With two hours of unexpected down time during a training at the Boardwalk Resort Conference Center, I decided to walk to the Skyliner at the Epcot World Showcase gate and head to the Art of Animation resort to check out the larger than life character décor. The "Disney Bubble" Resort (but not pool)… Continue reading WDW Resort Hopping by Skyliner: Art of Animation
The Itinerary There are multiple versions of the 4-parks-in-one-day challenge; some people choose to try to ride the most popular attraction at each park; others put more emphasis on photo ops and snacks. My goal in May of 2023 was to use the App and Disney Genie+ to focus on my favorite rides… Continue reading Walt Disney World 2023- Four Parks in One Day Challenge
The photos on this post are from my spring 2023 trip to Walt Disney World for an Agent Education Program. Because I was traveling solo and looking to spend down time in a quieter setting, Port Orleans Riverside was a great option. Resort Layout The neighboring Port Orleans French Quarter Resort is just… Continue reading Walt Disney World Moderate Resorts: Port Orleans Riverside
With character topiaries, themed gardens, food kiosks, and educational signage, EPCOT’s International Flower & Garden Festival easily wins as my favorite of the four festivals (with the Holiday Festival in second, the Festival of the Arts in third, and Food & Wine in fourth). This year seemed even more lush and colorful… Continue reading 2023 Flower & Garden Festival at Walt Disney World Resort
The two resorts are connected physically but distinct in theming. The Yacht Club is more “sailor sporty” and it sometimes hosts conventions. This can make it feel a little less kid-oriented than some other resorts, but on our trip we liked the break from the chaos when we returned in the evenings. Both resorts have… Continue reading Yacht & Beach Club Resorts at Walt Disney World in Florida (Featuring the Famous “Kitchen Sink”)
The American Museum of Natural History was scheduled for Sunday morning on our long weekend itinerary, and we used our New York Pass by GoCity for admission. We arrived at 9:45am for the 10am opening, and the entry line had started to wrap around the museum along Central Park. For an hour we were able… Continue reading American Museum of Natural History, NYC
With just three days to visit parks on this trip, we spent less time at Animal Kingdom than other trips. We were able to experience nearly all of the major attractions in just half a day, but with more time we would have watched the shows and spent some time at Conservation Station. 7am- We… Continue reading Animal Kingdom with Disney Genie+, 2023
Is Times Square a tourist trap filled with unorganized chaos? Absolutely. It's best to just embrace the insanity while you dodge sketchy Spidnermen (Spidermans?) and try your best not to be in the street performer's TikTok videos. We found that visiting at night during even slightest drizzle will deter some of the sightseers. In this… Continue reading New York City with Kids: Times Square
Edge NYC, New York City, 2023 Over two trips to NYC in 2022 and 2023, we have seen the city from the three major mid-town Manhattan observation towers.In 2023 we used the New York Pass by Go City. For a high upfront fee, we were able to visit all of the observation attractions. Although the… Continue reading Midtown NYC Observatories- 3 Views from the Top
Blizzard Beach Waterpark, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, 2023 Blizzard Beach Water Park, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, 2023 We arrived at opening, and by the end of the first hour there were still more Cast Members than visitors in the park. All of the slides had little to no wait the entire… Continue reading One Day in Blizzard Beach Waterpark, 2023
Port Orleans French Quarter, Walt Disney World, 2022 Port Orleans French Quarter is the smallest of the Moderate WDW resorts, and the size is the biggest benefit. Bus transportation only includes one stop, so getting to the parks can be a much shorter trip. The pool is slightly smaller than the other moderate resorts, but… Continue reading Walt Disney World Resort: Port Orleans French Quarter
Caribbean Beach Resort, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, 2023 We chose Caribbean Beach Resort for our January 2023 vacation for a few reasons. Because we intended to spend most of the trip in the park, a moderate level hotel felt like the best value. Often on these types of trips we have opted for… Continue reading Caribbean Beach Resort at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, 2023
Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, 2023 Day 1: Sunday, January 29 Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World Resort, 2023 With Park Hopper we divided our visit over two days; the first on a Sunday evening. Because Passholders cannot go to the parks on weekends, we found this one to… Continue reading Hollywood Studios with Disney Genie+, 2023
My top reason for this visiting Epcot his year was to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind for the first time, and I splurged for individual Lightning Lane instead of chancing it with the Virtual Queue. "With a three-day ticket, we used our park hopper to divide our Epcot visits over two days. This… Continue reading Epcot: Park Itinerary, Festival of the Arts & Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, 2023
