8 Things to Do in Myrtle Beach This Summer

May 22nd, 2013 by Lissa No comments »

We loved this list of things to do in Myrtle Beach this summer, provided to us by those who know — Myrtle Beach Seaside Resorts — we just had to share it!

1. Take in a Game… at BB&T Coastal Field to watch the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Minor League Baseball team with fireworks following all summer long.

2. Tee it up… at one of the 100+ golf courses.

3. Hit the Beach… and enjoy 60 miles of sweeping oceanfront and sugar white sand.

4. Shop ’til You Drop… at Broadway on the Beach.

5. Putt-putt… at the “Mini Golf Capital of the World” and try your skills at 50+ mini golf courses.

6. Bait, Hook, and Reel… in a Wahoo, Mahi, Grouper, Snapper or even a shark on a deep-sea fishing adventure.

7. Cruise the Coastline… and take in a gorgeous South Carolina sunset while dolphin watching aboard a sailboat.

8. Catch a Concert… and check out the South’s infamous music hall and folk art gallery at House of Blues.





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Memorial Day in Wildwoods, N.J.

May 21st, 2013 by Lissa No comments »

Wildwoods, N.J., wasn’t affected by Hurricane Sandy and its Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks survived and is reopening its 2013 summer season with a splash this Memorial Day Weekend. On Saturday, May 25, 2013, all three piers — Surfside Pier, Adventure Pier, and Raging Waters Waterpark at Mariner’s Landing — will reopen for the season.

WHAT’S NEW: Guests visiting Morey’s Piers this summer will enjoy new and improved attractions including the complete makeover of the famed Zoom Phloom featuring hand carved seals and sea life out of the existing rockwork, and the freshly renovated Boat Tag ride on Adventure Pier. On Surfside Pier, guests will find solace from the sun under the new rooftop covering on the second floor of Joe’s Fish Co. and sample the menu at the new Soggy Dollar Beach Bar opening June 15 at the Ocean Oasis Waterpark. The Soggy Dollar Beach Bar is open to the public. Waterpark admission is not required to enjoy a variety of lively libations, great food and open-air ocean views.

During Memorial Day weekend visitors can get a sneak peek of Morey’s Piers’ new artistic venture, artBOX, the first-of-its kind, 10,000-square-foot interactive artists village crafted from re-purposed shipping containers. Located on Adventure Pier, artBOX will make its grand opening debut on June 13th and feature handpicked local and regional artists showcasing paintings, handmade crafts, and live demonstrations that include surf art, glass blowing, artisanal jewelry and speed painting. The shipping container colony also features an Exit Zero Museum Shop, carrying a collection of merchandise and nostalgic Wildwood and Jersey Cape memorabilia and Café 4B serving fresh sushi.





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Posted in Special Events

SummerFest at Gaylord Resorts

May 20th, 2013 by Lissa No comments »

As part of SummerFest, guests of Gaylord Resorts can enjoy the Summer DreamWorks experience and vacation with the beloved characters from DreamWorks Animation films such as Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Puss In Boots and Madagascar. Here’s what failies can expect this summer:








Gaylord National Resort, National Harbor, Md., just across from Washington, D.C.
Kids and families are in for a treat with the Summer DreamWorks Experience, an exciting array of activities featuring favorite characters from DreamWorks Animation films such as Shrek, Madagascar, Puss In Boots and Kung Fu Panda. Exclusive events include DreamWorks Dance Parties and the Madagascar Crack-A-Lackin’ Cook-In (character dining). Guests will also enjoy spectacular fireworks shows over the river, food and drink specials, nightly sunset toasts, a weekly Artisanal Cheese Class hosted by the hotel’s Maitre d’Fromage, splashin’ fun at the pool and adjacent sundeck overlooking the waterfront, and exclusive summer spa treatments.

Gaylord Opryland Resort, Nashville
Gaylord Opryland brings the toe-tapping magic of Music City to life with live entertainment and easy access to Nashville’s most popular attractions, including the Grand Ole Opry, General Jackson Showboat, Wildhorse Saloon, and the historic Ryman Auditorium. Families are especially in for a treat with the Summer DreamWorks Experience, an exciting array of activities featuring favorite characters from DreamWorks Animation films such as Shrek, Madagascar, Puss In Boots and Kung Fu Panda. Exclusive events include DreamWorks Experience Meet & Greets, Saturday Family Fun Nights, the Madagascar Crack-A-Lackin’ Cook-In (character dining), and DreamWorks-themed pool parties. This summer, guests will also enjoy live music, culinary tours and demonstrations, carriage and Delta flatboat rides, and many other engaging events all season long.

Gaylord Palms Resort, Kissimmee, Fla., near Orlando
SummerFest at Gaylord Palms is a great way to celebrate what the sunshine state is famous for: sun, music and fun! Kids and families can enjoy the Summer DreamWorks Experience, an exciting array of activities featuring favorite characters from DreamWorks Animation films such as Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda. Exclusive events include DreamWorks Experience Meet & Greets, ShrekFeast (character dining), afternoon poolside games and the Crack-A-Lackin’ Pool Party at the fabulous Cypress Springs Family Fun Water Park with four water slides, Tree House water play structure and “Toddler Bay.” Guests will also enjoy family entertainment, live music, and drink and dining specials all summer long, from Key West Sunset Celebrations to specialty craft beers in Wreckers Beer Garden.

