There are only so many nature walks you can do around your house; parks may be a little crowded - and if you have littles, it’s so difficult to keep them off of the playground equipment. Even scavenger hunts can get boring after a bit - even when they are awesome ones like these!
Governor Cooper lifted the stay-home order Friday with his Phase 1 “re-entry” plan. Staying home has gotten tired and old. But, at the same time, you want to be cautious. We get it. So, what can you do around town that will both entertain your family, but also be mindful of social distancing.
Here is a list of Pandemic Field Trips you can take with kids of all ages that will both get you out of the house for some fun AND maintain the need for social distancing.
A Zoo To You ~ Petting Zoo
The kids and I had a blast when we visited this past week. Not only did we get to touch and hold all of the animals, but we learned a ton! The kids each got to hold some piglets, baby goats and baby sheep. We kissed a camel and pet a monkey. It was fantastic fun and would highly recommend it.
Reservations: Required
Price: $10/person over 1yr; $5/feed cup ~ you keep the cup
How it works: You’ll be met at the gate at your designated time by a farm employee and walked into the zoo. They are mindful of social distancing and keep groups separated from one another. They have plenty of hand sanitizer, too.
Two By Two ~ Why Not an American Ark
Open Wednesday-Sunday (check website for hours), this private farm offers a petting zoo, trail rides and space for private events.
Reservations: Required
Price: $10/person over 2yrs; Pony Rides are $5; Feed buckets are availabl
How it works: call and make a reservation.
Lazy 5 Ranch
This privately-owned exotic animal park is located in Mooresville, a short drive from South Charlotte and Union County. It is home to an array of animals including Antelope, Cattle, Zebra and Giraffes. While normally, you’d be able to take an open-air wagon through the park, new social distancing requires you to drive your own car through the park. It’s a really fun experience for kids and grown-ups alike and takes about 90 minutes to make it through the park during “normal” traffic. That said, we’ve been warned that in order to actually get in, you will need to arrive early with cash!
Reservations: None Available
Price: $11/person; $8/children under 11 and seniors over 60
How it works: Arrive early with cash for your car - they do NOT accept credit cards or prepayment - and be prepared to wait. Your car will get dirty - so don’t be surprised that you’ll need a carwash following this adventure!
Wise Acres Strawberry Picking
While it may be hard to get a reservation, this family-favorite location is doing social distancing RIGHT! Upon arrival, you park and are greeted by a member of the staff from at LEAST 20 feet away. You are asked to wash your hands before entering the farm and then are invited to take a yuck-bucket (that has been sanitized) and a strawberry bucket or carton for yourself. The fields are open, but because they’ve limited the number of visitors, you essentially have a section to yourself. All of the rides and attractions are closed, but that’s no matter. When you are finished, you can head to the barn to pay - everything is contact less and the staff is all wearing face masks. The slushies and snacks are still available for purchase!
Reservations: Required
Price: Depending on berry pick
How it works: Met at parking lot and asked to wash hands before taking buckets.
Trails Dynasty Miniature Golf
Located right here in Indian Trail, this family-owned miniature golf course is a lot of fun! In addition to sanitizing common areas and limiting gathering, Trails Dynasty is also helping to ensure safety by having their staff wear facemasks and gloves when interacting with guests. That and a safe distance between you and the other guests, makes this a great option for a family outing or a lesson on geometry!
Reservations: None
Price: Ages 7+ $8.50, ages 4-6 $7.50 and Under 3 is FREE; additional rounds are $5/person
How it works: show up and have fun
Big Rock Nature Preserve
This hidden gem is deep inside the Thornhill neighborhood in Ballantyne. While it can get crowded in the afternoon and on weekends, we found the morning to be quiet and peaceful when we visited. Comprising walking trails, HUGE climb-able rocks and a creek at the bottom, this has quickly become one of our favorite field trips. A few tips:
- If you take a trail, they can be narrow - but with so many options, rarely crowded.
