Month: December 2007

Categories
Tips USA

Cool U.S. museums you’ve never heard of

One quick look at your average guidebook will tell you about the “museum biggies” like the Field Museum in Chicago or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, but what about those smaller places that might be less overwhelming for kids?

I have an educational travel article up on Education.com that gives a brief description of some low-key U.S. museums that are family-friendly, including these gems:

** The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California.

** The Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York City.

Check out the article for more info.

As long as we’re at it, here are two museum-related roundups from the Family Travel archives:

** 7 museums where history lives: Bunratty Castle & Folk Park in Ireland, Edo-Tokyo Museum in Tokyo, Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, Bokrijk in Hasselt, Belgium, Indian City USA in Anadarko, Oklahoma and the Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo, Norway.

** 8 cool European museums you’ve never heard of: the Chocolate Museum (or Schokoladenmuseum) in Köln, Germany, the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, the Cluny Museum of the Middle Ages in Paris, the Thermenmuseum (of Roman baths) in Heerlen, the Netherlands, the In Flanders Fields Museum (of WWI) in Ypres, Belgium, the National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory in Greenwich, UK, the Foynes Flying Boat Museum in Ireland and the Eyeglasses Museum in Amsterdam.

Of course, if you have a teen as I do, you’ll hear, “Oh, why do we have to go to another dumb museum?”

Just forge onward — they’ll thank you someday!

Technorati tags: travel, family travel tips, family friendly museums

Categories
Tips

Season’s Greetings from Family Travel

               Holiday greetings from Family Travel to you (Scarborough photo)

Happy Holidays from Sheila and the family behind Family Travel.  We wish you and yours the very best of the season, and may your suitcases be filled with maps, guidebooks, strong (and free!) hotel WiFi, plane tickets and updated passports. 🙂

Categories
USA

Family-friendly suggestions for New Year’s Eve

New Year's Eve fireworks (courtesy c r i s at flickr's Creative Commons)I have a new article up on the education.com Web site for those of you who can see past Christmas (yep, it’s tough for me, too.) It has some suggestions for places to take the kids on the night of December 31st.

They’re going to want to stay up, too, and enjoy the festivities that the grown-ups seem to be all excited about, but maybe you want to avoid the whole tipsy-party-hat scene.

My solution? First Night celebrations across the U.S..

First Night is an international phenomenon that started in 1976 in Boston, when some local artists were looking for an alcohol-free, creative approach to celebrating the New Year.

The idea is to bring out the arts in a way that everyone can enjoy, at a minimal cost.

There is an international list of cities that hold these fun events, but my article just covers a few representative ones in the U.S.: Boston MA, Austin TX, Spokane WA, Evanston IL, State College PA and St. Petersburg FL.

Did I miss any good ones?

Technorati tags: travel, family travel, First Night, New Year’s Eve

Categories
Blog Photos

Photo of the Week: Fishy San Francisco Christmas

The San Francisco Bay Area is second only to Hong Kong as a place I’d love to live….if I could afford it. 🙂

Fisherman’s Wharf is basically a tourist spot today, not a gritty fishing boat area, but kids like the many shops and attractions nearby, including the Pier 39 sea lions and Ghirardelli Square.

Here’s a nice seasonal photo of the famous Fisherman’s Wharf sign, all dressed up for the holidays.  Have you left your heart in San Francisco?

                                      San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, dressed up for Christmas (courtesy pbo31 at flickr's Creative Commons)

Technorati tags: travel, family travel, San Francisco California, Fisherman’s Wharf, Christmas

Categories
New York City USA

Top 10 tips for a NYC holiday visit with kids

This is a guest post by Mommy Poppins, a great blog for family-friendly info about the New York City area.

New York City Christmas lights on Wall Street (courtesy wallyg at flickr's CC)Christmas is a wonderful time to visit New York City; the city is alive with wonderful special events, it’s beautifully decorated and lighted and there is a wonderful energy humming through the streets.

If you are lucky enough to get some flurries of snow while on the streets of New York during the holidays, you can dream that you are in your favorite Christmas movie.

