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.
