How families can celebrate Halloween all October long
Halloween is coming. Here are some places to find haunted houses, corn mazes, theme park parties and more for your kids and family
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Half Moon Bay, CA, gets ready for families with lots of pumpkins
Farmer John Muller, a third-generation California farmer, is also the mayor of Half Moon Bay, which bills itself as the World’s Pumpkin Capital. The coastal climate here, with warm days and cool nights, is perfect for growing pumpkins.
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A Family Day in Denver: Bikes and Botanic Gardens
Taking the Kids Correspondent Allison Tibaldi says Denver is one America’s most bike-friendly cities and its bike-sharing program makes it easy to get around on shiny red bikes.
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When the kids aren’t in school yet this fall, get out and play
For once, be glad you’re toting a stroller and safety seat. When everyone else has headed back to school, you can head off on vacation with your toddlers and preschoolers.
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Families & Groups | Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Parks & Outdoors | Travel Diaries | Volunteer & Service
A Kid Facing Fears and Pushing Limits at Mount Snow Family Camp
Sheri McDonald writes that her children have all gone to summer camp, but it was really special to be with them together at Mount Snow Family Camp while they gained confidence and took on new challenges
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The Family Table at Mount Snow Family Camp
Sheri McDonald says it easy to grab a plate of food and sit in front of the television or keep working while we eat. On her recent trip to Mount Snow Family Camp she had a reminder of how valuable the family table is.
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Families love Vermont in Fall for more than the colorful foliage
If you think visiting Vermont in fall is just about the foliage, glorious as it may be, think again. There are mountains to climb, golf and disc golf, kayaking, canoeing and mountain biking to try.
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Unplug and Reconnect at Mount Snow Family Camp
Sheri McDonals’s son was having trouble imagining a week with no iPod, computer or video games. Once they arrived at Family Camp, they didn’t think about wifi again.
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All you need for date night – Denver’s Larimer Square
Situated in the heart of Denver, Larimer Square is a host to many delicious restaurants, bars and entertainment – we never even left the square during our date night.
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A mountain biking lesson well learned at Smugglers Notch VT
It’s a lot different to bike on a mountain trail with uneven terrain, rocks and tree stumps. All the more reason to take a lesson, like we did at Smuggler’s Notch VT
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Small museums everywhere provide great value for families
I realized when I stopped at the Children’s Creativity Museum in San Francisco, how much fun a visit to a smaller museum can be for visiting families.
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Kids and grownups zipping through the treetops in Northern Vermont
We’re at ArborTrek in Jeffersonville, VT right near Smuggler’s Notch Resort about to set out on what USA Today has dubbed a top zip line adventure in the country
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Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Families & Groups | Food and Dining | Lodging | Parks & Outdoors | Travel Diaries
Kids learning farming and history at Shelburne Farms in Vermont
I’m at the Shelburne Farms Children’s Farmyard near Burlington, Vermont where there is also a cow, goats and the fanciest chicken coop I’ve ever seen — home to 60 chickens.
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Great way to stretch your vacation dollar – Orlando
There’s a lot more to Orlando than theme parks—and a lot of ways to stretch your vacation dollar while having plenty of fun, especially in September, the cheapest month of the year to visit with deals up to half off.
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New Orleans, swamps, plantations and other family haunts in Louisiana
Want a marshmallow? The 6-foot-long alligator, dubbed Otis by the locals, who’s minus one foot and swimming alongside our boat certainly does.
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Families flock to the World War II Museum in New Orleans
Jack Lucas became the youngest Marine ever to receive the United States’ highest military honor. The wallet he had in his pocket that day tells just one of the many stories at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
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Kids cooking it up for their parents in New Orleans hotel
I like that Omni is as interested in encouraging kids to expand their palates when they are on vacation as in feeding their parents. As part of its Sensational Kids program
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Hello gator! On a eco swamp tour in the Louisiana bayous
We’re on a Pearl River Swamp Eco Tour in the Honey Island Swamp in Slidell on Louisiana’s Northshore in St. Tammany Parish, about 40 minutes across Lake Pontchartrain from downtown New Orleans.
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On a culinary tour of New Orleans with a former history teacher
We’re in the so-called Mystery Dining Room at Antoine’s in New Orleans, the famous restaurant that has been operated continuously by the same family since 1840, our first stop on a wonderful New Orleans Culinary History Tour through the French Quarter led by former history teacher Naif Shahady.
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An old-fashioned family crab boil in Lake Charles, LA
I’m at a Fais-Do-Do, A Cajun Dance party, at Travel Media Showcase and Marilyn Dawdy, I learn, mid-lesson, is catering the big event for the conference in the Lake Charles Civic Center overlooking Lake Charles.
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Visiting the theme parks with the youngest members of the family
Wherever you and your toddlers and preschoolers find yourselves this summer, you’ll find plenty to amuse and entertain, even when they’re not walking yet. Go after the older kids go back to school and you can avoid the crowds. According to Visit Orlando, September is the cheapest month of the year to visit there.
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Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Families & Groups | Food and Dining | Parks & Outdoors | Travel Diaries
Farmer John knows how to grow pumpkins in Half Moon Bay
Farmer John Muller, who is a third generation farmer and happens to be the Mayor of Half Moon Bay, knows how to grow a great pumpkin!
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Half Moon Bay, CA — no crowds or rush yet near San Francisco
My daughter is planning her wedding near Half Moon Bay. I can see why she loves this area — between the mountains to the East and the Pacific to the west. The best part—it’s not busy or crowded, though we’re less than hour’s drive from San Francisco.
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Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Families & Groups | Food and Dining | Lodging | Parks & Outdoors | Weekly Column
Sonoma County: the right locale for a trip with a grown-up kid
Who says grown kids don’t want to travel with their parents? I don’t get to see my daughter that often and was determined to make our few days together as fun and as stress-free as possible for both of us. The key, I discovered, is choosing the right locale.
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Relaxing in the mineral pools at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn
Water Yoga anyone? What a way to start the day. I’m moving from one mineral pool to the next at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn.
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Exploring Bodega Bay CA – bike rides, redwoods, great food
People come to Bodega Bay to watch the whales, hike among the huge Coast redwoods — some are 1,000 years old and 250 feet tall like in the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve in Guerneville — and of course, eat.
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Families up close with African animals – in Sonoma County CA
Who knew there is the chance to see so many rare endangered African animals right in the middle of Sonoma County, just 75 miles north of San Francisco
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Discovering the family and foodie side of Sonoma County CA
Sonoma County CA – Twenty coastal beaches… soaring Coas Redwoods… 11 state parks, 27 historical landmarks… 120 farms open to the public and 12 farmers markets… 400 wineries and more than 500 restaurants committed to bringing you food grown locally.
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Learning about oceanography in Woods Hole, MA
WOODS HOLE, MA – Do you recognize the name of this small port on Cape Cod? It has something to do with the Titanic, right?
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Families get up close and with the animals at Busch Gardens in Tampa
Welcome to the state-of-the-art Animal Care Center at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida — a unique 16,000-square-foot facility opened a little more than two years ago where visitors can watch how the park’s veterinarians take care of the animals that live here
