Unforgettable wet and wild family fun can be found in northern Florida’s crystal clear springs and meandering rivers, just a short drive from Tarpon Springs. Try an eco-oriented getaway on the Gulf Coast in Citrus County, a sanctuary for dozens of animal species, birds and marine life. Hundreds of rivers, streams, creeks and springs run through the northern half of Florida, allowing plenty of opportunities for water trekking and wildlife scouting. This vacation is packed with adventurous options for nature lovers. Even better, it’s cost-effective, making it an ideal pick for families traveling on a budget.
Great Fun for the Kids
(Toddler to age 18)
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park & Buccaneer Water Park
6131 Commercial Way
Weeki Wachee, FL 34606
352/596-2062
Weeki Wachee is proud to be “the only city of live mermaids,” a reputation it has lived up to since the theme park opened in 1947. Underwater performances of “The Little Mermaid” and “Fish Tails” are done daily, and a Wilderness River Cruise, bird and reptile shows, the petting zoo and unlimited access to the Buccaneer Bay waterpark is included in the admission cost. Exciting flume rides send kids zooming from the top of the slides into the spring fed river, a refreshing natural water source that stays a perfect 72°F year-round, though not all waterpark facilities are open daily. Kids of all ages can participate in beach volleyball, while the little ones keep occupied in the kiddie pool.
Rent a canoe or kayak from the many local vendors; the clear and shallow river is lined with mangroves that attract a variety of wildlife and are prime nesting sites. Herons, egrets, ibis and other shorebirds are plentiful in this area, as are several species of turtles, known to lounge on exposed river rocks and fallen branches.
Fun for the Whole Family
Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
4150 S. Suncoast Blvd.
Homosassa, FL 34446
352/628-5343
A morning or afternoon at the park begins with a 30-minute guided boat ride down Pepper Creek to the wildlife area. The Homosassa River runs directly through the park, a wonderful natural habitat for dozens of bird species, such as flamingos, wood storks, pelicans, swans, sand hill cranes and spoonbills. The park offers several daily educational opportunities run by naturalists and volunteers, including three Manatee Programs, two Wildlife Encounters, and an Alligator Program.
Reptile House provides close-up viewing of native snakes and other reptiles. The Alligator – Hippopotamus Programs are held at the Alligator Lagoon, home of about a dozen alligators that live permanently at the park. The Florida cougar, native black bears, foxes and various birds of prey are located along the protective board walk that wraps around the exterior of the river. The park is also part sanctuary for injured or displaced animals.
Captain Mike’s Lazy River Cruises
13821 State Road 200
Dunnellon, FL 34432
352/637-2726
Withlacoochee, meaning “little great river” was named by the Seminole Indians that once inhabited the area. The land surrounding it is now divided between the river’s residential communities and a protected state forest. Captain Mike Tracy has been expertly navigating his 24-foot covered pontoon boat down the rocky and unpredictable river since 1997. He offers a variety of tours seven days a week, with sunset and moonlight cruises available on select days. Captain Mike possesses an extensive knowledge about all aspects of the Withlacoochee River, from its natural history to its flora, fauna and wildlife population. He adds an element of excitement to each tour by telling eccentric tales about his own exciting life on the river. It is not unusual to see wild alligators on one of Mike’s tours, as well as an abundance of other native animals and birds — red shouldered hawks, eagles, pileated woodpeckers, wild boars, turkeys and the viceroy butterflies to name a few. No sign of life goes unnoticed with Mike’s keen eyes surveying the river, and he is quick to jump from his seat to point out an osprey nest in the treetop or a school of gar swimming alongside the boat.
Alfred McKethan Pine Island Beach
10800 Pine Island Dr
Spring Hill, FL 34607
A peaceful stretch of road leads to the beach at Pine Island, a Hernando County park, surrounded on both sides by a 3.5 acre open expanse of low bushes, coastal scrub and palm trees. The stream that runs parallel to the road is a prime fishing spot for kingfishers, herons and egrets. The jungle gym at the beach playground is a great diversion for young children in between swimming sessions and sand castle building.
The sunsets at the beach are particularly stunning and a good opportunity to use the stationary grills to cook a barbecue dinner. Families can throw a picnic blanket right onto the sandy beach or eat at the tables in the covered picnic area. The snack bar serves cold beverages and light snacks; public restrooms and outdoor showers are also available.
