Cabela's

I'm not sure if it's just my kids who get giddy at the prospect of going to Cabela's in Glendale, but I had to share it here simply because:

1. they are ALWAYS thrilled to go (especially when their daddy takes them).

2.  like my 4-year-old was saying in the video above, they have sno-cones...and what can beat that?  The sno-cones at Cabela's are a special "daddy" treat; I don't buy them when I go.  So....our kids always prefer to go with my husband.

3.  it's indoors, and you can go without spending any money.  It's a nice, local, "beat the heat" field trip.  Folks in Arizona can appreciate those.

4.  besides the items Cabela's has for sale, there are lots of things to look at.  My littlest used to call it the "dead animal store".

Those are two of the big displays in the store.  There are heads decorating the walls all around the store.  They even have a small wildlife education museum.

And, going back to the video at the beginning, they have the "talking deer".  It does!  It talks to you.

5.  there are actually things you can do there (besides shop).  They have a very small indoor archery range, a laser target shooting game, and even a cafe (which is not pictured).  Kids can have birthday parties there (my oldest daughter actually had her 10th birthday party there) and enjoy a scavenger hunt.

Power Hour at Oasis Gymnastics

Living Social recently had a fabulous deal on passes for open gym at Oasis Gymnastics.  Several friends and I each bought some passes, and today we brought our kids.  Undoubtedly because school is out, it was a lot more crowded than it normally is during the school year but that didn't stop our kids from going wild and having a ton of fun in the gym.

It was the perfect way for kids in Arizona to blow off some steam indoors during the summer heat.

Regular price (without the deal from Living Social) is only $5 per child, so it's a great deal.  Power Hour is Monday - Friday from 10-11AM.  My kids' only complaint?  It was only an hour!

Visiting the Antique Shops in Historic Glendale, AZ

We had some time to kill before the watermelon eating contest at the Watermelon Festival, so my kids, my oldest daughter's two friends, and I decided to explore the historic district of Glendale.  One thing that historic Glendale is not short on: antique shops.  On a whim, we decided to poke our heads into one and look around.  I really wasn't expecting a 14-year-old, a 12-year-old, an 11-year-old, a 10-year-old, and a 4-year-old to enjoy "antiquing"....boy, was a surprised.  I could hardly get them out of the shops!

My son (the 14-year-old) is a huge history buff and loves anything to do with the military, so he was captivated by all of the military and World War Two-era memorabilia.  He was also enchanted by the old-fashioned models of planes and submarines to build.  I just may have to do back when it gets closer to his birthday, because in his words, "you can find cool stuff like this in (insert name of hobby or craft store here)."

On the other end was my 4-year-old, who fell immediately into creative play when she found the antique displays that had a child-sized table alongside some funky kitchen cabinet thing, the old-fashioned crank-and-turn laundry machine and old school ironing board, and the fancy dishes.  Quite simply, she did not want to leave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YINOtdDHa-o

All of them had fun exploring every nook and cranny.  It was a lot of fun in an unexpected place.  Definitely go spend some time poking around in the quaint stores of historic Glendale.

Glendale, AZ Watermelon Festival

I took my kids and two of my oldest daughter's friends to the Watermelon Festival in historic Glendale this weekend.  The farmer's market area was nearly microscopic.  There was a small corner of inflatables, which all cost extra money.  There were some artists displaying wares.  And...there were the watermelon games.  $1 per game or all seven games for $5.  The hands-free watermelon eating contest was definitely the highlight, and made the trip there worthwhile....

One of the antique shops also had a fun, free, watermelon-themed craft for the kids to do...

Peach Picking at Schnepf Farms

With visions of successfully canning fresh peaches and making peach jam in my mind, I headed out to Schnepf Farms with my kids, my friend, and three of her kids to pick organic peaches right off the trees.  The peaches smelled incredible.  The kids had a blast.

As one of the larger farms in the Valley, Schnepf Farms has a lot of amenities and hosts many events throughout the year.  Since we went during the week, most of the extras were closed.  I was disappointed not to be able to enjoy the peach sampling tent, but I didn't care that we were missing the amusement park-style rides.  There's a large play area on site that all of the kids, ranging in age from 4 to 14, thoroughly enjoyed.  Because Schnepf has a restaurant and a store on site, they do not allow outside food.

We each ended up taking about 20 pounds of peaches home.  Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to successfully skin and pit the peaches in order to can them, and fresh, ripe peaches do not have a very long shelf life.  If you are going to go out picking, either limit the number of pounds you pick or be sure you are going to be able to get them canned or frozen promptly.

The Ranch at Fossil Creek

I found the Ranch at Fossil Creek when I was searching online for things to do in the area surrounding Payson.  After our adventure at the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, we made the drive to Strawberry.  I drove right by the ranch the first time.  I turned the van around and pulled in, unsure of what to expect.

The llamas were visible from the driveway.  The goats had large pens.  The store was quaint and charming.  My 4-year-old was a lot more excited about the baby goats than my 11-year-old was.

After my 4-year-old got her fill of the goats, we went into the store.  We got to sample some goat cheese and goat fudge.  I went in with very low expectations, because I have hated the taste of all of the goat cheese I've ever tried from grocery stores.  Their cheese, though, was absolutely fabulous.  The fudge was terrific too. 

Although the web site says they offer tours of the ranch and the creamery, we did not do one.  I think reservations are required for those.  Nonetheless, it was something different and unique.  Well worth a stop if you are already in the area.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

Just outside of Payson is what is believed to be the longest natural travertine bridge in the world, at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.  For someone used to the desert scenery in the Phoenix area (and someone who spent over 25 years living in the Pacific Northwest), the lush greenery of the Payson area was a welcome treat.  I took my daughters, who are currently 11 and 4, to go explore the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.

There are several hikes that visitors can partake in.  We did two.  We started with the Waterfall Trail, which was mostly a pretty short, but steep, flight of stairs.  My 4-year-old did most of the trek down and back up by herself.

The waterfall at the bottom was...more like a water sprinkle.  Nonetheless, my 11-year-old was delighted.

The next trail we went on was the Anna Mae Trail.  It led to the underside of the bridge.  The trail itself was dirt, which meant it was easy to lose footing and slide on it.  There were areas where I felt like it was necessary to take my 4-year-old's hand.  It would be very easy to take a nasty fall over the edge in lots of places throughout the trail.

Unlike most trails, where it is smooth sailing once you reach the bottom, the challenge amped up once we reached the bottom of this one.  To reach the under-belly of the bridge, we had to contend with lots of rocks (many of which were slippery) and pools of water (on the way back, my 4-year-old ended up with a wet tennis shoe).  She was a real trouper, but still required assistance from me and her sister to reach the bridge.

Our verdict is that this is definitely worth the trip, in the spring or in the fall.  We brought a picnic lunch and enjoyed it while we were there.