Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is the #1 movie in North America after its opening last weekend. We recently got a chance to talk to the movie's writer/directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, visual effects supervisor Rob Bredow, production designer Justin Thompson, and animation supervisor Pete Nash about the movie and can't wait to see this one!
Miller and Lord both loved the classic children's book and thought it would make a great action movie so they teamed up with Sony Pictures Animation to make the 3D film. Miller and Lord expanded on the book's storyline, but made sure to keep key visual elements from the book in the movie. The pair spent over two and a half years developing the story for the movie and critics agree it is a winner. Check it out at a theater near you this weekend!
We found ourselves near Hartford, CT, this weekend and decided to stop by Lyman Orchards to check out their Sunflower Maze. We've been to corn mazes before, but had never seen the sunflower variety. This place is a bit of a drive, but we think it was worth it as the sunflower maze was great and the rest of the facility made for a great afternoon.
Owned and operated by the Lyman Family since 1741, Lyman Orchards has something for everyone including the Apple Barrel market, pick-your-own fruit, a corn maze, a sunflower maze, Frisbee golf, and even a 36-hole championship golf course. We arrived around lunch so parked and headed directly for the Apple Barrel market to find some nourishment.
Eating at Lyman Orchard
There were a few options to choose from: an outdoor fast food-style vendor (hot dogs, hamburgers, fried dough, etc.), a full-service deli, and wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. The deli is inside the market, so you can check out the produce and homemade pies at the same time. The deli offers fresh made sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, and a hot entree.
There are plenty of seating options available around the market. The outdoor deck has numerous picnic tables, or you can do a real picnic on any of the grassy areas throughout the area. We sat under a tree near the pond next to the market and were entertained (our son more than us) by the geese and birds begging for food.
Pick up a map at the information desk in the market to get the lay of the land. The activities are a bit spread out so make a game plan before visiting by checking out the map. You can visit the Apple Barrel market and do the corn maze with one car stop, but you have to drive to the rest of the areas. The sunflower maze isn’t on the map yet as it’s new, but is in the general vicinity of the pick-your-own area.
The Mazes
Admission to each maze is $9.00 for adults and $5.00 for kids ages 4 to 12. A combo pass for both mazes is available for $12.50 for adults and $8.00 for kids. Before entering the maze you can pick up a map and a set of trivia questions. You must choose from various categories such as American History, sports, politics, and tots and tikes. Each sheet has ten questions that will help you navigate through the maze. Each question is multiple-choice and the answer corresponds to either left or right—the direction you should take at that numbered pole in the maze. Get the question correct and you will head in the right direction. This is a great opportunity to work with your kids on some problem solving by helping them eliminate certain multiple choice answers and even letting them get a few wrong (if you know the answer).
We took a few different categories of questions and found that some, like American History, were more difficult than others, such as tots and tikes. Ask the attendant for the category that is most appropriate for your kid’s age group. This year’s corn maze theme was George Washington and Barack Obama. The aerial view of the maze is quite impressive as it does resemble the two presidents. In addition to the trivia the corn maze had additional presidential factoids throughout the maze, so if you kid is into history they’ll enjoy stopping to read up along the route.
Pick Your Own
Lyman offers one of the most diverse and largest pick your own orchard that we have been to with the following available throughout the year: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, jostaberries, peaches, pears, Asian pears, apples, and pumpkins.
You can use their containers or bring your own and get to picking. They provide nice stations to work from and store your picked fruit as well as recipes to help you come up with ideas for the fresh produce. The staff was very knowledgeable and extremely helpful during our visit. We would recommend calling before heading to Lyman to see what is ripe for picking and check out the current prices. The number is 860-349-6015.
Dad Says: The price of the maze seemed a bit high, but was worth it. Next time, I think we’d stick with the sunflower maze only. The food was great and this place is worth a visit if you are in the area.
Mom Says: Between the picnic and the sunflower maze, this was one of the most romantic family events we’ve ever done. It was so beautiful walking around the sunflowers we didn’t even care if we got lost! Note: you are in a field, so it is a bit warmer than the actual temperature.
Noodle Noggin' 'N Bean is proud to be working with "Once Again Kids" a new children's resale shop located at 243 West Main St in the Northborough Shopping Center next to Dawn's School of Dance.
