Garytt's First Amusement Park Experience

Garytt's Grandma and Grandpa were in town for a few days this past week. So, on Sunday we decided to go check out an kiddie amusement park that was suggested to us by one of Justin's coworkers. Bay Beach Park is located in Green Bay, which is about 45 miles from Oshkosh, so it's not too far. In fact, it's the perfect amount of time for Garytt to catch a quick nap on the way there and back.

We arrived at Bay Beach Park not knowing what to expect. Wow! There was a huge picnic area with shelters, grills, playground, and bathrooms. It was really busy in the picnic area when we arrived because it was getting close to lunch time. It looked like a great place to have a child's birthday party or family gathering.

Beyond the picnic area were the rides. The amusement park had some rides for older kids/adults like go carts, tilt-a-whirl, etc. But the majority of the rides are geared towards the younger crowd. Garytt wasn't old enough to ride any of the rides by himself, so we were limited to the rides where either Justin or I could go with him.

We first had to find the ticket booth. There is no admission to the amusement park and tickets are 25 cents each! Most of the rides take one ticket per rider and some take 2 tickets per rider...way cheap! Once we had our tickets, we were off to find some rides.


Happy boy ready for a day of fun!

Justin took Garytt on the helicopters first. Adults are allowed to ride with a child, but none of the adults really looked that comfortable. Garytt really seemed to enjoy it but was most interested in watched the gears that allowed the helicopters to go up and down.




Waiting in line for the helicopters


Which helicopter should we ride?


All buckled up and ready to go


Waving "hi"


I tried to get a picture of the whole ride but the fence is mostly in the way.

Next, it was off to ride the train. Although this ride seemed to hold a lot of people, it was also a popular ride for all ages. So, the wait was longer than we expected. It really wasn't that bad except that a 14 month old really doesn't understand the concept of patience and waiting your turn. So, by the time we were on the train, he was a bit cranky. I had to hold him on my lap to keep him from trying to climb out...well, the train conductor stopped the train around the first corner to tell us he had to sit in the seat. Oops! We got in trouble. He did finally settle down when the ride really got going. Then he loved it.


Holding a cranky boy before the ride starts


Loving the wind in my hair!

Our final ride of the day was the carousel. The wait wasn't long at all, so that was great since Garytt was really over the idea of waiting.



Garytt doesn't look too sure about this yet.


He's happy now!



Although we only rode three rides, we had a great time! And it was really inexpensive. There is also a free wildlife reserve next to the amusement park, so next time we will plan to go to that as well. Bay Beach Park was a great find!

Oshkosh Irish Fest

The Oshkosh Irish Fest was held this past weekend, June 3-5. We decided to go check it out on Sunday because admission was free if you attended the outdoor mass prior to the festival on Sunday. (Yes, I'm always looking for a free or cheap event to go to...hahaha.)

Mass went pretty well considering the number of distractions for Garytt and the fact that he didn't really take a morning nap. Prior to mass, we were trying to keep Garytt occupied and in the shade.






The weather was pretty nice, although there wasn't much shade, so we tried to keep Garytt in his stroller with the sun shade up as much as possible since he wouldn't really leave his hat on.




After mass, it was time to get a bite to eat. We had Guiness battered chicken and corned beef and cabbage soup. Garytt, surprisingly, loved both! He ate more chicken in one sitting than I have ever seen him eat before. It must be the magic of the Guiness batter...how very Irish of him!


Mmmm...Guiness!

While eating lunch, there was a performace by a local Irish dancing group. I, personally, love to watch the Irish dancers. Justin is most entertained by the fake, extra bouncy hair that the girls have to wear.




Garytt seemed really pretty entertained by dancers, too. He is really getting into clapping when a crowd claps. So, he cheered the dancers on!




After the dance performance, we checked out the vendors and walked around for a bit. The next scheduled act was called "The Giant Leprechaun." I expected it to be something fun for kids or something...yeah, it was an old dude singing with a big green hat on. He wasn't even that good. I really wish I would have taken a picture of that. At that point, Garytt was really tired and the entertainment was going downhill, so we decided to call it a day.

So, Kansas City Irish Fest vs. Oshkosh Irish Fest: Kansas City has a better venue, green fountains (way fun!), and better entertainment (although we did like the Irish dancers). In Oshkosh, we parked across the street-for FREE, admission was FREE, and we could easily get a seat to actually watch the dancers. So, it's a toss up. Maybe we will just have to do both since the KC Irish Fest is held in Sept.

Here are a few more pictures of Garytt. He wouldn't really smile but he did make a lot of other faces.


I'm worried!


Hey, look at the ground!


I'm so bored, I'm grabbing my own tongue for entertainment.


I'm tired, let's go home now.


They said we get to go home...I'll give a half-smile now.