Child's Birthday Celebration...

Are there any places around here that would be a fun place to celebrate a 2 yr. olds birthday? I am not from here so don't know where families go to do this. Someone suggested Chuck E. Cheese.....but jeez....that is the last place i would want to take my kids. Actually, I have never been there, I don't believe in paying for overpriced cardboard pizza and wayyyyyy too much noise.

keep in mind this is for a 2 yr. old....i know there might not be many options.....

Our playgroup often has birthday parties at Hogan's Fountain (in Cherokee park). You can rent the facilities, but we never do - we just grab a few tables somewhat near the playground. There are even a few electrical outlets. The last one I attended there, they had a coffee pot set up for the adults. We toasted bagels and ate fruit. Then the kids ate cake.

Kids don't generally need much more than that. I know it's not a restaurant, but it's a lot of fun.

Two-year olds like Henry's Ark. At least my grandkiddos did at that age. Afterwards a picnic near a great playground what be neat! The kiddos always like the St. Matthews park on Brown Lane.

When my children were growing up the rule was that there could only be as many invitees as the child was old. I always thought that made it easier on me and the other moms and it doesn't strain a young child's social skills. (My masters is in early childhood ed. Can't you tell?)

i thought about lynn's annemarie, but i thought they were more for adults......

Hogans Fountain, never heard of it. But i was also thinking of a park type thing to have a small cake afterwards it is much easier and nicer for children.

Now Gayle....i believe you got me with the Henry's Ark. I LOVE doing things like that with my kids. I am the type of mom that would rather take the kids to a national park or a museum instead of Six Flags or Kings Island. To me, it is more personal and we are able to "get closer".

As for invitees, yes I know. At 2 yrs. old I feel that he will become over-stimulated with guests, games, and all the other things that go on with parties. I think that at 4 is maybe a better time to begin those things.

I am losing my train of thought because i am really excited about Henry's Ark.....lol.....awesome, im so happy. I wonder if they would be open this weekend, we could celebrate early.

Now are there any parks near that area that we could have cake at afterwards? Is Hogans Fountain nearby? I know Prospect is a nice drive out, we have some friends that live over there. I have not ever really driven in any other area than to their house.

If you are going to Henry's Ark, don't forget to take whole carrots and slices and crusts of dried bread.

If you are going to Henry's Ark, don't forget to take whole carrots and slices and crusts of dried bread.

My wheels are spinning already Gayle....i am thinking of making baggie snacks for the kids so that they can each have a bag to feed the animals from......i am thinking carrots and i also read kale greens....which are both very cheap.....im really excited about this....

I know it is free, which is great for my family. But donations are accepted, what is reasonable for a family of 7?

there's a mexican place for events they rent the whole restaurant pretty cheap (not a big restaurant) they also do catering, los cantaros 502 3652840

Funny this thread would come up. We sometimes do birthday parties at Ray's Monkey House Coffeeshop, and Heidi Howe - a great local musician with a lot of experience working with kids - and I were just talking today about putting together some kind of birthday party packages.

We were planning on having two options, one for just space and music (she does kid songs and sing-a-longs) and the other would also include kids drinks, earth-friendly cups, cupcakes or cake, etc...

Two might be a tiny bit young, but I see a lot of the little toddlers dancing along when she does her kid shows here....Let me know if you're interested. We should have pricing shortly, but it'll be reasonable.

Funny this thread would come up. We sometimes do birthday parties at Ray's Monkey House Coffeeshop, and Heidi Howe - a great local musician with a lot of experience working with kids - and I were just talking today about putting together some kind of birthday party packages.

We were planning on having two options, one for just space and music (she does kid songs and sing-a-longs) and the other would also include kids drinks, earth-friendly cups, cupcakes or cake, etc...

Two might be a tiny bit young, but I see a lot of the little toddlers dancing along when she does her kid shows here....Let me know if you're interested. We should have pricing shortly, but it'll be reasonable.

this sounds really cool....but....like you said, I also think 2 is a bit too young. My son shies from things and that is when he knows the people...i dont know if he could handle something like that. But.....

i went to your site and it does sound kid friendly.....very. Do you all still have the open mic for kids going on ? I really think my daughters would love that, they are 11 and 13. My 11 year old in particular...lol I also like the sound of the story time.....i might lug all the kiddos to that.....sounds like you have a very family-friendly place going on.

I must be in the minority here, but I'm NOT a fan of Henry's Ark. Maybe I'm just not quite adventurous enough, but I was terrified of the free-roaming animals. I went with a group of kids aged about 5-8 and two of them got knocked down by a running llama. We were followed and mauled by the cow with the big nasty weepy crusty eye. I guess it only stands to reason that free-roaming animals produce free-to-step-in poo, but I hadn't really thought that one through, either. Lots of little shoes were caked with animal poo. I won't even go into details about the smell on this near 100 degree day.

I will, however, sing the praises for Heidi Howe. She did some absolutely wonderful classes for our 3-5 year olds at the center where I work, and we were always very very impressed with her programs.

For a two year old, I might consider a lunch at the zoo. The zoo welcomes you to bring in coolers and your own food and drinks. They have picnic tables scattered about that are free for anyone to use. They just ask that you be careful not to leave anything behind, as their peacocks, squirrels, etc. tend to be very curious.

Whe always loved birthday parties at My Gym off Hurstbourne and Shelbyville Rds. on Whittington Pkwy.
Mr. Bill (owner and awesome party host) always makes the party special. The best part is the parents can enjoy the festivities and not have to work too hard and the kids are highly entertained. You can bring alond

Becky, I understand Lori's feeling totally. When the grandkiddos were in the two-year old range, I never for a moment consider going inside the fence. Rather we feed the animals through the fence.

Secondly, I'd forget the kale. The signs specifically say "carrots" and dried bread .

If you are going to Henry's Ark, don't forget to take whole carrots and slices and crusts of dried bread.

My wheels are spinning already Gayle....i am thinking of making baggie snacks for the kids so that they can each have a bag to feed the animals from......i am thinking carrots and i also read kale greens....which are both very cheap.....im really excited about this....

I know it is free, which is great for my family. But donations are accepted, what is reasonable for a family of 7?

Gayle's suggestion is a great one, but a word of caution. The success at 2 really depends on the child. We love Henry's Ark but at younger ages, both our kids were frightened of the aggressive animals. They won't bite but they do come at you, (particularly some of the really large ones) if you have food and that was scary to them at 2-3 years old. You just need to be ready to get between the animal and child.

Deb

Like I said, when the grandkiddos were two, we never went inside an enclosure. I was the one who fed the carrots through the fence to the appropriate animals with the exception of one of the kiddos. When they were two, much of the time was spent naming the animals or feeding breadcrusts to birds and ducks.

I'm surprised that no one has suggested Huber's.