Rainy Day Outings

Last weekend was a very rainy weekend, and although rainy days are a good excuse to stay home and snuggle, it's not so easy when we have to entertain an active toddler. Kaitlyn always enjoys a good outing, so when it's too cold and rainy to play outside, here are some fun indoor places that we like to take her.

Barnes and Noble: Clean, not overly crowded, and the kids section is usually pretty large. The two stores by our house also have train tables that she likes to play with. Also, lots of books to read!

Library: Same reason as above - lots of books (and some toys). If I didn't have to work during the week I would love to take her to weekly story time at our local library as well.

Children's Discovery Museum (San Jose): Lots of stuff to do here! Kaitlyn spent most of her first visit in the infant/toddler room, but now she's old enough for other activities, including the art room.

Talbot's Toyland (San Mateo): Huge toy store, and it's fun to visit because they keep most of their larger toys out for demo, including play houses, cars, train tables, slides, and play kitchen.

IKEA: I never noticed before how many families with small children are there on weekends, but it all makes sense now. The cafeteria is super kid-friendly and there's plenty of different rooms to explore. It's like hanging out in someone else's home (which to Kaitlyn is more fun than our own home). We can spend hours here, although we usually can't stand it for that long.

Safeway: Not necessarily a rainy day outing, but it's worth mentioning. Kaitlyn loves riding around in the buggy-carts, so a visit here is always a treat. She has fun, and we get our grocery shopping done, making for a pretty productive outing.

The mall is also an option, but there really isn't anywhere to run around there without getting in the shoppers' paths, so we usually avoid it.

I'm sure there are a lot more ideas for rainy day outings, and I look forward to discovering them.