FTF's family guide to the best of Norway includes the two major cities of Oslo (the capital) and Bergen (2nd biggest city) and a guide to the Fjord tours.
Whether you’re itching to visit one of the many art museums in Norway’s capital city of Oslo or longing to cruise up and down any of the many fjords, this is your guide to Norway’s natural and cultural beauty. The Norwegian Tourist Board (New York City offices at 212/885-9700) welcomes inquiries about hotels around the country.
Great Fun for the Kids
(Toddlers to Age 8)
Tusenfryd Amusement Park
1407 Vinterbro
Outside of Oslo, Norway
+47 64 97 64 97
Leave modern Norway for a stroll through the Viking Age, 1000 years ago. This theme park, especially recommended by the Norwegian Tourist Board as a great activity for small children, displays daily life in a Viking community’s farm and market places. Viking Land is located next to TusenFryd, Oslo’s amusement park, offering amusement for children of all ages.
International Museum of Children’s Art
Lille Froens vei 4
Oslo, Norway
47 22 46 85 73
This museum featuring the over 200,000 works of art produced by children and teenagers from over 180 countries worldwide presents a vast collection of orginal child drawings, paintings, sculptures and handicrafts. Activities for children include music and dancing. (Picture provided by Museum)
Street Train
Oslo, Norway
The Street Train, which looks like a chain of dune buggies, runs through Oslo between May and early September. It leaves Aker Brygge for a 30-minute ride around the city center. During peak season the Oslo Train runs continuously between 11:00am-11:00pm.
Bergen Aquarium
Nordnesbakken 4
Bergen, Norway
47 55 55 71 71
This aquarium has one of the finest and most extensive collections of marine fauna in Europe. There are more than 60 tanks, including 3 outdoor pools containing seals, penguins and carp. The Aquarium extension contains a nestling cliff, open-plan aquariums, and a supervideograph. Also featured is the 3-D Cinema which airs films about animals (most recently polar bears) and the importance of the environment. Trainers also put a on a great show with scheduled daily feedings.
Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology
Kjelsasveien 143
Oslo, Norway
47 22 79 60 00
This is an interactive museum with a large number of items to push and touch. Different exhibitions cover themes spanning from oil, energy, industries, transport, communications and aviation, computing and telecommunications.
The Viking Ship Museum
Huk Aveny 35
Oslo, Norway
47 22 13 52 80
A favorite for tiny travelers, this museum shows three of Norway’s most famous Viking ships, Oseberg, Gokstad and Tune, this museum is part of the University Museum of Cultural Heritage. Take Bus no 30 to Bygdøy, which leaves every 30 minutes from Jernbanetorget (by Oslo S) and the National Theatre.
Bergen Cable Car Ulriken
47 55 20 20 20
This cable car brings you 642 meters (2106 feet) to the top of Mount Ulriken, which offers Bergen’s most magnificent view of the fjords, islands and coast. There are well-marked trails through the unspoiled mountain wildness and a sightseeing bus.
Floibanen, the funicular
47 55 33 68 00
This 5 to 6-minute ride to the top of 320 meter-high Mount Floyen (1049 feet) runs every 15 minutes and continuously during the busy moments offering magnificent view over Bergen and the suburbs. The ride is ideal for reaching mountain walk spots. Enjoy concerts every evening during the summer.
Railway Museum & Steam Railway
Garnes Stasjon, 5263 Trengereid
Bergen, Norway
47 55 91 77 80
Train enthusiasts in your family will enjoy a ride on an old steam locomotive running along the 18km line between Garnes and Midtun in Bergen.
Kaffistova
Rosenkrantz gate 8 (Hotel Bondeheimen)
Oslo, Norway
47 23 21 42 10
In this kid-friendly eatery, children can enjoy themselves in a fun play room while waiting to be served. The restaurant has a long history of serving traditional, homemade Norwegian food of high quality. They are located only about 100 meters from the main street Karl Johans gate and the Parliament building, right in the center of Oslo.
Fun for Older Children
(Up to age 18)
Norwegian Folk Museum
Museumsveien 10
Oslo, Norway
47 22 12 37 00
This museum presents Norway in a nutshell, with 155 authentic houses and numerous exhibitions from all major regions. The open-air display includes wooden barns, stables, storehouses and dwellings from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. Also, see the 800-year-old Gol Stave Church. Various crafts are demonstrated, including weaving, and sewing national costumes. Ongoing events during summer include folk dance, concerts, etc. The main building has displays of national costumes, Henrik Ibsen’s study, Sami crafts and more. The museum offers various activities for children as well as children’s exhibitions. To the left, a Stave church.
