Questions for Karen ([email protected])
 

Karen: I go out to Scottsdale every year so I'm always reading the posts on AZ and sometimes can even give a little insight of my own. I always appreciate your comments and wonder if you can help me a little. As usual we'll be out in AZ at the end of March (during my son's spring break) to visit the in-laws. My kids are now 7 & 5 and we've done the science center, zoo, McCormick RR park, ad nauseum not to mention Out of Africa and Rawhide. We've also strolled Old Scottsdale, and all the malls (my mother-in-law lives to shop). What else can you suggest that might appeal to kids? From what I've read, I don't think they'd love Sedona yet other than to climb the red rocks for a while and they can do that on Camelback mountain any day. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide (or anyone else for that matter!).

Have you gone to the WOrld Wildlife Zoo on the west side? They have baby white tiger twins. Another railroad park is Desert Breeze in Chandler. The science center has an exhibit on the TItanic now. There also used to be a railroad at Freestone Park in Gilbert - it might have closed so give a call first.<BR><BR>Goldfield is an interesting old gold mining town near Apache Jct.<BR><BR>Duncan's family farm - also in the west valley. Ceretta's Chocolates in Glendale gives tours. Get a copy of Raising Arizona Kids and/or Arizona Parenting for ideas. I believe they both have websites

Steve: thanks for your great ideas! I guess we'll be hitting the science center for the 4th straight year because the Titanic exhibit is bound to be amazing. I'll need to check and see if it will still be there when we're out. And the chocolate place will be a must see for me more than for the kids!! And now how about a sushi question: We go at least once each visit with my brother-in-law for sushi and have been to Sushi on Shea and Sushi Brokers. Any other recommendations?

ttt

topping!

To Karen from Karen..........just today, in the newspaper there was a whole section on things to do with kids on spring break........if you will trust me, e-mail me directly and give me your home address and I will send it to you immediately. Sorry I didn't see your message until tonight. I will also quiz my daughter on ideas...she has a 12 and 6 year old and is raking her brain for their spring break this next week.......one thing you MIGHT want to do is go see a Diamondback game, great stadium...OR, just go down there when there is not a game and have lunch at TGIF and take in the view of the stadium/pool.......get back to me.

Karen: thanks for your reply. I figured you just hadn't seen the question and that's why I kept topping it. Can you tell me what paper the info was in and I'll just have my brother-in-law save it for me (he's got no kids so he's not particularly helpful on his own). That would be great. We've always considered a Diamondback game but my 5 year old daughter wouldn't be able to sit still through it (we tried last summer at a minor league game!). Maybe a tour of BOB would be fun though. Any insight on the weather? I remember last year was nuts. We were there the 2nd week of April and it was unseasonable cool (low 70s) but the week before it had been in the 90s all week. I know my kids will want to swim regardless of the temp!

The Arizona Republic on Saturday had the article in the Arizona Living section.....you might even be able to bring it up on their website. Sure, I think the kids will be able to swim if you are staying at a pool with a heated pool...even so, they can probably putter around the pool a bit without any problem. Our complex pool will start being heated the end of March...most of us old geezers don't brave it till mid=April, but the little ones don't seem to care. Hope you have a great trip.

Can't recommend it but a "all you can east sushi place just opened in the Biltmore called TODAI. They are based in California.<BR>There isn't a wealth of "kids" thing beyond what you've mentioned that I can think of. They would probably enjoy ice cream at the Sugar Bowl in downtown Scottsdale.