Review: Day Out with Thomas at Strasburg Railroad

This past Saturday we embarked on our annual trip to Strasburg Railroad for Day Out with Thomas! For those who do not know, Strasburg Railroad is located smack in the middle of Amish Country in Strasburg, PA. They have a beautiful venue surrounded by farmland and boy, do they know how to put on Day Out with Thomas. Thomas arrives at Strasburg 3 times each year, usually in June, September and November. Along with him flock many families to enjoy the festivities. The parking lot is always packed New York, New Jersey and Maryland license plates, so Thomas pulls people in from multiple states!

 

If you could not tell yet, I hate crowds. I hate going to attractions on Saturdays because I don't like when places are crowded. I would rather go on Sunday or a weekday when most attractions have lighter crowds. I was nervous when I purchased our tickets this year for Saturday. I have seen the crowds the blue tank engine drawl and the last thing I wanted was to be in a bigger one. I booked our trip for the 9:45 ride thinking maybe since it was one of the earlier rides it wouldn't be as crowded yet. We arrived to the railroad later then I wanted on Saturday morning, I had planned to arrive at 8:45, as the website suggests arriving an hour prior to your departure time. We arrived around 9:20, and I was pleasantly surprised to still be able snag a parking spot at the railroad and not have to park in the field down the road and be bussed over. Parking is free for this event! We parked and headed over to will call, I showed my card and they handed over our coveted tickets. So simple and fast! The banner that displayed boarding info already displayed our ride as who should be lining up but with not many people in line, Javon spotted the cranky cars which are little hand powered cars that go around a track, and he was able to go around a time or two before we hopped in line! I got in line right as Thomas pulled back into the station and as he pulled in, the look on all the kids faces was absolutely priceless! Javon made noises like a train whistle and screamed "Thomas is here!" over and over again. There is no better feeling then seeing an over-joyed child, especially your own.

 

The riders from the previous train disembarked and we climbed aboard! We were able to get a seat in the third car, and even though it was drizzling, the first thing Javon did was pop open the window. He has done this every year we have gone, I don't know, I guess it's his thing. He must like feeling the wind in his hair. We sat on the train for a few minutes then Thomas blew his whistle and we chugged out of the station! The Thomas theme song plays over the speakers during the ride. I saw plenty of moms and kids singing along. Photographers come around to each group and take a picture that you can purchase after the ride, the conductors come around and collect tickets. Many cars stop for pictures, and wave to the kids aboard, then as quickly as it began, the train stops and its back to the station. This is one of my only complaints about Day Out with Thomas. The ride is 15 minutes at the most round trip. I guess it has to be that way though with the popularity of the event. Once back at the station, you can have your picture taken in front of Thomas! I am always surprised with the efficiency of this. They set up 3 tents with a bench outside of each angled so that whoever is sitting on any of the benches, will get the perfect shot! They have professional photographers who take the pictures and you may purchase them later, but personal cameras are welcome as well!

 

Day Out with Thomas is not only about a the main attraction though! You have access to many other things with your admission ticket. As stated before the kids can take a ride on the cranky cars, a hand-powered pump car, the miniature Pufferbelly Steam Train and more. There is a photo-op with Sir Topham Hatt, which usually has a line but it moves quickly. Also set up is a huge tent that houses a mega sized Thomas store. Anything you need Thomas you can find it here! Beds, potty chairs, umbrellas, flashlights, if they make it with Thomas on it, you can find it here. Yes its way overpriced, but what do you expect? Also, in this tent you can get a temporary tattoo, watch Thomas movies, play Thomas games on ipads and play with all the train tables. You could spend all day here if you wanted to. It truly is a little train lovers paradise!

 

I highly recommend this event! There is honestly nothing else like it out there. If your children like trains, what are you waiting for! They will LOVE this. You will not regret a minute of this experience. If you have not been before, or even if you have, be sure not to miss the next time Thomas pulls into town!

 

For more information visit strasburgrailroad.com

 

 

Cranky Cars!

 

All Aboard!

 

See I told ya! He likes the wind in his hair! :)

 

There he is! How cool is this?!?

