going safari at catoctin mountain wildlife preserve and zoo

There are many zoos that promise you'll get 'up close and personal' with the animals. The Catoctin Mountain Wildlife Preserve and Zoo delivers. In one wild ride.

Yesterday, we packed a picnic and drove an hour west to Thurmont, Maryland, home of Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain Park (along with the Zoo). The Zoo was running a 'dads get in free' deal in honor of Father's Day.

First stop on our trip? The Global Wildlife Safari Ride, of course! The Bug, Pat and I boarded the army surplus troop carrier (called a deuce and a half) for a bumpy jaunt through four paddocks and over 25 acres of roaming wildlife. We were given popcorn or stale bread to feed the animals in each paddock. We were licked by long purple tongues of North American Bison, brushed noses with Arabian Camels, cooed to a herd of standoffish Water Buffalo, and so much. more.

They warned us at the start of the Safari that it would be bumpy. That may have been the understatement of the year. The three of us were sitting in a trailer behind the deuce and a half, which lumbers through the terrain with the dexterity of an elephant. Once we hit a crater in the soil that sent me airborne - - and I ended up grabbing a fellow passenger's leg in order to steady myself and the Bug. {{Now THERE's a way to make friends....}}

The Bug loved every minute of our one hour trek.

The 'hands on' activities didn't end there. Once we left the safari ride, we purchased $2 worth of 'zoo food' and could feed very grass feeding animal in the park. Giant tortoises, goats, llamas... you name it. We had a chance to chat with the keeper at the Bengal Tiger exhibit (and watch a white bengal tiger cub bound around his yard) and the . Our visit ended with a stroll through the butterfly garden, feeding the Koi at the Japanese-inspired pond, and watching the booted monkeys swing back and forth.

What I loved most about this park was the lush grounds and gorgeous landscaping. You didn't feel like you were at a zoo at all. It felt like you were wandering through a wetland, or rainforest at some times. Well, the landscaping and the beyond friendly staff. Seemed like everywhere we turned there was a keeper asking us how we were, or ready to answer our questions.

Zoo admission is required for the Safari Ride, so the trip can be a little pricey. Even with Pat and the Bug having free admission to the zoo, our total cost was $54 and change. Safari rides are $14.95 for ages 13 and up, or $9.95 for children 2-12. Babies and toddlers under 36" are not admitted on the ride because of safety concerns. One day admission for adults (over 13 years of age) is $16.95, and $9.95 for children 3-12. Kids under 3 are always free.

Worth every penny.

A few rookie mistakes we made:

• Bring change. It costs two quarters to feed the koi. We didn't have any and had to scramble.
• Pack the hand sanitizer. As mentioned before, this zoo is very hands on. There are hand sanitizer stations around the zoo, they never seemed to be handy when we needed one.
• Fruit Snacks. We forgot the fruit snacks (Currently, we've got a bag of Mots for Tots All natural ones in the house). There was a major public display of tantrum. Epic proportions. Only remedied by an organic vitamin c lollipop. Gotta love the terrible twos.
• Make sure the camera battery is fully charged. There are TONS of great photo ops!

A great trip -- and fabulous way to spend Father's Day.

By the way, completely stroller friendly. Not that your kid will actually sit in it. Too much excitement. (But a great way to schlep your picnic goodies if you choose to bring them!).

get your play on: our playground at stadium place

Spring has sprung. That can only mean one thing.

It's time to get your playground on.

Ironically, playground scouting was one of the original impetuses behing (cool) progeny. We were looking for the best ones and couldn't find a resource that gave us the information we we're looking for. So we decided to create one.

Almost 10 months later, we are still on a quest to find the area's best playgrounds. Boy did we stumble across a real winner on Sunday!

Have you heard of Our Playground at Stadium Place? It's operated by the YMCA through a unique partnership with Friends of Our Playground, and can be found on 33rd Street in Waverly. A simply fun-tastic place to play.

Things we love:

• It's rubber play surface. Note that's it's not rubber mulch, but rather a pliable surface that degrades the sting of face planting -- which toddlers inevitably do as they are learning to run around.
  
• The abundance of swings. All shapes, heights and sizes.
• We were 'charmed' by the city landmarks built into the play space: a puppet theatre affectionately named 'The Hippodrome' and a wooden train engine labeled 'B&O Railroad.'
  
