In Orlando, taking your kids to a restaurant is easy
Taking young kids to a restaurant on vacation can seem like it is more trouble than it’s worth. The good news is that in Orlando, you can relax.
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Tinker til you drop at San Francisco’s Exploratorium
Step right into the Tinkering Studio at San Francisco’s Exploratorium where you can tinker until you make lights go on and buzzers sound, make music on a musical bench or create a toothpick sculpture, inspired by the giant toothpick sculpture “Rolling Through the Bay.”
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Boston’s Freedom Trail: Where families travel back in time
Welcome to Boston’s Freedom Trail, the 2.5-mile-long route over cobble-stoned streets that lets you travel back in time to when Boston was still a colony and people argued about what to do about the increasingly difficult demands from the king of England.
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San Francisco’s North Beach: a fun area for family touring
North Beach, of course, is not a beach but a famous San Francisco neighborhood first settled by Italian fisherman and laborers in the early years of the 20th century.
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Children’s Creativity Museum: A San Francisco family treat
The Children’s Creativity Museum in downtown San Francisco right at Yerba Buena Gardens, is unlike any children’s museum I’ve ever seen. For one thing, it appeals to all ages.
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At the Tonga Room in SF, fun dining for families
The Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar has been a San Francisco fixture since 1945, famous for its tropical drinks and band that floats up and down the water on a thatched-covered barge
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A new way with kids menus at San Francisco’s Exploratorium
At the SEAGLASS restaurant in San Francisco’s Exploratorium, families and kids step out of their comfort zone to eat healthier and what is in season.
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Five places for your kids to get up close and personal with dinosaurs
You don’t have to be in New York or at The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., to get your dino fix, as wonderful as those museums’ exhibits are. Here are four others museums I’ve visited that are guaranteed to please.
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Chiles and yogurt: family dining in Albuquerque NM
New Mexican cuisine is as much a part of Albuquerque as the museums and heritage, and there is no shortage of delicious places for families to dine when visiting the area.
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10 family friendly things to do in Albuquerque, NM
Here are ten activities and destinations you will find in Albuquerque that are ideal for families traveling with children.
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The secret to vacation happiness — ask the kids to help planning!
The lesson: Take the kids’ opinions into account when planning a family getaway, whether it’s a big-ticket adventure, a trip to Orlando, a camping trip or a weekend exploring a city. Believe me, if the kids aren’t happy, you won’t be.
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Back to Bolton Valley with the ABC boys — many lessons learned
Why would three sane adult males drive five hours for a day-and-a-half of skiing and snowboarding with a group of five high school boys when there are bigger and fancier ski areas much closer to home? A guys weekend of course.
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Take your family to an art museum and explore it in new ways
At the Denver Art Museum you can borrow a backpack. These days you’ll find plenty of activities to engage kids and the adults who accompany them to art museums across the country
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Finding a New Shared Passion on the Slopes of Winter Park
We had a lot on the line for our first ski trip out west together. I wanted my fiancé, Jonathan to fall in love with skiing. I knew Winter Park would win him over.
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Futbol is life — at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Fútbol: The Beautiful Game is an art exhibition to examine soccer through issues such as nationalism and identity as well as share the human experience through different cultures, according to LACMA.
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There’s plenty in Orlando for even the smallest park goers and their parents
There’s no need to wait until kids are in elementary school to bring them to Orlando—not when every park has plenty to wow the littlest park goers and their parents, including big, interactive play areas designed just for them.
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As spring breaks grow in popularity, how to plan one on the fly
Spring break these days is more for families than for college kids, as parents find it easier to grab a few days off in spring rather than summer when the kids have jobs, summer school, camp, sports practice and everyone at work is vying for the same vacation days.
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The museums in Los Angeles have something for every family
Here are five Los Angeles museum bets that are guaranteed to please even the I-hate-museum crowd
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Unleashing your family’s inner Olympian at the North American sites
This year, do a lot more than just watch the Olympians as the Winter Games get under way in Sochi, Russia on Feb. 6. Tap into the Olympic spirit right here at home.