Gaylord Texan Resort, Grapevine, Texas
Located on the shores of beautiful Lake Grapevine (close to Dallas/Ft. Worth), Gaylord Texan celebrates the spirit and unique beauty of the Lone Star State with four-and-a-half acres of gardens and regionally inspired architecture under glass. Families will especially love the Summer DreamWorks Experience, an exciting array of activities featuring favorite characters from DreamWorks Animation films such as Shrek, Madagascar, Puss In Boots and Kung Fu Panda. Exclusive events include DreamWorks Experience Meet & Greets and the Madagascar Crack-A-Lackin’ Cook-In (character dining). This summer, guests will also enjoy live entertainment such as strolling characters, magicians, stilt walkers and face painters, firework shows every Friday night, culinary events and classes such as junior chef camps, adult cooking classes, poolside music and mimosas, pool parties at Paradise Springs – the resort’s 10-acre pool and lazy river complex, acrylic painting classes for adults and kids, a Texas atrium art tour, sunrise yoga, spa specials and live music all season long.





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Posted in Special Events

Opening Day Festival on Governors Island

May 17th, 2013 by Guest Blogger No comments »

Where can you jive to some live music, blow some gigantic bubbles, laugh with some crazy clowns, and literally tumble across the New York New Jersey harbor? At the Governors Island Alliance’s 9th Annual Family Festival, of course! A celebration of the summer season on Governors Island, GIA’s Family Festival is a free and creative arts and harbor education-focused jamboree, which will take place on Saturday, May 25th, from 12 to 4 p.m. in Nolan Park. It’s a jam-pack opening day with exciting arts & crafts activities, invigorating music and theatrical performances, and innovative educational games about the diverse ecology as well as the rich history of the New York/New Jersey harbor.

Never been to Governor’s Island? It’s truly a special place… quiet, bucolic… and, in many ways, it seems like a million miles from Manhattan. If you’re looking for a day where the kids can spend ample time outdoors, without getting bored, Governor’s Island is for you. A mere 8-minute ferry from the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street, right next to the Staten Island Ferry, there is a ferry every half hour there and back. While you’re riding out, you feel like you’re really getting away… for free!

Governor’s Island is open every Friday to Sunday from Memorial Day until September 25th. During the week, it’s open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; on the weekends until 7 p.m.

Some activities you and your kids will love:

BIKING: You can either bring your own bikes (Friday – Sunday) or rent at Bike and Roll. Through Bike and Roll’s Free Bike Mondays program, adult and children’s bikes are free every Monday for one hour. You can ride around the whole of the island in a half-hour and it’s flat, easy for everyone, and the views of Manhattan as you circle the island are breathtaking.

MINI GOLF: FIGMENT’s sixth annual artist-designed Minigolf Course is a study in the State of the Art. This year, from dozens of submissions, they have selected a 9-hole course plus a bonus hole—each designed to challenge notions of art and progress and, above all, engage the public in aesthetic enjoyment.

ART: Kids create their own pieces (for free!) at Children’s Museum of the Arts stations.

PICNIC: Either bring your own food, or grab food off a truck. At Picnic Point, you can lunch while overlooking the Statue of Liberty.

FESTIVALS: The long list of festivals this summer includes City of Water Day (July 20), Governor’s Ball Music Festival (June 7), Jazz Age Dance party (June 15–16 an August 17–18) and so many others.

MUSIC: Governor’s Island hosts musical events all summer. The Governor’s Ball Music Festival takes place on June 7 through 9.

SPORTS: Badminton, kite flying, outdoor bocce, unicycling, trapeze flying, swim and much, much more.

EDUCATION: Ongoing 60-minute orientation to the history of Governor’s Island.

– Holly Rosen Fink

Holly Rosen Fink is a mother, marketing consultant, writer and blogger for a number of sites, as well as her own, The Culture Mom.


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Posted in Guest Blogger: Holly Fink

A Weekend Trip to Lancaster

May 16th, 2013 by Guest Blogger No comments »

It was supposed to be a relaxing girls’ weekend in Lancaster, Pa., last weekend. My daughters, Katie and Maggie, and myself, would hang out and explore the simple Amish life. But we had a few bumps in the road (who doesn’t when traveling with young children)? We left late, and I managed to leave my wallet at home (so I had $3.72 to my name — until we turned back and picked up the wallet). And my girls, who are generally well-behaved and old travel pros, decided to whine and wheedle at every opportunity (especially when there were souvenirs at stake!). But fortunately, the places we visited were so zen and so fun that it made up for the drama.

