We had a surprisingly light schedule this holiday weekend which meant the girls and I were able to find time for some fun. Hmmm...but what to do in Erie in the dead of winter?
Well, for starters, we headed over to Asbury Woods Nature Center on Saturday morning for a program about hibernation. The presenter brought out some animals for the kids to touch -- a ferret, a frog, a salamander and a big black snake. The coolest thing at the Nature Center -- the see-through honeybee hive -- I could've spent all day watching all those bees go about their bee business.
After the program, we headed outside to walk the center's boardwalk and look for wildlife and other cool things. We found plenty.
I definitely want to visit again in the other seasons -- I imagine spring would be an exciting time to visit. (Ah...sigh...spring...).
Sunday, we decided to try out the Family First Fun Zone. I had a coupon for the "Bounce Zone and Mini Golf" (from the Erie Times-News' Coupon Clipper) for $8 per child. The pass is all-day access, so you can spend all day there golfing and bouncing if you wish.
We spent about three hours or so. And, it was the best $16 I've spent in weeks.
The girls played 2 rounds of indoor mini golf and they spent a good hour burning off energy in the Bounce Zone.
What is the Bounce Zone? Well, it's basically a bunch of inflatable bounce houses (mazes, slides, etc). set up in a big giant carpeted room. Kiddie nirvana. I spied a soft comfy couch and plopped down while the kids ran wild (literally) from bounce house to bounce house. At one point, my rambunctious four-year-old, came streaking by...all red-faced and wild-eyed, laughing crazily and breathing heavy... I had to grab her and make her sit down for a few minutes to calm down. Suffice to say, she was having a blast and burning off some of that pent-up winter energy.
So, if you're kids are driving your crazy on their Christmas vacation, take them up to Family First and let them bounce off some energy.
Here are a few photos:
