Beware of some “value-added” travel deals
Eileen interviewed by MarketWatch on “added value” travel deals.
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Being Caymankind! A Fresh Air Fund kid visits the islands
In 2007, The Fresh Air Fund decided to team up with the Department of Tourism of the Cayman Islands and go international with children ages 7-12. Massou Traore was one of 10 lucky few to come on this trip.
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Exploring Colorado in the summer
The skies are blue, the air is clear and there is no evidence of fire where tourists would go. “Some people watching TV thought the whole city burned up,” one local told me. “Some people thought the entire state burned,” said another in Crested Butte. Fortunately, Colorado’s fire-impacted areas represent less than 1 percent of the state’s 23 million acres of public land.
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A stopover in Denver at Elitch Gardens.
I love that Elitch Gardens has such a history dating back to 1890. It opened with a zoo, summer stock and a ballroom. The carousel, which took craftsmen three years to carve by hand, has been here since 1928 and still operates today; The Ferris Wheel was erected in 1936 and still operates.
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Last day in Aspen — biking to Woody Creek Tavern
What’s left? Biking, of course. Locals are huge mountain bikers so we’ve at least got to give it a shot. We opt for the Rio Grande Trail—a rail to trail favorite of locals for running, hiking, walking and of course biking.
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Exploring nature in and around Aspen with ACES
ACES, as the environmental center is known, offers a variety of winter and summer activities for families from custom hikes (a bargain at $40 an hour) to a free birds of prey program we dropped in on in the afternoon meeting the resident horned owl and golden eagle…
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Kids can have fun on a grown-up cruise
Al Palazzo is a bit disappointed that the kids are more interested in shopping and gondola rides than Great Sites but he’s glad everyone is having a good time and more importantly, he’s not navigating the family and all their bags from city to city.
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Oxygen and champagne at the spa in Aspen
The St Regis underwent a $40 million redesign in 2011 and it shows. They welcome kids and pets with special amenities. The spa is the go to place in town to be pampered –15,000 square feet with 15 treatment rooms. There’s steam and sauna and cold plunge and hot tubs.
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Learning to fly-fish in Aspen’s rivers and ponds
until this morning, Zach Lewis hadn’t been fly fishing—a popular Aspen activity. This morning at his first spot on the Roaring Creek River Zach caught a nice sized trout. It was all catch and release, but that’s not what this is about.
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On a different kind of cruise in Alaska
“We plan the itinerary so that we can stop like this,” says our captain, Dano Quinn, who has been piloting vessels in Alaska for the last 16 years. “The best of Alaska is the wilderness,” he adds. “Not in the towns and we provide the opportunities for that.”
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A hike across the roof of Southwestern Colorado
I’d always wanted to do the famous hike between Crested Butte in Southwest Colorado and Aspen –12.2 miles along the West Maroon trail, crossing the Maroon Pass which is 12,500 feet high. I’d first heard about this hike years ago when we took our kids to Crested Butte, one of my favorite mountain towns to ski.
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Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Families & Groups | Food and Dining | Lodging | Parks & Outdoors | Travel Diaries
The Broadmoor — peaceful and relaxing
People are afraid to come to the Springs, locals tell me, saying they think the entire city has burned, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. But the Broadmoor, which has been welcoming families for 19 years, is tranquil and at it should be. So is downtown Colorado Springs, where an outdoor festival is underway.
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A week in Colorado – stop one “The Springs”
I’m also glad to be in The Springs as locals call it for another reason—to tell everyone that the Waldo Canyon Wildfire that destroyed more than 300 homes earlier this summer has been completely contained and the city and all of its attractions are open for business.
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Kauai – the garden island with so much to explore
There’s a reason they call Kauai the garden island. There are all varieties of plants I’ve never seen and whose names I can’t pronounce. They also happen to be very rare—endangered, in fact.
