Cure cabin fever with hours of family fun in Hoover.
Winter provides plenty of opportunities to spend time with family as well as the beauty you find in early-morning frosts and twinkling Christmas lights. As winter draws to a close, however, you might find yourself desperate for the weather to warm up so you can cure yourself—and your rowdy kids—of a serious case of cabin fever. If you’re looking for a way to get you and your kids out of the house, there are plenty of activities in and around Hoover that you can do. Here’s a list of a few family-friendly activities you can try out as the weather begins to warm up.
Oak Mountain State Park
On days when the weather is nice enough that you can get outside and be active, one of the best places to go nearby is Oak Mountain State Park. The park stretches for 9,940 acres, making it Alabama’s biggest state park, and it’s just a quick drive from Hoover. There are plenty of activities for you and your family to enjoy, like hiking on the park’s 50 miles of hiking trails, fishing, horseback riding, and more. The park even has nature programs that your children are sure to enjoy, including an avian rehabilitation center. Your entire family will have hours of active outdoor fun—the perfect remedy for cabin fever!
Urban Air Adventure Park
This indoor park offers plenty of activities that will help your children burn off some serious energy even if the weather isn’t nice enough for them to play outside. Urban Air Adventure Park has seemingly endless activities, including go-karts, an obstacle course, a playground, trampolines, dodgeball, and more! There’s even an area for younger kids and a café if your little ones get hungry while you’re there. With so much to do, your kids won’t be getting bored of this park any time soon, which means it can provide multiple evenings of entertainment for your kids—and hopefully tire them out enough that you can have a quiet evening at home. The tickets vary greatly in price based on the activities your kids would like to take part in and how long you want to stay; parent passes are $5 and tickets range from $13 to $30. You can also buy a membership if you’re planning on coming to the park regularly.
Hoover Public Library
The Hoover Public Library hosts activities each week for all age groups, with many aimed towards children and teens. Every month they offer events centered around reading stories—including special events designed for children with autism or sensory challenges—singing, and making crafts. On March 10, the library is even getting a visit from Jerry Pallotta, the author of the “Who Would Win?” children’s book series. He’ll be at the library from 4:00pm to 6:00pm to lead children in a series of science-based activities. Additionally, if your children love Disney’s “Mulan,” there’s a special event centered around the character that involves crafts and games on March 14 from 10:30am to 11:30am.
These events, whether they’re special events like these or regularly scheduled, are a great way to get your children out of the house and engaged in the world around them, learning new things and making new friends around their age.
Birmingham Zoo
When the weather is nice enough, it’s a great idea to take the quick drive to Birmingham to see the zoo. Going early in the season helps you beat the huge crowds that clog the zoo’s streets in the late spring and summer, and although some species aren’t on exhibit during the winter, you’ll likely find that other species are more active without the sweltering heat of summer. Your little ones will absolutely love seeing the animals as well as enjoying the wide variety of activities the zoo has to offer, such as watching the sea lion training sessions, visiting the petting zoo, playing on the playground, and even riding the train. The zoo will provide an entire afternoon of fun for you and your children, no matter how old they are! Tickets are $12.95 for children aged two to 12 years old and $17.95 for adults.
McWane Science Center
Facilities like the McWane Science Center are great because they’ll entertain your kids for hours while encouraging them to learn. They also provide a surprising amount of exercise for your family as you walk from one exhibit to another. The McWane Science Center has endless hours of entertainment and education for your little ones, including exhibits that teach them about dinosaurs, ancient and modern sea creatures, and a wide range of scientific concepts. McWane Science Center lets your kids learn through experience, with many hands-on activities. There’s a collection where your children can touch fossils and rare minerals, a shark and ray touch tank, and NatureScope, an area where your kids learn about nature by getting up close and personal with birds and bugs. There are enough activities for days of fun, so you won’t end up with bored kids—you’ll probably learn a lot from the exhibits as well!
It’s easy to fall prey to cabin fever this time of year, when the weather is just starting to think about warming up after seemingly endless weeks of cold. Thankfully, there’s plenty of activities for your family to do in and around Hoover that will keep your entire family entertained—no matter which way the weather decides to turn!