Hadeland Glassverk
Postboks 85, 3521 Jevnaker
Outside of Oslo, Norway
47 61 31 64 00
A great daytrip from Oslo. Make a journey through design, culture and history at Hadeland Glassverk. Located at Jevnaker, an approximately 1-hour drive on the E18 expressway northwest from Oslo, Hadeland Glassverk is one of the most popular Norwegian tourist attractions. On display is nearly 250 years of Norwegian glassware artistry. Visit the biggest glassware museum in Scandinavia, watch some of Europe’s most skilled glass craftsmen, try blowing your own glass, or do some shopping at the factory outlets. There are plenty of activities for children, and there is a pewter factory on the same grounds.
Bryggen in Bergen
47 55 55 20 80
“Meeting Point” Bryggen- is comprised of a maze of characteristic wooden buildings with pointed gables facing onto the harbour. The old Bryggen Hanseatic warf is architecturally unique and is included on UNESCO’s list of world heritage of history and culture. There are 58 orginal buildings that remain, many of which are currently used as artist studios.
Bryggens Museum
Dreggsalmenning 3
Bergen, Norway
48 55 58 80 10
A cultural history museum based on discoveries made during the archeological excavations at Bryggen between 1955 and 1972, showing the foundations of the city’s oldest buildings from the 12th century on their original site.
Historical Museum
Frederiks gate 2
Oslo, Norway
47 22 85 99 20
Norwegian history from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages. Viking and medieval artifacts are on display alongside Arctic exhibitions, Norwegian coins and much more.
The Royal Palace
Drammensveien 1
Oslo, Norway
47 22 04 89 53
Norway is a constitutional monarchy, and the current head of state is King Harald V. Located on Bellevue Hill at the upper end of the Karl Johan Street, with a statue of Karl Johan situated in front of the Palace (king of Sweden and Norway from 1818 to 1844). The Royal Palace was completed in the spring of 1849 and has been recently renovated. Every year on 17th May (Constitution Day), marching bands, dancing children and at least half the population of Oslo parade past its balcony, waving to the Royal Family. Public tours of the residence are actually a recent development as they only started in 2002.
Torget i Bergen
Zachariabryggen
Bergen, Norway
47 55 31 56 17
Bergen’s famous Fish Market. You will also find fruit, vegetables, flowers, handicrafts, and souvenirs.
Haakon’s Hall
Bergen, Norway
47 55 58 80 10
This is the Hall of a medieval castle that was built during the reign of King Haakon Haakonsson between 1247 and 1261. It was the largest and most imposing building of the royal residency in 13th century Bergen, then the political center of Norway.
Fun for the Family
The City Hall
Oslo, Norway
47 23 43 16 30
At the edge of Oslo’s colorful harbor is a modern twin-towered landmark building which was opened in 1950 to celebrate the city’s 900th anniversary. Its interior is marvelous, with colorful frescos and murals depicting daily life, Viking gods and Norwegian cultural figures. Many leading Norwegian painters and sculptors contributed to the decorations. The Nobel Peace Price is handed out in the Main Hall each December. Guided tours are offered Monday-Friday and last about 45 minutes.
The Norwegian Parliament Building
Karl Jonas Gate 22
Oslo, Norway
47 23 31 35 96
This building was completed around 1850 and it is located on a small hill about half way down the Karl Johan Street. The Legislature is a unicameral one made up of 165 members. The Monarch officially appoints the prime minister.
Art Museums
There are many art museums in Oslo. These include The Munch Museum, The National Gallery, The Ibsen Museum, The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, The Oslo Museum of Applied Art, The Stenersen Museum, The Vigeland Museum, and The Norwegian Museum of Architecture.
Akershus Fortress
Oslo Military, Akershus
Oslo, Norway
47 23 09 39 05
This is Norway’s most important medieval monument – built around 1300. Overlooking the harbour, the fortress is used today for state occasions, but make sure you pass by it. The Akershus Castle contains dungeons, plush upper floors with banquet halls and staterooms, and the chapel used for royal events. The chapel holds the crypts of King Haakon VII and King Olav V. See also the Defense Museum and the Resistance Museum displaying the resistance movement during World War II.