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very good article, children safety is very important in every water activity, from scuba diving to a simple water park
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Upiq.com actually finds much cheaper flights & hotels prices than Momondo because Upiq compares much more travel sites than Momondo. You can check it out at http://www.upiq.com
The Guardian newspaper has a few great suggestions for those who want a simple, old-style campground geared to tents and relaxation. First off, they like the guidebook "Cool Camping France" (Punk Publishing) which describes 100 campsites for a variety of budgets.
They also recommend the sites ran by Camping Indigo (camping-indigo.com), or those listed on Rural Camping in France (rural-camping.com) and the Dutch site Kleine Campings Frankrijk (kleinecampingsinfrankrijk.nl; in English).
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The Little Gym sounds a bit like Gymboree, a long time chain of organized play spaces called Gymboree. Gymboree Play & Music classes are available through more than 600 franchised and company-operated centers in the United States, Canada and 30 other countries. Here's a link to the page which describes locations and hours of their international programs, if you ever want to drop in on one in future travels:
http://www.gymboreeclasses.com/index.jsp
We have lots of stories about traveling with kids in New York City and we are happy to help you plan a customized visit, so you can make the most of your time. Get in touch!
When my wife and I wanted to enjoy all the beauty Antwerp has to offer, we just looked if there was a The little Gym for our son (4) Jason!
Back home Jason ( bouncing off the wall kind of child) attends regular classes at Little Gym. But they also offer Holiday programs. 3 hours or full days are available! Jason had a blast with his new (international) friends and my wife and I could really enjoy the city without feeling guilty about walking too much or going in too many Cathedrals 🙂
Thumbs up for this worldwide concept, next stop Amsterdam!
Hi there,
I am planning a 4 night vacation to NYC this May and am looking for a custom itenerary as it is our first time in the big apple and it's pretty overwhelming trying to figure out a logical sequel of events as we do not know what the most efficient way to go about it would be. Do i just let you know our points of interest?? Thanks, Steph
I am off to Orlando in October.
How is the theme park here for under 3 yr olds? anyone been?
We've been. The parks are great for a toddler as long as you plan short days and keep the walking to a minimum; don't wait in a lot of lines. Weather should be cooler in October, that's good. If you can afford one of the hotels that gets you the first in line access, that would be great. It's pretty exhausting but your kids will have fun, and they have a rider swap so that your spouse can watch the baby, while one of you does the amazing Harry Potter ride, and then you can switch duty and the other rides too.
At Universal Studios (the movie themed part of the parks), there are cartoon stars from Nickelodeon shows, and they're in gentle rides or in live shows. The best bet may be Woody Woodpecker's KidZone, where there is a fun interactive playground and sing-a-longs with characters.
At Islands of Adventure, we all loved Suess Landing where you can go on the Cat in the Hat ride, and a very crazy carousel. Just love those books and our son remembered a lot of the words from having them read to him so often. The Jurassic Park ride area has a neat water playground you'll enjoy it if there aren't a lot of teens squirting each other.
Thanks for your article on beg bugs when traveling. Bed bugs are something that I've been very concerned about. I found some information on bed bugs pictures on the Bed Bugs Handbook.
Thanks for your article on bed bugs when traveling. It's something i've been looking out for recently. I found some information on what bed bug bites look like on Bed Bugs Handbook.
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My family and I returned a few weeks ago from a wonderful 10 day trip in Morocco that was seamlessly organized by Sahara Magic Tours. After my first phone conversation with Hassan at Sahara Magic Tours immediately felt my anxiety about planning my trip go away. Hassan was GREAT, he was friendly, flexible, very patient with all my questions and requests and always responded to my emails and phone calls promptly. He was extremely knowledgeable in all areas of Morocco. The depth of his knowledge made his advice and guidance priceless as his recommendations all turned out to be perfectly suited to our needs.
I requested Mohamed as our driver based on the reviews I read here and on other sites. Mohamed was EXCELLENT! We were so happy with him in every way. He spoke good English. He has a great personality and sense of humor. He's such a genuinely good guy, really friendly, caring, down to earth and can get along with all types of personalities and ages. You immediately feel so comfortable and safe with him . Mohamed took care of all of our needs and was very patient and flexible. He was always on time for our daily adventures and was a knowledgeable guide so we learned a lot from him about Morocco. Also, I have to mention how GREAT a driver Mohamed is. Not only does he drive safe but he handles the vehicle really well, whether it's winding roads or BUSY streets, etc.
