A mommy group I belong to had a playdate scheduled for Xtreme Play (http://www.xtremeplayaz.com/) located on the northeast corner of Stapley and the US-60 in Mesa.
I was amazed to walk in to this business and see inflatable bouncers, some couches with a television, an eating area, food counter, benches, and televisions with video games attached! My children and I were all given a bracelet which I later learned was an alarm system for my children. If a child tried to escape- the alarm sounded. My (soon to be) 4 year old and 18 month old were able to run around without me hounding them while they bounced in bouncers, watched Spongebob on television, played video games and air hockey, and had an all around great time! The best part was- it was unlimited play time!
Children ages 3 and under are $5.75 and children ages 4 and over are $8.75... for UNLIMITED play time! I highly recommend to any parent for a fun, less expensive activity!
Cost for myself and my two children: $12.43
Overall grade: A
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
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thefamilycritics@gmail.com
We look forward to hearing from you!
Out of Africa Wildlife Park, Camp Verde, AZ
It is approximately an hour and 45 minute drive from the East Valley but we thought it was well worth the drive!
The Out of Africa Wildlife Park (http://www.outofafricapark.com/) in Camp Verde is located off of the I-17 and Highway 260 in Camp Verde. The cost was a little steep, even with a coupon, but it was a great experience for the entire family! We arrived at the park around 11:45am and started our day on the Safari ride. Everyone was given a carrot to feed the giraffe and away we went into a fenced enclosure where there were animals running free. The giraffe came right up to the 'bus' and ate the carrots right from the hands. The guide was very knowledgeable about who the animals were, what they were, etc. The Safari include antelope like animals, a giraffe, two different types of zebras, and ostriches.
After our safari we caught a tram up to the top where we chose to walk the path but were given the option to ride the tram around. There were plenty of animals to see: lions, tigers (including white tigers), leopards, jaguars, capybara, black bears, grizzly bears, hyenas, prairie dogs, snakes, sloth, lemurs, porcupines, white and gray wolves and Boom Boom the rhino. My favorite part was watching the free Tiger Splash show where the staff interacted with two tigers in a large enclosure. They played with them, swam with them. It was a great show! You could feed a tiger (with tongs through a fence) for an additional fee but we chose to pass. There was a free snake show where you could touch and hold snakes, again we passed, and a free "feed the predator" deal where you tagged along with staff while they fed the predators, again we passed... not because we weren't interested but because by that time, a large crowd had accumulated and with two young kids, we just did not want to deal with it.
It was a great learning experience and the kids had a blast seeing animals in a "natural" setting outside of the zoo. M believes that the park has great animals, a lot of land but their exhibits "leave much to be desired".
Cost for a family of 4: (one child under the age of 3) $77.00 admission (with a $5.00 per person coupon, saving us an additional $15.00) plus food, gift shop, feed the tigers, etc.
Overall grade: B+
The Out of Africa Wildlife Park (http://www.outofafricapark.com/) in Camp Verde is located off of the I-17 and Highway 260 in Camp Verde. The cost was a little steep, even with a coupon, but it was a great experience for the entire family! We arrived at the park around 11:45am and started our day on the Safari ride. Everyone was given a carrot to feed the giraffe and away we went into a fenced enclosure where there were animals running free. The giraffe came right up to the 'bus' and ate the carrots right from the hands. The guide was very knowledgeable about who the animals were, what they were, etc. The Safari include antelope like animals, a giraffe, two different types of zebras, and ostriches.
After our safari we caught a tram up to the top where we chose to walk the path but were given the option to ride the tram around. There were plenty of animals to see: lions, tigers (including white tigers), leopards, jaguars, capybara, black bears, grizzly bears, hyenas, prairie dogs, snakes, sloth, lemurs, porcupines, white and gray wolves and Boom Boom the rhino. My favorite part was watching the free Tiger Splash show where the staff interacted with two tigers in a large enclosure. They played with them, swam with them. It was a great show! You could feed a tiger (with tongs through a fence) for an additional fee but we chose to pass. There was a free snake show where you could touch and hold snakes, again we passed, and a free "feed the predator" deal where you tagged along with staff while they fed the predators, again we passed... not because we weren't interested but because by that time, a large crowd had accumulated and with two young kids, we just did not want to deal with it.
It was a great learning experience and the kids had a blast seeing animals in a "natural" setting outside of the zoo. M believes that the park has great animals, a lot of land but their exhibits "leave much to be desired".
Cost for a family of 4: (one child under the age of 3) $77.00 admission (with a $5.00 per person coupon, saving us an additional $15.00) plus food, gift shop, feed the tigers, etc.
