More Activities on Fair Oaks Farm

We had a good night’s sleep at the Fairfield Inn on Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana. The room was quite spacious for three adults, an 8-year-old, and an 11 lb. yorkie who was a bit excited to have three different beds to chose from.

Breakfast is included at the hotel, and it was a nice buffet. We filled up on eggs, bacon, and waffles, and explored a little before heading outside. It was another cold day, so we dressed warmly.

We went to check out the Igloos, a highlight of the Forest of Lights celebration. They are considered part of the Farmhouse Restaurant and are just outside those doors. They were heated and quite cozy. We were just supposed to go in for hot chocolate, but we were so comfortable we decided to stay a little longer for Mimosas, cheesecake, fries, and smoked brisket chili.

When it was time for us to go to the Pig Adventure (you get times for tours when you purchase your tickets) we went to the bus. There are many different packages available, or you can buy individual tickets to a single activity. The farm also has educational classes throughout the year.

The bus was equipped with a wheelchair lift, so I had no problem getting my scooter on. Teddy was happy on my lap, as one of his tasks is to notify blood sugar and blood pressure drops.

The Pig Adventure includes a tour around the huge building, where pigs are born and raised. We were able to see some newborn piglets.

Fair Oaks Farms is all about sustainability. Their buses actually run on waste from the animals. They are working toward achieving a zero-carbon footprint for all of their vehicles.

Before we headed home, we stopped at the Cowfé for lunch. They have a huge selection of cheeses. We did some tasting and I purchased some of my favorite, Calico.

The deli also had meats and they make fresh sandwiches. We picked up some for the road, while Brittany had more of the smoked brisket chili she had loved at the restaurant.

In addition to the Festival of Lights,  Fair Oaks Farms has events throughout the year. They include Easter Egg Hunts in the spring, a Sunflower Field in the summer, and Harvest events for apples and pumpkins in the fall. In the warmer months there is also often outdoor music.

Photos by Marcia Frost and Brittany Lambright

I was hosted on this trip for most of the activities, food, and accommodations, but views are my own.

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Fun on Fair Oaks Farm

 

I had never heard of Fair Oaks Farms when I fellow travel writer suggested it to me. When I found out it was a complete destination just an hour and a half away from Champaign, I quickly made arrangements to take some friends, a willing to play eight year old, and my dog, Teddy 

The name may be familiar to you if you drink Fairlife milk or protein shakes. This is much more than a farm, though, it’s a full destination, and we took advantage of anything it has to offer.

The first thing we did when arriving was check into the hotel. There is a Fairfield Inn on the property so once we parked, we didn’t have to get into the car again until it was time to go home. The building was even set up to look like a barn, but on the inside it was all about a modern hotel.

Our suite was large, with two beds and a pullout couch. Aubree took the couch. Teddy tried his best to join her. We had a microwave and refrigerator in the room, and an indoor pool downstairs.

After we got our things settled, we headed to the Dairy Adventure first. It was a short walk away and the path was clear for me to take my scooter. The building was filled with hands-on activities and selfie spots for kids and adults. It was also about learning about doing things on the farm, such as milking a cow. 

From there we got on the bus to tour the milking production building. Pets are welcome in the hotel and main areas, but not where there are farm animals. Since Teddy is a service dog and never left my lap, he was welcome.

When the bus returned us to the main complex we were pretty hungry and ready to taste some milk products. Ice cream was our choice and the Cowfé was the perfect place to have it. There are about a half dozen flavors. All we had were delicious.

We took a walk after the ice cream to see some of the mom cows with their calves and then went on to the rope course.  Teddy and I stayed on the scooter and observed, but Aubree, her mom Jessica, and Brittany enjoyed the climbing.

The next building we headed to was the Crop Adventure. It also contained plenty of learning experiences. Aubree had fun “shopping” in a grocery store and learning where products come from. I learned a lot about the farm as the boards explained how Fair Oaks has fed seven billion people, and how far modern production has come over the years.

We rested in the room for a little while before heading to the Farmhouse Restaurant. It was getting cold out and we were glad we could get there from the hotel without going outside. The restaurant was decorated for the holidays, with a few cow statues here and there.

The menu has something for everyone and contains a lot of items from the farm, including the popular cheese curds, which we agreed were delicious. I loved the Pig Adventure sandwich. It is a hickory smoked pork on a brioche roll with their house made barbecue sauce. Brittany had a tender steak.

