Quick pit stop in Montpelier…check out our Vermont family fun blog, coming soon!

Occasionally, I will post about great deals that come along…and this is definitely one of them. Patagonia is having a Spring and Summer Styles online web sale with most products 30% off. The deal includes free shipping for orders over $75. Be sure to take advantage of this deal, which runs through July 27th.

Happy Shopping

Christian

For me, North Conway is hands down my favorite place in New England, and brings back wonderful memories from my days as a kid staying up there at our family cottage with my parents, cousins, and grandparents.

Andrew, William, and Olivia at the Conway Scenic Railroad

Some of my fondest memories up north were at the two main theme parks – Storyland and Santa’s Village! This week, Liss and I had the pleasure of reliving these memories, while creating new ones with our kids. After our trip, I thought it would be fun to write a blog trying to compare our experience at these two parks this week. Let me know what you think!

What

Santa’s Village: First of all, this place is not close to North Conway. Anticipate an 60+ minute drive to Jefferson, NH IF YOU DON’T get lost! This has happened to us a few times in the past. If you go, be sure to drive on Route 302 through Crawford Notch…it’s a faster drive.

Admission: $78 for a family of four (4 and under free). Parking was free. Seeing that we went on Monday, we parked right in front of the park and the attendance was pretty light. The lines were pretty short, too.

Enjoy a view of the mountains from the Skyway Sleigh

Highlights: First off, the Christmas theme in July is great! I love the vibe in the park, from the christmas music to the elves to the themed rides. Seriously, what’s not to love about seeing Santa? Some of the big kid rides are pretty solid, too. The Yule Log Flume Ride and the Ruby’s Rapid Transit Roller Coaster are excellent rides that do not disappoint. The Skyway Sleigh is another great attraction that allows you to get a bird’s eye view of the park. Most rides didn’t require an adult, which also was a benefit for parents with little kids.

Me and Andrew on Ruby

Seeing that we brought along our newborn daughter, we also enjoyed just how shaded and spread-out the park seems. You never feel like you’re one in a crowd here. When it got too hot for us, we put on our bathing suits and spent a few hours at the park’s new Ho Ho H20 Water Park (which is free with admission, another great feature!). The boys couldn’t get enough of this place and added a few more hours to our stay.

The Ho Ho H20! A perfect way to cap off our trip to the park. Be sure to pack a bathing suit.

Lowlights: Frankly, there’s not too much to complain about other than the commute. If you can get over the drive, the trip is well worth it. Again, if you go, make sure you follow directions closely. As I learned, my car GPS took me on some long backroads to get there, so pay attention. The only other may be to stay away from the reindeer. As much as it fits in with the Christmas vibe, the reindeer petting area is pretty hot and stinky – but that’s being picky.

A great park with lots to offer, but it can get crowded so plan accordingly

Storyland: Storyland is much closer to North Conway and better known, which can mean big crowds at times. Planning ahead of time is important if you’re making the trip here.

Admission: Price is $27.99 for ages 3+. This cost us $111.96. We also had to pay an additional $10 for preferred parking, largely because we had an infant and both parking lots were packed early. $122 before we event stepped foot inside the park. One thing that helps mitigate this price is if you attend the park during the last three hours the day beforehand. You pay full price, but also get freed admission for the next day.

Highlights: This year, the park added a new attraction – Splash Battle – which is a great four-seated boat ride complete with water guns! On this ride, you get the chance to shoot water at visitors walking around the park as they can shoot at you from guns stationed outside the ride . You can also shoot at other boats – which means you will get absolutely soaked! We had a blast on this ride, and it was much needed relief on a very hot July day.

Storyland

We got on the Polar Coaster, Crazy Barn, Tea Cups, Buccaneer Pirate Ship and the Farm Tractors relatively easily which the kids enjoyed. They also enjoyed the Cinderalla’s Coach Ride up to her magic castle! The Loopy Lab is also a big hit with the boys, shooting nerf balls all over the factory with a wide variety of air pressured guns. Note: Both the roller coaster and flume rides are much better at Santa’s Village.

Cinderella

Lowlights: Some of the best rides in the park, including the Bamboo Chutes and Dr. Geyser’s Raft Ride, had lines that were simply too long for us to wait in with little kids – even on a Tuesday morning. Same was true for the Great Balloon Chase, Turtle Twirl, Antique Cars, and Swan Boats. This was extremely frustrating. Other rides that we got on, such as the Flying Fish, Dutch Shoes and Whirling Whales, took forever to wait in line for a relatively short ride.

