We visited Chaos Water Park, which is part of the Metropolis Resort in Eau Claire, early in the month. The kids had a wonderful time and especially loved the lazy river and slides. We visited once before and the water is a nice temperature, and as a parent, I enjoyed being able to keep track of where the kids were while relaxing some of the time in a chair. Chaos seems to be big enough to have all of the amenities of a large water park while being small enough to not have to follow the kids like their shadow at all times. Going down the dark tunnel slide on a double tube with the kids was a blast, and at the end I didn't even get my hair very wet which I was pleasantly surprised about! We all enjoyed some snacks from their snack bar which serves many choices at very reasonable prices. Later in the month we tried to visit Chaos again and the kids each brought a friend, but since it happened to be a free Thursday in February, it seems that everyone else had this same idea - it was full with a long wait. Since the wait time would have taken us past bedtime for the kids, I took the four children to play at Action City. They all had a lot of fun on the go-carts, bumper cars, climbing wall, games, etc.
We celebrated Great-Grandma's birthday at Houligans in downtown Eau Claire early in the month. It was a four-generation celebration with even my kid's great-uncle from Maryland! The atmosphere at Houligans is relaxed and classy. We received wonderful service and the food was great. I enjoyed the fish fry. We went out to dinner as a group again before the great-uncle flew back home. This time we dined at the Black Bear Supper Club in rural Augusta. It was nice to get the veggies, cheese spread and crackers on the table to snack on while we waited for our food to arrive. The portions are huge here and I even split a 1/2 chicken dinner with my son and it was plenty for both of us!
A highlight of the month was seeing Alice in Wonderland Jr. at the State Theatre. The Eau Claire Children's Theater (ECCT) always does such a wonderful job and this was no exception! The actors were excellent and the costuming was very colorful and creative. This show kept my children's attention the whole time, and they can't wait to see another production.
Kent and I dined out for Valentine's Day at Galloway Grille in downtown Eau Claire. We've dined there as a family as well and the kids have enjoyed this place. It is a casual restaurant/bar with wonderful food. It is fun to look at the old framed photos of local landmark places from long ago. For Valentine's Day they offered a huge steak for two with soup or salad and then a choice of two other sides for a very reasonable price. I held a business meeting over lunch in their private room as well this month and it was a nice location for this. There is some parking on the street in front and ample metered parking in the back.
After Valentine's Day, we celebrated a Grandpa's birthday at Azul Tequila in Eau Claire. This was our third time dining at this restaurant and we love it! The food is excellent and very authentic with great prices. The interior of the building is beautiful as well. Kent and I each typically choose one of the many combo meals, Andrew likes the soft tacos off of the ala carte menu, and Arianna sticks with chicken nuggets and fries! So there is certainly something for everyone. With it being a birthday we of course had to try the desserts which were also great!
Kent and I saw "Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical" at the Grand Little Theatre in downtown Eau Claire with my sister and her husband. Not that I will ever claim to be middle-age or even nearing it, (ok Kent and I did identify with a few things) but it was hilarious! The cast was stellar and the laughter of the audience at times drowned out the next few words of the cast. It was a great time.
Yes, Eau Claire has a lot of fun things right at our fingertips! We also managed to get out in the snow and go sledding and ice skating as well!
