Paris is one of my favorite places to visit. How can you not love Paris? The history. The beauty. The food. I wasn’t sure what my kids would think though.

And I wasn’t sure what I would feed my son with the severe dairy allergy. When I think French food I think cheese and butter.

But with the Women’s World Cup enticing me and the memory of baguettes in my mind, we booked tickets for the week after our kids got out of school.

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Is it crazy to make a trip abroad for a soccer game? Is there anything for a dairy allergy kiddo to eat in France? Will I remember any of my years of French study?

Those were the questions rolling around in my head as we prepared.

Before Your Trip

Along with packing (I brought 6 epipens with us) and buying tickets ahead of time for things like the Women’s World Cup game and visiting the Eiffel Tower, I also tried to get our twins ready and excited for the trip.

Children’s Books about France

We read a huge stack of books about France before heading to Paris. This was a great idea. Our kids were so excited to spot places from the books and they were a huge motivator when we got to the Musee d’Orsay – more on that in a minute.

• Follow Me Around France by Wiley Blevins
• Everyone Bonjours! by Leslie Kimmelman
• Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
• Katie and the Impressionists by James Mayhew
• Chasing Degas by Eva Montanari *Harder to find but one of our favorites!
• Camille and the Sunflowers: A Story about Vincent Van Gogh by Laurence Anholt
• Madame Martine by Sarah S. Brannen

I also researched vegan and dairy free eating in Paris. I came away from Google feeling pretty assured that he would be able to eat something aside from fresh produce and baguettes – although truthfully that wouldn’t be the end of the world either, would it?

Where to Stay

We love love loved our Airbnb on the Ile Saint-Louis. It was so great to be in an apartment. Aside from allowing us to cook some of our meals to save money and my sanity (eating out with a food allergy is one of my biggest stressors in life) – it also allowed us to pretend to be locals for a little bit.

We shopped at the local bakery and grocery story every morning for bread and fruit. We went for our runs around the neighborhood and strolled in the evenings.

The Ile Saint-Louis, located right across the Seine River from Notre Dame, is also well situated near a train station and a Batobus stop so getting anywhere we wanted to go was easy.

Allergy Friendly French Food

Before leaving for Paris with our kids, finding things for my kiddo with a dairy allergy was my biggest concerns. The French do love their cheese and butter and either is deadly to him.

I was delighted to find, however, that in general it was easy to feed him. There was a lot of cheese, but there was less cheese and butter and milk hidden in random things than we find in the USA. The French tend to eat more pure, organic food and that fits well with his diet.

We did look up the translation for how to communicate his allergy with servers and both had it saved on our phones so that we weren’t relying on our high school French to communicate that piece of information, but otherwise we found the servers took his allergy seriously and there were options most places we went.

Here were his favorite foods:

• Baguette – dairy free and delicious. My kids devoured at least a loaf a day. Pick them up in the morning at a bakery when they are warm and extra delicious.
• Fruit – pop into one of the little grocery stores and buy fresh fruit. Their pears are particularly amazing.
• Sorbet – on most blocks you can find somewhere with gelato and sorbet. Especially on a hot day, a “pot avec sorbet” is the perfect treat.
• Pizza – not traditionally French, but we did have pizza one night and their dough and sauce contained no dairy and they were happy to make him a cheese-free pizza. Obviously check with your particular restaurant.
• He also ate: “French hotdog” (hot dog on a baguette) and “poulet avec frites” (chicken with fries).

6 Must-Do Things in Paris Kids

We were definitely busy during our week in Paris. There is so much to do with kids in Paris, France. You could easy fill weeks there.

Our trip was prompted by the Women’s World Cup. We bought tickets to the US Women’s Game vs. Chile in Paris and planned our trip around that.

The game was awesome. I was worried my kids, both pee-wee soccer drop outs, would get bored but they loved it. The crowd vibrated with excitement and the US Women’s National Team is awesome.

The rest of the time, we explored Paris – with two day trips to Mont Saint-Michel and Brussels.

