Far Away Friday: New Bern, NC

Looking for one of those southern small towns like you'd see on a TV set? It's only a nap time's drive away, in New Bern, North Carolina. New Bern is the home of Pepsi, and they won't let you forget it. You can visit the pharmacy where Caleb Bradham invented "Brad's Drink" which later became Pepsi. They have a store in the recreated store. Downtown you'll find an array of locally owned stores from antiques, to art, books, markets, florists and apparel. 

Be sure to have lunch at the Cow Cafe. It claims to be the most udderly amazing spot in Moo Bern. So. Many. Puns. The Cow Cafe has a Doumars feel and makes their own ice cream in the store. They have sandwiches and wraps, but what really makes it stand out is the play area in the back room and the train running around the ceiling. Kids can play in the farm themed area, climb on a tractor, or ride a cow while adults finish eating. 

A block away is the New Bern Firemen's Museum. Established in 1955, the museum details the history of New Bern's fire department which has ties to the oldest in North Carolina and one of the oldest in the state. Downstairs kids can see all stages of fire fighting, but the real star of this museum is upstairs. A kids play area, fire truck, fire pole, and train table kept our kids engaged in imaginary play while we sat and chatted. Be on the lookout; they are currently developing some preschool aged events! Admission is free for children under 5 and $7.00 for adults. Hours are 10-4 Monday through Saturday. 

A ten minute drive outside of the main square will bring you to one of the most awesome locally owned businesses I've ever seen. Local owner Amy decided she needed to be with her family more when she learned that her son was on the spectrum. She left her job and started a baby goods store. The store was a place that moms could come and try out car seats and baby wraps and high chairs. That store became a local resource for moms who were searching for all types of resources, related to being on the spectrum or not. From that they continued to grow into the No Boundaries Sensory Gym. One side store, one side gym. This gym is open to all children. There are no rules that you can't be on the spectrum, and there are no rules that you must be. It's a place for all children, but it is designed to particularly help those who might need it. Kids will improve balance and motor skills while developing cognitive- behavioral and social skills. I can't say it enough- play is so important! I was so impressed with Amy, her story, and her business. There were slides, a zip line, a foam pit, trampolines, several kinds of swings, puzzles, building materials, dress up clothes, little houses, and even a rock climbing wall. There was also an area for babies which I am always  a fan of. A heads up, everyone takes off their shoes and needs socks, even adults. Admission is $6.00 for kids 12 months and up. Kids under 12 months are free with a sibling admission. They are open Tuesday-Saturday 9:30-5:40, but check for birthday parties on Saturday before you go.

Lastly, if the weather is nice be sure to check out New Bern's newly redone playground Kidsville 2.0. This playground is really cool and has several different climbing structures and things to do. What really stands out is that it has a seesaw. Playgrounds in the past 20 years have gotten rid of seesaws due to kids falling off, but they teach some important skills including balance and coordination. Seesaws with some safety changes have been making their return on new playgrounds! 

Free To Do in New Bern:

• Bear Searching: Similar to Norfolk's mermaids, New Bern has bears everywhere! Count how many you can find with your crew. 
• Heritage Walking Tours: Highlights downtown New Bern, Historic Homes, Churches, Cemeteries, African American History, Civil War and Revolutionary History and architecture. (For the adults during nap time maybe) 
• Birthplace of Pepsi recreated soda fountain
• Bank of the Arts: Painting, sculpture, photography, pottery, and fiber arts rotate on display. (Adults) 
• Aviation Exhibit at the Havelock Tourist & Event Center: over 100 years of aviation, seven restored aircrafts are on loan from the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy are on display. We would have hit this if we had more time. Good for plane enthusiasts. 
• New Bern Civil War Battlefield Park: Self guided tours. (Adults or for kids who enjoy running around!)

We spent the sixth night of Hanukkah with our dear friends down in New Bern, NC and had an amazing time exploring the city. The drive down 17 isn't bad and we hit almost no traffic besides the few cars in Chesapeake. With more to explore, I wish we could have stayed a few more days! 

Funville VB: Upgrades and changes

The Virginia Beach Funville has undergone some renovations, and with it came a much bigger toddler section and some upgrades to the larger play structure. They also changed out the bumper cars for a Virtual Reality center and still have the Ninja Warrior Course. With these changes comes an increase in price. The full price is now $13.50. The toddler playground is now $7.00, but in my opinion so worth it with the upgrades. Children are asked to be below 36 inches in this area.

The hours have also changed, something I'm guessing other toddler moms are  bummed about, as there is now less time to play before nap time. Hours are now Monday-Friday 11-8, Saturday 10-9, and Sunday 11-7.

Mondays are Military Mondays, offering 10% off with ID.  Every other Tuesday at both locations is Play Day. Kids get $1.00 off admission and a free slice of pizza. This is also a change from their weekly toddler Tuesday meal deal cost. Wednesday is Homeschool day in VB, Thursday in Chesapeake, and home school students receive $1.50 off.

