A little North Side/South Side rivalry is to be expected in Ankeny. With more families and kid-friendly hotspots than ever before, it’s a place kids and families want to be. Here are the telltale signs that you’re a fun loving tot from Ankeny.
1. The Playground for Kids is your go-to rainy day or wintertime playground spot.
You’ve also attended many a birthday party at this indoor play place. The 9,000 square foot facility at The Playground for Kids is filled with interactive inflatables and an enormous tree house and is a great outing for five to eight year olds.
2. If it’s too hot outside, you’re headed for one of two local waterparks, most likely with your day camp group.
Ankeny kids can cool off at Prairie Ridge Aquatic Center or Cascade Falls Aquatic Center, where they can even “Hang 10” on the FlowRider surf machine.
3. You’re bred to be an artist.
From the Ankeny Art Center to Ankeny Community Theatre and Songs and Signs, LLC, you can’t deny that kids can get creative in Ankeny. You paint and sculpt; sing and dance and even play the bongos.
4. You watch your favorite movies outdoors under the stars.
Summer Friday nights look like this: dinner at the Leaning Tower of Pizza, ice cream at DQ and a family Movie Under the Stars in the Ankeny Band Shell. Yes, every Friday.
5. You’ve attended Summerfest every year you can remember.
Nothing stands between the crowd of a million people and your love for parades and carnival rides. Summerfest has always been and always will be a staple of your summer festival schedule.
6. The Uptown Ankeny’s Farmer’s Market on summer Saturday mornings is THE place to be.
Whether you’re walking or strolling (actually being pushed in a stroller:), you’re parents drag you out to stock up on wholesome goodies for the week at Uptown Ankeny’s weekly Farmer’s Market.
7. You have so many parks to choose from, you could go “park hopping.”
With 40 parks there’s no shortage of fun outdoor activities for Ankenyites of all ages. From skate parks and fishing holes to shady picnic spots, you can find all sorts of outdoor adventures throughout Ankeny.
8. You gorge on Ambrosia Donuts donuts every Saturday morning.
Ambrosia Donuts are so good, your mom even has one. Every family member has their favorite, you love the glazed donuts, your sib loves sprinkles, Dad’s go to is the apple fritter.
9. You (and your p’s) are constantly excited by the many shops and restaurants moving into town.
Shops on Delaware is a local shopping hot spot and The District at Prairie Trail has added local family friendly restaurants like Jethro’s BBQ Lakehouse and Fong’s Pizza.
10. No matter your abilities you have a great spot to play at Ankeny Miracle Park.
Ankeny Miracle Park is a baseball diamond and playground. The baseball field is free of obstacles and is designed specifically for wheelchairs, walkers, and other mobility devices needed to assist participating youth athletes. The playground features double wide ramps going more than nine foot high and various play amenities that youth with and without special needs can enjoy.
11. Working as a grocery bagger is a rite of passage.
If you’re lucky, you’ll get a job sacking groceries with your friends at Hy-Vee or Fareway. You may be a tad jealous of your one friend that got a job at Maurices. I mean, whatever.
12. You cannot comprehend how your grandparents raised four kids inside of an Ankeny Split-Level.
You learned multiplication early by listening to conversations about price per square foot. And you thought sharing 5 bathrooms with two siblings was bad? You don’t even want to think about the horrors that occurred inside that three-bedroom, 2.5-bath home.
Tell us what makes your adolescent an Ankeny kid in a comment!