The Natural History Collections
Museplass 3
Bergen, Norway
47 55 58 29 20
These collections include an extensive, partly restored zoological collection, botanical and geological exhibitions and a botanical garden.
City Sightseeing Oslo
+47 27 20 89 24
This is the same type of hop on, hop off bus tour offered in many major cities around the world. It departs every 30 minutes from 14 different stops in Oslo, including most of the sites in this guide and others as well. Original departure is from the Tourist Information Center by City Hall, leaving every 30 minutes between 9:30am-4:30pm. Commentary is in English, and the duration is 1 hour and 15 minutes. The ticket is valid for 2 days, and there is a 20% discount available with the Oslo Pass.
Batservice Sightseeing
47 23 35 68 90
Batservice features sightseeing in the Oslo fjord by boat and city sightseeing by coach. They offer a wide variety of tours, including a mini cruise, a lunch cruise, and combination bus/boat tours. During the summer high season, there are more than 30 departures daily from pier 3 in front of the City Hall.
Fjord Tours of Norway
This is the only Norway-based fjord tour company. Many tour options are available departing from Oslo, and most are round trip. You can also use their outlined tour itineraries as guidelines for a self-guided tour by rental car. On their website, http://www.fjord-tours.com, select “travel directions and prices” for a map of each tour. The tours are all easy to manage and offer train and/or bus travel. Most of them are also customizable, so you can choose a tour and elect to stay in a city on that tour’s itinerary for the length of time that works for you. Their tours include:
- The World Heritage Tour, The Sognefjord: This tour was recommended by Scanam World Tours, the official US travel booking agent of Fjord Tours, as a great option for small children due to the tour experience being on a boat with less moving around. They also recommend an extra night’s stay in Balestrand and Flam to experience those towns and their fjords. (1-2 days, or more)
- Norway in a Nutshell (1-3 days, or more)
- The Royal Fjord Tour (1-3 days, or more)
- The Golden Route, Geiranger (1-2 days)
- The Triangle Tour (recommended 3-4 days)
All of these tour packages have recommendations on where to stay overnight. For example, some may say they recommend you stay overnight in Bergen or another city to discover its charm. The website also provides a hotel booking service, which you can use once you’ve decided on a tour and where you’ll be spending some extra time.
There are also other tour companies that provide Norway service. They include Scannam Tours, the official US travel booking agent of Fjord Tours, Fjord Travel, and ScandinavianTravel.
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We vacationed at a dude ranch in Colorado called the Drowsy Water Ranch. We have two kids (9,4) who along with us had the best vacation we have ever had. The ranch offered lots of activities and excellent kids programs and riding instruction.
Our favorite parts of the trip was the evening activities, great staff and ranch owners, learning to ride like cowboys and cowgirls, rafting and most of all watching our kids enjoy their vacation.
We would highly recommend Drowsy Water Ranch to anyone looking for a dude ranch vacation. We are planning on returning to the ranch again this coming summer!
I've heard that this housing development project has made Amsterdam city living more affordable for young families. What a wonderful way to keep a very old urban center alive.
Jessica,
I love your essay. Very descriptive and well written. Thanks for sharing it!
Mrs. Toombs
I love your incorporation of the “Disney” portrayal of Paris. I was also a little disappointed when I actually saw the Moulin Rouge, it was definitely not as romantic as Nicole and Ewan made it seem.
This is really good!
your job sounds so interesting, sort of like a war correspondent with less of the war and more of the correspondence. I look forward to week 2.
Wow… really interesting to hear about Iraq from this non-news oriented perspective. Thanks for sharing and can’t wait for more.
Good luck and be safe!
I’d like to thank the judges, who gave my essay the time of day and even went as far as to award it third place. This event has been really awesome.
There’s an area in Berlin with segments of the Wall still standing, and these are covered with graffiti and really interesting to see. I never heard of this, will definitely check it out next time I’m in Praha. Thanks for sharing.
gee Brandon,
that’s a really heavy thought but a very interesting one. i loved cancun when we went; it’s full of life and very sophisticated. yes, we could see the difference between the glitzy lifestyles of the locals around the tourist hotels, versus the people who lived in the countryside, but they all seemed pretty happy to me.
