Trail to Tavern outdoor wear from Toad&Co
I’m a fan of Toad & Co. Another plus: a portion of every Toad&Co garment contributes to creating opportunities for adults with disabilities, as well as environmental projects
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Exploring Maine
Maine is as famous for its wild blueberries as its lobster. Thousands of acres of wild blueberries are harvested on and around Mount Desert Island where Bar Harbor is located. If you visit in summer
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The happiest of hours – in Breckenridge CO
Breckenridge, the historic mining town popular with tourists who flock to Breckenridge Ski Resort in winter and summer, is known for its ever expanding culinary and spirits scene
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Kids find a lot of bragging rights in summer in Breckenridge CO
You’re guaranteed to find plenty of bragging rights here, no matter what ages your kids, as Breckenridge Ski Resort now has Epic Discovery on the mountain
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Backyard Vacations | Best of Taking The Kids | Destinations | Families & Groups | Lodging | Parks & Outdoors | Travel Diaries
Trooper’s Big Adventure Becoming a Mountain Dog in Breckenridge, CO
A first Gondola ride up a mountain is exciting for anyone—dogs included. And when Trooper gets to the base of Peak 8 on Breckenridge mountain, she is officially a mountain dog!
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Getting fit at the world’s biggest children’s museum
Welcome to the new outdoor 7.5-acre Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the world’s largest children’s museum, which welcomes 1.5 million visitors annually
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How to take a family vacation and make money with Airbnb
Let’s face it – family vacations can be expensive, no matter how frugal you are. But there’s a way you may not have thought of to get more bang for your vacation buck. List your home on Airbnb while you’re away on vacation.
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Denver’s Big Eat 2018 – Slow food for all tastes and sizes
There is almost too much to try at The Big Eat 2018, presented by Eat Denver and the kickoff to the Slow Food Nations Festival that draws tens of thousands to Denver. This year’s theme is “Food for Change”
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Get ready to play big!
Walk into Toy Story Land and you are suddenly toy-sized, surrounded by giant playthings — giant building blocks, yo-yos, board game pieces, Scrabble tiles
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Sun, Sand And Turtles: Visiting Jekyll Island In Georgia
When you first visit Jekyll Island, you’ll notice a few things right away: the calm, serene beaches, the area’s unique Southern charm that dates back centuries
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Eileen on The Patti Vasques Show – WGN Radio podcast
On the WGN Radio podcast — The Patti Vasques Show — Eileen discusses her recent visit the world’s largest children’s museum — The Children’s Museum of Indianpolis
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Families together at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
The world’s biggest and best children’s museum, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, has got it right: Families can play together—and learn together—at the same time
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A Stay at Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort, Saint Lucia
St. Lucia in the Lesser Antilles is known for its natural beauty. It’s a popular honeymoon destination, but it’s equally fine for a family vacation.
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The Sonoma Serengeti: A Visit To Safari West In The Middle Of Wine Country
Set in the foothills of Santa Rosa’s Mountains, Safari West – which is better known as the Sonoma Serengeti to the locals – is home to 1,000 exotic animals and birds
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Seeing what’s new in the Big Apple this summer
New Yorkers once avoided Times Square, except on their way to dinner and a Broadway show. Years ago the area just wasn’t safe, though more recently it has become a Mecca for tourists
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Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Families & Groups | Food and Dining | Parks & Outdoors | Travel Diaries
Visiting Wine Country In Sonoma County With The Kids
The rule of thumb when visiting wineries is to leave the kids at home. Luckily, on the West Coast and particularly in Sonoma County, California, that mentality is changing.
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Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Disney | Families & Groups | Food and Dining | Taking the Kids Blogs
Rebranded and Vibrant – Disney Springs!
The former Downtown Disney completed its multi-year transformation in 2016. Today, the rebranded Disney Springs has more than 150 shops, restaurants and other venues and is as popular with locals as for guests
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Disney Cruises rolls out new activities for kids
On the Disney Fantasy there are state of the art kids’ programs, including the chance to play in Andy’s Room with its oversized Toy Story toys
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Disney Puts its Signature on More Than Theme Parks
Welcome to a newly branded Signature Disney Experience. The Reunion Lounge is kind of a concierge level space for Disney Vacation Club guests
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Eileen asks if you’re ready for the opening of Toy Story Land
Toy Story Land opens at Walt Disney World in Florida on June 30, 2018. Eileen sets the scene in these videos
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Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Families & Groups | Food and Dining | Lodging | Volunteer & Service | Weekly Column
To Philadelphia, the birthplace of the nation
“Many children were swept up in the drama of the American Revolution,” explained Dr. Elizabeth Grant, the director of education at the immersive the Museum of the American Revolution
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ADVENTURE IN MOROCCO 2018
On this trip in the Morrocan Desert, you go with your ideas and thoughts and you come back with a different perspective of life
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Summer fun and July 4 in the mountains
These days across ski country you’ll find not only plenty of old-fashioned celebrations for Independence Day but also a growing number of mountaintop and mountainside activities
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Family Destinations Where the Food Enhances the Sights
It isn’t always easy for parents traveling with children to find food options at popular destinations that cater to everyone’s taste. Sodexo changes that.
