Fun With Kids--Bounce Partyz Fun Zone & Crossville Model Railroad Museum

 

Fun With Kids--Bounce Partyz Fun Zone & 
Crossville Model Railroad Museum

Saturday Jan. 28, 2023

Kenny, Dana, Gabe & Mia Koogler

 

Bounce Partyz Pix Here

Crossville Model Railroad Pix Here

  I made up a list of fun Winter time kids activities for us to do.  We have actually  stuck to it and done a lot of the things.   I thought it would be fun to take the kids and get away for a night or two.  I planned for us to go to Crossville and get a hotel  using our rewards points. I picked a nice hotel with a full breakfast, a heated indoor pool, hot tub and work out room.   Kenny agreed and booked it for us.

   We got up Saturday morning and we drove over.   We stopped at the new Buc-ees Fuel Stop. It is like a combination Wal-Mart/Truck Stop/ Cracker Barrel store super center.   It is overwhelming to see it.   The kids were not overwhelmed. They were chanting Buc-ees! Buc-ees!  and eager to go in to check it out.  They were running from one thing to another.   This place is amazing!  They have clean restrooms and plenty of them. It includes a couple sturdy metal changing tables. Really handy for moms with chunky toddlers like mine who are still in diapers.

  The stalls are individual and close to corral your kids with you. There is a hook for purses and diaper bags.    We got Mia a dry butt and went to shop around.

Below: Kenny, Mia and Gabe with giant Buc-ee

Below: lots of neat things at the store

Above: cool stickers 

Above: Truck load of beavers of varying sizes!  

Above: Beaver hats

Above: Buc-ee Beaver .. a lot of them. The one who went home with us loved Gabe. He got all hugged up to him and told him "I'm so glad you picked me to go home with you and keep me forever! You're my new Dad.  Can I sleep with you in your bed? What is it made of?  Wood! Oh yummy! I love wood. I want to eat it!" to which Gabe laughed and said he could chew the rails, but not the legs! 

     They have a huge selection of food items.  Bakery. Grill, Barbecue.  They have the typical convenience store items like sodas, bottled water, etc.  They also have a wonderful choice of fresh, healthy foods like fruit, yogurt, cereals, salads, cheese, etc.   Great for those who are trying to eat healthier like me.   The trouble with it as we found was that they do not offer side dishes with these meaty sandwiches. 

Our kiddos don't want brisket and more brisket.   They want some meat, a drink and some potatoes or something fresh.    We quickly sized up and realized we wouldn't be eating here with the little ones.   

     We looked at toys and other stuff. Each child got a Buc-ees t shirt. Each one got a toy.  Gabe got Buc-ee beaver in a medium size. He was adorable. Mia did not want him, but chose Olaf the snowman instead.  I should have stuck with my gut on that and insisted on getting two beavers.  I would later have to referee the fights over Buc-ee. 

    

 

  Below: All the football referee calls and signals I've had to learn over the years of being a mom.  The two I use the most are Personal foul/holding 

   We ended up not eating at the fuel stop like we imagined. Instead we went to the brand new Chik-Fil-A on the nearby main drag in town.   It was wonderful! Huge, new, clean, another changing table. Good food fast and something everyone liked.

They even have a kids corner for reading.  We got our tummies full so the kiddos would have energy to play.  We then headed back over to the Outlet Mall to the Bounce Partyz Fun Zone! 

  

Bounce Partyz Fun Zone 

  We have visited Fun Zone several times with all the grandkids.   Last time was in June with all four of them.  We were glad Michael and Tessa were along because Mia was still so small she needed a fair amount of help to enjoy several parts of the place.   Today I figured I'd have to pay the extra $4 to bounce myself so I could help her.    I was in for a surprise.  She is pretty big for a two year old and she has grown so big and strong and tall she did not need ANY help. She was amazing! 

Her cousin is little Jimmy Webb the professional rock climber.  So she appears to have gotten the climbing genes. 

   It is $8 per child to jump for ages 2 and up.  $4 extra for an adult to go with a child.  This is the cost for all day.  We paid $16 for them to jump all day. I think we were there about two hours. They wore themselves out!  

Above: Mia has her shoes off and is ready to go! PaPaw is standing by.

Below: Gabe is thumbs up! Have a blast!

