Baxter Village Nature Trails

It was a beautiful Saturday in January, so we decided to get the kids out for some fresh air. Hailing from Central New York, I'm always excited when it's in the 70's in the middle of the winter and not -7. We opted to head to Baxter Village to enjoy their nature trails. S insisted we were going to the jungle (her grandparents just got back from an African safari so everything is the jungle), so off to the suburban jungle we went.

We bundled E in the moby wrap (which this mommy and daddy love) and started our trek, looking for animals (birds and squirrels mostly) and enjoying the scenery. The trail we took was paved, there are several different types of trails - some perfect for a stroller, others for bikes and walking. Click here to see the trail map at Baxter.

We came across several geocaches along the way, including a little gnome in a tree. It's a free fun way to get the family into the great outdoors - and it wasn't muddy!

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Left Shoe Right Shoe

My daughter has trouble distinguishing which shoe goes on which foot. I've tried showing her how to look at the toes and where the buckles are etc. but nothing really helped until I used a black magic marker to put dots on the inside of each of her shoes. Now she just lines the dots up and she knows which one goes on which foot!

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Mint Museum Randolph

Mint Museum Randolph

The Mint Museum on Randolph doesn't really jump off the page as a place little ones would enjoy, however they have several activities for kids throughout the week, and S was intrigued by the many ancient tea pots (she's all about tea parties), the pictures (Is that baby Jesus?) and the clothing (It's a Cinderella dress!!) that we came across during our visit.

Discovering a museum with kids can seem daunting with so many "can't touches" around, but we used it as an opportunity to teach S about the rules of museums and explained why she couldn't touch it. She accepted the rules and was filled with wonderment with each thing she saw. E was regaled to the stroller but was still interested in all the different things there were to see.

We were able to talk about history of the things we saw, and how the relics were from a time before even Great Grandma Hodges was born - that blew her mind! We also re-named some of the art pieces and made up stories about what many of the items were, it was a fun exercise in imagination for my husband and I. Her favorite part was seeing the "coach" they used to carry members of the aristocracy in (we said it was a princess coach). They had a display of Mayan weavings. S and I sat down and tried weaving ribbons at one of the kid-friendly interactive areas of the museum.

My husband and I are both Bank of America customers, and they have a great program called 'Museums on Us' that allows free entry to museums across the country. In Charlotte for 2013 it includes The Mint Museum Uptown, The Mint Museum Randolph, The Levine Museum of the New South and Bechtler Museum of Art. It runs the first full weekend of the month - for more information you can click here to read about the program.

Parking is free and it has diaper changing areas in both the men and women's rooms. Several benches are located throughout the museum and I was able to sit and nurse E while Jim and S counted tea pots. They had two vending machines in case you forget to pack a drink for the kids or they need a snack. We went on a Saturday around 4 PM and it was very quiet, we only saw two other families the whole time we were in there. It's stroller friendly with two elevators allowing easy access to the galleries.

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Top 5 Rainy Day Destinations in Charlotte, NC

Charlotte, NC is a gorgeous city with beautiful weather the majority of the year, but every once in a while we do get a drizzly day. We take this opportunity to visit one of our favorite top 5 places in Charlotte to check out on a rainy day.

1. Discovery Place Uptown

• Aquarium, water table, under 3 play area, animal encounters, science based experiences, building area, IMAX theater and  more!
• $12 Adults, $10 Kids 2-13, under 2 free
• IMAX additional cost

2. Discovery Place Kids - Huntersville

• Child sized city including veterinarian office, bank, grocery store, restaurant, rock wall, farm, fire station, underwater, craft area, jungle gym, under 3 play area, dress up, stage and puppet shows.
• Closed Mondays
• $8, under 1 free

3. Charlotte Nature Museum

• Animal encounters, butterfly pavilion, creature cavern, fort wild outdoor play area, our big back yard tunnels, insect alley, paw paw nature trail 
• $6 per person, under 2 free

4. Sea Life

• Thousands of sea creatures, touch pool, underwater tunnel
• Climbing gym 
• Lower ticket prices when you buy online. 

