ML Interest Tag: online-reservations

Cuckoo for Cocoa: The Chocolate Factory Tour Kids Go Nuts Over

by Ayren Jackson-Cannady

There’s nothing like the mention of a chocolate factory to bring the kid out of you. (Maybe it’s that Willy Wonka Effect). And lucky for D.C. natives and their broods, you don’t have to travel far to feel like Charlie…or Veruca Salt or an Oompa Loompa. Every weekend, Spagnvola Chocolatier in Gaithersburg, Md doles out free factory tours to visitors, highlighting the entire manufacturing process—from start to finish—in kid-friendly lingo. There may not be a goose laying golden eggs, but there are plenty of free tastings along the way.

Get Up Close and Personal with Your Cacao
The tour takes place right on the 1,000 square foot factory floor (p.s. online reservations are recommended). That’s where a guide breaks down everything from  the origin of cacao and the importance of proper farming techniques to the development of fine flavor luxury chocolate and the roasting process. Kids love to see the custom machines in action and trying to figure out how they work. Don’t worry about kiddo getting cacao-ed out—the tour is a quick 25 minutes long (and that’s if there are questions at the end. Hint: the tour guides love questions.

Time to Shop!
After the tour, visitors are lead back to the boutique where there is a full café of offerings, including all chocolate assortments, along with coffee, lattes and gelato. There’s plenty of seating available if you come with a large group, and if kiddo wants to learn more about chocolate making, there’s often a looped documentary playing on the shops TV. Word to the wise: You’ll regret not buying something sweet before hitting the road. Spagnvola’s Bon Bon’s have unique shapes and colors to the outside, which makes them a fave for the little ones. And coming in at a close second for the under-10 set are the chocolate-dipped marshmallows.


Burn Off the Sugar Rush
Spagnvola is located within the kid-complementing Kentlands community of Gaithersburg. There are no less than four parks within walking distance of the chocolate factory, and you’re just a quick car ride away from the Rio, a fam-friendly lakefront destination with walking paths, a large playground, a carousel, train and paddle boats. If kiddo had one too many tour samples, let them run wild at one of these spots before heading home.

Spagnvola Chocolatier
360 Main St. (Gaithersburg, Md)
240-654-6972
Online: spagnvola.com

Have you and your kids been on this chocolate factory tour yet? Tell us about your experience in the Comments section below. 

—Ayren Jackson-Cannady

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Your Guide to Reliving Summer in D.C. (During the Coldest Months of the Year)

by Ayren Jackson-Cannady

Do you daydream—five times a day—about that next beach vacay? Have your kids started a countdown for when their summer break starts (it’s roughly 150 days, in case you’re curious). Sounds like your household has caught a case of the winter blues? Don’t worry, though; there’s a cure! From splish-splashing around in the pool to chowing down on ice cream, with a few tweaks your family’s favorite summertime activities are totally winter-appropriate. For proof, read on.

Photo: thebo21 via Flickr

#1 Go Swimming
The indoor swimming pool scene in D.C. runs deep. From the tip-top of Maryland to the bottom of NoVa, there are comfy cozy watering holes that let little ones splish-splash around without catching a case of the shivers. A must visit is the Woodrow Wilson Aquatic Center in Tenleytown. This immaculate complex has everything—an Olympic-sized pool with platform diving; a separate 25 meter lap pool, connected to a zero-entry kids play area, and a massive hot tub (for the adults, of course). Bonus: it’s saltwater, so no chlorine eyes or dried out skin.

Photo: sandi.k.barr via Flickr

#2 Go Butterfly Chasing
What’s better than running after butterflies in the great outdoors on a GORGE spring day? Playing with the pretty insects indoors in the winter. Imagine being instantly surrounded by free-flying butterflies and exotic plants in shapes, sizes and colors you rarely see on your city block. That’s what happens when you visit the Butterfly Pavilion at the Museum of Natural History. The pavilion is open daily, and it’s free to get in on Tuesdays (online reservations are suggested). The climate-controlled environment is kept at 80 degrees, and 80 percent humidity.

Photo: Swambo via Flickr

#3 Go Hiking
Granted, you’ll have to bundle up a lot more than you would during the summer. But, going for a quick little hike during the winter is one surefire way of busting that blah feeling. Best for kiddos: Cabin John Park Trail in Bethesda stretches six miles through the park and is mostly flat the whole way; Rock Creek Park is D.C.’s backyard playground full of year-round foliage and if you’re lucky Junior might even spot a deer or two.

Photo: Ayren Jackson-Cannady

#4 Go for Ice Cream
Here’s the thing: Ice cream may be cold, but remember, many parlors have indoor, heated seating. So go ahead—indulge in the icy, sweet treat year-round! Many shops, including up and coming nitrogen icecream fave Nicecream Factory, even offer artisan style javas, cappuccinos, and hot chocolate to go side-by-side (or poured over) the frozen cream. #matchmadeinheaven

Photo: Sugarloaf Craft Festival via Facebook

#5 Go to a Festival
During the warm summer months, D.C. hosts a slew of outdoor festivals. A little known fact, though, is that during the winter months there are also a bunch of family-friendly festivals that crop up. If your mini is into arts and crafts pen the Sugarloaf Craft Festival into your calendar (Jan. 30-Feb. 1). In addition to live entertainment and yummy food, more than 500 crafters will be displaying and hawking their handmade wares (from jewelry and wood to clothing and sculpture). If chocolate is more your bunch’s speed, the Chocolate Lovers Festival in Old Town Fairfax (Feb. 7-8) is a must. Check out the Chocolate Challenge—an arts contest featuring art made completely of chocolate—sample chocolates, peep historic re-enactments, and get involved in some chocolate themed crafting of your own.

