Where Did We Go Wednesday? Zollman Zoo

Heading to the Zollman Zoo in Byron is always a fun side trip for a larger day of fun. It is on to Rochester and is only three miles off of Highway 14. The zoo is filled with Minnesota animals that you normally wouldn't get to see up close in person. Or at least you hope you don't see most of them up close in person.

In March, when we went, some of the animals like the bear are still hibernating so we didn't get to see a few of the animals there. We did get to see the turkeys full of color this time and learned a lot about this being their mating season and what the males do to attract a female.

The zoo is free to go to but relies on donations. Most of the animals are outside and you do have to cross a dirt road running through the property to go see the bison and caribou and white-tailed deer which includes an albino deer. The rest of the animals are on the property by the building and inside the building they have some reptiles and fish.

We usually stay at the zoo for 60 to 90 minutes and it is part of a trip to Rochester or something else we are going to in that area we usually get here once a year and the kids enjoy it. Their favorite is typically the others but this time they were sleeping when we were there. They do have a sign up saying they are going to be making new enclosures that will house the American badger and prairie dogs. We missing the prairie dogs and are glad they will be coming back.

Where Did We Go Wednesday? Quarry Hill Nature Center

This past weekend we took advantage of being in Rochester Minnesota to go check out the Quarry Hill Nature Center. We want to head back there when it is warmer so we can take advantage of some of the other activities they have to do there including looking for fossils.

We would also like to be there at a time when they do the cage tours and see what that is like. There are lots of signs around the cave that tell you information about how the cave and other buildings around it were used and what the remnants are of.

Inside the interpretive Center is this replica T-rex skull of a T-Rex named Stan. There is also a bunch of animals in aquariums inside the interpretive Center as well. The trails are wonderful and they healthy mix of trails that are dirt trails and paved asphalt trails.

25% off Tickets to the Harlem Globetrotters to any MN Game.

SAVE 25% for ALL Harlem Globetrotters Games with promo code FUNFAM 

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 The world famous Harlem Globetrotters, featuring some of the most electrifying athletes on the planet, will bring their spectacular show to Minnesota April 12, 13 and 15. The famed team will feature a star-studded roster that includes Big Easy Lofton, Ant Atkinson, Hi-Lite Bruton, Thunder Law, Bull Bullard and Cheese Chisholm - plus female stars TNT Lister and Ace Jackson* - the Globetrotters' one-of-a-kind show is unrivaled in the world of family entertainment. Every game will showcase incredible ball handling wizardry, rim-rattling dunks, trick shots, hilarious comedy and unequaled fan interaction. You won't want your family to miss it - use promo code FUNFAM to save 25% off your tickets. http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/tickets 

You have 4 different Minnesota dates and locations to choose from:

April 12 - St Cloud - Halenbeck Hall St. Cloud State University 7:00pm
April 13 - Duluth - AMSOIL Arena 7:00PM
April 15 - Minneapolis - Target Center 1:00pm or 7:00pm
April 14 - Rochester, MN - Mayo Civic Center 7pm




We had so much fun watching the Harlem Globetrotters last year. We took my son to see it because my daughter had other plans, but this time we are going to take them both. My son loved it and talked about it for months afterwards and still plays with the basketball we bought him at the game.

Review: Ice Castles

The Ice Castles experience wasn't open for very long in Minnesota this year. Last year we missed out on it because they closed just two days before we were supposed to go. This year they had closed briefly in January because the weather was warm and the castles were melting and they couldn't keep adding more ice to them. Thankfully they reopened and continue to grow the castles and the experiences taller.

As soon as I had heard they were reopened I immediately went on to book tickets for us but found that the first weekend they were reopened they had already sold out of every time available. I promptly then looked at the next weekend after and obtained our tickets to go then. We had heard from friends who had went a couple years ago that the best time to go to see the castle both during the daytime and also lit up at night is to go around 5 p.m. so that is exactly what we did.

You will see some of the pictures here are colored lights that they have at night and some pictures are obviously taken during daylight. It was an incredible experience and I had some amazing photographs as a result. The kids had a fun time and enjoyed going down the big ice slide.

There is some entertainment there on the weekends as well. Because my kids are older we didn't care to be there when the Disney Princesses were, but we did arrange our timing to be there when the fire dancers were there. It was quite packed when watching the fire dancers and it was hard to see unless you were right in the front. After a while we just chose to go explore the castle one more time before we left that evening. On your way out they give each person a button if they choose.

I know this is an experience that my kids will not forget and I now have a desire to see real life ice castles up north that are created by Mother Nature.

You may be able to still check out Ice Castles in other states, but it was just too warm in Minnesota this winter for it to be here for too long. If anything, add it to your winter bucket list for next winter!

Review: SmitCo LLC Girls Nail Patches and Stickers

If you remember I previously told you about a deal that you could get a discount on SmitCo LLC products, including these two different kits of nail stickers and patches. Right now on their website you can get both of these sets together for a discounted price of $16.99.

My daughter was super excited when she saw what had came for her and myself to try out. One of them is called sweet crush and has a variety of different animals and emojis and fruits and sweet treats with big eyes. It has 77 pieces she thought all of the characters were absolutely adorable and couldn't wait to use them. It comes with a top coat polish and a file as well. You definitely want to use the top coat polish to help seal the stickers down otherwise some of them will pop off.

The other said is filled with nail patches and stickers that are animal prints or animals and a variety of hearts and flowers. This one also comes with a nail file and topcoat and again you should use the top coat to help seal the stickers down.

We had fun doing our nails together using these. She used stickers on each one of her nails whereas I chose to just have an accent nail with one sticker on it.

British Soccer Camps for ages 3-18 - Get a free jersey, ball, t-shirt & poster!

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REGISTER FOR CAMP & GET FREE SOCCER JERSEY, SOCCER BALL, T-SHIRT & a POSTER with code: CAMP17 

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If you live near me, the 2 closest camps are in Northfield and in Byron. Both programs have half day morning programs for ages 6-16 and a First Kicks program for ages 3-5 that is one hour long. There is also an add-on camp for Golden Goal that is in the afternoon. The half day camp is in the morning. There are LOTS of camps in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota, in fact there are over 30 communities hosting British Soccer Camp.