Beach Ottumwa
The Beach Ottumwa is southeast Iowa's only waterpark. While it is a lot of fun with the 2 outdoor waterslides, wave pool and boats it can be sort of expensive to send the whole family. Admission is $9 if you want to use the slides or $6 if you don't. You can buy a beach pass during the winter months for $70 if you plan on visiting a lot. Personally, I don't think the Beach is worth $9. We have just as much fun swimming in our pool in our back yard.
Museum of Science
If you love learning as much as I do then the Museum of Science and Industry is the place for you. This museum isn't near all the other museums that are located by Soldier Field but it is worth the ride to go to Hyde Park and see it. There is a lot of neat exhibits at the museum such as the Zephyr train, the submarine and the Henry Crown space center. At the space exhibit you can get a look at actual space capsules...The Apollo 8 and the Aurora 7. For more learning, stop into the Omnimax theater to watch an educational film. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for kids.
Navy Pier
If you are coming to Chicago you HAVE to make a stop at the Navy Pier! It is fun for the whole family! You can take a boat tour, visit the Children's Museum or ride the giant ferris wheel! You can take a cruise on one of the yachts, visit the Shakepeare theater or take the kids to Build-A-Bear. If you get hungry there is plenty to eat at the Bubba Gump Shrimp company, Mcdonalds & more. We even saw Forrest Gump there and got a great picture with the kids. We had a great time at the Navy Pier and can't wait to go back!
John G. Shedd Aquarium
One word describes the Shedd Aquarium...WOW! Shedd is a great place to go if you interested in learning more about sea life and the animals that inhabit it. The exhibits are neat...especially when you can walk right up to the glass and see the snimals up close! Admission is steep at $25 for adults and $16 for kids for the all access pass. If you plan on seeing other Chicago attractions I recommend buying a City Pass. It can save you a ton of money!
Ottumwa Camping Park
In my opinion, if you are wanting a place to go camping I would go somewhere else other than the Ottumwa Park. The prices are high and there is nothing to do such as go boating, horseback riding etc. There are places around Iowa where you could camp ( and get all the fun things like I mentioned above) and pay the same price as the Ottumwa Park! The only time it is worth camping at the park is during the 4'th or during the balloon races. Don't expect too much privacy though. The park fills up so quickly that you could almost reach out your window and touch the camper next to you.
Building's & Storage
My wife and I had a storage unit at Buildings & Storage for awhile until we could get settled into our new house. We called around and found out that they were the cheapest in town. The whole complex is surrounded by a fence and it is well lit at night. The only con to this place is that it is sometimes hard to find the guy who runs this when it comes time to pay.
Wapello County Public Health
When it becomes time to get the kids shots up to date we always visit Public Health Nursing. They do immunizations the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 3-5pm. There is no cost for the shots but we always leave a donation. The nurses here are very friendly and give the shots as quickly & as painlessly as possible. They also give adult immunizations and tests for a small fee. It really is more convenient than getting a Dr's appointment.
Adler Planetarium
If you love the stars as much as I do them I recommend you visit the Adler Planitarium the next time you are in Chicago. Adler is a great place to see how space travel has changed over the years. From space capsules to space shuttles, you can see exhibits of all of them. They have a great theater where you sit back and see the stars projected around you. It is beautiful!
Brookfield Zoo
What a fantastic zoo this is! Brookfield Zoo is a magnificent zoo located just outside of Chicago. My favorite part of this zoo is the unique Tropic World. You get to actually see the animals up close without them being caged. The animals are in an authentic looking environment and you walk along a path up above. You even get to experience rain!
Admission to the zoo is $8 for adults & $4 for kids.
Ottumwa Public Library
I'd love to see the kind of library we could have if our city government gave it proper funding but instead we get a "better than nothing" library. Don't get me wrong...the library has gotten a lot better over the years but there is still room for improvement. For one thing...get a bigger audiobook section. The selection never seems to change and you can only listen to the same books so many times. One more thing...would it be possible to get some friendly faces in there? There are a few nice people who work there but I hate getting the evil eye every time I have a small late fee.
