Archive for the ‘Vacation Ideas’ category

Explore Chicago has announced a fun, free artistic event that will bring life and color to Chicago during the bleak month of February. Chicago’s Luminous Field will illuminate Cloud Gate in Millennium Park this February 10 to 20. The site-specific video and sound installation by Chicago-based artists, will illuminate the park Friday and Saturday evenings, 6 to 10 p.m. and Sunday evenings through 9 p.m. Reminiscent of Barcelona’s Magic Fountains, the digital canvas will feature lights and music in the free artist program. Free family activities, live performances and dance events will complement the installation in a heated tent adjacent to the park’s Chase Promenade North. Food will be available for purchase from the Park Grill restaurant.

Family Activities
Saturdays through Mondays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., visit the heated tent for arts and crafts projects and performances for all ages, presented by Chicago Children’s Museum, Chicago Architecture Foundation and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Performances
Fridays, at 7, 8 and 9 p.m., local theater company Collaboraction at Cloud Gate will perform choreographed movements synchronized to Luminous Field’s video and sound. On Sunday nights at 7 p.m., concerts will take place in the heated tent with Third Coast Percussion and Pillars and Tongues.

Winter Dance
Saturday nights, visit the heated tent for dance lessons from 5 to 6 p.m., and open dancing from 6 to 8 p.m.

Artist Talk
Luftwerk, the artistic collaboration of Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero, will discuss the creation of Luminous Field, as well as other art installations on Wednesday, February 15, at 7 p.m.

Where to Stay
Find family-friendly hotels in Chicago by visiting Chicago Family Resorts and Hotels.

–Lissa Poirot

Visit Massachusetts is inviting travelers to dust off their party hats for a year of celebrations. 2012 features a number of milestones for the New England state — a great reason to plan a trip or two with the kids!

Fenway Park Turns 100
The first pitch thrown at Fenway Park in Boston took place 100 years ago and this year the historic park will be highlighting its past century throughout this year’s Red Sox season. Hotel Commonwealth often features Red Sox hotel packages, and is within walking distance of the great park, so consider a stay there if you go!

War of 1812 Bicentennial
Tall ships and naval vessels from around the world will sail into Boston June 30 through July 6 to mark the bicentennial of the 1812 war. The USS Constitution, which is docked in the Charlestown Navy Yard, just across the Charles from Boston, played a role during the conflict, and visitors can tour the ship at any time of the year.

Lexington’s 300th Anniversary
Just outside of Boston is the infamous town of Lexington, which played a role in Revolutionary War history. The town celebrates its 300th anniversary with a nine-month celebration that will include the town’s 300th Patriots Day Parade in April.

Chatham’s 300th Anniversary
The charming Cape Cod town also celebrates 300 years with a year of celebrations. Having lived on the Cape for a year, I personally recommend a visit to Chatham — it’s my favorite town on the Cape! Chatham is also home to two of the Cape’s best resorts: Chatham Bars Inn and the Wequassett Resort & Golf Club (technically just over the town line in Harwich but close enough!).

Tanglewood’s 75th Anniversary
Music lovers should head to the Berkshires this summer for Tanglewood’s 75th season. Concerts began playing here in 1936 when the Boston Symphony Orchestra performed its first concerts in the Western Massachusetts mountains.

–Lissa Poirot

Visit Orlando has announced 12 notable additions coming to Orlando in 2012. Being the family-friendly destination it is, of course we must share this list with you!

ATTRACTIONS
1. SeaWorld Orlando’s TurtleTrek. This spring, families visiting SeaWorld will be able to visit two new habitats, and this one features 1,500 saltwater fish and more than a dozen sea turtles. The exhibit will also feature a 3D/360-degree dome theater film showing the underwater journey of a sea turtle.

2. SeaWorld Orlando’s Freshwater Oasis. The second new habitat at SeaWorld offers hundreds of freshwater fish and the gentle giants of Florida: manatees. The tropical rainforest environment also debuts this spring.

3. Universal Studios Florida’s Despicable Me. Launching this spring, thrill-seekers can visit Universal Studios for the new attraction that puts riders in the middle of a high-tech 3D digital adventure with characters from the film.

4. Universal’s Islands of Adventure’s Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. Already a popular ride for roller coaster enthusiasts, the attraction has been refurbished to include hi-def visuals, animation and other enhancements to transform the ride.

5. Universal Orlando Resort. The CityWalk portion of the resort is opening two 18-hole miniature courses at Hollywood Drive-In Golf. The courses will incorporate Sci-Fi flicks from the 1950s and will debut in early 2012.

6. Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland. Doubling in size, Phase 1 of Disney’s Fantastyland opens in early 2012 with new attractions like Storybook Circus, Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Enchanted Tales with Belle, and Princess Fairytale Hall.

7. Downtown Disney’s Splitsville. This 31-lane retro bowling alley will open in fall, featuring billiards, dining, dancing and an outdoor patio.