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Preschoolers exploring the surface of Mars at Denver science museum
On a recent Tuesday, a group of pre schoolers were busy carving out what looked like pieces of water from the surface of Mars — at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
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Families love the time machines at History Colorado
Everyone visiting Denver—and Colorado should stop at this downtown museum that makes Colorado history relevant and gives those families visiting a way to connect with Coloradoans past and present.
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Families love the Denver Art Museum and its backpacks
It turns out that some 20 years ago, the Denver Art Museum was the first in the country to not only embrace families but to introduce backpacks-to-borrow as a way to engage kids.
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Carving snow and ice In Breckenridge CO — you can do this at home!
With much of the nation covered in snow this week, and temperatures well below freezing, this is a great family cabin-fever-reducing activity. But here in Breckenridge, snow carving is a huge event each winter.
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Learning to ski and ride and doing it for FREE in Pennsylvania
Do you have kids that are in 4th or 5th Grade and are looking for a way to keep them busy this winter How about skiing or boarding for FREE in Pennsylvania?
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Enjoying Christmas Traditions at Colonial Williamsburg
The holiday season is an excellent time to visit Colonial Williamsburg and see firsthand how 18th Century Virginians celebrated.
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Holiday Festivities at Busch Garden’s Christmas Town
If you arrive at night, you might not recognize Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. The millions of lights that cover 1,500 Christmas trees give the theme park a fantastical holiday makeover and transform it into Christmas Town.
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In New Hampshire for an old fashioned family holiday getaway
In New Hampshire for the holidays, we sleep and hike with the Appalachian Mountain Club, visit the historic Omni Mt. Washington Hotel, tour the treetops at Bretton Woods Ski Area and are pulled by a sled dog team that includes a pair of amazing canines.
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Combining a Royal Caribbean Cruise and a visit to Universal Orlando
Taking the Kids contributor Allison Tibaldi reports on a two-for-one holiday with her son on a Royal Caribbean cruise along with a visit to Universal Orlando Resort.
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Visiting Boston and the historic Boston Tea Party
There may be 21st-century LED holiday lights all over Boston, but we’ve time-traveled back to 1773 — Dec. 16, 1773 to be exact — the night that literally changed the course of American history.
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Take the Kids Skating at The Rink at Bryant Park
this time of year also means winter fun and what better way to ring in the season than to go ice skating in Bryant Park in the heart of Manhattan.
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New ways to light up your holidays this season
Virtually every town and city in the country has holiday festivals and displays. You just have to make time to enjoy them. Skip the mall Santa (my kids always bawled) and take them someplace where you can all gawk at spectacular light displays
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Family gatherings at Gettysburg for 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s address
At the time, no one expected the speech to be a big deal. Lincoln had merely been asked to make a few remarks at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, here in the Pennsylvania countryside, just four months after the searing battle that turned the tide of the Civil War.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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
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“The Power of Play” at Boston Children’s Museum
The kids at the huge waterfront museum were too busy having fun—from the toddlers in the PlaySpace wheeling mini grocery carts to the grade schoolers making their way up the soaring three story climbing structure. That’s the point as the museum celebrates it’s centennial.
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What to do when it rains on your family’s long-awaited vacation
Sometimes when the weather interferes with your plans, it’s best to move on to Plan B. Rain has sent us racing to the nearest B-and-B when we were camping in New Hampshire. (A hot shower never felt so good!) We literally flew to Oahu when the forecast was better there than the continued wet weather we were experiencing on Kauai.
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Water sports, bike riding and bringing home the lobsters in Maine
Food, of course, is a big part of vacation and that’s certainly the case in Maine famous for its no-frills lobster “shacks” where you can get lobster rolls—lobster salad sandwiches typically served on a hot dog bun to restaurants in Portland, about 20 miles from here, known for serving food that have just come from local farms.
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Teaching a kid to fish with a “Wicked Tuna” star in Kennebunkport ME
“Sometimes the girls have more patience,” acknowledges Capt Bruce Hebert, known for his stint on the National Geographic Channel’s Wicked Tuna reality show but here in Kennebunkport for his Libreti Rose II fishing charters that cater to families and is named for his wife and three daughters—Lisa, Brie, Tiara and Rose.
