Midwest Nomad Family Midwest Nomad Family

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  • Welcome!
  • About
    • About Us
    • Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
  • Travel
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    • Minnesota
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midwestnomadfamily

๐Ÿด ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐Ÿด
๐Ÿ“St. Louis, MO

๐ŸSuson Park is a great St. Louis County Park for kids. Not only are there fishing lakes and a great playground, but the park is home to a working animal farm with FREE admission! 

๐ŸThe animal farm consists of several barns and enclosures with goats, pigs, horses, sheep, chicken, ducks, donkeys, and more to visit. 

๐Ÿ’ฒBring along some quarters and you can feed many of the animals too. 

๐Ÿ› There is a good sized playground with both larger and tot sized play structures. There are also swings, a rock climbing wall, and other unique climbers. The ground is a rubber mulch surface. 

๐Ÿ•ฆ The park is open from 8 a.m. to 30 min. past sunset. The outdoor exhibits are open during normal park hours. Access to the barns is officially 10:30-3:00 p.m. but they have always been open around 9:00 a.m. when we have visited. 

๐Ÿด The farm also has special events called Farm Fridays. Farm Fridays include hayrides, fishing, farm games, barn tours, horse petting, candle making, and more activities. Farm Friday is for kids ages 2 - 12 on Fridays 10 a.m - 1 p.m. Admission is $10 per child. Adults are free. Registration can be made online. 

๐Ÿšป There are several restrooms at the park including year round restrooms by the lakeside shelter. The larger horse barn also has restrooms. 

๐Ÿš— See the last picture for where to park for both the playground and the animal farm. (Both areas circled in red.) 

๐Ÿด Have you visited this fun park? 

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#stlouismo #stlouiscoparks #stlouismom #stlouis_mom #midwestnomadfamily #explorestlouis #susonpark #stlouis #runwildmychild #1000hoursoutside
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Happy Birthday USA! ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Wishing all ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Happy Birthday USA! ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

Wishing all of you a blessed and fun Fourth as we celebrate a country we think is full of amazing people and places. ๐ŸŽ†

#fourthofjuly #happyfourth #midwestnomadfamily #midwestliving #midwestmoment #illinoisouth #enjoyillinois
๐Ÿ› ๐—š๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—•. ๐—•๐—ผ๐˜๐˜ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐Ÿ›
๐Ÿ“Plainfield, IL

๐Ÿ›If you are planning a trip to the Chicago area, this is a fun park or road trip stop to check out in the southwest suburbs near Joliet. 

๐Ÿ›The play area here is large and accessible. There are ramps and climbers and a variety of slides including a roller slide. Parts of the play structures are interactive including several musical instruments. 

๐Ÿ› There is a larger main play structure plus a preschool sized one.  The smaller play structure also has a little house and bouncy car. The park has two cool swings made for two people to swing at together. 

๐Ÿ›Next to the playground is a super cool ninja course. Kids can even time themselves using the timer to see how fast they can complete the challenges. 

๐ŸŒฟ The park also has a skate park, several sports fields, and pavilions. 

๐Ÿšป Restrooms are located right next to the playground. 

๐Ÿš— Plenty of few parking is available in the large lot next to the playground and the rec center. 

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#enjoyillinois
#midwestnomadfamily
#midwestliving #runwildmychild #1000hoursoutside #kidstoparks #playground #playgrounds #illinoisblogger #midwestblogger #outdoorkids
๐Ÿฅพ So hiking today did not go as planned... Jus ๐Ÿฅพ So hiking today did not go as planned...

Just in case you think I always have my act together or am always well prepared for our adventures, let me reassure you that is not the case! 

This morning we had planned on hiking as the temperature was cooler and the forecast only showed a slight chance of rain in the afternoon. 

On our way to the trail we noticed a small rain shower in the area but it was moving out quickly on the radar and we always keep packable rain gear in the car. 

We started our hike with dry conditions. We were halfway through the hike (at the furthest point from our car!) when the skies let loose in a sudden downpour and rumble of thunder. โ›ˆ๏ธ 

At this point I also realized that all our rain gear was still in the car. ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™€๏ธ Needless to say we were completely soaked and muddy when we finished the hike, but we made it without any other mishaps. Someday it will be something to laugh about I'm sure. ๐Ÿ’ฆ

โ“What kind of misadventures have you ever had while out exploring? 

