Warhawk Air Museum

Hands down, this family's favorite place to visit is the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa, Idaho. This museum started out in an airplane hangar at the Caldwell Airport with a small collection of donated military items and one plane in their collection, a P-40 Kittyhawk. I was 13 when I saw this plane fly for the first time and I have been smitten since.

Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk "Sneak Attack" 

Now, the Warhawk Air Museum has since moved to Nampa and boasts a 35,000 sq. ft. exhibit complete with 11 static plane displays, a WW2 glider, and a vast collection of memorabilia from World War 1 to the present (Warhawk). The collection comes from local veterans and their families which were donated to the museum. I have lost track of the number of times I have been to the museum, but every time I go, there is something new for me to discover. The museum not only shows items from the military perspective, but interesting pieces of personal life on the home front: newspaper articles from the Idaho Statesman, period automobiles, ration books, children's toys, clothing, a wedding dress made from her husband to-be's parachute, and propaganda. Plus, with the expansion into the history of the Cold War and Space Age, you can see an exhibit on the Berlin Wall and see large moon rocks on display.

World War 1 German Fokker

Rolls Royce

There is so much to see and take pictures of at the museum.  Since everything is packed into cabinets filled with memorabilia anything I try and take pictures of does not do it justice. Aside from an actual visit to the museum which I highly encourage, they have a 360 degree virtual tour you can do from the comfort of your own home. My kids love the virtual tour because they can get right into the cockpit of their favorite airplanes, which is something not encouraged when we visit in person. ;-)

War bonds posters

Pratt&Whitney engine and prop

The Warhawk Air Museum hosts regular events throughout the year. By far, the most popular events are the airshows. The airshow schedule runs from May-August and features the local military planes and guests from  outside of our area. This summer, they held a P-38 Lightning and P-40 Warhawk weekend. Included with the airshow action there was a movie screening of "Between Two Worlds", presentation and Q&A with the World War 2 pilot (Major Arnold) who was featured in the movie "Between Two Worlds", and sponsorship rides. There is nothing like seeing these planes in action! It is one thing to just browse the museum, but to see and hear them fly is a wonderful experience. 

Nose art of the B-25 "Pacific Princess"

The B-25 "Pacific Princess"

Nose Art of the B-25 "Pacific Prowler"

P-40 Warhawk "Parrot Head"

My kids ages 2-9, all love the museum. During the airshows, they have coloring contests for free family membership at the museum, hands on models to explore, and a LEGO lab.

Coloring contestants hard at work. 

One of the highlights of the airshow and a regular museum offering is the sponsorship ride. For about $350 (depends on the plane) you can take a ride in one of the war birds! This has been a huge dream of mine and hopefully one day I will be able to afford it and take a ride. The Warhawk Air Museum has a really cool video of what a sponsorship ride is like and yes, the pilot will even take you upside down and do rolls!

There are also activities specifically for local Veterans. Once a month Veterans may meet at the museum for the Kilory Coffee Klatch (First Tuesday of every month) for a few hours of conversation and coffee and a full breakfast on Veteran's Day. They are also doing a Veteran's History Project, recording the stories of veterans and their experiences. 

Speaking of veterans and their experiences. If you happened on this blog from my English 102 class, this museum has the airplane that was the topic of my research assignment, the F-86 Sabre. My dad has loved seeing the restoration of this old plane because it takes him back to those days in the Korean War. Just visiting the plane elicited more stories from my dad than he could remember just sitting and thinking about it. Those moments are so special to family historians and I was thankful for this plane's addition in the museum.

         F-86 Sabre 2009

F-86 Sabre 2010

F-86 Sabre 2012

Whether you are an airplane enthusiast, history buff, veteran, school group, or just looking for something unique to check out, the Warhawk Air Museum is highly recommended!

The museum also has a really neat gift shop with everything from toys, model airplanes, books, movies, clothing, and my favorite purchase from the gift shop was my Rosie the Riveter lunch box!

The Warhawk Air Museum has winter and summer hours.
Currently, they are open Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM-5 PM and Sunday 10 AM-4 PM.
Closed Mondays and on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Admission prices are:
General Admission: $10.00
Seniors: $8.00
Veterans/Military (with ID): $8.00
Children 5-12: $4.00

In addition:
If you are interested in a nice relaxing place to eat after your museum tour, I highly recommend the Starvin' Marvins Blue Sky Cafe located upstairs from the Nampa airport terminal. Family owned and operated, this cafe is a delightful place to eat for airplane nerds and foodies. Weather permitting, outdoor seating is available on the observation deck and you can watch planes taking off and landing. It is also a spectacular place to eat during an airshow which makes it feel like front row, VIP seating.