1. Sainte Chappelle

The Notre Dame was closed from renovations following the Spring fire otherwise we probably would have gone there instead. I think seeing at least one cathedral or church is a must when you’re in France. They’re stunning and unlike what we have in the states.

Sainte Chappelle is known for it’s immense stain-glass windows that are particularly gorgeous on a sunny day. They did not disappoint.

2. Louvre & Jardin des Tuileries

Think of things to do in Paris and it’s hard to come across a list that doesn’t mention the Louvre. My husband and I have both been before and of the art museums in Paris it wasn’t our favorite so given our limited time we decided to skip it in favor of others.

We did walk past the entrance and then visit the Jardin des Tuileries which stretches in front of the Louvre. Things for kids to do include:

• Watching the ducks in the pond
• Jumping on the Trampolines
• Riding the Carousel
• Playing on the Playground
• Riding the Ferris Wheels (summer months only – closed when we were there)

If you have time, I also highly recommend the Musee de L’Orangerie. After the Musee D’Orsay (see below) it is a close second. You can also buy a combo ticket for both to help with the cost if you have time to do both.

3. Eiffel Tower

This was number 1 on my kids’ list. The lines are long and it is crowded everywhere, but this is kind of a must to me. I don’t know that I’d feel the need to do it every trip, but for your first one the Eiffel Tower should be on your list.

The view is incredible. I think it helps you get a lay of the land or reflect on the places you’ve been already.

We opted to ride the elevator which I was happy with because it was in the 80s when we visited. Come prepared to wait in line – use the bathroom at the base before you get in line and have snacks and things to do.

4. Ride the Batobus

The Batobus was particularly convenient for us because of our Airbnb location on the Ile Saint Louis but I’d recommend it to anyone visiting a few of the places on it’s list of stops.

This is a water bus/taxi that you pay one fee for the day and then you can get on and off as much as you want all day long. The Batobus stops at Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Musee D’Orsay, and the Eiffel Tower – among other places.

5. Musee D’Orsay

This is my favorite museum in Paris. It is built in an old train station and the building itself is incredible. Think Grand Central Station – but better and filled with art.

We went up to the Impressionist floor at the top first because that is my absolute favorite. I’ve learned that you need to start with what you most want to see in big places like museums and zoos and then see how much energy, attention, patience you (ahem, your kids) have left.

Monet. Degas. Renoir. If you’re a fan of Impressionist art, this floor does not disappoint.

I was SO glad that I had prepped my kids by reading them picture books about impressionist art before our trip. Katie and the Impressionists and Chasing Degas were two of our favorites (see the full list above) and my kids were so excited to spot those paintings hanging at the Musee D’Orsay.

We brought their cameras and they took pictures of everything while I soaked it all in.

6. Jardin du Luxembourg

We headed here after the Musee D’Orsay and that worked well. They were quick train trips from each other and as good as my kids were at the art museum, I’ve learned that balancing structured – please be on your best behavior – activities and running around outside activities in our days helps to keep the mom zen.

The Jardin du Luxembourg is another of the lovely parks in Paris. It is lush and green, especially in late Spring / early Summer when we visited.

The top two things to hit with kids at the Jardin du Luxembourg are the playground and the pond.

The playground was closed while we were there for renovations which was a huge bummer because it looks absolutely incredible. My kids were ready to hop the fence.

The other, is the boats on the pond. You can rent a sailboat for 30 minutes. Your kid puts in the pond and then they race around the outside to push it back into the middle whenever it gets to the edge. It’s so simple but genius.

My kids ran for a half and hour delighted. We sat on chairs that are thoughtfully all around the outside watching and enjoying the beautiful park for a half and hour delighted.

Other Ideas for Paris with Kids:

These are things that I’ve done on other trips or had recommended to me by other family travel parents:

• Pompidou Center
• Picnic in Bagatelle
• Sacre Couer
• Eat Macaroons at Pierre Herme or Gerard Mulot

Day Trips From Paris

One of the things I love most about Europe is how close together the different countries are – think East Coast United States but instead of state hopping you’re country hopping.

