Touring the Vatican with kids – hidden gems to explore

Touring the Vatican with kids – hidden gems to explore

Welcome to The Vatican, the world’s smallest sovereign state, established in 1929. It’s the modern version of the papal fiefdom that ruled Rome and much of central Italy before Italy was unified in the mid-19th century

Celebrating July 4 with the kids

Celebrating July 4 with the kids

There are plenty of ways to celebrate, starting with your local parade. When my kids were small and we lived in Evanston, Illinois, that parade was a highlight of the summer

An Austrian monastery underappreciated by the Hapsburgs

An Austrian monastery underappreciated by the Hapsburgs

Today, the Benedictine Abbey “Gottweig” may be the most famous symbol of this region—a huge complex at the top of the mountain that houses, besides the gorgeous church, a youth center, inn and one building that was built for the Hapsburgs to stay though they never did and boasting the largest staircase in all of Austria.

Visit to a Sea Turtle Hospital in Palm Beach County, Florida

Visit to a Sea Turtle Hospital in Palm Beach County, Florida

More than just a place to observe, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a working hospital with the goal of rehabilitating its animal patients. In fact, it’s the preeminent sea turtle hospital in the United States and animals in need of treatment are carefully transported here from around the country.

To Great Smoky Mountains National Park

To Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Welcome to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the country with nearly 10 million visitors a year — twice what the Grand Canyon gets.