travel – four crazies and a cop

travel review: pymatuning pontoon-ing

I am no law enforcement officer so I’m not going to pretend like I actually know what it’s like to be out on the beat everyday. But I do see what it is like when an officer walks through the door at the end of his shift and hear what kinds of things he dealt with that day or night, which is why we have found it extremely gratifying to make time to get away pretty often, whether it be checking out an open house at an art center with the kids or hiking in the woods. Yes, I know there is a lot to be done at home, but the kids aren’t young forever and our emotional and mental health as well as our marriage needs refreshed.

One of our favorite now-annual trips is to rent a pontoon at Pymatuning Lake on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania. This was our third year going with my parents (and this time one of my sisters), and is something we look forward to every year. It

is one of the few times we are all able to just sit and be still for hours on end, and just admire the creation around us. And somehow, as soon as we step on the boat, attitudes are wonderful and the kids don’t even argue. I don’t know what it is but it truly is an amazing experience!

We normally bring fishing poles, books, and maybe a few toys for the kids. And lots of snacks! This vast body of water allows us to just stop thinking about everything that has to get done and just be a family. If you or anyone in your family are feeling burnt out or just need some time away together, any type of boat trip is an amazing experience with so many benefits! I am highly considering moving to a house boat actually… everything seems to be so perfect on the lake!

If you have time afterwards, the Spillway is a wonderfully disgusting, yet simple place to go for a stroll, feed the carp, and maybe even stop for ice cream. It was only fifteen minutes from the livery and made for a peaceful ending to our day before our long drive home.

travel with kids: three beaches—cocoa, ormond, and daytona

Most families have a dream to embark on a trip to Disney. We wanted to get the whole experience, but my husband and I agreed we didn’t want to spend more than one day there. Beginning with Disney on our first full day in Florida, the boys didn’t mind going back and forth on the ferry in order to leave mid-day to relax. In fact, it ended up being of their favorite attractions. I highly recommend using the FastPass app if you don’t want to spend hours of your day in line. We knew we had to make the most of our minutes in the park.

The boys loved the ferry ride to and from the parking lot at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Trying to cram as much as possible into one day, we actually left the park, took naps and went for a dip in the pool at the hotel, then returned two hours later to the get the full experience, fireworks included.

After a crazy day of Disney, we took the family to Cocoa Beach to recover. This was the kids’ and my first time at the ocean, which of course Lake Erie did not compare. Although this beach did not have life guards, it was very clean and not very crowded. The kids had an amazing time, which anyone who has ever taken their kids to the beach already knows how wonderful a place it is.

The next day we found an educational, historical outing at The Casements—the winter home of the late John D. Rockefeller. Affectionately known as “The Jewel of Ormond Beach,” the tour provided an insight to the social and everyday life of Rockefeller and the local area. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as a Florida Heritage Center, teaching visitors about the “Birthplace of Speed” and culture back to the early 1900’s. Although our children wouldn’t consider this their favorite stop on our trip, we did not have one complaint of boredom, and the vast amount of pictures lining the walls and intricate structure kept them intrigued, as well as the enthusiasm of the tour guides. I would recommend leaving the stroller in the car, however, being there are stairs to climb with no elevators available from my knowledge, and limited space in certain rooms. Entry and guided tours were both free at the time of our visit.

Upon finding The Casements, we decided this would be a wonderful history lesson, elaborating on a historical figure with whom we were familiar as Clevelanders.

Traveling just fifteen minutes down the shoreline, we embarked to the infamous Daytona Beach, where we found the Museum of Arts and Science, a great place to take the kids (included with the ASTC passport program http://www.astc.org/passport/ if you are a member elsewhere). We began our trip to the museum in the planetarium, partly because learning about space fascinates us and partly because we wanted to relax for a bit. The first gallery explored was expounding on the history of racing that we had just learned about at the previous stop, as well as antique machines used by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company founded right in this city, which my mom really enjoyed, being a huge Coke fan.

From there, we enjoyed the more interactive galleries with various science stations and a play pizzeria for the younger ones. Here we learned facts such as “Americans eat 350 slices of pizza per second,” and other fun statistics. At the bottom of an almost hidden staircase was a music corner where the boys could jam away on various styles of drums and other percussion instruments.

Before leaving the area, we had to swing by the Daytona International Speedway, just to tell my dad—a huge NASCAR fan—we saw it in person. Tours run throughout the day, but can get pretty pricey for a large family unless you, too, are a die-hard fan. Also, as a plug for the local I-HOP, they had wonderful service and good food, and the waitress didn’t seem to mind us hogging the table for an extended period of time while we goofed around between bites.

Finally, we traveled to the infamous Daytona Beach and Pier. I would not personally recommend Daytona Beach as a wonderful place for children, after seeing a half naked man in his wheelchair waiting near the pier for loose change. I have nothing wrong with a man collecting change in his wheelchair, but when my husband points out his lack of clothing below the waistline aside from a small towel, then I reconsidered coming back with the kiddos. We did not swim at this beach, but we did catch the sunset from the pier. This was definitely worth the trip to this city. Roller-coasters and bungee-rides were nearby if you’re into that, but we were pretty spent and decided to wrap up our vacation without the thrills.

