Day Out with Thomas

March 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Oh, how I wish my son were still into trains.  When he was addicted to playing with his trains, I always looked for a Day Out with Thomas that was anywhere near Pensacola.  I even checked cities we were visiting to no avail.  Either the timing wasn’t right or the drive was too long!

Day Out with Thomas is coming to Wale West Light Railway in Silverhill, Alabama.  Tickets are on sale right now.  Tickets are $18.00 per person plus tax.  If you are purchasing 20 or more tickets, you can get a group rate of $14.00 plus tax.

The tour includes a 25 minute ride with a narrow gauge Thomas the Tank Engine,™ Meeting Sir Topham Hatt, Storytelling, Live Music, Build with Mega Bloks© and much more.

The dates are April 24-25, May 1-2, May 8-9.

Wales West Light Rail is located at 13670 Smiley St., Siverhill, Alabama.  According to Google Maps, Silverhill is about an hour from the middle of Pensacola.

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Mystery Photo Monday #7 – Answer – The Wharf – Orange Beach, AL

February 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

For Mystery Photo Monday, I asked if you knew where/what this was:

This ferris wheel can be found at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama. 

The Wharf is only about 45 minutes away from Pensacola so it is ideal for a little day trip getaway.  You might be familiar with The Wharf because they often have great concerts in their huge amphitheater.  The kids will love riding this ferris wheel…well, most of them!  I must admit that we have not taken a ride on the ferris wheel yet.  Big S was not thrilled with the idea of riding it and we weren’t willing to buy tickets only to have him change his mind at the last minute.  Instead, we sat on a bench across the way and watched the ferris wheel go round and round for about 30 minutes before having lunch.  Tickets to ride the ferris wheel are $4.00.  The ferris wheel does not run on Mondays.  The ferris wheel is surrounded by many shops and restaurants so when you are finished riding, have lunch or wander through the shops or to the beach and make a day of it!

The Wharf is located at 23101 Canal Rd, Orange Beach, AL 36561 and the general contact number is 1-877-WharfAL.

Orange Beach Family Travel Tips

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Mystery Photo Monday #7

February 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

You don’t have to go to an amusement park to find this!  It is just a short day trip away!

We hope you will play along!  If you know where this can be found and what it is, post a comment!  I will post this answer tomorrow!  Check out the past Mystery Monday photos.

Filed Under: Just for Fun, Mystery Photo Monday Tagged With: ,

New Orleans with Kids

February 13, 2010 By 6 Comments

YAY!  I just got word from Colleen, over at Travel Mamas, that the link is up and working.  I hope you enjoy the article and be sure to leave a comment with your favorite New Orleans activity (with kids of course) on her site for her readers! 

If you went to New Orleans before you had kids, you might still think it is all about getting beads and battling rowdy crowds.  While this is partly true, there are so many family activities in New Orleans as well.  New Orleans is perfect for an overnighter and if you don’t mind the drive you can even do a daytrip.  With The Princess and the Frog based in New Orleans, it might even be fun to make the trip just to see the sights pictured in the movie.  It is under three hours and there are many ways to make it budget friendly.  We have the trip down to a science and can usually get away with spending less than 350 dollars for a full weekend, including gas and hotel!  Stop by Travel Mamas and read my guest post titled Family-Friendly New Orleans on a Budget.  If you have additional recommendations for family friendly activities in New Orleans, leave a comment over at Travel Mamas to let her readers know!

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Fish River Trees – Summerdale, Alabama

December 10, 2009 By 1 Comment

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Last weekend we drove the kids to Summerdale, Alabama to check out Fish River Trees Christmas Tree Farm.  We already had our tree up but we wanted to visit this tree farm because we had heard such wonderful things about it.  The kids had so much fun exploring the different tree sizes, watching people cut their own tree down, and, of course, checking out Santa and his reindeer.  Even if you already have a Christmas tree, Fish River Trees is sure to be lots of family fun!

Hop on the train and a take a tour of the property.   

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Afterwards, get some hot chocolate and go see Santa and two of his reindeer!

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My kids loved wandering through the trees. 

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Things to Know Before You Go:

  • Wear shoes because you will be wandering through the forest of trees!
  • Bring your camera…there are plenty of photo opportunities!
  • The train only runs on the weekends.
  • Santa is only available on the weekends (he has lots to do this month, you know!) from 10pm to 4pm.
  • You can cut your own tree, purchase a container tree, wreaths and garlands and everything is pretty reasonably priced. 
  • You can visit the farm for free.

Fish River Trees is only about an 45-60m drive from Pensacola.  It is located at 13982 Woodhaven Dairy Road East, Summerdale, Alabama, 36580.  The phone number is (251) 988-8114.

