I have an extremely long history of visiting the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown, dating back to a "field trip" from Ohio in 1992. (I remember I was reading Silence of the Lambs at the time, as every "normal" sixth grader was at the time.) My second trip was as a high school… Continue reading Historic Jamestown, Virginia
We were a bit disoriented on our first visit to Volcano Bay, so two long afternoons in the park ended up being perfect for feeling like we had really experienced all the park has to offer. Getting acquainted with the TapuTapu system was our first step, and we quickly caught on to choosing a ride,… Continue reading Volcano Bay- Universal Orlando, May 2021
Santa's Village Santa's Village may have never been on our radar, had it not been a childhood vacation spot for my friend Jen's family. We met in the middle of our two families' New England vacations in 2019. (This was not the Jens' first time in New England together; we took a road trip in… Continue reading White Mountains, New Hampshire, 2019
Make a reservation in advance for any of the Table Service restaurants at Magic Kingdom and take some of the stress out of your busy park day! These themed dining options each give you a chance to relax (in air conditioning) and enjoy some time away from the walking and the crowds. And as a… Continue reading Table Service Dining at Magic Kingdom
Animal Kingdom Lodge- Rooms & Activities Animal Kingdom Lodge is the resort that our family could visit for a week, never leave, and never get bored. With two sections, Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Disney Vacation Club's Kidani Village, guests have access to two pools and multiple onsite family activities.Disney has taken great care to… Continue reading Animal Kingdom Lodge & Kidani Village at Walt Disney World Resort
Our trip to Spain in 2011 was an adventure of mishaps, starting with realizing we didn't have a charger for the new camera we had purchased for the trip. Many of our "better" photos by our halfway point in Granada were taken as quickly as possible to conserve battery, while others were with an early… Continue reading Granada, Spain 2011
It's been two years since our first visit to Universal Orlando. Little has changed in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, with the exception of one GIANT addition, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure The queue for Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure starts just behind Hogsmeade village. During our visit we… Continue reading Universal Orlando- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, May 2021
Indoor Animal Exhibits The bulk of The Living Museum's collection is made of of live animals (hence the name), highlighting the animals that live in Virginia (and its coast and waterways). Galleries are divided into ocean, nocturnal, western piedmont, and underground habitats. The exhibits all connect to atriums that each have a canopy walkaway and… Continue reading The Virginia Living Museum, May 2021
Geothermic Activity With home base as Grand Teton National Park, we tackled Yellowstone National Park as a Day Trip. Old Faithful was an hour and a half drive from our Lodge. We arrived just after breakfast, caught the required famous geyser eruption (short volcano, unscientifically speaking), then had a cafeteria lunch in the Old Faithful… Continue reading Yellowstone National Park, September 2013
Cabana Bay Beach Resort is a prime-value level resort located directly next to Volcano Bay Waterpark (you even get a dedicated entrance)! The retro mid-century modern themed lobby and central spaces make it fun for both kids and grown-ups alike. Details like VO5 brand “cream rinse” in your room and pay phones transport you to… Continue reading Universal Orlando- Cabana Bay Beach Resort, May 2021
Resort Grounds Lowe’s Portofino Bay Universal Resort is a world away from the busy Universal Theme Parks. (I mean this figuratively; the location is actually conveniently close to City Walk & Park Entrances.) It is modeled after a real Italian waterfront town, with scooters for photo ops and colorful sailboats moored in the harbor. The… Continue reading Universal Orlando- Lowe’s Portofino Bay Resort, May 2021
Animal Kingdom Park is divided into multiple themed areas. Each is home to attractions, animal exhibits, dining, and performances that educate about the wildlife that live in that part of the world. Additionally, the park celebrates and introduces guests to the culture and art of people that live around the world. The photos posted are… Continue reading Animal Kingdom- Africa
The Salt Box Cafe, Colington in Kill Devil Hills Salt Box Cafe & Dessert Salt Box Cafe, hidden in the Colington section of Kill Devil Hills has been our take-out option for the last year. This trip we dined in person. The restaurant is small, so reservations fill quickly, but the screened in patio takes… Continue reading OBX, May 2021
The Barry Art Museum is on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk. Admittedly, despite living within walking distance, this was our first visit as a family. With just an hour we only had time to dive into three of the four galleries. Orchids: Attraction & Deception ODU and Norfolk Botanical Garden partner to… Continue reading Barry Art Museum, May, 2021
