Day 6: Silver Dollar City

Thursday, June 12

Fast Facts:
Starting: Missouri
Ending: Missouri
Today's Mileage/Total Mileage: 2 mi (3.2 km)/1492 mi (2401 km)



Not only was Branson a convenient distance from the giant Superman statue in Illinois, it was home to Silver Dollar City, an amusement park that sounded... well... amusing. It is structured to look like an Old Western town. It was very reminiscent of Dollywood, in the sense that in addition to all the fun rides (including several roller coasters) there are lots of shops, shows, and demonstrations. As it turns out, Bird is particularly fond of wind chimes.



We happened to catch a circus show on ice - walked by shortly before it started. The show was a little on the hokey side, but the costumes & talent were amazing! After the finale, the skaters all gathered at the edge of the rink and you could go say hi if you wanted. Bird made a mad dash to the princess skater - who thought she was so adorable that she picked her right up so I could take a picture.



We spent the rest of the day doing all the typical preschooler things - flying elephants/caterpillars/frogs/ladybugs (seriously, how many rides can you make that go in a circle?!) and looking longingly at all the roller coasters. We did go on the SDC train as it leisurely traversed the park, but that was about it. Bug and I did go on a boat ride (circle boats down the rapids type of ride.) and got wonderfully soaked. (Bug, squealing in delight: I'm wet!!) Silly mommy, though - we went on it right before dinner and he turned into a Bug-sicle at the restaurant. Daddy went & found him an official Silver Dollar City t-shirt so he could eat his macaroni & cheese in peace.

At the end of the day we went into one of those old-time photo places, dressed up like Southern Civil War soliders/Southern Belles & got our picture taken, but I'm not sharing that here. ;)

Overall, I did love this place, but I definitely want to go back when the kids are older (and at least one of them wants to go on the roller coasters!!)

Day 3: Dollywood

Monday, June 9

Fast Facts:
Start: Tennessee
End: Tennessee
Today's Mileage/Total Mileage: 112 mi (180 km)/797 mi (1283 km)

After some fun hijinks with the in-laws' car (wouldn't start & they had to get a rental), we were on our caravaning way to Pigeon Forge - home of all sorts of touristy shops, dinner theaters and the like. Our goal: to spend the day at Dollywood, the Southern theme park designed (or at least she's the poster girl) by Dolly Parton. (Insert inappropriate joke here. We might have.)

Dollywood is very Southern - first evident when you grab the tram in the lot - the driver will use the PA system to tell you how many seats are left & where they are. (And you do want to take the tram - some of the parking lots are a mile or more from the front gate!)

The park itself is rather quaint, and one does not have to LOVE amusement park rides in order to stay occupied all day long. (Although that's what I enjoy doing!) In addition to the thrill-seeking (or just mildly thrilling), there are all sorts of shops and shows to visit, not to mention all the food you can eat!! There is not so much that you can't do everything you really want to in a single day.

Particularly fun was that I was able to briefly meet up with a friend that I haven't seen in a while (in fact, she only had one child the last time we met! Her second is now 18 months old). Her daughter (same age as Bug) was really friendly while my kids just stared at her. (Oops. I think they get that from me.) We were able to get a great picture of us with the kids. Well, great if you consider the fact that the two mommies are smiling at the camera and the four kids are looking in four directions anywhere but the camera. [This is the part where I'd insert a photo, but sadly mine are on the camera that does not connect to the laptop!] They had gotten there early, and we were late because of the car troubles, and it was HOT, so they got an early start home.

Anyhow, after they left we managed to convince the kids to ride the Ferris wheel and the carousel. And some flying elephant ride.

Now, like I said, this is a place where you can easily do anything you want. Unless, of course, it rains. This park is not set up for rain. So, when a big storm started brewing around 3pm (and by brewing I mean dark clouds & lightning in the distance), the whole park essentially shut down. Now, I am fully aware of the dangers of lightning, and am not questioning shutting down a lot of the rides - especially the roller coasters. But when you can't even go watch a show because their sound & light systems aren't equipped to deal with rain, there's a problem. All you can do is shop. Not only did none of this appeal to us, there is no way you can do that with a 3 & 5 year old who just want to run around & play on the playground. (also closed).