Filed Under: Day Trips & Overnighters, Seasonal Activities, Things to Do, Things to do Under $5 Tagged With: , , ,

Florida’s Gulfarium Marine Show Aquarium

August 26, 2009 By 2 Comments

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On Saturday, we drove to the Gulfarium for an outing.  Annual passes are 20% off right now, so after we found out how much it would cost us to bring our family of four, we decided to purchase an annual pass.  Shows start at 10am and are set up so that you can move from show to show, back to back if you wish.  We arrived a little before 10, so we headed straight to the dolphin show.  After that, we watched the sea lion show and then the multi species show.  As we walked from one show to the next, we stopped to check out the exhibits.  There is a small touch pool with horseshoe crabs and hermit crabs.  There is a shark tank, penguins, and gators.  My kids loved the gators the best.  It took them awhile to spot the gators and then all of the sudden they appeared!  There are various feedings that occur throughout the day-stingrays, penguins and otters.  We spent about 2 hours in the park and overall my kids had a good time. 

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Things to know before you go:

  • It was hot when we went.  There is some shaded seating but don’t forget your sunglasses and a hat so you can see while the shows are going on.  Also, print off this coupon for a buy one, get one soda. 
  • If you are going this weekend, print off this coupon-buy two adult tickets, get one child ticket free.  This offer expires August 31. 
  • If you are thinking about going to the Gulfarium more than once in the next year, think about purchasing an annual pass.  For my family of four, it would have cost us about 55 dollars.  We purchased the Dual plus One annual pass for 68 dollars.  When my little one is no longer free, we will just purchase her a ticket with our annual pass discount.  Be sure to bring the coupon with you.  They will not honor the 20% off without the coupon.

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Fort Walton Beach Things To Do

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Eastern Shore Center – Spanish Fort, Alabama

August 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

This post is the last in a series of Day Trip to Mobile, Alabama posts.  See the other places that we visited:  Gulf Coast Exploreum, Fort Conde, USS Alabama and Bass Pro Shops. 

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The Eastern Shore Center is a great shopping center.  There are stores for everyone in the family, great restaurants, and our personal favorite-a splash pad!  When we went to this splash pad it was packed.    The Eastern Shore has lots of great family friendly activities.  They allow birthday parties at the splash pad, they show free movies at the fountain, and they are having a Safe Kid’s Day on Friday during Alabama’s Tax Free Week.  Remember their swimsuits, a change of clothes, sunscreen and a towel.  The splash pad is a great place for the parents to relax while the kids run off some steam.

Filed Under: Day Trips & Overnighters, Parks and Playplaces, Things to Do, Things to do Under $5 Tagged With: , , , ,

Bass Pro Shops – Spanish Fort, Alabama

August 4, 2009 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a series of Day Trip to Mobile, Alabama posts.  See the other places that we visited:  Gulf Coast Exploreum, Fort Conde, and the USS Alabama. 

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We have had a love/hate relationship with Bass Pro Shops ever since my husband started doing some major hiking.  Every time he schedules a new Appalachian Trail hike, we schedule a visit to the Bass Pro.  I love to visit the store…I hate the amount of money the store is able to pull from my wallet!  Bass Pro is a great store to take the kids to.  If you need an item that relates to the great outdoors, they probably have in stock!  The store is HUGE!  Not only are there all sorts of fun things to test out before you buy but there is a humongous fish tank in the back of the store with a variety of very large (are you sensing a big theme here?!) fish swimming.  You can check out the aquarium and then head to the 2nd floor where there is an arcade game.  You could spend hours in this place!

Bass Pro Shop also has a ton of kid-oriented activities.  At Christmastime, you can do a craft and sit on Santa’s lap.  At Easter, they had an egg hunt.  Check the schedule for their events, workshops, and food tastings!

Filed Under: Day Trips & Overnighters, Things to Do Tagged With: , ,

USS Alabama – Mobile, Alabama

August 2, 2009 By 1 Comment

This post is part of a series of Day Trip to Mobile, Alabama posts.  See the other places that we visited:  Gulf Coast Exploreum and Fort Conde. 

After visiting the Exploreum and Fort Conde, we drove to Battleship Memorial Park where the USS Alabama rests.  Admission is a little pricey (but well worth it) so after spending money at the Exploreum, we decided to skip the actual tour of the USS Alabama.  It was also packed when we arrived!  We plan on visiting the battleship next time we go to Mobile.  Entrance into the parking is $2.00 a car.  Admission to the USS Alabama is $12.00 for 12 years and older, $6.00 for 6-12 year olds and it is free for 5 and under.  Tours are self-guided and the website recommends that you plan on spending approximately 2 hours on your visit.  Bring a picnic and have lunch in the park!

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Have you visited the USS Alabama?  Do you have any tips or hints for a visit to the battleship?
Mobile Things To Do

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Back to School Tax Free Weekend in Alabama

July 30, 2009 By 1 Comment

Unfortunately for the second year in a row, Florida will not be participating in a tax free week this year.  Alabama, however, is!  In keeping with our Mobile, AL themed posts this week, I thought that I would let you know that Tax Free Weekend is August 7-9th.  I checked the list to see which local governments have notified the Alabama Department of Revenue and it looks like both Spanish Fort and Foley are participating.  This means that you can check out the Tanger Outlets in Foley or hit the Eastern Shore Center in Spanish Fort and get tax free shopping.  There are some limitations though as to what items qualify and how much you can purchase to qualify for tax free.  Check the Department of Revenue website to see what qualifies and as always, call ahead to make sure the information is still accurate and current!

Filed Under: Day Trips & Overnighters Tagged With: , ,
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