Unfortunately, you’re not the only one who knows this, and the incredible crowds that swarm upon the typical holiday sights can be so overwhelming that you could end up with a nightmare instead, especially when traveling with children.

But don’t let a few crowds put you off from visiting New York during the holidays. With some insider knowledge and some off-the-beaten-path destinations, you can get all the magic from a New York holiday, without all the pushing and shoving.

Here are the top ten tips and destinations for getting the most out of New York City with kids for Christmas:

1. Visit a Victorian Santa. Skip Santaland at Macy’s and the 3 hour line, and head straight for ABC Carpet & Home. They have a really beautiful Victorian Santa and virtually no lines. Weekends 12-5PM through December 22.

2. See a Nutcracker created just for kids. Many children can’t sit through the New York City Ballet Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, but there are several Nutcracker performances in New York that are created just for children and even toddlers. Most of them are only one hour long and adapted for children, including New York Theatre Ballet’s Nutcracker.

3. Go ice skating where New Yorkers go. Rather than fighting the crowds and waiting in line for an hour at Central Park or Bryant Park, head to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park ice skating rink. It’s a wonderful setting, and after skating you can go to the Brooklyn Museum or shopping in Park Slope.

4. Shop in Brooklyn. Park Slope is one of New York’s most child-friendly neighborhoods and Seventh Avenue is lined with wonderful little neighborhood shops rather than the chain stores that have taken over much of Manhattan. Williamsburg’s Bedford Avenue is a hipster’s paradise that is becoming a hipster parent paradise. Check out the cool boutiques like Sam and Sebs.

5. The other amazing Holiday Train show. New York Botanical Garden has an amazing holiday train display, but it’s a pain to get to, can get pricey for a group and is mobbed on the weekends. Unknown to many, there’s an equally incredible train show right in midtown Manhattan that is free. In the basement of the Citigroup Center building on 53rd and Lexington is a phenomenal train display.

6. Go multicultural. You’re in New York, after all. Why not take advantage of some of the more unique ways to celebrate the holidays from different cultures? Solve the problem of what to do on Christmas Day in New York (when most of the city is closed) by learning about klezmer music and Jewish culture during “Klezmer for Kids” at the Eldridge Street Synagogue. On December 29th, there’s a big Kwanzaa celebration from 12-5 pm at the American Museum of Natural History.

7. Other beautiful trees. The famous tree in Rockefeller Center gets seriously mobbed; there are some other really great trees to see without crowds, or at least fewer crowds. The tree outside the New York Stock Exchange is almost as big and stands in front of the beautiful landmark NYSE building. No crowds will block your view here. The Museum of Natural History has a beautiful origami tree (decorated with origami, not made out of) and free origami workshops for kids.

8. Holiday Lights. You can find incredible holiday light displays all over the city. Some of the best are at Grand Central Station.

9. Good feelings. Kids will love the Operation Santa Claus at the main New York Post Office. You’ll find a room full of letters to Santa from children in need, and a gathering of good-hearted New Yorkers sharing stories and picking out wishes to fulfill. Pick your own letters and go shopping with your kids to fulfill the dreams of a child less fortunate.

10. Don’t skip the big stuff. Tourists have one big advantage over New Yorkers — you’re not working. Use your privileged status to your advantage, and visit the places that are going to be mobbed during the week. Go early. If you’re lucky, you could find yourself virtually alone.

Find out more about these and other ideas about what to do with kids
in New York in the Mommy Poppins Holiday Guide.

Technorati tags: travel, family travel, New York City, NYC, holiday travel, Christmas

Categories
Tips

Why don’t airlines provide harnesses for kids?

The CARES harness in action (courtesy EdSai on flickr)Earlier this fall we had a spirited discussion here on the blog about car seats and air travel safety.

One of the items mentioned as an alternative to lugging a car seat is a harness for children that is less bulky but keeps them safe in the air.