#runwildmychild #familyhike #havekidswillhike #familyadventure
๐ŸŽ†๐—™๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐˜€ ๐—ฃ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ต๐˜† ๐—ง๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐ŸŽ†
โ €
Looking to get some great shots of fireworks this year? Here are a few quick tips to make some beatiful images. These tips are for a DSLR camera but can be done on a phone with full manual settings.
โ €
1๏ธโƒฃ ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ - Scope out your set up to try and get a clear view of the fireworks. If you are able to find some great background or foreground interest like a bridge, the St. Louis Arch, or city skyline, even better!
โ €
2๏ธโƒฃ ๐—จ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฑ - Fireworks require long exposure so you need a sturdy tripod to avoid blurry photos.
โ €
3๏ธโƒฃ ๐—ง๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ป ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ต - You don't want the flash at all.
โ €
4๏ธโƒฃ ๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—ข - Manually set your iso at a low value around 100 to avoid noise and keep the image as dark as possible.
โ €
5๏ธโƒฃ ๐—”๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ (๐—ณ-๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฝ) - Another setting to set manually on your camera or phone. You will want something narrow like f/9 to f/14.
โ €
6๏ธโƒฃ๐—™๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—™๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐˜€ - You camera should be able to focus on the bright fireworks but it can be tricky. You can manually set your focus before it gets too dark, wait for a firework burst and then lock your focus there, or find a high contrast spot in your scene to focus on if using autofocus. I try to find a light pole or edge of a structure near the fireworks to give the camera a focus spot.
โ €
7๏ธโƒฃ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐˜‚๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ - Your shutter speed will be trial and error. I took all of these shots at 5 to 10 seconds to capture multiple firework bursts. The best way to do this is either by manually setting your shutter speed for a long exposure or using the Bulb dial setting if you have a DSLR. The Bulb setting will keep the shutter open as long as you press the button. If you have a remote trigger or cable release that is best to avoid camera shake from your hands pressing the buttons.
โ €
Even with these tips, it is trial and error to achieve the right balance. Take some rest shots and adjust your settings as needed. Don't forget to enjoy the show and have fun! ๐ŸŽ†

๐Ÿ“ท Fireworks show from 2021 in O'Fallon, IL

 #fireworksphotography #midwestnomadfamily @illinoisouth @ofallonparks @destinationofallon
๐Ÿข ๐—ง๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐˜๐—น๐—ฒ & ๐—ข๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—”๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ. ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜†๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜€ ๐Ÿข
๐Ÿ“Oakland & Tamm Ave. St. Louis

๐Ÿข These two fun playgrounds are located adjacent to each other, just across the interstate from the Zoo's South Lot. (Reachable from the zoo lot by foot or car across the Tamm Ave. bridge.) 

๐Ÿข The turtle playground sculptures were created in 1996 by the late Bob Casilly, the founder of the quirky City Museum. Several different turtle species plus snakes and turtle eggs are represented in concrete and made for climbing. 

๐Ÿข The newer renovated Oakland Ave. play area opened late last year. There are two main play areas, one for kids 2-5 and another for ages 5-12 plus a variety of swings and climbing logs.

๐ŸขThe new playground was designed to encourage educational play. It also has a nod to the Turtle playground with a giant wooden carved turtle with side-by-side slides. 

๐ŸŒณ There are benches, picnic tables, and some welcome shade on the Oakland Ave. play area. The paths are ADA accessible, however the ground cover is wood mulch. 

๐Ÿ™‰ While the play areas are great, they are located right next to interstate 64. Kids sensitive to noise may have a difficult time and my kids were actually afraid of the noise when they were very young. They think it's an amazing place now though! 

๐Ÿšป Restrooms are located right between the two playgrounds. 

๐Ÿš— Free street parking is available along Oakland Ave. 

๐Ÿ› Forest Park has two other amazing playgrounds well worth visiting: 

๐ŸŒฟ The Forest Park Nature Playscape is a huge area for exploration with natural play elements including water, logs, and gardens. 

๐ŸŒฟThe Variety Wonderland Playground is a great fully inclusive play area located adjacent to the Forest Park Visitor Center.

