Grilling Greatness

“It was the best cheeseburger I ever had.” So said one of my daughter’s best little guy pals of his meal at BrewBurger’s Pub and Grill, located in Venice, Florida, off Jacaranda Boulevard near Interstate 75. With a ringing endorsement like that, we just had to check the place out, and based on my multiple visits to the restaurant, I’d say the praise was warranted.

Occupying a former Waffle House, BrewBurger’s gave the space an update but maintains the basic layout of the breakfast joint, including the open kitchen and counter seating. On our first visit, we snagged a spot at the latter, where my daughter felt like a very big kid and could watch all the burger flipping and assembling.

Burgers range from the basic to options like the Black & Bleu Burger ($8.50) and the Smokey Burger with barbecue sauce and pepper jack cheese ($8.50). They’re juicy, just the right size, and cooked perfectly.

My daughter has never strayed from the kids’ cheeseburger ($5.95) on the Little People’s Menu. (“I want to get what the restaurant is called,” she told me the last time we ate lunch there.) She attacks the all-American classic with gusto, leaving red streaks of ketchup behind on her smiling face. Other choices for children are a hot dog, grilled cheese, chicken fingers, and fish tails.

With cups of crayons for the kids and cold draft beers for the adults to go along with the friendly service and satisfying burgers, it’s no wonder the place has won local “Best New Restaurant” honors and draws both a regular clientele and guests from three nearby hotels. So the next time you need a burger fix, head to BrewBurger’s. You won’t be disappointed.

Puppy Love

Like lots of other kids, my daughter Lindsay is constantly asking for a dog. Her dad and I aren’t ready to take that step yet, but we understand her fascination with the idea of a four-legged friend. So on a recent Saturday, we took her to Southeastern Guide Dogs’ Sarasota Discovery Center for its free Puppy Hugging program. Once a month, eight-week-old future guide dogs visit from the nonprofit’s campus in nearby Palmetto, Florida, for some serious cuddling.

Attendees are given a number and then called in to an enclosed petting area by groups of twenty. Kids get right down on the floor and wait for Southeastern Guide Dogs staffers and volunteers to place a puppy in their lap or guide one over for some playtime. A few balls and toys are provided to help draw canine to child (or to grown-up; adults are also welcome to get in on the puppy petting).

We arrived near the beginning of the puppy-hugging timeframe, so the little yellow Labradors still had lots of energy. Which meant that everyone had to get their hugs in quickly, since the pups would only sit in people’s laps for a minute or so before making their escape to explore their surroundings. Scampering all over the space, they paused for a pet here and a pet there or to sniff out everything from shoes to purses. Our desperate-for-a-dog daughter loved the softness of their fur, but she squealed and wriggled away the first time one of the puppies tried to lick her face. (Though she now remembers that fondly as her favorite part of the experience.) We heard that by the end of the session, the puppies usually start getting sleepy and sometimes doze in visitors’ laps.

The Discovery Center hosts other events aimed at kids and dog lovers, like art projects, seminars, and dog-training classes. It also houses a great gift shop with all kinds of doggie treats, toys, and supplies, with all of the proceeds going to support the organization’s mission of providing guide dogs for the visually impaired and U.S. veterans free of charge. So the puppies are more than just cute; they’ll be changing people’s lives one day.

Riding (Not So) High

I do not have a brave child. Which shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, since I’m not the most courageous person myself. She’s definitely inherited her sense of caution and her trepidation concerning new experiences from me. So as my five-year-old daughter’s friends whoop it up on age-appropriate roller coasters and other theme-park rides where the thrill levels have been amped up a bit, she’s content to take things slow and get her kicks on merry-go-rounds, flying elephants, and other kiddie fare.

That’s why she’s always up for a trip to Busch Gardens Tampa, which offers plenty of ride options for kids whose tastes skew more mild than wild. She may have outgrown Elmo and Grover, but she still has a ball at the park’s Sesame Street Safari of Fun. There she takes in the view from an egg-shaped car on Big Bird’s Whirly Birdie Ferris wheel and gleefully giggles as she splashes down the speed bump–sized hill on the Zoe-patra & the Hippos of the Nile flume ride.

In the park’s Timbuktu area, she hops astride a (usually pink or purple) motorcycle, picks out the most bedazzled horse on the carousel, and flies through the sky in a kiddie-controlled biplane. Maybe one day she’ll want to tackle rides with big hills and high speeds. But for right now, she’s in no rush to grow up, and I’m just fine with that.

After all, once she does grow up a bit more, she’ll no longer be eligible for the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Preschool Pass, one of the greatest perks the parks offer to Florida residents. Children five and under can get free, unlimited admission to both SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa during 2012. Just register your kiddos by May 31, and they can enjoy the parks for the rest of the year at no cost. And mom and dad can enjoy this rare instance when they don’t have to shell out cash at a theme park.

Child's Play

Welcome to my new blog! I’m a freelance writer and the mom of one curious five-year-old who loves eating at new restaurants, visiting museums, checking in to hotels, and otherwise exploring both our home state of Florida and anywhere else she, my husband, and I might find ourselves. Through my work and our everyday life, I’m often discovering killer kids’ menus that offer variety and value, historic sites with sections aimed at small fries, and all kinds of other places and things that are cool and kid-friendly. So I created this blog to share what I uncover. Family fun can be found almost anywhere, so I hope this blog encourages you to get out and explore with your kids!