So we left. We were kinda bummed, so we ended up having dinner at a buffet-style restaurant. We were spending the night at a local KOA in a large 2-room Kabin. The in-laws got the big bed, and the rest of us shacked up on bunk beds. The cabin itself was very nice and we were pleased with the facility in general.

The next day would finally find us travelling out on our own.....

Grad Nite

Friday night I had the opportunity to be a chaperone for our school's trip to Disney's Grad Night. This is the third year I've managed to get myself invited (as I have not been the senior class sponsor yet), and it's one of my favorite end-of-the-year things to do. I LOVE going to Disney, but it's so stinkin' expensive that our family never really does.

Therefore, I willingly sacrifice a night of sleep for the chance to visit the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, our bus driver somehow heard Animal Kingdom, so it took us a little longer to get there!! Thankfully, the bus unloaded right outside Space Mountain, so we had immediate access into the park.


I'm also totally willing to ignore the fact that they blast hip-hop music all night long. (Actually, since it's not mutated Disney songs, that may be an advantage!)

Furthermore, it's dark (cause it's overnight), so no chance of sunburn or heatstroke. The lines (except for Space Mountain - that one is always at least an hour!) are not too terribly bad, since a lot of the students are busy at the street parties and/or concerts.

This year's nifty chaperone perk was an all-night fast pass onto several of the main rides. (That does mean I rode Space Mountain twice!)

Besides, where else can you get a picture of yourself with Mickey in his cap & gown? (I'm the one in the blue; the other is one of my coworkers.)

Animal Kingdom

Haven't blogged about a theme park recently, so figured it was a good time to dig into the vaults and talk about this one.

Disney's Animal Kingdom opened back in April 1998. I'm not exactly sure when, but I was able to go with my family sometime that fall. My sister & I were excited because her leg was broken (stress fracture), so she had to rent a wheelchair & that allowed us all sorts of helpful privileges. (What can I say? We're weird.)

In all fairness, the first year of any park is sketchy as they work out all the kinks.... blah, blah, blah. None of us liked it, and I'd never been back since.

Over the last couple of years I've had quite a few people tell me that the place is so much better now; I'd probably really like it if I went back..... so we decided to use our final day of our 3-days passes to go there.

Quite honestly, my opinion hasn't changed. It's not that it's a bad park - there are lots of really good things about it. Let's start there.

The Good
* Everest - the newest roller coaster. Disney is not in the business of building thrill coasters, and this is definitely not a heart-stopper. BUT, there is an awful lot of creativity here that is just a lot of fun to experience. Be sure to either Fast-Pass it, or get in the single rider line. Otherwise you will be looking at a 40 minute wait on a good day. (I think we saw 90 minutes at one point.)

* The Boneyard - the playground for the kids. The ground is that fake bouncy stuff, and there are lots of slides and fun things for the kids to climb & run around on. There is only one entrance/exit, and it is manned by a Disney cast member. (I still wish they would tag the kids & parents though. Just because a child is leaving with AN adult doesn't necessarily mean they are leaving with THEIR adult. Sigh. What a world.)

And there are fossil "excavations" you can climb on. Bird was rather fond of this one. She kept yelling "Giddyup horsey!!" (Dinosaurs are kind of lost on her.)



* Finding Nemo: The Musical - We all enjoyed this - even the kids who still haven't seen the movie. It's a very fun mix of puppets & songs & actors, and it pretty much does the entire movie. Neither child liked the sharks, but other than that they really enjoyed it.

Make sure you try and get in a little sooner than 10 minutes before curtain. We got split up (Bug & I were parking the stroller) and were almost cut off in line. It kind of felt like waiting in line for a lifeboat on the Titanic. Except that we eventually got in. Cast Members are exceptionally good at packing this theater to capacity.

* Rafiki's Planet Watch - I think this is the younger kids/hands-on version of the Kilimanjaro safari, but it is enjoyable for all ages.