Light Show!

Last year, we heard about this family in Meridian that decked their house out in lights in sync with music. They were all over the national news too! We went to visit and was completely enamored at the skills of the  father/son team had in creating their light show. They also introduced me to Skrillex and love him or hate him, I love his music.

This year, the Cadger family has another fantastic light show and I highly recommend a visit to this Meridian neighborhood to check the light show out! Their home is located off Meridian Road, north of Ustick. If you are going north, take a right on Ashton and just follow the lights, you wont miss it! The video is rather new, I took it last night so it isn't showing up in the Blogger file. You will have to click the link.

2012 Video of Cadger family light show sample.

Here is a sample from last year:

According to the family's radio transmission, more songs will out after December 1st. They are also holding a food drive for the Meridian Food Bank if you feel like dropping by a donation.

Good ol' Backyard Fun!

Throughout this blog, I have tried to keep family adventures as affordable as possible. With that in mind, sometimes we neglect the very simple and memorable adventures that can be had just outside the back or front doors. From the end of October through the third week of November, the kids have succumb to a variety of ailments making it difficult to even leave the house so those well enough had fun in the backyard. Even you (yes you!) can find something around the home that can become a family adventure!

• Leaf piles
• Backyard hot dog/marshmallow roasts
• Board game night
• Walks around the neighborhood
• Walking/bike ride to the park

What is your favorite thing to do with the family at home and in your neighborhood?

Playing in the leaves was a lot of fun for the kids. Leaf fort, leaf fight, leaf races, the list could go on! 

Sisters digging through the leaves.

Watch out for falling leaves!

Ezra made an attempt at climbing the tree and Shira was picking the last of the dandelions, blowing the seeds around.

  

Then of course, it is all fun and games until the little sister decides to destroy your awesome leaf pile like Shira did to Ezra!

The melodrama in the backyard.

I loved taking all the photos of the kids in the leaves. The colors, the rosy cheeks, oh and the leaf attacks on mom! Resistance was futile! :-) 

The best of all was just having low-key fun with the kids in our home. Simple, fun, memory making days that will be cherished for a long time. 

This is Halloween!

Boo!

My kids love The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Tim Burton movie that is like The Grinch Who Stole Christmas tale, but turned around where the main character who LOVES Christmas and wants everything to do with it, ends up messing it up for everyone. They had a lot of fun at the Creepy Critters event, so when Halloween came this year, they were over the moon with joy.

On Halloween, we carved the pumpkins we got at Linder Farms. The kids had a ton of fun carving with dad and throwing the seeds to the chickens as treats!

The pumpkin final product: a funny face, bat, owl, and Simba.

Time for trick or treats around the neighborhood. We don't drive, just walk because we have plenty of neighbors who participate and give out awesome treats. Full size candy bars and dollar bills. Seriously, I do live in one of the best neighborhoods!

The butterfly ready to go!

Ezra and Zippy decided to dress up as their Creepy Critters costumes, the bat and snowy owl. Shira decided on a butterfly costume and Rashe made her own princess outfit. We encourage the kiddos to create their own costumes from craft bin scraps or the dress up bin. I think they did a pretty good job of it (with a little help from mom of course!). 

Some neighbors go all out and decorate their yards for Halloween. This particular stretch of the neighborhood has a number of houses that go all out. My kids loved this house because every inch seemed to be covered in something Halloween themed. They even had a fog machine and spooky sounds going for added creepiness. 

A princess, butterfly, owl, and bat...Oh my!

The spooky neighborhood grave yard! 

After all the candy, walking, and spooky fun, the kids watched more of their favorite movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas! If you haven't seen it, it is a lot of fun especially if you have a twisted sense of humor. ;-)

Other Nampa Halloween themed activities:

Downtown Nampa Trick or Treat 

Starts at 5 P.M. 

Kids can trick or treat to local stores 

Nampa Farmer's Market

Weekend before Halloween

10 AM-2 PM

Kids can dress up and trick or treat to the vendors at the market

Find the Great Pumpkin!

Nampa Rec Center

Saturday before Halloween

10AM

Kids can search for the Great Pumpkin for prizes!

