Month: September 2009

Categories
50 State Series

Family travel in North Carolina

Young driver in training at Charlotte NC Speed Street Festival (photo by Sheila Scarborough)Every week until we run out of states, I plan to post about family-friendly vacation ideas, attractions and events in each one of the US states, taking input mostly from Twitter and Facebook.

Yes, I know how to search for travel ideas on a destination or attraction Web site, but a tweet or a Facebook Wall recommendation is a much more engaging and public way to spread the word.

Please don’t email suggestions to me; that’s nice but it is one-to-one communication. Tweet me and/or Facebook me, so that all of our networks can see what’s cool about your state.

We’re going in alphabetical order but started with the end, so our first state for the series was Wyoming, then we investigated Wisconsin,  West Virginia,  Washington,  Virginia,  Vermont,  Utah, Texas,  Tennessee,  South Dakota,  South Carolina,  Rhode Island,  Pennsylvania,  Oregon, Oklahoma,  Ohio, North Dakota and now we’re moving on to….North Carolina!

Their state tourism organization is on Twitter at @VisitNC, plus there’s a Visit North Carolina blog, a North Carolina Flickr Group for photo-sharing, a Visit North Carolina YouTube channel and here’s the NC Tourism Facebook page.

When I asked for ideas, here’s what came in….

Twitter Travel Tips for North Carolina

***  From the Wilkes County tourism office via @WilkesNCtourism on Twitter  —  [Wilkes] Heritage Museum is a great activity for families. Also 45+ miles of mountain biking trails, 8 sites on NC Birding Trail. Whippoorwill Village – collection of restored log cabins, 1-room schoolhouse, Chapel of Peace (here’s a TwitPic photo: https://twitpic.com/2e0yj)

***  From Barbra Rodichok via @NOCBarbra on Twitter  —  Don’t forget whitewater rafting as part of your visit to the coolest mountain town, Asheville NC!  [More from the Nantahala Outdoor Center – https://www.noc.com/index.php/french-broad.html]

***  From Shannon Lane via @Cajun_Mama on Twitter  —  My family loved gem searching in Cherokee. Found a 3 karat emerald!

***  From Maria Reed via @Maria_Reed on Twitter  —  Great family beach vacations in the Outer Banks! Jockey’s Ridge and Nag’s Head Fishing Pier.

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Categories
Site reviews Tips

Hunting for travel deals? Don’t forget these Web sites

Google search "coupon" (courtesy Bramus! at Flickr CC)We’re so used to using search engines like Google or the new Bing Travel to look for travel deals (and metasearch engines like Kayak or Travelocity to book trips) that it’s easy to forget one “old school” way to do it….

The visitor’s Web sites that belong to the destination where you’re going.

For example, this fall I’m going to be attending the Association for Women in Communications (AWC) conference in Seattle WA, and speaking at the Oklahoma Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Tulsa OK.

Here’s where I’ll be looking around….

***  The Visit Seattle Web site has links to various deals and a lodging booking engine running down the right side of its Visitor Center Page, plus you can follow @SeattleMaven on Twitter for up-to-date local info.

***  The Visit Tulsa Web site has local accomodation deals all on one page, and a free discount coupon book for local attractions that I can order ahead of time  —  it would be nice if it was also available online, though, like the one from Hutchinson, Kansas or these deals from Fort Worth, Texas. Don’t forget @VisitTulsa on Twitter, either.

Be persistent; some tourism Web sites inexplicably bury the links/info for discounts.   Look hard for family packages that combine lodging and tickets to an attraction – SeaWorld San Antonio has these all the time.

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Categories
Hawaii Photos USA

Photo of the Week: Snacks on Hawaii’s Big Island

In Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, native guide Warren Costa demonstrates how to eat longan/dragon eyes fruit (photo by Sheila Scarborough)This is native Hawaiian guide Warren Costa showing my son how to peel and eat an Asian longan fruit, also called dragon eyes, after a hike around part of the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on the spectacular Big Island.

There’s a soft husk that you split and peel off before eating the sweet insides.

I think the “dragon eye” name makes them even more appealing.

The miracle not pictured is my Mr. Picky Eater son saying “Sure, I’ll try them,” popping one into his mouth and actually chewing without drama or spitting.

Oh, and he liked them.

(You can follow Warren around the volcanoes – he’s on Twitter at @nativeg. This post is part of the ever-enjoyable WanderFood Wednesday series on the Wanderlust and Lipstick blog. Head over there and check it out!)

