Fabulous Fall Vacations and Getaways
Harvest season. Kid-friendly festivals. Halloween. Let the fall fun begin! There’s no better time than autumn to get outdoors and get away whether you have a day, a weekend or a week for fall vacations. The climate is ideal; there is the right ratio of visitors to locals and grandparents can savor their preschoolers without the crowds. In many places, shoulder season prices make a fall getaway...
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Surviving Halloween Horror Nights
Having survived a night of gleeful terror at Universal Orlando’s annual Halloween Horror Nights, I can report that #HHN is a blast. Its -- a frightful fest of doom that's worth repeating annually. Both Universal Orlando and Universal Hollywood reach out to a fresh crop of master storytellers, as well as sharing original tales, so there are always new horrors to survive. This...
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Pennsylvania Apple Farms – U-Pick ‘Em And Enjoy
September and October are our favorite months to tour the Pennsylvania U-Pick farms for apple and pumpkin picking. Even a day in the fields can make a long weekend in the great family-friendly city of Philadelphia seem like a full vacation. If you're a history buff and are touring the great battlefield of Gettysburg, we have a few pick-your-own farms in that region...
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New York Metro Apple Farms – U-Pick ‘Em And Enjoy
The late summer and early fall is pick your own apples time, and a day at a New York Metro U-Pick farm is the perfect staycation or basis for a cheap weekend getaway for many area families. Follow my family to the countryside in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut for the best P-Y-O apple and pumpkin picking farms in the tristate metropolitan area. If...
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Top Ten Cancun Resorts For Families
Cancun, Mexico means white sand beaches, tropical vistas, luxury resorts, and some of Mexico’s most historic sights, making it one of the hottest spots for a family vacation by the sea. And while Mexico’s Mayan ruins are an essential stop, the top-of-the-line resorts along Cancun’s Zona Hotelera (the Hotel Zone) are almost destinations in themselves. We've been to most...
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A Leap Into the Past
The bitter wind cut into the sizable group of Floridians that huddled in the city center platz of the medieval city of Rothenburg, Germany. Snowballs soared through the air like cannonballs and smoke escaped mouths like modern fire-breathing dragons. We stood in our newly purchased ski jackets and scarves, waiting. Suddenly, a bulky figure lumbered out of the Rathaus City Hall building. The man...
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Autumn Interludes and Fall Family Vacation Ideas
If a uniquely American and slightly eccentric fall festival in North Carolina,Texas, Wisconsin, Maine or Vermont is your idea of a fun fall getaway, read on. Autumn is the time to harvest some of the many free activities and discounted hotel rooms offered in small towns across America. Whether you combine a stay deal with
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Blizzard Beach, Orlando’s Cheap Theme Park
Blizzard Beach, a Disney water park, is one my favorite places to take my sons Wyatt, age 10, and Joseph, age 12, as well as my husband. Done up only as Disney can do, a day at Blizzard Beach is all about family fun, no matter how old your children might be. What's more, this is one Orlando attraction that won't break the bank. Designed like an Alpine Village, adults and kids make waves under...
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attractions
Take a closer look at spots tourists love and local families' favorites to discover don't-miss attractions when exploring Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the family. To make exploring easier, Philadelphia is a participant in CityPASS, a discount ticket program which lets visitors skip most main-entrance...
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A Natural Revelation
A short year ago, a city of great feats stood before me as my feet lifted from the grey steps of the airplane’s rickety ladder, and landed on the concrete below me. This tentative step marked the first time in three years that I set foot on the land that I used to call home. Shortly after landing and completing the process of entering the airport, walking to the luggage claim, panicking at the luggage...
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From Ten to Twenty – Lessons learned Ecuador
As our large bus wheeled up the narrow path along Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador, I was distracted from the likelihood of death by the breathtaking view. Flowers I’ve never seen before, livestock, and people in beautiful clothing; nothing like the basic city life back home. Very relaxing. When I noticed the small, blue crosses dedicated to those who underestimated the vertical extent of the range, I...
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Discovering the Natural World in Norway
My sister Hanna and I sprinted down the dirt path, with our parents lagging behind. Ahead of us was one of the many stunning mountains that line Norway’s fjords. Waterfalls spewed from its cliffs. At the top was Buerbreen glacier. We had been to Norway many times before to visit our mother’s family, but this was our first trip to the west coast. As I raced Hanna to the beginning of the trail, I...
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