The Holland America ships sailing on a 7-day itinerary only have time for a day in port at Quebec City. However, they have a few 13 day itineraries that spend 2 days in this fun port of call. Mid September-October is a great time to go.
I was able to get the docs, cancel the request. If all else fails, read the directions, right? Thanks
For a unique, exhilerating and unforgettable experience in Wales, try an “adventure weekend” at Preseli Venture. My weekend there included learning how to surf and hiking for 7 miles along the gorgeous coast. Other activities were kayacking and, my personal favorite, coasteering – a combination of swimming, rock climbing and cliff jumping that will leave you sore, tired and smiling. The rest of our time there was spent hanging out around a bonfire, eating delicious food and having drinks with friends. Your body will be challenged and your soul will be rejuvinated after a weekend here!
Norway is an absolutely magical country where you can see tiny grass-roof houses occasionally dotting the countryside and some of the bluest waters you can imagine. My family has an incredible trip to Norway a few years ago. All of us would definitely recommend that you try the strawberries at the open-air market in Bergen. They were the best we’ve ever had. However, don’t be tempted to try the chain pizza restaurant, Pippin’s. Their idea of pizza is not quite what most Americans are used to and its very expensive. After a disastrous experience with Norwegian pizza, we ventured toward the less touristy eateries and discovered that tiny restaurants that sell delicious rotisserie chicken platters were everywhere and quite affordable. We were so proud of ourselves for making this little discovery that I though I’d share it with anyone considering a trip to this amazing place!
Big Sur, the National Park along Highway 1, just south of Monterey is also worth a visit. I spent many summers there as a child and it’s always a pleasure to go back. You’ll be camping(but there are cabins and hotels available) among the giant redwoods, with the beach right beside the forest. Some of the scenery just driving through the park are the best, in my opinion of the entire Highway 1 experience and definitely worth at least a day trip while in the area.
The Bellagio has an amazing nightly water show. The fountains make the water seem to dance to classical music. The show only lasts about 5-10 minutes, but it runs every half hour during the week and every 15 minutes on the weekends. You can tell when the show is about to start as soon as the area around the Bellagio’s entrance gets packed, so be sure to beat the rush and get a comfortable viewing area.
I’ve made two requests for permission travel letters and have not received an email. I have a mac…is that a problem?
The Lake George region is one my favorites to vacation in upstate New York. The town is beautiful and an evening walk along the water after a nice meal makes for an enjoyable evening.
When I vacationed with my family a few years ago we stayed at the Lake George Escape Camp Ground. My family is not one for roughing it, so even though there were families on the grounds living out their tents and RVs, we were able to rent one of the log cabins, with all the modern “luxuries” that I deem necessary (shower, bed, kitchen). The huge grounds has a baseball field, an outdoor pool and a rec room with a tons of games for the kids to play. There is nightly entertainment and the atmosphere is very friendly with families grilling on their own BBQs and offering hotdogs to other guests walking by.
While in town, we found the time to explore the area and two of the things I highly recommend are Six Flags Great Escape Park and just a half-mile down the road from that is the Glen Falls Drive-In movie theater. The theme park has a bobsled rollercoaster and the drive-in has double features (for the price of one) every night during the summer!
Our teen son has been to the New Orleans Jazz Festival twice and he just loves it. There is something magical about listening to music out of doors that keeps kids involved. If we put on some of the music he loved at NoLa at home, he would scoff at it! But there, sitting on the lawn, his musical horizons were much broader. This festival sounds just great.
Hello Steve~ I’m hoping your still active on this site and my post reaches you soon. It was a wonderful sight for me to stumble upon this site and find your name and some photos. Please try to contact me so that we can catch up. You may email me erinmbrice on yahoo.
Everyone should go to the Cliffs of Moher, one of the most amazing things I did in Ireland!
During Christmas of 2006, I went down to the Caribbean for the first time with my family. It was me, my younger brother and sister (who were in their mid to late teenage years at the time) and our parents.
I was a little apprehensive since I have never been on vacation during the holidays before, but like Kristen, we stayed at the Barcelo Capella and it was a GREAT TIME. There was a huge tree in the middle of the resort decorated with lights and they even had parties for all the guests on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
The staff is comical, welcoming and entertaining. My favorite part of each night was after dinner when the performers took a break from their music and dancing and put on what the resort calls, “Ice Breakers.” Basically, they pull out random guests and members of the audience to come on stage and participate in embarrassing, but incredibly funny activities. You may have to dance the tango with a stranger, pop balloons with your butt, or make animals noises. It keeps the crowd pleased and certainly does break the ice.