• Innovative climbing equipment, tunnels and slides create a myriad of age-appropriate challenges for kids 2 and up.
  
• All of the play equipment is constructed out of a trex material, so no splinter threat.

Double-Quadruple-Triple bonus? AMPLE parking in a lot. No need to seek out a spot on the street or -- gasp -- parallel park with an antsy toddler in the backseat.

In the spirit of full disclosure, we were a little taken aback by the sign posted on the gate: No Food. No Drink. No Rats. But, as a mom who has spent many playground hours chasing bees away from those at play, I appreciate the no-food policy. There are picnic areas off of the play space and trash receptacles right as you enter so you can bring along the snacks. Although some debris had drifted over the playground, the YMCA promptly took care of the issue.

We hear that this playground can get pretty crowded during warmer weather and summer vacation, so take advantage of it now while there is still a light nip in the air and the 'big kids' are in school.

Another interesting playground fact? This space was built entirely by the community. After the original playground burned in September 2008. All of the destroyed parts were rebuilt by volunteers on May 5th and 10th, 2009. To find out how you can keep "our" playground beautiful, get in touch with the Friends of Our Playground organization.

Have you been to Our Playground at Stadium Place? We'd love to hear about your experience! Please share by leaving a comment. {{Or let us know about YOUR favorite playground and maybe we'll review that next!}}

(cool) tip: The playground is open 7 days a week until sunset, but doesn't open until 10 AM on Sundays. If it's locked when you get there and it's after the posted opening time, just ask the YMCA for the key.

(hot) dish: Half Price Tuesdays & Free Ice Cream at the Maryland Zoo this August

If you were looking for a reason to visit the Maryland Zoo, you've got one! They let us know this morning that they are offering half priced admission for tickets purchased at the zoo entrance every Tuesday in August - - AND every Tuesday visitor gets a coupon for a FREE ice cream or popsicle! Elephants, Penguins, Giraffes and refreshment. What more could you want?

Check out our post on visiting the Zoo before you go -- we've got the low down on the best places to cool down while visiting the zoo in the August heat! (Personally, we like the Tundra Buggy and cave exhibits best...)

Tweet

Two Bikes and a Tike

The smell of sausage and eggs lingered in the air. It was one of those perfect, rare weekend mornings where we didn't have anywhere we had to be or anything we had to do. A whole morning to do anything we wanted. So we decided to beat the impending heatwave and try out the co-pilot bike seat we had gotten for Christmas - FINALLY. It was 8:00 a.m. and 70 degrees. We were all actually pretty pumped about our rolling adventure to the Northern Central Railroad (NCR) Trail.

Pat retrieved the unopened box from the basement. It promised an easy install. Claimed the seat came fully assembled and would take 30 seconds to securely fasten the Co-Pilot Limo to the bike after the rack was attached.

While he set to work on the seat install, I grabbed our two bikes from the basement. Four practically flat tires. Not completely unexpected since the last time we had used them I wasn't even a little bit pregnant and Lila just turned one... but an unexpected twist nonetheless. Add time to stop at gas station and pump up tires to the schedule. No big deal. We'd be on the trail by 9:30 at the latest and home before lunch.

Three hours and one nap later, the seat was attached.

No, it wasn't false advertising. The seat only took 30 seconds to clip on. What the box failed to mention the three hours it would take to figure out how to install the rack - - which included a customer service phone call to LL Bean and the realization that the seat didn't work with Pat's bike so it had to go on mine. May have involved some swearing, too. My husband can string together ingenious profane poetry when provoked.

Close to lunchtime. Made three PB&J sandwiches, packed some grapes, water, 2 Motts for Tots (LOVE these handy pre-dilutred juice boxes made from 100% juice and distilled water), and some snackable items into a backpack. Never you mind the heatwave, I was seeing perfectly contrived Hollywood movie scenes of families picnicking in the park. Ran upstairs to grab the Bug's sunscreen. Came down the stairs to a trail of plastic ziploc bag and two sheepishly grinning dogs. One PB&J sandwich down. And no more bread. Fabulous. Then I remembered my cousin mentioning she noticed I only eat half of anything anymore because the Bug eats the other half. Crisis averted.

11:30 AM and 87 degrees. Pat attaches the bike rack on the Jetta. Only takes 15 minutes. Not bad. The Bug, Pat, our picnic backpack, three bike helmets and I pile into the car, heading north.

