Geisler Family Farm Corn Maze, Ankeny, Iowa, USA

Travel doesn't always have to take us far from home. Here's a bit of fun just minutes from Des Moines, Iowa:

This was written for my other blog Iowa Geek:

Last night was the Harvest Moon (the first full moon after the first day of fall). It is called the harvest moon because farmers were able to harvest crops long into the night by the light of the moon. This was, of course, before tractors with headlights.

Yesterday was a gorgeous fall day that became a perfect fall evening. I had reserved a fire pit area at Geisler Family Farm Corn Maze and invited a group of friends to join us for roasting hotdogs, toasting marshmallows and fun in the corn.

This is quite possibly the best corn maze I have been to. I love the layout- pictured below. You are given a picture of the maze with the locations of 10 numbered posts. If you find all the posts and stamp your card you get a prize.

But before that fun the kids wore themselves out on all the fun stuff the Geisler family set up. There is a huge tire swing (think rear tractor tire huge), a swingset with a "lookout tower" and slide, beanbag toss games and roping a (PVC) steer. The rope was also great for some impromptu tug-of-war.

Of course cooking over fire was a great hit. Here is my nephew Carter learning the fine art of marshmallow toasting.
The fire pit areas are set up with benches and a table to lay out your feast. There is an electrical outlet (with two plugs) if you want to bring something in a crock pot. (I brought Taco Soup. It was a hit. I'll share the recipe soon.)

After cleaning up and when the moon was high in the sky it was time to take the girls and navigate the maze. Here's Brenna at a crossroads.

I wish you could see how spectacular the moon was. It was huge and so bright. Unfortunately I didn't think to use the "fireworks" setting on my camera... I bet it would have worked.

And here we are deep in the maze. We had a great time. Caelan even stayed awake the entire time. She was bouncing around in the backpack as we went trudging along the paths singing "Old McDonald".


If you are anywhere near central Iowa some weekend during the next month I really recommend a visit to Geisler Family Farm. In addition to the fun stuff I mentioned they also have a soybean maze that the kids can navigate on their own, hayrack rides (handicapped accessible) and pumpkin picking! It's great family fun. I promise.

This just proves that you can have great fun in your own backyard. Here are some links to corn mazes around the US. This list is current as of 9/26/2007


Corn Mazes America
About.com: Puzzles
Cornfieldmaze.com
Corn Maze Directory

Alternately you can do a more specific search using your search engine of choice. Unless, of course, you decide to come to the midwest. I do promise a great time at our local maze.

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Minnesota Renaissance Festival, Shakopee, MN

I lived in the Twin Cities for 10 years and often miss so much of what I took for granted when I was there.

One event that we go back for annually is the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. The festival runs weekends from mid-August thru the end of September. Each weekend features a different theme with special themed attractions, as well as all the regular fun.

The grounds are designed to resemble a village from the Elizabethian Era. You enter this fantasy world through the castle gates and are immediately immersed in the village market day. People are everywhere, in and out of costume, and the desire to be part of the fun is overwhelming.

The village is full of shops, carts, wandering minstrels and entertainment. Seeing everything will take an entire weekend. It can't be done in one day.

As we enjoy a bit of fantasy we love to dress in period costume. This is not a necessity, however, and you are more likely to have the Festival characters interact with you if you are not in costume.

This beautiful faerie is probably the most photographed at the festival. She is silent and communicates with gestures and modest nods. She is terrific with children and they are drawn to her pipe playing and dancing. Our little faerie was mesmerized.
Because we go in costume we wouldn't be caught in a regular wagon. Nope, a chariot is necessary.
When people think of Renaissance Festivals they think of bawdiness and adult humor. Which there is a lot of. But the Minnesota Renaissance Festival is filled with kid friendly activities. From flying with the swans to galloping over the land in a giant wooden rocking horse there are plenty of fun rides. If your kids like to climb the Jacob's Ladder game is worth a try. For their competitive spirit there are loads of games like King of the Log, Dueling Buckets (prepare to get VERY wet!), rotten veggie tossing, and fencing, to name just a few.
And there is loads of family entertainment. Story tellers, jugglers, jousting, a petting zoo, pony rides...

There is also a Children's Realm filled with fun crafts, a magician and a special stage. And don't forget to take a walk on the Hobbit Trail to see where the "little people" live way back in the forest.

With all that great fun comes great hunger. And the Minnesota Renaissance Festival delivers anything you could want to fill that need. Soups, turkey legs, roasted corn, fresh pastries... the list is endless. My suggestions: have a Scotch Egg and an apple dumpling. Mmmmm... And don't forget beverages to cure that parched palate. Beer, wine and cider are available as well as soda, water and juices.

