The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
TRAVELERS’ CHECKS
When it comes to weekend getaways, some families build trips around skiing or attending a sporting event. Others might plan a trip that includes a Broadway show or hiking. Not my family. My boys, ages 12 and 13, and I created an itinerary based on pickles. Upon learning there was a pickle factory offering free tours in St. Joe, Indiana, we immediately planned a visit. Pickles are a staple in our house, and the kids were extremely excited at the prospect of seeing them made. (Turns out Indiana has so many kidfriendly attractions that we spent several days in the Hoosier State, including a swing south to West Lafayette to visit a wolf sanctuary.)
The tour of the Sechler’s Pickles factory, about 20 minutes north of Fort Wayne, did not disappoint. We donned protective hair nets and followed along as cucumbers were sorted, soured and secured in jars. (Cucumbers deemed less than perfect become relish.) Afterward, we sampled everything from dill chips to black bean salsa. Given that Sechler’s offerings include more than 50 products, there was no shortage of treats to try. After buying our favorites, we headed to Fort Wayne.
At Science Central, the boys gravitated to a display that required them to turn a hand crank to compare the amount of energy required to power various items including a radio, bell and light. They also liked an exhibit that allowed them to use magnets and metal items to create sculptures with an eye to how the magnet’s polarity impacted the structure. The museum, which also showcases a schedule of scientific demonstrations, presents a wide array of scientific concepts through hands-on play. Kids can’t help but gain a better understanding of how science intersects with their daily life during a visit.
The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo was another highlight of our trip. Peacocks, with their plumage on full display, welcome visitors upon arrival — setting the right expectation for the experience. The zoo offers ample opportunities for visitors of all sizes to get close-up views of the animals and, in many cases, interact with them.
My youngest lingered in the Indiana Family Farm petting zoo. He followed a few goats around before getting up the nerve to pet one. From there, we headed to Stingray Bay, where both kids eagerly plunged their hands into the water in hopes of touching one as they lazily swam around the tank. We also made time to hear a Keeper Chat. On the day we visited, the zookeeper shared that they had recently combined two monkey species and were watching to see how they got along. Sechler’s Pickles: Route 1, St. Joe, sechlerspickles.com.
Science Central, 1950 N. Clinton St., Fort Wayne, sciencecentral.org.
Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo: 3411 Sherman Blvd, Fort Wayne, kidszoo.org. (The zoo will be open weekends in October and then close for the season. The 2019 season begins April 26.)
Botanical Conservatory: 1100 S. Calhoun St., Fort Wayne, botanicalconservatory.org.
Fort Wayne Museum of Art, 311 E. Main St., Fort Wayne, fwmoa.org.
Wolf Park, 4004 East 800 N., Battle Ground, wolfpark.org.
Columbian Park Zoo, 1915 Scott St., Lafayette, columbianparkzoo.org.
Prophetstown State Park and The Farm at Prophetstown: 5545 Swisher Road, West Lafayette, in.gov/dnr/ parklake/2971.htm.
Tippecanoe Battlefield and Museum: 200 Battle Ground Ave., Battle Ground,
tippecanoehistory.org/ourplaces/tippecanoe-battlefield-museum.
Wabash and Erie Canal Museum: 1030 N. Washington St., Delphi, wabashanderiecanal.org.
(We always attend talks or free programming offered at the attractions we visit. The kids love hearing the insider information and appreciate the opportunity to ask questions.)
When rain threatened to put a damper on our explorations, we headed over to the Botanical Conservatory downtown. Even though my kids are older, they thought Woody the Talking Tree, which greets visitors, was a hoot. My oldest, who is a bit of budding botanist, enjoyed walking through the various indoor gardens and comparing the flowers and foliage of tropical plants to desert dwellers.
The real highlight of our visit was an butterfly exhibit that occurs each spring and summer. Once in the exhibit, the kids stood very still and waited. Their extreme patience was rewarded numerous times when the colorful butterflies landed on their clothing.
From Nov. 17 to Jan. 6, visitors have the opportunity to enjoy a special attraction of another sort. The conservatory’s holiday theme is “Victorian Christmas,” incorporating period decorations, a poinsettia tree and an outdoor music-and-light display. The attraction hosts kid-friendly events throughout the season.
While a trip to the Fort Wayne Museum of Art may not have been my boys’ top choice, they indulged me. We spent a fair amount of time checking out a traveling exhibit of photographs depicting lush fairy tale-type scenes by fine-art photographer Kirsty Mitchell.
However, the boys’ favorite attraction was the gift shop, which included fabulous toys and kid-friendly objects and was tended by a welcoming clerk who kept showing them intriguing items just to be friendly. (I can’t complain because it inspired them to want to make art.) They loved the repurposed stuffed animals created when an artist took body parts from one and combined with others Frankenstein-style to create crazy new creatures. Rather than buy one, they waited until we got home and pulled out their old stuffed animals to create some crazy combinations of their own.
On the prowl for more adventure, we also visited Wolf Park in West Lafayette, about 115 miles southwest of Fort Wayne. Home to wolves, coyotes, foxes and bison, the nonprofit animal sanctuary educates visitors about animal behavior collected by raising the animals to be comfortable around humans. The animals are not domesticated so they continue to act as their wildborn counterparts but live in proximity to humans, creating opportunities for workers to observe and understand their behaviors.
Alex, whose love of wolves and their canine brethren was ignited by a camp at a local wildlife center, appreciated the up-close look offered by Wolf Park’s enclosed pens. Both boys lapped up the stories our guide shared about the animals’ personalities, their diet and methods for communicating and marking their territory.
Believe it or not, we included another zoo visit. The free Columbian Park Zoo sits in a city park and has a major focus on education — which I knew my kids would appreciate. Every day there are multiple opportunities for guests to observe feeding time, listen to a zookeeper chat or interact with the zoo’s ambassador animals. Once we had our animal fix, I knew we needed to soak up some of the area’s rich history. We visited Prophetstown State Park to discover the story of the region’s early Native Americans population, glean details about life on a 1920s farm and stroll through native habitats such as wetlands, prairies and fens.
While at the Farm at Prophetstown, visitors can tour the replica Sears catalogue farmhouse, help with chores such as feeding the animals and gathering eggs and watch volunteers use antique machinery to tend the fields. The recreated Prophetstown Village helps tell the story of the multi-tribal community founded by Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, who was also known as “The Prophet.” Under Tenskwatawa’s leadership, the confederacy of Native warriors started the Battle of Tippecanoe by attacking Gen. William Henry Harrison’s troop. Although the battle cost many lives on both sides, the American soldiers dispelled the attack. Later, Harrison’s men destroyed the village.
Our natural next stop was the Tippecanoe Battlefield and Museum. The interpretive center adds context to the battle, which occurred in 1811 and ended the Native American dream of creating a confederacy. Their ongoing alliance with Britain further fueled calls for war.
From there, we skipped ahead a few decades to visit the Wabash & Erie Canal Park. The boys really enjoyed the museum and especially liked operating its model lock, dumbfounded at the revelation that mules traveling about 4 mph pulled boats laden with goods and travelers along the canals. They weren’t at all surprised that faster trains eventually replaced the waterways as a preferred means of moving goods across the country.
Having neither a train nor canal boat at our disposal, we got back in our car and headed home.