So what is there to do in this second largest city in California?

Balboa Park Botanical Building in San Diego

Here are some ideas, in no particular order:

1. San Diego Zoo & Wild Animal Park – Animal lovers will love both of these locations.  The zoo is in Balboa Park and the animal park is a short drive away in Escondido.
2. Balboa Park – Not just the zoo, but also full of theater and performing venues, the San Diego Museum of Art, the San Diego Air and Space Museum, and several other museums, IMAX Theater, gardens galore, the Botanical Building, and so much more that the list would be endless.  You can spend several days in the park and still not see everything.
3. Cabrillo National Monument – At the tip of Point Loma, this is where the first European set foot on the west coast.
4. Fish Tacos – Nothing says San Diego like a fish taco, long since achieving cult status as “the” San Diego dish.
5. Ocean Front Walk – San Diego’s version of Venice Beach, this boardwalk along the ocean is full of walkers, bikers, skateboarders, bikini-clad babes, and lots of quirky characters.
6. Whaley House – Located in Old Town, this 19th century home is now a museum, and is said to be haunted.
7. Surfing – Find a piece of beach, or a school to learn how.
8. Gaslamp Quarter – Walk this once questionable neighborhood, and check out the great restaurants, bars, and galleries.  It’s not seedy any longer.
9. Mission San Diego de Alcala – Built back in the mid 1700’s, this was one of the earlier missions built along the west coast.  Although not its original structure, it does depict what mission life must have been like.
10. Local Brews – San Diego claims to be the birthplace of IPA (India Pale Ale), so try a few and decide for yourself.
11. Horton Plaza – A 5-level shopping mall in the heart of downtown.  If you’ve forgotten something, you’ll find it here.
12. Old Town State Historic Park – 6 blocks of pedestrian only park that is home to some of the earliest buildings in San Diego, including a general store, the first office of the San Diego Union newspaper, and Wells Fargo Bank.
13. Torrey Pines State Reserve – A beautiful parked named for a gnarled pine tree that only grows here and on an island off the coast.
14. SeaWorld – Shamu and the rest of the gang will welcome you.
15. Del Mar Racetrack – Bet on a winner or watch for the star, either way it’s seriously good fun.
16. Take to the air – Try hang gliding, a helicopter tour, a bi-plane ride, or have lunch and watch the planes take off from the airport.
17. Take to the water – Swimming, surfing, kayaking, sailing, parasailing, or just splashing in the surf.  San Diego has weather that’s great for year round water sports.
18. Professional sports – The Padres (NL) of Major League Baseball and the Chargers of the NFL both have loyal fans and attract quite the following.
19. Watch a sunset at the beach – A great way to end the day.
20. Check into a Museum – The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the New Children’s Museum, San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum, Maritime Museum, or the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum are all great picks.
21. Visit Little Italy – It may be small, but the community is still vibrant and fun.
22. Walk around Seaport Village – Sure, the tourist go there, but so do the locals.  Take time to walk around the 14-acre outdoor plaza, full of shops, galleries, and plenty of places to eat.  Be sure to ride the carousel.
23. Eat Mexican food in Old Town – Look for a place that makes their own tortillas – by hand.
24. Go back to school at University of California, San Diego – This beautiful campus has a great theater (La Jolla Playhouse), so you may want to catch a performance.  Or wander the Stuart Collection, a group of outdoor sculptures.  Other nearby campuses in the area include the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
25. Take the ferry to Coronado – OK, drive if you must, but the ferry ride is much more relaxing, and prettier, too.  Stop off at the Hotel del Coronado for a step back in time.

Did I miss your favorite San Diego spot?  Take me to task in the comments!

Photo credit: wikimedia

Post from: Blisstree

25 Things to Do & See in San Diego

Save big with the Luxembourg Card

In Luxembourg, that small and expensive Grand Duchy situated next to Belgium, France, and Germany, families can save a bundle with the Luxembourg Card.

The card features include unlimited FREE use of trains and buses, along with FREE admission to 56 tourist attractions, including museums, castles, sightseeing trips, and more.

