Highlands, North Carolina is known for its beautiful hiking. There are hikes of all lengths and levels. We traveled to the Cashiers area and spent four amazing days relaxing, hiking to waterfalls, and touring the Biltmore grounds. One of my favorite parts of the trip was our Whiteside Mountain hike. If you love to get out in nature and go hiking with your kids, Whiteside Mountain is perfect. We did not have kids yet, but we were traveling with friends who had a 3yo and an infant. Whiteside Mountain is a 2 mile hike that the website lists as moderate. If you are an avid hiker, this will be a nice and easy walk for you. Some spots might be challenging for those who do not hike often. The 3yo that we were hiking with walked almost the entire hike on his own. Our friends carried their infant in a front carrier.
The kids will love the many waterfalls that are found all over Cashiers and Highlands as well. Dry Falls is a great waterfall to see because it is easily accessible for families and part of the path goes behind the waterfall. The children will also like riding in the car as you drive under Bridal Veil Falls.
Thanks to Debbie at Delicious Baby for hosting Photo Friday. Stop by to see all the great travel photos!
When we decided to make the trip to Europe with our 10mo in 2005, so many people thought we were nuts. They asked us how we would be able to enjoy ourselves. How were we going to go out and have a good time? And the most common question we got from our 2o something friends? What about all the great beer?
I will admit that planning this trip was much different from planning the trip we took recently (Christmas 08). Big S was still small enough that he was content with sitting in our laps or the stroller for many minutes at a time. Even though we were traveling with our little guy, we still got to enjoy so many activities geared towards the big kids! The Grand Place is the perfect example of this!
The Grand Place is the central square in Brussels, Belgium. We stayed in Brussels for one night as we were passing through on our way to London from Frankfurt. Brussels is a beautiful city. The Belgium lace, the Belgium chocolate and the Belgium beer certainly lived up to their reputations. It was absolutely surreal as we enjoyed a meal while sitting in the middle of the Grand Place. I wish that I could remember the name of this great little restaurant/bar. They had the most amazing les Carbonnade Flamandes, a beef stew made from hearty Belgium ale, and pommes frites, french fries that are fried not once but twice.
Manneken Pis
This funny little cutout was in the chocolate store where we shopped for what seemed like hours!
And the beer you may ask? We enjoyed that too! My favorites were: Framboise (a rasberry beer), Kriek (a cherry beer) and Kwak (an amber beer that is served in this very cool glass).
Lorraine, from Keeps Me Smiling, is the co-owner of My Busy Kit and the blogger on Keeps Me Smiling. Lorraine knows firsthand how crazy traveling with kids can be because they have been all over the place! I enjoy reading her blog because she throws a little bit of everything into the mix. I especially love the pictures that she shares on her Photo Fridays. A few of my favorite posts:
On a side note, check out her business website, My Busy Kit. Please note: I have not tried the My Busy Kits out nor did I get asked to write a review. I need to pick up two for my children! These travel kits are full of great activities to keep your child busy on the road. They are perfect for the mom who doesn’t have time to sift through the toys at home and pick out the appropriate ones for travel or for the dad tired of packing all the 2 foot action figures! Lorraine and her business partner have already done that for you!
Twice now, we have tried to book a campsite a few days in advance and they were all booked up. We were not picky either. We looked at all campsites within a 100 mile radius of us (that included three different states!) and couldn’t find a single one during the weekend of Easter and the weekend after Easter that had tent campsites left. Yesterday I booked a campsite for next week and we got the last tent site available. I remember when you could just call the day or two ahead and book two or three sites without a problem. I would imagine that this trend is going to continue as families continue to cut back on travel costs. I think more families are giving camping a try. I have several friends who used to love to camp but haven’t since they had children. Now that travel is something that is easiest to cut out of the budget, my friends are finding camping as a great alternative!
We have always loved camping…ok…my husband has always loved camping. I tolerated it for awhile and now I love it! We have been camping all over the place: the beach, the woods, the zoo, even our front yard when our power was out for two weeks due to a hurricane. I have even been camping at 8.5 months pregnant (my family will tell you that I was miserable to be around on that trip…an air mattress and a pregnant belly do not mix!). We haven’t been camping in awhile so I think this trip will be different from other camping trips. I am used to my little ones being content to sit in my lap all day while I read a book and then going to bed as soon as it gets dark because we lock them in the packnplay. This time though, we will have two very active children with us. I will keep this in mind as I pack for the night and plan activities. Keep an eye out for the follow-up post after the camping trip!
Camping in the front yard after Hurricane Ivan
Getting ready for bed while we are camping at the Zoo
This is the fifth part of a series of posts in which I am sharing pictures and thoughts from my first major trip with children.In 2005, my husband and I headed to Europe with our 10mo son.We had a computer hard drive disaster and I thought that I had lost all of these photos.I was so thrilled to come across a CD with them; I wanted to share these first travel adventures with our little guy.You can read the first four posts here:Trier, Germany; Kelty Convertible Backpack; AmericanCemetery and Memorial; and Amsterdam, Netherlands.
