I had an AWESOME Father's Day weekend road trip with my son to southern West Virginia hosted by ADVENTURES ON THE GORGE resort. This adventure sports resort near New River Gorge National Park features an aerial obstacle course, disc golf, hiking, mountain biking, paintball battles, rock climbing, swimming, whitewater rafting, ziplining and more! Check out my Traveling Dad writeup about Adventures on the Gorge at travelingmom.com.
Find reviews and tips from the Family Vacation Experts at travelingmom.com to help plan your next trip. Adventurous dads like myself, as well as moms, share insightful information that is sure to bring out the wanderlust in readers to want to explore new places. From places that draw a crowd such as Disney World to wide open, wild destinations such as Yellowstone National Park, find the information you are looking for regarding family travel at travelingmom.com.
During our family's most recent visit to Walt Disney World, my son arrived a boy and returned home a Jedi. He had an out of this world experience handbuilding his own lightsaber at the Magic Kingdom's Star Wars Land. This lightsaber experience at Disney Theme Parks' Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge provided a wonderful memorable moment and a great souvenir from our family vacation.
My wife and I were torn about letting him participate in the Walt Disney World lightsaber experience because it added another $200+ to the family budget for an already expensive vacation. I would have been ecstatic as a kid to have been able to build a replica lightsaber at a Star Wars Land at Disney World so in the end there really wasn't a doubt that my eleven year old son would get to participate in this Galaxy's Edge experience. We were able to get the last slot on our last night at Disney World for an appointment at Savi's Workshop to construct a custom lightsaber and to say my son was excited would be an understatement.
While this may seem to be a pricey souvenir there are two things to consider when determining if you want to craft your own lightsaber at Disney's Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. These Disney World build your own variety are of the same quality as the movie replica Force FX Lightsabers from Hasbro which typically run in the $150 to $300 price range while also allowing participants to personalize their creation. Also by making a lightsaber at Savi's Workshop you become part of a Disney theatrical performance which immerses participants within the fantasy that is Star Wars. Keep in mind you are buying an experience not just a lightsaber.
Most people at the Black Spire Outpost on the remote planet of Batuu near the galaxy's outer edge know Savi as a simple merchant who has a salvage shop full of unusual and whimsical items. Unbeknowst to most of the population of Batuu and the First Order stormtroopers who patrol there, Savi is the leader of a group called the "Gatherers" who collect the remnants of Jedi technology from across the galaxy and bring it here to train Force-sensitive beings in its use. If you want to gain a lightsaber and be a spark of resistance versus Kylo Ren and The First Order this is the place to be.
In order to gain access, visitors must meet one of Savi's Gatherers outside the workshop and covertly make arrangements to assemble your lightsaber. Pay the fee, select an available time slot, and pick one of four hilt themes available for crafting together a lightsaber. This can be done at the site of Savi's Workshop or online in advance of your visit to Batuu.
Note that you can't just sit in and watch the presentation, people have to purchase a lightsaber to gain entry. No refunds to avoid people just joining in the experience than returning the lightsaber for a refund. It is all in or out when it comes to the Walt Disney World Lightsaber Experience with its two hundred dollar price tag.
The four themes that can be chosen from are:
Peace and Justice
Salvaged scraps from fallen Jedi temples and crashed starships in these Republic-era designs honor the galaxy’s former guardians.
Power and Control
Originally forged by dark side warriors, this style features rumored remnants from the Sith homeworld and abandoned temples.
Elemental Nature
This theme embodies the Force—an energy created by all living things, like Brylark trees, Cartusion whale bones and Rancor teeth.
Protection and Defense
Hilt materials bear mysterious motifs and inscriptions that reconnect users with the ancient wellspring of the Force.
When arriving to build your lightsaber, the first thing the Gatherers do is have you choose, or it choose you, a Kyber Crystal to power your device (plus it runs on 3 AAA batteries that are included). You can choose from red, blue, green or violet. My son went with green to go with his Peace & Justice hilt.
