An Ultimate Halterman Weekend: Legoland, Florida!

Ever since Elijah was born, Kim has been dreaming of taking him on a Mom-and-me trip elsewhere in the country.  Elijah's love of Legos has been growing, and Kim spotted a great value in a trip to Legoland, Florida.  With that, a plan for surprising Elijah with a trip to Legoland was set in motion, resulting in a Halterman Weekend that was one of the most exciting and most blessed.

On the site of the former Cypress Gardens, Legoland is a pretty vast theme park for young kids--I'd say kids ages 4-8 and 42 inches tall or taller are prime customers.  It contains Lego everything, including a Lego outlet store, Legos you can buy by the pound, Lego statues, Lego-themed rides, etc. The park includes multiple junior coasters that held Elijah's attention (he's 6 years old and about 43 inches tall). Elijah also very much enjoyed the Beetle Bounce, a mini drop ride, and the Quest for Chi, a unique yes-you-will-get-drenched water ride.  It was also fun to make connections to the former Cypress Gardens on some of the rides, including the double-decker carousel and the Island in the Sky elevated gondola ride.  Ride queues often include Lego play areas, a nice touch, and characters wander the park and appear at designated locations at designated times.  We caught several great character photo ops with no advance planning, although there's a character breakfast on Sundays if you prefer to structure character visits.

We did not find the park crowded and enjoyed ambling about, making discoveries and meeting nice families.  Our activities included:
* Attending the Pirate-themed water ski show. (Go early and move to your left if you want to ask the usher if your child can detonate the "TNT" that saves the day in the show--Elijah did it!)
* Visiting the Lego Miniland, full of truly impressive structures like a miniature Daytona racetrack and a miniature Las Vegas.  Many of the displays include moving parts and interactive features, and they will especially impress adults.
* Riding the Ford Driving School over and over again.  Actually, Kim would estimate Elijah rode at least 20 times over our 2.5 day visit.  The driving school features mini cars children drive that are not on tracks--they have actual accelerator and brake pedals and steering wheels.  He loved it!
* Stopping by Lego Build and Test where kids can build and race Lego cars and subject Lego structures to "earthquakes"--and no advance sign up is required!
* Not skipping the "kiddie" train-type rides like Safari Trek--they afford you some of the best views of Lego models.
* Shopping in general--but particularly at the Extreme Brick Bargain Shop.  Take advantage of the option of sending purchases to the front of the park for free package pickup (as long as you will be in the park at least two more hours).  We also liked creating our own set of three minifigures at Minfigure Market.  Similarly, it was also very fun to buy Legos by the pound at the Pick-a-Brick Factory Store.  If you need to ship items home, there is a UPS store, open through mid-day weekdays, in a nearby strip mall, and the park itself also offers shipping, of course.
* Stopping by guest services just inside the park for a free first visit button.  They also have free birthday visit buttons.
* Visiting on a Friday in May.  While we didn't deal with huge crowds on Saturday or Sunday, crowds were thinnest on Friday.  We were able to ride several rides multiple times and walked on to many rides.

Legoland has a water park in the back that's open seasonally.  During our May visit, it was open Saturdays and Sundays.  It's a small park with a lazy river, a kids' play area, a wave pool, and a few slides.  Our park visit was included with our pass and made for a good first water park visit for Elijah. He very much liked the lazy river, as the tubes have Lego bases and you can build with large floating Legos as you enjoy the ride.  Kim had read that the water park was in the far back of the park and that kids would not necessarily realize it was there on any given visit--very true.  During our time in Florida, it was also the most crowded section of the park.

