In Mexico, a Spa for the Whole Family
Where are the kids while the parents are at the spa? There are two options: the Barcy Kids Club, where kids get to partake in activities like pool sports and crafts, or the Barcelo Kids Spa.
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Experiencing the Sea Turtles and Other Wildlife in Riviera Maya
This resort is dedicated to protecting the sea turtle eggs laid upon its 1.25 miles of glistening beach during sea turtle nesting season from May through October, and guests of all ages are encouraged to participate in the release of the juvenile turtles when they hatch.
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Three Days on the Mexican Riviera at Barcelo Maya
This is Mayan land, we are told, and there is a lot of mysticism around here. So much mysticism that the superstitious-minded believe the world will be ending December 21, 2012. It doesn’t feel like the world is ending at Barceló, though…
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Visiting the nation’s capital is cool in the fall
Fall is a great time to visit Washington, D.C. Hotel rates are down as much as half, and the summer humidity has disappeared, along with the crowds. No wonder it’s Travelzoo’s featured destination right now.
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Mount Vernon is as close to royalty as America gets
America may lack royalty, but Mount Vernon, the regal estate of our first president, is a must for families taking in the history of our nation’s capital.
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This fall, explore America off the beaten path
Take a fall weekend to explore a smaller city or region near your home and you’ll be amazed at what you find; especially if you let the kids lead the way. Honestly, before I got there, I wondered what Sioux Falls S.D. would have to offer a traveling family.
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When a hotel is more than just a place to crash
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—a big part of the experience. We were staying in Rome just one night and it was my birthday.
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Deals abound for your Princeses at the Disney Parks
When I visited Disneyland earlier this summer, moms and dads were busy filming the princess transformation on their iPads and smartphones. “It never gets old for them” said manager Joanna Pisanski
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Last evening in New York — at the Statue of Liberty
My family decided to end our stay in the Big Apple with a trip to see the Statue of Liberty. Let me tell you, the “Summer Evenings” Cruise out to the Statue of Liberty was the highlight of our whole trip.
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Vacation memories: from Plimouth Plantation to Liberty Island
As summer draws to a close, we all like to think back on this year’s family travels. And why not reminisce on the sweet break we had? This summer I had an experience to last a lifetime. This summer, I got to travel to two large cities: Boston and New York.
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Next time consider a villa on your family vacation
A villa or condo makes vacationing with kids — no matter what their ages — so much easier. Remember that the kitchen is always open and in some cases you have a staff all to yourself. And you don’t have to share the pool with strangers.
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A kids view of Boston and New York City
What surprised me most about Boston was how history and the modern city were combined. There was a colonial age church between a coffee shop and a bank, cemeteries hidden between buildings …
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Nieces on a road trip to Boston and New York City
My nieces from Arkansas recently visited Boston and New York with on a two week road trip with their parents. The girls used CityPASSes to visit top attractions and museums in New York and Boston.
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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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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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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 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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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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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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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
