Indoor Climbing and Water Fun!

I'm part of a group on Facebook called Minneapolis Mamas which I highly recommend if you are a mother in the Twin Cities area.  Great suggestions/ideas of a variety of topics in the community.  One question posted was what is a good indoor splash pad.  Williston Fitness Center in Minnetonka popped up a couple of times and we decided to make the trip over today.  It was fantastic.  Rate for parent child for the day was $13 total. We brought our own lock which I'd recommend.  Miss I wanted to start with a swim so we spent over an hour in their 0-depth wading pool.  It has a fantastic giant frog who's tongue is a water-slide for toddlers!! There are a few fountains and an animal which I think is a pelican who's mouth fills with water every minute or so and dumps into the pool!

photo from Minnetonka Patch by Katelynn Metz

The family locker room is great with 2 or 3 private changing areas with showers. After drying off we headed to the Treehouse and climbing area.  This reminded me a lot of Edinborough but on a smaller scale.  Seemed like you could keep track of your child a little easier here since it is smaller than Edinborough.  

photo from City of Minnetonka taken by Jason Stenvold

The Williston Fitness Center is a great adventure that can take up your whole morning or afternoon on a cold or rainy day!

One of the Best Deals in Town

SeaLife Annual Pass

Most Minneapolis/St. Paul residents avoid MOA at all costs.  On the weekends its over run by teeny boppers and out of town shoppers.  However, if you get a chance to go during the week it can actually be a really nice adventure for you and your child.  I always wanted to take our daughter to the aquarium but I couldn't stomach the $23 cost to go in.  My husband found the great deal that a year one membership was $50 and children under 3 are free.  This is definitely worth it on several conditions.

- The MOA is close to home. For us its 15 min door to door.
- You are able to go during the week.  Miss I and I went this weekend on a Saturday and it was so crowded she made me carry her the whole time.  Very unusual for our outgoing girl.

We have gone over 5 times already in the last 6 months making the annual pass well worth it!

Edinborough Park

One of our favorite places to take our 2 year old daughter on a cold or rainy day is Edinborough Park in Edina.  We started taking her there at about 20 months but could have gone much earlier. There is a really nice area on the side where you could take a baby as soon as she/he is walking that is padded and has slides. The larger play area is a 6 story play ground with stairs, ladders, and slides.  If your little one is under 5, I would recommend getting their earlier in the day before the big kids start running over the little ones. There is also a huge gymnasium area with a bouncy castle, trikes and basketball hoops. Make sure you wear clothing that will allow you to slide around with your child, you may even break a sweat!