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Eileen is interviewed on Foxnews.com about touring Washington DC with the kids.
New museum exhibits often foster excitement and increase tourism and, since it opened last fall, “The Space Shuttle Endeavour Exhibition” has done both in spades. (Did I mention there is no entrance fee to the wonderful hands-on museum, though you can pay $2 for a timed entrance to Endeavour?)
Hotels are so much more than a place to sleep these days, especially for families. Check into the Thayer Hotel at West Point, N.Y., and kids might even learn a little history in a room dedicated to famous graduates like astronaut Buzz Aldrin, complete with memorabilia. (The newest is the Army Baseball Room.)
Like a lighthouse in the Allegheny Mountains, the enormous tower and complex of the Homestead Resort marks the location of healing waters of the natural springs in central Virginia. The rejuvenating mineral waters were once sought out by Native Americans and early colonists alike.
“I’m going to travel like this from now on!” Sarah exclaimed, while she was receiving exciting emails from MMC and Ya’axche about fun things to do during our trip. Not only do I feel like I truly took advantage of my last spring break in College, but I also made it educational…aren’t you proud Mom and Dad?
Some of you are just heading out on spring break. Some of you are there and are wondering why you left home. That’s because traveling with kids is never easy. It’s aggravating, stressful, expensive and wonderful. Keep reminding yourself that all the travel research shows that family vacations are responsible for the happiest memories we have—memories that last a lifetime.
Already, the California Science Center drew more visitors than any other museum in southern California—including 370,000 school kids. But since the Shuttle has opened, the museum officials are projecting visitation will be up nearly a million to 2.5 million, says Science Center VP William Harris.
Hollywood…and Beverly Hills.
It’s often what people think of when they think of LA but of course LA is a lot more than that, my friend Jennifer Miner who is one of the www.vacationgals.com and lives in suburban LA tells me.
On a rainy day, grab an umbrella and go to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. “Nobody’s there,” reports 11-year-old Sean, who is from suburban Virginia and was one of the local and visiting kids we interviewed for my new “Kid’s Guide to Washington, D.C.” While you are there, pick up a mini Washington Monument, “The best souvenir from Washington, D.C.!” offers William, 12, who lives in suburban Maryland.
When I go for a before dinner walk on the beach, there are adults—and kids—doing yoga, playing on the swings and the gymnastics equipment. (There is an area for the kids to climb mini ropes!) They are inline skating, riding bikes, swinging and jumping in and out of the surf and squealing with laughter. They are lining up for fresh lemonade and tacos, playing games in the arcade on the pier.
2013 is the Year of the Ear at Disney Parks with new limited release Disney Ear Hats available every month as part of Disney Parks’ Limited Time Magic—special experiences designed to surprise and excite guests when they visit. Of course you can get your ears autographed.
Eileen is interviewed on Rudy Maxa’s national radio program. Download a podcast here. Rudy Maxa, aka “The Savvy Traveler,” is one of America’s premier consumer travel experts
Download a PDF file of Eileen’s presentation to the California Governor’s Tourism Conference in San Diego. California Governors presentation March 2013
We all know that San Diego is home to the San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld but we may not realize there are so many museums that because they are in one urban park are so easy to visit (you can also buy a park passport that’s good for a week–$49 for adults and $27 for kids 12 and younger.
At the new LEGOLAND Hotel in Carlsbad, CA you—in consultation with your kids, of course—can choose which theme you prefer and your room will be decorated accordingly at the 250-room hotel set to open with great fanfare April 5.
It’s easy to see why families are attracted to Bolton Valley—the low-key atmosphere reminiscent of when parents learned to ski in Vermont and the fact that lift tickets are about 20-30 per cent less than at neighboring Stowe.
It’s Easter Sunday and at the sumptuous brunch at the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay in California, little girls are dressed in brightly colored dresses, boys in dress shirts that don’t want to stay in their pants and kids and grown-ups proudly sport bunny ears, some with blinking lights.
As we ate pink napoleons and cream puffs we discovered what a multinational group we were. Girls from all over the world had come for the Barbie Experience – New York, Utah, Toronto, Mexico City, São Paulo, London, Dublin and even Sydney! Barbie truly speaks the international language of fun for young girls of any culture.
When given the opportunity to cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas as part of their brand new Barbie Premium Experience, I felt like I had won the lottery. This cruise sounded amazing, especially since it coincided with our daughter’s 4th birthday. It was a bonafide vacation and I was sure there would be plenty of sun and at least one pool side cocktail involved.
The majority of adults polled for a new U.S. Travel Association Family Vacation Survey said they were motivated to take family vacations by the desire to create positive memories for their children—fond memories like they have from the vacations they took as children as young as five. The majority noted that some of their favorite photos and videos are from family vacations.
It was our first destination ski vacation. My partner Dan Foldes and I had skied in Colorado throughout our college years, but we had only gone on day trips up to the mountains. This was the first time that we would be flying to a ski town, staying in a hotel, and skiing for three days straight, just the two of us.
There were round-robin emails in the weeks before the trip in which we discussed the menus and shopping lists. My husband, raised in Texas, brought his “famous” chili, frozen from home, and my British sister-in-law the ingredients for Shepherd’s Pie.
It is no fun getting sick on vacation and altitude sickness is the worst. But when you are above 9,986 feet as we are in Breckenridge, CO, it isn’t that uncommon, the staff at the St. Anthony Breckenridge Community Clinic Emergency Center tells us.
Keystone is Vail Resort’s most kidcentric resort, with kids-ski free (as long as you book a two night stay, night skiing tweens and teens love, daily “Kidtopia” activities. Think a parade through the village on Saturdays, with kids being twirled around in tires, free cookies and hot cider in the ice skating rink, the chance to meet and greet the avalanche dogs and ski patrollers, free kids sundaes and more.
We stop at one of the three historic miner cabins that contains a letter that a woman named Josie wrote to her husband, telling him she wouldn’t move to the miner district of Breckenridge “the most fiendish place…the red light district is visible to all…” until he built them a proper home.
We heard about Dorothy’s from our daughter Mel, an avid skier and Colorado College student who would stop often on her forays to the mountains. So when were casting about for somewhere to go for lunch—not that there aren’t many choices in Breckenridge!—we thought of Dorothy’s. It was a beautiful blue-sky day and the mountain views on the drive over were fantastic.
You can’t bring a bottle of water onto an airplane. You might get stopped at security with a container of breast milk. But you can bring a baseball bat? And small knives? Come on TSA, which announced last week that these items will be allowed as carry-on beginning April 25. How about a little common sense?
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. But two on our list are private and to the high school boys I’d taken to see the sites for the weekend they were worth the cost of admission.
Eileen interviewed on Foxnews.com about ideas for families planning their spring breaks.
At 31 years young, I found myself completely gassed on the slopes trying to keep up with my 22-year-old cousin Melanie Yemma (a senior at Colorado College). I’m a fan of breaks – even naps – but apparently when you’re 22 and you live in Colorado, you don’t take breaks on the mountain.
Browse through a selection of travel ideas for cities, countries, and unique regions that offer memorable experiences for every type of traveler.
Escape to the outdoors where lush parks, scenic trails, and serene natural retreats provide the space to relax, recharge, and experience the world in its purest form.
Every destination has its own flavor. Let the food take you on a journey through local traditions, and unforgettable meals.