Beautiful sunset views from the Daytona Pier made the perfect ending to our final evening in Florida.

As you already know by now, we like adventure and we are frugal. Spending money on another night at the hotel made no sense to us when we would have to leave mid-sleep anyways, so we headed over to the airport to doze in the parking lot until four in the morning when we would head in to catch our flight. On a side note, we flew in and out of Orlando Sanford International Airport, cheaper and less busy, but still good service. Our flight was delayed after we had already boarded, but it made for a mini party once we were back off when we found out friends of ours were on the same flight with their little one. Often these unplanned moments make for the best memories. Overall, it was an amazing trip we and our children will look back upon with joy for the rest of our lives.

travel with kids: cleveland

I never truly appreciated Cleveland until I had kids. I grew up about 45 minutes away from downtown in a rural township in the middle of nowhere. Cleveland was like this incredible far-off land, filled with adventure and danger. After meeting my now-husband in college and moving to the suburbs, our first child was born which began a whole new view of the world around me.

We began doing story-times at the local libraries, leading to some awesome park programs at the Cleveland Metroparks. Whether you are looking to do some hiking, attend a photography class, go snowshoeing or swimming in Lake Erie, the Metroparks has a variety of programs for young and old, as well as some amazing trails throughout the 23,000 acres among their 18 reservations.

University Circle, less than fifteen minutes from downtown Cleveland, has a ring of intriguing museums, many great for children. As much as

we love the Cleveland Museum of Art, it can become stressful having a hawk-eyed security guard following you and your train of children around ready to pounce at any sudden movements. I don’t blame them, but it gets old. They do have a digital art area designated for kids where they can design pottery, digitally paint a self-portrait, and swipe various designs on a giant touch screen to compare lines and curves in different famous pieces of art. All of my children love it (ages nine through two), although I would prefer my children to do more creative activities with physical materials. I guess my biggest disappointment with this is knowing what the kids’ studio used to be—magnetic blocks, hanging sculptures, puppets, and a corner divided from the rest of the studio by a wall of drawers filled with all kinds of materials to build with, puzzles, and other creative items. But times change, and one day I will have to accept this digital age in which we now live.

Our favorite museum in this area is the Cleveland Museum of Natural History where the majority of the exhibits are hands-on and

virtually unbreakable (yea!). After seeing the dinosaur skeletons, we normally venture to the evolution exhibit and discuss how humans are not derived from monkeys, despite popular belief and public school curriculum (I have this conversation with a different child every time we go). Usually by this point, we’ll head over to check out the temporary exhibit which last time was a thrilling display of underwater luminescent creatures with different games and other interactive activities. We have been to this museum dozens of times, and each time the temporary exhibit has never ceased to interest my children. They do a fantastic job and we always learn something new. Most recently added was the outdoor Perkins Wildlife Center, where the kids visit raccoons, coyotes, birds, bobcats, bald eagles, and even a porcupine, and take a climb through the netted tunnel pretending to be like the foxes above them. This museum is always a great time, and even the planetarium shows deliver (and make for a nice nap in the dark for the littlest one…and sometimes Mom hehe).

The Children’s Museum of Cleveland just recently moved out of University Circle to the former Stager-Beckwith Mansion on Euclid Avenue. We have only been to this new location for a birthday party, and it kept me on my toes with its double humongous tree-house style playgrounds, although the majority of the walkways and tunnels are large enough for an adult to chase their toddler through. The Wonder Lab is a hands-on water room with lots of activities to do for all ages, and the location where my children spent most of their time. We did not make it upstairs due to a time shortage since it was a group-outing, but if your child is artsy, that would be the place to go!

Most recently we visited the Great Lakes Science Center in downtown Cleveland. It is right along the coast of Lake Erie, making for some great views from the top floor.

We decided to get our membership here this year, allowing us to take our time on the first two floors. We began with the Nasa Glenn Visitor Center, full of information and history of our local astronautical heroes. The boys were not super impressed, primarily because they were expecting more simulator-style attractions here, although Casey’s (age 5) favorite exhibit out of everything we saw was the lunar rover, able to be controlled from the other side of the room.

The Cleveland Clinic Dome Theater shows at the science center are free with membership, a wonderful benefit, but still worth the cost if you are just visiting the area. Amazon Adventure, the true story of how the young Henry Bates’ risked his life for science in the Amazon rain forest in the 1850’s, happened to be playing which the boys not only enjoyed, but were zoned in the entire forty minutes. After this, it was lunch time so we pulled out our packed lunches as normal and my mom purchased a lunch from the cafe. She shared her tomato-spinach grilled cheese with which was too

much for her, and it was DELICIOUS, and only $6.30 for the sandwich, waffle fries, and a drink—as a side note :). Another forty minutes was spent in the ”TapeScape Sticky Science” temporary exhibit. This was ingenious how they took everyday objects—stretch wrap and duct tape—and not only displayed the science and history behind it, but created a massive playground from it! I truly appreciated the TotSpot mini structure for the two-year-old who my mom graciously watched while the other three ran around like wild banshees.