Below: Gabe comes down a slide

Below: Mia comes down next

Below: The tallest climb in the place to slide. She made it every time! Getting better with each try.  Gabe is a super big brother and watches over her attentively.

Below: Mia at the top of another slide

Below: Gabe hamming it up 

Above: Despite my camera being set for motion images Mia is a blur she is so quick.  Ahead of her you can see Gabe's feet.

Above: Through the first tube and starting the first, shorter climb with Gabe watching her. 

  They ran and played with other kids and had the most fun!  It was just right. Not too many kids, but just enough to be lively and fun.  Once they got tired they went out to the other room and had ice cream and played games.  They returned to bounce for round two!  

    Round two of bouncing did not last long. Mia climbed ever slower. They were wearing out.  Finally they declared they were ready to leave.  We gathered up our gear and put the kids shoes back on.   We headed out toward the model railroad display.  We wondered if we'd be able to stay very long as Mia was wanting a nap.

Below: Papaw is seeing how much change he has for the games. Mia is deciding she doesn't want ice cream. It makes her feel sick sometimes.  Gabe is enjoying his birthday cake flavor ice cream.  I can see in this photo his eye color at last. I think they are a gray/green.   

Below is a video of the day of bouncing.

Crossville Model Railroad Club

Here is a link to the Model Railroad Club

 We walked to the far end of the Outlet Mall to the Crossville Model Railroad Club.  It is a huge room full of intricately made and run model railroads!  It is so much fun to watch.  I like trains and always have.  I don't want to have model trains since they are a lot of work and take up a bunch of space.   I do like seeing them though.   The display is free and runs on donations.    The volunteers are awesome.  They have even built a little trolley for the kids to stand on so they can see the displays better.  They are built rather high for children to see.  Each time I come here I notice something I haven't seen before.   Today was no exception.

      Mia and Gabe stuck around longer than I expected. Gabe really wasn't ready to leave when Sister Girl got to thinking about a nap and a bottle and was over it. 

 Below: Kenny, Gabe and Mia at the very first display you come to.  The kids are standing on the little trolley platform.

Below:  a pretty little village

Below:  Crossville Police department model with the train circling the town! 

It has buttons you can push that make the police station light up!

Below:  On the far side of the room is a massive village with a Christmas theme!  It even has an aerial tramway  you can see in the back left corner of this image.

Below:  In the left front corner of the room is this mountainous display with tunnels and electrical towers.  It has a tunnel with a triple loop that is lit up and you can see the train make the loop through a plexiglass panel!

BBelow is a view of the triple loop. The photo doesn't show it all that well, but the vvideo at the end captures the train making the whole loop.

Below is a photo of one of my favorite buildings in any of the displays. The train garage. The detail on the brick and windows is outstanding.  The train yard even has parts of cars like real life would have. 

Below: Another view of Christmas village with a better, closer look at the bridges, lights and aerial tramway. It also has some cool tunnels.

Below: the military train display has a waterfall

Below:  Hoffa cement!  Love the sense of humor. Cement shoes.. bottom of the lake! 

bBelow:  a railroad bridge. This entire section is called Ozone. It looks like the area around Ozone and Hwy 70.  See the fire tower? 

Below:  farmers market and saloon 

Below is a video of the visit today 

HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE

  

Mia grew ever more fussy and worn out.   I made up my mind the next visit I was coming back solo.  I did not want to bring anymore kids or husbands.  I wanted to stay until I was really done.  I was nowhere near ready to leave.  The volunteer fellow even stopped me and put the place in night mode! It is on the video.  It is quite something to see it that way.  All the lights really show up.  

    Finally we trudged out of the mall and toward the truck.  Mia was glad to see it. She got a bottle and a blanket in her comfy car seat and her little eyelids were so heavy.  We headed toward the hotel.   Gabe said he was glad we were staying and it wasn't far to the hotel.  

      We arrived at the Holiday Inn Express.  Something felt off to me.  I just had this feeling we shouldn't unload our stuff just yet.  I asked Kenny if he would go in and make sure we could check in?  He agreed and took Gabe to find out.  We were there about 1:50 p.m. so it would be an early check in, but not too early.  I hoped they'd be agreeable.   Kenny and Gabe returned and I knew from the look on their faces the news wasn't good.  The hotel pool was out of commission. It was not working at all. They had no hot tub either.    I was disgusted.   The whole reason for staying in a hotel that is only an hour and fifteen minutes from home is the indoor pool.   I told Kenny I wasn't trying to be difficult, but that if this was the case I would as soon go home.   We could then get up and be at church on Sunday morning. We could sleep in our own beds.   

