Rib America Festival 2009

I was lucky enough to be in St. Louis the last two years when this was going on. The food is excellent, and it%26#39;s a lot of fun to attend. Although it gets crowded at night around the stage area, it%26#39;s not so jammed that you can%26#39;t enjoy yourself. It%26#39;s contained within several ';closed to traffic'; blocks from Tucker to N. 15th and from Market to Pine.

This years dates are May 22 though May 25th. The web page is:

www.ribamerica.com/stlouis.html

Rib America Festival 2009

Wow- 80%26#39;s Hair Metal on Saturday night. I%26#39;m going.

Rib America Festival 2009

Headbanger, huh?

Five words come to mind when thinking about the 80%26#39;s music:

Martha Quinn and Adam Curry

Attractions in Columbia

Hi,

We%26#39;re a family with two kids (3 and 6), and we%26#39;re considering a weekend in Columbia or its suroundings. Are there any attractions good at this time of the year (I saw that many attractions are outdoor ones like garden - which I don%26#39;t know if will work at this time of the year).

THanks

Attractions in Columbia

Anyone? anything, or should I assume that it will be a waste of time and we shouldn%26#39;t go?

Attractions in Columbia

Well, if the weekend is nice you could always catch an MU baseball or softball game!

Sorry, I just saw your post a day or two ago. As you can tell there is not much activity on this forum. You could try posting on the Kansas City, St. Louis and/or Missouri forums to see what people do with kids as visitors in Columbia. I don%26#39;t have children, so I don%26#39;t have any immediate answers.

TRYPS(Theater Reaching Young People and Schools) has performances March 20-21 on ';Alexnder....Who Is Not, Not, Not, Not Moving!'; Two performances are sold out. There are still tickets for the Friday night and Saturday matinee times slots. 573-449-4536. See is the website for other activity.http://tryps.missouri.org/TRYPS/Home.html

There%26#39;s the Katy Trail that you can walk or bike in Columbia or nearby Rocheport.

There is an interactive museum downtown.http://www.youzeum.org/visit/hours.php

Drury Inn & Suites near Forest Park

My family is going ot St. Louis for spring break and it looks like the Drury near Forest Park is nice. Anyone have any recent experience staying there? I have 2 teenagers so need an indoor pool %26amp; the breakfast would be nice. Thanks!

Drury Inn %26amp; Suites near Forest Park

I haven%26#39;t stayed at that particular property, but I am a huge Drury fan in general. We stay at Drury whenever possible.....mainly because of our dog. All drurys allow pets....FOR FREE! That fact puts them at the top of our list but we are always pleased anyway.

We have stayed at some older ones, though, and they aren%26#39;t as nice as the newer ones.

Is there a particular reason you want to stay at this location? I don%26#39;t know anything about it so am NOT saying it isn%26#39;t a good one, just wondering if you had considered some of the other ones as well.

Drury Inn %26amp; Suites near Forest Park

Thanks for the info. No particular reason for this one except it seemed like it was close to most touristy things. However, if you have another recommendation, would be glad to hear since have not stayed at these before. The pet policy was great so any of them would probably be fine. Thanks!

I am a fan of both the Drury Plaza downtown and the Drury Plaza at Chesterfield (Chesterfield might be too far out for you, though). I also like the Drury Inn and Suites on the other side of the river in O%26#39;Fallon, IL but that is also farther from the touristy stuff.

If downtown location would work for you, I would look at the Drury Plaza. You might already know this, but if you use the promotion code ';FUN'; for any STL area drury location you can save money....I used it this past weekend at the Plaza downtown and saved $20 per night.

Short Spring Break Trip with Large Family

We haven%26#39;t been to Branson in a little bit. Now our family has grown and we are not sure how to still have fun on without breaking our wallets. My husband I will be traveling with our children (13, 12, 9, 4, and 10 months) March 27th - 29th. Our cousins family will be joining us with their 4 %26amp; 6 year old children. So as you can see we have quite the number with us. We%26#39;ve managed to find a condo (thanks for the feedback on www.vrbo.com), but would like suggestions on things to see or do that would be economical. I noticed that SDC is not open on the 28th, so we will have to do that on the 27th or 29th. Any other suggestions. Attractions and places to eat!

Short Spring Break Trip with Large Family

Since you are going to SDC, I would suggest you purchase your tickets through www.reservebranson.com. You’ll get 2 days for the price of 1. Then you can go on Friday and if you decide to go to SDC again for a few hours on Sunday, you can for free.

If you attend any shows, be sure to ask about family passes. If they offer them, sometimes this is the cheapest option. Also, for 2 tickets for the price of one, check out www.branson2for1tickets.com. They don’t have all of the shows, but they have a fairly large selection. You’ll have to stop in their office on the SW corner of Hwy 76 and Roark Valley (street light at this intersection slightly west of Hwy 65). They also carry 2 for 1 for one of the mini golf places besides show tickets. Also, you may find coupons for discounts for mini golf, the tracks, lazer tag….. etc in one of the booklets or maps around town.

