Dear Readers,
A trip out of town to check out a new venue was just what the doctor ordered. I love traveling in Michigan. No matter where you live explore your state, city or county. My friend and I rented a seven passenger vehicle to take our children to Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life Michigan Aquarium in Auburn Hills. I had to go because it was Legoland for crying out loud. Who does not want to see The Ultimate Indoor Lego Playground, Kingdom Quest or the Lego Duplo Farm? Even though your children are teenagers, you secretly want to experience the ultimate indoor Lego experience “full of amazing play, creativity and building fun designed for families with kids aged 3-10 years”.
Besides I also wanted to see the aquarium. I am pretty spoiled being from a larger city. I have seen some pretty cool aquariums. I had to support Michigan’s newest edition.
My friend has two children under the age of 6, so why not just go along for the ride? For three adults (my teenagers were considered as adults), it was just under $112.00 for the combo package. We started late and the trip from Lansing should take 90 minutes, however, it took us twice as long. Well of course, we got lost. I am horrible at directions. The woman I spoke to just gave me the address with no other instructions. The internet along the way to the venue was also spotty. Note to all who are thinking about taking this trip, the Legoland Discovery Center is inside the Great Lakes Mall in Auburn Hills. The aquarium is across from the Rainforest Cafe. Also bring extra money just in case you want to shop.
Our journey took us through several Michigan cities and we had loads of fun getting lost. I have never heard of an aquarium inside of a mall. It was an interesting experience though. We had some ice cream at one of our stops and also visited Sonic before actually getting there. It was a first for the children.
Again, I was looking for a specific address and no one told me that it was inside the mall. I guess I must repeat that fact so I do not continually feel ridiculous. It would have been nice to know that since I spent almost 15 minutes on the phone writing everything down like the confirmation number and information regarding the combo tickets. I also copied the confirmation form. Of course in a rush, I left it right on top of my desk.
When I finally had a chance to settle down after getting back home, I realized what a beautiful time we had. Getting lost was one of the adventures that my children will not forget. It began to snow on our way home and there were vehicles that were beginning to pile up on the side of the road. However, my friend and I had an opportunity to talk. We comfortably chatted about nothing that weighed us down as we crawled back down the highway towards Lansing.
More importantly, I had an opportunity to listen. I realized how close my children actually are and how much they compliment one another. They sat in the very back row of the vehicle conversing with each other and joking around the entire time without any electronic devices. The two younger children were quiet for the whole entire time.
Life is too short and half the journey was in the adventure. Next on to the Vermontville Maple Festival and to see the penguins at the Detroit Zoo!
P.S. Our experience at the Vermontville Maple Festival on Saturday, April 23, 2016 was a bit less than positive so we will keep that to ourselves for the moment. However, we will continue to explore our wonderful state of Michigan and all it has to offer. Possibly it will become a story in the future.
Love People,
Rina Risper
P.S. No matter where you decide to go, make sure that you continue to explore even if your experience is less than positive. We all deserve that.
This was printed in the May 1, 2016 – May 14, 2016 edition.
