The Patch

"Cheap rides and entertainment"

Surprisingly, our family had a fun time at The Patch, despite being very disappointed in the quality of ther rides and the shock of finding that the ice rink was made of plastic. We went because our kids were eager to ice skate. No where on the website was it mentioned that the "ice" was actually white plastic laid on the ground.  Several kids were "skating" around very slowly and I knew we would hate it.  No gliding on ice, or falling for that matter.  Not worth the $5 price to pull on skates.  The kids were disappointed and so were we.  

My kids rode the rickety carousel ($2 per ride) that seemed to fly around faster than any carousel than I've ever seen, yet there were no seat belt straps for my safety conscious self.  My 3 year old clung tight with my dad standing next to her and she did well.  She smiled when she got off and they all seemed to enjoy the ride.

My kids climbed the metal steps to ride the worn but long  slide, which cost $1 per ride.  They came down with huge smiles on their faces.  

We spent about 20 minutes at this patch and genuinely enjoyed ourselves.  It was a good lesson to me to enjoy life no matter what it looks like.  There is fun to be had amist the hay bales, cheap rides, and expensive treats, depending on ones attitude.  Just know going into it that the rides are simple, and the ice is fake.