At Disneyland without the kids? Like yeah!
It might seem counterintuitive, but this past trip to Disneyland, we opted for grownups-only visit to the home of everyone’s favorite Mouse to take in all the holiday decorations.
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A Sunday brunch to die for at the famed Hotel del Coronado in San Diego
At the Hotel del Coronado’s famed Sunday Brunch there are over 100 items to choose from—freshly made ceviche and crab legs, calamari salad, fresh oysters and smoked salmon, trout, prime rib, ham and smoked turkey carved in front of us. That’s just to start!
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Relaxing and thinking fitness at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in CA
The Omni La Costa in Carlsbad CA is considered a top wellness resort in the country with a fitness center, expansive spa with its own pool as well as café, yoga center, golf and tennis.
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Kids conquering fears and having fun on a canopy tour in Pennsylvania
We were at Spring Mountain, a modest ski area just outside Philadelphia but a mighty fine adventure place for a canopy tour with four expert guides — and six high-school scholars
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Learning Revolutionary War history in Valley Forge PA
On a beautiful fall day, the contrast could not have been more different than what George Washington and his Continental Army found here in Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78
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Cheesesteak and history for all – fun in Philadelphia with teenaged boys
Cheesesteak and ice cream. The Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution and a galaxy of top-flight colleges… that’s what we found on a whirlwind day in Philadelphia with a group of teenaged boys.
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Enjoying our last night Italy and finding very-hard-to-find bad pizza
Now, I’m determined to enjoy our last night in Italy—and it would be hard not to at the Four Seasons Milan — considered by those in the know as one of Italy’s top city hotels.
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Learning how to “e-bike” in the Lake Garda Region of Italy
Before setting out to sample how Austin Adventures runs cycling tours in Europe, I should have — as they suggest — practiced on my bike at home. I didn’t. So I have no one to blame for my skinned knees but myself.
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Riding bikes in the Alps: our Italy adventure moves to Lake Garda
Yes the Alps. We’re out for our Sunday ride in Italy with my friend Ron van Dijk who directs European Operations for Austin Adventures and has been leading bike trips in Europe for more than 30 years
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Salamanders, giants, horses — a Renaissance palace
How many salamanders can you find? There are dozens carved into fireplaces hidden in paintings in the Palazzo Te in Mantova in northern Italy, a gem of a Renaissance City as yet undiscovered by American tourists.
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Mantova Italy – a hidden gem of history, art, music and literature
We stay in Mantova, between Milan and Venice and near Verona, an off-the-tourist-track town that has an amazing history in art, music and literature. Shakespeare wrote that Romeo bought his poison here.
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Aging cheese, lots of cheese, at a special artisan shop in Italy
Welcome to Luigi Guffanti 1876 in the northern Italian town of Arona that has been buying cheese from the same production sites since 1876, then refining them in special “caves,” sometimes for years before they are sold around the world. They are artisans and specialists who oversee more than more than 200 kinds of cheese here.
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A special dinner at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo on Lake Como
It’s nice when a hotel can make the experience special for the youngest guests as well as their parents and those who may be here to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or an engagement.
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Exploring the beautiful villas along the shore of Lake Como, Italy
Could this place be any more beautiful? The three-story villa is directly on the lake shore located in Laglio between Cernobbio and Tremezzo on Lake Como, with private dock and lake access.
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George Clooney’s temporary neighbors discover the virtures of a Lake Como villa
I think George Clooney is lucky to have a villa in the tiny village of Laglio—just 700 people on Lake Como in northern Italy. I can say that from personal experience because I am the Clooneys’ neighbor—well, their temporary neighbor at a lakefront villa
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After the wedding, time to explore the Charlottesville VA area
Correspondent Melissa Miller had time to spend touring the Charlottesville VA area after a spectacular wedding this month. Here is her report.
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A family visit to New Bedford MA, once America’s whaling capital
The New Bedford Whaling Museum is the largest museum in the country devoted to the story of whaling and the history and seafaring traditions of Massachusetts’ south coast region.
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Monticello is super kid-friendly, just like Thomas Jefferson was
It is only fitting that the home of our third President and the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence is so kid friendly. Jefferson was very fond of his 12 grandchildren, many of whom lived here with him after his retirement
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A high schooler leaves his comfort zone in Costa Rica
Luis Cruz had never traveled far from home. This summer he got the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica with a group that sponsors community service trips. This is his diary of the trip.
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What the kids say about 18th Century Williamsburg VA
What’s it like to see 18th Century history unfold in the street of Colonial Williamsburg, VA? We asked some of the “junior interpreters” what they thought.
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21st Century meets 18th in Colonial Williamsburg – huzzah!
21st Century meets 18th Century—that’s the idea of Colonial Williamsburg. The audience was enthralled by the street theater Revolutionary City where costumed interpreters play out different aspects of the politics surrounding the American Revolution.
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Jamestown Settlement: the place to start your Historic Triangle history tour
Jamestown Settlement is the place to start a visit to the Historic Triangle—and to teach a lesson in tolerance in the process as you learn the trials and tribulations of the settlers and the Powahatans learning to coexist.
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History and fun for families in Virginia’s Historic Triangle
Williamsburg has plenty to offer families—from Busch Gardens, famous for its coasters and Water Country USA, to plenty of American history. This is the heart of the Historic Triangle, of course, home to Colonial Williamsburg
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Disney Simplifies Generational Family Travel
Taking the Kids Correspondent Susan Finch navigates the many parts of Disney World with her daughter, utilizing time saving Disney technology
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Disney Gets High Tech with a Personal Touch
Taking the Kids Correspondent Susan Finch discovers the new high-tech services provided at Disney World take some of the stress out of travel and line management
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Walking in the Cotswolds – so much for families to see and do
There are literally thousands of footpaths that crisscross the Cotswolds in Great Britain. We found so much for families to see on do on just a few of them.
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In the Cotswolds, like walking onto the set of Downton Abbey
I feel like I’ve walked onto the Downton Abbey set. Actually, we’re at Ellenborough Park in the Cotswolds in Great Britain that dates back to the early 16th Century.
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English History at Sudeley Castle in Cotswolds
We learn some English history at a bonafide castle that was home to kings, queens and now a 21st Century family headed by an American—Sudeley Castle is in Britain’s famous Cotswolds
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Sherlock Holmes: major exhibit to open at Museum of London
He’s one of the most famous residents of London and a brilliant detective known all over the world — so famous he now has a museum exhibit devoted entirely to him.
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London’s food scene takes it to a new level at Camden Lock
The Global Food Kitchen at Camden Lock Market in London is famous not only for good eats but for its shops and stalls—more than 200. No wonder it attracts 6 million visitors a year and is the hub of the growing street food movement here.