First off, you get to ride a train! (Bug was swooning, if it is possible for a three-year-old boy to swoon.) I found it kind of amusing that the seats were actually benches, all facing the loading platform. It did make loading/unloading easier though.



Secondly, there is a LOT you can do there. This was a scavenger hunt at the Discovery Station (There are 6 of these throughout the entire park; they all have different stuff for kids to try), and they both enjoyed looking for bugs & woodland creatures.


You can brush goats & sheep. Bird really liked this; Bug was rather hesitant to go anywhere near the real animals!


There's also a giant conservation center where you can "hear" the rain forest, "talk" to some ecological heros, see some of the veterinary work (if you're there early), and talk to all kinds of knowledgeable experts.

You can also see some Disney characters, if you are there at the right time. We got to see Rafiki and Jiminy Cricket.

Which brings me to my next point:

* Character Greetings
Overall, I've noticed in the last few years that Disney is working really hard to make many characters available at ALL the parks - not just the Magic Kingdom. Depending on who it is & the time of year, it can still take a bit of planning & quick-footedness in order to see the ones you truly love, but far more do-able than it was when I was a kid.

There are many places in AK where you can love on the characters. In addition to Rafiki & Jiminy, we also saw Baloo & King Louie (Jungle Book) somewhere in Asia, Pooh/Tigger/Eeyore were at the Character Landing (though we didn't stop there - we've seen them in EPCOT), and we happened upon Pluto & Goofy in Dinoland.

THEN, there are 4 permanent huts in Camp Minnie-Mickey where you can see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. These were the shortest lines I'd ever seen at any park - 45 minutes, and we'd been through all 4 of them. Bug was asleep for all of them, so we'd just had pics of Bird, and maybe Husband or I in there (Disney is incredibly tolerant, and within reason you can take as many pictures as you want). These pathways are shaded, have fans so it doesn't get too hot, and have calm, quiet music piped in.

Mickey is Bug's favorite, though, and we didn't want to miss this opportunity. We actually had a fresh Mickey (he'd switched out a couple families earlier) who was delighted to take a photo with the sleeping Bug.



Believe it or not, we actually went back later around 5pm (after Bug had woken up & we'd eaten dinner) to see Mickey again. The lines were even shorter!! Got a nice family photo too.

* Jammin' Jungle Parade

Usually, we're too busy to watch a parade. But we happened upon the parade route about 10 minutes before it was due to start - and we managed to find a nice shady place up front to sit as well. It was your typical parade - lots of floats, music, and dancers. Bird had a ball watching everything; we woke Bug up, and he was chipper by the end of it.


* Festival of the Lion King - We had an early dinner (hey, no lines at 4:45!!), saw Mickey, Donald and Goofy again (Bug was awake), and then got in line for the 6pm show. The line for this is outside, so plenty of time for the kids to jump around & work off some extra energy.

The show itself is PHENOMENAL!! We all really enjoyed it. No scary parts to speak of.


After we left the Lion King, it was only about 6:30. Since the park closed at 8pm, we were kind of surprised to see a mass exodus of folks leaving the park. I have no idea why.... maybe they were park hopping to another park for dinner, fireworks (they don't do those at AK out of respect for the animals), later hours??? Who knows.

It did mean, however, that the kids did not have to wait to ride the Triceratops ride (think Dumbo's flying elephants or Aladdin's flying carpets). Twice, while Husband & I took turns riding Dinosaur - which was down to a 20 minute (posted, but really maybe 5-10 minute) wait.

* Dinosaur - a fantastic ride!! It is not a simulator. You won't want to do it if you have back problems, etc., but this is easily one of the best things in AK.

The Not-So-Good

* This park has shorter hours than the others, out of respect for the animals. It sort of doesn't matter, though, cause you will have done just about everything possible with those fewer hours. Less bang for your buck though.

* You still pay $11 for parking.

* Animal Kingdom is NOT very stroller friendly. Florida is naturally flat, but those Imagineers made it all nice & bumpy so it feels like the jungle safari you've always wanted to take. Personally, if I'm pushing 100 pounds worth of kids/stroller/baggage, I like the flatness! Oh well. It was my cardio for the day.