It

Given the high heat, there’s not a lot of shade at the park and several of the mist tents weren’t working that day. The Sprayground is also pretty weak and does very little to cool you off. If you’re taking little kids, be sure to pay attention to the height restrictions beforehand…numerous times, we found that the kids needed an adult for certain rides, more so than we thought.

Conclusion: Both parks have their pros and cons. If you are to hit Storyland, the key is to get there off season at an off-peak time….otherwise you should prepare yourself for a long day in lines. Santa’s Village is a great park that has get up a well-thought out expansion, but is a bit out of the way. Odds are that we’ll be back to visit both parks next year!

Each Friday though out the summer, families will receive free admission to some of the best cultural attractions in the state including the Museum of Science, the Boston Children’s Museum, the Stone Zoo, JFK library and many others!

For more information, be sure to visit their website.

Www.swimmingholes.org is a comprehensive state-by-state website that provides details on some of the best places to take your kids for some fun! The Massachusetts’ page includes detailed descriptions of 37 swimming holes that may be worth a visit – the site even tells you whether the spot may have a waterfall, monkey rope or some other feature that’s worth visiting.

I have to give my friend Jeff Terrey a hat-tip for suggesting this site. He’s found a lot of great spots thanks to this site and wanted to spread the word….enjoy!

Immediately we skimmed through the book looking for ideas. After dog-earing a few potential spots, we settled on a hike up Mount Agamenticus in York, Maine. Known as “Big A,” this former ski slope sits within a 10,000 acre conservation area. It’s not a steep mountain, topping off at only 692 feet, but the summit does offer pretty extensive views and is well worth the effort.

For those of you familiar with the York/Ogunquit area, this park is not far off Rt.1. The park is only about 4 miles west off of Mountain Road after taking a left at the ever-popular Flo’s Hot Dog Stand. It’s tough to miss, given the numerous road signs leading up to the entrance.

According to Wikipedia, legend has it that Saint Aspinquid (sometimes Aspenquid), an Indian chief, was buried atop Mount Agamenticus in May of 1682. He was born in May of 1588, and after converting to Christianity, spread the gospel to tribes across the continent. His funeral, at which 6,712 animals were sacrificed, was attended by hundreds, even thousands, of Native Americans. A cairn on the summit stands as memorial to the sachem, and whoever pays tribute to his soul by adding a rock is assured of luck.

Olivia and the boys get ready for their big hike!

We were surprised to see a full parking lot when we arrived, seeing that it was July 4th, but the trails were quite busy today. At the trailhead, the park offered detailed park information, maps, and a toilet. It was a special day for us as our new daughter, Olivia, took part in her first hike! Only a month old, we strapped her into our Baby Bjorn and took off with the boys for an adventure. The boys now seem like pro’s in the woods, packing their camelbaks with snacks and binoculars in preparation for the hike.

A couple of observations about the park. First, it’s a bit rocky. If you’re with younger children, you need to pay special attention to their footing. It’s not dangerous, but you do need to be careful. The trails offered great information along the way about birds, bugs, and plants that are in Big A….something that you don’t see too often on hikes. Also, there are a number of mountain bikes throughout the park, so you need to be on alert for them as well.

Following our leader up the trail!

There are two main trails on Mt. Agamenticus – the Ring Trail and the Blueberry Trail. Overall distance up to the summit was 1.8 miles from the parking lot. Middway up our hike, we began to see some scenic vistas below including the Atlantic Ocean. Although we started out early, it was a hot day – and given last night’s rain – it was a bit buggy, so we decided to cut our hike a bit short before reaching the top.

A view from the top of Mount Agamenticus

Good thing for us, you can also drive to the top of the mountain! After our descent, we got into the car and drove up to the top of the mountain. Up there are a number of lookout spots to see Boston, the White Mountains, the Isle of Shoals and beyond. There is a fire tower as well as a lodge with a nature center inside. It’s a nice place to relax and have a picnic too, after your hike.

Inside the Summit Lodge and Nature Center

Seeing how much we love this part of Maine, I’m sure that we’ll be back here again soon. It’s a quick trip from home and close to so many other great locations. We hope you found our blog helpful in thinking about your next adventure!