 

You didn't think Thomas would come all this way with out Sir Topham Hatt did you?

 

Temporary tattoo's and train tables, I'm pretty sure this is the stuff little boy dreams are made out of!

 

 

See you next year, Thomas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review: The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore

It's safe to say we had quite an eventful evening last Saturday, and after those events I was no longer feeling up to our plans for Sunday. I had planned to head into DC and visit the museum of Natural History, then see some monuments and maybe stop by the zoo if we had time. Sunday morning when we woke up, I began hunting for a plan B. I wanted to do something more before we headed back home. Earlier in the week, we had purchased 3 volumes of the Entertainment Coupon book. One for Central PA, South Jersey and another for Maryland/DC. We had not yet received those books in the mail by the time we departed for our trip, but I was able to download a mobile app to my phone that allowed us to take advantage of mobile coupons based on your subscriptions. I found a deal for The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Buy one adult, get one kid admission free, Perfect! My mind was made, we packed up our things, Javon took one last swim in the hotel pool and then we headed towards home with a planned pitstop in Baltimore along the way!

Honestly, I didn't have high hopes for this zoo. We are used to the DC zoo, which is not only free but really awesome. We never have had any trouble viewing animals at the DC zoo. They are always out roaming, and they are indeed quite spectacular. It was also fathers day. I pretty much figured it would be jam-packed with families enjoying an outing with all the kids and dad. Lastly, I had not been to this zoo since I was 6 or 7 and all I remembered were polar bears, and slides. With low expectations, we pulled into the zoo' s main parking lot about 2 hours after it had opened for the day and surprisingly, was able to snag a decent parking spot. So close you could see the admission gate from the car. The GPS from DC did have us trekking through some not so nice neighborhoods so be warned if that is not your cup of tea, I'm not sure how it would bring you in coming from Central PA.

We approached the ticket window, mobile coupon in hand, ready to start our day. No line to get in to the zoo, so that was the first good omen of the day! I presented my phone to the cashier, who looked back at me confused saying he had never had someone use a mobile coupon before and he did not think they accepted them. I didn't put up much of a fight, but he still called his boss to double check. The mobile coupon was approved in the end! YAY for coupons! At the ticket window listed in pricing, was a train ride for 4$ a person, and a carousel for 3$, or you had the option to purchase a ride all day wristband for 7$ per person. A very nice option, that I have never seen offered at any other zoo. We purchased Javon a wristband and we were off. Upon entering, there is a gift shop to the right, a prairie dog exhibit straight ahead and then a path to the left that lead up over a small hill. There is a small playground along the small path that we were thankfully able to avoid, but I noticed other parents were not so lucky as they hunch over their strollers scrolling through their smart phones, annoyed and ready to move on. Once you went over the hill, you are given an option. Walk or ride. There is a large gap leading into where are the exhibits are compared to the entrance and the zoo provides a FREE shuttle to all guests. You can also opt to walk and there was a roped off path along side the road. I would guess the distance is anywhere in-between half a mile to a mile. Just a warning, the walk is downhill to get there and uphill back, so if your up to the walk, maybe walk there and ride back!

(Image source: marylandzoo.org )

When we arrived at the tram station, we got off and headed towards the closest section which was the Maryland Wilderness. This area is similar to Zoo America at Hershey Park with animals you will only find locally. The first stop, which I think was the bog area, was roped off and under construction. A sign stated something about storms destroying the area but that they were rebuilding. We continued on and found the otter display. It was a neat little habitat with multiple viewing areas. You could view the otters from above ground, or travel under the water into a small clear tunnel for a different perspective! The next area was a big cave that you travel through, with snakes and bat exhibits built into the walls. Another neat display! It was dark inside the cave, so it may be scary for some children. I guided Javon through as he clung to my leg until he became more comfortable towards the end.  Then we moved onto the giant tree, one of the things I remembered from my trip as a kid. Inside the tree are snake displays and once you are done looking at those, the kids can climb up a spiral staircase inside the tree and slide down!

