Discovery Gateway Children's Museum

 Last week we were in northern Utah with our kids and thought we try out the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum. This children's museum is located in the Gateway Mall. Hours are from 10 am- 6 pm Monday-Thursday and 10 am- 8 pm Friday- Saturday. Admission is $8.50 for adults and children over age 1. Discounts for groups available. Parking rates vary, but you can get validated parking vouchers at the museum or stores throughout the mall. (With lunch and everything we were at the mall for four hours and ended up paying $2 for parking. Heaven compared to parking at the museums in Chicago.) The only coupon I could find was a 2 for 1 in the Salt Lake City, Utah Entertainment book. (You can get 17.5% back when you purchase Entertainment books through Ebates.) Occasionally there are free admission deals available, but I couldn't find any that haven't expired.
 My kids loved this place, but I was a little disappointed. I thought 'Wow 4 floors of children's activities!' But there isn't anything on the first floor and the fourth floor is just administrative offices, so it's really only 2 floors. Here are the basic features of this children's museum: a large ball and tube area, a construction block area, a farm, grocery store, a Lifeflight helicopter  complete with buttons and sound effects (I have to say that I thought that was pretty awesome), animation center, a digital media center, a large room that was full of different kinds of blocks and small building materials.  There was another temporary exhibit called "Play". There was one part of it that my husband and I couldn't figure out at all (was it broken?), and I thought that the explanations were way too preachy for the age group that they were supposed to be geared to. I did notice and appreciate that everything was very clean and there was hand sanitizer conveniently located throughout the museum. This is a big bonus for me. I realize that keeping things acceptably clean when you have activities that are geared towards little hands is no small feat, and I have been to museums who don't do as good of a job.

Sitting in the Lifeflight helicopter

If we were in the area again and had coupons, I may go again, but I don't think that it's worth paying full price for children and adults.

Legoland California

 Last year I came across a free subscription for children to Lego Club Magazine. Thing 1 loves to get her own mail, so I signed her up. In one issue there was a coupon for a free child's admission to Legoland with the purchase of an adult admission. We agreed that it would be a good family vacation for 2011.
 And I have to say that it was AWESOME. I believe that for my kids at their age (Under age 8), Legoland is better than Disneyland. Here are my reasons:

Legoland is pretty much Lego Mecca, with some fairly impressive displays throughout the park. (I love Legos, they're great learning toys that facilitate creativity.)

The longest line was a 45 minute wait. (And there was only one line that long.)

The lines that were longer than 15 minutes had a little area where the kids could play with Legos while the parents could watch them from their place in line. (Genius on their part, less whining=happier kids +happier parents.)

Thing 2 learning to drive

You get significantly more bang for your buck when it comes to the meal options. (My husband and I split one large combo meal and together we couldn't finish it. I also was satisfied with the options for my kids.)

There was tons of active play. My kids totally wore themselves out.

The best tree house I have ever seen. It took 3 shots to try to get the front. Look at it and try to tell me that you don't want to climb through that with your kids.

There were far less crowds. In one day we had to time to ride every ride at least once, and our favorites 2-3 times.

There are plenty of coasters that even my underweight 3 year old could ride.

 
They have a great aquarium attached that you can view for an extra fee. I thought it was worth it.

It's less expensive than Disneyland with plenty of discounts and coupons available. I totally felt like we were getting our money's worth.

 Gate prices: Adult admission is $69, children's $59. Kids 2 and under are free. Hopper passes to either Legoland plus the Sea Life Aquarum or the Water Park are $81/$71. Or you can do all three for $89/$79. (We didn't check out the Water Park because it was closed that day.) You can add a 2nd day to any hopper pass for $10. Parking is $12 per day. Legoland California is located in Carlsbad California. Now let's talk about those discounts. I'm going to rank them according to most money saved for a short trip, although many are not available to the general public. Pick the best one that is available to you.

