Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

Today we headed up to Blue Ridge, GA to hop onto the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. It is a trip we have been scouting since H was born. Now that he is train obsessed, and his little brother has followed suit, it was the perfect time.

Arrive on time, the train leaves promptly at 11:00. (Seriously. 11:00.) There is ample street parking on the non-boarding side of the train. If you arrive early there is a playground just a few blocks away.

The train ride is lovely. We chose to be in an open air car and loved that all the seats faced outwards. The climate-controlled cars have traditional train seating that all face forward. The breeze on the train was more then enough to keep us cool. They switch everyone's seats going back, so do not worry too much which side of the train you are on.

I found this great post from Never Enough Thyme about their 2010 Blue Ridge Mountain Railway trip. It takes you turn by turn up the highlights of the railway and is worth a read if you are wondering what to expect.

Fish Trap visible from the train 

Now on to the big question. What do you do with two hours in McCaysville/Copper Hill? First, pick a place you want to go for lunch and make a reservation. If your train is full the restaurants in town are going to be swamped. We chose to make a 12:30 reservation at El Rio, the Mexican restaurant in town. The food was good, not the best we have ever had, but very good. We were glad to have a reservation, which we made the night before, as places got crowded.

Standing on the GA/TN Line 

View from City Park

We walked across the bridges in town,  took pictures on the state line and walked to the City Park in Copper Hill. The train hands out maps and the park is clearly marked. There is a small playground, a totem pole and a dock. This was more then enough to entertain our kids for 30 min. On our way back to the train we hit the rock shop, which was a huge hit with the boys. The train gift shop had some postcards, a big draw to send to H's little pen-pals. Had we more time, we could have grabbed ice cream or watched them make fudge. There were also a few little stores that looked cute, although window shopping with kids is not always fun.

City Park Playground 

Two-hours seems like a lot, but the time went quickly. We were back to the train at 10'till. The train pulled out of station at 2pm, leaving at least one person from our car at the station. We inquired what would happen to the person and were told their family could drive up later to fetch them. The railroad will also come get you for a $25 fee.

The ride home seems to go by quickly. Most of our train car was in a daze or asleep on the way back. When we arrived back in Blue Ridge, it was hotter then Hades, so we didn't hang around for too long.

If your driving back to Atlanta consider stopping at one of the apple picking places. We stopped at the Panorama Farm Market. They have a plethora of treats - mostly apple themed. They do have ice cream, old fashioned candy, dried fruit, fried apple pies and apple slushies. We got a variety of treats to share on the way home.

Oh and we grabbed some post cards for H to send to his friends back home... that's how all good trips end. 

Family Fun North of Atlanta.

Once again we headed north of the city on I-85 to cross a few things off our Atlanta with kids, bucket list: the Atlanta Botanical Gardens Anex, Interactive Kids Neighborhood and Baby Land General Hospital. 

We headed out of the city around 8:45, an hour later then scheduled, thanks to a rough night with the kids and a much needed coffee stop, but an hour later we were still one of the only families at the Gainesville, GA branch of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. This new facility opened in May of 2015 and currently showcases just a small portion of the acquired land.

We took our stroller but could have left it in the car, as we ended up parking the stroller and putting the one-year-old in our ergo while allowing the three-year-old to walk on his own.

The paved section of the gardens is small, currently covering just the walk down to the train garden and then back up through the stream walk. This was easily done with both children out of the stroller. There is a larger unpaved section that includes two half-mile signed "nature walks." These were a bit more strenuous for the kids, but the three-year-old did them with just a little encouragement.

The highlights were the train garden, where the kids can push a button to see two miniature trains run through a set up village.  We spent quite a while here. The staff also set out some play trains on the back deck by the little pond for the kids to play with.

Our total visit time at the botanical gardens was an hour and a half.

We back tracked a bit into town to check out the Interactive Kids Neighborhood (INK). We packed a lunch and ate at the museum. They had picnic tables out front and a few designated eating places inside.

This place is one of the stranger children's museums we have visited. That being said, the kids played here for an hour and a half.



