A visit to the town where Vincent Van Gogh spent his final most prolific days
I’m literally walking in Vincent Van Gogh’s footsteps to the field where he painted the famous paintings like the Wheatfield of Crows and where he shot himself.
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In Rouen, France — Joan of Arc and Monet
In this medieval city, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Today we see a cathedral that was begun in 1145—amazing it is still standing after being damaged in WWII. Nearly 9,000 half timbered houses burned during WWII.
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Two days touring the D-Day sites in Normandy
We are at the famous Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial overlooking Omaha Beach, where the massive allied assault on the Normandy on June 6, 1944 aimed to liberate France and defeat Nazi Germany.
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A cruise with a difference — along the Seine in Normandy
I’m on a different kind of cruise—a River Cruise on the Seine in France on Avalon Waterways Creativity—just 140 passengers on this 361-foot long barge and with just 70 staterooms and two suites.
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Cruising on the Seine River – a stop at Monet’s Garden in Giverny
I’m walking in Monet’s glorious gardens at Giverny on sunny day thinking about a little girl skipping over the famous green Japanese Bridges a big smile on her face.
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Learning about grapes and history in the Champagne region near Paris
We’re sitting in a family dining room in a tiny French village eating chicken cooked in champagne and sipping champagne. This is the Champagne Region of France afterall.
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Time-traveling in Paris — to a tiny hotel in a 17th Century building
We’ve moved from the heart of fashionable Paris to the St. Germaine neighborhood on the Left Bank and feel like we’ve time traveled, checking in to the tiny Hotel Verneuil, a 26-room hotel that is housed in a 17th century building.
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Touring the famous Louvre in Paris with a family-oriented guide
Eighty per cent of her clients are American families. She notes that most guides, while true experts in their field, aren’t often as willing to play to the kids’ interests so when booking a guide, it is key to make sure they appreciate that kids’ may not have as long attention span.
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Day Three in Dallas – at the Zoo, Audubon Center, Presidential Library
My favorite exhibits were the ones that allowed me to feed the animals. I loved the feel of the giraffe licking my hand as he munched on lettuce leaves. My daughter had tropical birds land on the top of her head and drink sweet nectar right out of her hand.
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Day Two in Dallas — great places to take the kids for fun and learning
There are a great many new options for families visiting Dallas – take the kids to the Perot Museum of Science and Nature, or the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure. And the new Klyde Warren Park with its sparkling new playground is one of the most vibrant urban spaces around.
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A visit to the family friendly Texas State Fair
The State Fair of Texas Downtown Parade in Dallas traditionally kicks off the annual state fair, which runs through October 20. Locals and tourists lined the streets to watch dozens of colorful floats, marching bands, drill teams and cheerleaders.
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Fun for families on the rivers and lakes in Wisconsin’s north woods
I’ve kayaked before, but never with the intention of following a historic route. In early August, I ventured out on a 20 mile kayak trip along the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway in Northwest Wisconsin along the Minnesota border.
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Universal Hollywood through the eyes an 11-year-old
If you go to Universal Studios in Hollywood, do like we did and get a Front of the Line pass, also referred to as a “Gate A” pass. These passes are really cool because they helped us to save time because it lets you skip to the front of the line for anything in the park. With the pass, we also had reserved seating at the shows like WaterWorld (a really cool action-packed stunt show with people on motorboats and JetSki’s.
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ACES in Aspen: a hidden gem for local and visiting families
The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) is celebrating its 45th anniversary and it is a great place to learn more about the spectacular environment here—and the creatures who call it home, whether you visit in summer, fall or winter.
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Fly fishing near Aspen — it’s about the fishing not the catching
“It’s about the experience,” says our guide Trevor Clapper from the Little Nell Adventure Shop, which offers trips that end in Basalt, about 20 miles downriver. Clapper says of everything people want to do in the summer or fall when they come to Aspen—off road jeep tours, guided hiking trips, white river rafting—fly fishing is the most popular.
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A bike ride with grown kids to a unique distillery in Basalt CO
In summer, it’s all about bikers, runners, walkers. Many people opt to bike from the trailhead in Aspen about 10 miles as far as Woody Creek Tavern; today we opt to go another 10 miles to visit the new Woody Creek Distillery—where vodka is being made from potatoes grown in Woody Creek.
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Cooking up a storm at a rental house in Snowmass Village CO
I spent all day in the kitchen—on vacation. But maybe because it was my choice and maybe because it’s a spectacular kitchen at a Portico Club house overlooking the mountains in Snowmass, CO, I didn’t mind a bit.
