How to light up your family’s holidays this season
Since holiday lights have become more and more festive each year, create new traditions to see them, even as early as Thanksgiving weekend, wherever you find yourselves.
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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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The beauty, charm and eco-friendliness of Nicaragua
The San Francisco family was inspired to come to Nicaragua by friends who had visited with their kids, they said, and didn’t want to spend all their time on the beach — as gorgeous as it is
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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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Families love the greatly expanded National World War II Museum in New Orleans
There are dented helmets, letters home, photographs, flight jackets and K rations, complete with chocolate bars and gum.
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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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Take it from the kids: San Francisco is a foodie’s paradise
“Dim Sum is one of my favorite foods. Everyone likes Dim Sum!” said Andy, 14, one of the many local kids who contributed their ideas on what kids like for my new “Kid’s Guide to San Francisco.”
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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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To Deer Valley, where guests say ‘no snowboarders!’
Instead of frustrating hours at the airport, we spent a blue sky day on Deer Valley’s famously groomed slopes, stopping for an excellent lunch. (Deer Valley is as famous for its eats as it is for its grooming and customer service.)
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Using interpretation and technology to revive the 18th Century in Williamsburg VA
The idea in the Historic Triangle — home not only to this recreated 18th-century city but also to the living-history museums Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center, is to use interactive activities, 21st-century technology and costumed interpreters
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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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Take the Kids to San Diego in October — they’re free!
There’s no better time to visit San Diego than October when kids are free all over town — from the zoo to harbor cruises, LEGOLAND California in nearby Carlsbad, nearly 40 museums, restaurants and activities from surf lessons to speedboat rides to golf and even fishing.
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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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Just published – Eileen’s 7th Kids Guide – to San Diego
San Diego famously is known for its sunny weather and beaches and the kids I interviewed for my just released Kid’s Guide to San Diego said that plus the world famous Zoo and Safari Park and other attractions make “the birthplace of California” an ideal getaway choice for families.
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Trip Advisor survey: 75 percent include kids in travel planning
A new Trip Advisor poll of more than 2,700 U.S. respondents fielded between March 26 and March 28, the vast majority said the kids were somewhat influential in planning family trips.
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In London for the holidays: Paddington Bear returns to wow kids or all ages
Fifty life-sized Paddington Bear statues designed by artists, designers, athletes and celebrities will be placed all around London at museums, parks, shops and landmarks just as the movie “Paddington,” produced by David Heyman, who made the Harry Potter films, gets ready to open
