Keep It Local: Mini Golf at Cameron Run Regional Park

We put putt putt on our Summer Bucket List every year and while we always do it, in the past, some of us have been bigger fans than others {uhem, uhem, Cam laying on the course last year). But this year we seem to have turned a corner and not only were we both super in to going, we played the entire course and sank several hole-in-ones. We just checked out the course at Cameron Run Regional Park in Alexandria and had a total blast. As it always seems to be, it was about 100 degrees out and SUPER humid the day we went. So we spent a lot of time searching out shady spots to rest as well (FYI there is NO WATER available anywhere on the course, so make sure to bring your own).

Between the heat and the sudden uptick in our hand-eye coordination, we finished the course in record time and hightailed it to a nearby 7-11 for Pina Colada slurpies (we are all still in tropical concoction withdrawal from our recent Jamaican vacation). We then looped back to do a little quick geocaching. What can we say? When we go at that bucket list, we like to hit up multiple things at once.

By the way, the golf course overlooks adjacent Great Waves Waterpark, which looked both awesome and totally horrifying to mom (the lifeguard rescue we observed probably didn't help). I don't think we're quite up to the rolling wave action just yet!

Click HERE to get the golf course hours and HERE to get the fees. Note that admission to the golf course is free when you buy a ticket to the water park, which we just might do next year.

Keep It Local: Ocean Dunes Waterpark and Mini Golf

Leave it to us to wait until the last seconds of summer to fit in a visit to a new (to us) waterpark. BUT seeing as summer is indeed almost over and this place (at least the waterpark part) is closed after Labor Day, we thought we'd share our super fun trip to Ocean Dunes Waterpark. We went right at opening and had a blast running back and forth between the dumping bucket playground and the shallow portion of the main pool. We've sort of outgrown the baby pool (although the one there looked great for babes), but we can't really swim on our own just yet. And that means that mom can have a bit of a hard time taking both of us to the pool by herself, but the fact that the main swim pool here is divided into zones by depth was perfect.  There was a clear line past which we knew we couldn't reach the bottom standing and that did the trick. 

We practiced our swimming skills, splashed for a while, and then had some lunch before heading over for a round of mini golf. The golf course and the batting cages are open later into the fall, but we aren't ones to miss out on a round of putt putt. If you can't tell, we have some mean, creative swings. And I don't know what it is about a mini golf course, but Cam insists on napping on all of them. Too funny.

We highly suggest trying to get out there this weekend if the weather holds. And if you can't, but you have a doggie who loves water, check out their Dog Days swimming event -- on September 7th, your pooch can swim some laps! 

Happy Labor Day!!!

Keep It Local: Mini Golf at East Potomac Park

This past winter, we had a fabulous time discovering East Potomac Park - Hains Point and made a mental note of the mini golf available there during warmer weather. The mini golf is actually part of the larger East Potomac golf course, which looked like an awesome, laid back place to play a real game too. Like every other day this summer, it had been raining on and off. We decided to make a go for it anyways and caught a mostly rain-free period. As usual, we don't stick to the technical rules, which was perfectly fine here. But it was HOT and Cam was in a mood and spent a lot of time pouting all over the course. Fortunately we had it mostly to ourselves.

It's not a fancy course, but it's nice and shaded and very low key. When it eventually started to really rain, we headed over to the main course's concession stand and cooled off on the balcony overlooking the short game area while eating italian ice. Click here to get the hours and rates information -- you can pay cash right on the course or use a card inside the pro shop.

Miscellaneous Madness: Summer Bucket List Update #1

Hard to believe, but we are four weeks into our official summer break. So we figured it was time to give an update on our summer bucket list progress. We've been hard at work, but barely made a dent. With summer camp consuming a large part of our days these past few weeks, we're really looking forward to a big August attack. That said, the bucket list has still taken some hits. Here's where we stand one month in.

1. made sand art -- we previously posted on this jewelry we made during our first week of summer break.

2. found 1 new geocache (out of 15 projected finds this summer) -- it hasn't been for lack of effort -- we've been hot on the trail of a series of difficult city nanocaches. only found 1 since the start of summer thus far, but the search has been awesome trip and we'll post on that series soon.

3. launched a beachside water balloon fight -- in an effort to give mom and dad a break from the constantly requested beach activities of "lift me over these waves," "daddy, you're a horsey," "dig me a hole," "chase me," and "help me pee without the entire beach noticing," mom came up with a target-practice like game using water balloons filled at the beach. no big surprise that it turned into "throw the water balloons at mommy and daddy."

4. family olympics -- the Green Family Olympics was a scaled-down affair this year. we still managed some egg races though.