     He went back in and began the process of wrangling a cancellation.  

Gabe stayed in the truck with me and Mia.   He was chewing gum and sitting on my lap.  He had his first loose tooth and he suddenly looked shocked and took the gum from his mouth. "My tooth came out!"  It sure did!  He had been letting it work its way loose instead of twisting it like I used to as a kid.   He was thrilled!

 He called Lydia to tell her about it and show her.   While on the phone he told her what was up with the hotel and that we might be home in the morning instead of away.   She was at work and coincidentally works in the hotel business.  I told her Kenny was in the lobby fist fighting the desk clerk so we could get our money back.  She burst out laughing.    It was a long, convoluted process, but eventually he got it done.  Meanwhile Mia was playing in the backseat of the truck.  I noticed her hunkered down behind Kenny's seat.  I said "I believe you are pooping." to which she yelled at me in baby language.  I got the point which was "Shut up and quit talking about it and don't look at me!"   Pretty soon Gabe and I were both smelling stinky stuff.  I gathered up sister and the diaper bag and Gabe and headed in to the hotel to find a restroom with a changing table.  

        We got Mia cleaned up.  Kenny got the cancellation done.  We told the desk clerks no hard feelings. It just wasn't in the cards. They were very nice about it all. It couldn't be helped.    We headed home. We had a nice evening with kids running around playing with their toys.  The tooth fairy came during the night and left money under Gabe's pillow!  We went to church and had a good Sunday. Things did not go perfectly to plan, but they went well enough.  It was an over all success.

    Next trip I want to go alone and here is my plan:

See the model trains longer

Go to the Hanes store for panties and bras

Re-visit Buc-ees so I can eat like Elvis and look at more stuff. I need one more beaver toy and me a shirt.

I want to park at the Saint Raphael's Episcopal Church and hike the little meditation trail behind it.  I want to walk across Hwy 70 and photograph Upper Obed Falls.

I may try to hike the overnight trail at Cumberland Mountain State Park.

I like to have lots of options. Too many to fit in so that if one doesn't work out there are plenty more choices!

         

     

Mayfield Farm Park

 

Above: sample of some of the pumpkin types available to buy at the farm.

Mayfield Farm Park 

Saturday Oct. 22, 2022

Kenny, Dana, Lydia, Mia & Gabe Koogler & 

Tessa Lindsey

Mayfield Farm Park Info 

Mayfield Farm Park Trip Photos Here

  We have been doing every other week custody of our grandkids.  It was our weekend to have them with us, and I had planned on making it a fun time.  The weather was calling for it to be beautiful.  It has been cool at night down into the upper thirties and warming up into the seventies each day.  It was to be sunny and clear.  I had called Mayfield on Friday to ask them some questions about the need to purchase advanced tickets.   A very nice lady named Melissa got back to me later in the day.  She explained that advanced tickets can be done online as a convenience, but they were not necessary.    She was super sweet and helpful.  She explained things to me and even made sure we got a good deal on the admission price.    We were unsure who in our family was going so it was nice to know we could just purchase tickets at the gate.  

         It ended up being myself, Kenny, Lydia, Tessa, Gabe & Mia.  We had to take two vehicles to fit everyone.   Gabe rode with me and Lydia down and the girls were with Papaw.    It is only an hour drive for us from home.   I love Athens anyway. It is just such a charming town. I like McMinn County all the way around.

The drive there is pretty especially on SR 307 the  Old Athens-Madisonville Road.

It winds through some of the prettiest rural scenery in all of Tennessee. The road sits down in the Oostanaula Valley.  The area has lots of Cherokee names for places as it is Cherokee Country.   The Autumn colors on the drive coupled with the attractive farms, homes and fields along the way were idyllic.  

     We arrived to the gate to find parking was easy and abundant.  No charge for parking either.   We then walked a short distance up to the ticket window.  The line was not long and was moving quickly.  We got our bracelets and put them on and in minutes were walking around enjoying all the activities.   They have the place decorated up so nice for Autumn!  

