Categories
Europe

Is Amsterdam a good choice for a family vacation?

Earlier this year I was talking to my beau about visiting Amsterdam. Or should be wait until we have kids? Then, the first things to come in our mind were the Red Light District, the museums, the cafes and the architecture. How could a city known for its guilty pleasures be a good destination for a family vacation?

Well, it’s possible and Amsterdam is one city you won’t regret you’ve visited with the kids. The things to do in Amsterdam with kids include visiting the Science Center NEMO, discovering the world of music at the Sound Garden (workshops are in Dutch), enjoying the nature in Amsterdam Bos, visit the Anne Frank house, see the replica of The Amsterdam (which is the ship that sailed from the Netherlands to the Far East with cargo for the VOC settlements) or learn about the tropical parts of the world at Tropenmuseum Junior.

Convinced yet? Then maybe one of the free things to do in Amsterdam will make you start looking for hotels and cheap tickets to Amsterdam . Spend some time in the flower market or walk through the Jordaan neighborhood. Vondelpark is also a good destination to enjoy some nature and just relax after a day of sightseeing.

Amsterdam is definitely not a place for small children, but once they are old enough to read and write, don’t hesitate to bring them here. Visiting a foreign country is the best way to learn history and geography without even trying too much. When they have fun, children don’t even realize they learn. But it sure pays off in the long run.

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Categories
50 State Series

Family travel in Virginia

My son in Jamestown VA aboard the Godspeed, with the Susan Constant in the background (photo by Sheila Scarborough)Every Tuesday (this week we’re a day late – sorry!) until we run out of states, I plan to post about family-friendly travel ideas, attractions and events in each one of the US states, taking input mostly from Twitter and Facebook.

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 and now we’re moving on to….Virginia!

These guys are HOPPIN’ online  —  you can find their state tourism organization on Twitter at @VisitVirginia plus @VATourismPR, and here is the Virginia travel and tourism Facebook page.

Their state parks folks are on Twitter at @VAStateParks. There is also a Virginia tourism YouTube channel, the Virginia Flickr pool and a whole site for Virginia Green Travel.

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

Twitter Travel Tips for Virginia

From Dwight Silverman via @dsilverman on Twitter  —  [Virginia Beach’s] Capt. George’s Seafood Buffet is good for kids. Huge amounts of good food; my sister calls it “Capt. Gorge”. She lives in VA Beach.

From Nancy Schretter via @KidTravel on Twitter  — Virginia’s my home state. Two of my favorite VA parks for families are Lake Anna and Smith Mountain Lake. They’re fabulous!

From Jenna Schnuer via @JennaSchnuer on Twitter  — Here’s one of my favorites – and definitely a great family travel spot. Link is to my WorldHum piece about [the Clinch Mountain’s Carter Family Fold dance hall, with old-time country and bluegrass music]  The Most Joyous Place in the World.

From @jayne52 on Twitter  — My favorite place: Arlington National Cemetery, so moving, & historical Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Kennedy gravesite esp. at holidays.

From Char Polanosky via @charpolanosky on Twitter  — Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, Great Wolf Lodge, Water Country USA make for a great family vacation in VA.