For our second field trip Friday, we decided to do some exploring in the Kenosha area. I had ventured downtown a few times on my way to the Jockey factory store for work events, but never had the chance to check out some of the fun things in the area.
We started off checking out the Dinosaur Discovery Museum. It turns out that this museum is the only one that focuses exclusively on the link between birds and meat-eating dinosaurs. The main room has quite a collection of dinosaur models complete with sounds effects. There are educational quizzes and informational plaques around the room as well as a series of interesting videos.
Downstairs, there is a hands-on classroom-type room with books, activities, and a view of real paleontologists at work! The Dinosaur Discovery Museum is free with a suggested donation of $1 per person. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5 pm.
By the time we were done with the museum, it was about time to eat lunch. Knowing LJ loves hot dogs, I remembered seeing a hot dog restaurant across from the Jockey Factory store on 6th. We headed out to Trolley Dogs to grab some food. We had a hard time choosing from all of the hot dog choices! We both wound up just getting a basic dog with mustard, ketchup, and relish and boy were they good!!
Next we explored a few of the shops along 6th Avenue. First we stopped at Sandy’s Popper and grabbed an ice cream treat. We tried Firecracker which was strawberry ice cream with Pop Rocks mixed in. It was quite yummy!!
Next we visited Elsie Mae’s Canning. This adorable store has everything from delicious looking pastries (I hear they even had cronuts this past weekend!) to every kind of jelly you could imagine. We grabbed some strawberry rhubarb jam and a cranberry lemonade to bring home. Check out Elsie Mae’s Facebook page for information on products and special offers.
Lastly, we headed down to Pleasant Prairie to take the Jelly Belly Warehouse Tour. While this wasn’t our first time (or even second or third!), it is a favorite destination and we couldn’t pass up a chance to visit again.
If you are looking for a chance to see jelly beans being made live, you will be a bit disappointed. The factory tour consists of everyone getting on a small train and travelling around the inside of the warehouse, stopping several times to watch videos and see simulations of how the beans are made. It’s cute, but may not hold the interest of younger children.
At the end of the tour, you are dropped off at the shop where you can grab a bite to eat, sample different flavors of beans and pick up some “Belly Flops” (irregular jelly beans sold at a discount).
We had a great day in Kenosha and didn’t even do all of the things we had wanted to. We will probably be headed back down again before the summer is over!
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