A Great Reason to go to Ames! (Sheryl vs. Katie)

There was no wait this afternoon, but Nathan
enjoyed a few minutes of cartoons anyway.

Sheryl says...

I sometimes find myself dreaming of my next visit to Ames, Iowa just so I can eat at Hickory Park.  Hickory park is about as family-friendly as it gets.  There are often long wait times on the weekends at this popular restaurant, but they have you covered with constant cartoons playing on a big screen TV to occupy the kiddos.

The self-serve candy store is always a bribery point for me for getting my son to eat all of his meal. Not that the 100 different kinds of ice cream sundae isn't motivation enough.

The candy ranges in price
from 5 cents to 25 cents
so you won't break
the bank to keep your
kid happy here.

This place it pretty huge! After the walk to your seats, the kids are greeted with crayons and coloring pages to keep them busy so you can focus on the larger-than-life menu. Make sure to ask for the gluten-free menu if you need one. Lots of choices for you here!

Can you believe this was only $5.95?

They have traditional barbe-que faire including smoked meats like ribs, chicken, pork and brisket and deli sandwiches, salads and platters.  My choice is always the 1/4 chicken with two sides, for only $4.95 (I get the white meat option for a buck more)!

Kids meals are an affordable $3.50 and they include main courses like hot dogs, burgers, chicken tenders or smoked meats with a side, drink AND ice cream.



No visit to Hickory Park is ever complete without ice cream though...Click here to see this outrageous ice cream menu. With choices like the "Merry-go-round" that includes a carousel of animal cracker animals adorning your dish, how can you skip it?!  Today I chose the Carmel Apple sundae (for only $2.95) and it didn't disappoint.

Come here when you are in Ames seeing a show or game at the University or make it a destination, either way you'll be craving more.  The bathrooms are clean and there is changing table for little ones, so no worries about bringing the whole family to the awesome restaurant!



Katie says...

I recently took my two little guys to Hickory Park while we were in Ames. It is always a fun, tasty, and cheap place to eat and this time was no exception. 

For $3.50 your child can get a meal with a side AND a scoop of ice cream for dessert. That's a cheap kid's meal and they have healthy options!

Starting at $4.95, adults can get anything from a BBQ Sandwich to dinner platters that are served with generous portions of food. For example, I had 1/4 white meat chicken, roll, side salad, and dish of pickles (weird side choice but great!) for only $5.95. Our total for two kid's meals and two adult dinners was $19.00. 

Hickory Park is also known for their awesome sundaes. You can get any type of toppings on your ice cream or make your own creation. Be sure to save room for ice cream! 

Other helpful hints:

• There is a large screen TV in the waiting area in case you have little ones with you. It was playing Flintstones cartoons when we were there. 
• There is a candy stand on the way out where you can buy individual pieces of candy with your pocket change. Pieces run from $0.05 to $0.50 and was a fun way for my kids to pick out of something of their own for the ride home. 
• We like to pay a little bit more for more food--it makes for cheap leftovers the next day!
• Their entire menu is available online. 
• They have a separate "Gluten Intolerance" menu available. 
• Try an old-fashioned drink like a Green River or Sarsparilla while you're there.