Next came the Barnyard area, an interactive zone for kids that included a petting zoo and of course another slide, this one disguised as a silo to fit into the farm theme! After Javon hit the slide more then a few times we entered the petting area that featured goats that you could either pet or brush, no feeding though! Javon got a kick out of brushing the lazy goats as they laid around soaking up the warm summer sun. From there we headed into the section that held the carousel and train ride as well as a few places to grab a bite to eat. We did not eat there, but my mom scoped out the pricing of the food and said they were affordable considering it being inside of an attraction. If I remember correctly she said it was around 6.50$ for a chicken finger and French fry meal. Javon took a spin around the carousel next. What I found amusing about this was that even though the carousel had plenty of neat animals to pick from, (lions, penguins, gorillas etc.) all of the 7-10 kids on the ride had picked the traditional horses to ride upon.

From there we headed into the African Journey section of the zoo. In this section we saw maybe 50% of the animals listed. The rest we could not spot anywhere. I loved the gorilla habitat. They have both a large indoor and outdoor area for the animals and on this day they all were outside, lounging around and swinging from trees and the fences. Next we headed to the giraffe area, which was hands down my favorite! I mean c'mon who doesn't live giraffe's! They are one the of the most beautiful creatures to roam this planet in my opinion. One part of the giraffe exhibit featured 3-4 of the animals just hanging out, eating leaves off of trees and taking naps. As, you walked farther along the path you cane to a platform where for 2$ you could actually feed a giraffe! Once it was your turn to step up and hold your branch out, the experience lasted maybe 30 seconds at the most, but it was still worth it being that up close to that big of an animal! I think it made the trip for all of us.

Overall, it is a good zoo, that in time could rank among the greats. We didn't see some of the main drawls, including the baby lion cubs which was a disappointment. We also missed the polar bears and penguins but that was our fault for not paying enough attention to the maps. During our visit, many attractions were under construction, including a new penguin exhibit. We did enjoy our visit. Despite the holiday the park was not very crowded. It seemed everyone was spaced out and doing their own thing. The layout could be confusing if you do not have a map, but If you follow on provided you should not have any problems. I say if your in the area. Visit! If not, I would suggest waiting till the current construction is complete and plan a trip! I'm sure your little one's will enjoy all the fun this zoo has to offer just like mine did!

Admission to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is 17.50 for adults and 12.50 for ages 2-11
For more information visit www.marylandzoo.org




Thank you all for reading! Be sure to keep an eye out for my Day Out with Thomas review coming tomorrow!

Happy Travels!



 

Review: Smithsonian Air and Space Museum; Chantilly, VA

Just a warning, this will not be the most fair review I will write. Far from it, to be exact. This should not be the first review I write, but the goal of this blog is to give you the most honest first-hand experience of our travels, so you know what you may experience if you ever decide to make the same trip! With that being said, our original plans for this weekend was to head back down the shore for an overnight stay but, I ended up finding a deal on Groupon that I could not let slip through my fingers! With Javon's bucket list in mind, I booked a room at the Embassy Suites in Tyson's Corner VA, near Washington DC. The Groupon deal included an overnight stay in a 2 room suite, free parking (7$ value), free Wi-Fi (11$ value) and free hot breakfast for 88$! The hotel was close to everything, offered free shuttle service to the nearest metro station and had a pool. What else could we need? Excited to have snatched this deal up, I researched endless Pintrest boards and scanned thousands of tripadvisor reviews, seeking the best Smithsonian museums to visit with a 4 year old. I pretty much has a whole game plan laid out surrounding this visit., including 2 museums and a few monuments along the mall. Unsuspecting to me those plans would be blown out the door less then 4 hours into our trip.

We arrived at the hotel around 3 on Saturday, unpacked and headed back out. First stop, The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum near Dulles. During my research, I learned that at the museum parking costs 15$, but after 4 parking is free. It was 10 minutes till 4 by the time we reached the exit. As we approached the entrance to the parking lot, it was pretty obvious by the employees standing out front in bright orange vests, waving cars through the gates with neon yellow flags that they were still charging to park. Being the cheapskates that we are, there was no way in hell we were going to fork over 15 bucks when in less than 10 minutes, it's free. So, we pulled a U-Turn and headed the opposite direction. This is where everything goes downhill.

