Frugal Mother’s Day Fun, 2010: Roadside America and Cabela’s

Yesterday was GREAT!  I spent the day with my two favorite people, Biker Bob and Lily Bean.  That was enough right then and there for a happy Mother’s Day, but we figured we might as well get out there and do something fun.

It was my choice for the day and I must have kicked around about 39 different ideas.

I finally settled on an adventure that can be traced back to my childhood.  We decided to head out to Shartlesville, PA (stop laughing)- it’s right off of Route 78.  When I was little, my dad took us to this total Route 66-esque attraction called Roadside America.  Simply put, Roadside America is a GIGANTIC sprawling model of a miniature town and surrounding countryside/suburbia.  Built by Laurence Gieringer and first displayed in 1953, this intricate display depicts life in America- from the early pioneer days up through the 1950s (or “present day” when the model was completed).

We visited Roadside America with my Dad various times, and I loved hearing that Biker Bob had been there as a kid too- with his grandparents.

Two of the coolest things about Roadside America:  the entire display features a new button every few feet that visitors can press and operate part of the model.  One button might move a train, another a street car.  There are buttons that move kids on a playground, coal cars through a mine and circus animals around their performance ring.

The other highlight happens on every half hour: the entire town goes to “sleep.”  Set to the tune of The Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America, you stand and watch the lights (er, the sun) go down and the houses illuminate.  As the music swells, the “sun” begins to rise and the town wakes up- more lights come on, then go off as the day arrives.  The best viewing point for the “nighttime” is definitely up on the observation deck- it’s the perfect bird’s eye view!

Roadside America is definitely not a wallet breaker: adults get in for just $6.75, children are $3.75, and the under 5 crowd is FREE.

On the way home we were going to pass Cabela’s…  outdoor enthusiast superstore.  We love camping and don’t get out by way of Cabela’s all too often, so we decided to stop in for a visit.  What a cool store…  there are so many neat things product-wise to check out- even if you only slightly enjoy the outdoors.  But then ALL over the store there are animals (er.. stuffed animals, that is) to look at…  plus a pretty sizable aquarium area that you can walk through just BRIMMING with tons of huge fish.

We loved checking out the products, Lily Bean went nuts over the animals, oh yeah, and it’s FREE.  That is, unless you buy something. :)  I love the Bargain Corral area of Cabela’s– it’s a big room filled with deeply discounted merchandise.  Some of the products are customer returns, some are surplus products and some are products with some sort of imperfection.  Either way, it’s fab to check out- you just never know what you might find.  A few years ago I found a fantastic new pair of Columbia winter boots (on winter clearance) for 75% off the original price.  I still use them- they are the best snow boots I have ever owned!