Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Fall Favorites 2009

One of my absolute favorite things to do during October is a theme park visit. The weather is cooler and the crowds are thinner. And, no sweaty people in tank tops!

Kansas City hosts Halloween Haunt at Worlds of Fun. Filled with spooky costumes and characters, it's not unlike Fright Fest at Elitch Gardens in Denver.

I love the feel of the event.....the fog.....the mysterious music.....the smells of kettle corn and funnel cakes.....excitement and suspense in the air.

Lots of new props out.....all in the name of Halloween fun.

The Peanuts characters are in costume. Camp Snoopy is decked out with plenty of toned down Halloween spirits. And speaking of, what is that mysterious blip above Snoopy's head? Interesting. The camera doesn't lie, folks. Ghosts everywhere!

The kiddie coaster.......always a hit.

Love the character pumpkin additions.

One of my favorite parts of The Great Pumpkin is when Lucy declares everyone should dress as something that differs from his own personality. So, she's a witch. Brilliant.

The costumes far exceeded what we were used to at Elitch's......so much more elaborate and there must have been 20 times as many cast members wandering the park. There are intricate trails and parts of the park sectioned off for chilling adventures. Carter loved it all. (Me, too!)

This little girl was so cute.

Nothing phases our big boy.....probably since Caroline and I have been dragging him to haunted hotels and historical ghost tours since he was 5. That's normal, right?

I can almost hear Lainey, "Back it up, freak show!" (note: Most of the characters were very respectful of the little ones and didn't approach them. Their mission is not to frighten toddlers!)

My favorite part......on the train.....look at the characters from Little Red Riding Hood.


We'll be back this weekend for a longer visit....more daytime hours and then for a while after the 7pm transition. While these spookier events are not for all families, they work for ours.

Sometimes being weird works!

11 comments:

The Rand's said...

Looks cold and fun! Love the pictures!
My girls would definitely not be able to handle some of that scary stuff, and I have to admit, probably not me either. You guys are brave!!!

donatelli98 said...

Was Lainey really in that pic? She was so bundled up you cuoldn't see her. I am totally laughing at your "Back it up freak show" comment - too funny!

The Lenzers said...

It looks like such fun there, and cold!! I have not been to six flags in years, and never as a family. Did you like that one when you were here? It just seems so far away and like a task alone, I usually have to do things by myself with Marks work schedule and football watching tasks! HA! Maybe one day I will try

Jodee said...

What a blast! I love the freak show picture too! Our family would love that place!

I haven't been to Worlds of Fun since I was a kid, but we are hoping to take the kids soon!

Allyson and Dave said...

I am so impressed that your kids like that kind of stuff!!! I love scary stuff but I cannot even find any of my grown up friends to do such things.

SASS said...

Definitely NOT normal, Casey. Most kids would be scared shitless by that "cute" girl. Let alone all those other freaks.
I bet you never hear complaints about monsters under the bed. They're probably friends with all of them.

starnes family said...

Jann - Six Flags Over Texas is a wonderful childhood memory for me. We went once a year as children and it was pure magic.

I've taken our kids to Holiday in the Park just about every year since having them. We love that, too. It's very kid-friendly and set up for families. Give it a try!

The Soladay Family said...

That is soooo a spot my family would LOVE! We're weird like that too...

donatelli98 said...

Question - how do you stretch your picture for your header? I followed tutorial on Clover Lane but mine still doesn't stretch across the top. Thanks

starnes family said...

Two things - be sure you switch to a Minima Stretch template via your old school dashboard selections (go to Layout and then Pick New Template). Then, be sure to uncheck "shrink to fit" when downloading your new header.

See if that helps and let me know!

Tammy said...

That place looks so neat. I love Halloween and Fall activities. Your kids are beautiful. Thanks for visiting my blog!
Tammy