The idea is really cleaver. The museum consists of a long row of rooms that all front a main area. Each room is set up like a different place in a neighborhood - post office, dentists office, grocery store, hospital, theater stage, farmers market, dinner, bank, vet, music room, x-ray lab, school, courtroom, red cross building (had a tv and a huge red cross sign), a barn and a TV station. The rooms however are dated and, although clean, not well organized. (No clear place to hang the costumes. The walls are crowded with posters that are tangentially related to the room topic and ideas on how to play in the room with your children. Most rooms were missing critical play pieces or pieces looked extremely dated.) I perceive that part of my problem is we have seen all these themed rooms done "better" at other museums. The novelty here though is having them all in the same place to seemingly run a small city as a child.


Once you reach the edge of this hall the idea falls away a bit and the exhibits get a little random. There is an old firetruck that you can climb into and sear, but you are prohibited from climbing into the back. There is a police car that you can, again, climb into the front, but not the back. You are able to toggle the police lights. There is a play space for toddlers and a climbing play space (think fast food restaurant play place) for older kids. There is a small twin engine plan to crawl into.

At some point someone must have thought there was not enough stuff here to do because all the remaining space is filled with random toy. These toys are organized into categories but they are random in terms of the theme. There are three train tables, which of course were a big draw for my kids.


Then we move into the completely random exhibits. A box full of toys that could be activated by pushing buttons. An area on eating healthy, that served as a complete contradiction to the type of groceries stocked in the grocery store play area. A train, that was actually a painted recycling station.

This place has a great idea, but needs a bit of focus and a new coat of paint. I would not drive up just to visit, but if you are in the area it is worth a stop. The kids had a blast.

The kids had a great car nap as we pushed the 36 minuets up the road to Baby Land General Hospital, home of the Cabbage Patch Kids. This is basically a huge gift shop for Cabbage Patch. They really commit to the whole hospital theme, you sign in when you enter and the staff is dressed like doctors and nurses to help you find a baby to adopt. Our boys loved it.

We watched as a doctor assisted "Mama Cabbage" with a birth. The show is enthralling for the kids and humorous for the adults. The visit itself is free, but the babies are not cheap. If you want to "adopt one" the fee is $60 for a baby with a plastic face and upwards of $200 for a cloth face. There are cheaper babies available, but they are boxed like you would get at Target, and not up for "adoption."

We knew this before going and were prepared to let the boys get one baby. He asked the doctor for help finding the perfect baby and finally found a bald baby boy, with brown eyes in the perfect outfit ready for adoption.

You can purchase accessories there, but the nurse let me know that all their babies wear premie size clothing from Carters, so you can also find additional outfits there.

After the official adoption we took our new baby boy out on the porch to play a bit. There is a huge lawn to run in and rocking chairs for sitting. There are also picnic tables on the property if you are looking for a place to have your picnic.

Our final stop was Mountain Fresh Creamery, which is conveniently on the road back to Gainesville, GA, where you pick up 85 to head back into the city.  The ice cream is sold right from the window in the milk can and there are plenty of picnic tables with umbrellas. Inside the store you can sample their milk or cheese and see inside the dairy. Walk around the fence line to see the cows at pasture or headed in to be milked. I ended up running back into the store for a $1 quart of cold milk to enjoy on the drive home - its seriously that good!

We did this itinerary on a weekday, so crowds were very low. It was a great way to get out of the city and see some things we had not done before.

Family Fun North of Atlanta: Southeastern Railway Museum

Last week, before we headed out to Erie, PA we headed up this way to the Southeastern Train Museum.  We were at this museum in 2014. BOY! The've made some changes. Most notably, the "Second Thursday Preschool Program," which I will just call Toddler Time.  Toddler Time happens once a month and brings a theme to the railroad museum from 10:30-12. When you check in, you get a wrist band for the adult in your group and a schedule. Each group cycles through activities. We went to one focused on Police Cars. We completed activities about traffic lights, learned about dialing 9-1-1, met a real police officer, and listened to police themed stories.  

