The sultry days of summer have faded, but the season of powerful electrical storms is not over in Oakland County, or for the rest of our Great Lake State. Nature’s way does not always follow the calendar and in the last few weeks I’ve witnessed boaters on our local lakes pursuing their passion as thunder was clearly audible, picnickers waiting out a storm under an open picnic shelter instead of retreating to their cars (a much safer option), and most worrisome, kids playing sports in fields to the accompaniment of not so distant thunder. Continue reading →
The Ice Age was coming to an end. Shuffling its 6-ton frame, a shaggy mastodon laboriously crossed a steep esker and trudged towards melt water from a giant block of ice left behind by the Pleistocene Era’s last local retreating glacier. The mastodons that once roamed Oakland County are now extinct, but the glacial evidence of nature’s land sculpting power is unmistakable in many sections of our county. Some of those sites, that once provided habitat for Mastodons, now harbor carnivorous flora and rare secretive creatures. One of those locations is within the Shiawassee Basin Preserve, a 600-acre site in northwestern Oakland County managed by Springfield Township Parks and Recreation. Continue reading →
It’s back to school season, are you ready to learn? Gain the knowledge you need to launch a business or learn new skills to advance your current one with help from the Oakland County’s One Stop Shop Business Center. Start this school year off right and register now to learn from the One Stop Shop about topics varying from starting a business, social media, and more!
The beauty and wonder of nature’s way as summer slowly fades welcome us to the trails, woodlands, wildlands, rivers and fields of Oakland County. Walk slowly, stop often, look and listen and it’s easy to sense the slowing pulse of the season. The official end of summer does not occur until the Autumnal Equinox; that’s on September 23rd, but the approach of Labor Day weekend signals that summer is in its waning days. And with next week being the final full week of the unofficial end of summer, today I salute ten signs of the season’s transition from summer to autumn. Some are subtle, and some can’t be missed.
This Top Ten ramble was inspired by Dmitri Schoeman who shared his encounter with nature’s way with photos captured last week in Columbia, South Carolina. “I was walking the dog when I saw something in an odd shade of green and went over to see what it was.” For the next hour he watched the emergence of a cicada as it wiggled out of its exoskeleton. His photos might well be entitled “Alien Birth,” for they capture the emergence of an other-worldly looking winged creature as it slowly abandoned its exoskeleton. Continue reading →
Children in Oakland County will be snorting with excitement as they jump into the world of hit British animation series, Peppa Pig. Laugh, learn, and play at their brand-new ADA accessible indoor play center Peppa Pig’s World of Play at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills.
Spark the imagination of your favorite little piggies as they explore the sensory garden with Suzy Sheep or ride on Grandpa Pig’s train. The 14,000-square-foot indoor play center features 14 interactive, activity-based play areas designed to fuel the imaginations of pre-school children while bringing the world of Peppa Pig to life.
This is only the second Peppa Pig’s World of Play located in the United States. The other U.S. location is in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. There is also a location in Shanghai, China.
Peppa Pig World of Play is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The last admission for entry is 90 minutes before closing.
Your ticket will allow for 2 hours of play time and it is recommend that you arrive 15 minutes before the time printed on your tickets. Adult-and-child combo tickets start at $22.50 with additional adults (ages 9 and older) tickets for $5 and additional children (6 months to 8) for $15. Photo packages and activity packages are also available to purchase. Tickets and extras can be purchased in advance on their website.
For hygiene and safety reasons, please pack children’s non-slip socks as they’ll need to remove their shoes in some of the play areas.
Great Lakes Crossing is located at 4632 Baldwin Road, Auburn Hills, MI 48326. You can find Peppa Pig World of Play between Districts 6 and 7.
Check out the Peppa Pig World of Play Michigan website, and connect with them on Facebook and Instagram, for more information on the new indoor play center.
