Storybook Gardens

If you arrived here in search of my Works for Me Wednesday post, I’ll sum it up for you in three points right at the start:

1. Before going to a destination; be sure to visit the destination’s website if they have one. This could save you a lot of money, time and frustration.
2. If you have a camera and plan to take pictures; check your camera battery level BEFORE arriving at the park. This will save you disappointment.
3. Pack a lunch and snacks = Save a Ton!

Today we went adventuring to Storybook Gardens and what an adventure it was. We headed out with my sister and her 5 boys. It’s about an hour away and since I had a couple of my nephews in the van with me, it made for an interesting ride. Chloe and John enjoyed the extra company.

Upon arrival, we entered Storybook Castle; Chloe was pretty excited. We presented our 2 for 1 coupons and saved quite a bit. Because of our online research, we also knew to buy the sale ride tickets and split them. A huge savings for us! There was no line so we went right in. Everyone was so excited that we decided to start in Pirates Cove to help “play our sillies out”.

(That is Chloe at the very tippy top of that huge red slide)

Pirates Cove is a huge playground with a wooden “sunken” ship, HUGE slides, tree forts, climbing ropes and more. It is set up wonderfully with plenty of benches, green space, and picnic tables. All the play areas have wood chips for a nice soft landing. It wasn’t busy at all here today so the kids had a lot of freedom and enjoyed every minute of it. An hour later, we needed to move on if we were to visit everything.

We visited the Backwoods Maze, the duck pond and Old MacDonald’s Farm. I was a little disappointed here only because on the website it indicated that you could buy feed for the ducks but when we arrived, we couldn’t find the feed for sale anywhere. When you are 2 or 3 or 31 there is something wonderful about feeding the animals. I know the littles were just as disappointed as me but they got over it quickly as we headed through the London Bridge. We peered in at the river otters but they were no where to be seen.

 

The seals were out though. The kids enjoyed hearing about Slippery the Sea Lion’s great escape as they watched them swim around. One of them had a bowel movement and let me tell you, that was the highlight of the trip for my sister! LOL. She was so excited yelling, “Look, look, see that brown thing? That’s his poo!”. I have to admit, that being her highlight may have been the highlight for me! {and yes, I warned her I was sharing her reaction!}

We stopped to visit Humpty Dumpty and my nephews did their absolute best to help him have a great fall. Thankfully the spring is pretty strong and there were no falls today. There was also a large wooden shoe. It would have been the perfect back drop for a family portrait of my sister and her five boys but alas, it was almost lunch time and it was pretty busy.

We picnicked for lunch and then had a ride on the carousel and the little train; classic little rides that were delightful. There are some new rides this year; a Ferris wheel, carnival elephants, a slide and bouncy castle. Honestly? I think they are detrimental to the look, feel and experience of the park. The park is beautiful and offers the opportunity for a a leisurely stroll through the storybook character displays reciting rhymes together. These new rides cheapen the park and distract from it. I don’t care for it at all.

 

After the rides, we headed to the splash pad, Slippery’s Escape. The children had a blast running through the sprinklers, using the water cannons and experimenting with the water table. I have no pictures here since my camera battery had died by this point.

After our play time at the splash pad, my sister and nephews headed to the awesome sandbox play area but my littles had had a full day and we headed home full of tears, lamenting the fact that it was time to go.

What a wonderful day of fun and adventure. Admission for adults is 7.50 and for children is 6.50 which I think is a pretty reasonable price. Tickets for the rides are extra but you can have tons of fun without the extras!