Overall grade: B+
Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Farm, Picacho, AZ
On our way home from Tucson last weekend we stopped at the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Farm (http://www.roostercogburn.com/) located off of the I10 in Picacho, Arizona. M and L were given large plastic cups with pellets and each were given a small plastic cup with nectar. We were all able to hand feed deer, donkies, ostriches and goats. After depleting our pellets, we took our nectar cups into an enclosure with larikeets. These are gorgeous birds that land on you and eat the nectar while they perch on you! K had two land on her head and she held one on her arm while it ate from her cup. L had one land on her head and hang out on her shoulders for awhile. B had one chill on his stroller and M had several keep him company including one who perched on his shoulder while M walked around! It was a great experience for the entire family with friendly people working the grounds! I would definitely go back!
Cost for a family of 4 (two children under the age of 6): $10.00
Overall grade: A
Cost for a family of 4 (two children under the age of 6): $10.00
Overall grade: A
Mucho Taco, Chandler, AZ
Our family loves Mexican. My mother in law was informed about Mucho Taco located in Chandler on Alma School just south of Ray Road (in the Goodwill strip mall).
K had tacos, rice and beans which she thoroughly enjoyed. B had a quesadilla which he enjoyed. L had a cheese enchilada and shredded beef taco which was quite enjoyable. The red sauce tasted different but in a good way. M had a carne asada platter. The carna asada was well flavored, still moist and not stringy. The staff was friendly and inviting.
Cost for a family of 4: $28.96
Overall Grade: B+
K had tacos, rice and beans which she thoroughly enjoyed. B had a quesadilla which he enjoyed. L had a cheese enchilada and shredded beef taco which was quite enjoyable. The red sauce tasted different but in a good way. M had a carne asada platter. The carna asada was well flavored, still moist and not stringy. The staff was friendly and inviting.
Cost for a family of 4: $28.96
Overall Grade: B+
Kiley's Grill, Chandler, AZ
This evening we were excited to try some place new and headed to Kiley's Grill. It is located on Alma School, north of Warner Road, south of Elliot Road- it used to be Garcia's. I had not heard anything about them but they seemed like a neat place to go with the family.
Walking up to the front door, I was worried this was not a place to take children. It appeard more of a bar than a restaurant. Walking in, the hostess was in a black dress- not suitable for a family restaurant but made to look like an upscale restaurant. The vibe of the place was hard to read- not sure if it was bar, family, adult, not sure.
Dinner salads were served along with garlic bread and marinara. We weren't sure if it was the marinara or the bread but something had too much spice that stuck in your throat long after the food was eaten. K ordered the kid's chicken fingers with curly fries which were a hit. B had the kid's hot dog sliders with curly fries, another hit. M ordered a full rack of baby back ribs that was accompanied with cole slaw, cauliflower and curly fries. Per M's review, his meal "overall was okay". M says the ribs were cooked evenly but the sauce lacked depth in taste. L ordered the Parmesan Crusted Chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and cauliflower. The chicken flavor was bland and the mashed potatoes were not only chunky but lacked "garlic" flavor. They were not tasty in my opinion. The dinner salads and cauliflower were the only things that really caught my attention but the cauliflower had to be eaten sparingly. It had unique flavoring with a variety of spices.
Cost for a family of 4: approximately $47.00
Overall grade: C
Walking up to the front door, I was worried this was not a place to take children. It appeard more of a bar than a restaurant. Walking in, the hostess was in a black dress- not suitable for a family restaurant but made to look like an upscale restaurant. The vibe of the place was hard to read- not sure if it was bar, family, adult, not sure.
Dinner salads were served along with garlic bread and marinara. We weren't sure if it was the marinara or the bread but something had too much spice that stuck in your throat long after the food was eaten. K ordered the kid's chicken fingers with curly fries which were a hit. B had the kid's hot dog sliders with curly fries, another hit. M ordered a full rack of baby back ribs that was accompanied with cole slaw, cauliflower and curly fries. Per M's review, his meal "overall was okay". M says the ribs were cooked evenly but the sauce lacked depth in taste. L ordered the Parmesan Crusted Chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and cauliflower. The chicken flavor was bland and the mashed potatoes were not only chunky but lacked "garlic" flavor. They were not tasty in my opinion. The dinner salads and cauliflower were the only things that really caught my attention but the cauliflower had to be eaten sparingly. It had unique flavoring with a variety of spices.
Cost for a family of 4: approximately $47.00
Overall grade: C
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