Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in albuquerque, NM

5 Things to Know About the Albuquerque BioPark

by Alison

May 12, 2009

Spring has sprung, and that means that the BioPark is the place to be. The Albuquerque BioPark consists of four attractions - the Albuquerque Aquarium, the Rio Grande Botanic Gardens, Tingley Beach and the Rio Grande Zoo. Here are five things worth knowing about the BioPark.

1. Tingley Beach is a series of fishing ponds (including a children's fishing area and a pond used exclusively for radio-controlled boats). They offer various fishing clinics and free fishing days throughout the year. Here you'll also find the Tingley Beach Train Station where you can catch a ride on the Rio Line. The train will take you along the bosque to the aquarium and then down to the zoo and finally back to Tingley Beach. You cannot get off at the zoo or aquarium. Train schedules vary depending on the season.

2. A membership to the BioPark will get you free admission to the zoo, aquarium, and botanic gardens for one year. The aquarium and botanic gardens are located right next to each other (they share a common entry area and parking lot) and, if you do not have a membership, one admission fee will get you into the Aquarium and Botanic Gardens. You can also purchase a day pass that is good for all three attractions and ride the train to get between the zoo and the aquarium/gardens.

3. The sharks are fed and the tanks are cleaned daily at the aquarium. This means you can watch aquarium staff dive into the tanks! If you visit between the hours 0f 10:00am and 2:00pm, you might be lucky enough to catch a tidepool hands-on exhibit where aquarium volunteers let you get up close to various tide pool critters.

4. The Albuquerque BioPark encourages birthday celebrations. If you provide the food, there's no need for any sort of reservation, and your group is welcome to use any area that is open for public picnicking. Each person must pay an admission fee, and there are no group discounts. If you go with their catering company, there are three options to choose from.

5. The Butterfly Pavilion at the botanic gardens opens for the season on May 22. Here you'll be able to see several hundreds of butterflies flying all around you in an enclosed exhibit area.

Enjoy your visit!    

Pretend it's Summer, When Clearly it's Not!

by Alison

January 22, 2009

Each time my four year old sees our little plastic pool outside, he begs me to fill it up and let him swim. It might be warm outside right now, but it's not that warm! Here are a few less cold ideas for pretending it's the middle of summer, and not the middle of winter! Drive through Sonic for some ice cream. Since the cool thing about Sonic is that the carhops bring the order to your  Read more...

5 "No Storage Necessary" Gifts

by Alison

December 16, 2008

One of the downsides to new gifts at Christmas time is that those new treasures take up space, and perhaps it's space that you really don't have! If this is a concern of yours this year, you may consider a gift that's a bit more "consumable" and doesn't require much, if any, storage space. If the grandparents are asking for gift ideas, these are some great options, no shipping costs and most  Read more...

5 Things To Do on a Rainy Day

by Alison

October 09, 2008

When the weather doesn't cooperate, what's a mom to do? Here are five places you can go on a rainy day that your preschooler is sure to love! Head to the Library . With sixteen branches, there's sure to be one (or more) near you. Each library offers a storytime for preschoolers. Many storytimes are more than just stories and include fingerplays, songs, musical instruments and sometimes  Read more...

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!: Taking Time to Enjoy the Aquarium

by Alison

September 23, 2008

My four year old loves to visit the Aquarium, but tends to rush through it and treat it more like a race track than a place to observe marine life. Here's a few ideas to help your children slow down and enjoy all that the Albuquerque Aquarium has to offer. Next time, let your preschooler take some pictures. A camera of their own is a great thing for a child to have, it doesn't have to be  Read more...