The Luxembourg Card is priced depending on the number of days that it is good for.  You can buy it in advance, and validate it on your first use.  The more people in your family, the more you’ll save.  And with the Euro vs. Dollar valuation right now, you’ve got to save whenever and wherever you can!

A card valid for one person costs €10 (about $14) for one day, €17 for two days, and €24 for three days.  A card valid for 2-5 people costs €20, €34, and €48 respectively.  This means that you’re paying for two adults and the kids get in or ride FREE.  That will save some serious coin on your vacation.

You can buy the Luxembourg Card online.  They are also available at tourist offices, hotels, hostels, and train stations, as well as most participating attractions.

Photo credit:  Luxembourg National Tourist Office

Post from: Blisstree

Big Savings with Luxembourg Card

Walt Disney World fireworks show

The Holiday Inn Main Gate is located 3 miles from the main entrance to the Walt Disney World Theme Parks.  With it’s kids play FREE, stay FREE, and eat FREE, it’s a budget friendly family option in a frequently expensive vacation destination.  The hotel has newly renovated rooms that include kids suites featuring a bunk bed, activity table and chairs, and a separate adult’s room.  Some of the other family friendly amenities include a pool, kid’s theater that shows cartoons, kid’s playground, and a family electronic game room.  Dining choices include restaurants and a food court, both offering family friendly food choices and prices.

To get the special buy one night, get one night FREE offer, you’ll need to follow the hotel on Twitter or become a hotel Facebook Fan.  Sounds like a pretty easy way to adds FREE nights to your stay!

The social media special is valid for travel through December 23rd, 2009.  I checked a few random dates between now and the end of the year, and it looks like there’s still good availability.  With the social media special, a kid’s suite factors out to about $45/night, and that’s a GREAT deal!

Photo credit: kyku @flickr

Post from: Blisstree

Buy 1, Get 1 FREE Disney Social Media Special

But North Dakota Tourism is trying to convince me, and everyone else, that North Dakota is a darn good place to spend a family vacation.  Perhaps one of these educational activities will tempt you:

1. Agriculture – Learn about flowers, farming, spinning wool and and making wool products, and how to run a cold climate winery.
   

   North Almont, North Dakota

2. American Indian Studies – Learn about the tribes in North Dakota and how their histories and language differ.  Some great tours and museums are available.
3. Art – See the landscapes that have been the inspiration for so many artists, or learn stain glass, glass fusing, or Ukrainian egg painting.  Lots more great ways to get artistically involved, depending on talent and interests.
4. Birding – With over 400 species spotted in a single year, it’s no wonder that birding packages are a popular option.  Lake Sakakawea, Cross Ranch State Park, and along the Missouri River are just a couple of the hot birding spots.
5. Culinary – Learn the cuisine of the diverse immigrant cultures found in North Dakota, or enjoy the technique of organic farming.  And don’t forget, there’s wineries to boot.
6. History – Discover and learn about the earth lodges in Mandaree, as well as other living history programs available throughout the state.  There are plenty of forts and historic sites, and don’t pass up the opportunity to learn about how things were done i the “olden days.”
7. Paleontology – Long believed to be the playground of prehistoric creatures, there are fossil digs near Marmarth, Rhame, and Medora.
8. Photography – Beautiful scenery will make find a subject easy.  Click away on your own, or consider a class.
9. Crafts – Needlework, quilting, scrapbooking, spinning, weaving, and more.  You can learn something new, or add on a new dimension to your favorite craft or hobby.
10. Cultural – With large immigrant populations from the Ukraine and Norway, you can get a taste of the exotic side of North Dakota.  Discover how ethnic art, food, and culture thrive on the prairie.

All these options, plus a 2008 most affordable option from AAA, and a 2008 friendliest designation from Cambridge University!  And, with a goal to eventually visit all 50 states, I need to put North Dakota on my list!

Have you been to North Dakota?