Story Time 

Historic Train Ride 

After Toddler Time is over they run the miniature train and then the historic train. These tickets are separate from the Toddler Time fee. The historic train is a bit of a let down. The cars are converted cabooses, but they have minimal windows to see anything out of. The train runs up the track 100 yards, switches track, runs back towards the roundhouse and then does the cycle in reverse to return to the "station." My three-year old loved watching us go through the switch so it was worth it, but not the best "train ride" we've been on.

Mini Train Ride

The miniature train can be likened to a zoo train, which makes two loops on their track. They are currently working on a tunnel and other track improvements to this small train. 

Since our last visit they have added an entire room of museum quality train pieces - uniforms, china, train pins - in addition to a small working model railroad.  Several more trains have been restored and opened to walk through. They have a list on their webpage that lists their current train inventory. 

Several of the busy train lines run right past the museum, so you are guaranteed to see several trains come by. The Engineers know the museum is here, so they wave and blow the horn to the delight of all the children. 

A Few Tips: 

If you are doing toddler time and your kids love trains, arrive at 10am when the museum opens so you have some time to climb on the trains. The 30 mins prior to the program was enough time for the kids to hop on to a few of the open cars and check them out so they were not asking to do that as we changed stations. 

If your kids eat at 11:30, like ours do, pack a lunch and plan to skip one of the stations. Our Police Car visit got out early, so we grabbed lunch out of the car and ate in the pavilion between stations. The program runs till 12:30, at which time both trains run... so if you don't have lunch packed and want to ride both trains it will be after 1pm before the kids get fed. 

They hold the big historic train until everyone has had a chance to ride the miniature train, so don't go line up for the Historic Train first, or you will be stuck waiting for the later boarding of the miniature train. 

If you are just going to the museum, call first to confirm the train schedule. It varies seasonally so you will want to check and see what the schedule is before you plan your visit. 

There are a few indoor exhibits, but most of the museum is outside and can be very hot. Pack water and bring hats and sunscreen.

Erie, PA with Toddlers

We once again headed north to visit Oma and Opa in Erie, PA.

Last time I blogged about our Erie trip it was winter. Erie is known for its cold winters and record snows. You can read about our winter visit here, where we flew into Pittsburgh, did a few things and then drove to Erie. A summer visit means lots of outside time enjoying the lake and green, green grass.

This trip we flew into Buffalo, NY. We made a quick stop to visit with my 96-year-old great aunt. As we were leaving her place, we made the decision to take the kids to Niagara Falls before driving to Erie. I realize it is in the wrong direction, but we wanted the kids to see it before we left the country. (This is basically our mantra this summer.)

A summer Saturday is probably the worst time to make the spur of the moment decision to visit the falls. Parking in Niagara was $30 in most of the lots. We saw a few for $15. If your just making a quick stop, like us, there is a plethora of 2 hour free street parking.

Once we parked the car we asked at an information station how far to walk to the falls. The lady told us we were 30 min walking from the falls. Turns out we were only about 5 min. There is so much you can do here, so if you have the time check out all your options on the state park webpage. With the little ones and family so close, we knew we would be back.

We chose to simply walk along the Niagara River to the falls on the New York side. We did not venture out onto Goat Island, although it does provide my favorite view. We resisted the urge to make a quick visit to Canada and instead made the 1.5 hour drive to Erie.

Our focus for the trip was on seeing family. We spent most of our visit watching the kids play with their cousins in the yard. Opa let them sample currents from a bush. They picked cucumbers from the garden They had a wing and pizza picnic in the backyard. They played water balloons, trains and cooked in the kitchen. We only ventured out to give Oma and Opa some quiet time!

We had a huge list of things to do in Erie, but only checked off a few of them.