1. Buy an Adult admission get a Child free- $59 discount. As mentioned previously, this can be found in some issues of the Lego Club Magazine. I've also heard that periodically you can find coupons like this in some fast food chains in Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico.
2. Employee Discounts- varies- (I saved $14 per ticket on my 2 remaining tickets) If you are employed for a large company check this one out. I am employed for a large corporation that is based in Utah, and I was surprised that they still offered a discount through our employee website. I was able to print my tickets out the morning of, or you can have them sent via snail mail if you are less spontaneous than we were that weekend.
3. Printable Coupon- $8 discount at this link. Only good on day passes (Up to 6 tickets) at the gate, cannot be combined with any other discount. Good until 5/31/11
4. Entertainment Book- $7 discount for up to 6 tickets found in the San Diego 2011 Entertainment Book. Currently the books are $15 each. And if you're you're going this route, I highly recommend that you buy your book through Ebates.com, where you can get 17.5% back on your purchase. (I like Ebates for their many other discounts available.)
5. Military Discount- 10% off for members of the armed services when you show your military ID.
6. AAA Discount- 10% off tickets when you show your American Automobile Association card.
7. Carlsbad Hotels- $6 off per ticket. Many of the local hotels offer tickets at a discount and it means that you don't have to wait at the ticket booth.
8. Costco- This one is a better deal than the previous six deals, but only if you plan on spending 3 days at Legoland. I'm sure that my kids would have been just fine with that, but we had work, school etc. $99.99 for a 3-day pass + $2.34 shipping and handling. There is an extra fee if you don't have a Costco membership, for more details on this deal go here.
9. Legoland Annual Passes- $129 for adults & $99- Ultimately the best bang for your buck if you live close enough to visit than 3 times per year or more, but we don't, or I'm pretty sure I would have bought these. This comes with multiple perks like free parking, and no black-out dates.

Family Fun in Las Vegas Part 3: Mandalay Bay Shark Reef Aquarium

 I love aquariums. I find them fascinating and relaxing. So of course we had to stop at the one in Las Vegas. The Shark Reef Aquarium is located inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel. The hours are 10:00AM - 8:00PM Sunday through Thursday and 10:00AM - 10:00PM Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for children over 4. (4 and under are free, and prices are reduced for Nevada residents.) I tried to find some current coupons or codes to this place without success. (If I find any I will let you know.) When we were there a few months ago there was a deal where you get tickets for 3 Vegas attractions at a discount, but we didn't have the time to see more than this.

The aquarium has some great tunnels that when you can see the sea life to both sides and above you.

My kids enjoyed touching the rays. (And no Thing 2 is not falling in, Grandpa was trying to hold him out closer so he can reach.)

My kids favorite part were the windows in the floor so they could see the sharks swim underneath them.

If you can, sure to stop by around 3pm, because that's when they fish are fed.

 My favorite part was the jellyfish. Jellyfish are pretty weird. 

 They also have a golden crocodile there, which I had never seen before.

Things to Do in Southern Utah: Coral Pink Sand Dunes

I have reached that stage in my life where my children are not interested in watching anything that isn't a cartoon. Nor are they very cooperative in letting my husband and I watch non-cartoons. Let's just say that watching General Conference on Saturday is a joke. (Not to mention that I can not watch that much TV without falling asleep.) The solution: strap the kids in the car and drive for two hours. Driving for two hours took us to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. (Ok, it's not quite two hours from us, but after stopping at the bank, getting gas, and getting a late start it was about that.) Admission to the park (without camping) is $6 per vehicle. I recently got some sand buckets in the summer clearance section at Walgreens that were 75% off and then free with my Register Rewards. I used them to bribe the kids to be quiet on the way there. The fastest way to get there (from St George) is to drive through Apple Valley, down through part of Arizona and back up into Southern Utah.
I had heard many people talk about how great this place is and once we arrived I thought "Am I missing something? It's not even pink." Regardless my kids thought it was greatest thing and want us to come back "at least six times". They had a terrific time playing in the sand.

Whose definition of pink is that?