We chose the Imperial cities tour as well as the desert and Essaouria. We covered 1,300 miles. Morocco is a beautiful country. We found the Moroccan people to be warm and friendly. Each place has it's own look and feel and it's so picturesque as you drive from one place to another. Morocco felt like a bunch of different countries in one country. Be sure to keep a day or so aside for shopping. For us, it was a struggle within our 10 day itinerary since there was so much to see and do. An extra day or 2 would have been perfect.
I would definitely recommend staying in a Riad at least once during your trip. For us after the first 2 Riads we missed some of the conveniences of a hotel so we were glad we stayed in both. Bivouac in Merzouga was really cool, you can literally walk onto the dunes from the Bivouac. In Marrakech I liked Les Jardins De Le Koutaoubia , the hotel was beautiful and the location was stellar, less than a 5-minute walk to the Dejemma el-Fna and all the souks.
As someone who travels frequently I would highly recommend Sahara Magic Tours http://www.Sahara-Magic.com/ to anyone thinking about taking a trip to Morocco. Their knowledge, contacts throughout the country, personal attention to every detail of your trip and excellent service is one of the best I've experienced. I'm so thankful to all the people that wrote reviews about Sahara Magic Tours and Mohamed. Thanks to Hassan /Sahara Magic Tours and Mohamed, my family and I had an AMAZING experience in Morocco. Can't wait to go back!
I agree with several points in the post, the readers of this site have found a treasure of info. I will share the post with my friends who value forums of intelligent depth on subjects the author is an expert. Our forum discusses the oral health of dogs. Our staff at http://www.vitahound.com is currently studying products formulated to eliminate bad breath in dogs.
If you need further info on Wales the government brochures from this site can be really helpful. It's very easy to use, you don't have to register before ordering and the brochures arrive in a couple of days. http://www.wales-holiday-brochures.co.uk
Hope they can be of some help… They were for me!
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If you do not speak Turkish, avoid the airlines no matter how good that deal seems. The customer service is non existant.
We had a multi-leg trip with Turkish Airline from Rome to Istanbul to Cairo to Athens. We only ended up taking the flight from Rome to Istanbul.
Their flight from Rome to Istanbul was comfortable and relaxing. The staff was cordial. We only had carry-ons because of the horrible experiences other users have had.
Our overall experience with management, however, turned out to be extremely frustrating and awful. Our first interaction with them was when we tried to cancel our Istanbul to Cairo part of the trip because the US department highly suggested that no US citizens should travel to Cairo. We had called Turkish Airlines prior to the trip, but the staff spoke limited English and didn't understand that we wanted to cancel only one leg of the trip. They would planning on canceling the entire trip which we didn't want.
We then decided to keep the trip but use one of the layovers that was originally intended from Cairo to Greece but stops at Istanbul to get to our final destination- Greece. However, due to their international rule and regulation, they canceled our entire trip leaving us no way to get to Greece. They didn't inform us via email or phone like many other airlines do. We found out the day before we were supposed to leave when trying to check in for our flight.
We accepted the fact that there was nothing we could do but when we asked on the phone what we could have done to have prevented this, the manager started yelling that she couldn't help us, and that it was our fault for losing the tickets. We asked again. She admitted that she couldn't understand our question and started shouting at us that it was our fault and hung up on us. I was furious.
Looking at the other posts, I think the moral of the story is – Do NOT book with Turkish Airlines unless you speak Turkish. The staff's English is very limited, and trying to change flights or dealing with management is just a pain, ends up with customers losing money and valuable time.
I've had such bad experiences with the customer services at Turkish Airlines. ON the phone, the managers who are supposedly "English" do not understand simple sentences and when they don't, they get frustrated and hang up on you.
We had a multi-leg trip with Turkish Airline from Rome to Istanbul to Cairo to Athens. We only ended up taking the flight from Rome to Istanbul.
Their flight from Rome to Istanbul was comfortable and relaxing. The staff was cordial. We only had carry-ons because of the horrible experiences other users have had.
Our overall experience with management, however, turned out to be extremely frustrating and awful. Our first interaction with them was when we tried to cancel our Istanbul to Cairo part of the trip because the US department highly suggested that no US citizens should travel to Cairo. We had called Turkish Airlines prior to the trip, but the staff spoke limited English and didn't understand that we wanted to cancel only one leg of the trip. They would planning on canceling the entire trip which we didn't want.
