A few weeks ago, OnMilwaukee.com's Molly Snyder Edler asked our Parent Posse about taking kids to Summerfest and, as expected, the replies were mixed. I took my toddler to the Big Gig one day and my results were, perhaps as expected, mixed.

There are downsides from the get-go. It can be blasted hot with a brutal sun and the walk from the car to the heart of the festival can be a long one. If you have a toddler, you know this is not a recipe for early success. Add in big crowds that are sometimes hard to navigate alone, much less with a little one, and loud stages - to say nothing of drunks - and things are not looking good.

But, my toddler loved gazing up at the sky glider (no way we're going on THAT!), seeing the musicians playing their instruments and, especially, watching the birds and the boats from along the lakefront path.

Of course, he enjoyed watching kids of all ages frolic in the fountain, too.

But most of all, he loved the kids play area. I thought that his love of music would have him transfixed by the musical performers on the Children's Theater bandshell stage, but his attention waned, especially once he spied the alluring play set with slides, bridge and other features.

He was eager to get into the mix there and climb and slide, climb and slide, climb and slide.

Once I managed to somehow lure him away from the area to go meet up with his mom, who was Festing with a childhood friend visiting from California, we ended up right back there at the slides again.

In the end, what I learned is that -- at least for one toddler -- the most exciting thing about Summerfest can be experienced for free and with considerably less hassle two blocks away at our neighborhood park.

But, because my boy loves music, I suspect that as he gets a little older, he'll be less focused on jungle gyms and more eager to spend time enjoying the bands.