We enjoyed a packed day of fun in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area today. We stayed downtown Minneapolis at the Crowne Plaza hotel. After eating breakfast, we caught the bus to St. Paul so that we could explore the
Science Museum of Minnesota. We weren't sure what to expect, but we spent several hours there and had a great time! They have so many hands-on exhibits for kids that kept Owyn engaged and learning and hourly live science demonstrations that taught us about various things. Zoee slept for about two hours there, but she had fun "playing" when she was awake. We definitely plan to return to this museum in the near future, especially since we get free admission with our Cedar Rapids Science Station membership!
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| Owyn loved this - filling the tube with water and then opening the gates to drain the water from the tube. |
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| Enjoying a post-nap snack before she heads off to explore |
We finally coaxed them from the museum, rode the bus back toward Minneapolis, and jumped on the
Light Rail headed back to the Mall of America. Owyn had gotten a glimpse of the rides in
Nickelodeon Universe at the mall, and we promised him we would go back tonight to ride.
THEY LOVED IT!!
Owyn rode his first "big roller coaster" and his first log water ride, and he did both several times. Zoee rode the carousel several times as well as a pink and blue dog ride and mini semi-trucks. We stayed until they closed at 10:00 pm and we were forced from the area. We have promised them that we will return soon, and we got a fun glimpse into our summer when we will try to go to other amusement parks.
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| Riding on the Hiawatha Line (light rail) |
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| Arriving at Mall of America stop |
And now for the rides...
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| Zoee, just before she chickened out of riding the mini-roller coaster |
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| Owyn takes the front car of the mini-roller coaster, "Back at the Barnyard Hayride" |
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| Jack LOVES a roller coaster, even the mini one! |
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| Owyn drives the "Big Rig" |
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| Zoee's first ride of the night |
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| Zoee's favorite ride, the pink dog - "Blue's Skidoo" |
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| Pushing the buttons to raise the dog and make music |
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| Very Happy Rider! |
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| Owyn's first real roller coaster, "Pepsi Orange Streak". He rode at least 5 times! |
I forgot to mention one of my favorite quotes of the night. Owyn was a little nervous to go on the water log ride, but he really wanted to do it. As he and Jack were heading to the ride, he yelled back to me, "I'm gonna get so wet I won't even need a shower tonight!"
ReplyDeleteHe didn't get wet at all, but he had a blast! He rode twice with me, and twice with Jack, and he would have gone more if they hadn't closed!