a-dora-bowl

So punny!!! ;)

Kiddie Acres Delivers for Toddlers

Following my review for Rock 'N River in Round Rock, I though I would add my input on Kiddie Acres.

For anyone who has ever taken Howard Lane and ever passed this place with curiosity, do stop by and enjoy if you have children of six and under for entertainment.

I have taken my daughter to Kiddie Acres for the last two years. We started when she turned one which seemed to be the best age. She could sit up by herself so it was the ideal place. My husband and I discovered this place by driving passed it several times and asked what it was, but never stopped. However, it was Google that encouraged us to give it a go as we were looking for weekend things to do with her. Voila! We had something to do and now knew for certain what Kiddie Acres was!

Let me just say that Kiddie Acres is the perfect amusement park for toddlers and the pre-k children. The rides are easily accessed, are enough to give children a thrill without terrifying them. What really excites me about this park is the fact that it took me back to my childhood. The rides are completely old school metal airplanes, boats, merry-go-round, trucks and ferris wheel. They even have a train ride, mini golf and pony rides.

One full round of amusements will run parents about $10. As there is no admission and rides are paid for with individual tickets, it is a recession proof way of treating your child without breaking the bank! Wednesday is discount day and Sunday is discount day for the grandparents! The park offers discount tickets with Military ID EVERY DAY.

Staff are teen-aged, mature, and very friendly. They will help children on and off rides, but really, parents, it is our job. So help them run the park efficiently!

Lilian loves the pony ride and the airplanes. The staff are wonderful in working with toddlers while on the horses. They are highly attentive and I never felt unconcerned about teenagers not paying attention to my daughter or sacrificing her safety while on the horse.

Also, Kiddie Acres offers covered picnic tables that are perfect for hosting birthday parties. However, be aware that Kiddie Acres only allows cake and presents in their park. They do want you to purchase the food from their concession stand.

Aside from that such minor detail, I look forward to Kiddie Acres continuing to provide my daughter and family entertainment for at least another three years until she has grown out of it!

A must do for any Austinite family!

More information about Kiddie Acres can be found on its Website at www.kiddieacres.com

Round Rock's Rock 'N River Promises a Way to Beat the Heat

Before I get to the nitty-gritty details, I would like to thank my husband for finding this place. Beating the heat in Texas is certainly a chore. We were looking for a way to engage our toddler in more than just the baby pool swimming sense. This was the perfect way of achieving our mission.

The benefits of Rock 'N River clearly outweigh any negatives that I found. So let me start with what I like so much about this refreshing, family-oriented place.

For starters the drive is a bit of a hike for us. With the location off of 79 in Round Rock near the Dell Diamond in Old Settler's Park, the full day of splashing in their pools made it worth the while. We live in Del Valle not so far to the airport. And, considering that DH is laid off at the moment, this was a great way to relieve the stress, have fun and forget the troubles for several hours.

Lilian, our darling daughter, is three and the depth of each pool was perfect for her. Similarly, the water slides, tipping buckets and water blasters helped her beat the boredom of just sitting around a baby pool. And speaking of such, the baby pool, along with the other main pool, starts at zero entrance and features floor geysers that she played with for sometime. Something about the sensation of running water, I guess.

However, what makes this perfect for the tots and infants is that it is one foot maximum in depth and offers a fully-covered awning. The perfect place to sit with your little ones and soak in the cool water! Also featured are the "froggy slide" (as Lily calls it), a tot's "first" water slide with running water, and a spraying water pipe that releases about six arches of water - perfect for kids to become used to being sprayed in the face by water - something we have been trying to overcome with Lilian for some time.

The beauty about this place is that when Lilian is ready for a new activity, we just walk over to the main pool, again with a zero-beach entrance. Here, Lilian can splash in the tipping buckets, journey through the water tunnel, slide down the covered water slide, stand under the tipping frogs, or shoot the water cannon - just to name a few. Also, this pool offers a large circular area of about two-feet and a few inches with a bench along its wall. Mostly, this is where the adults chill out and talk. Occasionally you will see children in this area, but it seems to be a place where it is less splashing and more talking. Perfect if you just want to hang out and prevent meltdown in the sun.

And let's not forget about the lazy river! Is any aquatic center complete without one? Although it is not Lilian's favorite to visit, we usually do it about every other time we visit. She is not for splashing in the face - so once is certainly enough for her. An extension of the main pool, his is just like any other lazy river with splash cannons and rainbow spouts that douse its adventurers with water. It may be much shorter than many of the larger parks, but it is still great for lounging and meets its purpose.

For the adults, Rock 'N River features a two large water slides. One is completely covered, and another is open. Children must be 48'' to ride.

If you are worried about the safety of your child, this place certainly puts it at bay. Lifeguards are completely attentive and actively do what they are paid to do. They are polite and truly look out for the children. *However, parents, this does not mean that they are your personal lifeguard for the day! We all must watch our children around water!*

Although arm floaties and other floating devices are not permitted, Rock 'N River offers certified life jackets for children without cost. Leave your car keys, driving license or something that you can part with while you are there and your child is set!

Lastly, what makes Rock 'N River great is that it allows R'NR goers to bring in coolers of food and drink (no alcohol or glass). We have taken advantage of this many times over the last few weeks. As policy, the center has an employee checking contents at the door, which is fair enough. I would not want my child stepping on glass that someone neglected to place in a receptacle (in which there are plenty).

Other amenities that Rock 'N River features: a concession stand, shaved, flavored, shaved ice (pickle?! - must try this one at some point!), fifty-cent lockers, and covered picnic tables (reservations available - there's always a party going on there and it seems that Little Caesar's is the popular pizza choice).

As for the negatives, what I can say is that it can get crowded from what I hear and the distance we have to travel to get there. The park is 40,000+ square feet, but I have yet to see it crowded to the point where we were uncomfortable or want to leave. Also, there is a nominal fee of $4.50 for adults and $3.50 for children. Much cheaper than Schlitterbahn and Volente Beach, and less overwhelming for a toddler and more for her to do! I think Round Rock residents are charged this, and it is a dollar more for non-residents of the city.

I can say that we will continue to visit this place. We can cool off with my daughter while "hitting up the playground" at the same time. She loves it and on average she is on the go for hours. There is little to no stopping for her while we visit; she enjoys it this much. Lilian sleeps incredibly well on the days that we visit and she gets the exercise she needs.

Rock 'N River is open From late May until early September. Hours are 10 AM to 8 PM during peak season (M, Tu, Th, Sat) and 1 to 8 PM (F and Sun); closed on Wednesdays.

More information about Rock 'N River can be found at http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/pools.

Hijacked by life

I really dropped the ball on this one! However, my degree is finished so now I can focus on a great deal of family, community and educational topics.

More to come! :)