I read this post on Wanderlust Crew with a ton of ideas for Day Trips when we were planning our trip and we decided to do two on our trip to Paris this time.

1. Mont Saint-Michel

This is about a 3 hour drive from Paris. We rented a car in the middle of the week for a day and spent the day driving down and back. My husband had fond memories of this from his school trip to France many years ago.

Mont Saint-Michel is located in Normandy just outside of Paris and it is gorgeous. The coolest thing about it is at low tide there are 3 miles of sand surrounding it, but when the tide comes in it becomes an island. I wish we could have watched the change – perhaps a night over nearby is in order some day.

The trail that winds up the mountain is super touristy. If you want souvenirs or somewhat over-priced food this is your spot. It’s also cute though and fun to wander through.

Bring walking shoes because it is a pretty steep climb up. To me, the views were worth it.

2. Brussels, Belgium

With so much, so close, we decided we wanted to see a new-to-us country while we were in Europe. We picked Belgium. Brussels is a quick 1 1/2 train ride from Paris.

Brussels is known for chocolate and waffles and comic books and more. Read all about our day in Brussels in THIS POST: 8 Hours in Brussels with Kids

Find all of our Family Travel adventures HERE

Birthday parties, eating out at restaurants, even dinner at a friend’s house are all on my list of Stressful for a Parent of a Child with Food Allergies, but I learned last month that Disney World is on a different list.

Disney World is on the (very short) awesome about food allergies list.

One of my twins has a severe allergy to dairy. Like the rare Epi-Pen allergic to dairy type of allergy. Parents of a child with food allergies will understand when I say that I have got this pretty much mastered at home. It took awhile and some tears and frustration, but at home and school I have a system. I am pretty confident he is safe.

Traveling with that food allergy is a whole different thing. Traveling with a food allergy means constantly eating food that I didn’t shop for and didn’t prepare and sometimes can’t communicate very clearly about. More than anything it means putting a lot of trust in someone else to make safe food for my kid.

Disney World, however, was hands down one of the best travel experiences I have had in terms of that food allergy stress.

I had certainly heard this reputation, but we recently took our first family trip to Disney World and I was blown away by how they handled allergies, so of course I had to share.

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Disney World with Kids + a Dairy Allergy

We landed at Disney World on a Saturday. It was a long flight from California (yes, I am aware that we live about 2 hours from Disneyland but we didn’t know that would be the case when we booked the trip pre-move.) and the time change and jet lag were a little tough the first day but we handled it by switching our schedule over as quickly as possible.

also read: how to help your kids conquer jet lag fast

That day we checked in, had dinner and got to bed.

STAY.

We stayed at the Art of Animation Disney Hotel which we really liked. The kids loved the Finding Nemo themed room and pool area. The playground above was also a huge hit. Us parents enjoyed the suite with an actual door and separate bathroom for us.

We had dinner and breakfast at our hotel and were pleasantly surprised by the little ways that food allergies were considered. We found soy milk and soy chocolate milk. The menus were clear and the staff was very helpful.

Then we headed to the parks.

EAT. (even with a dairy allergy)

There are SO many places to eat and wow was I overwhelmed when we first started to figure this part out.

When you add in the additional complication of a food allergy eek. BUT Disney World pleasantly surprised me with their awesome appreciation for how difficult allergies are for families to deal with.

We did a little pre-work by investigating on the Disney World website how they deal with food allergies and reading some other blogs that share reviews of different allergy options at Disney.

These are my kiddo with the severe dairy allergy’s eating experiences.

Character Breakfast at Crystal Palace

We started off our first full day – Sunday – at the Magic Kingdom and had brunch at the Crystal Palace.

I have read other experiences where the character meals were too overwhelming for them with an allergy. I can understand this, especially with certain allergies. However, we avoided the buffet tables which always freak me out in terms of cross contamination and I felt at his age and with the spacing of the tables he was pretty safe.