I went down with my family, but left the resort with a ton of friends. The Barcelo Capella definitely enhances the typical family vacation. PLUS- It is ALL INCLUSIVE and beach front. You really cannot go wrong here.
Oahu can be congested sometimes, but it’s too beautiful to pass up. Another great thing to do is visit The Contemporary Museum on Makiki Heights Drive. It’s small and intimate and full of interesting exhibits. It’s a great place to beat the heat and get away from crowds.
Absolutely beautiful, in summer and winter. Lake Louise holds a special place in my heart! Although I would suggest during winter bundle up. Seriously, I spent the winter holidays skiing here and it was -40 degrees, hand warmers are a must!
I loved going to Lugu Lake. It took a six hour bus ride to get there from Lijiang, which is a short flight away from Kunming. The trip was definitely worth it though, the lake is gorgeous! If you have time, get tickets for the Mosuo performance. The Mosuo people are a matriarchal society who lives near Lugu Lake and the show teaches you all about their customs through singing and dancing.
I go back to Grand Targhee every winter with my dad for so many reasons. I love it! The lift lines are never long, the food is cheap and with my college I.D I was able to ski for $35 over spring break 2008. I was even able to go skiing with my friends who had never skied before.
If you’re looking to visit pandas without leaving the city, just head over to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. The research base is just a short taxi ride away from the heart of the city and a perfect day trip. I spent three hours there before my evening flight, just enough time to visit everything from the Baby Panda Nursery to Giant Panda Kindergarten. The pandas are adorable and although they didn’t do much (mostly sleeping and eating), none of the visitors, including me, could take their eyes off the slow-moving animals. For 400 RMB (about 53 US dollars), visitors can stand next to and take a picture with a baby panda, but if you want to hold one, be prepared for sticker shock. It costs 1000 RMB, or about 133 US dollars!
I also recommend stopping and watching the video about the giant panda and the center’s breeding efforts. Visit the less popular red pandas as well. They’re much more energetic than their large black and white counterparts and the kids were excited to see them leaping around and wrestling with one another. Like most other tourist destinations, the breeding center has a souvenir shop near the exit. Stop by and take a look at the cuddly stuffed pandas and t-shirts, but you may want to buy the items at the stands across the street from the breeding center where you can bargain. Be careful when getting on one of the taxis waiting outside. They know that most of the visitors are tourists and will try to rip you off so make sure they start the meter once you get on.
While in Chengdu, I stayed at Universal House Golden Hotel, a four star hotel not far from the city center. It was inexpensive (I paid around 60 US dollars per night) and the service was wonderful. The front desk was eager to help and recommended two wonderful restaurants, including Huang Cheng Lao Ma which specializes in Sichuan-style hotpot.
The Giant’s Causeway is definitely worth the trip from Belfast, which by bus tour took a couple hours for us. There is a particular rock out near the water that is rumored to be magical and is considered Finn’s chair. Supposedly anyone who sits on that particular step stone can wish for any one thing and Finn will grant that wish.
I also highly recommend the Crown’s Liquor Saloon. The Farmer’s Chicken was excellent and keeping with the wonderful pub atmosphere. Now that there is a smoking ban in Northern Ireland, I bet it’s even more pleasant without the cloud of smoke.
A couple other things that to think about doing is visiting Queen’s University, just to see how like good wine, universities are better with age and a stroll through the Botanical Gardens is nice when weather permits, but if showers occur, seek shelter in the Palm House, a glass greenhouse with a huge variety of tropical flowers and plants. Admission is free to both.
Another way to travel through Belfast is with the Black Cab tours, which offers private tours in those classic cab cars that look old fashioned compared to the sedan Yellow Taxis of New York City. These personalized tours allow up to four people to pick and choose which sites ranging from within Belfast City to as far as Antrim to the Giant’s Causeway. They also have tours to the Shankill Murals and Falls Murals, which are always viewed better with a local guide to explain what these paintings represent, along with the history.
