Family Travel, Major US Cities, Most Recent Travel, Museums, National Parks, Western US

Kid-friendly Las Vegas, Nevada

Where We Stayed Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort Because we arrived at the New Year, we chose to stay outside of the strip, at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort. The resort is adjacent to a shopping and dining center which was largely deserted, outside of the fireworks show on NYE. We did have a… Continue reading Kid-friendly Las Vegas, Nevada

Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Western US

Winter in Grand Canyon National Park

How to see (and not see) the Grand Canyon El Tovar Lodge, Grand Canyon National Park, South Rim, Arizona 2022 Since our visit was during the busy winter holiday season, we were happy to find a detailed "Know Before You Go" on the Grand Canyon National Park website. We wished we had looked at it… Continue reading Winter in Grand Canyon National Park

Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Western US

Tucson, Arizona: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Saguaro National Park & San Xavier del Bac Mission

Arizona-Sonora Desert MuseumSaguaro National Park WestThe Gym @ El Conquistador ResortKing Canyon TrailheadSignal Hill RoadRed Hills Visitor CenterMission San Xavier del Bac Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum The Desert Museum has elements of a zoo, botanical garden, and natural history museum, and was open on Christmas day and was an excellent introduction to the Sonoran Desert. Because… Continue reading Tucson, Arizona: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Saguaro National Park & San Xavier del Bac Mission

East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Outer Banks, North Carolina

Walking OBX 2021

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

Family Travel, Major US Cities, Most Recent Travel, Museums, National Parks

Winter Vacation 2021- Denver & Reno on The Amtrak Zephyr & The California Coast

Our 2-week winter holiday started in the Colorado Rockies and ended in sunny San Diego. Learn more about each destination by clicking on the links in the timeline. The Amtrak California Zephyr took us from Denver to San Francisco. A series of road trips allowed us to see the California Coast and to Joshua Tree… Continue reading Winter Vacation 2021- Denver & Reno on The Amtrak Zephyr & The California Coast

Family Travel, Major US Cities, Most Recent Travel, Museums, National Parks

San Diego, California Christmas 2021

San Diego Museum of Nature & Science Our last full day in California included brunch with friends, followed by a visit to Balboa Park. With more time, we would have spent a day at the San Diego Zoo. But on a busy Saturday on a holiday weekend, we opted for the Natural History Museum instead.… Continue reading San Diego, California Christmas 2021

Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks

Joshua Tree National Park, California Christmas 2021

Winter Holidays 2021 Day 11- Los Angeles to Joshua Tree National Park, California After staying with friends in Los Angeles, we drove 2 ½  hours to Yucca Valley, where we grabbed a to-go lunch from Yucca Tree Eatery.  There are no dining options once you enter Joshua Tree National Park, but there were many other… Continue reading Joshua Tree National Park, California Christmas 2021

East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Outer Banks, North Carolina

Roanoke Island, North Carolina

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

East Coast, USA, Family Travel, National Parks, Uncategorized, Washington DC

Washington DC- Memorials & places For Remembrance and reflection

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

Family Travel, National Parks

Yellowstone National Park, September 2013

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

East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Outer Banks, North Carolina

OBX, 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

East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Outer Banks, North Carolina

Walking OBX, April 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

East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Outer Banks, North Carolina

Portsmouth Island, North Carolina

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

Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Virginia

Appalachian Foothills, Virginia- March, 2021

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

Family Travel, Maine, USA, National Parks

Acadia National Park, Maine, USA

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