If you go from Roanoke, consider flying Allegiant Air from Roanoke or Greensboro to Orlando/Sanford.  The flights to and from Greensboro, NC, were pretty perfect for a long weekend and were a great deal.  We also rented our car through Allegiant's website (couldn't beat the deal) and got our hotel through Hotels.com.  We were impressed by the safety, cleanliness, value, and location of Magnuson Grand Conference Hotel, Winter Haven, FL.  The area near Legoland is full of family-friendly, budget-conscious places to eat (Golden Corral, fast food, etc.) and is very near a Publix grocery store as well.  Keep in mind you can enter Legoland with food.  If you are planning your trip in advance, keep your eyes on the Legoland website for pass deals.  Elijah and Kim have annual passes that cost about $99 each and include a 10% shopping discount, 10% in-park food discount, free basic parking (a savings of nearly $20 a day), and free waterpark admission.  You can also look for other deals--for instance, we spotted a firefighter/EMS admission deal for the month of May 2015.  If you are visiting soon, there's construction in the park--but it's not very disruptive.  A Lego Friends section is about to open, and the Lego Factory attraction is closed for remodeling.  Keep in mind the park is generally not open nights (it closed at 5 PM and 6 PM on the days we visited) and that it is genuinely fun to be present at park opening when Buddy "turns on" the power to the park.   Before you go, follow @LegolandFlorida on Twitter, an active account that will excite and inform you for your visit.

The Halterman Weekend that Nearly Failed: High Bridge Trail State Park

Walking part of High Bridge Trail State Park was on Kim's annual bucket list, so we all headed to Farmville, VA, to enter the trail and walk out to the bridge.  It was a breezy day, and in the spirit of full disclosure, we need to share that K and G were not feeling their best.  Nonetheless, this Halterman Weekend falls in an odd category in that, overall, we were at best lukewarm about our experiences.

Firstly, we found it difficult to access timely information about High Bridge State Park, which made enjoying it difficult.  We don't explore the Virginia State Park system as often as we'd like, so we're not experts--but our impression is that first-time visitors are at a real disadvantage when it comes to figuring out the practical ins-and-outs of enjoying the day.  For instance, for a family with small children, there's a big difference in "restrooms" and "vault toilets" and a huge difference in a 5-mile walk and a 1.5-mile walk.  While we saw many others enjoying what seemed to be rich interactions with a wandering education ranger, our only interaction was with park staff who told us to park in a specific space and then criticized us for doing so.

Now, we've had good experience in state parks previously.  Natural Tunnel is also on Kim's current to-do list, we've always heard Fairy Stone is fun, and Douthat was simply lovely to J when he completed a digital history project about Civilian Conservation Corps activity there when he was in graduate school.  We may not visit Virginia State Parks all the time, but we are proud of their reputation--and the national awards they've won.  After all, we're Virginians, and we want folks to enjoy the outdoors here.  So, let us emphasize the brighter side and share a summary:  High Bridge State Park is really a trail, incorporating a walk to, literally, a high (and long) bridge.  It affords lovely views, and the trail area near the bridge is essentially flat (fine for strollers) and easy to access from the parking lot closest to the bridge (the "River Road" lot).  The bridge also has shaded seating at various stops on the way across, good for a pause for conversation or a snack and capable of helping make the trail more accessible to children and other folks who may have trouble walking.  

Farmville appeared to be a pleasant town for a walk in and of itself, complete with a LOVE Virginia sign for photo ops.  However, we must admit we really didn't feel welcomed by the town, down to less-than-adequate service in a local restaurant we patronized.  Kim especially feels comfortable in most settings--formal to informal, rural to urban, affluent and humble--so when Kim in particular feels uncomfortable in a place, that's saying something.

There have been many Halterman Weekends since we started this tradition, so to have just a few that didn't go as well as we'd like is a nice record.  We'd be willing to give High Bridge another shot.

Speaking of Indulging Our Interests: Pennsylvania National Fire Museum

E wants to be a firefighter.  He adores stopping at fire stations and driving by fire stations--we even sometimes plan drives around our home city of Roanoke, Virginia, to incorporate multiple fire stations.  When we realized the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum in Harrisburg, PA, was just a short drive from Gettysburg, PA, we planned a visit.