Once Again Kids, a unique resale shop is now open at 243 West Main St. in Northboro. Shop and spend $25.00 or more and get a FREE visit to NNNB! Offer good until September 15. What is accepted for resale: Gently used, like new clothing and shoes, sizes newborn through size 12-14. Seasonal only. Items should be freshly washed or laundered and less than five years old.
Toys, Infant Toys, playsets, and games (no missing pieces).
Books with complete and tear free pages/CD's.
Customer is paid in advance. No consignment, no waiting until after the items are sold.
What is NOT accepted for resale:
Rattles, plush animals, teethers, baby monitors, breast pumps, bottle warmers or items to transport baby which attach to an adult bicycle.
It is this easy:
Drop your items off at Once Again Kids during any of our open hours. (Mon. through Sat. 10:30 am to 6:00 pm).
Fill out a resale agreement form.
Within three weeks you will receive your cash offer via telephone.
Pick up your check and returns at NNNB.
All buys will be limited to one large bag OR one large box or bin or two small bags OR two small boxes or bins at one time. More items may be brought in when seller picks up checks and return.
We had heard quite a bit about Noodle Noggin’ ‘N Bean (NNNB) and finally brought our son there this past weekend. The place is fantastic! The creators of NNNB really understand how children like to play and the importance of it, especially the interaction between kids and their parents.
NNNB dubs itself as an “EDU-tainment parent-child experience for children ages one through six,” and is located in Northborough, MA. Featuring 5,000 square feet of open play and learning space split into 12 themed rooms, NNNB will keep your kid(s) entertained for hours. The entry fee is $9.99 per child and $2.99 per adult, and is good for the entire day so you can come and go (after all that play everyone needs some food!).
What really struck us about NNNB was the variety and quality of activities for the kids and parents to participate in, and unlike traditional playplaces, NNNB encourages parents and caregivers to participate right alongside their kids. We won’t attempt to detail each of the twelve themed rooms that make up NNNB, but will tell you about some of the highlights from our visit.
Old Town Square is where we entered and were immediately struck by the large wooden vehicles that you could climb aboard to start your adventure – one is a train and the other is a fire truck. This room is covered in murals, giving it a nice warm feel. Kid-friendly music is playing throughout the entire facility. Some noteworthy tunes we heard were kid versions of
Chumbawamba’s ‘Tubthumping’ and House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around;’ the the songs were sung by kids and the lyrics were changed a bit to remove anything inappropriate (‘Whiskey Drink’ became ‘Soda Drink’).
Off of this room are several other themed rooms including Bean’s Bricks & Blocks, Inc., Mona Lisa’s Art Studio, Pirate’s Cove, Dr. Bone’s Body Shop, and Noggin’s Knock Knock Nook. Each room features unique activities for your kids to try out. Bean’s Bricks & Blocks is full of different building systems—Duplos, Quartros and Lincoln Logs—allowing your kid to perfect his craftsmanship. Mona Lisa’s Art Studio has a huge chalk board as well as a large wall covered in paper waiting for young artists to adorn it with their work. The Knock Knock Nook is filled with musical instruments, costumes, and sheet music, encouraging your kid to express himself musically. We were even able to follow the colored notes and play ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ on the xylophone. Our son really enjoyed this room, especially the kid-sized cymbals and the life-sized floor keyboard al-la Tom Hanks in ‘Big.’ We didn’t have time to go into Pirate’s Cove, but it looked like a lot of fun. It had a full-size pirate ship and a long water trough where kids can play with various water toys or use a fishing pole to catch a live one (don’t worry, there are no real fish).
Walking from one side of the complex to the other, the hallways feature different types of activity toys mounted to the walls. From rollercoaster bead mazes to circle spinners, the folks at NNNB have covered all the bases to keep your kids entertained, even when walking down a hallway. We spent 15 minutes playing with the toys in one of the hallways.
The opposite side of the building is laid out in a similar fashion, with a central room, aptly named Central Park, and a few smaller themed rooms. Central Park is meant for younger kids and has soft mats and padding allowing for the little ones to tumble around. There is a diner where your kids can cook up a feast or be a guest and sit down for a nice meal. Before cooking, you can hit up the kid market, a well-stocked supermarket complete with shopping carts and a cash register. The sea-saw and ball pit were big hits for our kid on this side of the building.