Best costume prize, crafts, and more!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We all would like to wish everyone a happy and blessed Thanksgiving! 

Have a wonderful and adventurous start to the holiday season!

Creepy Critters at the DFNWR

Back in early October my mom, kids, and I went to the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge to check out the visitor center and Lake Lowell sights. They were advertising an event on October 27th called "Creepy Critters" which was a fun, educational, pre-Halloween themed event at the Visitor Center. The deal breaker was being able to see live owls and for my 5 year-old daughter that was a dream come true!

Shlomo was working at Linder Farms for their final weekend, so I was able to get both of my parents to come along with us. My dad use to hunt at the Refuge many years ago and like my mom, had not actually gone there as a visitor. The extra help was nice because the kids were given candy at this event and well, their sugar highs were pretty epic.

Children were encouraged to dress up and so my kids chose wildlife themes for their costumes. We had a swan, snowy owl, and two bats.

Cute lil' critters! 

The Refuge had the event centered around a mini-scavenger hunt. Each child was given a map and for each station they attended a stamp was placed on their map. For a completed map, the child received a Junior Deer Flat NWR manager badge.

The first stop was a snake station. The kids got to look at snakes from our area and learn about them. It was starting to rain, so the snakes were not allowed to come out of their terrarium because it was too cold. 

Creepy!

The stations were arranged around the Refuge's nature path, a 1/4 mile hike that takes you around the scrub brush, down to the lake, and back to the center. It was chilly, a little rainy, but fun. This was suppose to be a creepy hike, so the rain was very fitting.

Down the path on the creeeepy nature hike.

The next stations, the kids were able to explore bats and other predators native to our area. Ezra was Mr. Know-It-All and was happily answering all their questions about predators. He is very interested in science and animals, so this was right up his alley!

Candy...creepy critters... spooky hike... 

The final station outside were the owls. Oh wow, Miss Zippy was beyond herself with excitement  These owls  were rescued for one reason or another. They had a great horned owl, Merlin and another little owl named Copper. The kids got to inspect a hands on exhibit of owl wings and feet, plus the station attendants were very engaging with all the kids and their questions. 

Merlin

Copper

The kids with Grandpa and Merlin the great horned owl. 

After the spooky, creepy hike around the Refuge inside were more activities for the kids. The Nampa Public Library sponsored a spooky story time for the kids. There were also crafts for the kids to make and one more very, creepy critter station. 

Ugh!

Scorpions, hissing cockroaches, and big spiders. Ick! I pet the hissing cockroach and showed the kids that they are not terribly creepy. They would not even dare to touch it. We also looked at scorpions and the tarantula. I hate spiders, so I tried masking my utter disgust. 

We stayed through to the end of the event so the kids could call for owls and howl for coyotes and then earn their Junior Wildlife manager badge. They really enjoyed earning their badge and have kept it on their coats all week. 

Creepy Critters is a yearly event at the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge held the weekend before Halloween. Hours for the event is 4-6:30 P.M. come rain or shine! The educational slant to the event would make it a great activity for people who might not want their kids to take part in Halloween tricks or treats. Dressing up is optional, having fun is mandatory! 

The Deer Flat Wildlife Refuge is located at 13751 Upper Embankment Road, Nampa Idaho at the intersections of Indiana and Roosevelt Avenues. This event is special hours and occurs outside of the regular DFNWR hours. 

Lake Lowell during the Spooky Hike

Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge Site. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of 

Interior, Oct. 2012. 4 Nov. 2012. 

Linder Farms Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch

There are times when a fun, family adventure becomes a family tradition and then you love the experience so much it also becomes employment.

Linder Farms is a 20 acre pumpkin patch, 15 acre Boise State Bronco themed corn maze, delicious food, and more fun than you can possibly pack into a day with the family. The farm is located between Meridian and Kuna on Linder Road. If you follow Linder south towards Kuna, you cannot miss it. 

We have been going to Linder Farms for two years because of school trips with the kids' preschool. I always enjoyed the farm feel that comes from the attractions and location. There are hayrides out to the pumpkin patch, simplistic rides for the kids, a petting zoo, zip line, laser tag, two different corn mazes, and a mix of free and token priced attractions. 

My kids are at the age where the free attractions are still a lot of fun. Their favorites were the corn box (like a sand box filled with dried corn kernels), the mini-hay maze, pipe slide, and tire play ground. 

Exploring the mini-maze with Dad.