Next based upon which of the four hilt themes you selected a tray will be placed on your work station. full of parts. There is one hilt but a variety of other sections to the lightsaber to choose from in customizing it. Note though that most of the parts are a choice of picking one or another so the customization is somewhat limited beyond the hilt theme and blade color. The parts on a tray include in addition to the hilt, four sleeves (pick 2) two emitters (pick 1) two pommel caps (pick 1) and two sets of activation plates and switches (pick 1 set). Just enough parts to provide a sense of personalization as the lightsaber is assembled.
The experience concludes with an activation ceremony. The new Jedi raise their lightsabers and activate their colored beams. Then they are off to explore Black Spire Outpost lightsabers in hand. A nice carrying case that can be slung over your shoulder is included and given out as you leave to keep the lightsaber safe while traversing around the Disney World amusement parks.
My son was so GEEKED to be able to participate in the Walt Disney World lightsaber experience at Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. The thrill of the moment made him very happy. That excitement absolutely made this a worth while experience. I'm so glad we didn't skip out on doing this because it really was a very special moment that brought a sense of Disney magic to our family.
Taking a trek around a zoo is one of our favorite family activities. From animals to artwork there are always educational and entertaining experiences to be had while visiting a zoo. Because my wife and I enjoy exploring zoos just as much as my kids do our family always incorporates visits to them in our travels.
In 2018, we visited some zoos close to home as well as some others that were a bit further away. In addition to regularly visiting the Detroit Zoo which is a few miles from our home throughout the year, we also took road trips to see some other Michigan zoos in the cities of Lansing and Grand Rapids. Our zoological adventures in 2018 also included Animal Kingdom at Orlando, Florida's Walt Disney World, the Pittsburgh Zoo, along with the St. Louis Zoo too.
We had planned out a nice spring break visit over to the Lake Michigan side of the Great Lakes State to visit the JOHN BALL ZOO located in the city of Grand Rapids. The days leading up to our road trip had forecasts of the weather being sunny with temperatures in the 60s. Nope .. it was overcast with snow flurries and brisk temperatures the day we spent at the zoo. Doah!
Unfortunately, due to the cold weather most of the outdoor exhibits were closed for the day. Still we made the best of our visit and had fun anyways. There was a feisty otter that delighted my son engaging in races with him across the display area for nearly half an hour. Friendly penguins interacted with my daughter playing around with her through the glass of their viewing area. Those encounters along with a jumping competition to see if anyone in the family could jump as high as a snow leopard were highlights of the trip.
We are going to have to try and get back there for a visit again when the weather is warmer so we can see everything the zoo has to offer. I've always had a fondness for tigers being that they are the mascot of my favorite pro sports team. The John Ball Zoo is known for having a great tiger exhibit which unfortunately was closed while we were there.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Our next animal encounter involved a visit to Disney World's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida while the kids were off school for summer break. We stayed at the Walt Disney World Resort Animal Kingdom Lodge while there which provided us with a unique opportunity to go outside once it was dark out and view giraffes through night goggles.
During the day, we took safari rides through the savanna that Disney recreated within its Animal Kingdom theme park. We got some impressive close up views of elephants and lions during these treks that recreate the African wilderness.
The kids also earned their Wilderness Explorer merit badges by participating in a variety of activities and scavenger hunt searches that provide teachable moments regarding animals and habitats. If you are going to be spending time at Animal Kingdom with children this really is a memorable activity to participate in. Kids will leave the park having learned a lot while having fun as they earn Wilderness Explorer merit badges.
We also went on a summer trek to explore the Pittsburgh Zoo in Pennsylvania. A favorite part of our trip here was taking a stroll along an African savanna themed trail which provides impressive views of leopards, rhinos, elephants and zebras.
The Pittsburgh zoo also has a wonderful aquarium that has displays which showcase arctic, ocean and rainforest habitats. See colorful tropical fish, penguins, sharks, seahorses, stingrays and more. There is even a touch tank where you can feel creatures that live in coral reefs. PPG Aquarium at the Pittsburgh Zoo is a great spot to take a relaxing walk enjoying the scenery around you.
We wrapped up the kids summer break with a road trip to Potter Park Zoo in Michigan's capital city of Lansing. While the zoo is relatively small in size only being about 20 acres it is home to hundreds of animals. For being a smaller sized zoo, it has some really large animals on display ranging from moose to rhino.