As you can tell, Noodle Noggin’ ‘N Bean packs quite a punch under a single roof. We’d encourage you to check out their site, especially the ‘Rooms’ section, to get a better feel for the variety of offerings. When visiting, we’d also recommend taking a walk around the entire facility to gauge your kids’ interest and plan your visit. NNNB has two rooms for birthday parties and is definitely in our list of venues for future birthdays.
Mom Says: Clean and cute!!! No food allowed in the building except for the party room, so there aren’t any wayward crumbs. The toys were very gently used – I wasn’t disgusted with anything that my kid touched. I even got in the ball pit with him and found it to be clean. Next time I’m planning on staying for at least 2 hours.
Dad Says: This place knocked our socks off! It is clear that NNNB understands how to create an engaging and fun environment for kids and adults. The idea of playing and learning with your kids is great and I know we’ll be doing more of it at Noodle Noggin’ ‘N Bean.
We had heard from a few family friends that Boomerangs Playland was worth checking out, so we headed to Carver, MA this weekend to give it a whirl. Located in a strip mall off Route 58 in one half of an old supermarket (the other half is a gym), Boomerangs offers 12,000 square feet of play space, birthday party rooms, an arcade, and an adult-only relaxation room. The entry fee is $8.95
Monday through Thursday and $11.95 Friday through Sunday, with kids under 2 costing $6.95 and $8.95. In addition to the entry fee you will want to purchase some tokens. These can be used for the arcade games and cost 25 cents per token or 100 tokens for $20.00 and a bonus of 10 tokens. We went with this option as we had two uncles with us that wanted to shoot some hoops and play air hockey while their nephew had his fun. We’d recommend scoping out the games before making this investment though, as most games only require one or two tokens.
The first attraction directly behind the front desk, and something you can’t miss, is a large inflatable activity apparatus. An employee told us that the inflatable activity changes monthly. When we visited, an obstacle course called the ‘Boomerang Challenge’ was there allowing kids to race each other over and around a few obstacles, climb up about 20 feet and then slide/jump down to complete the course. This one would be best for kids 4 and up and all the kids we saw on it were having a blast.
To the right of the front desk is an Animaland factory (similar to Build-a-Bear), which lets your kid build their own stuffed animal, complete with an outfit and accessories. We didn’t partake in this, but noted that prices started around $24.95 for the base animals and go up from there.
The Paradise Lounge is the next area you arrive at when walking through the facility and is directly adjacent to the toddler area. This room is for adults only and features 5 massage chairs, computer work stations, and a flat-screen TV. With windows providing a pretty good view of the facility, this room is a great place to escape the craziness and wind down. This is an opportunity to take turns supervising the kids allowing the parents to enjoy the facility as well. We tested out the massage chairs, and after some tinkering with a very complex remote control, we got the kneading and shiatsu working our back, legs and feet.
The toddler area is sectioned off for the little ones and has a large and small ball pit, soft climbing blocks, push and pull cars and trucks, and other toddler-friendly toys. While this section does have a height requirement, we had to keep our eyes out as older kids couldn’t resist a quick flop into the ball pit.
The featured attraction of Boomerang’s is the Mega Climber, boasting three levels of soft and safe activities. With a loosely enforced height requirement of about 3 feet, this structure is geared towards kids 3 and up. Parents can go inside with their kids to help them navigate the corridors or to just play alongside them. The climber is fairly open, so you could track your kids from the outside, but there are several blind spots throughout the maze-like complex. Kids that can navigate to the top corner are rewarded with a trip down the 3-story spiral slide.
Buccaneer Bay is next to the Mega Climber and has several different themed areas encouraging creative play. Kids can dress as a pirate, mermaid, or surfer and create an adventure in four different play structures. These looks like the sets from a theatre production, allowing your kids to get creative and develop their own adventure. The dock area doubles as a stage where your kids can see themselves on TV.
The arcade stretches along the left-hand wall and features standard games such as Skee ball, basketball, air hockey, and several driving games. For the older kids (and adults) there is a decent selection to choose from in this small arcade. Tickets are rewarded by most of the games and can be exchanged for small toys and candy on your way out. Koala Kafe is at the very back of the complex in between the birthday party rooms and offers ample seating and standard kid food such as pizza, popcorn, cotton candy, and slushies. It wasn’t lunch time yet, so we didn’t dine, but the food looked pretty good.