Several of the comments on that car seat post were very helpful, and I’d like to highlight a few as we approach the Christmas flying season:

Debbie from Delicious Baby said:

“We travel with the CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System) harness instead of a car seat & we LOVE it. It weighs just a pound or two and fits neatly in our carryon luggage. Our son sits comfortably in it and has a little more space to move than he would with the car seat. We have found, though, that some flight attendants are not familiar with the system, so it’s helpful to keep the documentation (which shows that the harness is FAA approved) in your carryon.”

the harness, directions and a CD (courtesy daddytype on flickr)Chris from Arewethereyetarewethereyet said:

“Interesting point about aircraft already being equipped with a harness for young kids. That would make life so much easier (and safer). This summer, we had a flight attendant on an American Eagle flight who was very interested in child safety (she’s actually the only flight attendant ever to stop us and check that our seat was FAA certified before letting us use it on board). She mentioned that she was lobbying American to carry a few of the CARES harnesses on each flight, but to no avail. She said she even offered to pay out of her pocket to stock them on her own flight, but she was turned down again. I’m not sure of the complete story, but I think it may have been a liability issue (which would be strange, because American actually sells the product through its website). At a time when airlines are cutting things like blankets and pillows, I guess I shouldn’t hold my breath for new child restraints!”

Kudos to that forward-thinking American Eagle/American Airlines flight attendant….so how about it, Family Travel readers? Would you support paying a bit extra on your tickets to have the airlines equip cabins with CARES restraints for children, for those parents who would like them?

Let me know in the comments!

Technorati tags: travel, family travel, CARES harness, airplane safety, aircraft child restraint

Categories
Uncategorized

Things to do, places to go 12.13.2007

This week I’ve included some limited-time travel offers in the Thursday roundup of events around the globe:

**  The Chicago Tribune/Baltimore Sun has a dandy list of travel packages with good prices for this time of year, including family-friendly ones in Hershey, PA and the Greenbriar Resort in West Virginia.

**  San Francisco is magical in any month, but right now Travelzoo highlights a hotel deal in the center of the action: the Sir Francis Drake Hotel right on Union Square.  Want more “brrrrr?”  Travelzoo also found a bargain rate at the Quebec Ice Hotel.

**  Even in the midst of ski season you can find decent prices, and Budget Travel has 11 ski deals from California to New Hampshire.

**  There’s a special package geared to families at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa on the Santa Ana Pueblo (near Albuquerque NM.)

**  In London there two winter goodies this weekend:  the Frost Fair of winter fun along the Thames on Bankside (husky dog sledding, a children’s illuminated parade and family events at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater,) and the Spitalfields Winter Festival in London’s East End.

**  In Chicago, the Lincoln Park Zoo shines brightly with thousands of lights during ZooLights.

**  How about an outdoor ice rink in….Charlotte, North Carolina? Yes, it’s Holiday on Ice in a park in uptown Charlotte.

**  In Budapest, Hungary, Christmas music pours from the Matthias Church on 15 December.

**  New York City’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine features Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice Celebration concerts December 13-15 (and on National Public Radio.)  This year the show “will showcase music from two new albums, and present special guests Native American singer/drummer/flutist John-Carlos Perea, and Brazilian singer/guitarist Renato Braz.” 

**  This weekend is the lighted Christmas Boat Parade in Newport Beach, CA and another one on Sunday, Dec 16th in San Diego harbor.

Categories
Photos USA Video Posts

Video of the week: the original Little House in Kansas

I’ve posted previously about my stop in Independence, Kansas in summer 2007 to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder “Little House on the Prairie,” which was reconstructed on its original site using traditional materials and layout.

As I played with my disposable video camera and finally reviewed its contents, I found that I’d made some clips when I visited the Ingalls home with my daughter.

After some minor wrestling with Microsoft’s Movie Maker on my laptop, this is what we saw on the prairie (although it was too dark to film the interior, I can assure you that the one-room house had a couple of beds, a table and chairs and a few cooking items, and that was it for amenities.)

