Santa's Village

There is a little kid amusement park by us that had closed a few years ago.  I hadn't realized that it had reopened until some friends invited us to join them, and the kids had a blast.  It isn't a big place, but it was just perfect for preschoolers.  There were a couple of rides that were a little too much for Malcolm, but a more adventurous four year old would have been fine.  Dorothy was too small for some things, but there was still lots for her to do too; which was good, because once she went on her first ride, all I heard was, "Meeeeee tooooooo!  Riiiiide!"

We got there shortly after it opened, but about an hour before our friends planned to be there.  Malcolm's first ride was the hand cars.  He checked out the map (upside down) and pointed out the spot he wanted to go.  It was nice and close to the entrance, but that also meant that there was a bit of a line.  Riders had to be 3 years old, and no adults were allowed, so Dorothy and I watched from outside the fence.

He had to turn the crank to move the car forward.

Going along the tracks.

He then spotted a ride that looked like a train that he wanted to do. It was actually a "convoy" of tuck cabs the kids could pretend to drive that ran around on a track. He climbed into a lower section and Dorothy and I climbed into an upper section. Dorothy immediately grabbed the steering wheel and started driving. Before the ride even started, she declared, "All done!" and tried to stand up and get down. It was a few more seconds before the ride moved and she kept repeating at me, "All done all done all done!" and couldn't understand why I wasn't letting her get down. Once it started moving, she loved it and wanted more when it was over.

Waiting for the ride to start.

Since we were right by the snack area and it was lunch time, we took a little break and I tried to get the kids to eat something. They each ate an apple sauce, drank an apple juice, and had a few bites of a soft pretzel with mustard and were ready to get back to the fun. Even while waiting in the lines, Malcolm kept proclaiming it the best day ever.

By then, our friends had arrived, so we met them over at the race cars where Malcolm and Tim were ready to go. Dorothy was ready to drive too and the attendent said she was big enough, so she got to "drive" her own car without help. I was the one who strapped her in and I did it extra tight just in case she decided to be done before the ride was over. I didn't need to worry, she didn't want to get out.

Going round and round.

After that, the boys wanted to go on the balloon ride, but it went up really high and I was afraid that it might scare Malcolm. There was a giant slide right next to the ride they wanted and when we suggested the slide instead because there was no line, they enthusiastically ran right up. We weren't sure if they would go down because both boys have histories of changing their minds at the top, but both came down with no hesitation, then ran up and did it again. After several turns, they still wanted to go on the balloon ride, but I suggested the airplane one Malcolm had seen earlier because it was similar in style, but didn't go as high.

This slide is the only original ride from when the park opened in 1959.

I don't have any photos of the airplane ride, but our friends might send me some. The boys rode in one plane, and Dorothy and I rode in another (painted like the General Lee) and all the other adults watched and took pictures from the ground. Dorothy loved this one. There was a bar that you could push and pull to make the plane move up and down. The boys went up really high, but I stopped Dorothy and I about half way up. Then she realized that she could do it too and pulled us up as high as it would go.

One of the boys spotted the tilt-a-whirl and wanted to go on it. All of the kids were allowed on the ride, but each had to be accompanied by an adult. I asked for a volunteer and Jeremy said he would go with Malcolm. Dorothy and I got cut off in line and I wasn't going to make everyone wait just for us, so I asked the attendant if 4 people could go on one. We joined Malcolm and Jeremy in the pod and Jeremy and I sat on the outsides with the kids between us. Big mistake. Just as the ride starts up, I realize that how fast your pod spins is based on gravity. With Jeremy and I on the outsides, we built up a fair bit of momentum and were spinning much faster than we had planned. Malcolm was looking pretty worried and said it was going too fast. I put my arm behind Dorothy to keep her head from banging on the back of the pod. Luckily, our ride was pretty short. They stopped the ride for someone else, but we got off too. After that, the boys opted for a more tame ride.

The cars mostly just go in a circle.  They also sway left to right a little, but not much. 

Tim had not been on the convoy, so we headed back for another ride. This time, Dr. Anne rode with Dorothy.

This was just before the attendant said that she needed to be sitting on the seat herself.  For the rest of the ride, we could only see the top of her head.

The boys check things out before they get moving.

Tim is very excited while Malcolm coolly leads the convoy.

Our whole group went on a sleigh ride, then it was time (way past time) to get Dorothy home for a nap. The adults offered to let Malcolm stay with them and he and Tim could have more fun together. After transferring the carseat, Dorothy and I headed home. Evidently, the boys had a great time after I left and went on the hand crank cars about 4 times in a row. There was also a hay maze, a bounce house, and Malcolm went on his first roller-coaster. They asked him who he wanted to go with him and he picked Dr. Anne. Dr. Anne does not like roller-coasters, but she made it through like a real trooper. At some point, the power went out for at least part of the park, so Malcolm got a pass for free admission that is good for a year.

After the park, everyone came back to our place, and we roasted hot dogs over the grill and made s'mores. It was a really long day, but a lot of fun. It is a good thing Malcolm doesn't have school tomorrow, because I bet they will both be sleeping pretty late in the morning.