My kids loved meeting the Winnie the Pooh characters and even I have to admit that I got kinda giddy when Piglet stopped by, but that was not the highlight for me.

The highlight for me were these adorable Mickey Mouse waffles. Now maybe you’re unimpressed, but let me tell you why this is such a big deal.

We have been other places that have been good about food allergies. We have tracked down alternative foods that are safe in a variety of stores. BUT here’s the thing – the “alternatives” are never cute.

Not only did the Disney chefs happily whip up some dairy-free waffles and deliver them to our table, but they got that my kid is a kid. They took the extra time to make them fun.

The vegan mac and cheese does not come in shapes.

The vegan ice cream sandwiches are always squares.

Disney’s dairy free food creators get that my kid wants to have the same fun shaped food as every other kid. Cue the mama tears.

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

The next day when we got to Epcot and went to the Princess Storybook Dining meal we got the exact same treatment:

• They knew we had a food allergy from our reservation.
• We were shown the Allergy-Friendly Menu
• The server volunteered to get a chef for us to talk any concerns over with
• and the food was delicious.

The one weird thing I will say about the Allergy-Friendly Menu is that it is set up so that the menu tells you what you CAN eat. I love the positive tone of this and wish that this was the way the whole world discussed allergies, but since it’s the opposite of everywhere else I’ve been, it was a little confusing at first.

The food wasn’t as cutesy at this meal, but that was true for all of us. It was really good though and almost everything was vegan friendly (which also means no dairy) – aside from this really big plate of meat – which he loved since he’s very much not vegan.

I can’t really explain how much a stress-free restaurant dining experience meant to me.

The fact that from the hostess to the server to the cooks all got that this was a big deal and understood how to make us feel comfortable and made zero mistakes (because of course I still had to check) with our orders was huge.

It meant not only could I eat and relax, I could also enjoy moments like my daughter meeting her favorite princess and explaining to her that “I like you the very best because you love animals just like me.”

Donald’s Safari Breakfast at Tusker House

The next day we went to Animal Kingdom and had our third and final character breakfast. Three was a little much I would probably only do one or two if I was going to do it again, but all were great experiences.

This time we met Mickey and his pals which delighted my “princessed out” son. (His words.) Again the menu was clear, the staff was helpful, and the food was delicious.

On a side note, I really liked that although some food was the same (Mickey Waffles were once again procured at Animal Kingdom) a lot of it was very different depending on where you were.

Snacks

The rest of the time we ate meals away from the parks, but we did have a few snacks worth mentioning.

Epcot was definitely our favorite place for snacking.

It did make me a little nervous that not all of the staff at Epcot spoke excellent English, but we are used to trying again and again until we are sure they understand the severity of his allergy. Despite a minor language barrier everyone continued to be very helpful and friendly about our concerns.

In fact, the day we did Epcot we snacked our way through dinner instead of having a big meal somewhere.

We all loved this adorable rice and coconut panda from a cart in the China Pavilion.

My son was thrilled to eat his first big soft pretzel in the Germany Pavilion. You wouldn’t think they contain dairy but every other place we’ve checked they have said he couldn’t have it. It was enormous and he ate almost all of it and said it was the best thing ever.

We also had ice cream and sorbet at L’Artisan Des Glaces which is tucked into the French Pavilion.

Magic Kingdom Snacks

My favorite snack spot was Gaston’s Tavern at the Magic Kingdom. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie so I loved the little details and touches.

There we drank the LaFoo specialty drink which was dairy free even though it looked so delicious and silly that was very hard to believe. Again research and lots of questions ensured that yup, no dairy!

you may also like: 7 tips for surviving lines at disney

I will share more (non-food related things) about our adventures at Disney World but for now I just want to say that as an allergy kid’s mama it was a joy. Traveling with my kids is a great experience, but that one piece usually makes it so much more stressful and complicated.