        Below: This is the ticket window and there is a little shop on the right.  They sell apple pies, icecream, pumpkin donuts, and other delights!

Below: Here is the ball pit where the kids rode hoppity hops

Below: Mia is excited about the bouncy balls

Next we moved on to the bouncers. One was like a giant inflatable bed mattress. What kid doesn't love to jump on the bed?  The other was like a giant ag bag blown up and its edges buried in the ground.   They liked both of them, but the ag bag was a little bit on the slippery side!  

Above: Tessa's pig tails flying up in the air as she jumps. Gabe and Mia and Lydia are all in on the act.

Below: this is jump pad #2 Kenny & Lydia looking on while the kiddos jump.

Below: giant tractor tire swings! 

Below: round bales to jump on.. our kids loved doing this when they were little. 

Below: They had two super slides. The one shown below is the shorter one.

Below: the second, longer, bigger super slide.  Gabe in the center going down it. We all tried it out! It was pretty fun!

Below: The Tree of Woe... we always call a dead, stark looking tree this from the old 1980s Conan the Barbarian movie. 

Below: the kids got in the human hamster wheels and raced

Below: bouncing was the theme of the day it seemed. The kids moved on to the bouncy pigs and cows.  

Above: They had a ring toss game to play with wooden cows. Tessa is trying it out.  

Above and below: Gabe and Tessa both wanted their photos taken on the tractors. Mia was having no part of it. 

Above and below: a spot set up for a photo op. Tessa and Gabe again were cooperative, but Mia was not having it.  I put my photography skills to work and took photos for a family who was there right after we got done.  

Above and below:  The kids went to feed the goats. It is an extra charge to do this. It isn't included in the regular admission fee.  It was $3 to feed them.  Mia loved them and wanted to liberate them all.  She was hugging and kissing them.  Everyone around was disbelieving that this little girl was ready to free the goats and loved them so much. They are American Lamancha goats.. an earless looking breed. They have ears, but they are very small. 

Above: Gabe and Tessa love the goats too, but not as much as Mimi.

    One other activity that was not included in regular admission price was the cow train.  I did not get any photos or video of that.  It was an additional $3 to ride it.

Gabe and Tessa rode it, but we did not take Mia near it.  She could not be trusted to stay seated and would have risked getting hurt. 

    Everyone was getting hungry around one o'clock.   We all needed a rest and to refuel.   They had lots of seating for places to sit and rest or eat.   One food truck on the property was selling barbecue and macaroni and cheese and stuff like that. It was a little on the heavy side.   It just did not appeal to me or Lydia.  We had the option to leave the farm and drive into Athens for a bite. It was only three miles away.   We hated to have to do this, but we didn't like the menu choices.  On the walk toward the front we realized there was another concession stand.  They had better selections.  After looking at the menu we realized we could all find something suitable here. We ended up being able to stay and eat on the farm.

It was a relief. The line was on the long side so to reduce the hassle we gave Kenny and Lydia our orders and I took the kids to play while they put our orders in and waited on the food.   

   

   Mia got on the sandy stack of tires to play. The bigger two kids went to the nearby zip line.  The way they had this place set up was fantastic.  I could keep an eye on all three of them from one spot!  Plus the staff they had all around were on top of things.   I saw them at one point assisting a little girl who had gotten separated from her parents.  They were all over it.  

   Below: Mia in her Girls Rule the Galaxy shirt. 🌌

Above: You can see the zip line beyond this sand pile. 

above: Gabe comes in for a landing on the zip line

Below : Tessa's turn on the zip line. 

Below: probably the best, most cooperative photo I got out of Mia all day.

  It wasn't long until Kenny rang my cell phone and found out where we were and what we were doing.  He sent Lydia to help me collect the kids and start heading toward the concession stand.   We found a seat right there with no problems or wait. It was busy, but uncrowded.   Lunch was simple, delicious, and satisfying.  Everyone got something they liked.   A nice meal and something cold to drink and a little rest was just the ticket.   We were all ready to go play some more!

     Kenny took the two older kids to ride the cow train while Lydia and I took Mia to do whatever she wanted.  She hit up the bouncy pads again.  She wore that out.