Photo credit: afiler @flickr

Post from: Blisstree

10 Educational Vacations in North Dakota

The first two properties to offer the service are the brand new African-themed Lopesan Baobab Resort (Melonaras, Gran Canaria) and the Blue Lagoon Resort (Kos, Greece).  First Choice expects to roll out the program at a number of their other resorts as well.

Here’s how the program will work:

The Clubs will be split into different age groups, Twinkle Stars for ages 1-3, Little Stars for ages 3-5, and Super Stars for ages 6-8.  The club sessions will be run by UK-certified individuals, and offered FREE to guests.  Twinkle Stars will primarily be babysitting, while the Little Stars and Super Stars will offer age appropriate activities to keep young hands (and minds) active and engaged.

Parents, what do you think?  Would you take advantage of these kids clubs?  Is this a resort amenity that would make a difference in your booking choice?

Source: Travel Daily News

Photo credit: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Premier Hotels to Offer FREE Childcare

The story of Disney will evolve from the drawings of his youth, to the founding of his first company (Laugh-

Walt Disney Stamp from 1968

O-GramFilms), to the birth of Mickey Mouse, to the opening of Disneyland.  Along the way, you’ll discover just how creative and technically innovative Disney was, and learn how about some of the revolutionary techniques and concepts that became commonplace.  This guy was a creative genius!

The exhibits will be full of film clips, art, scripts, photographs, personal correspondence, home movies, and other artifacts that give us a glimpse into the man and his creative processes.  And, as you would expect, there will be lots of video monitors throughout the museum, along with lots of interactive displays.  The museum also has a movie theater, learning center, cafe, and gift shop.

The Walt Disney Family Museum is located at 104 Montgomery Street in San Francisco, and will be open Wednesday – Monday, 10 am – 6 pm.  It will be closed on Tuesdays.

Admission is by timed-entry tickets, available for purchase online up to 60 days in advance.  Tickets may not be available at the door, based on online sales, so plan to buy online and guarantee yourself admission.  Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors (65+) and students, $12.50 for children ages 6-17, and children under age 6 are admitted FREE with an adult admission.  Tickets are already on sale.

Strollers are not permitted in the galleries, and there is only limited stroller parking available.  If you’re traveling with little ones, take this into consideration.  Strollers are best left behind, and you’ll be prepared to carry your little one when tired.

Traffic and parking in the Presidio is often difficult, so consider public transportation.  Get specific transportation and parking information from The Presidio’s website.

It sounds like there’s one MORE reason to visit San Francisco!

Photo source: wikimedia

Post from: Blisstree

Walt Disney Family Museum to Open October 1st

Whether he was a control freak, or just didn’t trust Martha’s judgment, I’m not sure, but the results are most impressive.  Today Mount Vernon is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It is open to the public for guided Mansion tours, featuring 14 rooms that have been restored and furnished in period pieces, including some original items from the Washington family.  In additional to the Mansion, visitors can tour the grounds on their own.

The front yard of the Mansion is a bowling green, a large beautifully landscaped yard and drive.  This would have been the entrance that guests used when visiting the estate.

Mount Vernon was both a home and a working plantation, and the surrounding grounds reflect that.  The backyard is huge, and overlooks the Potomac.  One can imagine the Washington’s entertaining on the lawn and enjoying time there with family and friends.  The out building that you can walk through include the slave quarters, ice house, overseer’s quarters, kitchen, wash house, stable and paddock, and the coach house.

The gardens are one of the best parts of the estate.  There are four gardens, a Forest Trail, and a Pioneer Farmer site, the latter a working farm.  The flower beds in the gardens have been restored to their original size, and contain flowers, herbs, fruit trees and vegetables.  English Boxwoods, taken from cuttings from 1786, are still alive and thriving on the grounds.

George Washington died in the Mansion’s master bedroom on December 14th, 1700.  Pursuant to his will, he was laid to rest in a brick tomb located on his beloved Mount Vernon estate.  Martha’s body lies there as well.  Wreath laying ceremonies are held daily.  Near the tomb is a Slave Memorial and Burial Ground.