Sure we still asked lots of questions and triple checked all of our menus and his food, but it was still so much easier than most travel experiences. On top of that the little magical touches that they added, even to the allergy friendly food, were incredible.

Disney World did a remarkable job with dairy free food for our little guy and I have no doubt it made our trip a million times better.

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New York City truly is a place with something for anyone – even cereal fans. The Kellogg’s NYC restaurant is located across the street from Union Square Park and is my new favorite snack spot for kid friendly eating in the city.

If we’re being honest, I may have counted their bowls of cereal for a meal once too.

This inconspicuous little spot sits on a second story store front just off Union Square.

Once you get inside though, it is surprisingly spacious.

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This is a cereal joint. That was obvious right?

We highly recommend it for breakfast and even more for a fun snack. This is a perfect mid-adventure day stop.

Eat a bowl of cereal.

Hang out for a bit.

Then hit the city again.

Eating at Kellogg’s NYC

know before you order

• DIY cereal bar where you choose your cereal type or types and then a buffet style area with tons of toppings. with over 30 playful toppings.
• They also have a menu with some suggested creations that you might want to check out before you start loading your bowl.
• You pay per bowl, not by weight, so feel free to load up. I do wonder if this will change – so make sure to check their current prices.

dairy free / allergy tips for kellogg’s NYC

• Buffet style areas always make me nervous with my kid’s severe allergy. Know your child’s severity and know that just mixing a bunch of different cereals together can be super fun and colorful.
• They have a variety of milk options. We had soy but there were other options as well.

one more thing!

*Don’t miss the Instagram station along the wall behind you when you check out. I was too amused by this idea. It is complete with a light source and props.

*Read more on their website.

find all of our dairy free tips + posts here

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My skepticism faded the moment we rode up into the hills of western Maryland. Suddenly we were surrounded by bright bursts of Fall colors and this trip to Coopers Rock State Forest in West Virginia didn’t seem quite so crazy.

At the beginning of the summer my daughter had only a few things on her Summer Bucket List. She wanted to;

• swim at the beach. Check.
• go on the rides at Coney Island. Check.
• learn how to do a cartwheel. Ummm…work in progress.
• and she wanted to go camping…

Truthfully I am not a big camping person. I like hot showers and soft mattresses and falling asleep to the hush of a sound machine.

So that camping trip kept getting pushed off.

But she kept after me.

Driving into West Virginia I was glad she had been such a pest about this trip. I was also kind of glad we had waited until Fall.

This part of the country is truly magnificent in the Fall. The mountains, the colors, the blue sky and the trees…

So beautiful.

In case you are headed to West Virginia or Cooper Rock State Forest for some camping or just for a day of hiking, some helpful things to know are below.

affiliate links are included below. thanks for your support of Bambini Travel.

A Weekend Camping in Cooper Rock State Forest

Why Cooper Rock State Forest? Why West Virginia? Good questions.

Since we were going in the Fall we wanted somewhere that would be full of foliage. We looked at upstate New York and Vermont feeling confident in their splendor this time of year, but their cut off for camping is earlier than the 3 day weekend we happened to have free.

ALSO READ: FAMILY CAMPING AT TALLULAH GORGE STATE PARK GEORGIA

So we looked south.

As many super random seeming travel decisions in our house, this one was made because West Virginia was a place we had yet to visit. Cooper Rock State Forest came highly recommended so we booked a campsite and started dusting off our family tent.

STAY.

We camped in a tent in the Rhododendron Campground.

Things We Liked:

These campsites are spaced a little further apart and are a little more picturesque. They are also closer to the trails, playground, and shop.

Things We Didn’t Like:

The other campsites have electric outlets and a bathroom with a shower.

I was happy with our choice, but we did drive over and use the shower one morning.

The kids had a blast helping us set up our monster of a tent. We own this 3 room family tent and although it is admittedly a bit intense I love it.

When my husband and I used to camp pre-kids we had a tiny little two person thing that you basically waved in the air once and it was ready to go. This one is a bit more of an event to assemble, but it is easy to use, well made, and has SO much space.