We had traveled a mile or 2 away from the museum entrance in search of a drive thru or somewhere to grab a quick bite to eat before heading back. After a few minutes, it became clear we would not find any food on the road that consisted of nothing but airport runways and what looked to be office buildings. We approached an intersection and I figured it was just time to turn around. At least I think that's what I was thinking at that point in time. Honestly, everything is a big scary blur from this point on! As I approached the intersection, I noticed 2 left turn lanes, 1 straight lane and one right turn lane. A cop was in one of the left hand turning lanes. I still don't know why, but for some reason I felt safest bet was to just turn with the cop and turn around in a parking lot down the road. Why didn't I just go straight? I'm still asking myself that question 4 days later! I made what seemed like an innocent turn behind the cop. Once I made the turn, I realized I made a huge mistake. I think we noticed the "No Trespassing Government Property" sign at the same exact time that the cop realized we didn't belong there. Scared out of my mind, I stopped the car less than 20 feet from where I had just turned from and before I know it a cop was at my window. Let's just say this police officer took his job VERY seriously. He questioned us for at least 20 minutes and continuously reminded me that the turn I had just taken was a major mistake. This is not the encounter I wanted to have after watching 4 hours of Orange Is The New Black the night before. All I could think in the back of my mind was "Oh my God, I am about to be handcuffed and whisked away to jail for something as simple as making a turn onto an unmarked private property! I'm going to be taken to jail in front of my kid! I'm going to be Piper 2.0, I will never last in prison!" I don't remember much of what the officer said, as I cloaked in fear. I do remember him asking if we had weapons multiple times. I don't think I really come off as a gun toting mom, with a 4 year old in the backseat, on our way to an innocent day at the museum! My mom thinks Javon may of been our saving grace. If he was not with us, we may still be sitting in jail for trespassing on government property. It felt like we sat there forever, but he did end up letting us go with a warning. Thank God!

Still shaking, (I'm not exaggerating, I was shaking for a good 4 hours after the encounter) we turned around and headed back to the museum. We entered the parking lot without having to fork over any cash. For those who don't know, Smithsonian Museums are free admission, that includes the National Zoo in Washington DC. So we headed into the museum, and of course the first thing we spot is a McDonald's! We traveled out of our way, looking for food just to have it right under our nose. I guess this is what being cheapskates got us into! I skipped the food, probably because I was still too shaken up, so Javon and I headed on our way through the Museum.
Plane after plane after plane. Big planes, little planes, military planes, the concord. You name a type of plane and it is probably in there. Javon loved it, he kept pointing out his favorites. He loved the little tiny planes that looked like only a baby could fit in. He also loved all the big fighter jets. I for one was bored, I could not get out of there fast enough! But, as long as he is enjoying himself, I was in for the long haul. The one thing that did catch my interest was the space section. Space Shuttle Discovery has made this museum it's home. You walked around a corner and there it is! It's massive! No matter how far I zoomed my camera lens out, I could not fit the entire thing into one picture! I would call Space Shuttle Discovery the main draw. This is where I saw the most people clamoring around, the most pictures being taken, and the most wide-eyed expression's of wonder from kids young and old. It was truly impressive to see.

After viewing the Space Shuttle, I was ready to get out of there. I headed to the gift shop to grab Javon a little reminder of his visit. (A toy fighter jet), and we left. I just was not as excited about the museum as I was before we were pulled over. I honestly think I would have enjoyed the museum much more had that not of happened to us before hand. We were able to look back at it a few hours later and chuckle about how stupid we are. My mom even joked that she may need a drink at the hotel once we got back. If you know her, you know she's lucky if she sips on a glass of wine on more then 3 occasions a year, so this was saying something!


Overall I would say if your kids, or anyone in your family enjoy learning about things that fly through the sky or if you are in the area, then I would recommend this trip. Otherwise, I say skip it, and of course take a lesson from me and don't make any wrong turns along the way!

Happy Travels!

Keep a look out, I will be reviewing The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, and posting a summer bucket list update very soon! I will also be surprising Javon with a trip to Day Out with Thomas this weekend and i'll be sure to have lots of pictures and a review!