Pamlico Sound Sunsets Waterfront Retreat for Families The Inn offers a small beach on the sound, a perfect launching point for the provided kayaks and stand-up paddle boards. Rooms range in size, and many have waterfront views and balconies. We opted for the 'Camelia' room, which included a king-size bed, pull-out couch, and sizable balcony… Continue reading Where to stay in OBX: Inn on Pamlico Sound
Pea Island Visitor CenterFirst Colony InnCorolla BeachDuckKitty Hawk BeachAvonLighthouse RoadHatteras-Ocracoke Ferry: Ocracoke TerminalLifeguard Beach In 2021 I committed myself to a new goal; walk the entire beach stretch of the Outer Banks of North Carolina over one year. I've heard that other people are much more dedicated than me have done it all at once.… Continue reading Walking OBX 2021
Departure from NYC The Manhattan Cruise Terminal was a breeze for us compared to Port Miami, although the size of the ship may have accounted for that also. We arrived at the tail end of our 11:30am-12pm boarding time and walked through security/check-in and onto the ship with no lines. We spent the afternoon on… Continue reading Cruising on the Disney Magic NYC-Bermuda
When we travel to Walt Disney World, we often choose a moderate resort for the portion of the trip that we plan to spend most of our time in the parks, and hop to a deluxe resort for some more relaxing down time. In general, Deluxe Resorts have the benefits of interior room entry, private… Continue reading Where Should We Stay? Breaking Down the Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts
Longwood Gardens is essentially a spectacular amusement park for garden people. Even with a significant portion of the conservatory under construction until 2024, we easily spent six hours on the campus. We enjoyed a late lunch in The Terrace café, then started our tour with an overview of the history of the property in the… Continue reading Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania, 2022
We have no rocks (literally, no natural rocks) in our area of Coastal Virginia. So, when we find our way to the mountains, it is like entering an entirely different world. The White Mountains of New Hampshire are a particular treat because of the variation in activities, from amusement parks to waterfall hikes. In our… Continue reading Family Road Trips in the White Mountains, New Hampshire, 2020-2023
July 2022 We have visited the museums DC countless times, but have not been there as a family since the fall of 2019. For this three-day trip, we concentrated on seeing new installations and temporary exhibitions at the Smithsonian Museums. It was also our first trip during the summer, so it was fun to see… Continue reading Washington DC with Kids: What’s New in ’22
June 2022 InterContinental Miami, an IHG Hotel, Florida, June 2022 Staying in Downtown Miami The evening temperatures were far more manageable than I expected in southern Florida in the summer, with low humidity and a cool breeze as long as we were on the water. From our downtown hotel, the Intercontinental by IGH, we had… Continue reading Miami, Florida
June 2022 Kimpton Angler's Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, June 2022 Staying in South Beach The Kimpton Angler’s Hotel was a perfect location for a family with young children. Despite Miami Beach's rightfully earned reputation as a party destination, we were able to escape into our quiet room and enjoy the lush and shady gardens.… Continue reading Miami Beach, Florida
Atrium Lobby on the Disney Dream, June 2022 Inside the Disney Dream Our port arrival window at Miami Cruise Terminal was 11:15am, and within an hour we had boarded the ship through the Atrium Lobby. We were required to check in on deck four and watch a video about emergency procedures. A few locations were… Continue reading The Disney Dream, June 2022
Eastern Shore of Virginia Barrier Islands Center Barrier Islands Center in Machipango The trek to the Eastern Shore from Norfolk includes traveling over the 17.6-mile Chesapeake-Bay Bridge Tunnel. Nearly every Memorial Day weekend since 2015 we’ve traveled just north of Cape Charles to attend Art and Music on the Farm at the Barrier Islands Center… Continue reading Camping in Cape Charles, Virginia May, 2022
2020 & 2021 Ocracoke Island is at the southern tip of the Outer Banks of North Carolina and can only accessed by ferry. Ocracoke Island became our home away from home in 2020 & 2021. Our goal was to find a vacation destination that provided opportunities to be mostly outdoors and stay in somewhat private… Continue reading Okracoke Island, OBX, North Carolina
Spring Break 2022- Day 2 Savannah, GA 2022 Savannah, Georgia to Fernandina Beach, Florida Juliette Gordon Low Historic DistrictForsyth Park Spring Break 2022- Day 3 The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, 2022 St. Petersburg to Treasure Island, Florida Imagine MuseumDali MuseumFort Desoto Park https://videopress.com/v/dmM0aGpT?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true Spring Break 2022- Day 4 Sand Key Beach, Clearwater Clearwater,… Continue reading Spring Break 2022- East Coast from Tampa, Florida to NYC