- Wear sneakers and bring water shoes for littles
- There are some great rocks down in the creek that the littles (and bigs) like to jump to/from
- Dogs are allowed
Reservations: None
Price: FREE
How it works: Park on the street and walk in
Carolina Thread Trail Suspension Bridge
This 170 ft. suspension bridge is really cool! Located about ¼ of a mile from Nesbitt Park in Waxhaw (where you will park!), as you cross the bridge, you are actually crossing the state line. The Carolina Thread Trail is a regional network of greenways, trails and blueways that spans 15 counties, 2 states and 141 miles of open trails. When we were there, it was relatively empty (Thursday afternoon) and the few people we did see seemed to respect social distancing. Pets are welcome, so long as they are leashed, and while I personally wouldn’t let my kids bike in there - advanced mountain biking is permitted. We walked the trail and hung out on the bridges - the kids LOVED experiencing the (very stable) instability of the suspension bridge and the little one keeps calling it a key-chain bridge (not sure why). They kept saying - this is just like Carowinds, mom - I can be in both states at the same time!
Reservations: None
Price: Free
How it works: show up and have fun
Private Rental Pontooning (at either Lake Norman or Lake Wylie)
Rent a pontoon boat and spend the day on the water. There are several boat rental companies on both lakes. You can rent tubes and jet skies as well. We took our kids up to Lake Norman for the day and it was just what the soul needed. The water was still a little cold but it didn’t stop them from jumping in. We saw people tubing and fishing as well.
Reservations: Yes
Price: Varies by company
How it works: While your experience will be different depending on from where you rent, it should be a pretty contactless event. You check in and get your life vests, keys and off you go. Once you are on the water, it’s just you! In most instances, you pre-pay - so your only “contact” is grabbing the keys!
Cane Creek Park
While the park may not be fully open - no boat rentals or camping allowed right now and the playground is still closed during this phase of the slow-opening, you can go fishing from the ramp. This great park is awesome for trail rides, walking and nature - but the kids have taken to fishing since we’ve been safe at home. We will likely grab some bait and head down there this weekend to see what we might be able to catch. Have a canoe? Kayak? Why not bring it down and take it for a ride?
Reservations: None
Price: FREE
How it works: Show up and have fun
Music on the Patio ~ Ilios Noche Rea Village
We needed a night out last week - the kids needed to get some wiggles out and we just wanted to feel normal. So, when we heard that Ilios Noche on Providence Road was offering curbside food pickup and a band on its patio - off we went! We ordered our food via phone (and paid) prior to arrival, but some people were ordered upon arrival. You can also order wine and beer! When we got there, we grabbed our face mask and headed over to the patio where we were able to stand 6ft from others and get our food. The staff was wearing face coverings and gloves and was very conscientious of social distancing. We parked on the outer area of the parking lot - and most people we saw were pretty spread out. The kids stayed in the back of our car to eat and we let them run around our car only. We had about 2 spaces between our car and the next car on either side. We did see groups who had met there - and they would take two spaces that faced each other with a large space between them. It was a lot of fun.
Reservations: None
Price: FREE
How it works: Show up and have fun
Mural Hunting
Whether you’re looking for The Child or a bottle of Liquid Gold, or maybe just some pretty backdrops for your photos - Charlotte’s mural game is STRONG. There are murals EVERYWHERE - from the hip urban areas like NoDa and Plaza Midwood to South End and even down into Monroe - and they do not disappoint. You could seriously make a day of chasing them. Especially with so few cars on the road, parking shouldn’t be an issue and it won’t take you long if you just zip down (or up) 74. Here’s a photo of one of the newest murals to hit downtown Monroe. It’s located at 47K Marketplace on Windsor Street in Monroe. The owners of the store couldn’t be sweeter and the very idea of this mural sparked a lot of creativity in my budding artists!
Do you know of another great field trip? Let us know - we’ll add it in!
