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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An old-fashioned family getaway in Maine
Maine is the kind of place for an old-fashioned family vacation with the chance to learn something new, whether you’re going fishing, stand-up paddle-boarding for the first time or maybe learning how to catch — and eat a lobster.
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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.
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Visiting kids should meet local kids
Wherever you go this summer, encourage your kids to chat up local kids, join a pick-up soccer game in a city park or play in a playground or on the beach. They’ll go home with an entirely different perspective. I met these Bahamian kids at the Abaco Beach Resort where they’ve signed on to be Bahamas Buddies
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Three days in the Kennebunks (ME) over the Fourth of July holiday
It’s July 4th night and everyone is in vacation mode after a long day on the beach with teens setting off sparklers, parents nursing a beer or a glass of wine and everyone, for the moment, feeling all is well in the world, especially here in Maine where locals have been welcoming vacationers for generations—including the Bush family.
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A summer day well spent at Denver’s Elitch Gardens
A day at a theme park like Elitch Gardens is about more than having fun, we discover. It’s about facing disappointment when we lose at an arcade game and it rains when we want sun. It’s about riding that first thrill ride and recognizing when it may be too much thrill for a little girl (or a grown up).
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Nantucket island, once the whaling capital of the world
This small island — just 14 miles East to West and 3.5 miles north to south — is so pretty with its weathered gray shingle houses, roses climbing white picket fences and cobblestone streets in Nantucket town. There are more than 800 pre-Civil War houses on the island, which shares the name with a county and a town — the only place in the country that all three have the same name.
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Lady Liberty is reopening July 4 after cleanup from Hurricane Sandy
Wow! Even the most jaded teen or tween can’t help but be impressed gazing up at The Statue of Liberty, reopening July 4 for the first time since Liberty Island was seriously damaged and closed last fall in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
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Activities for kids abound in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit has plenty of kid-friendly activities too! If you or your kids are history buffs, the Ford Museum and Greenfield Village are perfect destinations. The Ford Museum has an impressive collection of artifacts, including the first Mustang ever made, the car in which JFK was assassinated, the chair Lincoln was seated in when he was shot, and the bus that Rosa Parks rode.
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Two days discovering Michigan
Ann Arbor is full of wonderful and unique food. The day opened at Zola, originally started as a small Turkish gem, which still sticks to its roots. Usually, I love sticking to my roots, treating myself to blintz and crepes for breakfast, but the waiter convinced me to try an artichoke omelet with plenty of veggies and hearty flavor.
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What if it rains when you’re in Orlando? No worries.
This was supposed to be our day to hang at the pool. In fact, we chose the Hyatt Grand Cypress in Orlando because it’s got a new water play area—big new water slide and 1500 acres with put-put golf, tennis, sandy beach with paddle boats, smores pit…the list goes on and on. But Tropical Storm Andrea put a wrench in our plan.
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A special place in Orlando for families with sick children
At Give Kids the World Village near the Orlando theme parks, visiting kids can have ice cream every day for breakfast if they choose. They can celebrate Halloween in June and Christmas in July, complete with presents. But these families belong to a club no parent wants to join.
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Better, healthier food choices are flouishing at Orlando’s theme parks
If you think all Orlando food is turkey legs, burgers and churros, think again. Sure you can get all that but you have plenty more choices—and healthier options—for the kids as well as the adults
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Touring Universal Orlando like a VIP with a guide
Because we’re staying on property at the wonderful Loews Portifino Bay Hotel, just a short water taxi ride from both parks and CityWalk shopping and entertainment area, we could have entered the park an hour before opening to avoid the mad crush. But I had another ace up my sleeve.
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Four days in Orlando exploring the new theme park attractions
The baby is so fluffy! I petted the four month-old still covered in dark brown down. I did that at the behind the scenes tour at the brand new Antarctica Empire of the Penguin exhibit at SeaWorld Orlando—home to 250 penguins from four different species.
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At Beaches Ochos Rios – an excursion to popular Dunn River Falls
Breakfast at leisure at the Bayside buffet at the relaxing but active Beaches Resort in Ocho Rios. We were treated to freshly made smoothies and omelets, delicious morning glory muffins and everything else you could want at a breakfast buffet, and, of course, more interactivity with our friends from Sesame Street. Then we grabbed some towels from the pool and headed to the Dunn’s River Falls.
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Sesame Street and all kinds of kids’ activities at Beaches Ochos Rios
Thank goodness for a giant king bed and 8 hours of sleep here at Beaches Resort in Ocho Rios. Friday morning was the Character Breakfast and the Venetian Dining Room was completely decked out with Sesame Street decorations, banners, posters and table settings.
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To Aspen in summer when it’s affordable
There’s no better place to combine activity and indulgence than in Aspen in summer. And it won’t bust your budget either. The Little Nell, for example, is offering free room nights and fly-fishing excursions, with rates as much as half-off peak winter rates. You can save even more on a condo rental in Aspen or Snowmass,
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Three days at Beaches Ocho Rios in sunny Jamaica
When we arrived at Beaches Ochos Rios, the welcome staff immediately swept Jude up to get ready for the carnival parade with the Sesame Street characters. She was given a glittery crown and had her face painted right off the van. She instantly forgot about the long day of travel and was immersed in the fun and activities.
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Five vacation ideas guarantees to please for Father’s Day
Forget the new slippers. Dad certainly won’t want another tie. And he can choose his own books. This Father’s Day, get Dad something he’s guaranteed to love–a special experience on your next vacation. Here are five we think are guaranteed to please:
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Families flock to the Caribbean for great deals in summer
In summer, you’ll find cheaper air fares to the Caribbean than in winter, too, which will enable you to experience more far-flung locales. Look for deals in the Bahamas, for example, that include free airfare from Nassau to the outer islands. But be forewarned that especially if you plan to travel in August or September, a tropical storm might rain on your parade.
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Whitewater Rafting and other Adventures in Wild (and Wet!) West Virginia
The sun is warming us with brief guest appearances through the clouds, and the cool river water running though the deep canyon is not too high but not too low. The conditions are perfect for a day of whitewater rafting on West Virginia’s New River Gorge National River with River Expeditions outfitters.
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In the Abacos: mixing culture with tourism in a People-to-People program
That’s also the idea behind the Bahamas People to People Program. Visitors are paired with locals of similar interests who might take them to church, running in Nassau, on a boat ride or a kayak in Grand Bahama Island or to dinner at their home. There is no charge.
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Learning all about the Star Spangled Banner in Baltimore and Washington
lLarning about the flag starts in Baltimore with a visit to Fort McHenry (walk among the canons and peer into barracks that look as they might have during the Battle of Baltimore). Then on to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. to see the actual flag in all its glory.
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Abacos Islands in the Bahamas: Laid back and simple family vacation territory
Welcome to the Abacos Islands in the Bahamas —a chain of some 120 tiny islands, home to just 14,000 people and a mecca for boaters, fisherman, snorkelers and divers. Today we’re at Munjack Cay about 40 miles by boat from the town of Marsh Harbor with Lincoln and Marcus Jones who have brought us and some other guests here to cook the fish we’ve just caught.
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Learning all about Junkanoo, the festivals kids love most in the Bahamas
What began with programs for school kids in the Bahamas in 2000, now attracts cruise ship passengers and other visitors for workshops in Junkanoo costume making. And what amazing costumes they are, put together with thousands and thousands of strips of brightly colored crepe paper adorned with feathers and gold and silver buttons.
