Exploring Niagara Falls — at the water and beyond
What I didn’t realize then — and I was glad to discover now — was how much there is for families — even those on a tight budget — to see and do here, beyond exploring the falls in what,
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San Diego’s “Kids Free Month” draws the family travelers
This month, kids can get into SeaWorld free in San Diego, Calif. Kids can also get into LEGOLAND, the San Diego Zoo, more than 30 San Diego museums and even ride free on Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner (typically one child with each adult paid admission). That’s no small thing
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Yes, those museum trips with your kids pay off
The next time the kids groan when you suggest taking them to a museum or a historic monument, tell them you’re investing in their future—literally.
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In Aspen, kids playing with their food is encouraged!
Never were two boys more unlike one another than mine when it comes to cooking. My elder son, Tanner, age 8, abhors anything remotely culinary, while my younger, Brady, age 5, was all but born with an apron wrapped around his waist, a wooden stirring spoon in his hand. The consummate chef and critic.
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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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Government may have shut down but D.C. still worth a visit
Despite the government shutdown, there still a lot to see, and much of its free, in Washington D.C. Eileen on Foxnews.com.
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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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10 ways to kick-start family Halloween outings during October
Kids don’t have to wait until Halloween to don their costumes and collect treats — not when every place from museums to aquariums to zoos to theme parks are celebrating Halloween the entire month of October with haunted houses, spooky corn mazes, special shows and as many treats as parents will permit. Orlando alone offers more than 80 Halloween events in the six weeks leading up to Halloween and showcases Halloween happenings all throughout October.
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How the government shutdown affects family travel
National Parks, monuments and other government-operated tourists attractions are cutting back or shutting down because of the politics in Washington. Passports may be delayed. Hundreds of thousands of workers are being furloughed and business that depend on parks and tourism will be hurt. What does the government shutdown mean for family travel?
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Eileen on Foxnews.com – best family-friendly Oktoberfests
Eileen interviewed on Foxnews.com about best family-friendly Oktoberfests.
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Passport is a must to teach kids the world
“The passport is the new diploma,” Keith Bellows, editor of National Geographic Traveler and the father of three, told the nearly 50 influential family travel writers and bloggers who had gathered this past weekend from around the country and Canada at the TMS Family Travel Conference in Niagara Falls, NY.
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Getting your family outdoors with the help of the Appalachian Mountain Club
The Appalachian Mountain Club is celebrating the 125th anniversary of the mountain huts — the oldest hut-to-hut network in the country. The AMC is even older. Founded in 1876, it’s the oldest conservation and outdoor recreation organization in the country with more than 100,000 members and supporters. Today, a big part of its mission is to encourage families to get outdoors.
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Memories of a family sailing/diving trip to the British Virgin Islands
Today we are all diving as a family. The Wreck of the Rhone is just off Salt Island in two big pieces 60 to 80 feet down, but there are many smaller pieces.
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Families flock to aquariums in the fall for fun and learning
Fall is a great time to visit an aquarium — and go on a whale watch with your kids, whether you have a day off from school, are enjoying a weekend getaway or a reprieve during a college tour trip. Some aquariums also offer sleepovers and behind-the-scenes tours for marine life aficionados. Aquariums are a place to learn about the creatures who live deep in the sea and along the shore in far-flung destinations
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Remembering a special visit meeting locals in Jamaica
We’re about as far away from a manicured resort as we can get. Jamaica has an interesting Meet the People program that enables visitors like us to experience local culture by spending time with locals who volunteer to share a meal or tour you around a market. You can meet up with locals who share your profession or hobbies. But I’m not sure this is exactly what the Jamaica Tourism establishment has in mind.
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Eileen offers money-saving tips for travel during hurricane season on Foxnews.com
Eileen offers money-saving tips for travel during hurricane season on Foxnews.com.
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Ten ways for families to celebrate fall in the Midwest
I spent a few days in Rockford recently for a travel writers’ conference — Travel Media Showcase — and it gave me the chance to catch up with folks from across the Midwest. Chatting with them made me realize — once again — how much smaller Midwestern cities and towns have to offer families.
