Out and about with kids: The perfect day "date" with your little valentine

Last year I came to the realization of how wonderful Volunteer Park is for little ones. Volunteer park is diverse and spacious with plenty of room to run around, things to look at (from the sculptures to the water tower) and spots to picnic at. One of my favorite places in Volunteer Park is the children's playground which we often find empty and has a designated area for little ones. Between the Volunteer Park Conservatory, the open spaces, the playground and Volunteer Park Cafe nearby it makes for the perfect morning out with your little one, best friend or mother.

Right now Jasper is really into construction, planes and space travel, but I find it important to give him well rounded experiences and expose him to things other than his favorites. After our trips to the Conservatory I often fantasize about it creating a love for horticulture or that it will help him learn the name of plants at a young age. But when I see him trying to turn the wheels for the windows like he is driving a car or how he has smuggled a construction digger into his pocket to dig at the rocks in the Conservatory I beam with pride. In that moment, I am reminded how he is chartering his own path and becoming the person he wants to be on his own terms. Regardless, on a cold, crisp day the Conservatory is a beautiful place to warm up after a morning of going down slides and running around on grassy fields. At the end of the morning we have both worked up an appetite for a gigantic scone and an amazing pressed sandwich.