San Francisco

San Francisco is full of unlimited activities to do with kids of all ages. We have family close by, so we have visited numerous times and experienced something different with each trip. I think the most well-known tourist stops are Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. Pier 39 is a waterfront marketplace full of great shops, restaurants, street performers and fun-filled attractions. The kids enjoy the aquarium, carousel, arcade and the sea lions that make Pier 39 their home several months out of the year. The kids (and I) could spend hours watching them splash, bark and fight with each other. There are also incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. My daughters' favorite lunch/dinner spot is Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Pier 39. It provides great views and the best Coconut Shrimp you have ever tasted! The atmosphere is casual and friendly and your server may even test your movie knowledge from Forrest Gump!


Fisherman's Wharf sits adjacent to Pier 39 and is a great spot to "people watch" and taste some of the freshest seafood around. Although it is hard to watch the lives crabs meet their demise, it is fascinating to watch the process as they are prepared for sale. I think it is the most famous spot to get a bowl of piping hot clam chowder in a fresh sourdough bowl! Keep you eye out for entertaining street performers and kite fliers, as well.

Our family has strolled through this area several times and we always continue our stroll up to Ghiradelli Square. We vote this the best ice cream ever!! It is only a few blocks from Fisherman's Wharf and is definitely worth the walk. I always seem to get mint chocolate chip in a waffle cone, but the options are endless-from single scoops, sundaes, floats or chocolate bars.

Except for the cost of your food and/or shopping, everything I have talked about so far is free to do. San Francisco is a great walking city or there is plenty of public transportation, including the famous cable cars, to get you around. If you do have a car, make sure you take a few moments at some of the great photo spots in the city. Some of the best are Lombard Street (also known as the Crookedest Street), Coit Tower ( sits atop Telegraph Hill) and Golden Gate Park. All are free and offer stunning views.

As the kids have gotten older, we have expanded our tour of the city. One of the highlights is Alcatraz Island. It is an experience unlike any other. Also known as "The Rock", Alcatraz is a former penitentiary now run by the National Park Service. There is no cost to get into Alcatraz, although you must take a ferry across San Francisco Bay from Pier 33 to get to the island. Ferry tickets are best purchased through Alcatrazcruises.com and include the ferry ride and the selected tour package. They offer an audio tour with personal headsets, but we found this to be too difficult with small children. We were able to follow the posted signs with ease. Besides the jail itself, the kids loved the ferry ride, the views from around the island, hunting for different plants and birds and being challenged by the steep hill to reach the top. Although I wasn't aware of this at the time, kids have an opportunity to become a sworn Junior Park Ranger by completing a booklet of activities. Just look for a staff member when you first arrive. My last tips are pack snacks for the time on the island and dress in layers. San Francisco weather can be unpredictable!

Lake Tahoe

OK, this was a vacation we never could have done without taking advantage of a timeshare offer. We spent 3 nights, 4 days at the Marriott Timber Lodge in South Lake Tahoe for $249!! Not only were we given this great deal, we were also given 2 free lift tickets to Heavenly Ski Resort if we attended the timeshare presentation offered at the hotel. The 90-minute presentation was well worth the time we got to spend at this amazing resort.
For starters, the hotel sits at the base of the Heavenly Ski Resort and there is a gondola on the property which takes you up to the resort itself. We were able to store our skis in the hotel's ski lockers and board the gondola within minutes. The ride to the top was spectacular and provided a breathtaking view of Lake Tahoe.



Once at the top, we were able to enjoy some of the best skiing we have ever experienced. There were runs designed for all ski levels, from beginner to black diamond. We were lucky enough to have my parents watch the kids for a day so we could ski on one of our days, but we also loved that Heavenly offered a nice sledding hill for our girls to enjoy.


Skiing wasn't all this area had to offer. We all loved the heated outdoor pool after a long day in the snow. It was such a beautiful scene to sit in the warm water and look at snow all around you! There was even a entertaining children's pool for the girls to enjoy. Marriott resorts also offer great children's activity centers and this one was no exception. There were daily crafts and activities, like game night and movie night, and the center was full of board games and toys for the kids to play with. It was a great place to let them play while we attended our timeshare tour.