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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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More free attractions for family travelers in Washington DC than any other place
Certainly you could spend all of your time in Washington, DC without paying to enter a museum—there are plenty of free ones to choose from. In fact, Washington DC likely has more free attractions than any city in the country.
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Fall is a fine time to take the kids and family to see Colorado’s beauty
Fall, in fact, we discovered, is a terrific time to gather the grown gang in Colorado. The days are sunny — warm enough for stand-up paddle-boarding and kayaking — and the evenings crisp. There’s plenty to do, whether you want to browse in Aspen’s shops, peruse the Saturday farmer’s market, hike or bike or even attend a film festiva
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Eileen is interviewed by ABC News’ Good Morning America
Eileen is interviewed by ABC News’ Good Morning America on the recent announcement by an international airline to add nanny service to its flights.
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Memories of a special birthday and hotel stay in Rome
With one night to stay in Rome, I didn’t want a hotel that was just a place to sleep. I didn’t want a hotel that was just convenient to the train station. I wanted a hotel that would be part of the experience. That’s why I chose the Grand Hotel de la Minerve that was a few steps from the Pantheon and a short walk to the Forum and Coliseum.
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Nantucket Island is a great fall getaway destination when the crowds are gone
Thirty miles off the coast of Massachusetts, Nantucket is as famous for its more than 30 miles of bike trails around the island — you see adults and kids with bikes everywhere — as for its 80 miles of spectacular beaches.
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Eileen posts on Have Family Will Travel — From Four Seasons
Eileen posts on Have Family Will Travel — From Four Seasons on taking the kids on a learning vacation in New York.
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Eileen is quoted an an expert in The Flipkey Blog
Eileen is quoted an an expert in The Flipkey Blog on reducing the stress of traveling with kids.
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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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Travel Writers conference showcases the best of the Midwest in autumn
Being in Rockford for a travel writers conference—Travel Media Showcase– and talking to a lot of people from Midwest cities and States—Peoria and St. Paul, the Quad Cities in Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa, Fort Wayne and Kansas City—made me realize once again how much the Midwest has to offer families.
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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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Reaching out and touching a penguin at Sea World Orlando
The adults are busy catching up while the kids swim and play, but this isn’t any waterfront playground on a late summer day. This is a unique playground for penguins — “Antarctica: Empire of the Penguins” — the largest expansion ever at SeaWorld Orlando.
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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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Great memories of an epic hike in 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. And in the year since— as we get ready to meet up with family for a week at a Portico Club rental house in Snowmass, up the road from Aspen–I’ve thought a lot about that hike.
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To Lake Placid and a resort that gets it right for families
I like to see a resort get it right and, I think, the Whiteface Lodge does. The 94-suite resort is spread out over 40 acres reminiscent of the historic “camps” of the Adirondacks with rough-hewn logs, big stone fireplaces, oversized leather furniture and whimsical décor evoking the outdoors.
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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. -
10 tips to survive taking your first child to college
You’ll be spending the Long Goodbye shuttling back and forth to stores crowded with other freshmen parents for “essentials” you didn’t bring from home. In our case, that included a tool kit needed to loft the beds in my daughter Mel’s dorm room so the girls had more floor space.
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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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Eileen interviewed by Boston Globe on family trips making lifetime memories
Eileen is interviewed by the Boston Globe on how family trips make for lifetime memories.
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How to save time and avoid stress at the theme parks
I had another ace up my sleeve. We’d arranged a VIP tour guide for part of the day. Our guide could lead the way, taking us through the park in a way that we would maximize our time, answering the most arcane questions, knowing where the bathrooms were and having ponchos on hand for the water rides.
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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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To Boston’s children’s museum celebrating 100 years of the power of play
When the kids lead the way, we’re guaranteed smiles rather than whines. And there’s no better place to let kids lead the way and to see the power of play in action than at the Boston Children’s Museum, which is celebrating its centennial this month on the South Boston Waterfront.
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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