The Erie Zoo is a strange mix of old buildings and brand new exhibits. We went on their "frozen treats" day, so the zoo was crowded but still enjoyable. Every animal was out and about playing when we visited. (Even the sloth was working his way across the top of his exhibit.) The train is not to be missed as it takes you into an area that is only reachable by the train. The kids loved how the train goes over the creek. They have a wonderful kids area where you can pet the wallaby and feed birds. There is also a huge playground in the kids area. We packed a lunch and found a table right next to the penguin exhibit. We could have stayed all day, but it was hot and the kids were getting tired.

A visit to Erie is not complete unless you head out to Presque Isle State Park. In summer the beaches are the place to be. We set up our little camp on one of the beaches and the kids played all afternoon. There are lifeguards on duty that keep everyone in the shallows. We did not let the kids get in too deep, but they loved playing at the waters edge and digging in the sand. There was ample parking and we did not have to walk terribly far to our car.

We grabbed dinner at Sara's, which is a family tradition. We all sat at one long table with all the kids enjoying hotdogs, fries, milkshakes and cream sickle ice cream. When my little one was on a milk protest, this is where Opa took him to get a milk shake and he has been a milk drinker ever since.

Also on Presque Isle is Waldameer and Water World, an amusement and water park. We did not get to it this visit, but it will be top of our list when we return for older kids. There are lots of ticket options, including a pass that is perfect for little ones looking to just spend an hour or two there. You are able to purchase a set amount of points such that you can just do a few kiddie rides and head to the beach, if you want. The Tom Ridge Environmental Center is also located here. We have been here on a previous trip. The center itself is free, but there are IMAX shows for a fee. This is a great 30min indoor option to learn about the ecosystem of the lake.

We love to head down to the waterfront in Erie and walk around. H really wanted to head up the Bicentennial Tower, so we paid our admission and headed up. (We may have been the only visitors all day.)  The tower is not quite tall enough to see the lake, but you do get a great view of the bay and the entire city.  The tower offers free admission the first Sunday of every month. Down on the pier we watched some fishermen catch fish and crawled around on the statues.

The Erie Naval Museum is just next door. We had plans to visit, since it is part of the Blue Star Museum program, but our toddler had other plans. The Brig Niagara is sometimes in port and available for tours. Call first as she is often late and the webpage is not accurate. A few other attractions down on the waterfront (that we did not have time for) include: Harbor View Mini Golf, Scalawag's Pirate Cruise, and Liberty Park and the water taxi.

We made a return visit to the ExpERIEnce Children's Museum in downtown Erie. They have made a few large changes since our last visit. The top floor is a bit more organized and features an amazing play grocery store sponsored by Wegmans. In the basement a play area for little ones has been added. They have foam blocks for climbing over and a sensory wall. I had to shoo some big kids out of the way but then our teeny's had plenty of room to play without being knocked over. There is also an outdoor play garden. We only spent a few moments out there before the torrential rain started.

You know we found a railway museum to visit! We combined a visit to the Lakshore Railway Museum in Northeast, PA with a visit to Gravel Pit Park, where Jeff completed his Eagle Scout project many years ago. Gravel Pit Park has old playground equipment that the kids enjoyed, plus a bunch of snowplow blades they enjoyed looking at. The Railway Museum never actually opened the day we were there - the volunteer was late or something of the sort - but we still spent nearly an hour checking out all the cars. They have the best collection of working train switches we have ever seen at a museum. H loved switching them all and seeing how they worked.

Here are a few other things we had on the list but did not get to:
- Pick Your Own Fruit. There are a variety of places but Finnell Farms in Harborcreek is where my in laws get the grapes for their Jam. Rahal Farms in Northeast, PA also looked to have a good selection.
- The Asbury Woods Nature Center 
- Splash Lagoon Water Park which we have been to in the past and I tend to save for winter visits, but boy is it fun.

The one mishap of the trip happened when we mistakenly left the I-Pad at Oma & Opa's house. We were an hour into the drive back to Buffalo when we realized our mistake. Luckily I had a whole bag of Usborn Books that we barely used on the trip, so the boys were plenty entertained on the trip.

We did make one last stop at Ted's in Buffalo, another family tradition, to make sure the kids gave it a try before we leave the country! Ted's conveniently has a location right by the airport.