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Happy Tuesday to you!! I planned on this post going live yesterday but I was honestly so dang tired from the weekend I needed a break!! HA!! So my weekend recap is coming at you on a Tuesday and I’m not really mad about that. One of my nieces came to stay with me this past weekend and my goal was to wear her out. She’s four and a half and if you have ever been around a four and half year old then you know exactly what I’m talking about here. This was her first weekend with me without her Mommy (my sister) and she was pumped about that. Truthe be told, so was I!
I picked her up on Friday afternoon and she was dying to go swimming so we headed on over to Riverside Park in Benton AR because they have a brand new aquatic center that is all indoors!! It is also open until 9pm but we only stayed until about 630. There were a lot of people there but it wasn’t super overwhelming. Along with the aquatic center Riverside also offers a senior center, walking track, workout room (with all brand new equipment), fitness classes and so much more!! It’s super nice and I may wind up joining soon!! Since I’m not a member I paid for a daily rate which was $5 for me and $4 for my niece. That’s not bad y’all!!
After we got home from Riverside Park we made Cowboy Casserole for dinner, watched Moana and then passed out!! It was a good start to the weekend.
Saturday morning we got up at the crack of dawn and headed north to Northwest Arkansas! one of my best friends just and a baby so we stopped by the hospital to see her and drop off a gift and then we went to the Scott Family Amazeum! I had never been to Amazeum before this and was thoroughly impressed. There were so many hands on activated for kids to do and it was so much fun!! My only “complaint” was that there weren’t many places for the adults to sit down while the kids played. My niece could have spent forever at the WalMart store and cafe and there was literal no where to sit down! Booooo. I also loved that they kicked you out in style. About 5 minutes before the museum closes a song is played and all the kids run to the center of the museum where they are handed ribbons and batons and they parade through the whole place and wind up at the door where the workers collect the ribbons and send you outside. No meltdowns, no screaming, no fits thrown. It was GENIUS!!!
After the Amazeum we met up with one of my besties for dinner and then we headed back to central Arkansas! We got back late but headed straight to bed and slept until almost 9 the next morning, it was truly blissful. HA!
Sunday morning we got up and took my Sophie pup to our newly discovered Dog Park! I can’t believe I have had my Sophie pup for six years now and am just discovering that there has been a legit dog park by my house the whole time. I discovered it while driving around after swimming it up Friday afternoon. HA!
The dog park is located in between Riverside Park and Sunset Lake in Benton AR. I also had no idea Sunset Lake was there, how pretty it is or that there was a huge walking trail around it. Glad I know now!!!
After a long walk around the lake we headed back to my house and got my niece all packed up, got our swimsuits and sunblock on and headed to Magic Springs in Hot Springs AR! One of my co-workers with a daughter close to my niece’s age met us there and we spent all day swimming, sliding and playing in the park. It was so much fun!! And very HOT!!! I made sure to reapply both of our sunblocks several times during the day so we wouldn’t burn!!
Our favorite place to swim at Magic Springs was Splash Island. It’s a HUGE splash pad for kids and Diana (my co-worker) and I loved to walk under it and cool off in the water! There is also a small super cold pool next to the splash pad we swam in for a minute. We also swam in the wave pool, small kids play area/slides and the lagoon. It really was a blast and I’m glad they could go with us.
After closing down Magic Springs I drove my niece home and she was asleep by the time we got out of the gate, HA!
All in all I had a blast and I think she did too. I’m glad she could visit for the weekend and hopefully we can do it again!!!
It looks like you had a great weekend! It was certainly filled with fun, that’s for sure.
Looks like you guys had a lot of fun! Plenty of activities to do. This would be a great place to take the family, we would all enjoy it there.
What a fun weekend! It looks like plenty of places to keep cool which is so important in the hot summer. I love this recap, it’s so cool to see what other families did during their summer vacation.
It looks like you had a fabulous weekend! That place looks like a fun place to hang out!
Sounds like a great weekend! Splash Island looks like a lot of fun!
Hey no need to worry about being a day or two late. Life always comes first and I am so glad you were enjoying your weekend! That aquatic center looks FUN!
I hope we get something like this at our Walmart. It looks like a lot of fun. I am glad you were able to have some bonding time with your niece.
Zero depth entry pools like the one in your post are so great for families with young kids. I remember must pools starting out at 2 or 3 feet feet deep for the shallow end when I was my kids age.
Oh my, my kids would love Riverside Park! Looks like a perfect summer family destination.
That’s a pretty dope weekend if you ask me! Looks like you all had a lot of fun especially at Riverside Park! I miss going to places like this with the family, it’s a wonderful treat for the kids!
It sounds like you had an awesome weekend. I wish that we had an indoor waterpark but I am sure that it would be super expensive, most are here.
It has been a very long time since we have been to the science museum. My youngest hasn’t been but I really think that he would enjoy it. I need to see if they still have half price day.
It looks like you and your family had so much fun! Love indoor water centers!
That looks like a lot of fun. Those are the best weekends, filled with fun and making memories.
Oh my goodness, she looks like she is having so much fun. I’ve never been to Splash Island but I need to take the kids. Looks like a fun place for the family.
Looks like you had a wonderful time with your niece. Makes me want to plan a summer activity with my niece soon!
Your niece is going to remember this weekend for forever. I enjoyed reading about it. You packed a lot of fun in a short amount of time. Bet she is already begging your sister to have another overnight visit.
OMG you guys def had so much more fun than I did! You guys look like you had a blast!!!