S turned 6 on August 12 and we decided to celebrate by driving out to Riverhead, Long Island. Toyota had graciously lent us the 2016 Rav4 for the week and we started off with a mini road trip. It was actually nice to drive a smaller SUV, as we drive a Toyota Sienna Minivan currently. We installed two booster seats (for our 8 year old and newly turned 6 year old) and set off early Saturday morning.
After we put two booster seats in the back seat, we were off! 
My almost 11 year old has outgrown the need for one (too heavy and too tall).
We headed to the Star Confectionary Company in Riverhead for an early lunch.
The kids opted for breakfast foods. Mr. S. demolished bacon, eggs, and toast. It’s good to know that he will always enjoy breakfast foods, even if he’s picky about eating lunch and dinner foods.
Little Miss A. chose silver dollar pancakes.
Mr. B. ordered the french toast.
While we didn’t have time to sample the homemade ice cream, we’ll make sure we do when we come back.
Star Confectionary Store
4 E Main St, Riverhead, NY 11901
(631) 727-9873
Our next stop was the Long Island Aquarium. We found parking a block away and left the nice, air conditioned comfy Rav4 to walk in the extreme August heat to the Aquarium. We were eager to go to the Aquarium, but the Rav4 was so pleasant to be in.
My kids immediately gravitated to see the rays.
We found Dory!
Outside in the Ray Bay — you can touch the rays and even feed them for a small fee ($3.00 for food — it may have been worms!)
The rays were amazing and it was neat to see them so close up. Did you know they actually can lift their heads out of the water!
After around 2 1/2 hours at the aquarium, we decided to call it a day. While there were lots of things to do outside the main building, it was really hot.
We took a quick trip back in to see the Butterflies — so worth it (and yes, included in admission price).
S and A were hoping some butterflies would land on them.
The kids were pooped, but quickly revived when we saw an ice cream place on the way out of town.
There were smiles all around when we stopped at Snowflake Homemade Ice Cream.
We headed home and turned on Netflix and relaxed in our AC. I want to wish my darling boy a happy 6th birthday!
Long Island Aquarium & Exhibition Center
431 East Main Street
Riverhead NY 11901
Phone: 631.208.9200
http://www.longislandaquarium.com/
We were given press discount on tickets.
We liked the Toyota Rav4 because it drove like a sedan, but still had a lot of room. This is probably more ideal for a family of 4 than a family of 5 that uses the car often (while it worked out when we drove it, having three kids close together in a backseat is NOT ideal for all of the time).
The trunk was huge, so this would be perfect for families with one or two young babies or kids. My kids and I loved the moonroof (we don’t have one in our Sienna).
Verdict: This was a good choice for a family of 4 or smaller. Comfy ride, drives like a smaller car, and excellent gas mileage.
Find out more about the Toyota Rav4 here:
Thank you to Toyota for lending us the Toyota Rav4.
What a fun filled celebration day!!!