The zoo recently invested in constructing a moose habitat. We've never seen a live moose so made this trip specifically to visit this exhibit. I have to say the area they constructed looks wonderful, but we didn't see any moose during our visit. To be honest that really was a let down.
On the other hand, we had one of our closest encounters ever with lions and tigers during this visit to the zoo. You don't realize just how big these cats are until you get right up next to them. These up close experiences made our drive up to Lansing from Detroit well worth while.
If you are going to be in the Lansing, Michigan area, I recommend spending some time at the Potter Park Zoo.
ST. LOUIS ZOO
We took a fall family getaway to St. Louis, Missouri and of course had to swing by the zoo. I was wowed by the impressive Animals Always sculpture that greets visitors as they drive up to the zoo as well as by the fact that there is no admission fee to get in. Yes! it is FREE to visit the St. Louis Zoo.
Since we didn't pay to get in, the family spent money that would otherwise been spent on admission instead on all sorts of other things within the zoo including food, souvenirs, carousel and train ride tickets. The Sea Lion Show which is a ticketed event is a must see that is well worth paying to get into. The whole family really enjoyed this show and it was one of the best parts of our visit to the St. Louis Zoo!
The train rides are somewhat pricey but they do provide a full loop around the whole zoo that can cut down significantly on the amount of walking you need to do to get between the different exhibit areas. The trains themselves are really a sight to behold and are some of the most impressive locomotives we've seen giving rides at a zoo. Plus a ticket to ride the train is good for the whole day.
During our visit, we also got much better views of the zoo's elephants while circling the enclosure riding the train than we did while walking through the trails that meander around this habitat. Another thing to keep in mind when determining if you want to buy a ticket for a train ride.
My daughter loves giraffes and this was the first time we encountered a carousel that had one of these animals that could be ridden. It was a very merry time as she rode around on it while wearing some giraffe ears we picked up from her at the gift store. This along with seeing real life giraffes on display had my little girl in heaven during this trip to the St. Louis Zoo.
We visited the Detroit Zoo a number of times throughout the year as it is only a fifteen minute drive from our house. Of course, we always stop by to see the giraffes because that is where my daughter wants to rush over to whenever we get there. Heading over to view the lions is always at the top of the list for what my son wants to do while we are there.
The zoo recently opened state-of-the-art penguinarium that makes visitors feel as if they are taking part in an Antarctic expedition. We always take some time to walk through the Polk Penguin Conservation Center during our visits to the Detroit Zoo.
As you enter a giant glass panel gives a bright view of a recreation of the Antarctic landscape full of penguins. Often times penguins will come right up to the glass and interact with people. That is not all though!
There is a giant pool in the middle of the habitat. Make your way down a ramp that heads to the lower level of the pool. Surrounding you on the walls around the ramp is the projection of a 19th century schooner setting sailing to explore Antarctica.
It is an enjoyable simulation of what it would be like to walk along the schooner's deck during a historic voyage. The sound of wind and sea gulls fills the air. The motion of the screen makes it feel like the boat is being rocked by sea waves and mist being projected makes it seem as if the water from the ocean is washing up onto the deck. At times the boat will be traveling on a sunny day and in other instances it will be under a star covered night sky. Sometimes there will be a storm with rain and snow being dropped onto your from the ceiling above. This is always a really interesting and fun space to walk through.
Upon reaching the lower level, walk through glass tunnels that crisscross the bottom of the penguin's pool. It is a great sight to see penguins diving and swimming all around you! Sure to put a smile on anyone's face.
After your visit to Antarctica head over to the zoo's Arctic exhibit which features foxes, seals and polar bears. If you are lucky you may see a polar bear swimming beside you or walking over your head as this habitat has a tunnel system similar to the one in the penguinarium. It is always a thrill to have a close encounter with a polar bear!
A NEW YEAR FOR GOING TO THE ZOO
We had a lot of fun adventures traveling to zoos during 2018. Looking forward to more exciting expeditions with my family as we embark on new zoo travels throughout 2019. Stay tuned to see where ageekdaddy.com and travelingdad.com take us next.
Is there a favorite zoo your family loves to visit or one you really want to go to but haven't visited yet? Share your own stories about zoo travel with us!
