Brunner Family Forest Preserve

This forest preserve features woodlands, wetlands and prairie along a 3.5 mile stretch of the Fox River.  It has a picnic shelter, fishing access, bathrooms and 5 miles of trail. 

It also has a little farm store that sells food from their farm like eggs, meat, vegetables, and honey. 

We walked there on a super hot day and were so relieved to take shade in the picnic shelter.  It would be a nice place to have lunch with a very pretty view. 

Air & Water Show 2015

The Chicago Air and Water Show features naval and aviation demonstrations from military and civilian teams. This is a 2 day event lasting the weekend with a practice run on Friday and no admission. We got there early Saturday morning, parked in a garage not far from Navy Pier and set up camp at Ohio Street beach.  Getting there early was the smartest thing we did.  We got the early bird special at the parking garage and we nearly got first choice at the beach.  We found a spot under the shade of a big tree on the cool sand, which was great because it was super hot that day! We came prepared with a blanket, chairs, and sandwiches.  Ohio Street had a decent view of the air show and so it got packed quickly. Aiden liked the show but I think he mostly enjoyed lying down on the cool sand, eating snacks and just chilling with one of his BFF’s who showed up later. It was definitely a good day.

Art At Glen Tower - Glenview, IL

This is an art show in Glenview with over 100 artists in different mediums.  There’s also food vendors, live music and a designated kids area for games and activities.  I, of course, enjoyed the show but Aiden was only interested in some things here and there. He probably would’ve enjoyed it more had he participated in the kids area but some tables had no one running them and others were just too crowded.  I never know where or what will pique this kid’s interest so I just keep trying to expose him to as much as I can.

Art & Soul on the Fox - Elgin, IL

This is a free, fine art fair in downtown Elgin.  There is music, food, and lots of art.  This trip was really for me since, of course, I am the art lover in the family, so I didn’t get much feedback from Aiden.  He did have at least one positive experience while we were there.  A balloon artist engaged in a conversation with him and made him a dog balloon while they talked.  Aiden thought that was pretty cool. We didn’t stay long because I didn’t want him touching any artwork.  I’m hoping this is something he’ll appreciate later.

Dinosaur World - Plant City, FL

Dinosaur World has lots of huge life sized dinos in an outdoor natural setting.  You walk around checking out all the dinosaurs and stopping at the interactive exhibits you come across.  There are boardwalks that wind through natural areas shaded by centuries-old oak trees, and there’s also a playground and huge gift shop.  Aiden absolutely loves dinosaurs so we just had to take him to this place.  We all really liked it, but it was so unbelievably hot that day that we were relieved to finally end in the big, cool, air conditioned gift shop.  

Gatorland - Orlando, FL

Aiden loves alligators so of course we had to take him to Gatorland.  He got to see lots of alligators and got to watch them getting fed, which was a show in itself, but there were other things to see as well like flamingos, pelicans, and he got to go inside a bird sanctuary and feed lots of birds.  He was a little nervous in there because the birds tend to land somewhere on your body.  He had one on his arm and another on his head, but he really enjoyed it.  They also have a petting zoo which he went in and fed the animals, and he got to hold a snake around his neck while holding a baby alligator in his hands.  He did it like a pro! This stop was an absolute must for him.

Disney World - Orlando, FL

If you ask Aiden what are his favorite things in the world, Disney World is usually his first or second answer.  Thanks to wonderful family, we were able to visit all 4 kingdoms: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot.  Aiden really loved it all.  The rides, the shows, the characters he met, just everything.  I don’t think we’ve ever come across a ride that Aiden was too scared to try. I’m guessing it’s probably from all the sensory input he receives from it. He’s always been more receptive to stronger stimuli rather than lighter. He definitely enjoyed the rides the most but he really liked meeting all the characters from TV too.  He carried around an autograph book for signatures and photos. 

The lines for the rides were very long but Disney has a helpful option for guests with special needs. It’s called Disability Access Services. This service allows guests to schedule a return time for the ride that is comparable to the current queue wait for the given attraction.  So it’s basically like making a reservation for a ride so that you don’t have to just stand there for 2 hours or however long it may take.  This was very helpful.  We all had a really great time at Disney, but no one enjoyed it more than Aiden.