I’m pretty sure that having their own “rooms” is the only reason my kids finally settled down and went to sleep, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

EAT.

There are some crazy awesome creative people out there that cook amazing things on the campfire but we tend to go simple. Hot dogs. Baked potatoes. We did try a couple of fun treats though you have to try some time!

• Best Snack: S’mores muddy buddies – I used this recipe!

• Best Breakfast: Campfire Cinnamon Rolls – Being honest, these are HARD to get right and I think cooking them on tin foil might have been a better way to go than the skewers but the ones we got right were yummy. Go heavy on the cinnamon and don’t skip the glaze. I used this recipe.

• Eat by lantern light. Not a food, obviously, but we waited until after dark for dinner one night because my kids were so happy playing outside. I can’t explain to you how exciting this was for my kids. Headlamps like these were super helpful.

more recipes & Fun stuff on my family camping pinterest board

TO DO.

There are a lot things to do in the park. Read more on the Coopers Rock State Forest website.

My kids spent the better part of the first afternoon being delighted by everything outdoorsy. Poor deprived little city kids.

Once they stopped bouncing up and down about every leaf and bug, here are the other things we enjoyed in the park.

• Hike the trails. There are a bunch of options (get a free map when you check in at the front) and they range in difficulty and length.

• Enjoy the view. (Full disclosure – I was way more excited about the view than my kids but they tolerated my delight)

• Look for signs of the season

• and signs of life. (They love these bug catching kits )

• play on the playground.

read also: Essential Tips for surviving camping with a toddler

Final Thoughts?

Worth the drive? Absolutely!

We would camp in Coopers Rock State Forest again in a heartbeat. We pried ourselves away earlier than we planned because of an impending storm and it was so hard to say goodbye to all this beauty.

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Picture a long line of green apple trees with specks of red dotting their branches. Above them the brilliant blue sky beams with crisp Fall air and below them children race along giggling.

Sound too good to be true?

Sometimes I think “Fall” like it is shown in picture books is a fantasy, but then every now and then I get a glimpse of it.

We had some perfect Fall moments last weekend at Alstede Family Farm on our first Fall family adventure of the season.

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Alstede Farm in New Jersey

Alstede Farm is located about an hour west of us in Chester, New Jersey. This huge farm houses a store, farmers’ market, fields of apples, pumpkins, peaches, berries and more, and hours of family fun.

Below are 10+ things to do at the farm. Our first stop was the Pick-Your-Own area.

Apples of many varieties are ripe for the picking (and chomping).

Juicy peaches.

Bright orange pumpkins.

Brilliant sunflowers.

Our kids bounded down the lanes of fruit and vegetables spotting, picking, sampling, saving. 

They loved every moment. The bumpy tractor ride. The open space for running. The hunting for fruit on the tree branches.

After we were satisfied that we had picked enough fruit for the next month (probably year), we went back to the main part of the farm to eat and play.

There are too many options to name, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was easy to find things for my food allergy kiddo to enjoy.

Dairy Free Food Options:

• Lots of fresh fruit (obviously!)
• Hot dogs or bratwurst (but the buns had dairy)
• Cotton Candy for a treat.

Play Time!

We bought our kids a wristband for unlimited play – but you can also purchase tickets for specific activities.

There is a ton to do including;

• Hay Bale climbing
• Goat Feeding
• Mini-Train riding

• Pony rides
• Corn Bin playing

• Music listening (with simple instruments for kids to play)
• And more.

We spent about 3 hours at the farm and went home tired, full, and with our trunk loaded with fresh Fall treats.

A perfect Fall afternoon.

Learning Embedded in Adventure:

Adventures like this offer so much opportunities for learning. Here are some things my kids worked on and learned about at the farm, mostly without even realizing it.

