Austin. Mom. Blog. » play

Hoppin Hippo in Hutto, Texas

Dianna — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 18:14:04 +0000

Wow! I am sorry it has been so… long since I have posted anything. I thought I would start off with Hoppin Hippo since it was a fun and clean place to visit. I was really impressed with the whole facility. The first thing to keep in mind is that both parent and child must have socks. I was not aware of that when I went. Hoppin Hippo has socks you are able to purchase for $2.oo. The whole wearing socks thing is a great idea. It sounds a little harsh, but I think it might prevent people from getting any fungus or nasty disease. Overall the facility was clean and inviting for kids to play. When my boys first walked in they immediately went to the wooden clubhouse, climbed the stairs, and put on a costume. There were buckets full of costumes the children were able to play with. After running freely like they were the actual character both boys went into an inflatable giraffe. It was the kind of inflatable that you enter through one side, crawl through, and then end up on the other end. The giraffe was their favorite. Next they jumped on a bouncy house and went down the slide attached. Hoppin Hippo also had a large playscape with a ball pit, another inflatable next to it, and a small plastic playscape in the middle of the facility. I’m hoping the pictures I post will give it more justice. Hoppin Hippo’s website states that it’s recommended for ages 0-7. I believe that’s the perfect age group for this place. A child over 7 would probably think it would be too kiddie. Since my two sons are 4 and 6, it was perfect. We’re trying to make some time to visit again, but our summer keeps getting shorter. We will definitely try one day.

The Clubhouse

The Inflatable Giraffe

Large Playscape

Bouncy House with Slide

Fun Snow Day

Dianna — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:38:47 +0000

What a day! I must say I love Texas and I especially love Austin. It’s crazy how we can go from 72 to 35 in two days. We are really enjoying it. The boys were so happy to see the snow and play in it. My husband and I enjoyed it as much as they did. We spent several hours making snowmen. It was a fun snow day.

Dave & Buster’s

Dianna — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:51:49 +0000

Today we asked our oldest son Andrew what he wanted to do for his last day of vacation since he goes back to school tomorrow. He told us he wanted to go to Dave & Buster’s. We enjoy going there as a family, so off we went. We arrived at 12:00 and stayed until 3:00. During that time we not only played a lot of games, we also ate lunch. In my opinion, the food is pretty good. I usually order the grilled chicken quesadillas and I haven’t been disappointed yet. I enjoy eating there because if my youngest son starts to get restless I take him over to a few games before the food arrives. I used to think Dave & Buster’s was focused more for adults, but now I see a lot more famililes there. They have a ton of games for my boys to play. I believe the selection is better than Chuck-e-Cheese. I guess I say that because my boys are getting bigger and have outgrown a lot of games at Chuck-e-Cheese. The only downfall is Dave & Buster’s games are a whole lot more expensive than Chuck-e-Cheese. Dave & Buster’s games aren’t one token games. The games are fun, the prizes are cool and different, and the food is good. My son, Andrew had the right idea.

Champion Park in Cedar Park, Texas

Dianna — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:50:47 +0000

We have been to Champion Park several times, but I have finally decided to share it with everyone. This is one of my favorite parks. The key area for my boys is the huge sand pit. Toys are left for others to play with and it’s shaded. In the summer time there is a small area where water spouts will spray. This area is shaped as a whale. Huge boulders are available to climb on with a set of swings near by. Trails go through the park to walk, jog, or run on. The park also includes two grills to barbecue on. Fortunately, restrooms are near. For the majority of the time my boys stay in the sand pit, but when we visited over the weekend they utilized all the amenities. If you’re in the Cedar Park area, I would definitely recommend Champion Park!