* The pathways are rather narrow. Very cute, and creates a nice ambiance, but I really don't need to feel penned in by people all day long.

* To further complicate the walkways, there are all sorts of groups that periodically appear to play music, tell stories, or other fun things. They are all very well done & fun to watch, but then you have both the performers & the audience taking up valuable walkway space.

* We ended up buying the family photo with Mickey. They have all sorts of fun things you can do, like add the date & Mickey's autograph, and it was a rather nice photo. (The photographer had taken one with my camera, but just looking at the LCD screen I was worried about the quality.). Now, these guys have really good cameras, but I think they skimp a little too much on the printing. This is Disney World - I expect high Kodak quality (especially considering the prices!), but instead got what looked like a mid-range photo printer - a little hazy.

Stuff We Didn't Do
* Kilimanjaro Safari - The Fast Passes go quickly, and we just didn't manage to get one. The standby line was always over 70 minutes (as if! with 2 young kids?!), and this closes early - before sunset.

* It's Hard to be a Bug (3D movie) - very fun (I did see it oh so many years ago), but not for kids.

* Kali River Rapids - you are guaranteed to get soaked, and we didn't want to be.

The Bottom Line
Go to Animal Kingdom if you are looking for the Complete Disney Experience. Or if you have park hopping privileges. Or if you have just had no luck with the Character Greetings. Otherwise, I think you get more for your money at Sea World or Busch Gardens.

Six Flags Over Georgia

I've been so consumed with the AC that I haven't chronicled any of our vacation yet!! And since I am not going to be scrapbooking this anytime soon, I better start journaling now.

Our first day out, we drove to Atlanta to visit my oldest and dearest friend. (I link cause I love, though she does not update often.) We've known each other since 7th grade. (wow! almost 17 years now!). She has 2 boys, J7 and N5. (now I'm getting creative; the nickname is their initial and their age, though N is almost 6).

Anyhow, she homeschools her boys, and they were involved in some reading program that allowed them to earn tickets to Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG). The boys did so much reading, in fact, that all 8 of us got to go for free!! (well, 7 of us. Bug is still free cause of his age.) Yay for us!!

(seriously, what is up with the parentheticals today?!)

Anyhow, I think a bulleted list will work well here.

The Good

• The weather that day was very overcast, and they were predicting rain. This had 2 benefits for us: it really wasn't that hot, and it scared most people away. I don't think we waited more than 20 minutes for anything, and we walked onto quite a few things.
• There are the typical photographers at the entrance to the park, and they were kind enough to take a group with my camera as well as theirs.
• Good - Lots of roller coasters!! Even better - Marian & her husband do not like roller coasters. So they would watch the kids on occasion so Husband & I could ride them all - together!!
• I got to experience a standing and a flying horizontally coaster for the first time. All I can say about Superman is WOW!!!
• Their new coaster (Goliath) was absolutely amazing. What I found particularly scary is that you only have a glorified lap bar for this ride - no shoulder harnesses here! And yet the trip was extremely smooth & fun.
• There was a neat kiddle land (Bugs Bunny World) that had all sorts of age appropriate things for our kids, like airplane rides, cars, boats, etc. Bug was too short for most of it though he did have a great time in the carrot patch.


• Also in Bugs Bunny land, we were floored when Bird actually went on this:



• There were tons of characters all over the place, and they were out so much it was really easy to get to them and take pictures. In the case of Porky, he snuck up on us & jumped into a pic I was taking of all 4 kids!


• 


• They have these misters all over the place - easy way to cool off.



• They also have a mini water park in the back with all sorts of stuff to cool you off. (included in ticket!)

The Bad

• Parking is $15. This is more than any theme park in Florida. And you are stuck there unless one member is dropping you off & not staying with you at the park. (There are gypsy lots & roads nearby, but this is not a great neighborhood, so they are never recommended)
• You get nothing for your parking price. The lot is big, but there is no transportation to the front gate.
• They are not kidding when they say that NO OUTSIDE FOOD is allowed into the park. I was allowed to bring in milk for Bug (thank heavens everyone's sandwiches were in that cooler!), but they did ask me to throw away the snacks I'd packed into another bag.
• The food you can buy there is typical - overpriced and lousy, as we discovered at dinnertime. I think our family spent about $30 at dinner for some burgers, fries, and drinks. (and we only bought 3 dinners!)

