I don't know what it was about this place, but it did NOT agree with me! Maybe I was still pouting because I didn't get to go to the festival like I wanted (hey, I can act like a two-year-old right along with my son sometimes, too!), or maybe it was the claustrophobia-inducing clutter of jungle animal toys, scads of screaming 5-year-olds, and what seemed like a disproportionate number of much larger parents that took up even more of the non-existent space. Or maybe it was the robots draped in faux animal fur to be made to look like "real" jungle animals that the kids could ride on. I don't know what it was; but we shall not be returning any time soon! Dresden had a fun enough time, except for the train-riding incident. That's right, there was even a section in this place that had a little five-car (give or take) train ride. We know this boy loves trains (duh). So, he had a blast the first time around, and the girl "conducting" the ride was sweet enough to say he could stay and she would run it again just for him. So I had him all situated and ready to go, and another worker came up and said "Um, does he have a Safari Pass?" (Yes.) "Well, we have a birthday party, so he's going to have to get off and wait his turn." (Um, well, the other girl said he could ride it.) "Sorry, he'll have to go next time." I was FURIOUS, even though I know in the long run it wasn't a huge deal, my kid was SO happy, and for me to have to drag him off and break his poor little heart, with tears streaming down those edible-cheeks, broke my heart, too, and made me want to, well, write a scathing review of the establishment on my blog. So that's exactly what I did! (Hmph.)
Of course Dresden got over it (while I'm still carrying a grudge...Safari Park, you're dead to me!), and he found a few other ways to entertain himself. All in all, on a Dresden-scale (which, I know, I know, is the one that counts the most), it was basically a success. It was just one of those times where you are doing something for your child while screaming "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" on the inside the whole time. The last vent I have and then I will stop: I also couldn't believe how rude and just oblivious the older children were toward the younger ones (read: Dresden) in the trampoline area and the ball pit/slide area. I'm really going to make a point to teach Dresden to always look out for kids littler than him and help them when they need help, or at least to go out of his way to make sure they won't get hurt just because they don't move out of the way fast enough. Ugh, ok...I could go on and on (that stuff REALLY upsets me!) but I won't. Instead, let's go to our happy place, shall we? Pictures!!!
This picture was taken through yellow netting, so it's kid of dim, but I just love the tongue of dogged determination he has as he contemplates going down the slide. (He never did go down that slide.
He sat up there for about fifteen, maybe 20 minutes, and just watched the other kids.
He knows his limitations, what can I say?)
Slides are terrifying. But a robotic elephant that made a continuous screaming noise as if it were running for its life through a burning jungle? Eh, piece of cake!
Why does the elephant keep screaming?!
Get me out of here, I keep getting kicked in the face!!!
The "Dresden Way" of trampoline arts:
"Ahh, finally, a slide much more to my liking!"
(and one that doesn't hurtle it's unsuspecting victims at breakneck speed onto the ballpit floor)
So, that was our Saturday. Stay tuned for Part 2, Sunday's Irish Festival.
Love,
Cassie, Alex and Dresden
I was in town last week visiting a friend and her kids and we went to that same place on Monday afternoon (around 3:30-6:00) and we had the entire place to ourselves the WHOLE time, so maybe give it another try on a weekday?
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