In fact, because the kitchen was so well equipped—and the house so spacious—we decided to host a barbeque for folks we know who live here and who always are hosting us when we visit. -
A hike in the rain in the beautiful mountains near Aspen CO
Snowmass is a great family ski mountain—one of the biggest and best in the country, in fact. But a visit here—and to neighboring Aspen—is a treat any time of year. There’s hiking, biking (road biking and mountain biking), fly fishing, rafting… even a scenic helicopter tour.
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Six days in the Rockies – a great getaway in a Portico Club house at Snowmass CO
We’re in one of the most amazing rental houses we’ve ever been privileged to visit—and we’ve been to a lot of places from houses in the Caribbean to ski condos in Colorado and Utah and Vermont to apartments in Paris and Rome.
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The amazing sights you see in and around Lake Placid, NY
Fourteen year old Massou Traore spreads out her arms and looks skyward. She feels like she’s on top of the world.
Well, not quite. She’s 4,867 feet on top of New York State to be exact—on top of Whiteface Mountain. Pretty amazing to a kid from the Bronx. -
Kids and grownups discovering The Wild in New York’s Adirondacks
Inside the expansive Wild Center in Tupper Lake, NY are interactive exhibits whether you want to open boxes of bones in the Naturalists Cabinet, mimic bird calls, take a stroll on the indoor Living River Trail past lakes, bogs, streams , rivers and waterfalls and forests to the summit of a high peak with more than 2,000 live creatures—frogs, fish and of course the Otters.
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Whiteface Lodge: a summer camp for families in Lake Placid, NY
I like to see a resort get it right and I think The Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid, NY does. Sure the place is expensive—a two bedroom unit in peak season can be upwards of $900 a night—but I can’t even count all the activities that are included
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Four days in the Adirondacks begins with a stop at Fort Ticonderoga
All summer and into the fall, there are Soldier’s Life programs, family hands-on activities and Fife & Drum Corps performances. We’re immersed in the year 1755 when French soldiers began construction of the Fort, called Fort Carillon. Ticonderoga, we learn, in the Native language was “The place Between the Great Waters.”
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Pick your Brain at the MIT Museum
Looking for a mind-boggling experience on a rainy day? The MIT Museum is just the place to visit. Tucked away at 265 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, this nifty museum offers a closer look at the technological wonders of science and engineering.
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A fun-filled day at the Harvard museum in Cambridge, MA
While most in the crowd continue toward Brattle Street, Alex and I turn right on Peabody and head toward the gates of Harvard Yard. We’re on our way to the Harvard Museum of Natural History located on Harvard’s picturesque campus at 26 Oxford Street. Founded in 1998, the museum is the most frequently visited attraction at the university.
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Interacting with sharks at the New England Aquarium
Do you know the difference between a seal and a sea lion? The nine and 10 year-olds attending the New England Aquarium’s summer Harbor Discoveries Camps enlightened me. “Sea lions can walk but seals can’t,” said nine year-old Sydney, adding that seals just have a hole where their ears are while sea lions have an external flap.
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Combining 17th and 21st Centuries in lodging in historic Boston
Boston is the kind of city where you can stay in historic hotels—the famous Fairmont Copley Place and Omni Parker House both are over 100 years old—or sleek new hotels like The Revere.
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Kids and families at the site of the Boston Tea Party
It may be 90 degrees but we’re making believe it’s December—and we’ve time traveled back to 1773 –December 16, 1773 to be precise. We’re part of the night that literally changed the course of American history—The Boston Tea Party, of course. Welcome to the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum
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“The Power of Play” at Boston Children’s Museum
The kids at the huge waterfront museum were too busy having fun—from the toddlers in the PlaySpace wheeling mini grocery carts to the grade schoolers making their way up the soaring three story climbing structure. That’s the point as the museum celebrates it’s centennial.
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Water sports, bike riding and bringing home the lobsters in Maine
Food, of course, is a big part of vacation and that’s certainly the case in Maine famous for its no-frills lobster “shacks” where you can get lobster rolls—lobster salad sandwiches typically served on a hot dog bun to restaurants in Portland, about 20 miles from here, known for serving food that have just come from local farms.
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Teaching a kid to fish with a “Wicked Tuna” star in Kennebunkport ME
“Sometimes the girls have more patience,” acknowledges Capt Bruce Hebert, known for his stint on the National Geographic Channel’s Wicked Tuna reality show but here in Kennebunkport for his Libreti Rose II fishing charters that cater to families and is named for his wife and three daughters—Lisa, Brie, Tiara and Rose.