D&*$. Need to stop and pump up the tires.

12:15 PM. We have arrived at the Phoenix trail entrance of the NCR Trail. The thermometer said 95 degrees. Ugh. (Seriously, there is no other word for it).

But after four hours of getting ready, we simply couldn't abandon ship now. Besides, the trail is mostly shaded and there was a breeze. Yes, we convinced ourselves that this would not be a venture into the first circle of hell. It would be fun.

We lathered on the sunscreen, strapped on the helmets, hopped on the bikes and got .75 miles before stopping for lunch. The Bug wasn't really thrilled with the whole strapped-to-a-bike situation with an egg-shaped hard hat thing at first. Let out a scream so blood curdling that it shattered my Hollywood movie illusion.

She did, however, love eating goldfish on the picnic bench. Some fantasy redemption.

Satiated, Lila settled into her co-Pilot and we went on our merry way by the Sparks Nature Center, rounding Glencoe Road. While we were gliding along just fine, something just didn't feel right. Every time I hit a slight bump in the road, it felt like my back tire was slamming into a log. Looked down - - yepp, tire was seriously low. Momentary panic. Nothing to do but turn around and pray the tire would hold. Prayed to every higher being I could think of - - religious affiliation was a non-issue.

We made it!

Four hours of prep. One hour of picnic/bike riding in the heat. Six miles of trail covered. One toddler meltdown. A beautifully comprised string of swear words that would make your grandma blush, courtesy of my talented husband. A shared PB&J sandwich. A temperature so hot you didn't sweat until you felt the relief from the car air conditioner on your skin.

In spite of it all, we had a good time. We're looking forward to a return trip to the NCR trail and will properly review it next time. Too wrapped up in surviving all of the little curve balls.

But I promise you - - our next bikeventure will take place well before noon. And the tires will be pumped up and checked the night before.

Cultivate Imagination at Annie's Playground

We've quickly learned that playgrounds are not a dime a dozen. The little tot lot across the street from our house that we thought was 'so adorable' when we bought the property? It wouldn't even make our top twenty list of playgrounds one year into parenthood.

So how DO we rate playgrounds? I wouldn't say we've adhered to the scientific method on this one... but here goes: It has to have enough swings that you don't need to wait 20 minutes with a less-than patient toddler for the safety swing. Slides? At least two: a big one that can fit a parent-toddler-tandem team and a smaller one that Lila can do with just a bit of assistance. Rock walls? Yeah, we're not really there yet. Extra incentive to go if it has a bouncy, swinging bridge that Lila can stand on while other kids toddle or race across. We pass if the tunnels aren't big enough for an adult to get through because someone will need to go get her if she stops mid-crawl... Speaking of crawling, we generally prefer playgrounds that are well-cared for and clean.

We had heard about Annie's Playground from a friend and made an impromptu trip up the 95 corridor to the Baltimore-Harford County line. Despite high playground standards, we're not really likely to drive thirty miles for a playground visit. But Lila had fallen asleep in her car seat and we opted to take a drive and check it out. We were not disappointed.

The playground blew even OUR wildest imaginations. It was like stepping onto a vacant enchanted storybook stage set. All you had to do was play.

A sea of wooden sculptures to through, or climb up and down, or peek out of. Topsy-turvey slides, cascading slides jetting out of a a dragon's mouth, pirate ships, castle towers, alien spaceship, barnyard animals, and a puppet theater. A mixed-up Sondheim musical playground for kids!

Swing shortage? Not here. There were at least fifteen. Complete with gorgeous garden views.

Walking through the playground, built in memory Annie McGann Cumpston, was like taking a walking tour of a young child's imagination. It's stunning in both it's simplicity (there are no geometric rock climbing domes), beauty and creativity. And it's HUGE.

Located in the heart of Edgely Grove Park in Fallston, Annie's Playground houses an ampitheater, ball pit, and picnic pavilion in addition to it's expansive play area. The park has clean restroom facilities and walking trails. We didn't get a chance to go for a walk - - but plan to visit again and check out how stroller-friendly the paths are!