When we were planning our trip to Europe, my dad (with whom we would be staying for part of the trip) asked me if there was anywhere else I really wanted to see but didn’t think we could do it.We had already packed this trip full, but I decided to mention the fact that #4 on my Bucket List was to see the Matterhorn.I have always been fascinated with the Matterhorn ride at Disneyland and I had taught a great book called Banner in the Sky to my 7th grade class.It is about a teenage boy and his rite of passage into becoming a man.He loses his father to a mountain climbing accident and then gets to climb that same mountain.The mountain and town are loosely based on the Matterhorn and Zermatt, Switzerland.Some of you may remember an old Disney movie titled Third Man on the Mountain.That movie is based on the book.This story only cemented that need to see the Matterhorn.
Imagine my excitement when we were able to add a trip to Zermatt in to our itinerary!Zermatt is this neat little town at the foot of the Matterhorn.There are no cars allowed, so you park at the bottom and take a tram up the mountain.When you arrive, there are these little cars that pick you up and take you where you want to go.
We stayed at a wonderful hotel called the Park Hotel-Beausite.This is quite possibly the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in!The rooms were spacious and beautiful.Although this was a very ritzy, expensive hotel, they welcomed my 10mo son with open arms.They had a beautiful crib put in the room. It was made of the same light wood that all of the furnishings were made of.This may seem trivial but the thing I loved about it was that it made us feel posh even though we were traveling with our little guy.The dinner included was sinful and it was where we tried some of our most exotic foods.
While in Zermatt, we took a ride in the tram up to the mountain so we could get the perfect view of the Matterhorn.We had wine in the Glacier Paradise, the ice bar carved out in a section of the glacier. We even bought a bottle of Matterhorn wine to bring home with us. They make the wine and store it the glacier!My husband got to ski the mountain in the middle of June.
Luckily, we were traveling with family because Big S was too little for the ride up the mountain.Because of the elevation, he could not go.My stepmom kept him while my dad, Daddy J and I made the trek.If you are planning a trip, be sure to check the age limits to make sure your children can go.If my stepmom had not been able to take him, the hotel did offer a babysitting service that we could have looked into using.
I am glad that we added this trip to our itinerary at the last moment. If you can’t go, check out these live webcams of the mountain. It is gorgeous!
Pensacola, Florida is the home of the United States Navy’s Blue Angels. When they are at home, the Blue Angels hold practice sessions twice a week on most Tuesday and Wednesday mornings (and a few other days depending on the week!) at 8:30am. These practice sessions are located behind the National Naval Aviation Museum on NAS Pensacola. Two weeks ago, we took the kids to a Friday practice session. It was amazing! I grew up in a military household so I am used to seeing the Blues and other aircraft, but seeing the Blue Angels so close was unreal!
It is a short walk to the flight line for the show!
A front row seat on the flightline waiting for the show to start!
After going to our first practice session, I have a few tips for those attending for the first time!
1. Call the Blue Angels’ office ahead of time on the morning that you go. According to the website, the schedule is subject to change because of weather or other unforeseen events. I was glad we called before we left because they had changed the start time from 8:30 to 8am.
2. Bring earplugs. If you are sensitive to noise you will want earplugs. My husband and I were fine, but our kids were happy to have their earplugs. They sometimes have vendors selling them for 75 cents, but if you have your own make sure you bring them.
3. If you are going with children, bring chairs or a blanket to sit on. There are bleachers but they fill up pretty quickly. There was still space in the bleachers but we decided to sit on a blanket so the kids could move around. Make sure you get there early so you can get a good spot.
4. If you can pick your day, head to the practice session on a Wednesday. On Wednesdays, after the practice session, the museum holds an autograph session with the pilots. What a great opportunity for your kids! I plan on doing this at least once this summer. My son will be ecstatic! After the autograph session, let your children sit in one of the Blue Angel cockpits in the museum!
5. Bring your own water. The Pensacola humidity is tough in the summertime!
6. If you get there early enough, get a seat near one of the volunteers. The volunteers have walkie talkies that you can hear the #1 pilot communicate through. The volunteers also keep the kids informed of what is going on.
Here are other pictures from the practice session.
Check out other travel photos at Photo Friday over at Delicious Baby!
Recently, I hit Busch Gardens Tampa with 40 high school students on a journalism conference field trip. While there, I scoped out all the great kiddie activities. When you think amusement parks with toddlers or young children, the first amusement park that probably comes to mind is Disney. Busch Gardens is known for its amazing roller coasters. Montu, Sheikra and Kumba constantly show up on many top ten lists of the best roller coasters in America. These coasters alone will keep the kids over 54 inches tall happy! This is where our high school students hung out!