@forestparkforever @explorestlouis @visitmo #thatsmymo #turtleplayground #oaklandaveplayground #stlouis #downtownstl #explorestlouis #visitmo #midwestliving #midwestmoment #midwestnomadfamily #stlouismom #stlouis_mom #314parent
๐Ÿคธโ€โ™€๏ธDid you know the St. Louis Gateway Ar ๐Ÿคธโ€โ™€๏ธDid you know the St. Louis Gateway Arch is the tallest National Monument? At 630 feet tall, it would take approximately 158 copies of the littlest member of the Midwest Nomad Family stacked head to foot to reach the top! ๐Ÿ” Happy #arch630day today! 

๐Ÿ™‹โ€โ™€๏ธ Raise your hand if you have taken the journey to the top of the Arch! โฌ‡๏ธ

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#gatewayarchstl @gatewayarchstl @gatewayarchpark @gatewayarchnps @explorestlouis #stlouis #nps #findyourpark #kidstoparks #runwildmychild #1000hoursoutside #midwestnomadfamily #explorestlouis #visitmo #midwestliving #midwestmoment #stlstaycation #downtownstl #midwestblog #midwesttravelblog #stlouismom #stlblog #stlblogger
๐Ÿ’ฆ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—น ๐Ÿ’ฆ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ต ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐Ÿ’ฆ
๐Ÿ“324 E. Central St. Bethalto, IL

๐Ÿ’ฆ Looking for a large and fully fenced splash pad in the metro-east? Check out the splash pad in downtown Bethalto. 

๐Ÿ’ฆ Located on the site of the old city pool, this splash pad is nice and spread out. There are sprayers, water cannons, fountains, and dumping buckets. 

โ›ฑ๏ธ There are a good number of chairs and shade structures for parents. The water play area is in full sun. 

๐Ÿšป The splash pad is fenced in with the only entrance through the restroom building. The restrooms are also nice, clean, and large with multiple stalls and changing areas. 

๐ŸดIf kids get hungry, there is a concession stand with frozen treats and foods like pretzels and hot dogs. 

๐Ÿ› Right next to the splash pad is a playground with updated equipment but with a mulch ground cover. 

๐Ÿ•ฆ The splash pad is open daily 10-5 through August 7th. It remains open on weekends only August 7th - August 28th. 

๐Ÿ’ฆWho's ready for some water fun? ๐Ÿ’ฆ

#bethaltoil @enjoyillinois @riversandroutes #madisoncountyil #runwildmychild #1000hoursoutside #kidsoutdoors #stlsplashpad #stlstaycation #illinoisblogger #illinois #metroeastmom #stlmetroeast #stlouis_mom #stlmom
๐ŸŒฒ๐—˜๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ฎ๐˜‡๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐ŸŒฒ๐—˜๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ฎ๐˜‡๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐ŸŒฒ
๐Ÿ“Carlyle, Illinois
โ €
๐ŸƒLocated on the shore of Carlyle Lake, Eldon Hazlet is one of Illinois's largest state parks. Camping, fishing, and boating are popular activities. The park has a large campground with swimming pool as well as cottages to rent.
โ €
๐ŸƒVisitor's can also enjoy 9 miles of hiking trails including several ADA accessible paths.
โ €
๐——๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ: Trails range from 0.25 miles to 3 miles each.
๐——๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐—น๐˜๐˜†: 1/5 on concrete trails and 3/5 on the longer trails. The majority of the paths are fairly flat.
๐—ฆ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—ฉ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜‚๐—ฒ: Most trails are just nice walks through the trees. However, several have lake overlooks or pass by a historic pre-Civil War cemetery. The wetland trail includes a boardwalk through beautiful water lilies.

๐ŸŒฒ๐˜“๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜Œ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜๐˜ข๐˜ป๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜Š๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ญ๐˜บ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ ๐˜“๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜จ ๐™ˆ๐™ž๐™™๐™ฌ๐™š๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™ฃ๐™ค๐™ข๐™–๐™™๐™จ.๐™˜๐™ค๐™ข 
(๐˜“๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฌ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ช๐˜ฐ โฌ†๏ธ)

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@illinoisouth @enjoyillinois #carlylelake #eldonhazletstatepark #ilstateparks #illinoisstatepark #illinois #hikemidwest #stlouishikes #midwestmoment #midwesttravel #midwestblogger #stlblogger #stlblog #enjoyillinois #midwestliving
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midwestnomadfamily

๐Ÿด ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐Ÿด
๐Ÿ“St. Louis, MO

๐ŸSuson Park is a great St. Louis County Park for kids. Not only are there fishing lakes and a great playground, but the park is home to a working animal farm with FREE admission! 