It made my legs tired watching her.   It was worth it though because she slept like a rock on the ride home and again that night.  She was in bed asleep by 8:30 p.m. 

When kids ASK to go to bed that is a parental victory!   

Above: jump pad round two. In the distance you can see a crowd gathering. The Candy Canon is going to fire any minute and shoot out candy!  They did, but it was Welch's fruit snacks.  Nothing wrong with them for most folks, but Tessa  cannot eat them because of a nut allergy.   They contain coconut oil. Many gummy snacks do so she avoids nearly all of that stuff.   

Above: Mia is down at the left of the jump pad. In the center the lady with the black hair and yellow shirt was so sweet playing with her little boy.  What a great mom. 

Above and below: they had three corn mazes to pick from.  Kenny took Gabe and Tessa to do those.  They made it through the first one, but the second one confounded them and they had to return the way they went in. 

    When Kenny and the older kids came out of the corn maze we were all in agreement. We were getting tired and running out of steam. We had been on the go for four hours.   Mia was going to need a nap or she would end up like an angry tiger.    We started working our way toward the front where we had come in. They stopped to play in the corn bin.  Gabe had expressed some trepidation about it. He somehow knew that shelled corn or silage in a silo could kill a person by smothering them.   He is way too smart. I need to remember to ask Colton, his best buddy if he taught him this?    The corn bin was no risk at all.   The worst that happened was ending up with corn in your undies.  I saw several kids shaking their legs and hoping the corn kernels would fall out.   Tessa told me she had corn in her drawers!   It did not bother them enough to make them slow up. They played and played.

Below is a series of shots of the children in the corn bin. They were Children of the Corn for Halloween! 

  

We finally talked the kids into getting out of the corn bin.  We bribed them with promises of cotton candy treats.  We made good on the promises.  I wondered if we would regret letting them get sugared up?   Though they ate all their cotton candy they were so worn out it did not phase them.  I needn't have worried.  Lydia bought some kettle corn.   

    We began walking toward the final shop where they sell pumpkins and gourds and souvenirs.    They had the biggest, best assortment of pumpkins I've ever seen!

 If you can't find what you want there you don't need a pumpkin and there is no pleasing you!  

     

      

Above: the sand pit for digging. This was one fun thing our kiddos did not take part in. I think they were so tired for one thing. Also they had not long ago been to the beach and done A LOT of digging in the sand. 

Above and below: some shots of the many, many varieties of pumpkins and gourds.  We bought a couple for the children for Halloween.  

  We finally made it to the vehicle and were done with our shopping and playing for the day.    There was a brief Chinese fire drill in the parking lot as kids odd manned to see who was going to ride with who and in what vehicle.   In the end Papaw's truck with the DVD players and more room to spread out.. won over.  I had to ride home by myself.   They were very apologetic, but it was not a hardship for me.  I enjoyed the quiet time.  I drove home at a leisurely pace.   I stopped in Vonore at Food City to buy a few groceries to fix supper for everyone.   

I ended up with Tessa spending the night with Nanny also.   All three kids turned in around 8:30 p.m.  and were zonked and snoring before 9:00 p.m.

       It was a first time experience and we loved it.  Can't say enough about this wonderful event.    The only thing I *might* do differently next year if we go is to plan a picnic and eat lunch in one of the area parks. After our picnic lunch we can go and play and not worry about meals and such.   I just like picnics and finding great spots to enjoy.    I scored big time on this trip.  Nanny was a hero. 

  

       I heard many adults today in the crowd remark that " I wish there had been stuff like this to do when I was a kid" .   I also heard one man say "There is nothing like having kids. When you have kids you really get in there and live your life."  He remarked how he would not have been doing these sorts of things were it not for his little ones. He realized he'd have been missing out on a lot of fun.

I tend to agree.   They do slow us down and make us better people. They remind us how to play and enjoy the moment.  

   I highly recommend you try this place out.  You won't be sorry.

    Things to Know Before You Go.

• No outside food or drink allowed
• They have plenty of restrooms and porta potties scattered around the place.
• Senior citizens discounts start at age 55 or older.  
•  Large Groups should call ahead and make plans with the farm so they can make sure you get a good deal and have the best possible time.  
• They do a Spring and Fall festival event. Check their website for dates and particulars. Info at the top of the page. 

 Below is a video I put together of the highlights of the day.