Categories
Tips

Make travel plans now for March Madness

Get more information about March Madness: NCAA Tournament Travel Deals

the Univ. of Florida men's basketball team in March 2007 (courtesy HalfCrazyGirl at flickr's CC)Many of you know that I’m a basketball fan, especially college basketball during the annual spring NCAA tournament.

If you want to know how a formerly disinterested spectator became an enthusiast, the Gainesville (FL) Sun newspaper carried my op-ed about the descent into March Madness.

For those families who also follow hoops and would like to travel to see some great college basketball games this spring, time’s a’wasting.

The April 5 and 7, 2008 Men’s Final Four Division I event is in a fun city for travel with kids (San Antonio, Texas) in the Alamodome, but it’s already sold out.

The Men’s East Regional in Charlotte, NC and the West Regional in Phoenix, AZ are also sold out, but there are still tickets for the Midwest Regional in Detroit, MI and the South Regional in Houston, TX.

These cities still have tickets for the men’s opening or early rounds, and might make a good family sports trip: Dayton OH, Anaheim CA, Birmingham AL, Raleigh NC and Tampa FL.

Get hot — the 2009 Men’s Final Four is in Dayton, Ohio, so plan now.

The Women’s 2008 Division I college tournament also has tickets available, and yes, you’ll see some equally exciting b-ball. The Women’s Final Four in Tampa, FL is sold out, but there are still seats for the Regionals in New Orleans LA, Spokane WA, Greensboro NC and Oklahoma City OK.

Women’s opening and early rounds are in Albuquerque NM, Baton Rouge LA, Des Moines IA, Stanford CA, Bridgeport CT, College Park MD, Norfolk VA and West Lafayette IN.

For those who plan way ahead, the Women’s Final Four is in St. Louis, MO in 2009.

Technorati tags: travel, family travel, March Madness, NCAA college basketball, Final Four

Categories
Tips

Wrap up gifts for travelers right here

Here it comes, for those who celebrate Christmas — a weekend early in December when you really want to knock out some of your Christmas shopping.

Since most of my readers are either big travel enthusiasts themselves, or know someone who is (and because the ever-awesome Amazon Wish List can’t cover everything) here are some gift ideas that I’ve scooped up around the Web:

** Budget-minded “Cheapest Destinations” travel expert Tim Leffel has 10 Travel Gear Gifts Under $20.

** The UK’s Times Online offers 25 travel gadgets for Christmas from stores worldwide, and the Chicago Tribune chimes in with gift ideas for your favorite traveler.

** Prefer something made by people rather than machines? Check out Budget Travel‘s list of hip ‘n’ handmade cool craft fairs. Another gift idea….the magazine also publishes The Smart Traveler’s Passport: 399 Tips from Seasoned Travelers, and they just posted 20 gifts from New York City museums.

** Smarter Travel suggests great gifts for traveling families.

** Fellow writer Pam Mandel over at BlogHer Travel has her own traveler’s holiday gift guide. Another BlogHer editor, Laina Dawes, has 10 gifts to promote cultural awareness.

** The Miami Herald puts in a plug for one of my favorite travel-related online boutiques, Flight 001 (they do have freestanding stores in LA, San Francisco, Berkeley, Dubai, Chicago, Manhattan and Brooklyn.)

** Do you have a history enthusiast to please? BlogHer’s Kim Pearson has gift ideas for history buffs and Maria Niles has you covered if you need a holiday gift guide for music lovers. Armchair travelers will want to see the UK’s Guardian recommendations for best travel books for Christmas, and outdoor adventure people might like an annual parks pass. Foodies will be all over the ultimate food gift guide for the holidays.

** Need something for that favorite teacher? Here are top 10 gifts for teachers, and they may actually be excited about them since they aren’t another coffee mug with Best Teacher on it.

** Note to those who may be considering buying Amazon’s new electronic book/blog/newspaper reader, the Kindle: make sure that you have wireless coverage to support it. They don’t in the Dakotas, Wyoming or Montana.

Happy shopping and/or crafting to all of you.

Technorati tags: travel, travelers, family travel, holiday gift guide, Christmas presents, shopping