Disney Wonder 2023Day 6: Ketchikan June 2023 Exploring TownSaxman Village tourlumberjack show Fishing town Ketchikan, our final port on the 7-day Disney Wonder Alaskan cruise, was smaller than Juneau but larger than Skagway (our first port further north).Our excursions didn’t start until 1pm, so in the morning Alex and I were able to spend some… Continue reading Port of Call: Ketchikan, Alaska
Disney Wonder 2023Day 5: juneau June 2023 Exploring TownRainforestglacier alaska state capital Mendenhall Glacier & Nugget Falls, Juneau, Disney Wonder Alaskan Cruise, June 2023 Fun Fact: there are no roads to Alaska’s State Capital, Juneau. Residents and visitors can only get there by boat or plane. There were a ton of excursion options, and we… Continue reading Port of Call: Juneau, Alaska
Disney WonderAlaska Cruise June 2023 Vancouver, BCOnBoard The WONDERSkagway, AKJuneAU, AKKetchikan, ak Day 1: Departure from Vancouver, BC Departure from Vancouver, Canada on the Disney Wonder Cruise to Alaska, June 2023 We stayed at the Hilton Vancouver Downtown for three nights before the cruise. The port was within walking distance, but with bags we decided… Continue reading
We were late in planning our Spring Break 2023 trip. With just two of us traveling, an Amtrak trip across the country was an easy choice. We had enjoyed our winter 2021 trip from Denver to San Francisco, and a few other journeys were on our list. Seattle and Chicago aren’t beach destinations, so… Continue reading Seattle to Chicago: 48 Hours on the Amtrak Empire Builder
Seattle’s iconic Space Needle turned out to be one of our favorite activities, even on a rainy and cloudy day. Tickets were included with our pre-purchased Seattle Pass. Walking into the lobby immediately felt like we were entering an episode of the Jestsons. This made sense, because the Space Needle was built during the 1962… Continue reading Space Needle- Seattle Spring Break 2023
Seattle Center, WA 2023 Public transportation is always intimidating in a new city, and it’s nearly always easier (and far more expensive) to get a ride share with a few taps on my phone. But there’s a special satisfaction that comes with successfully navigating a city by bus or train, and Seattle made it relatively… Continue reading Exploring Seattle by Light Rail & Monorail- Spring Break 2023
I have seen Dale Chihuly’s works at many exhibitions throughout the country, including the Franklin Park Conservatory, where many of his works are part of the private collection. But none compared to the Chihuly Garden and Glass. The artist graduated from the University of Washington and the collection in Seattle Center is considered a long-term… Continue reading Chihuly Garden and Glass- Seattle Spring Break 2023
We started Spring Break 2023 with a girl's weekend trip to Seattle. Over three days in downtown Seattle we found ourselves lured to Pike Place Market four times. Stacked over five floors, it was easy to lose time. On our first morning, we arrived while the fish were still frozen and before any of the… Continue reading Pike Place Market- Seattle Spring Break 2023
In just one afternoon we were able to take a deep dive (figuratively) into learning about Puget Sound and the land around it. We started at the Seattle Aquarium, then walked to the nearby Pier 55 for a Harbor tour with Argosy Cruises. We enjoyed being on the water so much that we followed the… Continue reading Puget Sound by Boat- Seattle Spring Break 2023
Primarily Pacific Puget Sound Sea Life The Seattle Aquarium is located on the waterfront downhill from the Pikes Place Market. In just over an hour we were able to experience all of the museum exhibits, but families with younger children would likely spend more time enjoying the shows and play spaces. I could have also… Continue reading The Seattle Aquarium- Spring Break 2023
Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle, WA 2023 Staying in downtown Seattle was the perfect jumping off point for most of the major family-oriented attractions. Reliable and affordable public transportation made car travel unnecessary also. We used the monorail system for less than $5/each round trip to get to Seattle Park. The Chihuly Garden and Museum,… Continue reading The Museum of Pop Culture- Seattle Spring Break 2023
Pacific Science Center, Seattle, WA 2023 Staying in downtown Seattle was the perfect jumping off point for most of the major family-oriented sites. Reliable and affordable public transportation made car travel unnecessary also. We used the monorail system for less than $5/each round trip to get to Seattle Park. The Chihuly Garden and Museum, the… Continue reading The Pacific Science Center- Seattle Spring Break 2023
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
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
Did you know it snows in northern Arizona? I didn't. In my mind the entire state was a year-round warm, arid, desert landscape with occasional tumbleweeds blowing along in the wind. We somehow missed the fact that Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon are at a 7000 foot elevation, and were shocked to see over a… Continue reading Western US Family Road Trips: Sedona to Flagstaff Arizona
Desert Botanic Garden Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ 2022 The Desert Botanical Garden and Phoenix Zoo are both located in Papago park. When we arrived at the garden (entry was free for two adults through the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal benefit provided by our Norfolk Botanical Garden Membership). Even with the pollinator garden walk closed… Continue reading Family Fun in & around Phoenix, Arizona- The Great Outdoors
Biosphere 2 Steps to Dome, Pinal County, AZ, 2022 Biosphere 2 received widespread publicity/notoriety in the late 1990s due to a two-year mission that locked eight “biospherians” inside the structure to attempt to replicate earth’s atmosphere, living only on the available resources. Unfortunately, the data collected during the experiment was never accepted by the scientific… Continue reading The Arizona Desert: Biosphere 2
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