What is your favorite summery activity to do during the winter. Tell us in the Comments section below. 

—Ayren Jackson-Cannady

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Take the Plunge: A JAWsome Experience for Shark Enthusiasts

by Helen Walker Green

Got a budding Jacques Cousteau or Shark Week enthusiast? Luckily, you don’t have to venture to the ocean to get up close and personal with these toothy friends. At Sharkmania, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s latest exhibit, landlubbers can touch real live sharks, learn about buzz saw sharks, and walk through a life-size replica of a megalodon jaw. But for the real adventurous ones in your crew, it’s the Eye-to-Eye Shark Cage Dive that’s the main attraction. Read on for the scoop on this heart-pumping thrill—no experience needed.

Helen Walker Green

A School of Sharks
Before taking the plunge, it’s time for shark school at the Dive Center. Your instructor will give you a talk on the rules of the cage dive and an introduction to the sharks you’ll meet (all 17 of them!). The rules are easy to follow, and the whole experience is carefully coordinated and safety-conscious. Psst! The instructors are brimming with shark facts and even have a way of keeping energetic 8-year-olds engaged.

Helen Walker Green

Shark Fact: Sharks have been around for 400 million years. They were here before the dinosaurs!

Getting Suited Up
After your get the important shark deets, the instructors will help you put on your dry suit, dive boots, and goggles. (Be forewarned: Letting the air out of the suits will cause much laughter). No need to worry about packing a swimsuit for this journey. The dry suit zips up over your clothes – the only things you’ll need to take off are your shoes and socks. Good to know: Your head, hands and feet will get wet during the dive.

Helen Walker Green

Shark Fact: Sharks have a sixth sense called electroreception. They can sense electricity in other living things (this comes in handy when they’re looking for their next snack).

Davy Jones’s Locker
When it’s time to head into the dive cage, your instructor will show you how to breathe through your scuba mouthpiece as well as add weights to your suit (to make sure you sink!). When everyone in your crew masters breathing like Darth Vader, it’s time to climb down the ladders and into the cage with the instructors by your side. Psst! If you don’t want your mouthpiece to fill with water, don’t smile on your way down – glug!

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium/Kris Sherman

Shark Fact: Sharks lose thousands of teeth in their lifetime! Bet they make a fortune from the Tooth Fairy!

Shark-Infested Waters
Plunging into the cage is an exhilarating experience for kids and grown-ups alike. Not only will you come face-to-face with these fascinating fish but you will get a shark’s-eye view of the aquarium – with friends and family looking at you through the glass. Don’t be surprised if the lemon shark playfully buzzes your cage a few times or the nurse sharks bask in a pile right by you. This is a great opportunity to try to spot the different sharks—can you see the blacktip reef shark with its signature blacktipped fin, and the unusual-looking Japanese wobbegong?

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium/Kris Sherman

The dive team will take video of your cage dive and will get a shot of each person waving to the camera (you can buy a copy on a shark-shaped USB drive). The cage dive lasts about 20 minutes, with the entire experience lasting an hour. Good to know: The instructors will continually check on you during the dive and can easily send you back up if you feel uncomfortable.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium/Dive Staff

Shark Fact: Shark babies are called pups.

Save the Sharks! 
When you’re back on dry land, you will have the opportunity to find out even more about sharks and how important they are to our oceans. The dive instructors love sharks and they want you to love them too!

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium/Dive Staff

Good to Know
1. You don’t have to cage dive with your kids, but you are welcome to attend the pre and post dive talks with them.

2. Friends and family can watch the cage dive in the South Pacific Aquarium.

3. Although the shark tank is heated to 75 degrees, it can be chilly standing in the cage. The aquarium has fleece under-layers to loan divers – or you can bring your own.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium/Dive Staff

4. Everyone gets a free souvenir towel. T-shirts, baseball caps, and a video of your dive are also available for purchase at the Dive Center.

5. Certified PADI divers age 15 & up can go on a scuba dive with the sharks.

6. Allow time to enjoy all that Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has to offer – there are many wonderful animals to see, including polar bears, red wolves, Sumatran tigers, and elephants. You can also take a camel ride during the summer months and during the holiday season (that’s if you’re energetic enough to handle riding a camel and cage diving with sharks all in one day!).

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
5400 N. Pearl St.
Tacoma, Wa 98407
253-591-5337
Online: pdza.org/sharkmania
Reservations: pdza.org/dive (online reservations are required)

Rates
Members: $60
Non-members: $75
(Includes admission to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and souvenir towel)

Ages
8 and up

Cage Dive Times
Daily, 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.

Would your kids like to go cage diving with the sharks? Let us know in a comment below.

— Helen Walker Green

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