 

Event reminder: Day out with Thomas!

All aboard! Thomas has pulled into the station at Strasburg Raildroad. Your little train lovers can enjoy a ride pulled by Thomas the Tank Engine and all of the other activities that come along with Day Out with Thomas now through Sunday June 22nd. 

This will be our 4th time attending Day Out with Thomas. I ordered our tickets last night and there is still tickets available for rides through out the week and into the weekend! If you plan to attend make sure you get your tickets soon!

We normally attend on weekdays to avoid the high crowds but this year we will be going on Saturday, so I will be sure to review on the differences between crowds. 

Be sure to use coupon code "thrill14" when you order your tickets to take 2$ off! Enjoy! 

Family Favorites Festival!

Happy Sunday Funday everyone!

 

Yesterday was quite a fun day, we attended the annual Central Penn Parent Family Favorites Festival, that is held at the Harrisburg main campus of HACC. If you have children and have never been, I highly suggest you keep an eye out for this event next year!

 

The Family Favorites Festival is a completely free event, which of course makes it dear to my heart! The event features 75+ vendors, ranging from daycares and dentists, summer camps and cyber schools, to local attractions and home service providers. According to the events website, all exhibitors are asked to prepare a small gift or giveaway for each booth. I am not exaggerating when I say, we now have so many drawstring bags, totes, and water bottles I have no idea where we are going to store all these things! Javon received everything from lollypops to a free book provided by the library!

 

The fun does not stop there! Did I mention that this event is free yet? Of course I did! That also included free moon bounces, 3 to be exact, a castle jumper, an obstacle course and a big slide! It is very rare to go to an event like this and not be expected to fork over a couple ones just for a few 

minute jump session for your little one. Also featured were pony rides, again not many events you will go to where a pony ride is free. There was also a little petting zoo set up near the pony rides that included mini and micro pigs (SO CUTE!), bunnies, a sheep and a goat and baby chick's.

 

Your kids are sure to have a great time, from live music, to princess and superhero parades, there is an endless amount to see and do at this one day event. I hope they keep this festival alive for years to come! If you live in the Lancaster area, The festival will be taking place Saturday June 21st at Longs Park from 10am-4pm. For more information visit the event website!

http://familyfavoritesfestival.com/

 

Camp Hebron had a fun game set up, don't let the ball hit your feet, Hands Only!

Tattoo's from Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital

Lake Tobias brought along one of their turtle friends!

Cornhole break!

Castle bounce

The big slide!

No better way to get a kid exercising then with play!

Who doesn't love free pony rides?

Scoring goals with Soccer Shots!

A little courage was all he needed to pet a snake that tagged along with the Lake Tobias Crew!

You know you've had a good time, when you break out into random dances!

 

Summer bucket list update! #1

Keeping up with the beach theme of Yesterday's post, we have a beach themed bucket list update! We were down the shore earlier this week for 3 days of fun in the sun, and we were able to make the first dent into Javon's summer bucket list!

1. Go to the Beach! We spent 3 days in Ocean City NJ / Atlantic City. We had beautiful weather and got plenty of sun! 

3. Fly a kite! The 1st day had the perfect amount of wind and with the beach not being as crowded as usual due to still being early in the season, we were able to get the kite up off the ground! 

6.  Mini-golf on the boardwalk! If you know me then you probably know my kid is OBSESSED with Mini-golf. He would mini-golf all day everyday if he could. He even says "when I get big, I'm gonna work at mini golf!", so naturally one of his favorite things to do at the beach is mini-golf! This time we tried Seaport Village Golf at pier 9 on the boardwalk. Javon had about 9 hole in ones! Future Tiger Woods? Lol

23. Build a sandcastle! What trip to the beach is complete without building a good old fashion sandcastle? Together we built more of a sandcastle compound complete with a moat!

58. Sleep in a hotel! We spent 2 nights at Caesars Atlantic City! Javon loves hotels! He's been pretty spoiled to stay at many different hotels in different cities and states in his 4 years of life, and like most kids the idea of sleeping somewhere other then home excites him! 

