Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Thursday Night on the Square
Do you have plans this Thursday night? Try out the City of Palmdale's Thursday Night on the Square activities. The fun begins at 5:30 p.m. at Ponticlan Square (9th Street East between Avenue Q-9 and Q-10). Each week, the city has a new theme for the activities. This week (7/24), the theme is "Passport to the World". When you arrive at Thursday Night on the Square, stake out a piece of real estate on the lawn with a blanket and some beach chairs. As you settle into your spot, enjoy live music and dancing. You can bring a picnic dinner along or you can purchase something from the available vendors. The amount of free activities for children at this event is substantial. Kiddos can bounce in a bounce house, listen to a story, get their face painted, watch a puppet show, and participate in crafts related to the week's theme. For the theme "Passport to the World", the crafts include making spanish maracas, a Chinese dragoo puppet, an Egyptian pyramid and adding their handprint to the “Hands on the Globe” banner. This positive community event bring high desert dwellers together to celebrate the summer and enjoy our beautiful summer evenings.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Good Sights, Good Food at Local Airports
The Antelope Valley is known for its aerospace industry. Resolve to get in touch with your local airplanes by taking your family for a meal right off the local airport runways. The airport restaurants in Mojave, Lancaster, and Rosamond all offer good food and up-close views of small aircraft. And children of all ages will enjoy the impromptu airshows that frequently occur.
Voyager Restaurant in Mojave offers traditional diner fare and a true airport feel. It is located underneath the old control tower at the Mojave airport and showcases Mojave's rich aviation history, including memorabilia from Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites spaceship and Dick Rutan's Voyager flight. Window booths feature airplane radios, so patrons can listen in on radio traffic. This restaurant serves breakfast throughout the day and is open until mid-day. You'll see the most air traffic on weekend mornings and throughout the weekend, as travelers fly in for a bite to eat.
Foxy's Landing in Lancaster is known for its good food, including evening fare. The restaurant is located at the Lancaster Airport out on West Avenue G. Traffic at this airport is also best seen on the weekends when most of the local pilots are off work and flying for fun. Even if nothing is happening on the runway, Foxy's is decorated with tons of model airplanes that should fascinate little kids.
Finally, don't miss The Golden Cantina at the Rosamond airport. This Mexican restaurant offers yummy food at reasonable prices (Doesn't everyone love free chips & salsa?) and a close-up view of the runway. The broad windows showcase the Tehachapi mountains, the Rosamond foothills, and a pleasant desert landscape. This restaurant is open in the evenings and on the weekends and is known for a good Sunday brunch. Again, you'll see more airplanes in the evenings when commuters are coming home (to their Rosamond Skypark homes!) or on Sunday morning when visitors fly in to eat at the restaurant's large brunch buffet.
Voyager Restaurant in Mojave offers traditional diner fare and a true airport feel. It is located underneath the old control tower at the Mojave airport and showcases Mojave's rich aviation history, including memorabilia from Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites spaceship and Dick Rutan's Voyager flight. Window booths feature airplane radios, so patrons can listen in on radio traffic. This restaurant serves breakfast throughout the day and is open until mid-day. You'll see the most air traffic on weekend mornings and throughout the weekend, as travelers fly in for a bite to eat.
Foxy's Landing in Lancaster is known for its good food, including evening fare. The restaurant is located at the Lancaster Airport out on West Avenue G. Traffic at this airport is also best seen on the weekends when most of the local pilots are off work and flying for fun. Even if nothing is happening on the runway, Foxy's is decorated with tons of model airplanes that should fascinate little kids.
Finally, don't miss The Golden Cantina at the Rosamond airport. This Mexican restaurant offers yummy food at reasonable prices (Doesn't everyone love free chips & salsa?) and a close-up view of the runway. The broad windows showcase the Tehachapi mountains, the Rosamond foothills, and a pleasant desert landscape. This restaurant is open in the evenings and on the weekends and is known for a good Sunday brunch. Again, you'll see more airplanes in the evenings when commuters are coming home (to their Rosamond Skypark homes!) or on Sunday morning when visitors fly in to eat at the restaurant's large brunch buffet.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Exotic Feline Breeding Compound & Tropico Gold Mine
Do you love animals but hate the drive down the 14? Is the zoo in the top ten of your kiddo's favorite places? Then we hope you haven't missed the jewel in our own backyard.
The Exotic Feline Breeding Compound in Rosamond is home to over 70 of the world's most endangered felines. It's a world-reknowned breeding center in a small town locale. Enter through the well stocked gift store, where displays of stuffed cats roar, causing kids to look twice at the exhibits. Then walk around the shaded grounds and view the cats in their cages. The walkways are close to the cages, so your family will get upclose and personal with quite a few of the cats on display.
