Month: June 2008

Categories
Blog

Gone fishing….for a new blog

Holy Cow sign (courtesy jcolman at Flickr CC)I’m going to put this blog on a short hiatus, for just this week, while I clear out some backlogged deadlines and work on something exciting….

The new template/layout and whole new URL for the Family Travel blog on BootsnAll.

We’ll be called the Family Travel Logue, and the design will be similar to other BnA Logues like the EcoTravelLogue, the HawaiiLogue and the ItalyLogue (did you soccer fans know that the popular The Offside blog is a Boots blog? Now you know….)

I’ve been wanting to do this for months but keep getting jammed against the stops with other assignments, so now it really is time to move on it. With only 24 hours in the day, though, I have to stop work somewhere to get it done.

Thanks for your patience; we probably won’t have the new site up by the end of the week, but I’ll be blogging from here until we do.

Categories
USA

Yes, there’s great family stuff in New Jersey

The beach at Cape May, New Jersey (courtesy veronica lola at Flickr CC)Poor New Jersey.

It gets a bad rap as a destination because most people don’t visit very much of it.

The oft-maligned state has a lot more to offer than what most folks actually see (places like the monotonous New Jersey Turnpike or the Vegas-wannabe Atlantic City casinos.)

Here’s a sampler from my latest Education.com article:

  1. Cotsen Children’s Library – Something for young ones at Princeton University? Yes, the Cotsen is a real hidden gem on campus; it’s a unique, well-designed children’s library that is actually part of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. The public “Bookscape” area has little nooks and whimsical reading areas (you enter through a topiary garden) and the rear section features gallery programs and readings year-round, for all ages.
  2. Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center – If it’s about glass, it’s here at Wheaton, where New Jersey glassworks got its start thanks to the local silica sand and plenty of wood for the furnaces. Watch glass artists and glassblowers at work in the Glass Studio and Craft Studio, admire the stunning items in the Museum of American Glass and wander the Down Jersey Folklife Center for a close-up view of the arts and culture of the state’s eight southern counties.
  3. Monmouth Battlefield State Park – Molly Pitcher entered into legend here when she assisted her husband loading and firing cannon during the 1778 Colonial battle against the British. Every year in June (in 2008 it’s June 21-22) there is a major reenactment event with costumed soldiers and cannon fire (it was the largest artillery engagement of the Revolutionary War.) A local family maintains pick-your-own orchards within the park, and the grounds and Visitor Center have lots of period buildings and exhibits.

For 14 other ideas in the Garden State, take a look at the full article: Family Fun and Learning in New Jersey.

I also found a fun video by Jen A. Miller, from the blog Down the Shore with Jen and author of the book The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May.

Although not written specifically for kids, her book and blog have lots of fun ideas and they give you a feel for the many sights and sounds of the Jersey Shore.

Categories
Florida USA

Hidden treasures for kids in Florida

Snorkel in the clear water at Wakulla Springs, Florida (courtesy Quantum Physics at Flickr CC)Many people see the state of Florida as one big tourism mashup; Disney, beaches, sun, maybe some gators thrown in. I have a new Education.com article up that attempts to reveal some of the lesser-known Sunshine State places/events that families might enjoy.

(If it seems like I’ve done a lot of these state roundups lately – Georgia, Michigan and Texas is still coming – it’s because I have, which is why my posting rate here on the Family Travel blog has slipped a bit. 🙂 )

Here are 4 highlights out of 20 in the article:

  • Wakulla Springs State Park – Perfect for a stop-off between Tallahassee and Jacksonville, the park is home to a massive freshwater spring, one of the delights of northern Florida and a great excuse to go swimming. Take one of the glass-bottom boat tours to get crystal-clear views of spring wildlife below the boat. The comfy Lodge in the middle of the Park was built in 1937, and still welcomes guests for meals or an overnight stay.
  • Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City – One of the oldest areas in Tampa, Ybor City was the center of the Florida cigar-making industry in the early 1900s, and it still has a very strong Spanish and Cuban flavor. Opened in 1905, the flagship Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City is a local landmark serving a wide variety of traditional Latin cuisine. They also have live flamenco shows twice nightly except Sunday. There is a children’s menu.
  • Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki – This excellent museum of Seminole culture is about one hour west of Fort Lauderdale, and includes audiovisual exhibits, a living village, rare artifacts and a one-mile boardwalk around the property.
  • Miami Festivals – Festival action never stops in multicultural Miami. In March, the traditional Cuban heart of the city is filled for the Calle Ocho Festival (where you may get to join the world’s largest conga line.) The Miami Children’s Museum sponsors a popular Children’s Film Festival in May, and in June the nation’s largest black heritage festival, the Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival, kicks off in nearby Coconut Grove. In November the Miami Book Fair International celebrates literary delights and has a Children’s Alley, and the Junior Orange Bowl festival is stuffed with arts and sports events in late fall and into January.

For the rest of the goodies, please visit Fun and Learning in Florida! on Education.com.

Related posts:

Categories
Tips

Pumping on a plane: travel while nursing

One of the most active members of our little Family Travel blog community is Debbie over at Delicious Baby.

She writes a great blog that covers a variety of topics, many related to travel, and reading her posts also keeps my memory fresh about all things baby-licious. Sometimes, you know, it’s hard to remember the goo-goo stage when an 8- and 15-year-old are galumping about the house.

Awhile back, I wrote about why nursing is best for a traveling baby, so Debbie let me know recently that she’s just written a whole series (starting with her first post, nursing and pumping on an airplane) about the logistical issues of being a breastfeeding mother who has to pump while traveling and also deal with expressed milk issues.

Ah, brings back such fond memories of when I was standing in some airport bathroom (Denver, was it?) next to the only electric plug, pumping away and feeling, oh, MILDLY conspicuous!

If this describes your life right now, or used to, take a look through her series and do add your comments and suggestions.

Categories
USA

Travel with kids in Georgia

Kid-friendly Pirates’ House restaurant, Savannah, Georgia (courtesy Dizzy Girl at Flickr CC)There’s a lot of family-friendly action in the Peach State, and my article covering 20 places and events is now available on Education.com.

There are “the obvious” sites in Atlanta, but I tried to look beyond that and cast a statewide net.

How about:

** Cohutta-Chattahoochee Scenic Byway – A nationally-designated scenic route in northwest Georgia, this byway includes the Appalachian cultural legacy of Prater’s Mill (especially during their annual Columbus Day weekend Country Fair) and New Echota, the Cherokee Nation capitol in 1825 and the site of the first Indian language newspaper office. Cabins and camping are available in Fort Mountain State Park along the route.

** SAM Shortline Excursion Train – The Savannah, Americus and Montgomery (SAM) is part of a rail system that used to connect Savannah and Montgomery, Alabama. Nowadays, it’s a good way to visit President Jimmy Carter’s home and museum at Carter National Historic Site in Plains, and Habitat for Humanity’s headquarters in Americus. Visitors can tour Habitat’s Global Village; 15 representative Habitat houses from around the world, including Papua New Guinea and Ghana.

** Sapelo Island and Hog Hammock – Fans of the children’s television program “Gullah Gullah Island” already know a little about the unique Gullah/Geechee African-American culture in this part of the South. Today, the remote Sapelo Island and its only town, Hog Hammock, are still inhabited by the descendants of slaves who preserved their language dialect and food thanks to that isolation. Get here on a state-operated ferry from Meridian and take the guided tour, or contact writer and island resident Cornelia Bailey about her Geechee tours and lodging.

For the other 17 suggestions, please visit Family Friendly Must-Sees in Georgia, and feel free to comment and add your suggestions in the comments section here or at the original Education.com article.

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