During spring break this year, our whole lively family spent a delightful day at Foxwoods. The resort always offers a wide range of activities for kids during vacation, and this year we were invited to a special blogger event that included a visit to the Treehouse Arcade, a live performance of Clifford the Big Red Dog at the Fox Theater, and dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. And yes—there were cupcakes.
My kids discovered video games only a few months ago and, despite limited experience, they’ve developed an enthusiastic love for arcades. They’re not especially skilled yet, so the tickets they win are usually modest—without a little help from mom or dad, we’d likely end up with barely anything to show for it. With a loaded game card and plenty of encouragement, though, the three of them had a blast at the Treehouse Arcade. They tried new games, laughed a lot, and loved the atmosphere designed specifically for families.
Things I don’t love: shooting games. Things my husband and son absolutely adore: shooting games.
Look, it was Evan’s first swag bag! He was so thrilled to receive it that he didn’t even open it until hours later—when we needed cupcake coupons and suddenly all the treasures inside mattered.
One of the games simulated an attack by giant spiders. Linc was not a fan of those spiders.
I also stick out my tongue when I’m concentrating really hard.
After exchanging our virtual tickets for small prizes and snacks, we made our way to the Fox Theater for the Clifford show. The production was a lively musical with just the right amount of audience participation to keep young children engaged. The theater was full of families, so when Linc squealed with joy as Clifford transformed from a hand puppet into a large two-person character, it felt perfectly normal. He couldn’t sit still, bouncing between E and me and pointing at the stage with wide-eyed excitement as if to say, “Do you see that dog? He’s enormous!”
Following the performance, we met a medium-sized Clifford in the lobby. Evan and Caroline were a little disappointed they didn’t get to meet the giant version from the stage, but they still loved the hugs and signed cast photos. Linc seemed unsure at first—though he sat beside me while I wrote this and is clearly thrilled when he sees the pictures—so we counted that as a success for child-friendly character interactions.
For dinner we went to California Pizza Kitchen. Years ago, before we had kids, E and I used to dine there frequently when we lived nearby, so returning felt a bit nostalgic. The hummus and warm pita were as good as I remembered, the complimentary table bread disappeared quickly, and the pizzas made for satisfying meals and easy leftovers. Evan and Linc both ordered mac and cheese, Caroline had a kid’s pizza, and only Linc left leftovers to bring home—Evan happily claimed those for breakfast the next morning. E got his favorite club pizza while I chose the Thai chicken, which remains my top pick. The staff was attentive and family-friendly, refilling chocolate milk for the kids and helping the meal stay relaxed and enjoyable.
After dinner we picked up Clifford-themed cupcakes from Cake by Franck. The pastry shop was tempting enough to make me want to sample everything on display, but the kids were eager to take their treats and head home. Evan carried ours out, and Caroline’s cupcake was already gone by the time we reached the parking garage.
Spending the day together felt like a true family outing—full of play, music, good food, and sticky-fingered cupcakes. I’m thankful E could join us, and we appreciated the invitation and generosity from the Foxwoods team. Days like this remind me how fortunate I am to still enjoy sharing these experiences on the blog and to keep making memories with my kids.