Still a fairly impressive sight. (My pics really don't do it justice.)

The view of the other direction.

The place is pretty much an enormous sand box.

Even though it is October, it was still about 95 degrees there. We're thinking that we'll have to come in January when it is much cooler. The bathroom and picnic facilities are descent. I liked that there are a couple of spigots with cold water to rinse off most of the sand before heading back. Bring sunscreen, a lunch and plenty of water. And towels for sand removal. We took the long way back through Zion's. A nice drive, but if you don't have a Zion's or National Park Pass it is $25, and yes they do take credit.

Family Fun in Vegas Part 2: The Lied Discovery Children's Museum

Across the street from The Las Vegas Museum of Natural History is The Lied Discovery Children's Museum. (It's located in the same building as the public library.) Admission is $7.50 for children and $8.50 for adults. There is a coupon for $2 per person (up to 4) in the Las Vegas Entertainment Book. Current hours are 9 am to 4 pm, Tue- Fri & 10 am to 5 pm on Sat.
  One thing that I love about children's museums is that each one is different. We really enjoyed this one, it is possibly my favorite thus far. On the first floor there were a lot of things to do that were mostly play oriented and the second floor had many exhibits that were science oriented. While we were there my daughter sat through a chemistry presentation and loved it. A few of the exhibits were similar to those we saw at The Museum of Science and Industry, but it was far less crowded giving my kids a chance to actually see, try and learn. They also had several science exhibits that we hadn't see yet. There are many things to do on a variety of levels.  It's smaller than the Nebraska Children's museums that we visited this summer, but it was more science focused and most importantly less than a days drive. It is totally worth a stop if you are in Vegas with family. I highly recommend this place for children anywhere from toddler to teenager. It's a great place to encourage learning. We had a hard time dragging our kids out of there.

 

 My husband making a giant bubble for my daughter. Behind him, is a mom and daughter behind a bubble screen.

Another bubble screen which they really had a great time with.

My son spent more than an hour playing with this "ball popper".

Experiencing a hurricane.

I snagged this picture from their website, but I had to include it because the laser harp was just so awesome!

Other tips for your visit: Bring snacks/lunch as the food options are limited in the museum and we weren't impressed with the options within a few blocks of it either.d hand sanitizer because it is a 'hands-on discovery place'. It's less crowded in the morning, but even in the afternoon it wasn't too bad.

Family Fun in Vegas Part 1: The Las Vegas Museum of Natural History

Last weekend we took the kids to Vegas. Our first stop was the Las Vegas Museum of Natural History. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for students $5 for children 3-11. Hours are from 9 am to 4pm. There is a BOGO coupon in the Las Vegas Entertainment Book, or you can print one here. Bank of America cardholders can get free admission on the first full weekend of the month.
Yes, it is not as spectacular as the Field Museum in Chicago, but it has several points on the Field for me: 1.It does not take 3 days to drive there 2.There are no tollways between home and the destination. 3. Parking is free (not $19). 4. I can get my entire family in for the less than the cost of one admission to the Field. 5. Even on a Saturday afternoon, the LVMNH was not crowded. I love this! We can take as much or as little time as my kids please, learning about science and natural history.

The first room (not listed on their website) has a few prehistoric oddities. My son (2) thought it was awesome. My daughter (4) found it to be a little scary.

Spiral tooth prehistoric shark

My daughter was certain that if this thing were alive it would eat her, and it just might have.

Next is the Marine Life Gallery. In addition to few interactive science displays there are several live fish, sharks and rays.

I will always check out anything remotely resembling an aquarium.

Frogfish, Do you see it?

My kids liked the Wildlife Gallery. It's full of animals that are native to the area and facts about how they live. And they were surprisingly fascinated by the Geology Gallery (but then they did have glow-in-the-dark rocks). There is also an Egyptian Gallery, with a replica of the tomb of Tutankamen. My daughter found it kind of creepy, but then I always found Ancient Egypt to be somewhat creepy (yet still fascinating) too. (FYI, in Ancient Egypt children didn't wear clothing until the age of 6. My kids would be all for that.)