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Learning sustainability and eating healthy on a local farm
No, it’s not teens gabbing and texting their way through your family vacation. We’re talking chickens — 250 of white-and-black striped hens to be exact — whose Eggmobile is parked just behind one of the guesthouses at the Inn at Valley Farms in Walpole, N.H., where we spent the weekend recently.
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The joys and values of summer sleepaway camps
I’m a real fan of sleep away camp. I went as a child and all three of my kids went for many years—my son to Camp Nebagamon in Wisconsin and my daughters to Camp Kamaji in Minnesota. My girls worked as counselors there as well, teaching sailing and leading wilderness trips.
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The new improved Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park
Radiator Springs Racers at the new and improved Disney California Adventure Park is one of the most elaborate attractions ever created for a Disney theme park and it is the centerpiece for the new Cars Land here
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Backyard Vacations | Beach Vacations | Destinations | Families & Groups | Food and Dining | Travel Diaries
A weekend getaway to Cape Cod
Long a favorite of families and travelers in New England, Cape Cod offers a diverse range of vacation options and activities. Many families opt to rent a house for a few days, a week, or more.
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It’s getting easier to eat healthier away from home
My interview with the First Lady got me thinking of all the power we have as parents if we let hotels, resorts and restaurants know in no uncertain terms that we don’t want to feed kids a steady diet of chicken fingers, fries and mac and cheese on vacation.
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Touring the historic LA sites with Adventures by Disney
Adventures by Disney — which already offers a multi-day southern California tour—now touts this one-day tour ($199 per person) that includes Hollywood. Beverly Hills and concludes with a stop at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank that aren’t open to the public.
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Exclusive: The First Lady’s tips on eating healthier on summer vacation
We asked Mrs. Obama how she encourages her family to eat healthier when they travel and what tips she might have for the rest of us…
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Princeses everywhere at Disney and more to come
With such a devoted audience, it’s no wonder Walt Disney World is in the middle of a huge expansion of Fantasyland expected to be completed later this year with more princess meet-and-greets
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How to get the exclusive Disney backstory
At the newly revamped Disney California Adventure in Anaheim you can saunter down Buena Vista Street as it might have been when Walt Disney as a young man with a suitcase, $40 and a big dream in the early 1920s. This being Disney, everything has a back story.
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Disney’s California parks — smaller and more intimate
This is a good time to visit Disneyland. Not only has the Disneyland Hotel been completely renovated (love the new water playground!) but Disney just unveiled the new Cars Land, based on the movie “Cars,” evening water spectacular and other entertainment at the grand reopening of California Adventure.
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What’s new at Disneyland in California? Lots!
Ready to race? Radiator Springs Racers is one of the most elaborate attractions ever created for a Disney theme park as the “Cars” gang gathers to get us ready for the big race.
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Baltimore Ahoy! The Charm City Delights
The sweet smell of steamed Maryland crab seeps from red-brick laid store fronts around every corner, and reminders of the great naval battles of the War of 1812 linger not just in history books, but throughout this intensely American city.
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Must-have beach items
Eileen lends her expertise for this Foxnews.com report: Must-have beach items for kids and families
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Camp Denali: a special place in the Alaskan wilderness
We’re on our way to a very special celebration in the wilderness — Camp Denali’s 60th anniversary, which has brought back one of its founders and many who have helped make this small, 18-cabin enclave one of the most iconic National Park lodges anywhere.
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Leaving Alaska with salmon and great memories
Juneau, the state capitol and only accessible by plane or boat, gets over 950,000 tourists annually, the vast number on big cruise ships. They are missing a lot, spending just a few hours here.
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Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Disney | Families & Groups | Food and Dining | Parks & Outdoors | Travel Diaries
Eating healthier at the theme parks
Of the more than 12 million kids meals served last year at Disney Parks and Resorts in the U.S., parents stuck with the healthier options six out of 10 times. Now Disney will enhance these efforts by further reducing sodium in kids’ meals and introducing new well-balanced kids’ breakfast meals.
