Foothills Times January 2014 | Page 56

Who Said Secrets Aren’t Ashley Elkins Fun? by Dan Nicholas Park 6800 Bringle Ferry Rd Salisbury, NC 28146 Got a cute kid? Send us a photo to enter next issues cute kid contest. All entries must be submitted by August 1st. Please send your child's name and age to [email protected] to enter. Winners picture will appear in our magazine. No name will be printed in our magazine of any entry. Participants must be age 0-5 years. Cave Tips To keep a fresh smelling home without using air fresheners that are full of chemicals just boil a few cut up lemons on the stove for 20 minutes! Hang a small curtain rod under your sink to hang household cleaners with handles on. Use baby powder to remove sand from the beach or park. Dan Nicholas Park, nestled in the outskirts of the triad between Lexington and Salisbury, is one of the areas cheapest and best kept secrets for family fun. Entrance to the park is absolutely free and the park features a vast array of activities for kids and adults alike for next to nothing. You can enjoy the music, lights, and magic of Haden's Carousel for one dollar per ride. Children-ages one and under-ride free with adult supervision. If you spend fifty cents you can get into the Stanback Barnyard where you can visit Barclay the pig, Billy the goat, the miniature pony Sam, and many others. Hours of family fun are guaranteed when you play one of the two eighteen hole mini golf courses for only four dollars per game. After testing out your golf swing, visit their awesome handicap equipped playground-also free. Two other attractions that are free of charge are the Cheerwine Aquarium and the Nature Center. The Hurley Train Station is one of the most popular attractions of the Park! Come ride the Spencer Moose Special, Stanback Express or the F&M Bank Express, each just a dollar per ride. And don’t forget that kids ages one and under ride for free. Take a step back in time and visit their gem mine. It features four flumes for you to try your luck. When finished panning, go by the gem mine shack and have your stones identified by one of their experienced rock hounds. They can also cut your stones and create a custom piece of jewelry! Bucket prices for the gem mine range from $7-$42. If water is more of an interest for you, then you should make your way to the newest water park addition that is free as well. Also the lake in Dan Nicholas Park provides recreation that the entire family can enjoy. Come and enjoy fishing, or you can feed the ducks. You can visit our concession stand for refreshments, rules on feeding the animals, or purchasing your pass for fishing in the bountiful lake. You can also take a leisurely paddled boat ride for half an hour, only paying two dollars per person. Children under three years of age are free with a paying adult. Dan Nicholas Park The park also houses seventeen covered picnic shelters equipped with picnic tables and grills. There is a rental fee on the weekends and holidays so you will have to contact the park for prices and availabilities. 866.767.2757 www.dannicholas.net 56