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Visiting South Dakota: The Crazy Horse Memorial, A 10K Volksmarch and Starting New Family Traditions
The Crazy Horse’s mountain carving near Mount Rushmore has always been about family. Today, the Crazy Horse dream has been handed to the next generation with 4 of the 10 children and several grandchildren
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Sleeping Under The Stars: Under Canvas Glamping Near Mount Rushmore In South Dakota
Even though The Mount Rushmore state has numerous options when it comes lodging and accommodations, there’s a different way to enjoy a unique night’s rest: glamping
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Cool Culture in Curacao: Fun For the Whole Family
Curacao is a Caribbean island not far from Venezuela. It is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, blending Caribbean and Dutch culture in perfect proportion.
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Moving across country – how to avoid scammers and con artists like we didn’t
We were moving cross country — our first move in nearly 25 years — and I let myself be conned by a smooth-talking moving broker and an unscrupulous moving company. Here’s how you can avoid my mistakes
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To Vienna
After a morning bike ride on Danube Island where it seemed all of Vienna was out strolling and biking on this sunny weekend morning, we saw some of Vienna’s most notable sites
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Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Families & Groups | Lodging | Travel Diaries | Volunteer & Service
In Kansas City, everything is up to date for the visitors and their dogs
We are in the midst of a cross-country road trip to our new home in Denver and a Kansas City stop is welcome—especially on a Saturday night when the hotel restaurant, the Reserve, presents Jazz all evening.
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Let’s hear it for Dad
This year, as we celebrate dads and granddads, uncles and godfathers, let’s think about things that will make this summer’s vacation more fun — for him. You don’t need to spend a lot of money either.
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Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Families & Groups | Parks & Outdoors | Travel Diaries | Volunteer & Service
Kids become revolutionaries in Philadelphia this summer
The kids who visit the new Revolution Place, opening June 9, in the year-old Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia can do laundry in an army camp as well as get news just like from the “internet”
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The newest hotel guest VIPS are WHO?
She was the newest hotel VIP—not the person with the zillions of loyalty points, not kids. The newest hotel guests to inspire special attention–dogs. Very Important Dogs (VIDS!) like Trooper
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Flying smart with the littlest passengers
Parents and grandparents wouldn’t consider driving with a young child if they aren’t properly restrained in a safety seat. Not only is it the law, but those seats save lives. So why is it different on a plane?
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Hitting the newest, fastest, scariest thrill rides this summer
Summer is when millions of us dare each other to ride the fastest, tallest, scariest coasters, and have since the 1920s. Here are eight of the thrill rides that are already creating a lot of buzz
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The road trip: snacks and drinks for survival — and fun!
“How much longer???” “Can we stop for a snack and something to drink?” Those questions are as inevitable on road trips as scattered potato chips and melted crayons in the back seat
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Kayak, sail or shop ’til you drop: Visiting Maine in Summer
Maine is big—as big as all of the other New England states combined-with 5,000 miles of coastline, some 4,600 islands, 6,000 miles of lakes and ponds and 17 million acres for hiking and biking
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A vacation without busting the budget: Carnival Cruise
There are activities for all ages—including supervised programs for kids from preschoolers to teens so parents and grandparents can get a break. Parents can feel more comfortable allowing tweens to navigate on their own around the ship than at another vacation venue
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When you can’t let it rain on your parade
The thing about any adventure trip — any vacation that involves being outdoors in fact — is that you can’t let less-than-perfect weather stop you.
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Stylish flip-flops for travel and to help children with cancer
The folks at Hari Mari have designed a line of flip-flops that are lightweight, durable, great for travel and, more important, help fund research into childhood cancer
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Travel slacks flexible for all seasons
Lightweight, stretchy and flexible for all types of travel, mens and womens slacks from DUER fit the bill.
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Following in the footsteps of royalty
There’s nothing stopping you and the kids from following in the royals’ footsteps in and around London this summer — a great time to visit with everyone so enthusiastic, first celebrating the birth of the new baby prince and now the wedding.
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Useful gadgets and gizmos for the moms in your life
If you’re thinking expensive flowers for Mother’s Day, think again, as there are so many useful new affordable gadgets and gizmos, not to mention apps, which will be appreciated by the moms in your life every time they travel
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Family Fun in Panama City, Panama
My family and I recently had the opportunity to explore Panama City, where the 21st century mingles with the old world
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Eileen quoted in Forbes on Mount Desert Island, Maine for summer vacation
Eileen’s is quoted in Forbes in an article about inexpensive summer vacations. “You can go out on a lobster boat, see tiny lobster hatchlings…”
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Shopping on vacation
The next time you get caught in the rain on vacation, remind the kids how vacation missteps can actually be life-changing — in a good way. Think LL Bean
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Take along wine for mom on your family travels
After a heavy day of family travel, mom could use a glass of wine – but you may not want to buy a full bottle.
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Solar powered backpack keeps devices charged and you hydrated
The Energizer Powerkeep Wanderer is a backpack that not only captures solar power to charge your devices, but keeps you hydrated and stores other essentials on your hikes
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How to be a Spy and Travel the World in a Day in NYC
There’s much to do in a city of eight million people with many attractions to visit, but Midtown Manhattan has a few charms like no other. Become a spy and travel the world in a day by visiting the SPYSCAPE and Gulliver’s Gate.
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A different kind of trip to Alaska
Just one road leads into Denali National Park’s 6 million acres, and after mile 15 the road is restricted to park buses. You can’t get much more remote in Alaska.