 

The kids menu has quite a few items, including mac n cheese, pizza, and grilled cheese made with at the Fair Oaks dairy.

After dinner, we went to explore their holiday season event, Forest of Lights. It consists of a long trail, lit with beautiful lights, many shaped as farm animals and equipment. When you get to the halfway point, there is a place to stop by firepits. We had bought s’mores in The Market to toast before then.

It was too cold that night for us to do the sledding hill or ice skating. It was fine because we had a day filled with fun and all of us were ready to go to the hotel and get in our warm beds.

*This was my experience at the Forest of Lights in 2022. Check the website to find out the current offerings.

 

Photos by Marcia Frost and Brittany Lambright

I was hosted on this trip for most of the activities, food, and accommodations, but views are my own.

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Fun, Fun, Fun at Great Wolf Lodge Illinois

I have always enjoyed trips initiated by a resort. This has been especially true since I’ve been dealing with health issues and don’t do a lot of walking. I can bring my scooter into the place and use it wherever needed – without having to worry to get me (and it) in and out of the car.

Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee, Illinois, is made for those of us who like an all-inclusive experience in one place.

There is never a need to get into your car, whether it’s Band-Aids, lunch, or activities you are looking for.

A lot of the experience at the Illinois Great Wolf Lodge is about bringing the outside in – with the exception of the weather. The outdoorsy experiences and décor make you forget that you are inside a resort.

After a hearty breakfast, Brittany, Kyler, Shaun and I toured the lodge, checking out the various suites (they have ones that are even big enough for 12) with the management and those from the public relations firm.

Then we were off on our own. We were given one of Great Wolf’s all-inclusive packages, which included many activities, as well as credits for the Northern Lights Arcade and Magic Quest wands, for which there are spots throughout the hotel to check out.

You will not find any shortage of things to do here. We could have easily spread it out over three or four days.

I was able to enjoy the Howl in One Mini Golf and Oliver's Mining Co attractions with my friends, before we stopped at Hungry As A Wolf for a family-size special with pizza and salads.

I also loved the Coca-Cola Freestyle fountain in the Great Wolf food court for sugar-free flavored iced tea, while everyone else did a bit more experimenting with flavors.

We finished up the pizza and I watched a bit while they went through the Rustic Ridge Climbing Wall and the Howler Peak Ropes Course (definitely for older children).

I then headed to the waterpark, where I relaxed in the lazy river and then headed to our room for a nap.

Great Wolf's Barnwoods is a full-service restaurant that has everything from Wisconsin Cheese Curds to New York Strip Steak.

Their bar is also interesting, and I met some local friends there for some cocktails and a warm Bavarian pretzel, large enough to share.

I met back with my friends, who had been playing Magic Quest, and going down the slides in the waterpark, for dinner at the Campfire Kitchen.

This food outlet has different entrees each night. Their portions are large and side dishes plentiful. We were very satisfied with our BBQ Ribs.

In addition to attractions, Great Wolf Lodge has free activities for all its guests.

Although most are geared toward younger kids, we did stop in on the Yoga for Kids and Parents and the Nighttime Story Time.

As I had the night before, I spent some time with Brittany in the Whirlpool before bedtime.

It had been a very long, but extremely fun, day at Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee.

Welcoming in a New Year of Prosperity

Don’t get the headline wrong, I’m not one of those people who believe you make a resolution you’ll have more money and “poof,” it appears! I do believe that you have to do something to get something back, but it doesn’t have to be that difficult.

I’ve gone through many “cash back” sites and applications. Whether it was selling clothing and old electronics, or using coupons, scanning barcodes, and filling out rebate forms. I’ve added it up to a lot of time, effort, and aggravation.

I once spent days of emails and phone calls over a guy I sold my laptop to on eBay. He insisted there was a defect I hadn’t mentioned, and I should refund half of the price. I finally told him to send it back because I gave him a more than fair price. Suddenly, when he realized he wasn’t getting money back, I didn’t hear from him again!

This is why I like Dosh. It’s a set it and forget it app. (Of course, if you do go in and click through before you shop you can also earn additional cash.) You can safely enter your credit card information and then, whenever you go to a dosh participating store, activity, or restaurant with that card, you’ll automatically receive cash in your account.

Dosh cash can come right back to you, or go to charity for your next tax deduction – something we all may need more of next year.

There’s absolutely no cost or nothing to lose by downloading the Dosh application and signing up now. In fact, you can immediately load your Dosh bank by entering cards and sending your referral link to your friends. 