With all the fun you're having you may forget that the Minnesota Renaissance Festival also has great shopping. The crafters at the faire are the best of the best (for a list scroll to the bottom of the home page and click "crafters"). Apparel (go ahead, try on a costume!) glass blowing (most have artisit plying their trade on site), portrait artists, painters, sculpters, jewelers... Completely unique items- you're sure to find something to take home with you.
What you need to know to go:
*Where: Shakopee, Minnesota; south of Minneapolis about 30 minutes.

*When: Weekends mid-August thru the end of September; 9am-7pm Rain or shine

*How much: $18.95 for adults, $16.95 for seniors and $9.95 agest 6-12 (2007 prices, be sure to check website for correct pricing). If you have a AAA card you can get a $2 discount and discount tickets are also available at local Super America convenience stores. You can also order tickets online but once you add in the convenience fee it's not much of a savings. Only do this if you really don't want to stand in line to purchase your ticket.

*Who: everyone!

Things To Do
Minneapolis

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Cossetta's Italian Market, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

If you are in the Twin Cities area you must make the trip into St. Paul to dine at Cossetta's Italian Market and Pizzeria.



Cossetta's has been written about by everyone from the New York Times to Frommer's Travel- and it never fails to make the "Best of the Twin Cities" list. For a perfect slice this is the place to go.



Cossetta's began as a grocery in 1911 and has not only survived for almost 100 years; it has become an institution. Housed in an historic building on St.Paul's W 7th Street (211 W. 7th) Cossetta's is right on the edge of a revitalized downtown. And you don't have to worry about parking- Cossetta's has their own (free) lot. It is only for use while you are dining; if you plan to shop in any of the great antique stores or wander along the river (both great activities in St. Paul) you will want to find someplace else to park.

The food is served cafeteria style. Grab your tray and peruse the menu. I recommend the Cossetta Sandwich- a spicy Italian sausage on thick sliced Italian bread covered in marinara. Yum. Doug enjoyed the Chicken DeBurgo with pasta. And Brenna was almost dwarfed by her slice of pepperoni.

Which Caelan also enjoyed.

After you have made your selection find seating. I recommend going upstairs and trying to get a seat overlooking W. 7th street. Enjoy the atmosphere. St. Paul and Cossetta's have a long history; much of it lines the walls.

Highchairs and booster seats are available- just ask one of the friendly busboys to get one for you. And don't forget to leave room for a cannoli, gelato or tiramisu. All are yummy.

After your meal wander through the market. Take something with you for later. Or just grab an interesting item from "the old country" as a souvenir.

Cossetta's is open daily at 11am, closing times vary by night. The entrees average about $10.

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Residence Inn, Eagan, Minnesota, USA

While we enjoy traveling with the girls we don't enjoy sharing a room with them. Sometimes we don't have option of a suite, but when we do you can be sure that we take advantage of it. On a recent get-away to the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota) we tried the Residence Inn.

The Residence Inn is part of the Marriott "family" of hotels. The layout looks more like townhouses than an actual hotel, with about eight "rooms" per building. All rooms- from the studio to the penthouse- have a full kitchen and high speed Internet access. Most have a fireplace.

We chose the two bedroom penthouse suite. This provided us with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and convertible couch. One bedroom and bath were "upstairs" in an open loft while the other was off the living area and able to be shut off by French doors. Each bedroom had a desk, television, and lots of storage space. The living area also had a television, a chest of drawers and a closet.

Another great option is the one bedroom penthouse suite. This room is exactly the same layout as the two bedroom with a couple of small differences. There are no French doors to separate the rooms on the main level and the second bed is a Murphy Bed- it folds up into the wall and out of the way during the day. A small table is added to that room- great for puzzles or coloring books.

We really appreciated having the full kitchen. There are great restaurants in the area- as well as Byerly's, a local upscale grocery- and having the option of bringing back leftovers and shopping for necessities was wonderful.

One thing you won't need to shop for is breakfast. Residence Inn has one of the best breakfasts I've ever had included in your room rate. This is well beyond your "continental breakfast". Every day offered eggs, sausage, country style potatoes, oatmeal, Belgian waffles, a variety of cereals, fruits and pastries, yogurt, juices, coffee and tea. Each day also had a featured item. We enjoyed pancakes and omelets, biscuits and gravy and French Toast. My only complaint? No cocoa. But, honestly, it was August. Maybe they offer it in the winter?

Also available at this location: a swimming pool and a basketball/tennis court. If you want to work out at a gym they will provide complimentary passes to the local YMCA. If shopping is your bag use their shuttle service to the Mall of America. Flying in to MSP airport? They'll send a shuttle to pick you up.

Be sure to sign up for the Marriott Rewards program. It's free and you can earn points for hotel stays or airline miles.

This hotel is in a great location for anything you may want to do in the Twin Cities area. Very close to the zoo and Mall of America. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. We'll be sure to try out other locations as we travel and will return to this hotel in the future.

Hotel Review
Minneapolis

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