The peacocks and peahens are usually the highlight of my kids' trip. The last time we visited, they had over ten of these giant--and loud--birds. We even witnessed a peahen sitting on an egg she laid, right before the staff stole her egg (too many peacocks, they said). Don't forget your picnic lunch. You can sit at the picnic tables and lunch among the birds and cats.
The compound is open 10-4 Thursday through Tuesday. Admission is $5 general, $4 seniors 60+, $3 ages 3-12. Don't overlook the yearly family membership though. For only $30, you and your family of four (more if your youngest is under 3 years old) can visit all year long. It's worth it just to hang out in the shade and watch those peacocks! Visit the compound website for more details.
After your visit, be sure to look up the hill at the abandoned Tropico Gold Mine and ghost town. It's off-limits to visitors nowadays, but you can see it fairly well from the road. My kids never tire of hearing about a real live "ghost town." Bone up on AV goldmining history before you go, and be sure to show your kids pictures of the inside of our local mine.
The Exotic Feline Breeding Compound in Rosamond is home to over 70 of the world's most endangered felines. It's a world-reknowned breeding center in a small town locale. Enter through the well stocked gift store, where displays of stuffed cats roar, causing kids to look twice at the exhibits. Then walk around the shaded grounds and view the cats in their cages. The walkways are close to the cages, so your family will get upclose and personal with quite a few of the cats on display.
The peacocks and peahens are usually the highlight of my kids' trip. The last time we visited, they had over ten of these giant--and loud--birds. We even witnessed a peahen sitting on an egg she laid, right before the staff stole her egg (too many peacocks, they said). Don't forget your picnic lunch. You can sit at the picnic tables and lunch among the birds and cats.
The compound is open 10-4 Thursday through Tuesday. Admission is $5 general, $4 seniors 60+, $3 ages 3-12. Don't overlook the yearly family membership though. For only $30, you and your family of four (more if your youngest is under 3 years old) can visit all year long. It's worth it just to hang out in the shade and watch those peacocks! Visit the compound website for more details.
After your visit, be sure to look up the hill at the abandoned Tropico Gold Mine and ghost town. It's off-limits to visitors nowadays, but you can see it fairly well from the road. My kids never tire of hearing about a real live "ghost town." Bone up on AV goldmining history before you go, and be sure to show your kids pictures of the inside of our local mine.
Swimming Lessons
With the summer heat bearing down on us here in the high desert, you might be wondering about where to cool off a bit. My children love the swim classes offered by the City of Palmdale. We have taken classes at the Marie Kerr Park pool for several weeks and are pleased with all aspects. Classes are offered at a wide variety of times and for a wide variety of levels of students. My oldest daughter (almost 4) took the Level One classes. She was a little hesitant about hopping into the water, but the lifeguards in charge helped her right through those wary feelings. The lifeguards are friendly, positive and competent. The lessons last for 30 minutes per day and run for two weeks. You can register for the classes online through the Play Palmdale website. Start at the Palmdale website and click to the Play Palmdale section. You will need a family ID and password, which you just have to register for once.
If you live further north, try the Rosamond pool for lessons. The pool is not perfect because it is four feet deep throughout. Just imagine where that hits on your little one and you'll understand why short kids wait on the steps during exercises. But the price is fairly reasonable ($50 per two-week session) and it beats a daily drive down to Palmdale if you live in Rosamond or Mojave. The lifeguards have been excellent--kind, patient, and willing to talk with parents about areas in which kids could improve. Rosamond Community Service District runs the sign-up for these lessons. See their swimming lesson schedule and other activities here.
Prefer to swim in Lancaster? We can't give firsthand advice, but we can direct you to the right place. Access Lancaster lessons online.
Happy splashing!
If you live further north, try the Rosamond pool for lessons. The pool is not perfect because it is four feet deep throughout. Just imagine where that hits on your little one and you'll understand why short kids wait on the steps during exercises. But the price is fairly reasonable ($50 per two-week session) and it beats a daily drive down to Palmdale if you live in Rosamond or Mojave. The lifeguards have been excellent--kind, patient, and willing to talk with parents about areas in which kids could improve. Rosamond Community Service District runs the sign-up for these lessons. See their swimming lesson schedule and other activities here.
Prefer to swim in Lancaster? We can't give firsthand advice, but we can direct you to the right place. Access Lancaster lessons online.
Happy splashing!
Welcome
Welcome to AV Mom's Spot! At first glance, it seems like the Antelope Valley has few resources for children and families. Over time, we have come to discover a wide variety of fun and interesting things to do with families here in the AV. We'd love to share those ideas with you. Thanks for joining us here at AV Mom's Spot.
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