A charming, well-kept specialty museum, the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum possesses an impressive collection of fire apparatuses, including steamers dating to the 1700s and 1800s.  The museum clearly shows the history of fire fighting in America, including the roles of horses and dogs. Displays include fire fighting-related toys and a functioning alarm headquarters, circa 1900.  On the day of our visit, specialists were working on the headquarters, and they allowed us to pull a fire alarm box, using one of the alarms boxes to trigger various communications at headquarters.    There's also a charming collection of firefighter "parade hats" from days long gone.

Upon arrival, our visit was immediately welcomed, and we received the attention we needed as we toured--but we were not "suffocated" by museum staff.  The host was knowledgeable and answered our questions, and there's a small gift shop that sells souvenirs.  If you go, note the easy, fee-free surface parking nearby, and you are just a very short drive from Whitaker Center.

Still More Science Fun: Whitaker Center, Harrisburg, PA

On a recent family trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Kim, E, and G explored "up the road" to Harrisburg.  Again armed with our ASTC Passport science museum membership, we found the Whitaker Center.  A broad-based center with arts programming as well, we focused our visit on the Harsco Science Center and had a great time.

This museum is yet another beautiful science center with 3 floors of exhibits, most of which are highly interactive.  As an educator, Kim would recommend the bulk of the center for ages 7-13 for field trip planning purposes, but E, then 5, and G, then almost 2, had a blast interacting with the displays and learned content as well.  If you are familiar with Pennsylvania, you'll appreciate the connections to the state.  For instance, Move It!, an engineering and transportation area, simulates manufacturing processes and is a great link to a trip to a nearby factory tour.  The kids' favorite activities included making and test racing cars, with E trying to beat his previous times; and Forces of Nature's hurricane chamber.  Both kids also thoroughly enjoyed the "children's museum" section of the museum, KidsPlace.  This gated section was wonderful for free play with friends we met along the way and featured a fabulous ambulance center, grocery store/market, and construction site.  In this area, you'll also find the best water table we've yet to see--and as water table connoisseurs, you should take our word on it.  The table features fountains as well as movable pipes for constructing your own fountains, embedded baby seats, multiple levels, the capability to build dams, and nearby hand dryers.  If you, too, are a little too into water tables, the Forces of Nature area also includes a water/sand table capable of simulating erosion that's similar to the one recently in the rotating exhibit area at the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

If you go, there is pay garage parking very nearby in the Walnut Center Garage.  We found parking a bit pricey (about $10 for our 2-to-3 hour visit), but the garage was very convenient to the museum--like we-didn't-have-to-go-outside-to-walk-in convenient.  The museum staff and volunteers were also very welcoming and helpful, and there were no large crowds when we visited.

A Favorite Children's Museum: Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC

If you have young kids, you are definitely going to want to visit Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, North Carolina!  Kim had heard of Marbles after visiting the Greensboro Children's Museum and then became quite pleased to note admission to Marbles is free to ASTC Passport holders.  We simply had to make at least one trip there this year with E, almost 6, and G, almost 2.  Yes, it's about 3 hours from home in Roanoke, but it was definitely worth it.  We are actually surprised we hadn't heard about it earlier.

Marbles features two large floors of spacious, well-kept exhibits.  On our 3-hour visit, we took in the Around Town, Idea Works, Moneypalooza, and Splash! areas.  We could have spent more time in each, and we did not cover the entire museum.  Our kids were thrilled with a firetruck setup featuring a fire pole, a large train table, lots of moving parts (simple machines, pneumatic tubes, etc.) in Moneypalooza, and opportunities to build in Idea Works.  E even used a hand saw here in a special area that allows kids to create with found objects and safe building materials.  There's lots of fun to be had in art stations, at special events (a vet and a therapy dog were there to greet kids during our visit), and more.  Expect a good crowd, and know the Around Town area is a good one for the smallest explorers--it's gated.  We highly recommend this museum for the toddler-to-early elementary school set.