Dad Says: Boomerangs was clean and just big enough to keep our kid busy for a couple hours, but not too big that you feel lost. If we lived closer, we’d definitely do a birthday party here. The adult lounge was nice for even a quick break from the madness that can occur at any playplace.
Aunt Says: I was put off by a big hole in the ceiling (construction in progress?) and some duct tape on the Boomerang Challenge. However, the little guy had a blast in the ball pit, which made the whole trip worthwhile, and Buccaneer Bay is a great opportunity for older kids to get creative. I would really like some stricter staff supervision in the toddler area, as some kids got pretty rowdy with the ball pit, which was annoying. And I could have spent a lot more time at the Paradise Lounge, although I had a tough time figuring out how to adjust the settings on the massage chair.
Uncle Says: This would be a great place to have a birthday party and it looks like they have 4 different rooms for hosting parties. I must admit that I had a lot of fun playing the basketball game and air hockey.
We are always very excited to find a hidden gem in a small town in Massachusetts and did just that this weekend when we visited Tri-State Speedway in Dudley, MA. For those wondering, Dudley is south of Worcester, right on the Connecticut border. In an unassuming old warehouse, Tri-State Speedway offers a multitude of indoor activities including go-kart racing, mini golf, billiards, video games, Bowlingo, and many more.
Tri-State is split between two floors and is currently expanding to include some outdoor activities. The second floor of the building is where the 10-turn speedway is located. You must be 54 inches tall to drive the go-karts or 42 inches to ride as a passenger. An annual license must be purchased for $10 (good for the year), and each ride is $8.00 for kids under 12, $12.00 for adults, and $14.00 for a double seater. If your kids are into go-karts, we recommend taking advantage of their weekly specials, which give you unlimited racing for certain time periods (for example, Wednesday from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm for $30.00). In addition to the racing, the upstairs has a snack bar, a birthday party room, and a small arcade room.
Downstairs, which just opened in 2008, has a lot more variety of activities. This floor has its own birthday party room and is where you will find ‘The Islands Mini Golf,’ an 18-hole indoor golf course that is in perfect condition - no worn-out carpet here. The holes are not as long as some outdoor courses and don’t have the same diversity in hole layout and hazards, but it’s a fantastic indoor mini golf course and a great part of a day at Tri-State. Mini golf costs $6.00 per person with kids under 2 playing for free.
For the younger kids who don’t meet the 54 inch height requirement upstairs, a Kiddie Karts area for kids aged 4-8 or 36 to 48 inches is available. At $5.00 for five minutes, we weren’t sure this was worth it, but it’s hard to stop a dedicated race fan sometimes. There is also a train for the younger kids to ride on in this area.
If you haven’t seen Bowlingo, it’s an interactive, electronic four-lane, scaled-down bowling alley – the lanes are shorter and narrower than traditional lanes, but fully automated. The balls are a little larger than candlepin balls, and you have 10 minutes to throw 10 frames. This is a fun version of bowling that costs $2.00 per string.
The arcade, which is scattered throughout the entire facility, has a good variety of games, some of which reward you with tickets to be redeemed for toys and candy. Classics like Skee Ball and air hockey are available, as well as at least three different dance games and numerous shooting games. Tokens are used for all the games, and as usual, take a walk around before buying your tokens to gauge how many you will need. The games vary from one to four tokens per player. Three billiards tables are also available in the main arcade area. This is obviously focused more towards older kids and adults.
From the outside, Tri-State Speedway looks like a warehouse, but once inside it’s full of action-packed fun that would keep a family busy for several hours. We recommend doing some planning for your trip as buying everything a la carte will be expensive. The management at Tri-State seems to be constantly putting together new packages. They are also expanding soon by adding a bungee run, a trampoline apparatus, and a kiddie swing ride, as well as a bar for adult entertainment.
Mom Says: This is not a place to take a group of toddlers, but if you have one or two you can find something for them to do. Older kids would have a blast on their own or as a family outing. This would be a great birthday party place for tweens.
Dad Says: I have been to Dudley before and know it is a small town, so wasn’t expecting much, but boy was I wrong. Now that I have my license, I plan to go back for some more Go Kart racing for sure! Oh yeah, the kids love this place too!
