folks are spending a lot of time restoring these trains and they don't want my guys wrecking them. Cool. But it loses it's appeal in about an hour. Add in the train ride, a pic-nic lunch, maybe an ice cream, and a browse through the Thomas The Tank Engine-rich store, and you are killing a 2~3 hour afternoon.
I have to admit that I bought a family pass this Spring. It was not a wise investment on my part. It was used three times and we broke even. A fourth trip would have made it worth it but alas, I could not make it happen. There are a few other cool things to see out around Union, IL. I'll hit them up in another entry soon enough. In the meantime, make tracks to the Illinois Railway Museum for a pretty solid afternoon.
More info can be found at one of the poorest designed websites out there: http://www.irm.org/
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm
Ranking: Value - 3 out of 5 Dad Fun Factor - 3 out of 5 Kid Fun Factor - 4 out of 5We went to the Huntley Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm yesterday. I'm not sure if it was me or the weather but I was ready to go home about ten minutes after we got there. Actually, it was the weather, the 45 deg temp, and my shorts (I thought it was warmer than it was). Not important. My one beef with Goebbert's is the cost of things. The place is definitely fun for the kids so the cost is less important than their fun factor. We got there early so parking was a plenty. We also had the in-laws in tow so that adds to the cost. We chipped in another $1 a child to have them do the haunted bouncy thing and the two year-old refused at the gate. To the Farm's credit they refunded me the $1 ticket. Value goes up. Then we popped into the Haunted Mine and my 4 year-old almost crapped. It was down right scary for that age and not a sign to be seen. Fun Factor drops. We then head to the Pumpkin Eating Dinosaur. It's one of the funnest parts of the place. A big hydraulic crane arm thing with a set of jaws and munch on pumpkins. Nothing but cheering kids egging it on. Love it!
We did the hayride out the actual pumpkin patch. A little like a picked over swamp by the last weekend of October and some rain. Either bring boots (not us) or be prepared for mud (us). I made up this story with my son where we had to find the "Magic Pumpkin of Candy" (should have made it fruit or something healthy). This pumpkin is signified by a red smiley face on it (thanks to a magic marker) and starts making candy nightly once carved. He as pretty psyched to find it and it made the whole thing fun.
We walked around the "farm" and saw every farm animal they have. We also watched the Pig Races which were fun but the announcer was a little creepy. We'll leave it at that. One thing they have that I've never seen at any other place is Camel Rides. They are pretty cool animals and the boys really got into the ride. I wasn't into the $4 tab for a short lap around the pen. I think most of that is for the photo op. The pony ride is also $4. My favorite part of the whole trip, actually pilgrimage, is the check out. They have awesome apple cider doughnuts! They alone are worth the price of admission. Except you can get them without going through the main gate.
One thing that my older son and I really got into was the Corn Maze. He loves mazes and I love that he loves them. He mucked our way through some muddy spots and finally out of the field. He was really proud of himself navigating it and I was eating it up. If you have the chance do a corn maze somewhere.
Check out Goebbert's at http://www.pumpkinfarms.com/
Day at Brookfield Zoo
Ranking: Value - 5 out of 5 Dad Fun Factor - 3 out of 5 Kid Fun Factor - 4 out of 5
Good evening from Chicago. Elgin actually. If you know where that is you are likely to know where the rest of the places we'll talk about are as well. My first post is going to be about one of my favorite places here in Chicago-land: Brookfield Zoo. I know people say to go to Lincoln Park Zoo but I live in the NW Suburbs and I avoid downtown like the plague. It's just not a friendly place for the fam for a day trip. We go to Brookfield about 6 times a year. That warrants a membership. We buy the Family Plus because it get's us and guests in the gate for the best price. We also dig the Hamill Family Play Zoo. For little guys (I have two if you didn't read what this Blog is all about) you can't beat the play-learn combination. It's where they've learned to nicely touch small animals and that's great. Brookfield is not just about the animals. There are two large play areas for working off steam. The zoo also allows coolers full of what ever you elect to bring in. We bring most of our food and drink so it's a cheap day. They also sell lots of beer so dads can enjoy (I do).
Two pieces of advice. Firstly, if you don't have a wagon or a stroller, even if your kids can run marathons, bring one or rent one at the front gate. The wagons are cheap insurance that you won't have to carry the exhausted little one. They also have cool dolphin-shaped push carts. Kids love them but beware; they aren't for kids over about 38" tall. Secondly, get there early for a good parking spot. And you avoid Soldier Field traffic if you are coming in on I-290.
That's the generic. Now this weekends trip. We went during "Boo at the Zoo". It's a fun, Halloween themed event. It's great for seeing Mom's in costume as well. Not that that's the reason to go. But it's nice. If you don't take your kids in costume expect to be asked why about a thousand times and deal with tears. I know from experience. All in all, a great reason to go to Brookfield. They also have nice goodie bags on the way out. One thing I noticed this year that I didn't like is the complete sell out to Fisher-Price toys. They had stuff all over the place but I suppose it helps to pay the bills.
If you want more info on Brookfield Zoo check it out at http://www.brookfieldzoo.org/.
Good evening from Chicago. Elgin actually. If you know where that is you are likely to know where the rest of the places we'll talk about are as well. My first post is going to be about one of my favorite places here in Chicago-land: Brookfield Zoo. I know people say to go to Lincoln Park Zoo but I live in the NW Suburbs and I avoid downtown like the plague. It's just not a friendly place for the fam for a day trip. We go to Brookfield about 6 times a year. That warrants a membership. We buy the Family Plus because it get's us and guests in the gate for the best price. We also dig the Hamill Family Play Zoo. For little guys (I have two if you didn't read what this Blog is all about) you can't beat the play-learn combination. It's where they've learned to nicely touch small animals and that's great. Brookfield is not just about the animals. There are two large play areas for working off steam. The zoo also allows coolers full of what ever you elect to bring in. We bring most of our food and drink so it's a cheap day. They also sell lots of beer so dads can enjoy (I do).
Two pieces of advice. Firstly, if you don't have a wagon or a stroller, even if your kids can run marathons, bring one or rent one at the front gate. The wagons are cheap insurance that you won't have to carry the exhausted little one. They also have cool dolphin-shaped push carts. Kids love them but beware; they aren't for kids over about 38" tall. Secondly, get there early for a good parking spot. And you avoid Soldier Field traffic if you are coming in on I-290.
That's the generic. Now this weekends trip. We went during "Boo at the Zoo". It's a fun, Halloween themed event. It's great for seeing Mom's in costume as well. Not that that's the reason to go. But it's nice. If you don't take your kids in costume expect to be asked why about a thousand times and deal with tears. I know from experience. All in all, a great reason to go to Brookfield. They also have nice goodie bags on the way out. One thing I noticed this year that I didn't like is the complete sell out to Fisher-Price toys. They had stuff all over the place but I suppose it helps to pay the bills.
If you want more info on Brookfield Zoo check it out at http://www.brookfieldzoo.org/.
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