For free items, the best playground equipment is in Stockstill Park. Stop by a grocery store’s deli for an inexpensive picnic. Head down to the Landing, walk the boardwalk, play area in square, have a free ride on the trolley (one goes only on the Landing but another takes you to historical downtown), %26amp; watch the water and fire show. If you go to the historical downtown, check out Dick’s Five and Dime. They have a mini version on the Landing but it’s not much to see compared to this one.

Head to the Table Rock Dam and go to the fish hatchery. Take some paper cups or bags for the fish food machines and a pocket full of quarters. Cross the dam and head to Dewey Shorts. Walk the trail. This is another good place for a picnic.

Kids get in free at the Ralph Foster Museum at the College of the Ozarks. Take a tour of the college too. Go when you can see the milking demonstration if you have a “cow” fan. They also have a working mill. All is free except if you go to the Museum 2009 rates were $4.50 per adult. Kids 17 and under free. Take your camera. They have 2 floors of wildlife scenes. BTW, my 2 yo granddaughter stood in front of the full sized moose for 5 minutes having a stare down. Finally she declared “No like moose” and walked off. Your kids may have a lot of fun there. Mini carnival scene along with the Beverly Hillbillies car too. Lots of historical memorabilia.

To save money at SDC you should know SDC allows food. Pack your own snacks or even your lunch if you prefer. Lots of outdoor places to sit and eat. Also, check into purchasing some SDC mugs. The refills are at a discount. This is especially a savings if you purchase the specialty drinks. Take your own stroller too instead of renting one. This is not a money saving tip but it is one of my favorite family services SDC has. Nursing Stations with rockers. You’ll find them on the maps. They will make your day with a 10 month old. Also, another place for rockers is the Culinary School’s porch. Usually the backside overlooking Echo Hollow is quieter than other areas.

For dining, I would suggest eatting out lunch and eat dinner in your condo since lunch prices are normally cheaper. Danna%26#39;s (good BBQ) has very large portions and good prices. Mel%26#39;s Hard Luck Diner (50%26#39;s diner with singing wait staff) also has good food and large portions at affordable prices. The kids could easily share at these places. Also consider pizza %26amp; deli take out. McFarlins usually has some coupons floating around. If you dine there, ask for a special table for the kids to sit at. It will slowly rise while they dine.

Have fun.

Kansas City in July

Now my husband %26amp; I are to attend a wedding in July in Kansas City. We most likely will rent a car. We like quirky things, hiking, water parks and some museums. Can you please suggest anything in a 2 hour radius that might fill that bill?

Thanks from NYC.

Kansas City in July

Kansas City Missouri has a major water park: Oceans of Fun. It was one of the first of its kind.

Quirky?

St. Joseph MO has the Glore Psychiatric Museum. I%26#39;ve never been there, but it looked interesting on Rare Vissions and Roadside Revelations.

Or Truck Henge in Topeka. http://www.kansastravel.org/truckhenge.htm

Kansas City in July

Truck Henge....right up our alley...especially since we ran into Foam Henge in Virginia. Appreciate your suggestions.

A couple of museums that I enjoyed are the Steamboat Arabia. This is a steamboat that went down in the Missouri river. A local Independence Mo family was instrumental in raising the steamboat and rescuing it%26#39;s cargo. They have a really awesome museum down at the Kansas City River Market area that displays the cargo. ANother interesting place to visit is the Harry Truman Home in Independence Mo. It%26#39;s amazing to see how Harry and Bess lived, whether you%26#39;re a Democrat or a Republican, I think you will be surprised to see their humble dwelling. Both of these destinations are within 10 - 15 minutes of downtown KC.

Check this out - REAL QUIRKY! LOL!

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/KS-Lucas.html

Link to Glore Psychiatric Museum

legendsofamerica.com/MO-PsychiatricMuseum.ht…

eye application

drawing a circle

Any suitable evening places for 5 and 3 yr old- loop maybe?

My sister-n-law and I are taking my 2 daughters 5 and 3 to STL for 3 days the beginning of April. I plan to see the zoo for sure, pobably the city museum, maybe botanical Gardens, butterfly house and magic house. We will also see Union Station since we are staying at Mariott at Union Station

I remember last time I was in Memphis with my Mom(I was about 17) there were a handful of families that had children with them down on Beale St, watching the piano players/ musicians.

I would love to expose the girls to a little bit of that local type music culture and I think they would enjoy it. Is there anywhere that I could take them taht would have live music, I dont care the type of the music I just would not want a real crazy scene or a campus type environment. I have in mind someplace like Coops Place or Napoleans in New Orleans,(for any of you who might be familiar) where you might see a crazy few but also would see another family.

Any suitable evening places for 5 and 3 yr old- loop maybe?

I haven%26#39;t been to the places you%26#39;ve mentioned, so I don%26#39;t know how they%26#39;d compare, but Brandts and Riddle%26#39;s Cafes each have live jazz and blues several nights per week. They are probably the most calm places in the Loop to hear music. Most of the other venues, like Cicero%26#39;s, Blueberry Hill and the Pageant are LOUD and aimed at college kids and above.

http://www.brandtscafe.com/

http://www.riddlescafe.com/

RV park

We will be visiting Branson this summer and are looking for an RV park near Table Rock lake that allows a small dog, has a swimming pool and lake front access so the boys can fish while the girls layout near the pool?

Can someone give me some recommendations?