Also on the grounds is a museum, featuring some of Washington’s survey equipment, weapons and clothing, as well as his dentures.

A couple years ago, a Grist Mill and reconstruction of Washington’s distillery opened, a short ways away from the estate.  It is a fully functional replica, and, pursuant to special legislation, is authorized to produce up to 5,000 gallons of whiskey annually.  It is for sale only at the Mount Vernon gift estate.

Mount Vernon is open daily, with Mansion tours offered from 8 am to 5 pm during the summer.  The grounds close a half hour later.

Admission is $15 for adults, $14 for seniors (ages 62+), $7 for youth (ages 6-11), and children under 6 are FREE.  Admission to the distillery and grist mill are $4 for adults and $2 for youth.  Although not required, purchasing tickets in advance is recommended, especially during the busy summer months.

You can make a quick tour the Mansion and grounds, or spend the entire day at the estate, depending on your available time.  Young children will enjoy the outdoor areas, but may be a bit bored and the interior hands-off tour.  Older kids and teens can teens should enjoy Mount Vernon, and it’s a great opportunity to see history right up close.

Mount Vernon is most easily reached by car, but if you don’t have one available, a little effort will get you there via the Metro.  Take the Yellow Line to Huntington Station, and exit onto Huntington Avenue (lower level).  From there catch the #101 Fairfax Connector Bus to the Mount Vernon entrance gate, about a 20 minute trip.

Photo credit:  David Paul Ohmer @flickr (Mount Vernon); Prince Roy @flickr (Grist Mill)

Post from: Blisstree

Visit History at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate

I have to come clean here. I don’t fly. Not anymore. The second-to-the-last time was many, many years ago when I was flying a Delta with my mother to visit family in California. We had a layover in DFW and while rushing to our connecting flight we watched another Delta jet get swooped up by a powerful pre-storm wind sheer. We watched the tail of the plane in the distance, surrounded in flames. It took the lives of some 213 passengers. My aunt in California called my father in Memphis to announce his wife and daughter were dead. (She misunderstood our flight number.) We boarded another Delta two hours later – after that horrific storm that followed the crash left – and my mother drank gin-and-tonics while I listened to her tell me family secrets, like that there were family buildings in and around Los Angeles that for whatever reason my father never told me about.

To say that was the defining moment I decided not to fly again is somewhat of a lie. I did fly one more time, sitting and sobbing hysterically in the lap of some old man sitting next to me. The truth is that I have suffered, and still do somewhat, from panic attacks and general anxiety that has reared its head in the form of a nasty case of claustrophobia. You can go ahead and judge me now but – though I don’t want to claim it – it is as much a part of me as the skin I wear. I just got lucky to marry a man who understands. I vow, though, not to pass this fear to my son. Even if therapy and medication cannot conquer this fear, my son will fly one day. I will not let my limitations hold him back.

Two people in the past few days have told me they have similar phobias. But they both still fly. One – a sort-of-but-not-really family member told me she experienced panic attacks while flying and decided she was done with it. But the man who eventually became her husband would have nothing to do with her phobia so she willed herself to get over it. She has since traveled to Alaska and Germany and god knows where she will travel next. I suppose I am just weak.

But I married a loving and tolerant man (this is not to say that the husband of the sort-of-but-not-really family member isn’t – he truly is a good person), and so for our vacation, we will load up the Touareg and drive to our destination. We have grown to love cross-country drives. The terrain fascinates me and it is on these trips that I have seen some of the most amazing sunsets and storms. In all its stark nothingness, you cannot tell me there isn’t beauty among the beige sands of west Texas that run endless. And I learn again why my grandmother would grow breathless when she saw the foliage on the trees here in the South.

We will visit two resorts – this from the girl who stamped her foot (really) and said she was not the resort type of girl. She was all B&B – that is, until she had a Truman. And then pretty pools and waterslides and poolside bars and gourmet hotdogs and spa packages became of the utmost importance. I will share those here, whether you want to read it or not. And you will wish you were there too.

