Illinois Apple Farms – U-Pick ‘Em And Enjoy
Stick with us while we drive to countryside U-Pick apple farms in Rockford, Caledonia, Winnebago and other regions near Chicago, Illinois then head southwest across the state to Alton to check out the orchards near the Mississippi River and St. Louis, Missouri. In our family, a day...
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An Incredible Summer at Walt Disney World
Whether you’re a human or a toy, Walt Disney World in Orlando has designed a vacation all about you, with a little sprinkling of PIXAR dust. For humans, there are fresh attractions in all the parks, plus new amenities like extra shaded seating, more FastPasses to reduce waiting time for popular rides, and new water fountains and misters throughout the parks.
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Permission To Travel and Travel Consent Letters And Why You Need Them
Adults traveling outside the U.S. with children under 18, other than their own, must have a Permission or travel consent letter from both of the minors' guardians. The travel consent letter also covers a child traveling internationally with only one birth parent, one guardian, grandparents or other adults. This written and notarized Permission to Travel Letter from both birth parents,...
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12 American Stories from Philadelphia’s Historic District
Philadelphia is one of America’s most fascinating cities for families because every cobblestone and brick reeks of history. Over a two-day weekend, I was struck by how much we learned about America by just walking in and out of the remarkable museums of the Historic District. The city’s oldest section, much of it dating to the early 1700s, comprises important landmarks...
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A Cabin Country Family Reunion in New Mexico
Most Texas families are familiar with Ruidoso, a picturesque mountain town just two hours’ drive from El Paso that’s cool during summer and snowy in winter. Thanks to moderate prices, a variety of recreation and dining, plus some cultural entertainment, Ruidoso's appeal to empty...
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Catch the Sound of Music in Salzburg
The city that’s best known to Americans as the setting for the 1965 blockbuster, “Sound of Music,” is regarded elsewhere as the capital of classical music. Each summer, while the great orchestras are on vacation, the six-week Salzburg Festival invites the top musicians from around the world to perform at Salzburger...
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No-Cost Fun In Indianapolis, Indiana
Head to Indy for concerts, museums, history, transportation and endless fun throughout spring, summer and fall (winter's cold!) The best things in life are still free, at least in Indiana's capitol of Indianapolis. Spend the day listening to music, learn about the city's rich history, get involved in the Arts, and make your way through downtown: all for free. You might discover that Indianapolis doesn't...
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Beat the Heat on the Slopes of New Zealand
This summer, while some families are lying on beach blankets, others are making snow angels at Southern Hemisphere resorts that are celebrating "winter" with crisp ski deals. For example, June 2, 2018 -- the Queen's Birthday long weekend -- marked one of the earliest openings ever for Coronet Peak, New Zealand. This...
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The Cayman Islands Food Revolution
New kids' cooking classes and food education programs in the Cayman Islands are just the start of a food revolution aiming to support local agriculture and teach children where their food comes from. To find out more about it, we recently spoke with Chef Maureen Cubbon, an active participant in Cayman’s farm-to-table scene and an ambassador for the Food Revolution Movement started by celebrity...
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Seaweed Attacking Caribbean Beaches
According to recent media accounts, an influx of the disruptive and hated-by-brides seaweed known as sargassum has washed up around the Caribbean for summer 2018. I had lived through it in 2015 on a trip to Mexico's east coast, and felt embedded with the troops fighting the onslaught of seaweed. Said to have returned with force in January of this year, the unusual volume of
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