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Polar Caves Park, Rumney, New Hampshire

polar-cave Holy cow! We had no idea what we were getting into-or what we’d have to crawl ourselves out of! Traveling up for a short stay and a Meatloaf concert, we were looking to do a little exploring and find something fun to do in the Lake Region of New Hampshire. Rummaging through all the tour guides and vacation pamphlets, we stumbled upon Polar Caves Park just off Route 25 in Rumney, New Hampshire. We grabbed a couple bananas and some bottled water and headed out.

Attn: Parents. Plan now & get deals on Feb Vacation Week

February School Vacation Week is coming. If you plan ahead NOW, you can nab ticket deals on Disney on Ice, the musical HONK!, Cirque Dreams and other memorable shows that will turn a day of "I'm bored..." into "Wow!" -- with enough cash left over to take everyone out for pizza afterwards. Seats for these shows and other family events just went on sale at ArtsBoston's discount website BosTixJr.org. Though there are plenty of seats right now, quantities are limited; for the best choice of seats and dates, please buy yours online soon!

Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens

Butterfly on leaf at Magic Wings On a recent "Girls Day Out" my daughter and I took a ride up Rt. 5 to the Magic Wings Conservatory and Gardens in South Deerfield, Mass. The conservatory is home to almost 4,000 native and tropical butterflies. These butterflies fly freely about and, surprisingly, there are very few casualties scattered about. My daughter and I were taken with all the vivid colors and textures of both the butterflies and plant life. We read that bright colors and bananas are supposed to attract butterflies and will increase the chances of butterfly-to-human contact. We were wearing brown that day and hadn't had any bananas; however we were lucky enough to have one of these little winged creatures land on us.... must have been the chocolate ice cream stained to our lips...you can get that there too!

Northfield Mountain Visitor Center, Northfield, MA

By: Valley Kids Stuff

I have only visited this attraction in the winter, so my experience is certainly incomplete. Parking is plentiful.
The exhibits at this visitor center are interesting. The whole mountain is "sponsored" by a utility company. Thus the exhibits are focussed on the economy of the Connecticut River - ice harvesting, logging, transporting good by waterways, etc. There's a real icebox that is ok to touch, and an example of an old logging tool, which, again you can touch.
A set of stairs lead down to a ski shop/vending area/restrooms (clean, nice). You may want to pause (endlessly, if you are my child) in front of a bank of birdfeeders in the bushes outside the window on the landing.
The yurt outside is awesome and had a fire going when we were there. It was toasty and cute in there.
In the winter the trails are groomed for skiing thus you cannot hike. The scenery is beautiful.

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Children's Museum of Maine, Portland, ME

Overall: Fabulous! My son had so much fun. He loved the ball area where you roll balls down inclines and he also enjoyed climbing around in the tree house. They have a water exhibit set up and as you can imagine it was a hit! They also have a touch tank that the staff opens during the day, a fire engine, a store, a cafe, a race car, a veterinarian's office, a farm exhibit, a campsite, a logging exhibit, a wildlife exhibit, a craft area, a boat and a childrens theater. I know I am missing a few things. Check out their website for a complete list of exhibits. I did not see any strollers in the museum. I saw a lot of babies in carriers on their parents, but not one stroller. I don't see how you could bring a stroller in there because there are a lot of narrow spots and stairs. I will call the museum tomorrow and find out what their policy is on strollers. In my opinion if you are in Portland or anywhere near Portland you should check this museum out. We loved it!

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