• Farm to table knowledge
• Reading signs
• Using the map to navigate
• Completing purchases & currency
• Farm animals

read also: Apple vs. Ball STEM Experiment

Important Notes:

• Farm Website – alstedefarms.com
• You can either buy a wristband for unlimited access to the activities for kids, or you can pay a la carte. There are more details on the website so you can decide ahead of time how much you want to pay or do.
• You pay to ride the wagon and go pick, but you also pay for what you pick on the way out. Only pick what you really think you want.

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Family Adventure Ideas!

The blue bridge stretches above me as I get my first glimpses of Chattanooga and the surrounding hills. My kids have of course sprinted ahead, but I’m still taking in the lovely green, the flowing river, and the steam boats.

Chattanooga was the one place of the few places we didn’t make it to when we were living in Mississippi.

It might seem a bit random to hop on a plane from NYC to Chattanooga, TN but it was a random idea I would happily do again.

A Weekend in Chattanooga TN

Chattanooga is a small charming city in southeastern Tennessee. It sits on the banks of the Tennessee River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. I imagine Fall here is truly spectacular.

Below are our top picks for family fun. We visited with friends from Nashville so we had a 3 year old, twin 6 year olds, and a 7 year old and 4 adults to keep happy.

STAY.

Hilton Double Tree Inn

We stayed in a suite at the Hilton Double Tree in downtown Chattanooga and loved it.

The room provided us with a living room area with a fold out couch for our kiddos, a king sized bed in a separated room for us, a mini-fridge, and a nice bathroom.

The hotel also has a yummy (for purchase unless you’re an honors member) breakfast buffet and a decent outdoor pool.

The best part however was the location. It was half a block from the Children’s Museum and walking distance to everything else in downtown including some great food options.

EAT.

I was SO impressed with how food allergy friendly the restaurants in Chattanooga were. Our son has a severe dairy allergy and our friends have a gluten and egg allergy so we definitely put the restaurants to the food allergy test, but we found some delicious options.

Due to our son’s severe daily allergy we tend to stick to places we know (boring I know – but huge on ridding anxiety for all of us). There was a Five Guys, Panera, and Subway all within walking distance. We did go to Five Guys, but there were also many other non-chain restaurants that were allergy friendly. YAY!

Milk & Honey
This is my favorite. We went for breakfast after a walk across the bridge. It had so many delicious options I’m not really sure to start except to say that all 8 of us had something different and we all loved our meals.

Mellow Mushroom.
Okay this is technically a chain in the South, but it was new to us. It has pizza and a variety of other options. Great for families. Good kids menu. Awesome with allergies.

Taco Mamacita.
This restaurant was also located on the far side of the bridge from downtown in the same strip as Milk & Honey. It was your typical Mexican food but good and allergy friendly. Visit their website for more details!

Ice Cream Show.
There are a lot of ice cream spots in the area so you are never far from a sweet treat, but I liked this one for our allergy kiddo. They had a soy option for both vanilla and chocolate, as well as regular ice cream. Everyone picks either chocolate or vanilla and toppings of your choice. They then mix up your chosen flavor for you on the spot. Our kids like the fun space, I liked the patio, and after our first walk across and back on the bridge it was the perfect treat.

TO DO.

There is a ton of stuff to do with kids in Chattanooga. I was amazed. We ran out of time long before we ran out of things to do. Guess that means we’ll have to go back!

Walk Across Walnut Street Bridge

This is a short bridge across the Tennessee River for foot and bike traffic only. It offers pretty views of the area. It is a very doable walk for little legs. On either side there is ice cream for a little extra motivation.

Coolidge Park

If you walk across the bridge away from downtown, you land next to this fun space. The park has a green space, a carousel, and a splash pad fountain that’s the perfect place to cool off. There are also cute shops and yummy restaurant and treat options nearby.

Ruby Falls

This was the only time we jumped in the car our whole weekend but it was incredibly worth it. About 15 minutes from downtown and up into the mountains is the entrance to an incredible cave.

About a mile walk round trip. I recommend it for ages 5 and up. There were younger kids in our group but they weren’t that excited and many of them were afraid of the caves even though they are pretty well lit.