๐ŸThe animal farm consists of several barns and enclosures with goats, pigs, horses, sheep, chicken, ducks, donkeys, and more to visit. 

๐Ÿ’ฒBring along some quarters and you can feed many of the animals too. 

๐Ÿ› There is a good sized playground with both larger and tot sized play structures. There are also swings, a rock climbing wall, and other unique climbers. The ground is a rubber mulch surface. 

๐Ÿ•ฆ The park is open from 8 a.m. to 30 min. past sunset. The outdoor exhibits are open during normal park hours. Access to the barns is officially 10:30-3:00 p.m. but they have always been open around 9:00 a.m. when we have visited. 

๐Ÿด The farm also has special events called Farm Fridays. Farm Fridays include hayrides, fishing, farm games, barn tours, horse petting, candle making, and more activities. Farm Friday is for kids ages 2 - 12 on Fridays 10 a.m - 1 p.m. Admission is $10 per child. Adults are free. Registration can be made online. 

๐Ÿšป There are several restrooms at the park including year round restrooms by the lakeside shelter. The larger horse barn also has restrooms. 

๐Ÿš— See the last picture for where to park for both the playground and the animal farm. (Both areas circled in red.) 

๐Ÿด Have you visited this fun park? 

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#stlouismo #stlouiscoparks #stlouismom #stlouis_mom #midwestnomadfamily #explorestlouis #susonpark #stlouis #runwildmychild #1000hoursoutside
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Happy Birthday USA! ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Wishing all ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Happy Birthday USA! ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

Wishing all of you a blessed and fun Fourth as we celebrate a country we think is full of amazing people and places. ๐ŸŽ†

#fourthofjuly #happyfourth #midwestnomadfamily #midwestliving #midwestmoment #illinoisouth #enjoyillinois
๐Ÿ› ๐—š๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—•. ๐—•๐—ผ๐˜๐˜ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐Ÿ›
๐Ÿ“Plainfield, IL

๐Ÿ›If you are planning a trip to the Chicago area, this is a fun park or road trip stop to check out in the southwest suburbs near Joliet. 

๐Ÿ›The play area here is large and accessible. There are ramps and climbers and a variety of slides including a roller slide. Parts of the play structures are interactive including several musical instruments. 

๐Ÿ› There is a larger main play structure plus a preschool sized one.  The smaller play structure also has a little house and bouncy car. The park has two cool swings made for two people to swing at together. 

๐Ÿ›Next to the playground is a super cool ninja course. Kids can even time themselves using the timer to see how fast they can complete the challenges. 

๐ŸŒฟ The park also has a skate park, several sports fields, and pavilions. 

๐Ÿšป Restrooms are located right next to the playground. 

๐Ÿš— Plenty of few parking is available in the large lot next to the playground and the rec center. 

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#enjoyillinois
#midwestnomadfamily
#midwestliving #runwildmychild #1000hoursoutside #kidstoparks #playground #playgrounds #illinoisblogger #midwestblogger #outdoorkids
๐Ÿฅพ So hiking today did not go as planned... Jus ๐Ÿฅพ So hiking today did not go as planned...

Just in case you think I always have my act together or am always well prepared for our adventures, let me reassure you that is not the case! 

This morning we had planned on hiking as the temperature was cooler and the forecast only showed a slight chance of rain in the afternoon. 

On our way to the trail we noticed a small rain shower in the area but it was moving out quickly on the radar and we always keep packable rain gear in the car. 

We started our hike with dry conditions. We were halfway through the hike (at the furthest point from our car!) when the skies let loose in a sudden downpour and rumble of thunder. โ›ˆ๏ธ 

At this point I also realized that all our rain gear was still in the car. ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™€๏ธ Needless to say we were completely soaked and muddy when we finished the hike, but we made it without any other mishaps. Someday it will be something to laugh about I'm sure. ๐Ÿ’ฆ

โ“What kind of misadventures have you ever had while out exploring? 

