The Holiday Train Show

I learned about the Holiday Train Show in The New York Botanical Garden from one of my Facebook friend's post and we thought of checking it out. We went on the last day on January 19, 2015 and it was so awesome! The artist Paul Busse and his team really did an amazing job of recreating New York City's landmarks out of bark and other parts of plants. I didn't reserve a time beforehand so we have to wait a bit before we can go in the Haupt Conservatory to see the Holiday Train Show.

 

We use the time to visit the Mertz Library which we learned is one of the and the largest, botanical libraries in the world, and to take the tram tour  My husband and I had to tell my daughter to imagine the flowers since the tour audio describe blooming flowers and flowering trees and yet all we can see are trees with no leaves, grass and rocks, typical of a winter landscape.

Last year, my daughter had a field trip in the  Everett Children's Adventure Garden so she gave her Daddy a tour of the Garden, sprinkle water on some plants inside the mini green house found in the garden, entertain us with her impromptu puppet show and play in the toy train found in the garden.

Visiting the Cradle of Aviation Museum

I can't believe we didn't know about Cradle of Aviation Museum in Charles Lindbergh Blvd.
Garden City, NY earlier. It's in the museum row in Garden, City, NY just a few building away from Long Island Children's Museum which we visited a number of times.

Watching Sea Monters in the Dome Theater is awesome! In some scenes we experienced the same feeling that we had during Soarin, a flight stimulator in Epcot. We went to the museum early so we had the Dome Theater to ourselves. We felt special, it's like chartering a whole theater for a great watching experience!

The Deep Sea: The Ride in the X-Ride Theater is not so bad either! The screen is not as big as the Dome Theater, but the motion of our ride compensate for it.

There are different models of planes and even a flight stimulator. My daughter crash the plane without even taking off the first time but the second time she tried it, she was able to do it. My husband kind of help with the pedal though since she too short to reach them with her feet.

The Junior Jet Club, an interactive play area for children up to six years of age is my daughter's favorite spot in the whole museum though. She built rockets using soft blocks, pretend to pilot a space shuttle cockpit, climb into space stations among other things. We will definitely come back again to this museum.

Hanging Out in Fort Totten in Bayside, NY

Fort Totten is one of the interesting places to hang out in my community at Bayside, NY. There is a swimming pool, and if you enjoy biking, it is a good places to ride your bike with friends and family. If you like just walking around, you can visit the remains of the old Fort. It is free. You are asked to sign in before you see the fort but it is a good thing because if you have kids they can play in the Kids Corner after the long walk from the gate.

Children's Museums in Georgia

If you want to take a road trip to Disney World but are looking for interesting places to see along the way you can stop over children's museums along the way.  You can relax while your child spends excess energy. Plus, she or he have something to look forward to during the drive. We usually start in the early morning then check out children's museum in the afternoon, check in at a hotel near the museum then drive again in the morning.

Imagine It, The Children's Museum of Atlanta is a nice stop-over in the state of Georgia. My daughter had fun loading balls using pulleys, levers, screws, inclined planes, wheel and axle, and wedges and operating the crane.

Another children's museum that we are interested to visit is Interactive, Neighborhood for Kids, Inc. in Gainesville, Georgia. Just want to check out the full-sized aircraft, the vet clinic and see how to create pottery in Fired Pottery store among others.

Children's Museums in Virginia

If you are like us who don't want to drive more than a certain hours a day to reach Disney World. You can stop over children's museums along the way.  You can relax while your child spend excess energy. Plus she  or he have something to look forward to during the drive. We usually start in the early morning then check out children's museum in the afternoon, check in at a hotel near the museum then drive again in the morning.

Children's Museum of Richmond is a nice stopover in Virginia.

Another children's Museum that we want to visit next time we stop over in Virginia is the Children's Museum of Virginia. Just want to check out its Planetarium, Wizard of Oz, and Pets and Vets clinic exhibits.

Visiting Carrier Houses Bed and Breakfast

Carrier Houses Bed and Breakfast was walking distance to KidSenses Children's Museum, the reason why we stopped over in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. This historical house with its charming old world decor and ambiance as well as the impressive architecture was truly an experience. Dan and Lynn, the hosts were so accommodating and friendly. It was a pleasure to stop there and it was a mini vacation within our vacation.

The lemonade and freshly baked cookies available when we arrived were a nice touch. Lynn made a delicious breakfast. She arranged the fruits, banana, cantaloupe, etc like a smiley face on my daughter's plate then gave her a butterfly and heart shaped french toast breakfast. My husband and I were served fruits, then french toast artfully arranged with peaches. What a treat!

Visiting Disney World

Disney World will still be a favorite destination no matter how many times we've been there.  Disney is expensive, but they know how to show a family a great time.  Before we even took the short bus ride from the hotel to Disney, my daughter (and me) couldn't get over the beautiful themed room from the Lion King.  At the Magic Kingdom my daughter took picture with Elsa and Anna from the movie frozen, as well as many of the other princess characters.  Of course the rides are amazing and not only great for kids, but nostalgic for adults.  Who can resist smiling when they ride Its A Small World After All.  My daughter said her favorite ride (and mine too) was the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Ride.  The lines are long and its incredibly hot, so try to get a fast pass which gives you the time to ride a particular ride and cuts down your waiting time significantly.  Epcot is also amazing.  Our favorite ride was Soarin' which gives you the feeling of flying over a landscape.  The seats move up and down, and I don't know exactly how they do it, but this is incredibly realistic and amazing.  Epcot also offers fast passes, and you'll want it for a popular ride like this one.

Cool Places For Kids in Georgia

Looking for cool places to stop-over in Georgia while on your way to Florida?

Imagine It, The Children's Museum of Atlanta is a nice stop-over in the state of Georgia. My daughter had fun loading balls using pulleys, levers, screws, inclined planes, wheel and axle, and wedges and operating the crane.

Georgia Aquarium is a nice place to visit. It has its own parking, you just need to pay for it.  I was really surprised to see how big this place was.  I loved how some of the exhibits were presented, not just on the walls, but on the ceilings as well, sometimes making you feel like you're in the aquarium.  We also went to a dolphin show which was great.

 

It's good to walk at Centennial Olympic Park to stretch your legs after a long drive.  Very pretty and relaxing.  Its really hot but all the fountains made it seem cooler.  My daughter of course found the kids playground and enjoyed that too.