Where Has It Gone?

It seems that everyone I talked with this week lamented about how fast this summer is going. My kids have wrapped up their summer camp experiences and face three weeks of time with me before our week of family vacation – and then school starts!

My daughter had a wonderful time at Pegasus again this summer. In addition to one session of Pegasus for my son, I decided to mix things up this summer and add a week of Beach Buddies (the preschool camp offered through the town and held at the Town Beach) and a couple weeks with me. It is the first time I have had time with my son during the summer without my daughter. 

I took advantage of several passes from the . You have to plan ahead when using the library passes, which leads to some minor problems (like going to the Garden in the Woods on the hottest day of the summer or Walden Pond on a cloudy day) but is still worth it. Here is a brief synopsis of our experiences:

Garden in the Woods in Framingham:

Admission with pass: $3. Savings over regular admission: $12

My exquisite timing caused us to go here on the hottest day of the year, which I would not recommend, but we still had a great time! They have obviously put a lot of time into making this kid-friendly and my son loved the kids' map and checking off sites that he found along the way. He enjoyed the easy hike; it took about an hour, which could have been made longer if it wasn't so darn hot. One tip: bring the bug spray! 

Overall rating: With the cost savings of the library pass, I give this a thumbs up!

deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln:

Admission with pass: $0. Savings over regular admission: $0 (free summer weekdays promotion)

Again, we visited on a blistering hot day. My son got bored quickly in the museum but had a ball walking around the outdoor sculpture park. He was intrigued with the enormous sculptures. They have a cute museum store, of which I made note for holiday shopping next year.  We also noticed that they have what looks to be a fun "art" camp for kids – I will try to remember that for next summer.

Overall rating:  Can't beat the price and, on a cooler day, we could have spent hours viewing all the outdoor sculptures. A must see!

Discovery Museums in Acton:

Admission with pass: $10.50. Savings over regular admission: $10.50

My son had just been here on his Pegasus field trip and was very excited about this visit. We went to the Children's building first (the Museum has 2 buildings). This building is definitely geared toward preschool children and we enjoyed playing in several differently themed rooms. It is all hands-on, which makes this especially attractive for younger kids. My son played make-believe with other kids that were visiting the same room. I am always amazed at children's ability to play with complete strangers! 

We then ventured to the Science building. My son had not visited this building during his field-trip so it was all new to him. It is geared to older kids but he still enjoyed a lot of the hands-on exhibits. This building started to get crowded with other summer camp groups, so we will have to return during the school year when I assume it is less crowded during the week. 

Tip: The Museum has a program "Especially for Me," which provides opportunities for children who face financial, geographic, developmental or cultural barriers to enjoying museums. As part of this program, they hosted a free evening for children on the autism spectrum.  I can imagine this would be a great opportunity for families with children on the spectrum.

Overall rating: My son's favorite and a definite must!

Walden Pond in Concord:

Admission with pass: $0. Savings over regular admission: $5

I thought my son was a year or two away from enjoying , one of my favorite places in the area. (Of course, there is the swimming, but with our town beach, there is no need to go just to swim.) Boy, was I wrong! He had a great time walking around the pond. He enjoyed stopping to read the plaque where Thoreau's cabin once stood. Of course, that spurred several questions that I could not answer and had to direct to my husband who is the real Thoreau expert in our family. It held special significance for me because it is where my husband proposed almost 13 years ago to the day we visited. We stopped for a snack on the other side of the Pond and my son waded into the quiet water. The beach area was much busier than the rest of the loop but it was still nice to take a dip after the walk. I found myself wishing we had more time as we had to leave to pick up my daughter.

Tip: There is an ice cream truck that looks to be permanently parked in the parking lot during the summer, so bring some cash!

Overall rating: Don't wait to take your kids!  It is a local gem!