#runwildmychild #familyhike #havekidswillhike #familyadventure
๐ŸŽ†๐—™๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐˜€ ๐—ฃ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ต๐˜† ๐—ง๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐ŸŽ†
โ €
Looking to get some great shots of fireworks this year? Here are a few quick tips to make some beatiful images. These tips are for a DSLR camera but can be done on a phone with full manual settings.
โ €
1๏ธโƒฃ ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ - Scope out your set up to try and get a clear view of the fireworks. If you are able to find some great background or foreground interest like a bridge, the St. Louis Arch, or city skyline, even better!
โ €
2๏ธโƒฃ ๐—จ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฑ - Fireworks require long exposure so you need a sturdy tripod to avoid blurry photos.
โ €
3๏ธโƒฃ ๐—ง๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ป ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ต - You don't want the flash at all.
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4๏ธโƒฃ ๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—ข - Manually set your iso at a low value around 100 to avoid noise and keep the image as dark as possible.
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5๏ธโƒฃ ๐—”๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ (๐—ณ-๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฝ) - Another setting to set manually on your camera or phone. You will want something narrow like f/9 to f/14.
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6๏ธโƒฃ๐—™๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—™๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐˜€ - You camera should be able to focus on the bright fireworks but it can be tricky. You can manually set your focus before it gets too dark, wait for a firework burst and then lock your focus there, or find a high contrast spot in your scene to focus on if using autofocus. I try to find a light pole or edge of a structure near the fireworks to give the camera a focus spot.
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7๏ธโƒฃ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐˜‚๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ - Your shutter speed will be trial and error. I took all of these shots at 5 to 10 seconds to capture multiple firework bursts. The best way to do this is either by manually setting your shutter speed for a long exposure or using the Bulb dial setting if you have a DSLR. The Bulb setting will keep the shutter open as long as you press the button. If you have a remote trigger or cable release that is best to avoid camera shake from your hands pressing the buttons.
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Even with these tips, it is trial and error to achieve the right balance. Take some rest shots and adjust your settings as needed. Don't forget to enjoy the show and have fun! ๐ŸŽ†

๐Ÿ“ท Fireworks show from 2021 in O'Fallon, IL

 #fireworksphotography #midwestnomadfamily @illinoisouth @ofallonparks @destinationofallon
๐Ÿข ๐—ง๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐˜๐—น๐—ฒ & ๐—ข๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—”๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ. ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜†๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜€ ๐Ÿข
๐Ÿ“Oakland & Tamm Ave. St. Louis

๐Ÿข These two fun playgrounds are located adjacent to each other, just across the interstate from the Zoo's South Lot. (Reachable from the zoo lot by foot or car across the Tamm Ave. bridge.) 

๐Ÿข The turtle playground sculptures were created in 1996 by the late Bob Casilly, the founder of the quirky City Museum. Several different turtle species plus snakes and turtle eggs are represented in concrete and made for climbing. 

๐Ÿข The newer renovated Oakland Ave. play area opened late last year. There are two main play areas, one for kids 2-5 and another for ages 5-12 plus a variety of swings and climbing logs.

๐ŸขThe new playground was designed to encourage educational play. It also has a nod to the Turtle playground with a giant wooden carved turtle with side-by-side slides. 

๐ŸŒณ There are benches, picnic tables, and some welcome shade on the Oakland Ave. play area. The paths are ADA accessible, however the ground cover is wood mulch. 

๐Ÿ™‰ While the play areas are great, they are located right next to interstate 64. Kids sensitive to noise may have a difficult time and my kids were actually afraid of the noise when they were very young. They think it's an amazing place now though! 

๐Ÿšป Restrooms are located right between the two playgrounds. 

๐Ÿš— Free street parking is available along Oakland Ave. 

๐Ÿ› Forest Park has two other amazing playgrounds well worth visiting: 

๐ŸŒฟ The Forest Park Nature Playscape is a huge area for exploration with natural play elements including water, logs, and gardens. 

๐ŸŒฟThe Variety Wonderland Playground is a great fully inclusive play area located adjacent to the Forest Park Visitor Center.