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Three days in the Kennebunks (ME) over the Fourth of July holiday
It’s July 4th night and everyone is in vacation mode after a long day on the beach with teens setting off sparklers, parents nursing a beer or a glass of wine and everyone, for the moment, feeling all is well in the world, especially here in Maine where locals have been welcoming vacationers for generations—including the Bush family.
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A summer day well spent at Denver’s Elitch Gardens
A day at a theme park like Elitch Gardens is about more than having fun, we discover. It’s about facing disappointment when we lose at an arcade game and it rains when we want sun. It’s about riding that first thrill ride and recognizing when it may be too much thrill for a little girl (or a grown up).
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Nantucket island, once the whaling capital of the world
This small island — just 14 miles East to West and 3.5 miles north to south — is so pretty with its weathered gray shingle houses, roses climbing white picket fences and cobblestone streets in Nantucket town. There are more than 800 pre-Civil War houses on the island, which shares the name with a county and a town — the only place in the country that all three have the same name.
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Activities for kids abound in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit has plenty of kid-friendly activities too! If you or your kids are history buffs, the Ford Museum and Greenfield Village are perfect destinations. The Ford Museum has an impressive collection of artifacts, including the first Mustang ever made, the car in which JFK was assassinated, the chair Lincoln was seated in when he was shot, and the bus that Rosa Parks rode.
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Two days discovering Michigan
Ann Arbor is full of wonderful and unique food. The day opened at Zola, originally started as a small Turkish gem, which still sticks to its roots. Usually, I love sticking to my roots, treating myself to blintz and crepes for breakfast, but the waiter convinced me to try an artichoke omelet with plenty of veggies and hearty flavor.
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What if it rains when you’re in Orlando? No worries.
This was supposed to be our day to hang at the pool. In fact, we chose the Hyatt Grand Cypress in Orlando because it’s got a new water play area—big new water slide and 1500 acres with put-put golf, tennis, sandy beach with paddle boats, smores pit…the list goes on and on. But Tropical Storm Andrea put a wrench in our plan.
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Better, healthier food choices are flouishing at Orlando’s theme parks
If you think all Orlando food is turkey legs, burgers and churros, think again. Sure you can get all that but you have plenty more choices—and healthier options—for the kids as well as the adults
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Touring Universal Orlando like a VIP with a guide
Because we’re staying on property at the wonderful Loews Portifino Bay Hotel, just a short water taxi ride from both parks and CityWalk shopping and entertainment area, we could have entered the park an hour before opening to avoid the mad crush. But I had another ace up my sleeve.
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Four days in Orlando exploring the new theme park attractions
The baby is so fluffy! I petted the four month-old still covered in dark brown down. I did that at the behind the scenes tour at the brand new Antarctica Empire of the Penguin exhibit at SeaWorld Orlando—home to 250 penguins from four different species.
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At Beaches Ochos Rios – an excursion to popular Dunn River Falls
Breakfast at leisure at the Bayside buffet at the relaxing but active Beaches Resort in Ocho Rios. We were treated to freshly made smoothies and omelets, delicious morning glory muffins and everything else you could want at a breakfast buffet, and, of course, more interactivity with our friends from Sesame Street. Then we grabbed some towels from the pool and headed to the Dunn’s River Falls.
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Sesame Street and all kinds of kids’ activities at Beaches Ochos Rios
Thank goodness for a giant king bed and 8 hours of sleep here at Beaches Resort in Ocho Rios. Friday morning was the Character Breakfast and the Venetian Dining Room was completely decked out with Sesame Street decorations, banners, posters and table settings.
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Three days at Beaches Ocho Rios in sunny Jamaica
When we arrived at Beaches Ochos Rios, the welcome staff immediately swept Jude up to get ready for the carnival parade with the Sesame Street characters. She was given a glittery crown and had her face painted right off the van. She instantly forgot about the long day of travel and was immersed in the fun and activities.
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Whitewater Rafting and other Adventures in Wild (and Wet!) West Virginia
The sun is warming us with brief guest appearances through the clouds, and the cool river water running though the deep canyon is not too high but not too low. The conditions are perfect for a day of whitewater rafting on West Virginia’s New River Gorge National River with River Expeditions outfitters.
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In the Abacos: mixing culture with tourism in a People-to-People program
That’s also the idea behind the Bahamas People to People Program. Visitors are paired with locals of similar interests who might take them to church, running in Nassau, on a boat ride or a kayak in Grand Bahama Island or to dinner at their home. There is no charge.
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Abacos Islands in the Bahamas: Laid back and simple family vacation territory
Welcome to the Abacos Islands in the Bahamas —a chain of some 120 tiny islands, home to just 14,000 people and a mecca for boaters, fisherman, snorkelers and divers. Today we’re at Munjack Cay about 40 miles by boat from the town of Marsh Harbor with Lincoln and Marcus Jones who have brought us and some other guests here to cook the fish we’ve just caught.
