The dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point is an expensive place to go. However, if you are able to use coupons or other special discounts, it is worth seeing. My 5 year old son liked it and could have spent hours in the hands-on sections, where you can dig in sand. With older kids, you could actually spend a lot of time reading and learning. So maybe not the place for an on-the-go kid, but great for slightly older kids who are big dino fans!

This is our favorite mall. The kids love Build a Bear, which other malls don't have. I love Crate and Barrel and Sephora which some other stores don't have. The food court has yummy choices like chick-fil-a. We have found the Easter Bunny and Santa to have better looking sets than other malls in the area. The Cheesecake Factory is also a plus here. Just beware of the parking, it gets crazy at peak times.

We love going to this splash pad. Splash pads are so great because you don't worry about drowning like at the pool or waterpark. There is some shade near it so you can watch your kids and stay cool yourself. The place gets super busy in the warm weather and the cars park up and down the road. But Sunday is a great day to go, it's quieter then. There is a playground next to the splash pad so it's easy to watch the kids go back and forth between the two. There are a couple of picnic tables that have covers over them so familes often use them for parties. There is also a paved trail all the way around the little park so that you can walk and still kind of keep an eye on your kids.

Go to a Real game! Even if you think you don't like soccer or that it's slow you should try a game. It moves much faster and there is much more to watch than what you see on TV. There is one end of the stadium with a band and it is loud so be sure to sit somewhere else if you don't want that noise. It is a fun, festive atmosphere with singing and cheering. Even my daughter (11) who isn't into sports really surprised us and enjoyed the game. The tickets can get pricey so look for deals. We got one through a Subway deal. We tried with the Pass of all Passes but the tickets sell out fast so we have heard you have to be there even before the ticket office opens. The concessions are super pricey so try to avoid those. And parking has a fee depending on where you go so we go down the road a bit to a free lot and just walk.

We love this library!! It is new and has a great selection for all ages. They hold activities every month for each age group, from story times to family activities to teen-only events. There is an outside drive-up drop box as well as one inside the building. The library works on a county system so you can look up and reserve items online. If you sign up for a thing called "Library Elf" you can get reminders by email so that items are never overdue. This library also has great book sales and the prices are amazing. Check it out!