I also recommend you open Dosh at least once a week to see what’s new. Make sure the application is up to do and look for special offers, such as the current increase in referral fees to $15 each.

I’m curious to hear how you do with the Dosh app. As one of the original beta testers, I’m always looking for success stories. I’m also happy to pass along any problems you are having to the company.

Here’s to a prosperous 2018. In 2017, with Dosh only available to the general public for a couple of months, users received nearly $5 million cash back in their pockets.

P.S. It’s also a great time to take a little vacation (or staycation). Check out the hotel deals on Dosh. Not only will you save money, but you can get an additional $25 back for your first booking!


This is a sponsored post. 

Bigfoot and Dixie Stampede in Branson

It was day three in Branson and I continued to enjoy this Missouri city with my friends Marsha, Brittany, and Amanda.

Our first stop for the day was at an attraction new to the city this year, Bigfoot on the Strip. 

We thought it would be a quick stop, but we soon realized there was so much to do (and eat) that it was fun for the day.

Bigfoot, a joint adventure by three locals, who also happen to be in the food business (more below), is an adventure park with unique activities to keep kids and adults occupied and having fun.

Brittany and Amanda took off for the maze immediately. It was nothing like you’d find at chuck E Cheese.

This one required a lot of climbing and crawling, with stops in a tall water tower and the opportunity to jump onto a trampoline-like pit.

Before checking out anything else, we stopped for lunch at Bigfoot’s food trucks, Big Ds BBQ and Parlor Pizza Wood Fired Pizza.

It was a unique and delicious alternative to a snack bar. Owner Darrell “Big D” Henley showed us around the state-of-the-art trucks, where they can smoke their own meats and wood-fire pizzas.

Our “samples” turned into a magnificent buffet and I couldn’t even tell you what we liked best – it was all mouth-watering.

After lunch, Brittany and Amanda hit the main attraction, the Bigfoot Action Tower, which contains two rides in one 200’ high construction.

The Gravity Bomb™ is a freefall that uses a magnetic braking system to bring the riders to a smooth, but abrupt, stop after they “fall” down from the top.

The Super Sling™ is more of an actual ride, as two people sit together and flip slingshot like into the air and back down.

After the golf, we went inside to the arcade for the 8D Action Ride. 

This goes way beyond any 3 or 4D experience I’ve had, as you get 3D glasses and laser guns, while on an actual mini bike that jerks back and forth with sound effects.

You can buy individual tickets to Big Foot on the Strip, but I recommend going for the all-inclusive package if you want to spend the day. 

It was hard to get them off the Action Tower, but Marsha and I were ready for some mini-golf and Bigfoot has a fun course that even takes you through a muraled tunnel.

We couldn’t help but notice an Andy’s Frozen Custard next door as we got in the car to leave and stopped for some afternoon treats.

We went back to the 10479934?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.expedia.com%2Fpubspec%2Fscripts%2Feap.asp%3FPRID%3D1%26GOTO%3DHOTDETAILS%26HotID%3D12860&cjsku=12860" target="_top"> Radisson Hotel Branson

for a bit to shower and change. We had plans to go to the Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Show.

Marsha had been to the show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, but the rest of us weren’t sure what to expect when we pulled up to what looked like a Southern mansion.

After we picked up our tickets we had time to walk through the stables and see the horses at this Branson, Missouri location.

They are switched out each show so they don’t get worn out and they were all pretty friendly.

We walked through the gift shop and into the carriage room where there is a bar (non-alcoholic drinks only) and a pre-show.

A bit crowded it was a bit crowded, but we were only in there for a short while before they called us into the main arena.

We all sat around a large circular sand-filled area for the show, which included a little of everything, with changing backgrounds, horses, riders, cowboys, dancers, wagons, and more.

There was plenty of special effects, including jumping through fire, and stunt riders. It was a lot of fun to watch.  There was a wonderful and patriotic finale.

Our place setting was complete, but without any type of utensils. You eat everything at this show with your hands, but it’s not quite as messy as it sounds.

Dinner was quite good, consisting of a small rotisserie chicken, barbecued pork loin, creamy vegetable soup (in a bowl with a handle to pick up), corn on the cob, a baked potato, a biscuit, and an apple turnover for dessert.

After the show, we went back to the Radisson Hotel Branson for a good night sleep. We had one full day left in Branson and it was going to end with a late night out.