In short, Marbles was one of the best children's museums we've seen. It was a great place for E and G to enjoy a playdate with their cousin R.  If you go, consider roaming the museum with a small group of similar-aged children and a couple of adults for good measure.  Admission is just $5 if you do not have membership rights; parking is nearby (pay to park in a surface lot or in a garage).  There's an IMAX theatre and restaurant on site, and you are within walking distance to the North Carolina Museum of History.  There's also an attractive museum courtyard, so if the weather cooperates, we don't know why you couldn't bring a picnic.

ASTC passport holders traveling to/from Roanoke, consider planning your visit route to incorporate the Museum of Life + Science, Greensboro Science Center, and/or other museums on the passport list--you are within driving range!  We have family in North Carolina, and we are planning more joint play date trips this year.

Around Town: Star CIty Skate Center and Tanglewood Mall Mommy Time

We've found a few new places to play this January!   Elijah and Kim kept driving by the Star City Skate Center, and he would comment about how much he wanted to play in their indoor play area.  Now, we know the center has $1 admission on Tuesdays with $1 skate rentals to boot.  In this equation, $2 is 2 hours of fun, and we've now been twice.  Kim was pleasantly surprised that Elijah wanted to learn to skate--and he did it!  Of course, the play area is also very fun for toddlers through young elementary students.  There is no ball pit but there are plenty of opportunities to climb and crawl as well as, per Elijah, a "really fast" slide.  If you want to go on a day other than Tuesday, look in the local Val-Pack mailer for coupons.

On a recent day off, Elijah and Gwen took Kim to Mommy Time, the new indoor play area at Tanglewood Mall (across from Belk upstairs).  If you haven't seen it yet, Mommy Time has an indoor climbing structure with slides and a ball pit, some merry-go-round like rides, a large Duplo block area, a LCD "video" game that projects items for kids to stomp on, and similar play features.  For around $7 an hour, kids can play, attended by sitters, while parents enjoy the mall area, although the website is a bit unclear about how old kids have to be to stay solo.  You can stay and play yourself--adults are even allowed on the climbing structure.  Both kids loved it--Elijah, age 5, played a full 2 hours, and Gwen, 20 months, could handle about 90 minutes.  Elijah gave a big thumbs up to the "video" game, chasing game elements for around 45 minutes.  Gwen liked the climber best and crawled through the tunnel quite skillfully for her age.  She can give us a run for our money!  If you go, Kim recommends that you stay with any kids under 4 or so--there are a few places where the floor could benefit from some additional padding and you may want to be around for any tumbles.  Elijah would have been fine solo--but Gwen not so much.  Plan to remove your shoes and wear socks to play. You can also stay and just sit on the couches and read, use your phone, etc.

On the whole, we were impressed with both places for their ability to keep us active on cold winter days, and we'll be back!

It's Going to Be a Year for Science Museums: Back to Martinsville for Dino Day

Kim has mentioned it before, but we are thrilled with our ASTC Travel Passport!  With it, we headed back to the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville to take in Dino Day, one of their special annual events. 

Dino Day is a "fun day" all about dinosaurs that is very accessible to elementary-aged children.  This year's event featured two animatronic dinosaurs, a dinosaur origami station, Appalachian State students chatting about their experiences on fossil digs, a balloon artist, and similar items of interest to kids.  One of the niftiest parts?  The event included a true variety of interests and even included a station where a watercolor artist created pictures of dinosaurs.  If you go, know the stations crowd the museum a bit, and we noticed crowds were thinner as the event progressed.  It is our understanding the event returns each winter for a day of fun sponsored by local industry.  While visiting, we continued to enjoy the other exhibits, spending more time in the current temporary exhibit about the role of water in Virginia on this trip.  This exhibit features a sophisticated sand/water table which Elijah and Gwen enjoyed for well over 20 minutes, and they would have stayed longer if I had let them.  To read more about our overall take on the museum, click here.  For a real throwback, see our first visit here, one of the first times Kim and Elijah went out adventuring for a mommy-and-me date.