Sheikra suspends you looking straight down for 4 of the longest seconds of your life!
Cool off by standing at this spot. When Sheikra goes by, a huge spray of water will hit you!
However, while we were walking around, I noted all of the great activities they have for the not so tall or old enough!
The theme of Busch Gardens is African Safari and you can see pieces of this everywhere you look. There are animals all over the park, the flowers and trees are amazing and the rides are all designed with the theme in mind.
Jungala, a fairly new attraction, has Bengal tigers and you can actually poke your head into their habitat! There are bird gardens, gorillas, Clydesdale horses, elephants, and much much more!
The little ones will enjoy playing in the Land of the Dragons, one and a half acres of activities perfect for the little ones. Throw a change of clothes in your bag or put your kids in their swimsuits because there is a great water feature that they won’t want to leave. There is a height restriction so you can be sure that your little guys will be able to play without being run over by the big kids! There is also a great train that plows through the park and through the Serengeti Plain where you can see lots of animals roaming. If you need a break from rides and playing, check out KaTonga. The little ones will love this musical about African storytellers and animal folklore.
If you are a coaster enthusiast and don’t want to spend all of your time in the Land of the Dragons, Busch Gardens offers a baby swap program.
As you can imagine, tickets are a bit costly. Right now, you can buy a 1 day pass and return all year for free. If you live close enough for the drive, this is a great deal! Check out the ticket prices here.
I missed last week’s Travel Blogger Tuesday edition because I was chaperoning 40 high school students at a journalism conference. Because of that, I am going to showcase a website run by not just one but four hip mamas for today’s edition. I found Traveling Mamas when I was trying to decide on a domain name for my own travel blog. I was so disappointed that someone had thought of it first until I realized what a wealth of information I had found! These four mamas have great names: MudslideMama, DesertMama, CajunMama, and MountainMama! They discuss things from traveling with kids of all ages, gear that works, and getaways for moms! Some of my favorite posts include:
Exploring Louisiana Monroe and Ruston — I love the idea that this mama has…she is giving her kids a few choices for their summer vacation and letting them guide the way. What a great way to get your older kids involved! Her theme for this year is “learning about where you live” and I think that is so important because so often we travel all over the world but haven’t checked out what is in our own backyard!
For the fourth part of my series of posts titled Europe 2005, I am going to share our impressions of Amsterdam. If you ask people to tell you what the first thing they think of is when they think of Amsterdam, it probably isn’t “a great vacation spot for infants!” However, Amsterdam is actually one of the most welcoming and child-friendly spots that we visited while on that trip. There were families, both locals and tourists, wandering around everywhere.
We stayed in Hotel Atlanta, a very small family run hotel in the center of everything! Because it is family run, this hotel welcomes children with open arms. I distinctly remember the person checking us in making sure that they said hi to my son! We stayed in the twin standard room and although it was so small, we still had enough room for all three of us. The hotel is located in the perfect spot…overlooking Rembrandtsquare, a famous part of town.
While in Amsterdam, we walked around Dam Square, toured the Heineken Experience, and took a canal cruise at sunset. My favorite part of the trip was the visit to the Anne Frank House.
The Anne Frank House
One of our most memorable meal experiences was in Amsterdam. We wanted to give Indonesian food a try and the hotel suggested a restaurant in the square. We walked in and realized it was one of the fanciest restaurants we had ever eaten in. We were very worried about bringing a 10m old into this environment but the waiter welcomed us in quickly! He found a high chair in the back of the restaurant and quickly got us settled. We ordered Rijsttafel. Warmers were placed in front of us and soon dish after dish started coming out from the kitchen. They brought out crackers for our little guy to chew on while we ate.
Have you been to a spot in this world where you felt like your children were welcomed more warmly than other places? Please share with us in the comment section!
The Wharf in Orange Beach is a shopping center, marina, amphitheater and resort all rolled into one right near the beautiful beaches of the Alabama Gulf Coast. One morning, we decided that we needed to get out of the house so we made the 45 minute drive to check it out. We haven’t stayed the night yet, but I hope to head out there one weekend this summer. While we were there, we had lunch at Johnny Rockets which is perfect for the kids because it is SO loud! Then we let the kids each make a stuffed animal at the Build-a-Bear workshop. All that was lots of fun and it was great to hang out together as a family, but the best part was watching the kids stare at the Ferris wheel. There is this great Ferris wheel in the middle of the shopping center. We decided not to ride it because Big S was not thrilled with the idea! He must have left his sense of adventure at home that day! However, we sat and stared at the Ferris Wheel as it went round and round for about 30 minutes from the bench across the street. The kids loved it!
Be sure to visit Debbie at Delicious Baby to see other great travel photos from around the world!
