What do you do when your AC breaks and it’s 90 degrees in your house and you’re pregnant and miserable? Head North! And while you’re at Grandma and Grandpa’s, where do you go for a day trip? Bay Beach!
I need to tell you about Wisconsin’s Disneyland, as my nephew believes it is. This place is a gem and it’s totally doable as a day trip even from Milwaukee. Why, you ask? Because things are super cheap, accessible, fun and worth it.
First, park in a free parking lot and walk a maximum of 200 yards to the ticket booth. If you arrive at 10am like we did, you’ll have to walk a whopping 25 feet. Once at the ticket booth, scrape out some change from your bag and buy a million tickets for practically nothing. See the giant wad of tickets in Little T’s hand above? That cost me $10 and I had about half left over when we departed. If it’s just you and one child, I’d start with $5 worth of tickets. Rides are 1-2 tickets per, and tickets are $.25 each. If you have leftovers, save them for another awesome trip, or find a family and make their day by giving them away.
There is a wildlife sanctuary at Bay Beach, but I have to admit that I’ve never been. We always have so much fun at the amusement park that we never have time for anything else.
Then if you have an adventurous 3 year old, head straight for the Ferris Wheel. I’d actually recommend doing this first cause it takes a long time to get all the bucket seats filled, so the entire ride ends up taking like 15-20 minutes. Check out this video:
The view from the top of the Ferris Wheel is pretty great, too! You can see the Bay and feel the breeze. And hear kids screaming in joy. What’s not to love?
Then your 3 year old and her 5 and 2 year old cousins will convince you that The Scrambler is a good idea. Luckily I’m pregnant and didn’t have to ride it. My cousin Mieke was brave enough (and small enough to squeeze into the seat with three kids) and took all the kids. I should say here that the familial terms I’m using here are a little generous. I always called Mieke my “god-cousin” growing up because her parents are my god parents and I’ve always referred to them as my aunt and uncle. But technically, everyone is some sort of cousin. I get confused because my parents have over 120 FIRST COUSINS combined.
Now that we’ve got that straightened out…..
The Scrambler was a success, and next Little T and her cousins chose the helicopters.
Then the bugs….
Then the boats…
And then the little swings. Honestly I think all the kids were a little disappointed with this one. We had three thrill-seekers on our hands and this ride didn’t satisfy.
But guess what’s just as awesome as it was in 1986?!?! The Big Slide! Walk up the steep stairs, get yourself on a burlap sack, and race down. I did it once with Little T, but the process of a pregnant lady in a skirt sitting down onto a burlap sack and trying to wedge a kid in her lap is not to graceful or fun. So I stayed at the bottom and took pictures as the crew went down a solid 4 or 5 times.
I’d like to point out that this park has remained virtually the same since I was a little kid. And kids also can’t help but call it “Baby Beach” like I did as a child.
Next we headed to the train before the line got long (the park gets a little busier in the afternoon).
Make sure you read the rules before boarding!
The view from the train is great! Wave to the seagulls, look at the water, hear the train horn, and say hi to families at the playground.
When you need a break, you can head into the pavillion (pictured above) for some pizza type food. I’d suggest just packing a lunch, though, and heading out to the lawn and eating at a picnic table near one of the playgrounds. If you have it in you, head back out to more rides after lunch. If not, promise your kid a treat of ice cream or cotton candy and head home. The entire trip should really just cost you gas money to get there and back, $5-10 in tickets, and maybe and extra $3 for a treat.
I already can’t wait to head back!!
A. Storm
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