Edinburgh has a great haunted tour. A lot of it is more about the ‘gore’ of hanging days, but they take you down into their underground vaults, which was voted as one of the most haunted places on earth. It’s not all that scary, but definitely for older kids (and grown-ups) who love to be spooked.
I love Portland! Try out the Rose Gardens, it’s a nice place for the kids to run around while the parents enjoy the flowers.
I stayed at the Embassy Hotel while there and we ended up with a suite, very spacious, clean, great staff.
Little Italy is a great spot for gelato and family-style Italian food. And the suburb of Westlake (about 15 minutes from Cleveland) has a huge pedestrian area and shopping village called Crocker Park with tons of shops, eateries, and kid-friendly stops.
I stayed at the Hix House, designed by environmentalist architect John Hix. We absolutely loved it, though it is very rustic and run on solar power, no TV, AC, etc. They require children be 16 and older, so this is only a good option for older kids who love the outdoors and want to explore unique environmental lodging options.
I like free kayaking in Hudson Park through Downtown Boat House. They provide free kayaks to venture out solo or tandem for about 20-minutes along the Hudson. Kids under the age of 16 have to go tandem with a guardian. While 16-18 year olds can go solo, but their guardian has to sign a waiver and be present the whole time. Makes for a fun and inexpensive family activity.
Hudson Park also has a summer trapeze school, batting cages, bike rentals, rock climbing, play areas, and free movie programs during summer.
St. Thomas isn’t the island for me. Personally, the last thing I want to see when entering a Caribbean port is an oversized Rolex store, a local market overflowing with cheap goods from China, and a misplaced McDonald’s.
The Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort is well-kept, but has some of the worst service I’ve ever experienced. If you’re not there on an all-inclusive, they’ll nickel and dime you to death with $20 to $50 to check your email, or even more to get online from your room. My room’s internet connection did not work and when alerted to the problem, the cranky staff did nothing beyond making false promises and passing the buck and I left having never been able to connect.
The beach is rocky and uninviting and so far from the rooms as to almost make it not worth the visit. Snorkeling gear is free to guests, but they make you pay $5 for life vest’s for your little ones. I had to leave my credit card as a deposit when they wouldn’t take my room number instead.
I don’t recommend the Wyndham…
Hi
Stay in what Hans Christian Andersen called “Denmarks Garden” at this magnificent Manor House, http://www.skrobelevgods.dk
Huge and bright suites with en-suite bathrooms, winecellar, lounces with open fireplaces etc.
Hi
Another fantastic French castle is Hattonchatel Chateau in Lorraine – the view is fabulous and the listed knights hall “la Salle de Burgraves” is one of the few wonders of this world.
Mention the night skiing at Squaw Valley. It has one of the longest night-lit runs I’ve ever skied — 3.2 miles from top to bottom. Plus the terrain park is lit at night and that includes a half-pipe. Really fun.
Susan F.
Northstar at Taoe is a great place for teens because all of the housing on the resort site is served by a bus. That means they can sleep in and get themselves to the slopes. It also has really fun terrain park features for both skiers and snowboarders. It would be nice to see daycare for infants, though.
– Laura S.
Wow, you sound like a disgruntled Yankee Fan!
Having personally vacationed at Point Sebago with my family for a week at least 7 years so we speak from first hand experience. Most years we never leave the resort and check-out feeling we participated in a small fraction of the resorts multitude of offerings. You make no mention of the family camaraderie we find so refreshing around the campfire each evening. Did you ever start a camp fire? Probably not as it sounds like you spent very little time at the resort (5 days vacation and 5 Maine excursions).
Obviously your teens do not enjoy tennis, canoeing, kayaking, golf, driving range, miniature golf, sailing, volleyball, shuffleboard, hanging out on the beach, or going on a teen cruise or teen dance.
You make the “Park Homes” sound small. And, when compared to a house – this point can not be argued. However many families vacation and share a single motel/hotel room with 2 double beds. Compared to that, our 2-bedroom Park Home every year feels quite spacious.
You also mention the 10 minute walk from your unit to the water. You do not mention the dozens of homes directly on the water (given the resort popularity, we do reserve months in advance to get a waterfront Park Home).
Point Sebago Resort has over a 80 percent repeat guest and referral rate. Families who love Point Sebago are loyal, return year after year (some for generations) and tell their friends. We have refered dozens of families and all have loved it! Thousands find this to be a real “Maine woods” experience.