There are a few upgrades to the rest of the play areas, but what really stands out is the toddler area. I still wish that they would change to an order take a number style rather than the wait staff. We had an issue where we ordered and went to play and they never put it in because no one was sitting at the table. I get it. Apparently lots of people order and leave. But we ended up having to leave anyway because we had a group of hungry kids since the food was never even put in! It's a bummer when you're having an awesome time. If you're looking for some indoor fun, check it out! 

Holiday Happenings in Downtown Norfolk

Day one of winter break was spent in one of our favorite places- downtown Norfolk. You might not think that there is a lot to do for toddlers, but there is tons of free fun! Parking at the mall right now is free. RT could watch the Light Rail go by for hours but right now there is an actual train exhibit downtown in the Selden Marketplace until the 26th. Be sure on your walk to take the long way and take a view of the Wisconsin.

The model train exhibit is put on by the Atlantic Coast "S" Gaugers and is free and open to the public from 11-5. They are a not for profit club that has divisions all over the state. They encourage kids to press all the buttons, and there are a LOT! There is a donation cup if you are willing to help.

Heading back to MacArthur, if you can convince your kid (I couldn't) there is the Impulse exhibit which has sets of large light-up and music-playing seesaws. What was a hit for us though was Ilot De Chaleur, which lights up and will eventually play music the more you run around it. This was really fun. 

 

If you've got time, be sure to check out Dickens' ChristmasTowne also. Doing fun things with your kids doesn't have to cost a lot of money; sometimes it's just finding the things to do! Don't forget- we have a daily calendar of events on our page! 

The Pink Roller: New Location!

Yesterday we had an awesome meet up at the Pink Roller's new location inside Military Circle Mall. Although I went to the movies there in high school, I hadn't been past the movies in years, and many mamas that I talked to said the same, but the mall had a ton going on. There was a comicon going on, a vendor event, and holiday happenings. There is also now a play area in the food court and they even had a free bounce house set up. The mall has free Friday night fitness classes and free jazz performances too.

Since our last post on the Pink Roller, they have expanded into this space and added a ton of new stuff. The party room is huge and they use it for lots of things, in addition to their parties. There are now dance classes with ballet, jazz, and hip-hop.   There is yoga for ages 1-10. In the front there is a large open play area. They also added a Serenity Room where mamas can breastfeed or calm down kids who need a break for a few minutes. 

I love that there is a corner just for babies. I didn't think Ronnie would be able to do anything but sit in the stroller or the wrap, but there was several things he was able to do. RT spent the time running around, climbing, playing with trucks, riding on cars, and getting into everything else. They have an air hockey table and basketball hoop too.  We had a range of ages and all the kids were having fun! 

The Pink Roller is closed on Mondays, but other than that, open mall hours. Stop in and play! 

Busch Gardens Christmas Town 2019

Holy Christmas lights. If you haven't been to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens yet this year, here's what to expect. The park has over 10 million lights, and they are amazing. From the second you walk into England and look up, you can tell that you're going to be in for a beautiful experience. But the crowds were intense. I've never seen it so crowded. Maybe it was because not all the rides were open to take up the time of as many people, but it was hard to walk. Go into it knowing this... and bring a snack because there was a 30 minute wait to get into some of the food places, just to get in line inside. The train was a highlight (obviously.. that's all RT cares about!) but we had to wait about 45 minutes for that also. Also open was Invadr, Verbolton, the buckets, Mach Tower, and many of the smaller and kid rides. Seasame Forest and Land of the Dragons were both mostly open too.

Another highlight was the peanut butter hot chocolate, which was well worth the $5.00. We grabbed that while Neil and RT warmed up in the arcade. Nothing like the taste of a melted Reese's cup to warm you up.

The park had tons of shows going on, both indoors and outdoors. Outside in Germany we passed through Wilkommenhaus, a techno light show projected on the building and O'Tannenbaum a timed musical light show outside of the Fest Haus. Also outside is Elmo's Christmas Wish, Believe, and 'Twas The Night plus carolers spread throughout the park.  Inside there is Deck The Halls, Gloria, and Scrooge No More. Also inside of Ireland's Castle O'Sullivan is Santa's Fireside Feast. For photos check out Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, which is located in the line of Appolo's Chariot. In addition to Rudolph kids can meet Clarice, Yukon Cornelius, Bumble, and a Snowman. Santa's Workshop is located in the Dark Castle and has cookie decorating too. New this year is a Christmas Tree Maze with over 500 live trees. This is where you'll see a mention of Hanukah!

A couple ways to save some money: 

• The Souvenir Hot Beverage Mug is $8.39 but lets you get $2.59 refills. You can refill with coffee, hot chocolate, and soda. (No Starbucks or Ghirardelli) 
• Bring your regular Busch Gardens refillable cup. You can still use it. 
• A cup of water is free. 
• Look into the online prepaid Meal Deal options. 

Christmas Town is open until January 5th. Be sure to check social medias before you go. The park has been known to sell out for the night! Be mentally ready when you go to take slow strolls, have some wait time, and enjoy the beautiful lights! Final tip we discovered: When you enter the park, in the stroller and wheelchair rental kiosk, they have air pressure (in case your stroller tire is flat, like ours was) and even bottles for sale (in case you forget one, which we didn't this time!). A reminder, there are nursing stations throughout the park.
All in all, a beautiful night.