Swamps, alligators, snakes, big cats and lemurs never get old, and if you find yourself in south Florida, tear yourself away from the shopping at Sawgrass Mills for a few hours to do a tour. Not only can you hold a baby alligator and pet some epic snakes, but there are many other rare animals to encounter. As a National Geographic Kids Insider, I have learned a bunch about big cats, but this is certainly the place to see them in person. I was pretty sad seeing them in cages, but hoped they get to roam and run freely as much as possible in order to keep the species healthy.
People have called me a romantic on steroids. Personally, I think they are actually underestimating my tendencies. There are two hoop skirts in the closet, and summer must include multiple picnics with a book of poetry tucked into the basket. You can imagine my glee when we rolled through the flag-draped town of Lake Placid and pulled up to the historic Mirror Lake Inn.
Late in 2021, my sons were in a sailing regatta in Miami’s Coconut Grove. Two days after Christmas, I was given a special holiday present from one of the coaches.. I tested positive for Covid on the PCR test that was required in order to return to Canada. All 4 other people in our AirBNB were fine but I knew I would be spending 14 nights alone. In the sun. Without any responsibility. Every Mom’s dream until you have to pay for the hotels and are forced away from the kids!
As far as I’m concerned, a trip to California without visiting San Francisco is a missed opportunity. Accordingly, I’m going to share how to have the most epic California road trip with a 10-day-itinerary. You can take out some of the activities as needed to align with the length of time you have for your trip but starting or ending in San Francisco is a must.
For this trip we decided to fly into San Francisco and fly out of Los Angeles but you can also switch this around and do the trip the other way.
Children have big dreams. Usually, these dreams seem so far-fetched that grow ups will say, “That’s impossible,” but the heart of a child knows better. Even if the youngest of my companions during a screening of the animated film Leap! could see all best friends Felicie and Victor really need is the courage and the faith to take a leap if they want to realize their dreams of reaching Paris to become a ballerina and inventor.
You’re headed to the Big Apple, and you’d love to take in a show, but you’re limited on time and budget. You want to explore Lower Manhattan, but the weather isn’t exactly cooperating.
Or maybe you’ve got your kids with you and they are not interested in hiking all over looking at old buildings and statues while you read from a guide book. Let’s be honest, you’re fed up from wrestling the devices out of their hands when they get even slightly bored.
I could list dozens of reasons why you might be interested in The Downtown Experience, Powered by The Ride. Any one of them would be valid, but it would be window dressing for the real reason: It’s a blast.
Nearly everyone who comes to New York City makes a point of visiting Central Park. It is, quite literally, the heart of Manhattan, and any guide to NYC will direct you to explore this green oasis, which is so full of wonders, it can make you feel like a kid again.
But for those of us with actual children in tow, sometimes you just need the relative sanity of a fenced in playpark, where you can sip a coffee while the youngsters burn off some energy. For us, some of the greatest gems sprinkled throughout Central Park are the 21 different playgrounds—all 100% free, open from dawn to dusk, many of which have been renovated by the Central Park Conservancy over the last few years. As a resident of Manhattan since my children were two and three years-old, I’ve done some serious investigation of at least two-thirds of those parks and have whittled down my favourites to these five Central Park playgrounds.
Although I love saying, “Have toothbrush, will travel,” I need more in my suitcase than oral care tools and a passport! If you find packing for vacation scary enough to put you off leaving your house, check out how I pack with ease, then start planning your next vacay.
As far as traveling with young children goes during spring break, Fort Myers Beach, Florida is about as good (and easy) as it gets. After taking one of the many available non-stop flights to the Southwest Florida airport, you’ll find a small, narrow island off the gulf coast, with vast stretches of soft, pale pink sand, clear ocean water, and not a single high-rise hotel in sight.
I travel often with my kids and while it’s much easier now as they’re getting older, I still remember the horrific time with one baby in a carrier, the other standing beside me trying to manoeuvre in a tiny airplane stall. And then there’s the flight where at least one child has cried for 9 straight hours. Yes, I have experienced flights from hell, and lived to tell the tale.