Great Wolf Lodge Recon!

On Friday Clara and I were making our way to Binghamton for the weekend, and wanted to find a great spot to break up the drive. I got in touch with the the Great Wolf Lodge, (the one in the Poconos in PA, there are 11 more throughout the country), and they were nice enough to let us stop by for a couple of hours. Now, for those of you who don't know, Great Wolf Lodge is an indoor water park resort for overnight guests. I had no idea what to expect, except I knew Clara was going to have a blast, and I curious to see if I would, plus was intrigued that they are super environmentally friendly, and they don't use chlorine. Well, it was awesome. All the water activities are in a huge daylit building, and there are so many elements for all interests--a little kiddie area that is so shallow and has three mellow waterslides. There's a huge wave pool (big hit with Clara!) And there are medium level waterslides to crazy ones (which we didn't go on--if Matt was there, he would've taken Clara). Plus, there are life guards EVERYWHERE, and they are super on top of everything, down to when a toddler had a Caddyshack floater moment, and the kiddie pool got shut down immediately. There's even a really nice outdoor pool. And, if you get tired of all the water, there are so many other things to do, like a kid spa, which actually is done nicely (little girls get hot pink robes and tiaras), and a Nascar area with remote control cars on a racetrack. And there's an adult spa too. We were there for about 2.5 hours, so we just did the waterpark, and had a very fast lunch. There are all sorts of food options, from a Starbucks to a pizza-to-go window, if you want to bring it back to your room. We didn't get to see the rooms, but apparently they are large, sleeping a family of four easily, and have a fridge and a microwave.  It's the kind of place that I'd visit for a Saturday night, on either a scorching hot weekend, or during the middle of winter--it's a perfect getaway that you don't have to fly to, and it's truly fun for the whole family. Really, how come more people that I know don't know about this place...it's just two hours from NYC, and it's more fun than lining up for rides at amusement parks. I don't know the last time I had exhilirating fun like that!

Here are some tips you need to know if you go:

1. Bring a waterproof camera.

2. Don't let your kid accidentally delete all of the pictures from said waterproof camera (like my daughter did--you should have seen the great pictures we took with it! Instead, you're stuck with my pics, which are just from the entrance to the waterpark, because I didn't dare get it all wet).

3. This is not a place to sport your bikini. If you have a one-piece, bring it. Or buy one. I wished I had one of those skirt-type ones by the end of our time there.

4. You're a 3 minute drive from the outlet mall (over 100 stores) called The Crossings in Tannersville, if you need to pick up a swimsuit, or whatever. 

Old School Amusement Parks: Sylvan Beach NY

Sylvan Beach may be one of our favorite old fashioned amusement parks ever. Besides the fact that it is completely caught in time (not 40% old and 60% new), it's also on the shore of Lake Oneida, so you can swim when you get too hot. It's also close to Syracuse--about 30 minutes I guess. We liked it so much that we think we'd come back and stay in a nearby cottage, or at least overnight at the Dwarf Line Motel and Cottages.

Check out the amazing rides and signage, with nary a Rubbermaid chair in sight.

Old School Amusement Parks: Fairyland

I always gravitate to pretty much anything that has been operated since the 1940s. It can be a hot dog joint that sells crappy dogs that I would normally turn my nose up to, but if it's been in the family for a couple of generations, or has great signage, I lose all of my organic uptightness. This week I'm in Binghamton, NY, where Grandma lives, and I'll be posting about what we discover all week (and continuing my Vacation Idea World Series next week, when I'm back with my big computer with all of my pictures). On Friday we're going to the Sylvan Beach Amusement Park, which Grandma remembers going to as a teenager, so it must be cool. Here's one of our favorite old school amusement parks we've been to, Fairyland, which is in Oakland, and is so off the beaten path, that many of my SF mom friends didn't even know about it.

("old school" in practice--no parents allowed in this ferris wheel occupied by two 3 year olds.)

Now one of the things you have to bear in mind with 'old school', is that it isn't the padded playground that we've become accustomed to. Clara was three when we went there, and when she saw this little merry-go-round, that was probably the tallest one I've ever seen, for how small it was, she just had to go on it. However, the attendant wouldn't let me hold her, and it had no harness/belt. She kept saying she could do it and would hold on, so I decided it was better to trust her, even though it was concrete below. She was completely fine, although I think I am still a little traumatized by it. 

Lastly, if you do go and check out Fairyland, here are some food suggestions, so you can make a day trip out of it. Restaurant suggestions come courtesy of Mike Sterba, a family friend, who lives in the area and has two kids, and good taste in food.  

Fenton's Creamery: 1.5 miles from Fairyland, and how the heck did I not know about this place?! An ice cream joint that's been around for 115 years!

Arizmendi Bakery : a worker-owned cooperative bakery that has amazing looking pizzas using organic and local ingredients, plus pastries and pies (and about a half a mile from Fairyland).

Bakesale Betty : a former Chez Panisse alumn who has a fantastic bakery. Also a half mile from Fairyland.

Junibacken in Stockholm

One of our favorite places ever is Stockholm.  I love the landscape, the food, and all the activities for families.  Junibacken is the theme park (for lack of a better description--it really only has a train ride, but it's filled with very cool activities--play house, etc) and it is an hommage to Astrid Lundgren, the author best known for Pippi Longstocking.  I love that kids can play house, in a totally not dumbed down house set, and they even have an area for kids to do construction--they have hammers, saws, nails, wood that looks like you'd get a splinter just looking at it...and no supervision.  I know that sounds crazy, but the Swedes just assume that this is how you learn.

Really close by is one of my favorite places to eat lunch in the world.  It's the Rosendals Tradgard , which is a garden/greenhouse shop, with a boutique, and an delicious organic cafe.

Kid Driving School

Only in Sweden.  This place is called Box Car Land, and it's about 45 minutes south of Stockholm, in a small town called Nykvarn.  Kids get to choose whether they want to drive a truck, car, train, or motorcycle...and at the end, they get a driver's license.  You have to be under 10 to drive.  Sadly for Clara, she had just fallen asleep for a much needed nap, so she didn't get to experience it...she and Matt stayed in the car while I checked it out.