70. Write name in the sand! Ever since Javon learned how to spell his name, he has loved to write his name on everything! Toys, books, anything he finds is no longer safe. So what better place to practice then in the sand! 

Once we returned home, he was very excited to check the completed items off his list! 

6 down, 94 to go!

Why we ditched OCMD for The Jersey Shore!

If you would question me about beach vacations of my childhood, I could easily write you a book filled with memories. Sunny days on a hot sandy beach and cooler nights spent cruising the boardwalk, riding rides at Trimpers and snacking on big buckets of Thrashers fries and Fishers popcorn. All of these fond memories took place in Ocean City, Maryland. I also remember the seemingly endless drive to get there and back from

Central PA. In the past few years, I've heard rumors that the beach I loved as a child is quickly turning from an awesome family-friendly resort town to more of a summer-long frat party. 

Fast forward to present time, and ask my 4 year old about his favorite beach memories. All the excitement of building sandcastles, "surfing" (boogie boarding), rides and endless games of mini golf stems from the beautiful seaside town of Ocean City, NJ. Yes his first trip to the beach was indeed in OCMD, but he was 7 or 8 months old at the most, and this would also be his only trip there to date. The following summer would include our first visit to OCNJ and we have not looked back since! 

Summer of 2011; I was employeed at a hotel and with my employee discount I had intentions of booking a little summer get away at a great price in OCMD. Those plans were quickly shot down when I realized that no sister properties within 50+ miles offered employee rates in season due to the popularity in the region. Hopes dashed I settled on a property that did offer the discounted rates about 5 miles outside of Atlantic City. Before we set off on our mini vacation to the Jersey Shore, my mom brought the idea of visiting OCNJ while we were in the area because it was a short distance from Atlantic City. I agreed but in the back of my mind all I could think was this is not going to be the same, I will never love another beach town as much as I loved OCMD. 

Crossing the bridge into Ocean City, NJ for the first time felt familiar. A water tower with "Welcome to Ocean City New Jersey" greeted cars as they approached the final stretch into town. The Ferris Wheels poked into view and my excitement grew as I began to realize I may indeed grow to like this place.  

I didn't just grow to like OCNJ, I grew to love it! Maybe even more then our past destination of choice. I fell in love with the adorable homes that lined the streets. They are gorgeous homes that I envy anyone who owns one. I fell in love with the family atmosphere, as a young mom that was most important to me. The boardwalk was full of life. The kind of atmosphere where tons of families with small children and lots of strollers wondered from shop to shop. This is the atmosphere I craved as a mother. Somewhere I felt safe to bring my child to enjoy a weekend get-away. Not to mention the drive was half that of getting to OCMD. A straight shot down the turnpike, through Philly and onto the Atlantic City expressway and your there!

Ocean City, New Jersey has something to offer everyone. The beach is gorgeous! It's one of the cleanest, if not most clean beach I've ever been to on the east coast. Visiting the beach in OCNJ during season does have a price though. Like most beaches in Jersey, a beach tag must be purchased to enjoy the main attraction. A daily tag is 5$, weekly 10$, and seasonal tags can be purchased for 25$. The price is well worth it. The beach is the perfect length, just enough room for everyone to get a spot and short enough that you don't feel like you've walked forever to get to the water. 

There are tons of family attractions dotted along the boardwalk. You can take your 

pick of many themed mini-golf courses, indoor and outdoor. Rent a bike or surrey from a local bike shop and take a ride down the boards in the morning. There is a waterpark and 2 amusement parks. Playland's Castaway Cove is a pirate themed ride area located in about the middle of the boardwalk offering over 30 rides for all ages. On the northern end of the boardwalk is Gillian's Wonderland Pier which has been around since 1929! They also offer over 30 rides for all ages. 

I could go on all day professing my love for this quaint little town that springs to life each summer. Overall, we have ditched OCMD to spend our summers in OCNJ because of the shorter drives, the beautiful beaches and mostly for the family focused environment. If you find a few spare days this summer, I highly suggest packing up the kids and visiting Ocean City, NJ this summer even if it's just an overnight stay, I promise you won't be disappointed!