Adventures in Motherhood

Navigating Mom’s Journey Through an Attraction

Women. They are 50% of the U.S. population. They drive 70-80% of purchasing decisions and are 70% of travel consumers. A Nielsen report shows that by 2028, women will own 75% of discretionary spending.

That’s a lot of spending power. One more for you: more than 80% of women in the U.S. are moms. The National Retail Federation released a report estimating consumers will spend a record $35.7 billion on Mother’s Day this year. While flowers are the most popular gift, 60% of consumers will spend money on special outings (spending $5.6 billion!). Great news for attractions: nearly one-third plan to spend on experience gifts, and 42% want to create special memories.

Mom is often the planning, packing, wrangling, band-aid-keeping, backpack-carrying warrior. They spend their visits ensuring everyone is fed, safe, hydrated, and slathered in sunscreen. They carry a heavy load—literally carrying everyone’s stuff and figuratively carrying the burden of ensuring everyone is having a good time.

In honor of those moms, we spoke with a few PGAV moms about their experiences visiting attractions with their children and what they keep in mind when designing attractions. They shared the features and conveniences that give moms a break and take the weight off their shoulders.

Priorities

Melissa: I seek out new experiences for my son. Watching him see something new or introducing him to a new place is a big priority for me. I also enjoy spending time together with my family.

Dawn: My focus is creating memories with and for my kids. From a trip to the local aquarium to my sons meeting Spider-Man, I love to see their smiles and laughter as they explore.

AD: My kids can smell “education” a mile away, so I look for fun experiences that teach cultural and historical topics in an engaging way.

Ashley: I look for a low-stress, easy access (for the inevitably needed quick exit when the kids are exhausted), fun-for-all-of-us spot. I also appreciate visiting places where I don’t need to plan extensively or be on my phone constantly.

PGAV kiddo at Saint Louis Zoo’s Primate Canopy Trails

Playtime

Rosey: When we visit the St. Louis Zoo, we see the animals first and make the Primate Canopy Trails last our last stop. The trail features a climbing structure with crawl spaces and rope bridges. I LOVE that parents can just hang out at the entrance/exit of the structure and know exactly where their kids are and where they will come out. More attractions could offer a similar experience to parks—where there are strategic openings that allow parents to feel safe letting their kids run around.

Melissa: We often fill the day going from exhibit to exhibit or activity to activity. It’s great, but I feel my son also needs a bit of downtime. I love spaces where my son can run, climb, and explore without being limited to the “rules” of a ride or experience, like standing in line. And it doesn’t have to be anything overly designed or themed; he’s totally happy with a fallen tree, a pile of rocks to climb, or even a patch of grass where he can run. It releases some of his energy, allows me to relax, and breaks up the constant need to direct him.

Hungry?

Jess: Eating out with a toddler can be hit or miss, and things tend to get chaotic. When we recently took Ari out to eat, the hostess sat our party of four (three adults and one toddler) at a six-top table instead of a four-top. She insisted on giving our party more room to spread out. This simple, kind gesture made us feel special like we weren’t being judged for bringing a baby to a restaurant, and it made our overall experience so much better.

Ashley: We stayed at a Disney World hotel earlier this year. We enjoyed being able to mobile order the night before, so our breakfast was ready when we got to the restaurant! On the flip side, attractions with a good balance between mobile ordering and walk-up options provide flexibility when your young kid is hungry earlier than expected, etc. Being able to duck into a restaurant and knowing you don’t have to wait for 45 min for food is key!

Jennifer: Online food ordering – EVERYONE should have this! It is so simple and easy to order and then grab it (I hate lines, especially when I’m hangry)

Babies Need to Eat Too

Jess: I cannot express how much I love attractions that have nursing rooms and make their existence known to new moms. When I was breastfeeding my daughter, I was scared to go out for longer than a few hours at a time; I would get anxious about having no idea when she’d be hungry (cue the screaming!) or where we could go to nurse. We’ve had great experiences at places like the St. Louis Zoo and St. Louis Aquarium, which have that information easily accessible on their websites. One less thing to be anxious about is a big deal to a mom. I have had great luck pumping in airports while traveling. If destinations cannot accommodate entire lounges for nursing mothers, having pods would be wonderful. I had a private place with doors that actually locked where I could pump, charge my phone, and relax. I didn’t have to worry about missing a pumping session… or, worse… pumping in a public airport bathroom.

On Schedule…without a line.

Ashley: Being an annual pass holder to attractions such as Kennedy Space Center makes impromptu visits so enjoyable. Being able to breeze through parking controls and turnstiles and having front-of-the-line access to play spaces allows us to be flexible and not have to pre-plan everything or wait in long lines. Knowing we can avoid waiting in lines encourages us to go more frequently and spend better quality time engaging in activities together. It also feels very luxurious!

Jennifer: I appreciate anything you can do online to reserve a spot in advance or guarantee you won’t have to stand in line. I will avoid doing something because of the line. On the flip side, I do not like planning my entire trip on a timed agenda. A few timed reservations here and there are ok, but I do not like being tied to a clock – we are more of go-with-it travelers (who hate lines, though).

About that sunscreen…

Jennifer: Attractions need more water bottle fillers! When having to be the person that carries the backpack filled with 4+ water bottles, it would be nice to be able to carry smaller-sized bottles that could easily be refilled more often rather than bringing large, heavy bottles. And sunscreen stations! We never have enough sunscreen.

Shaded walkway at CZA’s Heart of Africa exhibit.

Ashley: Maximizing shade is always positive; many attractions have very little shade in the main plazas and walkways.

Melissa: I’ve used cabana and stroller rentals to great success. Having a place to call home base within an attraction is great. We can store our stuff and have a place to relax and unwind or prep for heading back into the park, like putting on sunscreen or having a snack. I also really appreciate having stroller rentals, so we don’t have to pack a stroller or check one on a flight. Having more of these conveniences available means I don’t have to preplan or spend time worrying about the little things. I can enjoy time with my family and be more in the moment with them.

Rosey: A wristband pre-loaded with money so that all you have to do is hold your hand up to pay for something rather than wrangle the kid while searching for your cards would be incredibly helpful. Plus, it would be awesome to put $30 on the band when you get there, and when you run out, you run out. It would be easier to explain to your kid, “Mommy’s wristband doesn’t have any more money, so she can’t buy anything!”

When You Have to Go

Ashley: Easily accessible and well-marked restrooms are a must—when littles have to go, they HAVE TO GO.

Dawn: I have two toddlers. Predicting when they need to go to the restroom is impossible (and of course, when you ask, they don’t need to… but two minutes later, they do). My son is starting to realize that he’s going into the women’s restroom with me, but he’s three, so I’m not comfortable sending him into a men’s bathroom alone. Having more gender-neutral/family restrooms throughout the attraction would be helpful. Often there’s only one occupied or locked, which is not helpful when you have a little one doing their potty dance.

Get Mom in the Picture

Jennifer: We rarely have family pictures with all of us (except for the floating head selfies!). And we don’t need “professional” photos – I’d just love someone to offer to take my phone and snap a quick pic.

Happy Mother’s Day

We’re grateful to the moms of PGAV who design with empathy and understanding. And to all the moms out there, we wish you a peaceful and pleasant Mother’s Day.

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