But when you visit a resort with so much to offer and the 6 highlights of your visit are 5 off-sight visits (you were only there for 5 days) and the sixth highlight was teaching your son to drive. Well, as you say, clearly your family “did not click with it” – but did you even try?
Does not sound like you will, but if you were to visit again, try actually participating in some of the resorts activities and events. They are numerous, they are fun! You make new friends and you reconnect as friends with your family – surprisingly this happens over mini golf or s’mores. We find this is what really makes the true Point Sebago experience!
-Greg Burke
This author is amazing! This article was very informative and makes me want to go to Seefeld right now!!!Keep up the good work!!!
Our family visited Columbus in July one year and attended the Ohio State Fair. What a great time we had – our 2 year old loved petting the animals in the 4H tent where many older kids were gathered with the younger “siblings” of the cows, sheep and goats who were in competition. The Ohioans are so friendly too, that made it extra fun. Highly recommended, especially with little ones.
I was at this ski resort in March one year and it was awesome. There’s an outdoor cafe halfway up the mountain, near the open air skating rink built for the Olympics — both are a great place to hang out in the noon day sun. really neat.
This sounds like such a fun trip, but do you think it would be hard to drive a minivan full of kids for us, since it’s on the “wrong” side of the street in Ireland?
I wonder how much traffic there is and how stressful this would be, with parking, filling up the gas tank, etc.
Don’t miss “Gum Alley” in downtown San Luis Obispo, where visitors have left their artistic mark in gum. You’ll see gum initials, gum hearts, gum peace symbols, and thousands and thousands of pieces of ABC (already been chewed) gum. Found objects such as old 45 rpm records and charms are often stuck onto the wall and there’s always room for more. The wall is located off Higuera between Chorro and Broad Streets.
I haven’t, but I found a nice site at http://www.auto-europe.co.uk/- It’s AutoEurope, the car rental company, and they have lots of fly-drive offers for families interested in visiting the Christmas markets in Munich, Dresden, Nuremberg, Salzburg, Vienna, Zurich and Strasbourg. maybe it will have some good ideas for your next Christmas market adventure.
A few things to do iin Moscow include the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier’s changing of the guard ceremony, a Kremlin tour, Lenin’s Mausoleum, Armory and Diamond Fund Tours.
You can explore central Moscow on foot. Kids may like the shopping mall with the food court under Red Square.
Other possiblities include the Izmalova flea market, the KGB Museum and Park Pobedy (Victory Park).
The Bolshoi ballet is a treat and you’ll need to book tickets quite a ways in advance.
You should have plenty of excellent ideas for St. Petersburg in this article!
I am interested in a family trip in July for my two children and myself to include at least Moscow and St Petersburg. I am a member. Help! Christi Bourne
I just didn’t want FamilyTravelForum.com to be hit by nasty emails from parents with young kids curious to know just what Bomba and the women are doing in all those photos and why.
The Bomba Shack is a tourist attraction — trap may be more like it. It’s a really gross place.
Candyce Stapen
Anyone who has ever been to Tortola knows that this is just an absurd landmark… a taste of local color… that people actually ask to stop at. It is definitely just a place to take a photo as they have the strangest things hanging there. We saw lots and lots of license plates, etc… and did not take note of bras and panties, etc. We did not recommend that anyone “hang out” there.
Nonetheless, we feel that if anyone is offended… then this item definitely has to be eliminated from our article about the island.
Mel and Ronnie Greenberg, authors
You really should delete the reference to “Bamba Shack.” First of all, it’s the “Bomba Shack” and secondly, it appeals to drunken college students and twenthysomethings. It’s not family-friendly.
Women’s panties and naked, explicit — very explicit photos — of Bomba feeling up and doing all kinds of X-rated activities with visiting women are on the walls and hang from the rafters.
I wouldn’t even want my daughter going there when she was in college, let alone when she was younger.
Candyce Stapen
[Editor’s Note: Travel expert Candyce H. Stapen is a contributing editor and columnist for Family Fun, Vacations, the Washington Times, and National Geographic Traveler. She is also the author of the four “Great Family Vacations” guides (Prima Publishing): Northeast, South, Midwest & Rocky Mountain Region, and West, as well as “Cruise Vacations With Kids” and “Fun With the Family in Virginia” (Globe Pequot Press). Stapen has two children and lives in Washington, DC.]