The one drawback to the playground is also one of the features we appreciated: rubber mulch. Your toddling little one definitely won't get hurt if they fall down, but the mulch heats up just like charcoal on a grill. We made the mistake of visiting the playground during the heat of the day, so we ended up only staying 25 minutes or so. The 83 degree heat radiated off the ground -- not so much fun for a crawling Lila bug. She was happy as long as one of us was holding her away from the ground or she was on the equipment and off of the mulch.

Annie's Playground is definitely one of our new favs - - and 100% worth the drive. Just be sure to head out early in the morning, or during the evening hours if you're planning a visit this summer.

(cool) tip: The park has fantastic picnic facilities (and tons of green space for spreading out blankets), but if you're like us and plan an impromptu visit, check out the Fallston Diner. It's just a few miles from the playground, has exceptional service and huge sandwiches. Pat and I could have easily split one... if we could have come to a consensus on what to order! In typical diner fashion, they had a ton of options.

Feed the Giraffes at the Maryland Zoo

Some new parents buy seventeen different versions of "what to expect" during your baby's first year when their first child is born. Others scour websites and register for mommy-baby yoga classes (ok, so I looked up some mommy-baby yoga classes but opted to save the money for diapers). We bought a membership to the Maryland Zoo.

Yes, a zoo membership. Why? The zoo is really convenient to our house (less than 10 minute drive), and has a ton of stroller-friendly walking paths. On my three months of maternity leave, it was great to be able to wander around the shaded, paved trails with Lila comfortably snapped into her strolling infant seat. As she's gotten older, the membership has quadrupled it's value. She LOVES going to see the animals. And because we have a membership, it's ok to just go over for an hour and visit with the penguins. It doesn't have to be a huge day-long production, or wallet-draining event.

Last weekend, we had a picnic with the giraffes. We grabbed a picnic blanket, sun screen, take-out sandwiches and macaroni salad from Eddie's Market, and met up with our friends, the Pepin family (their little girl is month younger than Lila). The six of us wandered around all of the zoo exhibits. We visited the polar bears and the elephants, laughed at the penguins, breezed through the chimp house, fed the giraffes and wandered through the Maryland wilderness. Mid-way through our excursion, we spread out our blankets near the giraffes and pulled out our lunches. The girls crawled around on the grass, snacked on whatever was convenient (including each other's sippy cup of juice-water), and people-watched.

A day at the zoo, especially during the summer, can get quite warm. So here are our favorite cool-off spots:

• The Tundra Buggy in the Polar Bear Exhibit: no strollers allowed, but lots of seating and AC!
• The shady area by the elephant overlook: this wooded area seems to be about 10 degrees cooler than the unshaded parts of the African exhibit trail! There is also a concession stand with vending machines that take (gasp) credit/debit cards.
• The cave exhibit in the Maryland Wilderness Area: although this is definitely a cool area, the snake-like, dark paths can be a bit disorienting. Fair warning.

Beyond the obvious reasons why a trip (or frequent trips!) to the Maryland Zoo are great, here are a few other things to keep in mind:

• The giraffe feeding station (open daily from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM). When else will you be able to say you fed a giraffe? The experience costs a whopping $2.
• Exercise. Remember that? You probably did it daily before kids and now carving out 30 minutes every few days can be challenging? Calorie Count estimates that 150 lb. person burns approximately 170 calories per hour of stroller pushing. Our three hour trip to the zoo burned approximately 425 calories (we stopped and picnicked for 30 minutes or so). Granted, we probably consumed just as much during our lunch. But then ask yourself, even if you had put in 45 minutes on the elliptical that morning, wouldn't you have still had lunch?
  
• The giant tree slide. Not stroller friendly, but big enough for both you and your child to shoot down together.
  

Like any excursion with progeny, there are some potential pitfalls with an outing the Maryland Zoo. If your child is having a bad day, it's a REALLY long walk back to the gate. Exceptionally long. And there are two slight hills that can make pushing the stroller a bit intense. Most everything at the Maryland Zoo is stroller-friendly, with the exception of the Giant Tree slide (there is a walk-around path) and the Kid Zone in the farmyard area. Oh, and that first hill you walk up. You can always take the tram, too - - but where is the fun in that?

The Maryland Zoo is open daily (except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day) from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. You can buy your tickets online at a discount ($14/ages 12+, $10/ages 2-12) or at the gate ($16/ages 12+, $11/ages 2-12). Parking is always free!

(cool) tip: Kids under 2 are always free.


View Larger Map