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Learning all about Junkanoo, the festivals kids love most in the Bahamas
What began with programs for school kids in the Bahamas in 2000, now attracts cruise ship passengers and other visitors for workshops in Junkanoo costume making. And what amazing costumes they are, put together with thousands and thousands of strips of brightly colored crepe paper adorned with feathers and gold and silver buttons.
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In the Bahamas — what’s Nassau without Pink Flamingoes?
There’s certainly plenty of that here in Nassau, the Bahamas capitol just 179 miles east of the Florida Coast. It is just 21 miles long and seven miles wide and a bridge links Paradise Island to New Providence Island—Nassau’s other name.
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Five whirlwind days touring the Bahamas – a family vacation paradise
Ava Thompson is the chief family officer for the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism—that means she helps families decide which island best suits them and what to do when they arrive. She explains that Grand Bahama Island, home to about 55,000 people, is a nice mixture of city (Freeport) and laid-back island feel.
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Norwegian Breakaway: plenty to keep kids entertained
If you’re on board the new Norwegian Breakaway, you—and baby—and grandma might all be joining in special “Guppies’ activities—maybe finger painting with special paints or using chalk or crayons made out of vegetables. “We want those younger families whose kids aren’t in school,” said CEO Kevin Sheehan –especially during times of year when there aren’t school breaks.
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Norwegian Breakway: a ship made for New York
That this ship is home-ported in New York is such a big deal that Mayor Bloomberg was on hand for the christening. “New York is the number one cruise capitol in the Northeast,” he said welcoming 587,000 passengers in 2012—growing 32 per cent just in one year. “Breakaway will add to those numbers and it will be our pleasure to show them the greatest city in the world,” he said
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Baltimore is a great place for families to learn history
Today people consider the War of 1812 “the forgotten war” but visiting the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine is a good place to earn about it. Wherever you go in Baltimore, the kids are bound to learn something—maybe without even realizing they’re getting a history lessons.
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Families learn more than just Civil War history in Richmond VA
On Richmond’s Emancipation and Civil War Day held the first weekend of April, I joined hundreds of visitors to take advantage of the open doors of the historical sites and honor the important event in American history.
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All-included bounty and excitement from the deep blue sea off Antigua
Today we’re back at Curtain Bluff and I’ve decided to take the 6:30 a.m. deep sea fishing charter. The best thing about Curtain Bluff, other than the beauty and just about every other thing, is that it is all-inclusive, so the fishing (along with Scuba, snorkeling, water-skiing and other activities) is part of the price.
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Families enjoy the all-inclusive activities at Curtain Bluff on Antigua
Rod McCrea likes that Curtain Bluff is not only considerably less expensive in summer but that the all inclusive nature of the property means he not only knows exactly what he is spending but that all of his kids and grandkids can do what they like–tennis and sailing, deep sea fishing and snorkel trips, not to mention all the fruit smoothies the kids can drink—or that their parents will allow them to mix up with the bartenders.
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Back to our honeymoon spot, three grown kids later
Thirty years later, our room overlooks that same windswept beach. As I think about the three kids we did have—and the adventures we shared with them—I’m struck by how this 72-room all-inclusive resort is emblematic of how family travel has changed in the past three decades.
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Presidential Treatment at the Homestead Resort in Virginia’s mountains
Like a lighthouse in the Allegheny Mountains, the enormous tower and complex of the Homestead Resort marks the location of healing waters of the natural springs in central Virginia. The rejuvenating mineral waters were once sought out by Native Americans and early colonists alike.
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The Kids Taking Themselves: Exploring chocolate, caves, and coral reefs in Belize
“I’m going to travel like this from now on!” Sarah exclaimed, while she was receiving exciting emails from MMC and Ya’axche about fun things to do during our trip. Not only do I feel like I truly took advantage of my last spring break in College, but I also made it educational…aren’t you proud Mom and Dad?
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LA’s awesome family attraction: Shuttle Endeavour
Already, the California Science Center drew more visitors than any other museum in southern California—including 370,000 school kids. But since the Shuttle has opened, the museum officials are projecting visitation will be up nearly a million to 2.5 million, says Science Center VP William Harris.
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Family vacation fun in Hollywood and Beverly Hills
Hollywood…and Beverly Hills.
It’s often what people think of when they think of LA but of course LA is a lot more than that, my friend Jennifer Miner who is one of the www.vacationgals.com and lives in suburban LA tells me.
