Our son Braden loves all things military, so when the opportunity to see a WWI reenactment, we had to make sure Braden got to go. We surprised him early Sunday morning on March 20th. He didn't know where we were going. He figured it out when we got to Vincennes and got to the museum. The first thing you see when you arrive is a Navy Airplane and many tanks and vehicles used in the military. He was getting excited.
We saw this plane when we first got to the Museum. Of course we love it, because it's a Navy plane! Our oldest son is in the Navy so we are a bit partial to this branch :)
Braden cheesing and excited about what we have planned for the morning!!!
The reenactment portion was decent. It was interesting to see the outfits, the authentic military camps, and witness the history of how fighting was back then. The group tried to make it as real as possible. Quite interesting. Once the reenactment was finished, we headed to the Museum to check out all of the authentic military pieces. There was quite a bit to look at. I would say that if you are interested in military antiques and vehicles, you would need an hour or so to see everything. Outside, they have many military vehicles and planes. They also have authentic military bunkers that you can take a little tour through. Overall, this was a nice little Sunday morning/afternoon trip!!! Check out their website Indianamilitarymuseum.org if you get the chance! They may have some upcoming events you may want to check out!
We took this picture in front of the George Rogers Clark Monument along the Wabash River
Gorgeous picture of the Wabash River and my kiddos
This is a selfie from the bridge that takes you into the park. They had a nice creek under the bridge.
Grant's Farm was packed full of so much fun, history, and surprises. We found out about this place from a fellow cheer mom and when I looked it up, I saw that it wasn't that far away from where we were staying and we could make a quick trip from there, to the zoo later in the afternoon. I also noticed from their website that it was free. The only thing you have to pay for is your car, no matter how many passengers. That fee was $12 per vehicle and they accept debit cards. We got there about 15 minutes after it opened and the road leading to the park was packed. I knew as soon as we pulled up that we should have been there well before it opened and that it was a very popular attraction. There is a park across from the farm. Many people were parking and walking in. It's quite a long walk but if you want to get some steps in, then there ya go! It took us about 30 minutes to actually pay and park. We were getting a little nervous about this. We wondered how packed it would be once inside. Once we got parked and got our sunscreen on, we headed to the line. It was a huge line up to the entrance. There are porta-potties and it wasn't a problem to get out of line and have your significant other wait for you. Of course, the kids had to go. We waited about 30 minutes. Once we got close to the front, they had a photographer take a family picture for us. We are always a sucker for these, so more about them later. When we finally got to the front, we boarded a tram. The tram took off and we went through a large metal gate. Inside the gate were red deer, buffalo, elk, and many other grazing animals. The kids loved being in the middle of them. We got a brief history lesson about President Grant and the Busch/Budweiser Corporation and how they are tied in together. We caught a glimpse of the mansion, which was magnificent. I suggest googling it so you can see what I am talking about. The tram dropped us off at the park after a 15 minute ride through the huge pastures. We didn't get any pictures while on the tram. We were too busy checking out the animals and didn't want to miss any of it.
Once at the park, we bought the kids a $5 voucher a piece. This ticket included a ride on the carousel, 2 baby goat milk bottles, and a snow cone. We went out to see all the animals this park had to offer. We saw camels, horses, goats, elephants, many types of birds, and much more. The parrots were probably my favorite. We got a pretty good video of the parrot shenanigans. Enjoy!!!
The snow cones were great and the carousel was alright. The goat bottles should have been done as soon as we got the vouchers. By the time we went through the park and got the bottles, the goats were basically passed out in milk comas. We have goats so this part of the park was not as exciting for us, but come on...Baby goats are always cute and entertaining no matter what!
Sophia found a hungry baby!
Milk Comas
Braden finally got one to try some of the bottle
In the food area, there is plenty of little souvenirs, food, and the Clydesdale stalls along with some historical information. Did I mention the free beer? Brad didn't have anything to drink and I only had one. I tried their new rootbeer, which was actually pretty tasty. You see, I'm an extremely picky drinker. I like on the rocks and something fruity where I can't taste too much alcohol.
After we got done roaming around for a bit longer, we got back on the tram and made our way to the front. We purchased our picture, which was $20 and headed toward our car. Next to the parking lot is the Clydesdale pastures. We walked through there and checked them out while they were grazing. We also snapped a picture of the kiddos.
Overall, this is a relatively cheap attraction with a lot to do in a few hours. I would think that it could be done in about three or so hours and you would have seen everything. If you are there for the free beer, then drink up and enjoy for a few more hours :) I will post some random photos below...
