For a quick getaway with the kids, be keen on Kenosha
It's here, the part of winter that features soot-capped snow mounds, gloomy skies, subzero temps, bouts of the blues and boredom and cries of "If I don't get out of this house, I'm going to lose my mind!" -- and that's just me. You should hear what my teenager says.
Parents looking for a nearby, action-packed and budget-priced getaway need only drive an hour or so over the state line to Kenosha. The Wisconsin town is packed with family-friendly fun that'll burn a few calories and fire more than a couple of neurons.
Wilmot Mountain Ski & Snowboard Area, with terrain sculpted by glaciers on a Kettle Moraine ridge, has been owned and operated by the Stopa family since 1938. The 230-foot vertical drop offers enough thrills for beginners as well as good practice for seasoned skiers and boarders. Three rope tows, eight chair lifts, 255 expert instructors and 168 on the Ski Patrol keep things moving and safe. Here's good news: The cost of snowboard rental was reduced for the 2007-2008 season.
An easy 20 miles east of Kenosha and 14 miles east of I-94, Wilmot Mountain also offers ski and snowboard lessons for all ages, a wide variety of refreshments at reasonable prices, friendly staff, live entertainment Thursday through Sunday nights and an old-fashioned Wisconsin atmosphere.
Call (262) 862-2301 for details or schuss over to www.wilmotmountain.com.
If it's too frigid for hurtling down a moraine, how about practicing your double axels at the IcePlex? Open year-round, seven days a week, IcePlex is a state-of-the-art facility with two NHL-size rinks and open skate times. Perhaps some of the family wants to ice skate and others want to swim or work out? The LakeView RecPlex is part of the same facility and offers an indoor water park, lap lanes and current channel; a fitness center with a cycling and yoga-Pilates studio; an indoor track; and an athletic field house. For details on day passes, go to www.RecPlexOnline.com or call (262) 947-0437.
Rock climbers will want to head to the downtown Kenosha YMCA for a day pass to scale the rock-climbing wall. (www.kenoshaymca.org)
Of course, you can leave the kids behind with your spouse and head to Prime Outlets at Pleasant Prairie for shopping among more than 90 brand-name stores (www.primeoutlets.com).
The Kenosha History Center on the town's harbor is worth a quick stop to visit its Yesteryear Gallery and Rambler Legacy Gallery with changing automobile exhibits. Currently on view is "Voices of World War II: Kenosha Remembers the War" and "Grandma's Attic" through September (www.kenoshahistorycenter.org)
Young paleontologists just have to get to the Dinosaur Discovery Museum, the only museum to exclusively focus on the link between birds and meat-eating dinosaurs. Through June 8, explore the special exhibit "Hatching the Past: Dinosaur Eggs and Babies" to better understand the life of dinosaurs through their eggs, nests and embryos -- a multimedia and hands-on exhibit sure to be a hit with kids. General admission is free. Check the Web site for story times for little ones and other special events: www.kenosha.org/dinosaurdiscovery/index.html, or call (262) 653-4450. The Dinosaur Discovery Museum is within the Kenosha Public Museum, which offers a flurry of free educational programs for families. See what's going on the day you visit by calling (262) 653-4140.
Especially fun for young children and easy on your wallet, the Electric Streetcar Circulator consists of five authentically restored electric streetcars that travel a two-mile loop for a scenic tour of the Lake Michigan shoreline, HarborPark, two historic districts, downtown business district and the Metra train station. The fare is 25 cents.
The area's community theater group, Lakeside Players Inc., performs extra children's shows this winter, including "Alice in Wonderland," "Time Machine" and "Golliwhopper." Shows are recommended for ages 4 and older. Check the schedule at www.rhodeopera.org.
Older kids and teens will be thrilled to visit "Stunts are Us," offering shows, classes and camps about movie arts during which expert stunt people perform and teach stunts. Junior can learn how to make it look like he actually is decking his little brother. Call (262) 859-2379 or hurtle over to www.stuntsareus.org for details.
Take advantage of seasonal, family-specific hotel deals. For example, the Best Western Harborside Inn & Kenosha Conference Center offers a Bring the Kids Package that includes a gift certificate for a large pizza and sodas for up to five people at a nearby restaurant and a complimentary deluxe continental breakfast buffet. There's an indoor heated swimming pool with views of the lake, too. Packages start at $89 plus tax through March 31.
Check out additional family lodging packages at the Kenosha Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Web site, www.kenoshacvb.com/placesstay/seasonalpackages.asp, or ring (800) 654-7309.