Categories
Blog USA Video Posts

Kansas Underground Salt Museum: the tornadoes can’t get you here

Hutchinson Kansas Underground Salt Museum, Salt Queen photo (courtesy KUSM)You won’t believe what’s going on 650 feet underneath those Kansas wheat fields (about the height of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis from top to bottom.)

It only takes 70 seconds going straight down an elevator shaft to see one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas.

A mining museum  —  the Kansas Underground Salt Museum in Hutchinson, Kansas.

A working salt mine  —  although museum visitors are not anywhere near any blasting or ongoing work.

And Batman costumes  —  because at a constant 68 degrees and 45% relative humidity in 325 feet of solid salt, the already-mined sections are a perfect home for the Underground Vaults and Storage company’s long-term records and artifact storage, including a bizarre variety of Hollywood’s goodies and film masters.

Continue reading “Kansas Underground Salt Museum: the tornadoes can’t get you here”
Categories
50 State Series

Family travel in North Dakota

Jamestown, North Dakota giant buffalo (courtesy minnemom at Flickr CC)Every week until we run out of states, I plan to post about family-friendly vacation ideas, attractions and events in each one of the US states, taking input mostly from Twitter and Facebook.

Yes, I know how to search for travel ideas on a destination or attraction Web site, but a tweet or a Facebook Wall recommendation is a much more engaging and public way to spread the word.

Please don’t email suggestions to me; that’s nice but it is one-to-one communication. Tweet me and/or Facebook me, so that all of our networks can see what’s cool about your state.

We’re going in alphabetical order but started with the end, so our first state for the series was Wyoming, then we investigated Wisconsin , West Virginia , Washington, Virginia, Vermont, Utah, Texas, Tennessee, South Dakota, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio and now we’re moving on to….North Dakota!

Their state tourism organization is on Twitter at @NorthDakotaTour, plus there’s a Travel Legendary North Dakota blog, a North Dakota Flickr Group for photo-sharing, a North Dakota YouTube channel and here’s the ND Tourism Facebook page.

When I asked for ideas, here’s what came in….

Twitter Travel Tips for North Dakota

***  From the North Dakota tourism office via @NorthDakotaTour on Twitter  —  Lions, Tigers, and Bears are just a few of the animals in our ND zoos. For more ideas see:  What To Do on our Web site.

***  From Dominique King via @midwestguest on Twitter — I’m sure you’ll get several suggestions to visit Teddy Roosevelt Nat’l Park in North Dakota, but it really is not-to-be-missed; TR Park is the main reason we want to go back to ND for a longer trip! We did manage to see the “World’s Largest Buffalo” in Jamestown, ND though.

***  From the Fargo/Moorhead ND tourism office via @FargoMoorhead on Twitter  —  A few great kid-friendly attractions in the Fargo-Moorhead area: Yunker Farm, Red River Zoo, Fargo Air Museum, Thunderroad Fun Park.

***  From Linda via @minnemom on Twitter  — Bagg Bonanza Farm near Wahpeton — see what a big bonanza farm was really like.

***  From Pam Mandel via @nerdseyeview on Twitter — Okay….OH MY GOD, Teddy Roosevelt National Park; you’ve read my weirdly related post, Teddy’s Advice.  Also, the Enchanted Highway.

Facebook Travel Tips for North Dakota

***  From Tammy Carlson Langerud on Facebook  —  Theodore Roosevelt National Park & Medora.

Since I’ve been a kid, I’ve always enjoyed Theodore Roosevelt National Park & the nearby historic, frontier town of Medora. In TR Park, families can hike, bike or horseback their way across the colorful, jagged landscape that inspired a young Theodore Roosevelt. (He called his time in the N.D. Badlands the “romance of my life.”) The park also boasts great wildlife viewing (bison, elk, antelope, wild horse, bald eagle. etc.) https://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm.

Lil’ buckaroos will get a kick out of Medora and all its kid-friendly activities. The favorites? The Medora Musical, a professionally produced musical, and the unique pitch-fork fondue. Both are family friendly and held nightly from Memorial Day through the weekend after Labor Day. https://www.medora.com.

Here are two more fun family friendly North Dakota attractions to add to your list.

***  From Emily Arnegard Schneider on Facebook:  Family Friendly Attraction in North Dakota – https://www.enchantedhighway.net/

The scenery along the Enchanted Highway in southwestern North Dakota from I-94 to Regent is truly larger than life. This 32-mile stretch of highway is graced by amazingly large metal sculptures inspired by the prairie and its people.

Continue reading “Family travel in North Dakota”