Rockefeller CenterWashington Square ParkBryant ParkGrand Central TerminalSt. Patrick's CathedralLittle Italy Rockefeller Center, NYC 2022 Rockefeller Center Our hotel, the Hilton Club West was beyond perfect for our purpose of exploring the top tourist sites in midtown Manhattan. On the corner of 57th street and Sixth Ave. we were equal walking distance to Central Park and… Continue reading Manhattan, NYC, Spring Break 2022
Central Park CarouselBelvedere CastleBethesda TerraceCentral Park ZooThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Central Park, NYC, 2022 Sites Around Central Park We knocked out a few of the major sites on our first visit to Central Park in August of 2021, including the Central Park Lake. In spring of 2022 our hotel, the Hilton Club West, was… Continue reading Spring Break 2022: Central Park in NYC
When working out what we would see in the Tampa Bay area we decided that City Pass would be the most affordable option. For $129 per adult I was able to visit ZooTampa at Lowry Park, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, the Tropics Boat tour, and The Florida Aquarium. From St. Petersburg… Continue reading Spring Break 2022- Clearwater, Florida
Tampa Zoo at Lowry Park, Florida, 2022 ZooTampa at Lowry Park Our animal-filled Tampa day started at the 9:30am opening of the Tampa Zoo in Lowry Park. We had watched season one of The Secrets of the Zoo Tampa, so we were familiar with many of the animals. The zoo has a strong breeding program… Continue reading Spring Break 2022- Tampa, Florida
There are benefits to visiting OBX in any season, but when choosing between busy touristy beaches and the much quieter towns from Corolla to Manteo, we have often opted for OBX. In 2017 we chose a long weekend for our OBX Spring Break and in 2021 we opted for an entire week during the public… Continue reading 5 Reasons We Chose OBX for a Beach Spring Break Vacation
The Ervings Return to WDW Day 4- Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane & Park Opening Park opening still had a line for Flight of Passage snaked all the way to the land’s entrance, and we were glad we had secured the paid Lighting Lane for later that day. We used our first Genie+… Continue reading Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World, January 2022
The Ervings Return to WDW- Epcot Epcot was divided over two days using our Park Hopper tickets. The first day was a short visit hop between Hollywood Studios via the Skyliner, with the main destination being Space 220. After dining we took some time to walk through the World Showcase. On this busy Saturday night… Continue reading Epcot at Walt Disney World, January 2022
See a timeline of how we tackled Disney Genie+ for the first time.
Coastal Maine Botanic Garden Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA Winterthur Children's Garden in PA New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx Camden Children's Garden in New Jersey
North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island North Carolina Aquariums have three campuses; Roanoke Island, Pine Knoll Shores, and Fort Fisher. The Roanoke Island museum features indoor exhibits and a large outdoor nature trail. The museum hosts the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation Center, with each rescued turtle's information displayed. In the next space, children learn… Continue reading Roanoke Island, North Carolina
, Day 1- Norfolk, VA TO Philadelphia, PA via EAstern Shore Day 2- Philadelphia, PA TO Waterbury, CT via Winterthur Museum & Gardens, Philadelphia Botanical Garden & Cold Springs, NY Enchanted Woods, Winterthur Museum, Garden & LibraryEnchanted Woods, Winterthur Museum, Garden & LibraryEnchanted Woods, Winterthur Museum, Garden & LibraryEnchanted Woods, Winterthur Museum, Garden & LibraryEnchanted… Continue reading 1750 Miles, 14 Days, FROM Virginia to Maine- Summer 2021
Take some time to visit the Smithsonian Museums to learn about the many stories that come together to create the American experience (spoiler alert: it's ain't all apple pie and baseball games). I’m sharing my experiences from visiting the Smithsonian Museums and Washington DC for nearly two decades. While many of the permanent exhibits remain… Continue reading Washington DC- Smithsonian History & Culture museums
All off the National Memorials are free to visit (the only place on this blog that requires a fee to tour is the Washington National Cathedral), and most are easy to see in less than a full day. The circulator bus is $1/person/ride and provides easy access to all of the monuments around the Tidal… Continue reading Washington DC- Memorials & places For Remembrance and reflection
The National Mall is home to three science museums, including The National Air and Space Museum and the Museum of Natural History, two of the most iconic Smithsonian Institutions. At the East end of the Mall, next to the Capitol, is the United States Botanic Garden. From the Smithsonian Metro station, you can easily get… Continue reading Washington DC Science Museums
The National Mall is flanked on each end by The Capitol building and The Lincoln Memorial. The Mall is home to four Smithsonian Museums that have primarily art collections: The Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, The National Museum of African Art, and the National Museum of Asian Art. The National Gallery of Art is also… Continue reading Washington DC- Art Museums
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
