Lake Mary Heathrow Festival of the Arts

I was not impressed at all. This was an extremely small festival and not very well put together. I was disappointed with the parking situation and the fact that you had to pay $5 to park, then walk across the street dodging cars. Yes, they did have officers directing traffic, but the cars did not pay any attention to them, and I saw a Seminole Deputy almost get ran over twice.


The art was arranged in a maze, and vendors were thrown in next to art. When I come to an Art Show, I don't want to be harressed to purchase a subscribition to the NY Times or the evaulate my cable needs.

The kids things were thrown into the back like an afterthought, and it was very difficult to find, and it turned out to be a few bouncy houses and nothing else.

The car show was crap. I have seen much larger shows in a Taco Bell parking lot on a Friday night.

On the plus side, I did see several good new local artists, and several that I have seen and enjoy seeing at other festivals each year.

Next year, I will be headed to Halifax to see what Volusia County has to offer. Also, for any art lovers, the Deland Festival is coming again next week.

Volusia County Fair

I got a chance to check out the Volusia County Fair.  We had a lot of fun, as fairs go.  Thursday night was free admission and $1 rides, so the place was packed.  Check out the website for more information and the various prices through out the week.  Little tip... The funnel cake is cheaper at the gates then it is at the midway, you will save $1.  Have a great week and great adventures!

Halloween Weekend

Unfortunately, we were unable to go out this weekend due to a sick child, but I heard there were several great haunted houses and activities! 

This weekend, the Volusia County Fair is back and the Lake Mary Heathrow Festival of the Arts.  We will be attending the Art Festival this weekend since it is only available for one weekend.  I hope to see you out and about.

Deltona Spooktacular

Spooktacular this year was OK.  There was a lot of games for the kids and tons of candy to be won.  My son enjoyed the bouncy house and the giant slide.  The haunted trail was good, they always have one that is adult only and then one for the kids, and they are always enjoyable.  There were lots of cute costumes to see on the kids, but I wish the costume contests would not have been so late.

All I have to say is, I'm sick of Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop only.  Deltona really needs to learn how to diversify it's events.  This year the main stage was dominated by a Hip Hop group named Super Sonic.  They were good, but I would have liked to see more.  They pushed the costume contests back so they could have even more time on stage.  It got to the point that my son was so sick of them that he begged to leave.  I would have been happier to see a country or a rock group share the stage. 

We will probably not attend next years event in favor of something more versatile.

Deltona Library and Lyonia Preserve

Wow! The new Deltona Library is huge! The Adult or main area of the library has more than doubled in size. There is a store in the back that sells used books at a reduced rate. They have also added enclosed study rooms for more comfort and WiFi through out. I found great interest in the expanded DVD library that included many newly released movies.


There are plenty of new things for the kids to do in the children's area. There are educational board games, puzzles, and exercises all neatly packed in little backpacks each labeled with the course and age group that they are geared for. A large "Tree" stands in the middle of the area with plenty of little chairs to curl up on and read. There are is lots of open spaces and a special room devoted to story time. There is also a Teen Zone, geared towards the older children with computers, older books, a homework help area and two Wii's.


The Lyonia Preserve is attached to the library and includes a café that serves bagels and coffee, a gift shop that specializes in eco-friendly goods, and a large auditorium for events. The exhibit area is geared towards education children of all ages about Volusia County's eco systems from the ocean, the scrub and the springs.

I look forward to seeing concerts in the new outside amphitheater and taking leisurely hikes on the three trails in the Scrub. Indoor and out, this project seems well worth the 11 million spent by local tax payers. I highly suggest taking the kids and checking it out for yourself. It doesn't cost a thing and the kids will learn while having fun in the process.

The Grand Opening was a hit with my family. There were lots of fun crafts and a guided tour of the preserve. Unfortunately, October 17th was the only day for the festivities. Deltona's next event is Spooktaular, which is scheduled for the weekend of October 24 and 25th. Last years was a lot of fun with games for the kids and two "haunted trails" (one is for kids and one is adults only). The event is free and my family will be attending.

Discover Lyonia Preserve, Deltona

This Saturday is Discover Lyonia, http://lyoniapreserve.com/.  Lyonia Preserve is Volusia

County’s newest Wildlife Preserve and Conservation Effort. The Saturday event is free and open to the public.  After the open house on Saturday, there will be a charge to explore the Lyonia Preserve (they have not released the proposed admission price, but I will let you know as soon as it becomes available).  Check out the website, and I look forward to meeting new explorers this weekend.

DeLeon Springs State Park

This was a completely wonderful surprise!  Located just off US17, six miles north of Deland, this is a jewel of a park, and the webpage does not do it Justice, http://www.floridastateparks.org/deleonsprings/ .  Admission is only $6.00 per car load, up to six people and then an additional $2.00 for each person after 6.   The grounds were amazingly well kept and there is plenty of parking. 

