Six Flags New England

Last weekend we took the family to Six Flags New England. Our family friend, Judy met up with us at the park.

The day was very sunny and hot! We arrived right at 12:00 p.m. and stayed until 5:00 p.m. I think the next time we go we will get a hotel nearby and make it a two day event. I'm also thinking we'll go later in the day and stay into the evening when it is much cooler.

The park was very clean and the staff friendly. We spent the majority of our time in two specific areas; The Wiggles area and the Looney Tunes area. The lines were not long and Zac got immediately onto the rides.

The excitement of my day came when I was told they have a "baby center". (photo below) I know everyone might not find this exciting but if you have babies and/or multiples you will appreciate the center. The center seemed liked an oasis perched atop of a hill. We walked into a sparkling clean building with air conditioning! We considered just spending the entire day at the baby center.

The layout of the building is that when you walk in you are greeter by the person working. She will offer you wipes or whatever you need and can sell you food, drinks, etc. To the left you will find a nursing room and in front of that a kitchen area with highchairs, sink, dish soap and a microwave. To the right you will find a big living room area with toys, couches and tables and in front of that is a bathroom and a changing room that has 4 changing tables which include the tear off paper like at the doctors office.

I could go on and on about the Baby Center. We were able to put all of the babies in a highchair in order to give them their lunch. Zac played in the living room with toys. We all appreciated the clean bathroom and air conditioning.

All in all I consider it another fun family day. The only thing I would change would be to turn it into a two day event and go later in the day. We are anxious to go back and do up Six Flags New England!!

Ben & Jerry's

On Saturday we went to the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory in Waterbury, VT. Zac felt the best part of the trip was the playground!

The drive was approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes. Upon arrival you crowd into a small area to purchase your tour ticket for $3. The tours run every few minutes and while waiting you can crowd into a rather small gift shop.

Once they announce your tour you are directed into a small theatre to watch a 7 minute video about the history of Ben & Jerry's. After that you are directed into a small glassed in area to watch the operations of the factory. Unfortunately the day we went the factory was not making ice cream so we simply had to watch a video about the process. We were told they do not produce ice cream on the weekends; I would encourage you to visit when they are making ice cream as I think it would have been more interesting.

Once you learn about the ice cream making process you are directed to the tasting room where they give you a small sample of a preselected flavor; ours was Boston Cream Pie. The ice cream was yummy but the sample very small.

We finished our tour and headed outside to the small area where they sell ice cream; seating is minimal but the views are awesome! John and Zac stood in line for what seemed to be an eternity and returned to our table with no ice cream. John got frustrated with the line not moving and said, "let's just go to DQ!" LOL

Zac's favorite part of the Ben & Jerry's experience was the playground located out by the parking lot and the Ben & Jerry's flavor graveyard. We were surprised that the facility was so small and lacking the "wow" factor. All and all we're glad we went while in the area but have no need to rush back.