Rashe on the tire playground.

Making corn angels!

Corn box is better than a sand box!

For a few tokens, there are a lot of fun things for kids of all ages to do. Laser tag, zip line, bounce houses, petting zoo, pony rides, mechanical bull, rock climbing wall, the barrel train, an old fashioned swing ride, and a pumpkin slingshot. My kids' favorites were the barrel train (even adults can ride in it!) and the swing. Both the swing and barrel train were so much fun for two-year old Shira, that it was a tantrum fit every time we tried to move her on to something else. 

All four aboard the barrel train!

Swing time! 

 

Cutest

petting zoo

EVER!!! 

After filling up on all the adorable animals, we headed over to the concessions stand. I was very impressed with the selection of food available from chicken nuggets and fries for children to beef hot dogs and hamburgers for adults. In all my sweet in taking days, I have never eaten mini-doughnuts, cotton candy, and caramel apples so good. I am talking about in my entire life! Cotton candy that actually tastes like the flavor it is suppose to be like blueberry, grape, and cherry. Caramel apples that are juicy, sweet, and so delicious you will take a few home, we did! And now the mini-doughnuts. Sugar and cinnamon enveloped tiny fried pieces of dough from heaven. Every bite melts in your mouth and sharing is not an option any more. All items at the concessions stand may be bought with money or tokens. I felt the prices were very affordable for the quality, plus a lot cheaper than the fair food at a county or state fair.

Prompt friendly service and delicious food await you at concessions! 

Two of the main attractions of Linder Farms are the corn mazes and hayride trip to the pumpkin patch. By the time all the kids have their fun and eat, a trip through the corn maze usually does not happen. Unless you have older children, this would be a trip broken up into two parts especially with children who need naps. My kids are more interested in picking out their pumpkins, so we do the hayride and pumpkin patch.

Idaho in October is always a beautiful sight and most of the time the weather cooperates. On the day we went, storm clouds threatened, but stayed to the south. I think it added to the beauty of the hayride through the corn. Linder Farms has the locations of pumpkins broken up by size. The first patch has all the large and giant pumpkins. The next stop is specialty and medium and the last has the small sizes and cute little mini pumpkins. I tried to encourage my kids to get pumpkins they could carry, but alas that was not the case. 

Ezra found a 50 pound pumpkin and Shlomo was more than happy to haul it out for him. All the kids picked out cute pumpkins and even I got to pick out a white pumpkin. The most darling was experiencing the newness of the pumpkin patch with Shira. She has always been in a sling or stroller, so this was the first year that she was involved with the process of picking out a pumpkin. "Punkin patch" was repeated with glee and squeals at every pumpkin she saw. It was difficult not to purchase every pumpkin she saw, permissive parenting for the win! ;-) 

I'm spoiled and I know it! 

           

As I mentioned earlier, Shlomo decided to work this year at Linder Farms and was hired on as a tractor driver. We did go back to Linder Farms for another adventure so the kids could have their dad haul them around on a hayride. The buy in for this pumpkin patch was very high and the kids enjoyed every second of their trip there. The hayrides are free and if you decide to pick out a pumpkin, the price is $.30/pound. Giant pumpkins are a flat rate of $9.00 if you decide to pick out one of those.

With the pumpkins purchased and stowed away in the car, another run through the favorite things, picking up more mini-doughnuts it is time to go home. Linder Farms is a great place to take the family for wonderful memory making time. Every year the kids enjoy themselves and cannot wait for another turn around the sun to go again. With younger children, I would advise two trips if you really want to experience everything Linder Farms has to offer. We ended up taking two additional trips because my band also performed and of course, I wanted the kids to ride the tractor with dad.

Playing to a rising full moon.

Shira with daddy on the tractor

Spooky hayride in the full moon night! 

The season at Linder Farms starts around the last weekend of September and runs to October 31st. Hours vary during the weekdays from 4-9 P.M. and 10 A.M.-10 P.M. on Saturdays, closed on Sundays. Prices are set on whether or not you want to go through the corn maze. For regular admission children 4-adult are $3.00, corn maze and farm access for children 4-11 is $7.00 and adults are $11.00. Special group rates are available during non-regular admission hours for school field trips or a fun office event! 

Linder Farms is located at 7165 South Linder Road, Meridian, Idaho 83642 and is well worth the short drive south of Meridian to check out! 

Linder Farms.  Linder Farms, LLC., 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2012.