We finished the day with a quick a trip to the “Cleveland Creates Zone,” which was a bit chaotic to keep track of all four with the set-up, but still fun. This area was all hands-on activities with the classic science center stations such as the parachute launch, light sculptures, and even a duct tape area where kids can make a duct-tape hat or their own duct-tape shoes.

After four hours, we were all spent and decided to save the third floor, which includes dozens more hands-on exhibits and an entire play area for the younger ones, for next time. This place is a must-see if you are coming to Cleveland with kids!

travel with kids: fort wayne

Finding places to go with small children can be a challenge, especially when you are trying to make fun memories with ages nine to two. The older ones of course want adventure or danger. The little ones want something hands-on. And of course, Mom wants educational. I’m not sure what Dad wants. He could just be along for the ride. Either way, we found a sweet spot just a few hours away in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This city even made it on Travelocity’s “20 Best U.S. Cities to Visit With Kids” list.

If you are in town, Sweetwater is the sweetest spot for traveling on a dime. It’s completely free! (Unless you intend on going home with a drum-set from the retail section in the front of the building.) You walk through the front doors into this humongous storefront that is a musical abyss. Since this was our first stop after our three-hour drive aside from food and bathroom breaks, we went straight to the free arcade to unwind. The boys started with a round of mini golf, the older two quickly transitioning to the virtual soccer and golf simulator nearby.

Moving on after a few other games, we searched for the infamous two-story slide which I somehow ended up on with the two-year-old. After checking out the observation deck over the massive warehouse, following conveyor belts all over to see if we could track a product all the way down to packaging, we wandered the storefront, checking out guitars, keyboards, soundboards, and other percussion, my oldest son’s favorite area being the drum studio.

The next day we journeyed to downtown Fort Wayne to Science Central (ASTC certified). This place was unique, being that it was the old power plant and still had the generators in the middle of the building and an observation deck where guests can see what it was like when the plant was alive and productive. The older two enjoyed a special electricity show about the Tesla coils. Being that their mom is obsessed with the electric Tesla Model S, seeing the original idea how it all came about was intriguing (and the boys enjoyed it too ha).

Be sure to check the website for Old Fort Wayne before heading into the city. Although it was cool seeing a recreation of the fort used during the French and Indian War, the volunteer staff who operate this historical site dress in costume to bring the 1700’s to life on certain days and for special events, and the buildings are open for viewing (https://oldfortwayne.org/).

We had planned to explore the botanical gardens before leaving the city, but by the time we found it, three of the kids had dozed off and we really did not want to loose that precious opportunity to gain some miles home in peace. Instead we decided to drive the hour and a half to Toledo and stop at Imagination Station since it was on the way home anyways, but that’s for another blog.

travel with kids: pittsburgh

Looking to take a trip as a law enforcement family on a dime with little time and little kids? A membership to any of the local Association of Science Technology Centers will allow just that, guaranteed fun! (http://www.astc.org/passport/) I am blessed to receive a membership every year to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History as a birthday gift, which means free or discounted admission to multiple science centers and children’s museums in almost every state, so long as it is outside of a ninety-mile radius. Our children have become expert travelers for day trips and if it is more than three hours a way, we’ll stay a night or two.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has been one of our favorite places and the city that started our travel addiction. Duquesne Incline, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Science Center are all must do’s, although if we would have known exactly what the incline was we may not have done that one from first glance! I’m glad we purchased the tickets ahead of time. (h ttp://duquesneincline.org/)

It was an amazing experience riding a century-old cable car up the side of Mount Washington and then not only wandering the museum, offering an experience that will take you back in time when the incline was a primary mode of transportation, but getting to witness the view! Be advised, the ride up is pretty rickety, but we happened to catch one of the tour guides on the way down who ensured us our safety and explained the extensive tests the cars and cables undergo.The kids had no fear, wondering why Mom and Dad were rushing them off at the top (haha). The view from the observation deck alone was worth the udder horror on the ride up, as it overlooks the entire city.

The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is an all-time favorite for our kids. All the basics of a children’s museum are covered… the painting area, light bar play, mechanics. But what makes this place so amazing is the full-floor water play layered with a drainage floor for maximum fun. Fountains, pipes, boat racing, all kinds of activities for the kids to enjoy and lots of sitting areas for the caretakers to relax. We planned a trip back centering around this water area! Pool attire is recommended, which we will be bringing next time. Dryers and changing areas are available as well.

Once we discovered that the children’s museum and the Carnegie Science Center are ASTC-certified, we decided to go back to Pittsburgh for a day, but ended up spending so much time in the science center we didn’t make it back to the children’s museum! The cornerstone to the science center was the tour of the USS Requin Submarine complete with a full-size torpedo to greet you as you enter the sub. The history comes to life as you squeeze through the hallway peering into each room—the kitchen, the bedrooms, the closets, the engine rooms. The tour is then topped off with memorabilia from the actual soldiers who once lived upon the magnificent vessel.

We are looking forward to another trip to Pittsburgh soon, possibly doing our first full family camping trip at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park and checking out Laurel Caverns. Wherever the road takes us, we will keep making memories and appreciating the moments with our LEO.