We then decided to keep the trip but use one of the layovers that was originally intended from Cairo to Greece but stops at Istanbul to get to our final destination- Greece. However, due to their international rule and regulation, they canceled our entire trip leaving us no way to get to Greece. They didn't inform us via email or phone like many other airlines do. We found out the day before we were supposed to leave when trying to check in for our flight.
We accepted the fact that there was nothing we could do but when we asked on the phone what we could have done to have prevented this, the manager started yelling that she couldn't help us, and that it was our fault for losing the tickets. We asked again. She admitted that she couldn't understand our question and started shouting at us that it was our fault and hung up on us. I was furious.
Looking at the other posts, I think the moral of the story is – Do NOT book with Turkish Airlines unless you speak Turkish. The staff's English is very limited, and trying to change flights or dealing with management is just a pain, ends up with customers losing money and valuable time.
My husband and I need a good get outdoors and clean the city off our body and minds trip. We have a week to travel from Chicago… to somewhere… and back. I will definitly look into this!
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Our family had been so excited to go on our make a wish trip.My daughter was diagnosed with a terminal cancer at age 2,and we waited till this month to go,so we knew she would be healthy enough to enjoy herself.When we got there we were very tired and it was around 5 in the afternoon.I first noticed the strange odor when we walked in the room,it was like they were trying to cover up something.Then later that night I started seeing little bugs everywhere.I am not native to Florida,so I thought it might be just some outdoor bugs.Then as the days went by,i kept seeing more and more.Knowing this trip was free,I didn't want to complain to much,but by the 3 rd night I was horrified.I got up to check on my daughter and there were bugs all over the kitchen counter.I was so disgusted,I slept in the car that night.My husband complained the next morning,and they sent a technician in.They were water bugs.That is so nasty.We did get moved,but the next room wasn't that clean either.This is a place for sick kids,and the rooms aren't clean.Come on.Then as we were walking to the restaurant,and man was spraying chemicals around the side walk,and he had a respirator mask on.So whatever he was spraying must have been really poisonous.And here he is spraying it around sick kids!!! I'm glad others had a good time,and loved this place,but I was not impressed.
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Just a note to let you know that the Holiday Inn SunSpree has been renamed and is now known as the Holiday Inn & Suites North Beach. See news article annoucement here . Just want to make sure there is no confusion when people click on their listing and arrive at the new site. The renovation was great and the hotel is still very family friendly. Keep it in mind if visiting Virginia Beach.
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We like to introduce to you our new website with several special tours like our new Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam tour.Almost 20 years we offer our clients service and expertise.We hope we can cooperate if you are planning to add Vietnam as a new destination.Even if you already offer tours in Vietnam, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a quote.
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I dont think there should be a mixture of kids and casion on same vacation as it will leave a wrong impression at such an early age….We know every kid will be adult some day…. I belive kids childhood is so enormous for him/her that he/she requires a very good surrounding. This will always help in creating a very good future.
Thanks/////
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A friend tweeted this post to several colleagues and caught my interest. Social media seems to alert the masses as to the pop culture idea of the moment. The humanization of pets is new and well accepted among the modern dog owner although dog breath is as undesirable as fleas. Dog owners rely on the advice provided by organizations considered experts in the field of dog health. For example http://www.VitaHound.com provides research on dog oral care products.
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Sorry for any inconvenience, but the migration of our site to new servers has made the Permission Letter forms temporarily unavailable to users. Should be resolved by 8 March 2011. Please contact us by email if you need a copy before that date. Thank you for your understanding.
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Asian Adventure Treks and Expedition is small group nature-based tours for the active traveler. An extensive range of tours are available exploring the highlights and hidden delights of the Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India. Our tours and trekking in Nepal have an emphasis on the unique scenery, wildlife, culture and Nature of each area. We arrange tour packages which are camping and accommodated safaris catering for budget travelers as well as private charters and deluxe 'Safari in Style' tours in Nepal & Tibet. A customized trip is an excellent way to reconnect with friends and family, or to celebrate special occasions. We love working with special affinity groups, clubs, schools, associations and societies to create unique small-group experiences, educational trips and corporate training programs. Choose from one of our existing itineraries, or work with us to design with a tour that is guaranteed to fit your needs.
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