Giveaway ~ Chuck E. Cheese's all new menu for grown up tastes!

If you are a mom, you've probably spent many hours at Chuck E. Cheese with your kids.  I know I have! We've both hosted and attended many birthday parties there, and I can't even count how many times I've taken my kids for play time when it is too hot, too cold, or rainy outside! It's a great place for me to catch up with friends while our kids play and run off some energy.

My kids always liked ordering pizza there, but I usually just ate a few breadsticks.  We didn't really go for the food, it was mostly for our kids to have fun.

Well, parents - that has changed! Chuck E. Cheese has added some delicious new menu options just for us grownups!   CEO of CEC Entertainment, Tom Leverton, says "We've added new items that cater to the more sophisticated tastes of the parents who take time from busy family schedules to bring their kids into Chuck E. Cheese."

David & I attended a Taste Test at a local Chuck E. Cheese yesterday and I must say that we were surprised by how good the new menu items are!

Corporate Chef Gregory Casale was on hand to tell us about the new menu and let us try everything. He told us about their new thin and crispy crust (you can order it with any of their pizzas), and that they make their dough fresh in each store every day.  The whole-milk mozzarella cheese is freshly grated, veggies are chopped by hand - just like any pizzeria.  He shared that "The new menu boasts a wide variety of options and flavor combinations and I'm most excited about the new pizza crust and pizza options."  In a blind taste taste of 308 respondents, 59% preferred new thin and crispy Chuck E. Cheese pizza to Pizza Hut and Dominos combined!   I have to agree - I really liked the new thin and crispy crust - it's delicious!

So now you get to find out about the delicious new menu items Chuck E. Cheese has to offer!

There are two new Signature pizzas:

Cali Alfredo ~ thin and crispy crust with alfredo sauce, fresh spinach, sliced musrooms, chicken breast, sausage and freshly grated mozzarella cheese.

BBQ Chicken Pizza ~ thin and crispy crust with chicken, bell peppers, freshly grated mozzarella, crispy onions and a BBQ sauce drizzle.  (This was my favorite pizza!)

Here are the three new sandwich options:

Caesar Wrap made with whole wheat tortilla

Club Wrap made with whole wheat tortilla

Oven Roasted BBQ Chicken Ciabatta Sandwich


Want an appetizer with your meal?  Try one of these new options:

These are the new boneless wings ~ I loved the Sweet Chili sauce.  Spicy but oh so good!  They also come in BBQ sauce.  Chuck E. Cheese also offers bone-in wings with either sauce.

The breadsticks are tasty, and the new Buffalo Chicken Cheesy Bread was awesome.

A visit to Chuck E. Cheese deserves a sweet ending, so you should try one of the new desserts:

David loved the Churros with the salted caramel.  My favorite dessert is the new, improved Cinnamon sticks with a cinnamon shortbread crunch and a drizzle of white chocolate icing.

We will be going to Chuck E. Cheese for a family fun night soon! David is growing up so fast, and I want to enjoy every moment with him.  I love watching him have fun and let loose when we visit Chuck E. Cheese.

And now I want you to do the same with your kids.  Chuck E. Cheese gave me a Guest Pass to give away to one lucky reader.  It's good for a large pizza, 4 soft drinks and 30 game tokens.

All you have to do is enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.  Good luck!

Summer Series: Freeman's Mill Park

I'm always looking for fun places to take David to run, play, get some sunshine and exercise. A few months ago my friend Isabella shared photos on Facebook of a picnic she and her family took at a beautiful pond with a waterfall.  I started looking online to find out more and learned it was just a few minutes farther than the parks we regularly go to! We've been to this hidden gem of a park three times so far, and we'll be visiting again soon.  It's so wonderful, I just had to share! 

The following information is from GwinnettParkLife.com: 

This park along the banks of the Alcovy River includes a unique playground that replicates a gristmill, picnic pavilion, half-mile multi-purpose trail, parking and restroom facilities as well as the historic Freeman’s grist mill.

The mill was built sometime between 1868 and 1879 by brothers John Griffin Loveless and Levi J. Loveless. In 1913 W. Scott Freeman and his son, Winfield, owned it until it was purchased in 1915 by Newt Pharr. Winfield descendants continued to operate the mill through the twentieth century. In the late 1990’s the mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in architecture, engineering, industry, and social history. As of 1996, the mill was the only working grist mill remaining in Gwinnett County.

Freeman’s Mill played an important role in the local community in early Gwinnett County. Local farmers would bring their wheat and corn to the miller to be turned into flour and meal. Alcova Baptist Church, located up the street from the mill, used the mill pond for baptisms and the millhouse itself, provided a gathering place for the surrounding rural community. The water powered grist mill was preferred by many farmers because it would grind the corn more slowly than electric mills, resulting in a sweeter taste.

The mill changed hands several times over the years until Gwinnett County purchased the mill and surrounding property in 2002 with funding available from the Georgia Greenspace Program and the 2005 SPLOST. In 2009, the county raised and restored the mill and surrounding 12 acres for educational and recreational use offering Gwinnett County citizens a sense of the agricultural past.

Here is the Mill:  (you can get there by following the sidewalk from the parking lot down to your left and you'll see it on your right, or follow the trail by the playground through the woods and you'll end up here, as well)

Now, some shots of the pond/waterfall/beach, which is is located just past the Mill through the woods and on your left.  If you come on the trail by the playground, the pond area is before the mill on your right. 

This is the hill looking back up from the bottom - you have to navigate this, roots and all, to get down to the next level where I am standing to take this.  From here, you have another big (to me - I'm 5' tall) step down to the beach.  So if you have any issues with walking, etc. this will probably be a hard area of the park to access.  (The playground and trail are much better for accessibility!)

David and his buddy Seth

It is posted no swimming or wading, but the kids did wade in the water.   There were others doing the same.  I wouldn't let my kiddo go under water though - too murky and lots of rocks!

The playground is near the 1/2 mile path that winds back through the woods to the Mill.   The restrooms are by the parking area, and there is also a water fountain.  If you want to picnic, there is a covered pavilion by the playground.  Lots of benches too!  

It's a nice, quiet, out-of-the way park that has never been crowded when we've visited. But very easy to find - it's just a few minutes off of Highway 316, which is off I-85 in Gwinnett.   If you are in the metro Atlanta area, this is worth the drive to play and explore for an afternoon!  Bring a picnic lunch, buckets and shovels for the beach area by the pond, and towels if you plan to wade.  Then get busy making special memories!    

Freeman's Mill Park is located at 1401 Alcovy Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30045. Hours are sunrise to sunset. 

Have you been here yet?  Share your favorite park in the metro Atlanta area in the comments below!