Learning to grind wheat in Egypt

 Now for the main attraction...The Dinosaurs. And not just any dinosaurs, but dinosaurs that roar and move.

And behind the Prehistoric Life Gallery is the Young Scientist Center. It has several activities and games and on Saturday afternoons they pull out the animals and let the kids touch them.

Favorite Places to Visit in St George Part 1: Pioneer Park

I love living in St. George. It is beautiful and the weather is actually rather pleasant for nine months out of the year. However, as with many small communities, a little investigating must be done to find things to do with the kids, so here I'll share some my family's favorites and any available discounts that I have found.

Pioneer Park- Red Hills Parkway-No admission charge
Pioneer Park is a must-see for anyone new to St. George. It provides a fantastic view of the city of St George, and parts of Arizona and Zion's National Park can also be seen from the park.

St George from the cliffs above the city.

Pioneer Park has some great climbing for all skill levels. The first time we brought my two-year-old there you would have thought it was Christmas. He yelled "Whoa! Climb on that!" It has trails and rocks that are on my kids' level, as well as rocks and cliffs that my husband finds challenging.

 

Me and my fam

 Pioneer Park is so called because it contains a few original houses that the pioneers built out of caves while they were in the process of building something more permanent.

Pioneer cave dwelling with brick face.

This park is a great place to see local wildlife. Every time we go we see at least a few different varieties of lizards and birds and this last time we saw a tortoise climbing around the rocks. The park has been turned into a reserve for the Mojave desert tortoise.

If you touch them they can get scared, urinate and die of dehydration. No touchie. Big fines.

The park contains 2 barbeques, a fire ring, and several picnic tables. If you're in town around July 4th, it's the best place to watch the fireworks.

Chicago- Part 4: The Shedd Aquarium

Our last stop in Chicago was the Shedd Aquarium, which is also located on the Museum Campus. I have to say that the Shedd was the best aquarium that I have visited thus far. It has over 25,000 fish and for a long period of time was the world's largest aquarium. It's kind of like the aquarium meets Sea World. Admission at the door is $32.50 for adults and children. Tickets online are $26.95 for adults and $19.95 for children. If you present a valid Bank of America/Merrill Lynch ATM, credit or debit card, along with photo ID, you can receive one free all-access admission ticket on the first full weekend of each month.Certain Mondays and Tuesdays are free admission days. We used CityPasses, and as I mentioned previously this place was my favorite thing about the Chicago CityPasses. (We waited about fifteen minutes to get in, while the line for those without CityPasses looked like it would take at least three hours. And no, I not exaggerating, when I saw the first line I was ready to bag it. I'm so glad that we didn't.) I believe that there is also a BOGO in the Chicago entertainment book as well. (Here are a list of places that I read had Shedd Aquarium  printable coupons, but don't actually, so don't bother, if anything they just direct you back to the original Shedd website: Shopathome.com, retailmenot.com, slickdeals.net, mahalo.com, destinationcoupons.com, aquariumcoupons.com. If anyone finds any real coupons, please let me know.) Parking is $16 cash in the Adler lot. (We went to the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd in one day, so we only had to pay the parking fee once.) For lunch we had some tasty Chicago dogs from a stand in front of the aquarium, 3 dogs, drinks and chips for $11. So yes, visiting this place can be very pricey, but I thought that it was worth it. (Also I like that their website has stories and information about the different animals there, since reading about exhibits generally isn't on the agenda when we take our kids places.) Also if you go in the morning you can beat most of the crowds making it easier to see the fish.

Black-tipped sharks

Peengos! (As they are known in our house.)

Baby Beluugaaa! (Does anyone else remember singing that song?)

My kids spent a long time watching the dolphins.

Frogfish

I will freely admit that I didn't take most of these pictures, because there are signs everywhere asking us not to take pictures of the animals. These came from the Shedd website.

My daughter sliding in the penguin playplace.