5. checked out a new art museum -- our visit to the Philadelphia Art Museum was a big hit and we plan on returning again this summer.

6. found 1 new park (out of 3 planned new finds this summer) -- we found a wonderful waterside park in Lewes, DE this past week. more to come soon on our adventure there!

7. went boating -- part of our adventure to the park listed above was by way of the Cape May, NJ - Lewes, DE ferry. stay tuned.

8. mini golfed -- swung some clubs at DC's only outdoor mini golf range, East Potomac Park. it was fab and we'll give you all the deets in a soon-to-come post.

9. rootbeer floats -- part of our recent boating adventure. we hit up the boat's snack bar and made our own impromptu rootbeer floats. we might have overheard mom saying "we're on a boat WITH rootbeer floats. boom, bucket list."

10. found a new library -- easily one of the best results of our bucket list thus far, we've been hitting the Cleveland Park library hard. on our second trip there last week we discovered Tuesday lego afternoons AND, wait for it, chess for kids on Wednesdays. you know where we'll be on all upcoming scorchers.

11. attempted 3-D imax -- we watched Kelly Slater's "The Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D" at the Smithsonian, which was insanely amazing. I was more into the candy mom let me have and objected to the 3D glasses' style. but Kane was captivated and kept trying to reach out and grab things as they flew by us.

12. baked rainbow cupcakes -- we made these babies to go meet brand new baby Kingston. he's gorgeous and yummy all on his own, but the cupcakes were also well received by his older sisters.

13. ran a family race -- mom and dad really wanted us to do a mud race, but Kane wasn't into it. we lucked out and found the Kazokufit obstacle challenge in Virginia at the end of June. more to come on that!

Perfect Blue Buildings: Mini Golf at the National Building Museum

This has been the hottest ticket of the summer -- we've officially tried to go twice and been shut down by the crowds.  Seeing as this is one of the few weeks between summer camp and the start of school that we are in town, mom was determined to make it happen.  To ensure we were out of the house bright and early, mom first decided that we needed to pick up a mystery package from the Post Office when it opened at 9 a.m.  None of the following story actually has anything to do with mini golf, but it was too choice not to share.

Every now and again, mom's online shopping habit ensures that we receive a package pick-up notice, but have absolutely no idea what it is.  And this time, mom was really stumped.  We headed to our local post office branch with 10 minutes to spare, only to realize that it has been closed down as part of the condo-conglomeration of 14th Street.  We then turned back around and headed back up by our house to the post office that purportedly had our package, parked, spent ten minutes in line with mom hissing for us to keep our lovies off of the grubby floor, and then were told that our package had now been sent to the new post office back down by the old one -- at the Frank Reeves Municipal Center.

Have you ever been to the FR Municipal Center?  It's in mom and dad's old 'hood, which appears to only have gotten grubbier.  When mom pointed out their old apartment building, Kane and I both said "what?  that's not right.  that doesn't make any sense."  We lucked out on a parking spot, walked past the MPD Truancy team doing some serious shake downs, and through the metal detectors at the muni center (which was a miracle given Kane freaks out at all metal detectors because he thinks he is going to have to take his shoes off like at the airport).  And were then told that there is actually a separate entrance for the post office that didn't require any metal detecting at all.  Of course.

We finally had the mystery package in hand and everyone buckled back in the car.  Mom opened it to find a package of Ravensburger Octonauts puzzles she purchased a LONG time ago that had been held up at customs.  She's pretty sure her morning was karmic payback for all of the German wooden toys she has made daddy assemble, but Kane was pretty psyched.  I was not -- I wanted to know where my Dora puzzle was.  Kane tried to explain that even if mom had ordered me a Dora puzzle, which she had not because his was a "special present, right mommy?," a Dora puzzle wouldn't have been held at customs because it wouldn't have come from Germany.  And on the morning went.

We actually did arrive at the Building Museum right before its 10:00 a.m. opening hour and scored a pretty sweet parking spot there, too.  We bought our tickets and were pleased to find only a handful of others were playing.  Then the clerk told mom there was a "six stroke maximum for each hole."  And she laughed out loud (for a variety of reasons).  If your kids are a bit older or, well, just not us, this would be a pretty cool mini golf.  We liked it, but we have our own way of doing things that was just not conducive to this kind of restrictive mini golf -- Watkins Regional Park is much more our speed.  We were out in 20 minutes, which did not line up with mom's plans to head over to the nearby Kogod Courtyard for lunch -- it doesn't open until 11:30.  So, lucky us, mom took us to see a movie at Gallery Place just a few blocks away.  Sometimes, things just have a way of working out for everyone.