Mendon is located out in Central Massachusetts, right off Route 495. From Amesbury, it took us approximately 90 minutes. Though we seemed to make good time on the highway, be prepared for a slow drive through secondary roads through Hopedale and Mendon. There’s a number of lights, stop signs and intersections between the highway and the zoo.

The Bearded Pig

Parking was easy. We parked right near the entrance, which was great. However, admission into the park was very pricey. We paid $66 for admission, with no rides (Adults $19.50, Kids 3+ $13.50). To compare we would pay $38.50 for the York Zoo ($14.75 for adults. $9 per children 4+ – we have 3 year old). Roger Williams Zoo, another one of our favorite spots is also much cheaper at $40 (Adults $12, 3+ $8). For that price, our expectations for the park were high.

Southwick's Giant Tortoise

The park boasts 330 acres of animals and attractions. The kids were impressed with the wide variety of animals, right from the start. We also enjoyed how spread out the park was, which made it easy to move around with a stroller. From the kangaroos to the giant tortoises, the bearded pig to the rhinos, we were impressed with the variety of animals as we bounced around the exhibits.

New Giraffe Exhibit Lets You Get Up Close!

However, some of the biggest draws for kids, including the lion, tigers, alligator and leopards were set back far from the crowds behind chain linked fencing, which was a bit frustrating for the boys. Surprisingly, there were no elephants or bear at this zoo. Southwick’s biggest strength is their large variety of monkey exhibits including chimpanzees, gibbons, and mandrills.

Tough to get pictures of the lions. Far away and behind chain link.

Southwick has a solid petting zoo, probably one of the “cleaner” ones I’ve seen. The new giraffe exhibit was a big hit and the bird sanctuary draws a big crowd. Although our kids were too young, the Skyfari Ski Ride looked like fun, where you could take a 15 minute chairlift ride above the park for an additional $5. One funny side note, the park makes you ride the lift barefoot if you’re wearing sandals, so we saw a lot of bare feet swinging overhead. The Woodland Express, a tire train ride also costs additional money.

Lastly, the zoo has a pretty weak selection of antiquated kiddie rides that looked like hand-me-downs from some bygone era. Each ride cost an additional $2 on top of admission. They were nothing special and only reminded us of all the wide variety of rides available in Maine. We took advantage of the zoo’s playground, which was decent.

All told, we were happy to add Southwick to our list of adventures and were impressed with the wide animal selection – but given the distance, price, and mediocre kiddie entertainment, we’re not sure we’ll be back to Mendon any time soon.

By way of background, Odiorne Point is one of the first settlements by English colonists in New Hampshire following the arrival of the ship Jonathan in 1623.

The large property was owned by the Odiorne family for a number of generations, using the land for farming and seaside cottages until  the federal government purchased the property in 1942 to establish several military bunkers on site. Renamed Fort Dearborn, the property served as a coastal defense to protect Porstmouth Harbor and the Naval Shipyard. Finally, in 1961, the property was sold back to the State of New Hampshire.

This spot is great for a number of reasons. First, it’s right along the coast off of Route 1A and the trip up along the ocean is one of the best drives in New England.

Second, the park has a large number of nature/bike trails that wind in and out of the coastline, offering a great mix of scenery. Today, there were a large amount of people out on the beach, picnicking, and bike-riding.

The nature trails are particularly good for young kids because they are so flat and wide open with plenty of things to see and benches to stop for a snack. Today we saw lots of ducks and birds throughout the park.

Lastly, Odiorne is home to the Seacoast Science Center, a great little spot that has a marine life touch tank, a small, but decent aquarium, and Tofu, a young humpback whale skeleton that our boys enjoyed.

The museum is $5 per adult and $2 for kids between the ages of 3-8. It’s a nice little spot, but I’m not sure that it’s worth the admission for much more.

If you’re heading to Odiorne, be sure to grab a map beforehand so that you can take advantage of all the park has to offer. Every time we go to the park, we always end up somewhere different.

As I’ve said before, I suggest you make a day out of it by driving up along Route 1A past Hampton Beach to the park. We really enjoy driving north onto Newcastle (which also has a fantastic park) and then to Portsmouth for a bite at the Friendly Toast or Flatbread, if the line’s not to long.

The best part about the site is that it provides current news and information about activities going on at many of these locations including an upcoming lecture series at Minuteman National Park on March 13th and an Oral History class at the Lowell National Historical Park.

It’s pretty cool stuff, check it out!

Christian