Saturday, August 7, 2010

"Life off the Hill:" Kids in New Haven, Part 1


Today's post comes courtesy of Terri Bays, a second-year M.Div. student and mother of two. In her former life, Terri was a professor of Medieval Literature at Notre Dame, where she also coordinated Open Courseware efforts (which she still does in her spare time). Terri is seeking ordination in the Episcopal Church and is a postulant in the Diocese of Northern Indiana. Since Alex and I are ill-equipped to discuss the ins-and-outs of things kids like to do in New Haven, Terri has provided some excellent suggestions (and has offered to provide more at a later date).

Okay, so you’ve arrived in New Haven, you’ve got about 1/3 of your boxes unpacked, and already your kids are complaining that they’re bored out of their minds, and why did you drag them all the way to this place from wherever it was you dragged them from anyway, and they miss all their friends. . . You’ve gotten all sorts of notices about plays and concerts and galleries, but what’s there to do around here for the 12 and under crowd?

Plenty, that’s what. But let’s start with the essentials. In order to get your kids to even discuss the question of what they want to do, you need some ice cream. Fortunately, New Haven has lots of options, like the old fashioned scoops at Clark’s Pizza at 68 Whitney. The décor isn’t much, but just down the block is Phelps’ Triangle, a teensy little park where my eldest daughter ate her very first ice cream cone. If Super Premium ice cream is more your style, head over to Ashley’s at 280 York Street, or if you prefer gelato, there’s Nica’s Market at 603 Orange Street. My kids (5 and 13) vouch for all of these, so the choice among them really depends on your mood.

Okay, so now that your kids are speaking to you again, you can make some decisions. Is everybody stir-crazy? Take them to East Rock Park at 41 Cold Spring, which has everything from playgrounds to hiking trails to playing fields. If a stroll through a converted estate grounds is more to your liking (think dog-walking, kite-flying and frisbee throwing), try Edgerton Park at 75 Cliff Street. Edgerton Park is also where the police department stables its horses, so if you’re lucky, you might get to see New Haven’s finest on the hoof.

Too hot for the park? How about some dinosaurs? The Peabody Museum of Natural History* is just the right size to do in a day. Look for the Triceritops on the front lawn! If you want something a bit more up-to-date, there’s the Whitney Museum and Workshop on up the road at 915 Whitney in Hamden (at the north end of East Rock Park). In case you’re wondering, it is named for that Whitney, Eli, inventor of the cotton gin and lots of other things. The museum focuses on experiential learning, so expect lots of hands-on stuff.

If you have time to venture a bit out of town, the Shore Line Trolley Museum is just over the Q-bridge at 17 River Street in East Haven. You can ride a trolley out to the trolley barns where they have restored nearly 100 trolley cars from around the world. It’s also worth checking out the Connecticut State Parks, since the state is covered with little parks featuring waterfalls, castles, beaches, hiking, covered bridges and more!


View Kids' Stuff in New Haven in a larger map

*I, Josh, highly endorse Terri's suggestion of the Peabody Museum. Their dinosaur exhibit is impressive, and kids love the place (I also love the place, because, really, all that's needed to make me happy still is dinosaurs). Admission is always free with a Yale ID (as is admission to any of Yale's museums) and the Peabody waives admission fees every Thursday.

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