Fairytale Town

A truly toddler-friendly venue. Built in 1959 yet well-maintained with continued improvements. If you had to pick just one place to go with the five-and-under crowd, this is a good choice. It has all the elements of a park, a zoo, a botanical garden, and a playground. Often there are special activities such as art, face painting, puppet shows and/or special events.

Make sure you check hours of operation before you head out; they keep different hours depending on the season. Winter hours are 10 AM to 4 PM Thursday through Sunday. Conveniently open on Monday holidays too. Longer hours March through October: open daily from 9 AM to 4 PM. Closed during inclement weather -- if it's overcast outside you may want to call first to make sure they are going to be open. If you come early in the morning, the equipment may still be wet, so you may want to bring a small towel.

Fairytale Town is home to lots of friendly farm animals, some of them pygmy/miniature. Lots of physical activities here; multiple slides, figurative storybook characters to climb on/in/around. Fun places to use your imagination and pretend. Nice little gardens (including one that features plants with names beginning from A to Z).

Many features, such as the drinking fountains and the potties at the Gingerbread House are scaled-down for toddlers. Unfortunately, you just don't see that in many places, even ones that are supposed to be kid-friendly.

Eat somewhere else; snack bar food here is atrocious. If you live nearby, get a membership and you'll save $. If you're just passing through, admission as of this writing is $4.25 on weekends and $3.75 on weekdays per person. Kids 2 and under are free.

Another plus to Fairytale Town is that it is located in William Land Park and close to other amenities such as the Zoo, Funderland, the pony rides, the ponds, the rock garden, the wading pool and fenced in playground, picnic areas, baseball, softball and soccer areas, and an almost 2 mile jogging path.

A fun and easy place to have a birthday party. Recommend the area by Sherwood Forest if it's a nice day -- play equipment close by.

Please note: even though this is located in a nice neighborhood, don't be foolish. Hide your valuables and lock your car. We recently visited and heard the sound of a window smashing. A quick-thinking man with a stacked SLR camera jumped up on some play equipment and got a picture of someone breaking into an SUV with a hammer on the other side of the fence. Don't know who ultimately got the last laugh.

For kids only: they won't let you in if you aren't accompanied by one. As a parent, I appreciate that.