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Chattanooga with Kids – 10 Things To Do
It may not be the first place that crosses your mind when thinking of cities to take a weekend trip to, but Chattanooga, TN is a hidden gem in the south. With its southern charm and an abundance of food and fun, it’s a city that should definitely be on your list of places to visit. Just a short 117 miles or 1 hr 45 min drive north of Atlanta, Chattanooga has plenty to offer families. Here is a list of the top 10 things to do in Chattanooga with kids. Tennessee Aquarium One of the most popular attractions in Chattanooga is aquarium which sits on the Riverfront. It is…
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Great Wolf Lodge LaGrange/Atlanta, GA – A Review
We visited the new Great Wolf Lodge in LaGrange, GA last weekend. It was actually our first time at a Great Wolf Lodge. We have a number of friends that have visited the Great Wolf Lodge near Charlotte, NC and had good things to say about it, but although the kids have wanted to go forever, for some reason we had just never made it. So when I heard about the new Great Wolf Lodge opening up just an hour south of Atlanta in LaGrange, I was excited. There are currently 17 Great Wolf Lodge locations across the US and Canada with another slated to open soon near Scottsdale, AZ.…
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Camping for Non Campers – 11 Things You Can Do to Have a Great Camping Experience
I can’t say that taking a family camping trip was ever high on my list of things to do. I enjoy being outside, but the idea of tent camping and braving the elements outside overnight just didn’t sound like my idea of fun. My kids however had mentioned it on a few occasions so when a friend of mine reached out to invite us on a multi-family camping trip (or a group glamping trip as I like to call it) I thought hmm…if we are ever going to try it, this is the time to do it. There were a couple of things that really sold me on this adventure.…
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A Costa Rica Family Adventure…Pura Vida!
My husband and I visited 12 years ago and to this day it is one of my favorite vacations. I always knew I wanted to take my kids there one day. Once again, Costa Rica was great! We had an amazing family adventure there. One of the reasons I loved Costa Rica so much the first time I visited was because unlike some places you go, it has a variety of things to do. You want adventure? There’s plenty to choose from. You want to relax and be a beach bum? They have amazing beaches for that. You want to be one with nature? You can do that too. And…
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Park City, Utah Adventures
While we are officially breaking into spring here in Georgia, most of the ski resorts are still officially open (Park City closes this Sunday). So I couldn’t let ski season officially end without writing about our family adventure to Park City, UT. We visited Park City towards the end of February and had a great time. This was our third time taking the kids skiing and it was amazing seeing them grow in their enjoyment of skiing and skills on the slopes…even after not skiing for an entire year. My husband had been to Park City once on a guys ski trip some years ago, but let’s just say he was…
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7 Things Travel Teaches Our Kids
As we get ready for our next family adventure, I think back to when I decided that I wanted to expose our children to different places and things. About 4 years ago we traveled to New Orleans and when we walked into the hotel lobby and my oldest who was 6 at the time said ‘ooh, this hotel is fancy’. It was the Roosevelt Hotel and indeed did look ‘fancy’ due to its historical nature and intricate ornate design. It struck me though, that even at his age he noticed and thought enough of it to communicate that ‘this doesn’t look like what I’m used to seeing’. We had really…
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Frontier Airlines Review
Frontier Airlines is a discount airline. Like many of you, I have heard the horror stories of discount airlines such as Spirit so was somewhat hesitant to even try it. I have not personally ever flown Spirit so I cannot make a direct comparison, but from what I have read, the two airlines have many things in common on the surface. From the stories I have heard however, the execution appears to be quite different. Based on my family’s experiences to date, I recommend Frontier Airlines to anyone looking for low cost family travel. This review is my own and I have never been and am not currently being compensated for it (although I…
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New York City Adventures With Kids
The kids have been asking to visit New York City ever since they learned that it’s where Spider-Man lives and where the Statue of Liberty is located. It’s a city I enjoy visiting. The sights and lights, the sounds, the people…the city is an incredible blend of activity, excitement and culture. But what would it be like experiencing it with kids? I wasn’t sure how being tourists in The City That Never Sleeps would be with a 5, 7 and 9-year-old. Well it was great. As is often the case with kids, seeing things through their eyes always brings a new energy and excitement to whatever it is. We spent our days exploring the city doing…
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Hitting the Slopes with Kids – Colorado Family Ski Adventures and Tips
It’s August so you must be thinking about that winter family travel adventure right? No? Well, it’s definitely not too early to start planning a ski adventure. Ski season officially starts in November. Many of our friends know that we enjoy skiing. Yes, black families ski…and as of June we camp too :). My husband has been skiing about 5 times, and I have been 4 times including the 2 family trips we have taken with the kids. Our second trip with the kids this past February was especially fun because by the end of our trip the boys were going down the big mountain on their own. They haven’t…
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Cruising Disney – 15 Ways To Make a Magical Disney Cruise Experience
So you’ve heard amazing things about the Disney Cruise and finally decided to bite the bullet and book one. Now that you’ve booked (or are thinking about booking your cruise), you are probably wondering how to ensure your family has the most ‘magical’ time. Well that’s not hard to do on a Disney Cruise. Disney definitely knows cruising. And if your kids love all things Disney, they’ll undoubtedly love the Disney cruise. We can attest to having an amazing time on the Disney cruise. The 3-5 night Disney Dream cruises are a great option for your first foray into Disney cruising. There is literally fun in every corner of the ship!…
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Getting the Most Bang For Your Attraction Touring Buck (CityPass vs Go Card All-Inclusive Pass vs Explorer Pass)
This post contains affiliate links for products that I recommend When you’ve decided on a destination to visit with your family, the next thing you probably do is start planning your itinerary. If you’re like my family, you like to visit at least a few of a city’s main attractions. Since I knew we would be visiting at least a couple of attractions on our trip to San Francisco, I decided to see if there was a CityPass available. What is a CityPass you ask. It’s a pass that offers admission to 5 or 6 of a city’s top attractions at a discounted bulk price. Since you’ve already pre-paid, you skip most…
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Benjamins in the Bay – Our San Francisco Adventure
We recently returned from a family trip to San Francisco. I started a list of places the family wants to visit and San Francisco was not on it. Wondering how we ended up there? Refer to the last bullet of my Money Saving Travel Tips article – Be open to destinations you might not usually consider. Essentially we ended up there because we were looking for somewhere to spend a few days post school and found a great flight deal. Neither my husband or kids had ever been there and well…it’s San Francisco so I was sure we could find plenty to do as a family. The city did not disappoint. We had an…
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Money Saving Travel Tips for Families That Travel
Okay, this is going to be a long one, but hopefully will be one of the more helpful posts I will write. I’ve heard a few times that it seems like we are always going somewhere. Well that isn’t exactly true, although we may travel slightly more than the average family. But if we’re not traveling, I’m planning. And because I like to plan, I am always looking for ways to save money on family travel which helps me justify that extra getaway here and there. We make a respectable living, but are by no means rich so I like to save money where I can and where it makes sense. My kids…
