Sunken Gardens and Ivanna Cone

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Everywhere I go, it seems I know someone who lives there or has lived there. It's one of the perks of having a large family. Oliver and Jo slept the whole way to Omaha, so, as we headed west from there, we knew we wouldn't be able to drive long before needing to stop again. We decided we'd push the kids as far as Lincoln, and then we'd make a long stop so that they'd be ready to nap when we left Lincoln.

My cousin, David, and his wife recommended a couple places for us to stop. We decided to check out the Sunken Gardens, and after running around and getting some fresh air, we'd stop at an ice cream parlor called Ivanna Cone before hopping back onto I-80.

Unfortunately, the whole city of Lincoln appeared to be under construction. We were able to take an alternate route and made it to the Sunken Gardens without too much trouble. The gardens weren't that large, but they were absolutely breathtaking. There were flowers everywhere. It sort of sunk in the middle, creating a wall of flowers on all sides as we walked down to the middle. The center of the gardens contained a pond filled with koi fish. Oliver was a bit cranky from the car ride, but he warmed up quickly when he saw the fish. We hung out with them for a while, and then Oliver wandered around, smelling the flowers. It was gorgeous. We found a patch of shaded grass, and I plopped Jo down to enjoy the soft grass while Oliver climbed up onto a bunch of small boulders. It looked like the perfect place for a picnic.

We left Sunken Gardens feeling good, but construction soon left a sour taste in our mouths. Jo just kept screaming. The directions from Google Maps that were supposed to take us from the gardens to the ice cream parlor led us through large patches of construction. The streets in the city of Lincoln were mostly one-way. So, when I couldn't turn on one street, I'd try to go down two more. When that one was also closed, I'd keep going until the street I was on ended. I'd be forced to drive in the opposite direction I wanted to go. So, I'd go away from our destination, hoping to go until I found another street that would go further down, hoping to connect to a street that would take us back up the way we came. Everything was closed. I ended up driving around the whole city trying to backtrack and find my way back where we came. It probably took 45 minutes to get back to the highway. I have to admit, it was mentally exhausting, and I couldn't help but think that 45 minutes should have been spent on I-80 going west instead of in the city of Lincoln.

Here's the thing, though. Ivanna Cone made up for it. No, seriously. When we finally got to the Hay Market of Downtown Lincoln, I was floored by the beauty of the city streets. I could have strolled them for hours if it wasn't so hot, and if Jo wasn't screaming bloody murder. We walked a few blocks to the ice cream shop and welcomed the cool touch of air-conditioned air and the warm smell of fresh waffle cones. I ordered a small scoop of Dutch Chocolate for Oliver to enjoy, and then I ordered a waffle cone with a scoop of Mint Chocolate and a scoop of Maple Grapenut for Andrew and me to split. There were about a dozen flavors, and many of them looked intruiging, like the White Chocolate Lemon Cookie. I wish I could have tried them all! Oliver's Dutch Chocolate was one of the best chocolate ice creams I've ever tasted, but the Maple Grapenut was even better. Mint chocolate is my favorite flavor, but all I wanted to do was gobble it up as soon as possible to reveal more of the Maple Grapenut beneath. Mmm. I'm salivating at the memory of it.

There was a play area for kids, filled with children who threw the toys on the ground (literally) and made a racket, but Oliver wasn't interested in it because there was a giant, old-fashioned ice cream maker on display. It was churning the ice cream that the parlor served. The buckets were surrounded in ice, and there was some automated contraption set up to churn it. Oliver was fascinated. He loved watching it mix and kept proudly declaring that it was automatic. A woman came out and showed him how it worked. Then, when the ice cream was ready, she opened it up and showed it to him. I'm pretty sure Oliver was about to explode from excitement. She told us she was taking it to the back, but she told Oliver to stay there because someone would be coming by to start up the next flavor. We got to watch as an employee got another flavor bucket ready and leveled it in the ice. He latched on the automated thing that cranked the ice cream maker. Oliver's smile couldn't get any bigger.

Unfortunately, Jo was still pissed from the drive. Nothing I could do would calm her. I needed to pry Oliver away from the ice cream shop so that I could change Jo's diaper and nurse her. It felt cruel telling Oliver we had to leave. I firmly believe he could have stayed there all afternoon, if I'd let him. He talked to us about the automatic ice cream maker for the rest of the day. I'm sorry to tell Aunt Erin and Aunt Julie, but the ice cream maker at Ivanna Cone trumped their Kitchenaid mixers. Oliver spent every single day in Des Moines standing at the counter, pointing out all of the parts of Aunt Erin's red Kitchenaid mixer. He probably could have spent weeks pointing out all the parts of the ice cream maker over and over again. He's so funny.

We reluctantly left Ivanna Cone, but Andrew and I made a mental note to come back every time we pass through Lincoln. We sadly acknowledged the fact that it would likely never be quite so much fun for Oliver again like it was this time when he's two and a half. Who knows? Maybe next time we're there, it'll be just as mesmerizing for Jo.

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Photos

Oliver Likes the Koi Fish
The Sunken Gardens in Lincoln, Nebraska

Scaling the Boulders
Oliver enjoyed climbing on all the rocks at The Sunken Gardens.

Still Climbing
The Sunken Gardens in Lincoln was a really good stop for Oliver to run and climb and get his energy out.

My Little Stander
Joanna's practicing her standing at the Sunken Gardens in Lincoln.

Leaving the Sunken Gardens
Andrew really liked the archway.

It's Automatic!
Oliver lets us know whenever he sees anything that's "automatic." These ice cream makers at Ivanna Cone in Lincoln made ice cream for everyone to see. Oliver was delighted that they churned automatically.

Ivanna Cone
You could not pry this toddler away from the ice cream makers at Ivanna Cone.