@forestparkforever @explorestlouis @visitmo #thatsmymo #turtleplayground #oaklandaveplayground #stlouis #downtownstl #explorestlouis #visitmo #midwestliving #midwestmoment #midwestnomadfamily #stlouismom #stlouis_mom #314parent
๐Ÿคธโ€โ™€๏ธDid you know the St. Louis Gateway Ar ๐Ÿคธโ€โ™€๏ธDid you know the St. Louis Gateway Arch is the tallest National Monument? At 630 feet tall, it would take approximately 158 copies of the littlest member of the Midwest Nomad Family stacked head to foot to reach the top! ๐Ÿ” Happy #arch630day today! 

๐Ÿ™‹โ€โ™€๏ธ Raise your hand if you have taken the journey to the top of the Arch! โฌ‡๏ธ

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#gatewayarchstl @gatewayarchstl @gatewayarchpark @gatewayarchnps @explorestlouis #stlouis #nps #findyourpark #kidstoparks #runwildmychild #1000hoursoutside #midwestnomadfamily #explorestlouis #visitmo #midwestliving #midwestmoment #stlstaycation #downtownstl #midwestblog #midwesttravelblog #stlouismom #stlblog #stlblogger
๐Ÿ’ฆ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—น ๐Ÿ’ฆ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ต ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐Ÿ’ฆ
๐Ÿ“324 E. Central St. Bethalto, IL

๐Ÿ’ฆ Looking for a large and fully fenced splash pad in the metro-east? Check out the splash pad in downtown Bethalto. 

๐Ÿ’ฆ Located on the site of the old city pool, this splash pad is nice and spread out. There are sprayers, water cannons, fountains, and dumping buckets. 

โ›ฑ๏ธ There are a good number of chairs and shade structures for parents. The water play area is in full sun. 

๐Ÿšป The splash pad is fenced in with the only entrance through the restroom building. The restrooms are also nice, clean, and large with multiple stalls and changing areas. 

๐ŸดIf kids get hungry, there is a concession stand with frozen treats and foods like pretzels and hot dogs. 

๐Ÿ› Right next to the splash pad is a playground with updated equipment but with a mulch ground cover. 

๐Ÿ•ฆ The splash pad is open daily 10-5 through August 7th. It remains open on weekends only August 7th - August 28th. 

๐Ÿ’ฆWho's ready for some water fun? ๐Ÿ’ฆ

#bethaltoil @enjoyillinois @riversandroutes #madisoncountyil #runwildmychild #1000hoursoutside #kidsoutdoors #stlsplashpad #stlstaycation #illinoisblogger #illinois #metroeastmom #stlmetroeast #stlouis_mom #stlmom
๐ŸŒฒ๐—˜๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ฎ๐˜‡๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐ŸŒฒ๐—˜๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ฎ๐˜‡๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐ŸŒฒ
๐Ÿ“Carlyle, Illinois
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๐ŸƒLocated on the shore of Carlyle Lake, Eldon Hazlet is one of Illinois's largest state parks. Camping, fishing, and boating are popular activities. The park has a large campground with swimming pool as well as cottages to rent.
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๐ŸƒVisitor's can also enjoy 9 miles of hiking trails including several ADA accessible paths.
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๐——๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ: Trails range from 0.25 miles to 3 miles each.
๐——๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐—น๐˜๐˜†: 1/5 on concrete trails and 3/5 on the longer trails. The majority of the paths are fairly flat.
๐—ฆ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—ฉ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜‚๐—ฒ: Most trails are just nice walks through the trees. However, several have lake overlooks or pass by a historic pre-Civil War cemetery. The wetland trail includes a boardwalk through beautiful water lilies.

๐ŸŒฒ๐˜“๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜Œ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜๐˜ข๐˜ป๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜Š๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ญ๐˜บ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ ๐˜“๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜จ ๐™ˆ๐™ž๐™™๐™ฌ๐™š๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™ฃ๐™ค๐™ข๐™–๐™™๐™จ.๐™˜๐™ค๐™ข 
(๐˜“๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฌ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ช๐˜ฐ โฌ†๏ธ)

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@illinoisouth @enjoyillinois #carlylelake #eldonhazletstatepark #ilstateparks #illinoisstatepark #illinois #hikemidwest #stlouishikes #midwestmoment #midwesttravel #midwestblogger #stlblogger #stlblog #enjoyillinois #midwestliving
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