8. Walt Disney World Speedway’s Exotic Driving Experience. This month, Downtown Disney welcomes a new experience for drivers: the opportunity to drive a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche or other supercars.
9. Fun Spot Action Park. The Orlando park will open the first section of its 10-acre expansion this year, including family-friendly racetracks, rides and a water park.

10. LEGOLAND Florida’s Water Park As we’ve already reported earlier this month, the new LEGOLAND theme park’s newest addition debuts in 2012. It will include wave pools, a build-a-raft lazy river, waterslides and a toddler splash area.

ACCOMMODATIONS
11. Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. The newest in the Walt Disney World Resort family will open its suites in May and standard rooms in late December. Suites will be designed after popular Disney movies.

SPORTS & RECREATION
12. 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend. Orlando hosts the 61st NBA All-Star Game on February 26, and beginning the 23rd, a number of events will bring basketball fans closer to their favorite players.

Before heading to Orlando, find family-friendly hotels we love in our Orlando Family Hotels.

–Lissa Poirot

Teens are a fickle bunch. Trying to plan a vacation that will appeal to a teenager seems next to impossible. One thing parents often don’t consider is music festival getaways. If you can stomach large crowds and sometimes camping adventures, perhaps you can let your teen welcome you to their world of music with a festival weekend. Some festivals even cater to families with kid stages and play zones for the younger ones, making them truly family getaways. No, this type of trip isn’t for everyone, but a festival with your kids is sure to be memorable and earn you some cool parent points. Here are some of the biggest and best:

Lollapalooza, Chicago
What begin as an alternative rock festival has grown to be a family-friendly festival, as the musicians organizing the event became parents themselves. Kidzapalooza is a special section at the festival offering music, activities and workshops during the day to entertain the younger kids, while teens can venture off to hear their favorite bands.

Bonnaroo, Tennessee
Held every June over the course of four days on farmland outside of Nashville, Bonnaroo has welcomed the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews Band, Sting, as well as the growing crop of new artists. While the music is mostly rock influenced, there are some pop, country, rap and comedy acts, as well. The festival offers a family camping area and a Kidz Jam section.

Summerfest, Wisconsin
One of the largest music festivals occurs for two weeks in Milwaukee, offering musical performances for kids of all ages. The annual festival takes place in early July with nearly two-dozen stages and more than 700 bands. Bands in the past have included Justin Beiber, Katy Perry and Britney Spears. A splash zone, play zone, and kid-friendly performers are perfect for the younger set, and various kids’ days are offered over the course of the event.

Life is Good, Massachusetts
A new festival held annually in September just outside of Boston, the Life is Good festival is actually geared toward families, with special children’s stages and activities for the younger kids. For the older crowd, the music is typically mellow — there won’t be any slam dancing with musicians like Ray Lamontage, Michael Franti and They Might Be Giants.

South by Southwest, Texas
One of the premiere music festivals in the U.S., the annual March festival is held in the music-friendly town of Austin over nearly two weeks. The wide array of stages and music venues welcome hundreds of musical acts, and includes kid-friendly shows and activities.

Lissa Poirot

Does the impending New Year have you thinking this year will be your year to get in shape? Why not start with a vacation that gets you and your entire family moving?

Rock Climbing
Plan a vacation to New Hampshire this year and join the International Mountain Climbing School in North Conway. The country’s oldest rock climbing school offers youth rock camps and introductory courses for families. Half-, one- and three-day family rock climbing is available starting as low as $90 per person.

Skiing
Skiing is a fantastic way to burn calories – and it’s a lot of fun! A great place for families to ski is Snowmass, Colorado, where lessons at the Ski & Snowboard Schools of Aspen/Snowmass are available children as young as 2. Elect to have a private family lesson or enroll the kids in group lessons. The trails on Snowmass and Buttermilk provide adventurous trails for families, as well as kids’ trails and a kids’ race arena. Half- and full-day lessons are available, starting as low as $99.

Surfing
It takes a lot of muscle and balance to surf so head to Oahu and take some lessons with the pros at the Hawaiian Fire Surf School. Two-hour private and youth or adult group lessons are offered for as little as $99 and include transportation to and from the private beach, surf boards, reef shoes, rash guards and lessons both in and out of the water.

–Lissa Poirot

This past weekend there was a summer wedding that, thankfully, also permitted the attendance of my young children. Of course, the kids were bored (as my daughter put it, there was only one other girl there to be friends with), but because the wedding was in Florida, it also conveniently was a mini vacation. The choice of hotel was based on hotel swimming pool and proximity to the beach so that when not partaking in wedding activities, the kids were able to splash and boogie board in the sun.

I’m a big fan of turning weekends into mini vacations. No matter where we may be obligated to be – a cousin’s birthday party, an engagement party, even a business trip that overlaps into the weekend – we make it interesting. We’ll find a children’s museum or a special exhibit or just simply book a hotel with a pool so we can have a little adventure.

What are some ways you turn obligatory travel into a vacation for the kids?

–Lissa Poirot