Get your fill of train and carousel rides at Pullen Park this year because next year you'll be out of luck.

Pullen Park, really the section bounded by the train track, is expected to close in 2010 for a major overhaul. That means no train rides, no carousel, no boats, no nothing for a year, city parks planner David Shouse tells me.

The project has been on the books for several years. Voters approved about $5 million for renovations to Pullen in 2003. From my experience covering the city for the last decade, it often can take years before bond projects move forward.

Shouse said city parks planners are still hammering out the details on what the improvements will look like. The City Council recently approved moving forward with construction drawings. And sometime this year, the city likely will hold a meeting where the public can review the plans.

The project will include not-so-exciting improvements, including work on the utilities and restrooms, but a high priority is a new home for the historic carousel, Shouse said. A new playground also is part of the project, though Shouse said the city might not be able to afford everything on the wish list.

Pullen's rides opened for the season in March. The summer hours started Monday (May 4). The rides are open through Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sunday. It's open from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day.

The hours are scaled back after Sept. 7. And the rides are expected to stay open through the popular Holiday Express event for Christmas.

And don't forget that Pullen Aquatic Center is right next door with recreational swimming hours every day. We went recently and had a blast in the indoor teaching pool.

For those of you wondering how you'll while away the hours of spring and summer 2010 with your kids, don't forget that the city actually has two carousels. The other one is at Chavis Park and Community Center off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in southeast Raleigh near downtown.

The carousel is, or at least seems, smaller than the Pullen carousel, but the kids don't care. Chavis is also home to a fantastic playground next to the carousel and an outdoor pool and sprayground.

One word of caution for those of you who have not ventured to this park before. The neighborhood surrounding the park is home to mostly older residents and some rooming houses. There are some drug and loitering problems nearby. On a trip last fall, we stepped over a used condom. Then again, I've seen used condoms in parks in North Raleigh too.

On the upside, when we were there, my daughter and I were among the only people to visit the carousel that day and the operator gave us a couple of rides.

Improvements also are planned for the Chavis carousel, though they're on hold as the City Council works with the neighborhood on several issues.

If you're looking for things to do with your kids, go to www.TriangleMom2Mom.com/play or check out Mom2Mom every Thursday.