Botanical Gardens & Chuck E Cheese's

We went to the Botanical Gardens on Saturday with Steve, his girlfriend, & her children. We got there just before midday, & as we live within St Louis County we all got in free (mind you I don't think the receptionist believed Steve at first, wanting to know his zip code before giving him the tickets).

The gardens were pleasant, but the weather was a bit odd. Despite clear skies & enough sun to get burnt (yes I did), it was pretty cold for the entire day. The gardens had just opened a new childrens play area that we spent a couple of hours in. It was great fun with tree houses, caves, slides, a mini town square & some cool water features. These included jumping fountains & spring loaded stainless steel cylinders set onto the ground that squirted out water when you jumped on them.

The evening was spent at Chuck E Cheese's where we met up with 'Engish' Steve (who we work with & has just moved to St Louis) & his wife & kids. This is a mad place! For about $40 you get a large pizza (about 18 inches diameter), unlimited drinks & salad, & 50 tokens. Why do you need tokens at restaurant? This one has loads of arcade games that only work with the tokens. You can win tickets on most of the machines & at the end of the night you exchange them for a toy. Beth won 104 tokens & came away with a small, pink, bag - she thought it was great!