Grant's Farm

This summer has been full of time at home, which we love.  The kids are growing like weeds and we are settling into our new life.  The new life of Rob no longer being an Air Force Pilot.  Ok, he is still an AF pilot, because that's who he is down to his core.  But he has his fancy new job at Scott Air Force Base which doesn't involve flying the tanker.  

We spent a week in late June and two weeks in early August living in the camper at the Family Campground on base (aka the FamCamp).  It is so nice to see Rob every morning and evening and most days for lunch!  The kids don't really understand why daddy goes to work every day, which is kind of funny to explain since I know it is most people's normal routine.  

We also started a new chapter with the kids' education, homeschool Kindergarten! This looks almost exactly like homeschool preschool with a lot of play, some early reading and some basic math concepts.  The biggest change for Kindergarten is the addition of Classical Conversations.  This is a community we joined that meets once a week for lessons.  We've only been going for a week but it has already been a huge blessing to us.

The school year starting means we've put the camper away for now and had one last visit to see Daddy in St. Louis in his hotel.  For my kids hotel= pool and breakfast in the lobby.  It's basically their favorite thing ever.  On our most recent trip, we took a recommendation and drove out to Grant's Farm.  It was such a cool day I wanted to tell you all about it.

Backstory: President Grant's wife was from St. Louis, so he had a farm there.  Then the Busch family (you know, the beer people) bought this farm in 1907 and began bringing people out to see it.  Now there are historic sites, the famous Clyesdales, an animal preserve, shows, food, and rides.  Oh, and free beer.

When we arrived, we paid $12 to park, so I was apprehensive that this would be an expensive day.  Turns out, the park is FREE to see once you pay to park, including a tram ride through the animals.  Other activities cost money, but we found it an affordable way to pass the day.

Up first, the tram ride.
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I took this photo from the tram. Ignore those houses across the street and check out this fence. Can you guess what it is made from? It's a memorial to the Civil War made from 2,563 rifle barrels used in the war.

Across from the fence is Grant's cabin, which he named 'Hardscrabble'. "Ok," you say, "so it's a cabin. Big deal." Yes, it is a big deal. This is the only remaining structure hand built by an American president.

I have no idea what these wagons are, or if they are original or replica. But we've been reading through the Little House books and I love making things come alive for my kids. Being able to point and say, "that's like what the Ingalls travelled in" is pretty cool.

The tram takes you past deer, elk, buffalo, mustangs, and mountain goats. Here's a picture of the buffalo herd. They had two babies!

After the tram ride all the Schneiders were hangry.  We wandered around until we found the food, which was super crowded.  Rob stood in line while I sat at a mostly shaded table entertaining the kids.  The food was *ok* but our expectations weren't that high and it was typical amusement park food.  

Surrounding the outdoor food court were some really cool looking stables.  Some of the stables had horses, other sections were full of antique carriages and wagons.  After we checked out the antiques the kids had their first pony rides, then we explored the grounds and saw some animals.

Antique beer truck.

This is my having fun face, mom!

Anne was very dramatic when riding the horse. Don't know where she gets that from!

It was pretty hot and sunny at this point and the kids wanted a snow cone.  Done!  We ate them in the shade next to the bird exhibit.  I could have sat there all day.

Our final activity of the day was a ride on the carousel.  Rob tends to get sick on this sort of thing, so it's just me and the kids when it comes to spinny rides.  And that's ok with me, because I LOVE experiencing them with my kids.

And that was our day at Grant's farm! If you ever find yourself in St. Louis with a few empty hours, I highly recommend it.  We spent about $60 to park, eat lunch and snow cones, ride the carousel and have a pony ride.  You could easily have a fun day there without spending as much, and you can just as easily spend more.  We didn't get our faces painted or pay to feed any animals, etc.  We also missed all the animal shows because the timing just didn't work.  Oh well, we will just have to go back!