Anyhow, I will leave you with this particularly endearing photo of Bird on the carousel. She kept yelling "no Mom! Don't take my picture! You need to get on your own horse!"

Universal Adventures

Truth be told, I had no plans to take my children to Universal Studios before they were 10. Preferably older - like actual teenagers. At this stage in life, we are at a Sea World pace - nice & relaxed, with shows, a couple of rides (including a GREAT roller coaster) lots of animals, and a huge children's playground. Not to mention the best part - it's free for teachers, we had a pass for Husband, and then his office had a great deal so we could get a pass for Bird. (i am extraordinarily cheap!)

Anyways, this year Universal had a special deal for teachers - a free 1-day, 2-park pass for the teacher, and a discounted pass for family members. So we decided to go before the time ran out. We picked a Wednesday because it is June after all - prime tourist season - so at least the locals probably wouldn't be there too.

We started off our adventure at E.T. (Even if I haven't been here in many years, I still know enough to go to the back of the park first! 5-10 minute wait early in the morning is much better than the 30-60 minutes you will wait in the afternoon)

They are still celebrating the 20th anniversary, so the ad posters are all still up, in all sorts of different languages. We tried to explain to the kids what we were going to see, but I don't think they got too much from the poster!

In the end, Bug really liked the 'bikes' and all the wonderful creatures, but Bird was not super impressed.

We then went on Jaws & Earthquake. I'd like to say that my children weren't traumatized, but that wouldn't be entirely true. Now, to be fair, Bug never really saw the shark on Jaws; the only part that really freaked him out was when they blow up the oil platform & everything is on fire. Fortunately, the driver was a little slow and it was cleaned up before we moved on; seeing that & hearing mommy explain that calmed him down fairly quickly. Same principles worked on Earthquake - which is broken into 3 parts, and only the last one is the potentially scary one. (Bird was okay on both rides, by the way. Not thrilled, but she did enjoy herself).

After a quick lunch (you should bring your own if you don't want to sell your children in order to eat!), we went to the Beetlejuice show. I was extrememly disappointed here - I remembered it from years past - lots of singing, dancing, and great music. My main issue is that the park maps NEVER mention the PG-13 rating!! (although it is there on the website that I didn't check ahead of time because i've been there before!! grrr....). And wow... this newer version is full of sexual innuendos, and all the curse words are left in the songs. Personally.... I still liked the show, but I would never have brought my 2 & 4 year old with me. I'm just thankful that all of it was over their heads.

At this point we needed some time to run around, so Husband & I decided to split up. He took the kids to the Kid Zone (a fantastic place that the kids didn't want to leave - pack bathing suits!!) while I went through the single rider line at the Mummy and the Men in Black rides. (if you ever decide to go - combine Parent Swap with Single Rider line & go through them so much faster!!). The Mummy is one of my new favorites - it was AMAZING!!! Husband went on it after I got to the playground, and he loved it too.

At this point, the kids were wearing out and it was HOT, so we took about an hour to walk our way over to Islands of Adventure. (Bug was sleeping - most people could probably do it in 10 minutes). The main kiddie stuff here is in Suessland, but since it was mid-afternoon, the lines (except for the carousel) were all long. So we left this area for another and in our quest we did run into this fountain:

The fountain is run by a remote DJ who pretends he is the stone idol in the middle of the fountain who likes to squirt kids. Lots of water to cool everyone off!!!

It's also right outside the Sinbad stunt show (great stunts, lousy story - horrible writing!), which just happened to be doing its final show when the daily thunderstorm hit.

By now, the day was kind of over for us, even though the park was still open for a couple more hours. We'd done everything that we'd really wanted to do, and we were all tired & hungry. There were a few things that we didn't do, and if I was a visitor, I would have been sad that I missed them (though I would have made sure to ride all the roller coasters!!!)

Overall though.... a wonderful summer day!!! (Even if we don't get back for another 10 years!!