But for now, there are stories to catch up on (for some reason, I took on some new magazine projects and am slammed) and house sitters to call and cars to get serviced and a million other things one needs to do before vacation. But somehow, knowing I am preparing for vacation makes the to-do list not so painful. I suppose it’s time to get crackin’.

Photo, Flickr, renoir7777

Post from: Blisstree

Vacation Fever

Here are 20 FREE (or nearly FREE) experiences to be had in this beautiful city along the Pacific:

1. Visit the Old Mission Santa Barbara and smell the roses in the Mission Rose Garden
2. Experience local culture on State Street
3. Enjoy the 360-degree views of downtown from the Santa Barbara County Courthouse (west wing shown in photo) clock tower
4. Play or watch volleyball at East Beach
5. Stroll Stearns Wharf
6. Check out today’s catch from the fisherman at Santa Barbara Harbor
7. Meet the artists at the Sunday Arts & Crafts Show
8. Learn about the city’s Spanish roots at El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park
9. Bird watching at Andree Clark Bird Refuge
10. Whale watching from Shoreline Park where you have a view of the migratory path
11. Select some fresh produce at the downtown Farmer’s Market
12. Have a Zen experience at Alice Keck Memorial Park Gardens
13. Walk, jog, or bike the Cabrillo Bikeway
14. Relax and enjoy the American Riviera Franceschi Park
15. Let history come alive at the Historical Museum
16. Hike from the San Ysidro trailhead to a gorgeous waterfall
17. Drive the scenic Highway 154 to the Santa Barbara Wine Country (and maybe find a special bottle or two)
18. Walk the nature trails at Elings Park
19. Enjoy sunset from the Douglas Family Preserve bluffs
20. Play on the Guadalupe Dunes

Source:  Courtesy of Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau

Photo credit:  tkksummers @flickr

Post from: Blisstree

20 FREE (or Nearly FREE) Things to Do in Santa Barbara

Wildlife lovers will get their fill in San Luis Obispo County.  It’s a top birding destination (over 450 species have been noted here), it’s on the winter migration path for spot gray whales, it’s congregating ground and mating spot for elephant seals, and it’s a wintering ground for migrating Monarch Butterflies.  Sandhill cranes call it home, as do bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and brown pelicans.  Water residents include sea lions, harbor seals, and sea otters.

Here are a few spots to catch a look at wildlife and sea life:

Piedras Blancas – Located along Highway 1, this spot is home to Northern elephant seals.  Viewing is best during winter, the birthing and mating season.

Pismo State Beach – Home to one of the largest Monarch butterfly winter gathering spots, estimated at over 50,000, these beautiful creatures peacefully interact with humans on the North Beach campground.  Great viewing November – February in a grove of eucalyptus trees.  Be sure to keep your eyes open, you’ll find them on the ground, in the air, and in the trees.

Morro Bay – This estuary along the Pacific Flyway is the location of the annual Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival every January.  The Museum of Natural History, located in Morro Bay State Park, has hands-on and interactive exhibits and displays that cover the eco-system and environment of the area.  The museum is on a hill and overlooks the water, giving you fabulous views in addition to a learning experience.

San Simeon – The Coastal Discovery Center is located on Highway 1, directly across from Hearst Castle.  Exhibits include rainbow trout, a tide pool sculpture, deep sea videos, and more.  FREE admission.

South of Morro Bay – Montana de Oro State Park, with 8,000 acres of cliffs, beaches, and canyons, is home to black tailed deer and the black oystercatcher.  Plenty to do for naturalists and backpackers along hiking, mountain biking, and horse trails.  Camping is available.

Bakersfield – Carrizo Plain National Monument has an area for wildlife viewing, and you’ll likely spot tule elk, pronghorn antelope, giant kangaroo rats, San Joaquin kit fox, sandhill cranes, and raptors.  It’s also home to Painted Rock (a sacred place to Native Americans) and the San Andreas Fault.  In spring, wildflowers burst into bloom all over the place.

Photo credit:  Courtesy of San Luis Obispo County Visitors & Conference Bureau

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Family Wildlife Vacations in San Luis Obispo