Thursday, August 10, 2017

Family Fun in Fort Wayne

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We were so honored and excited when we were invited by Visit Fort Wayne to come spend the day with them. We knew it was going to be a blast! What we didn't realize is how much there really is to see and do in Fort Wayne, Indiana. If you follow us on social media, you've gotten a sneak peek of all the action. It really is a perfect family fun and friendly town.





We woke up super early, got the car all packed and headed out for all the fun! What I didn't realize is how close we really were to the fun. On their website, Visit Fort Wayne says they are "In the Heart of it All" and they really are. Just 197 miles from Cleveland we were there in no time. And look what was waiting for us. A lovely goody bag. So nice of them!!


We started our day at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. It is one of the Top 10 Zoos in the Nation. It is a beautiful zoo and so easy to navigate. The animals were amazing!


 Jude and Joel got to feed the giraffes! It was the closest we've ever gotten to these beautiful creatures!


We took a little time to hatch out of our shells! Then we were off again for another adventure on the Sky Safari Ride.


The views from the top were amazing!!


This is the view of the African Zoo Safari Trail. Breathtaking right?!?


In the Australian Adventure we got to meet a Tasmanian Devil!


And hang out with some kangaroos. Yes they really are that close!


In the Indiana Family Farm we celebrated Sonya and Sarah's Birthdays.


Then we brushed a few goats. They were super soft!


Finally Jude took some time to chillax in the rain forest before heading to our next stop. Lunch!!!


We went to Lunch on the Plaza in Downtown Fort Wayne.


It is located in Freimann Square which is so nice! There were so many food trucks to choose from.


We couldn't pass up the grilled cheese and fried cheese curds from Who Cut the Cheese.


 There was plenty of grassy areas and tables to relax and eat.


After lunch we were ready for some more fun this time with science! That meant Science Central time! Science Central opened in 1995 and is located in the iconic former City Light and Power Plant, built in 1929. The building itself is really cool! It has the distinction of being the only science center in the region and most-visited Fort Wayne museum.


It is three floors of pure fun with 35,000-square feet of exhibit space, temporary exhibition area, three classrooms, demonstration theater, gift store, exhibits repair shop and offices. The kids even learned a few things without even knowing it. Bonus!!


After our visit Jude was literally left dizzy with excitement!


So where to next you ask? Well we once again worked up quite an appetite. So when in Fort Wayne what should you do when you need something sweet? Head to Yummi Bunni!


What's Yummi Bunni you ask? Well it's only about the most amazing thing ever. Imagine that a donut and a scoop of ice cream had a baby. Yep that's a Yummi Bunni! Look at that. It's almost as big as his head. And yes he ate it all (well minus a few bites from me)!


Too stuffed to move, we then decided to check into our room at the Hilton Fort Wayne at the Grand Wayne Convention Center. As you can see the kids made themselves right at home. The hotel is in the perfect location. Central to everything in downtown Fort Wayne.


The rooms are so spacious and comfortable. The Hilton had such a nice assort of toiletries.


We felt so welcomed. Given our recent trip to Yummi Bunni we saved the pastries for breakfast the next day. They were delicious!!


The hotel felt very family friendly. With a spacious lobby.


And a very nice restaurant centrally located across from the front desk.


The fitness center is well equipt. After all that we ate, I probably should have spent some actual time on the machines.


Up next was a canal boat tour on the Sweet Breeze thank to Fort Wayne Outfitters.


It is an amazing time for the riverfront in Fort Wayne. It will be going through an unprecedented transformation in the next few years. This effort is being spearheaded by Riverfront Fort Wayne.


The the Maumee, St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers converge in the middle of Fort Wayne. Riverfront Fort Wayne has a vision to evolve and develop the area to become a center of activity. The plan is develop areas of retail as well as wildlife to make it a multi-use prosperous area for the community and its visitors.


After our relaxing boat ride it was time for some TinCaps Baseball.


The Fort Wayne TinCaps play at Parkview Field. It is a wonderful stadium.


There truly isn't a bad seat in the house.


The stadium is super family friendly. They have a great food selection. The stadium itself was so clean. It was very easy to maneuver through which means a lot when traveling with kids. They have family restrooms. They even have a private nursing room in the ladies restroom. Such a nice touch!


We had a blast! We had to unfortunately cut our visit short due to some pretty nasty rain that moved in. But not before we got in a few more family photos to commemorate such a fabulous trip to the ballpark!


But we used our time wisely and snuck in a trip to the hotel pool before bed. Another reason why we loved the Hilton Fort Wayne.


We were up early the next day to explore a little more of the City before we headed home. The weather was perfect for a walk around town! There really is some photo worthy architecture. Above is the Allen County Courthouse,


This is the Indiana Michigan Power Building. Can you find Jude in the picture?



A little blurry but there he is! He had so much fun taking this picture. It was his Where's Waldo moment!


We had one final stop before we headed home. DeBrand Fine Chocolates.


Yes it was like I died and went to chocolate heaven. There was so much wonderfulness to choose from! This is a little sample of what we took home. The Black and White Truffle was my favorite. It was so smooth and luxurious. It just melted in your mouth! Yum!!!


So that was our mini trip to Fort Wayne. Time had come to load up the car and head home. It was so packed full of family fun activities, I can't even pick a favorite. I am sure this will not be our last trip to Fort Wayne. We have so many more activities on our list to try out like the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, And we definitely need to see all the wonderful updates to Riverfront up ahead!

Have you been Fort Wayne recently? If so let us know all about the family fun you had. Haven't been there yet. Well then I think it's time for you to Visit Fort Wayne!


*This trip was provided to us by Visit Fort Wayne but all the opinions and reviews are ours.

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5 comments :

  1. Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip! Going to put Fort Wayne on the list for travel next year! I love how it's close enough for a weekend drive... with three kids in tow, I'm looking forward to the family-friendly city amenities :)

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  2. You should definitely go. You'll have a blast!

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  3. Do they let you go so close to the animals?

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  4. This sounds like a really nice place to visit with the family and kids for an entertaining day out.There is so much to see and do .

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