There are five covered pavilions, four of which that can be rented out for private parties.  There were plenty of picnic tables scatted around the swimming hole and plenty of areas to just throw down a blanket and sunbath.  There is also a welcome center that is rather small, but showcases various periods of history of the Springs, from Native American fishing ground to 1950's amusement park.

There is a restaurant on site that serves all you can eat pancakes for $4.50 along with burgers and various sandwiches and salads, all at a reasonable price.  There was quite a long line (45 minute wait) for the Pancake House, so we passed it on this trip.

There are several nice nature trails showcasing natural Florida.  We took the short ¼ mile paved trail.  It was a breeze with the stroller, and we saw lots of butterflies and various flora.  I would suggest bringing bug spray, as there were lots of mosquitoes on the trail.  My oldest enjoyed walking the trail and pointing out various sights, while my youngest napped.

After our walk, it was time to cool off in the spring.  The water is a crisp 72 degrees year round, so the best advice is jump in!  There is a roped off area that is quite large where the water is only 3 feet deep, which was chest high on my four year old.  My youngest could not touch the bottom, so he stayed on the steps splashing his brother.  There is a diving platform, where the water is up to 30ft deep, and my husband enjoyed doing cannon balls for the children's amusement.

The restrooms were clean and stocked.  There was a changing table and a bench in the women's room to help change in and out of swim suits.  The stalls were quite large and doubled as changing rooms.

There is a small play area that consists of only 5 slides, very small but my oldest enjoyed it.  There is also a volleyball court.

I give this park a true THUMBS UP!  My family and I will be back for more.

Sun Splash Park, Daytona Beach

Another weekend in Daytona Beach!  This time we headed up to Sun Splash Park, located 611 S. Atlantic Ave. Admission to the park is free (it’s a Volusia County Park).  Parking is limited but free as well.

The park itself is nice, but the website is a bit deceiving http://volusia.org/parks/sunspla.htm.  The pictures are relatively old, so the playground equipment is a bit beat up and bleached, but it is still in good condition.  There are several vending machines located in at the entrance to the park selling sodas and sports drink, the prices are higher than normal, so I suggest bringing your own. 

It is a county park, so there is no alcohol beverages allowed.  There are picnic tables, but no grills, so I would suggest sandwiches.  Bring plenty of bottles water, the vendors sell it, but you will pay a high price, and I did not see a water fountain in sight.

The park was pretty standard with a basic slide and climbing equipment.  It’s built for 5 to 12 year olds, so the younger set might have troubles.  There is shooting fountains in a separate area.  The park requires swim diapers on children who are not toilet trained.  They did not sell them, there so you will need to provide your own.  Bring your first aid kit!!  There were several children there that slipped and fell on the wet concrete while running through the fountains.

The park has a walkway that leads directly down the beach.  A lifeguard tower is located extremely close to the park.  Cars do drive on this patch of beach, so be careful walking down to the water.  Don’t forget to bring a small bottle of vinegar with you, Jellyfish have a tendency to sneak up on swimmers and the stings hurt.  The lifeguards normally have a bottle at each station, but I like to carry my own for quick applications.

The park was pretty clean, although the women’s bathroom left much to be desired.  There are NO CHANGING TABLES.  There are only 4 toilets (2 men, 2 women) for the entire park, so there is a long line.  The woman’s bathroom was disgusting, but my husband assured me that the men’s bathroom was clean.

I do not think that we will be returning to this park anytime soon.  I’m hoping one of the other beachside parks fair better than Sun Splash.

MOAS

This trip was to the Daytona Beach MOAS (Museum of Art and Science) http://www.moas.org/.  It was Museum Day by the Smithsonian, and admission was free for the day.  Normal admission is $12.95 for adults, $6.95 for 17-6, and 5 and under is free.  They offer several different special events through out the year, for various age groups, along with several decent deals throughout the year. 

I enjoyed the several exhibits on art and crafts through out history.  The Chinese art was extraordinary.  My four year old enjoyed the Coca-Cola Exhibit and the two restored passenger train cars.  The west wing is still closed due the flooding this past summer, so the Science Exhibits were all closed.

Both boys enjoyed the Children’s Museum.  Daddy helped them build a roller coaster, and a race car.  The area for the babies is small but my youngest enjoyed it.  There is a nature trail running along side the museum that the whole family enjoyed.  The path was a well cared for shaded wooden boardwalk with plenty of interesting trees and flora to look at.

The bathrooms were well marked and cleaned, with changing tables.  There were museum staff constantly walking around, and all were very friendly and helpful, to point out interesting articles in each of the various exhibits.

There is no place to eat inside the museum, so I would suggest a local fast food restaurant, which there is plenty in Daytona Beach.

My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our time at this fantastic museum, and we hope to stop by again and check out the west wing when it reopens.