Our 6 year olds twins loved it though. Our tour guide had the humor of 5-9 year olds nailed. They laughed at all of his jokes and were fascinated by all the silly shaped rocks along the way. (ie. Huge piece of bacon, a chicken surfing, etc.)

At the end of the walk through the caves is the incredible Ruby Falls that is highlighted with a light show. 

There are no bathrooms or sitting spaces inside the cave so make sure you use the bathrooms in the visitor center before the tour. One mom did nurse while we walked which I found super impressive but obviously isn’t ideal as a baby nursing situation.

Food is available in the visitor center along with lots of gift and souvenir buying options.

Upon returning, your guide will give you the option of heading up a flight of stairs to the top of the castle. Do it! You are rewarded with a pretty view of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River. 

Creative Discovery Museum

We almost skipped this and I’m so glad we didn’t. The title is so well suited to the space. It is full of opportunities for creativity and discovery. Our kids loved it. 

They saw this climbing course from the outside and they were dying to try it. It apparently doesn’t disappoint because they were up there for a half hour before I encouraged them to try another area and they still wanted one last go before we left. 

On the first floor there are spaces to explore building, dinosaurs, music, art, creating, and more.

There is also a 4 and under space with pretend play, building and more. It has cute stroller parking outside the area. My kids being 6 we didn’t try it out, but I peeked in and it looked like lots of fun for toddlers and preschoolers.

My son was fascinated by the Electricity station. He tried out all of the experiments and the computer simulation. In this area were also some fun building and tinkering opportunities for younger and older kids. 

The Art Studio was an incredible space. The walls were covered with ideas and color and inspiration.

In another corner was this doctor pretend play area. Our kids played in this doctor area for a long time.

Compared to other children’s museums this one had substantially less opportunity for pretend play. To me this was not a negative. It was a well balanced museum that was truly inspiration for creative thinking and discovery.

This pretend play spot was full of details and our kids loved it. There were also some other pretend play opportunities tucked into other areas. 

Up the stairs there was a special exhibit – Eric Carle in this case, an exhibit about bees, and an outdoor section.

Our kids love Eric Carle books so it was fun to see the books come to life a bit. Their favorite part was imagining to be crickets in the tall grass in the picture above. (PS. Most genius use for pool noodles I have ever seen)

I loved this cozy little nook for reading and creative bug construction. There was also a spot to crawl through a web and peek through a kid sized version of the Very Hungry Caterpillar’s story. 

Throughout the museum I was impressed by the quality of the open ended activities and the thoughtful use of technology integrated in the different exhibits. 

Outside there are some basic physics challenges that were a lot of fun. As if it needed more going for it, the museum also has a Nursing room with nice space, comfy chair and changing table and offers discounts for active military, AAA, teachers, and reciprocal discounts for other children’s museum memberships.

Truly an awesome Children’s Museum from top to bottom. It felt unique, which is rare in the world of children’s museum. One of the best I have seen to date.

Tennessee Aquarium

I adore aquariums so I was super excited to visit the TN Aquarium. It did not disappoint.

There are two buildings for the aquarium – an ocean journey and a river journey – and you buy your tickets at another unconnected building (or online).

We started with the Ocean Journey.

You are immediately sent up a long escalator to the top floor. There you will find monkeys, sting rays, and butterflies. I’m honestly not sure what most of that has to do with the ocean but our kids loved it all the same.

The touch tanks was a particular hit. There was one in each building and our kids spent more time there than anywhere else. 

Both buildings or journeys had a variety of animals from sharks and jellyfish to penguins and turtles. There were also loads upon loads of fish.

I think what I was most impressed with was the layout. The two buildings thing is a little odd, but once inside a building they have laid out a path for you to follow that is natural and greatly reduces the feeling of crowding or the annoyance of backtracking through spaces you’ve already been.

We all loved the aquarium. It is a beautiful, clean, well lit, and fascinating place to visit with kids.

So, what did we miss? Anything you think we absolutely must do on our next visit to Chattanooga? Share it below!

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