Big Family Fun out in the 'Burbs

Take your kids to local attractions this summer where they can ride the rails, swoosh down waterslides, see exotic animals and watch stuntmen perform in the Old West.

There are several unique options for young children around Algonquin. Below are a few options that we visited recently as a family.

Randall Oaks Barnyard Zoo, West Dundee - This is a small zoo that actually has more than farm animals.  There are the requisite goats, pigs, sheep and cows available for viewing and feeding, but also several reptiles, deer, a fox and a lynx. On weekends, pony rides are available for an additional small fee. This is good for children under 8 years old, but probably not for more than 2 hours including play time at the adjacent park. You can even bring lunch and have a picnic on one of the shaded picnic benches at the park.

Santa’s Village Azooment Park, East Dundee - The combined zoo and amusement park on the site of the former Santa’s Village will bring back memories for parents that visited the Christmas-themed park when they were kids. The newly opened park combines the animal expertise of A Zoo to You with rides purchased from the recently closed Kiddieland. Some of the exotic animals available for viewing are wallabies, reindeer, a porcupine, and a camel, as well as petting zoo with the usual goats and sheep. This zoo/amusement park is perfect for preschool-aged kids, but older kids will probably want more thrilling rides.

Dieke Park, Huntley - This is a great park and play area for small children. In addition to swings and slides, there are areas where kids and push instruments to hear them play and stomp on police or fire emblems to listen to emergency vehicle sounds.  There is even a water and sand area for little ones to build and get dirty.

Wild West Town, Union - Kids can learn about the Old West while having fun playing games or enjoying several rides. Some of the attractions include a small roller coaster, canoe boat ride, train trip, hand cars, and panning for gold pieces. You can hear guns blazing and see stuntmen perform in a Wild West-themed show. Children under10 years old would enjoy this place, even if some of the attractions are a bit hokey. One thing that makes this place great to visit for families is there is a full-service, quality restaurant on site. At the Old West Steakhouse, the family can order everything from steaks to sandwiches making it more enjoyable than the usual carnival fare.

Illinois Railway Museum, Union - Train enthusiasts will enjoy strolling through the buildings and seeing the train relics and the stories behind them. For youngsters, they can ride the rails on steam, electric and diesel trains. This is a train museum and not a place where kids will have many options to seek thrills. Also, do not attend the Day Out with Thomas weekends unless you are there specifically to see this attraction. It is extremely crowded these days and most attendees are there to see Thomas the Tank Engine and the related attractions. If you are going to the Thomas weekend, one tip is to get there before the museum opens. Also, if your child wants to see Thomas, you can skip riding the Thomas train as it is simply the Thomas engine attached to several standard rail cars and once you are on the train you can not actually see Thomas anyways.

Sunset Park Splash Pad, Lake in the Hills – This is a great place to visit for an hour for small children up to about 9 years old to cool off. Water sprays from the ground and fountains, while water-dumping buckets pour over running kids. This is a small area and kids may be bored after about an hour here. Be careful bringing very small children as the older ones tend to run quickly through the water and collisions happen.

Stingray Bay, Huntley - This water park is perfect for families of kids from toddlers to teenagers. There is a zero-depth area with small slides for the water-wings crowd. Kids over 5 years old can slide and splash in another area designed for them. Then there are big water slides for the older ones to careen down. Next to the water area, there is also an enormous sand area for little ones to play in.