XOXO...Becky
Free Carousel Ride...A bit old for it, but who cares :) Are we ever too old?
They were a little scared to turn their heads for me to get this picture HAHAHAHAHAHA
This past weekend we went on a little weekend trip to St. Louis for a cheer competition for our little girl. It was an exhausting and expensive weekend, but well worth it. Sophia ended up getting 2nd place. She was performing a cheer duo with another little girl.
You all know how I feel about the selfie! I love them! I love them because we can all be in the picture together!!! The left picture is of us arriving at Six Flags and walking to the Amphitheater where the event was to be held. An arrival time of 6:30 am makes for a long day of cheer!!! Sophia is on the right showing off her 2nd place trophy. She had already changed out of her uniform because she was getting too hot, but she's pretty cute!!!
Let's focus on Six Flags now, instead of my family ;) We were not that impressed and probably would not plan a return trip to Six Flags unless we have to go for a special event like the cheer competition. It is expensive, the rides aren't that great, and it really wasn't that well maintained. We paid around $100 for Sophia. Fine. She was in the competition and they have to make their money. This included a meal. For myself, Brad, and our son it was about $170. This also included a meal. Parking was $10. We booked everything online so it would save us a few bucks. When we got to the venue, I'm glad we did because the parking was double at the gate. So for four of us to go to the cheer competition it was almost $300. Generally, tickets are $42.99 for general admission and $20 for the parking. This really is not that bad considering we pay $38.99 per person every year for Holiday World. Holiday World has the water park, drinks, sunscreen, and parking included, though. The cost of food was outrageous, as well. Brad came back with three small drinks and paid almost $20!!! Later we found out that you could purchase a plastic drink container with the Six Flags logo and get free refills. We did this for the second round of drinks. A dry, stale pretzel with cheese was $6.99. Yes, we could have packed lunch and eaten in the parking lot, but really its just too much of a hassle early in the morning with a sleepy cheerleader to get ready.
Old Time Photo...Gangster Style
I am very hesitant to put my kids on rides by themselves. In fact, this was the first time I ever had. We put them on the Colossus, I believe is the name. I didn't want to ride, nor did Brad. It spins, goes up and down, sideways, and upside down. No thanks. So we stood in line, finally got on the ride and we put them into their seats and exited to watch. I stood where I could watch the attendant fasten them in by pushing the bar down. I am a nurse, and I was getting a bad gut feeling. I was having palpitations and getting a little stressed while waiting on the attendant to come around. The buzzer went off, and the bar lowered. The kids were able to push theirs down and two helpful people beside them pushed it even further down. Then, the buzzer went off again and the bars raised. Then I really got freaked out. I was praying they weren't going to start the ride. I was about to go in and grab my kids. All of a sudden, the attendant started exiting everyone because the ride had a malfunction and a check engine light had came on. I'm glad my kids didn't ride. I knew my gut was right and I should listen to it more often. After that, we decided to keep it mellow. We road the Hall of Justice Battle for Metropolis ride, which is basically a ship/ that swings and moves back and forth and takes you down a virtual path. We watched Batman and Superman apprehend Joker while we rode in a car and "helped" by shooting the henchmen. This ride was pretty neat. It was probably our favorite one.
Notice Brad is the winner...Of course :)
We bought a family photo pass to get the picture above. It cost us about $50 to get old time photos and all digital downloads from the park that day. This wasn't that bad of a deal, really. We got the old time photos, the ride above, and a family photo at the front entrance. I'm always a sucker for pictures of my family. Below is the front entrance photo. Not too bad!
Cleanliness...The bathrooms were clean. There were plenty of them scattered around the park. There were a ton of sticks and leaves and junk around the buildings. It seemed that they had not really cleaned or maintained much after the winter, before the opening of the park. We noticed a lot of people walking around smoking, which was rude. I did see some designated smoking areas, but not many people seemed to be utilizing them. I suppose I sound like I am complaining a lot. Maybe so, but I have been spoiled by Holiday World. It is always spick and span clean and who can't resist free soft drinks?!? The workers that we saw at Six Flags were all very friendly and helpful. This was very nice. About three different times, we were standing looking at our map and I'm sure we had confused looks on our faces. Workers stopped every time and asked us if they could help direct us. It was very nice.
XOXO...Becky
P.S. Don't decide against Six Flags just because of my own personal opinions! Go try it out for yourself and then let me know what you think!!!