We finally drove out to Sterling, MA, to visit Davis Farmland, a children’s discovery farm. Sounds like a simple idea, but the Davis family has taken farm fun to a whole new level by mixing the old in with the new. This place is a MUST-SEE. Be prepared with bathing suits and towels as you will want to get wet! During the summer they are open 7 days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and admission is $16.95 per person (children under 2 are free). Discounts and memberships are available, so check the website.
Let’s start with a little history, which makes the farm very intriguing. Seven generations of the Davis family have run the farm from the beginning. Their mission is to ensure that rare breeds of farm animals live and repopulate for years to come. You may not recognize some of the animals on the farm, but they have posted very detailed signs so you can identify them.
Their website boasts that “Davis Farmland is the largest private sanctuary of endangered livestock in North America.” They have even teamed up with San Diego Zoo to preserve DNA of endangered farm animals. Yes, the admission is pricey, but think of it as helping to save some of these animals for your future grandchildren to see!
Upon paying this admission your group is given wristbands for security. Your group must leave together and no one can take your child home. Many venues have similar security measures, but a staffed and locked gate to exit made this a bit more secure than some play places we have been to. In addition to your entry fee, you can purchase cups of feed for the animals for $2.00 each. This is highly recommended by our son. A few short steps past the ticket counter and you are smack in the middle of the action. Watch out! The first animals you see are kittens, and they are up for adoption.
We were able to walk away easily, but if you are a sucker for fuzzy paws that attack your fingers through the wire, then you have been forewarned. Don’t worry – there are tons of other animals to pet. Rabbits are in the cages across from the kittens. You can touch them if they are close to the edge of the cage, but also listen to the staff’s shout-outs throughout the day. At one point they took out some rabbits with angora hair and put them on a picnic table to be brushed and petted by the children (and adults that want to act like children, like us). Some of the farm animals are in cages, and others are roaming free in an open area that you can stroll through. Our son loved to chase the chickens around, though I don’t think they liked it as much… Beware of the younger goats as we found that they liked to chew on our clothes.
Don’t like animals? The farm has plenty of other activities. The face painting station is equipped with all the paint and mirrors your child needs to create a masterpiece on their body, including sketches for them to use as guides. A sink is nearby for easy cleanup.
There were several play areas for kids of different ages and interests. The toddler area (under 3) had some plastic treehouse-type (think Berenstain Bears) buildings to play in, a wooden train, some sandboxes, and swings. The best feature in this section was the speedway. This road course was adjacent to the play area and had lots of coupe-style cars for the kids to drive around or be pushed by adults. This area also has a play market, campground, farm, sand area, maze, and water tables. At the other end of the farm is a play area for the next oldest age group. Along with the usual playground buildings, they have a sand area, Peek-a-boo huts, dinosaur bone dig, pedal track, and scooter bugs. We’ll leave it to you to find out what those are on your visit! Sufficed it to say, Davis Farmland has enough to keep a family busy for a complete day if you plan your visit right.
The Adventure Play & Spray is a definite for those hot New England summer days, so pack the bathing suits and towels. It’s a zero-depth spray ground where your child can run through the sprinkler all they want! Prepare to get wet – you know you won’t be able to resist running through it a little as well!! The toddler area is separate from the main play & spray and has a rubber floor and only a few sprayers. Locker rooms and changing areas are available, and swimmy diapers are a must for the little ones.
Davis Farmland opens their well-known attraction, Davis’ Mega-Maze, on July 30. This year’s theme is ‘The Lost Tomb.’ Keep an eye out for our review later in the summer.
Mom Says: The Davis family really thinks like parents and keeps a stash of safety items on hand everywhere you look: wipes, sunblock, bug spray, and ‘Boo-Boo Stations.’ The food choices they offer are good (they even have baby food!), but they also have an abundance of picnic tables so you can pack food for the family and bring it in with you.
Dad Says: It’s hard to summarize Davis Farmland as there was so much to do, see, touch, feel, and experience. We caught a special exhibit called ‘Birds of Prey.’ Check the website as there are many more special events throughout the year. I was impressed with the staffing levels (OK, sounds like my day job) at Davis as every time you turned around, there was a friendly employee asking if you needed help or telling you about one of the animals.