Living with the Land Obviously, as an EE professional that works at a Botanical Garden, I'm going to think Living with the Land is totally rad. However, unless they are just humoring me, the other members of my family are totally into it also. (I think) it is fascinating to learn where your food comes… Continue reading Epcot for Science Nerds
The Chrysler Museum of Art offers free admission with timed tickets. I've always considered the collection at the museum to be disproportionally large for a city the size of Norfolk. It wouldn't do it much justice to cover in just one post. The glass collection is the most prominent, so we will start there with… Continue reading The Chrysler Museum of Art, May 2021
To be fair, I'm fairly biased about this venue. I was married at Norfolk Botanical Garden in 2009 and I've worked in the Youth Education department there for over fifteen years. This is one of what will be many look-backs at the gardens through all the seasons. Azaleas If you lurk by the front desk… Continue reading Norfolk Botanical Garden- The Azaleas & Roses Edition
When they announced that Disney World's next expansion would be based on a more than a decade old R-rated movie, I think we were all a little skeptical. It doesn't hurt to watch the movie in advance and to show the milder scenes to your kids. However, you can also have an immersive experience on… Continue reading Animal Kingdom’s Pandora: The World of Avatar
Sure, you could wait in line for two hours for a 2-minute ride on 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. Or, you can explore three classic attractions in that time. An easy walk between Frontierland and Liberty Square gets you to the raft to Tom Sawyer Island, the Liberty Bell Steamboat Cruise, and the Country Bear Jamboree.… Continue reading Old Time Adventures at Magic Kingdom
Bath To Popham Beach Picking up where we left off in Harpswell, your Portland to Acadia trip takes you back to Brunswick to start your journey north on Route 1. Stop in historic Bath for local shops. As you continue on Route 1, look for a giant lobster on top of a roof and you've… Continue reading From Bath to Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Hatteras Village- Frisco Our jumping off point for Hatteras has always been Hatteras Landing by Kees Vacations. The small "resort" is a series of small condos, each individually owned and decorated. Our most recent accommodation was completely updated. The resort is a quick walk across the road to a public access beach. If you have… Continue reading Walking OBX, April 2021
Portsmouth Village Portsmouth Village has been abandoned since 1971, and the remaining buildings are managed by the National Park Service. There were no volunteers or staff during our visit, but many of the the structures have been turned into museums and were open to tour. The Theodore and Annie Salter House and Visitor Center features… Continue reading Portsmouth Island, North Carolina
Spring Creek Ranch In my Salt Lake City blog I outlined the story behind why we went to Grand Teton National Park with only one day's prior planning. Our drive from SLC took us through Idaho and on our first night in Wyoming we stayed just south of the Park, at the Spring Creek Ranch.… Continue reading Grand Teton National Park & Jackson, Wyoming, 2013
airbnb Prior to 2020, we stayed almost exclusively in hotels and at resorts. With social distancing we began using AirBNB. This weekend, severe storms thwarted our trip to OBX, so we decided to look elsewhere. Phenix, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge foothills, would never have been on our travel list if it weren’t for AirBNB.… Continue reading Appalachian Foothills, Virginia- March, 2021
We have come to know and love the Casco Bay area of Maine over the last eight years. Alex's family lives in Harpswell, an hour's drive (or ferry ride) from Portland. Over a series of Maine posts, I'll put together an itinerary that starts in Portland and takes you up the coast to Acadia National… Continue reading Portland to Harpswell, Maine
The year was 2000. The internet had just progressed from dial-up to broadband. Cell phones weren’t widespread. My rural Ohio alma mater, Muskingum College, still had a card catalogue in the library. So, it was at the beginning of the digital age that twenty Muskies booked a spring break trip to Cancun with estudenttravel.com. We… Continue reading Cancun, Mexico, Spring Break 2000
Quebec City, Canada marked our first (and only to date) full family trip outside of the US. Quebec city was built beginning in the early 17th century by the French, so it is the closest an American can get to feeling like a trip to Europe without a long flight. Old Quebec The Hotel Port… Continue reading Quebec City, Canada, 2018
The Outer Banks of North Carolina have been our primary escape for the last year. It is an easy (albeit boring) hour and a half drive from our house to Kitty Hawk. Mild winter weekends and affordable hotel and AirBNB rates make it hard not to run away any chance we get. 100 Miles of… Continue reading OBX, Winter 2021
Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, 2023 Instead of lining up for character meet and greets, Cast Members act out the story; Rey and Chewie work on their spacecrafts and the Stormtroopers try to keep law and order. Shopping Galaxy's Edge, Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World 2022 Galaxy's Edge… Continue reading Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Hollywood Studios
Salt Lake City was never on our short list of travel destinations. Originally we were flying into San Francisco for a Yosemite National Park vacation. Unfortunately the park closed due to wildfires, so on the day of our departure we switched our National Park trip to visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Salt Lake City was… Continue reading Utah, 2013
Remember the movie Crocodile Dundee? My 2001 four-month “Working Holiday” in Australia was in some ways the same story, in reverse. The lead as a small-town girl from Ohio who had only experienced large cities on a tour group’s detailed itinerary. I had only flown twice, once to Florida, and once to Cancun, Mexico, back… Continue reading SYDNEY TO PERTH, Australia 2001
Coronado Resort holds a special place in our hearts as the very first Disney property we ever visited. We've stayed at the resort on five of our trips, most recently in the new Gran Destino tower. Coronado Resort at Walt Disney World From Coronado it is a short bus ride to Animal Kingdom, Epcot and… Continue reading Coronado Resort at Walt Disney World
We have somehow passed Occoquan countless times on our way to Washington, D.C. without knowing it existed. Alex was scheduled to travel to D.C. for a meeting (the first trip in almost a year of what was a regular occurrence prior to COVID). We used the short trip as an opportunity for Alice and I… Continue reading Occoquan, Virginia February 2021
Savannah We’ve visited Savannah over a dozen times and it never disappoints; it’s an easy city to see without much of an itinerary outside of parking your car and going for a walk. On our first trip, we started at Savannah History Museum, and it provided a good overview of the city. It also houses… Continue reading Georgia Coast, USA
In May of 2019, we met a fellow Muggle Family from Ohio at Universal Orlando Resort for a three-day trip. Alice played hooky, and we visited on weekdays in May when the park was less crowded. We also stayed a a Premier Resort, the Lowe's Royal Pacific, located within easy walking distance to the parks.… Continue reading THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER, Universal Orlando Resort, 2019
Muskies in Spain We capped off our Spain trip with Barcelona, which included a reunion with two of my fellow Muskingum University Alumnus/XAN Sorority Sisters, Mandy and Kiersten. Mandy joined us from Ohio and Kiersten from London, where she was living at the time. It was their first time meeting Alex, and he humored our… Continue reading Barcelona, Spain, 2011
In 2012 we took our last overseas vacation as a family of two. Compared to the Bahamas and Jamaica, Aruba felt much more accessible without staying at an all-inclusive resort, and relying on tours to venture outside the resort. We used public buses, taxis, and drove rental cars. The island is small enough for us… Continue reading Aruba, 2012
Our family has visited Acadia National Park (almost) every summer since 2014. Acadia National Park is on Mount Desert Island, which consists mostly of the Park and the town of Bar Harbor. It was originally home to the Wabanaki people before the large-scale arrival of Europeans in the 1600s. Sand Beach You haven't tested your resilience… Continue reading Acadia National Park, Maine, USA
November & December, 2020 & 2021 Ocracoke Island is at the southern tip of the Outer Banks of North Carolina and can only accessed by ferry. A Beach (Mostly) to Yourself In 2020, I set the lofty goal of walking 20.20 miles in one day by the end of the year. I accomplished my goal… Continue reading Okracoke Island for the Holidays
International Festival of the Arts International Festival of the Arts is held in the late winter months. They brought Broadway stars to the stage to perform songs from the stage productions.We spent a large portion of our time searching for Figment, cleverly hidden in famous works of art in each country. (There is a photo… Continue reading Epcot at Walt Disney World- Festivals
The French Quarter Don't let Bourbon Street's reputation (while well-earned after sunset) deter you from thinking the French Quarter can't be a destination when you are traveling with kids.Family-friendly options abound. Because many of the tourists are awake until the late hours, getting up early gave us a nearly empty French Quarter. Alice loved shopping… Continue reading New Orleans, Louisiana USA
I'm a transplant from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic; I grew up in the cornfield sector of Ohio and then moved to the coastal plains of southern Virginia when I was 22. I'm now raising a small 8-year old version of myself, named Alice, with my husband of 11 years, named Alex. In 2005, I… Continue reading Introduction
