Fun in Fort Wayne

We had a fantastic weekend!!  We had some adventures, lots of fun, and got to explore some of the fun things Fort Wayne has to offer.

We drove immediately to the Barr Street Farmer's Market.  I loved the set up of this market- it was shady and the booths were spaced out nicely.  There was a good flow of people but it wasn't overly crowded.  Vendors were friendly and knowledgeable.  Good mix of produce vendors, food items, and some fantastic crafts.  We also discovered a great little flower shop and eatery across the street- Downtown Deli.  It's organic and homemade and it was great!  Jeff had a roast beef sandwich- it was huge.  I had half a turkey sandwich and a cup of vegetable soup that was seriously loaded with kale (awesome!!).  The kids did plates at the salad bar- all organic and their plates were loaded with edamame, peas, carrots, raisins, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, cottage cheese, tomatoes, and more!  And the homemade lemonade was incredible!!

One of the most gorgeous heads of cabbage I've ever seen! (Barr Street Farmer's Market)

Family reflection protrait

After lunch, we went to check out the hotel.  We were fortunate to have been given accomodations at the Courtyard by Marriott right in downtown.  We were within walking distance of the Botanical Conservatory and had a great view of the Tin Caps ballfield from our window!

The view from our hotel room window.

We got settled in and then took a short walk to the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory.  I used to go regularly to Krohn Conservatory with my parents years and years ago so I was eager for this stop.  I also knew I'd have many photo opps- and this Conservatory did not disappoint!

A lovely and relaxing little fountain

I was fascinated by the Angel's Trumpet tree. The flowers are gorgeous and all pointing downwards- and apparently the entire tree is also poisonous! 

The flower of the Angel's Trumpet- yes, I laid on my back on the ground to take this shot.

Teagan found a comfy spot to relax and daydream...

Close up of a wasp in a carnivorous plant display.  We were rooting for the plants but we never saw this guy get swallowed up.

My kiddos.  They really had fun together!

My husband and his man-bag.  Oh wait.  That's my not-man-bag.

A favorite picture of all time- I snapped a REAL smile as he unexpectedly turned to show me something he was excited about!

After the Conservatory, we hit the hotel pool to cool off.  Teagan loved practicing her swimming and treading water.  We had the place to ourselves and really enjoyed our time together.

And oh the dinner adventure!!  If you travel to Fort Wayne, your best bet is to find someone who lives there and ask them to tell you exactly where to eat.  We were going to hit a local diner but then I found this place called Dash In and added it to the list of places I wanted to check out.  Then a friend mentioned this other place... and I should never be in charge of dinner in a strange town again.  I walked us a good mile or more around Fort Wayne as we realized I had an address wrong and then the Dash In place was adults only (would be nice if you put that on your website or if it was printed in the hotel's restaurant info).  Got back to the hotel and drove to the correct address of the place a friend recommended- without a reservation, we were looking at an hour long wait.  There happened to be a japanese steakhouse next door called KOTO.  We went.  It was AWESOME.  We were well taken care of, the chef was hilarious and entertaining and the food was delicious.

If you're within a couple hours of Fort Wayne, it is definitely a great place to visit with your family.  It would have been very easy to add another day on to our itinerary.  Teagan wanted to go to Science Central but we ran out of time.  If we'd picked a weekend when the Tin Caps were in town, we would have enjoyed taking in a game.  And I want to seriously brush up on my restaurant choosing skills- I want to find the locally owned gems (like Downtown Deli)!

And our trip to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo gets a post all to itself.  We learned so much about kangaroos and had yet another incredible kangaroo experience!!  Tune in tomorrow for more!