5. Imaginon

• Children's library, story time, kids theater and theater classes, indoor play
• Free entry for Imagnion, costs varies for theater productions, free parking under Imagnion for 1.5 hours - underground garage access from 6th street. See website for a map because it can be confusing the first time you visit.

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Horse Carriage Rides Uptown

Ever since we've moved to Charlotte I've been ever so slightly obsessed with the uptown horse drawn carriage rides. There is something so nostalgic and fun about carriage rides, very ala Disney princess. I'd been telling my husband that we really needed to check it out, but each time we were uptown the conditions just weren't ideal to catch a ride. The stars finally aligned and we were able to bring our little princess on the carriage ride. All of the carriages are private, and we took the 20 minute ride just in case S wasn't as keen on it as we thought she would be. Everyone really enjoyed it, and S thought it was amazing that we were riding a horse in the streets of Charlotte. She still talks about it and points it out any time we are uptown. The carriage tours are running most evenings all week long and some afternoons on the weekends weather permitting. You can call 704-301-5111 before heading out to make sure they are open.  They are located at the corner of Trade and Tryon Streets. Bundle the family up for a memorable, educational and affordable experience uptown.


Costs:
20 minute city ride
$25 - for 2 adults
Kids under 4 free
Kids 4-10 an extra $3
Kids 10+ an extra $5

40 minute historical ride
$40 - for 2 adults
Kids under 4 free
Kids 4-10 an extra $4
Kids 10+ an extra $7

Momma Tip: There can be a wait, if it's substantial enough have your hubby wait while you take the kids to the free Wells Fargo History Museum just 4 blocks away at 401 South Tryon Street. It's a great place for the kids to run around.

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Discovery Place Uptown

One of our favorite places in Charlotte is Discovery Place. We've had a membership since we moved here, and its always been a fun and different experience each time we've visited.

This year we purchased the WNC membership which was cheaper than joining Discover Place ($62 vs $100), and has reciprocal entry for Discovery Place and the Riverbanks Zoo (savings!!) in addition to several other museums - a great deal. Regular tickets cost $12 for adults, $10 for kids, under 2 are free. My father joined us for some science fun the last time we went.

Discovery Place has many rotating educational programs, interactive experiences and multi-sensory stations. The water table is one of S's favorite places to play, they supply aprons but I recommend bringing an outfit change.

There is an area to construct cars and race them, a drum set made out of kitchen supplies, a place for kids to dress up as super heroes and "fly" with their costumes on. The magnetic building area allows kids to explore shapes and construction, as does the magnetic ball drop. A children under 3 area is covered with padded foam and fun for the littlest of ones to crawl and roll around in.

Science is integrated throughout, with microscopes to view every day objects and numerous stations that explain scientific principles to many age levels. My favorite part is the aquarium, I love watching the jelly fish as they elegantly float along.

We had an animal encounter with a snake and a crab, S enjoyed petting both. You can catch an IMAX movie while you're there (for an additional cost), and catch a bite to eat at their cafe or bring a snack with you.

It's easy to spend hours exploring all there is to see, and still not see all they have to offer. It's a must see for kids, parents and grandparents in Charlotte.

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Mamma-Baby Yoga

My sister in law and I enjoyed a mommy baby yoga class at the Carolina Community Maternity Center. They hold this class on Saturdays from 10:30-12.

It was relaxing to be in an environment where other moms were sharing their positive energy and breathing together right beside their babies. I loved that it was totally kosher when I had to stop and nurse and change E's diaper for a few moments, and then was able to rejoin my yoga practice. The cost was $8, but it may range depending on if you purchase a punch card. There were babies of all ages, and the maternity center had a very loving and holistic ambiance as we were surrounded by infant pictures and a beautiful belly cast art display.

The babies seemed to enjoy it as much as we did. Joan the instructor was very sweet, informative and welcoming. The location is convenient, just off of the Gold Hill exit of I-77. They had mats available for newbies and many other programs that the center offers including midwifery, infant massage classes, baby sign language classes and other maternity related education.


Address: 2848 Pleasant rd Suite 100 Fort Mill, SC 29708
Contact: Joan at charlotteprenatalyoga@gmail.com or call 704.618.0421.

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