Our first stop: Amish Village, a mini village offering guests a glimpse at the Amish way of life. My girls, who have been to a handful of living history museums, kept asking if the people were actors—they couldn’t quite grasp the concept that someone today would wear dresses and bonnets and willingly live without an iPad. At the village, you can tour an Amish house, where you’ll get a look at how they’ve managed to tweak some tech to allow themselves to have a stand mixer (powered by gas), and what the inside of an Amish house may look like. You can tour the barns and pet the animals, visit an Amish schoolhouse (my girls marveled at the fact that they’d be in the same classroom) and check out the carriages and tools the Amish still use today. And of course, you’ll find a few gift shops nestled among the buildings, selling Amish jam, quilts and other handmade goods.

The Amish Village also offers a 90-minute bus tour, which we couldn’t pack into our schedule, as we were quickly off to our next stop: the Strasburg Railroad. This really was a trip back in time, offering guests a glimpse of what it’d be like to ride in an old steam engine train. The passenger cars were beautifully restored, with brass light fixtures and gleaming woodwork throughout—and it was a pleasure to take the 45-minute ride out into the countryside, and then back again. My daughters and I all felt like we were riding Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express!

With the day pass, you can also ride a mini steam train through the property, or ride the “cranky cars,” railroad cars powered by turning a hand crank. (This was the highlight of the whole weekend, as far as my girls were concerned—they rode this at least a half-dozen times.) And depending on the time of year, Strasburg Railroad runs a number of special events. The day we went, vintage baseball teams were playing at one stop, using 19th century rules and equipment (no mitts allowed). Thomas the Tank Engine visits every year for a few weeks, and around Christmas, Santa visits with all the kids on the train, and hot cocoa is served, a la the Polar Express. My girls are already clamoring for a return visit for that.

The final stop of our all-too-brief visit to Lancaster was the Choo-Choo Barn, a massive, 1,700 square-foot model train setup. But to simply call it that doesn’t do the place justice. The Groff family, who created the Choo-Choo Barn, has built an amazingly detailed little world. There are exact replicas of buildings and institutions around Lancaster, from the Dutch Wonderland amusement park (complete with animated rides) to the Strasburg Railroad. Amish farmers plow their fields, planes soar overhead, and a house fire (with real smoke!) is promptly put out by miniature firefighters who emerge from a moving fire truck and squirt real water on the blaze. We circled around the exhibit a half dozen times, and we still probably only saw half of what was there. I think I was even more enthralled than the kids!

Fortunately, our trip home was much more uneventful than the trip there — especially as my girls zonked out for most of the drive. While I wouldn’t trade my 21st century lifestyle for the simpler one in Lancaster, it’s definitely nice to visit once in a while!

–Lisa Milbrand





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Posted in Guest Bloggers

Breakaway’s Hits and Misses for Families

May 15th, 2013 by Lissa No comments »

Norwegian Cruise Line’s new Breakaway launched this week with its weekly cruises out of New York City, and while the ship is gorgeous (our full review will be up soon!), there were just a couple of areas we thought could be improved.

MISS: A Better Infants Program. Yes, the Breakaway allows infants from 6 months up, and provides a Guppies program for infants under 3, but the ship doesn’t provide any child care for those infants. The Guppies program is a program for infants and parents, in a rather small room that is smaller than some staterooms. There isn’t a supervised program or nursery for infants, or babysitting, so if parents travel with a baby, they don’t get a chance to enjoy a romantic dinner alone.

HIT: At Port Kids’ Programs. Even while at port, the kids’ programs for kids 3 to 12 are available. While free during at-sea sails, the programs are $6 per child during port days to cover the cost of lunch for the kids.

MISS: Thin Walls. Our stateroom, mid-ship, level 9, was located just above the 8th floor Shakers Martini Bar. All evening long we were serenaded with piano music, loud singing, and the applause of the audience between songs. Understandable, being above the bar, but our friends had a cabin beneath the fitness center and heard the thumping of those working out above all day. In the spa, while receiving a relaxing massage, the same thuds from the gym were heard throughout the massage, making me jump the first time I heard it. When selecting a room, be very careful to choose a room far from anything that may disturb sleeping children.

HIT: Good-Sized Family Suites. With the exception of the interior family rooms (two connecting rooms with two twin beds and showers), the suites are quite comfy for families. Parents enjoy a king bed while two kids can sleep on the daybed and drop-down ceiling bed, and during the day, the sitting area is a welcome treat. Some rooms feature bathtubs, so request a tub room if you have young ones who don’t handle showers well.

MISS: Kids’ Meals. There are more than two dozen places to eat on the ship, but the kids’ meals, as typical of restaurants are not exciting. Kids eat free in the main dining rooms, and half prize in the specialty restaurants, but that’s only if they order from the kids’ menus. For kids with taste buds, they’ll have to pay full price.

HIT: A Nickelodeon PJ Party. One of the most popular family events/meals is the Pajama Jam. For $20, kids and parents can arrive in PJs to meet and party with characters like Dora the Explorer and Sponge Bob, followed by an exclusive buffet.

Have you tried the Breakaway yet? Tell us what your hits and misses are!

–Lissa Poirot





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Posted in Family Cruises