As we walked around the grounds of the hotel, we also spotted firepits surrounded by mingling skiers trying to warm up and wonderful restaurants to cater to anyone's appetite and budget. We were also pleasantly surprised to find an outdoor ice skating rink and arcade in the shopping center adjacent to the hotel. It was so convenient to have everything within walking distance, even some of Tahoe's most well-known casinos!
This was an amazing Spring Break getaway, even with the 10 hour drive from home. We will continue to take advantage of offers like this, if they come our way. Hey, you might even end up purchasing a timeshare in a destination of your choice!

Las Vegas

Many would say that Vegas is not a great family destination, but I beg to differ. We took our girls over Thanksgiving break and kept busy for 4 straight days. I will say there isn't much nightlife with the kids, unless you are seeing a show, but we were so wiped out we didn't care! We stayed at the Mirage hotel and it was perfect for us! The price was reasonable for a 3-night stay and the hotel grounds were beautiful. The kids loved the pool, complete with water slides. Yes, you can swim in November! They were even more intrigued by the Tropical Rain forest, White Tiger Exhibit, Aquarium and Dolphin Habitat. That's just in this hotel! Don't forget to have lunch at the Carnegie Deli. The food is delicious and there is something for every picky child. One of the best known attractions on the Strip is the Mirage volcano that erupts several times each night at the front of the hotel. Here is a picture:

Be sure to put on your walking shoes when touring the Strip. Because the hotels are so large, they look closer than they are. What looks like a block away, is usually about 6-7 blocks, so we only did a few hotels each day. Each hotel is like a Disneyland attraction, offering some form of shopping or entertainment. We enjoyed the dancing water show at the Bellagio hotel and the pirate show at Treasure Island. We were also pleasantly surprised to find an outdoor ice skating rink at Caesar's Palace. We didn't skate, but the girls sure had fun watching.
They couldn't wait to make it to M & M's World! It is a 4-story building with every color M&M and every souvenir possible. Next door is the Gameworks arcade and rock climbing wall. Our older daughter was even old enough to give it a try.
Need a change of scenery? We spent an evening in the older part of Las Vegas along Fremont Street. It is a street lined with restaurants, shopping, roaming street performers and an largest overhead movie experience you have ever seen. It is called the Fremont Street Experience and it was spectacular!
There is so much to do in Las Vegas and we barely touched the surface. I think they have done a commendable job making the Strip and surrounding areas entertaining and accessible for children. Just beware of the people passing out pornagraphy cards along the streets(seriously). We just avoided eye contact and kept walking forward, so this was never an issue. I don't think the kids ever knew what they had in their hands. It is such a great city full of great architecture, entertainment, shopping, food and sensory overload!!!

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. is wonderful for all ages. We were last there when our kids were toddlers, but look forward to taking them again so they can put their elementary school history lessons to good use. We stay with family when we travel here, but I do have some good info on kid-friendly activities.

One of the best things about D.C. is that most activities are free! Here are my favorites:


1. National Zoo- This zoo has over 400 species of animals and it is free. Be ready to walk though and note that there is a charge for parking.

2. Smithsonian National Museum of History- This was probably our girls' favorite spot. There are breathtaking animal exhibits (including dinosaurs), discovery stations and educational areas. You could spend hours in this place and it is free, too.

3. Washington Monument- Take the elevator to the top to get one of the most spectacular views of D.C. The kids will learn a history lesson on the way up and be blown away by the bird's eye view!

4. National Air and Space Museum- Home to the Spirit of St. Louis and the Wright 1903 Flyer, this museum will sure keep the kids entertained! There are numerous exhibit galleries, hands- on demonstrations and interactive games. The museum has a large food court to satisfy anyone's appetite. Admission is free, but there is a fee to see an IMAX movie or visit the Planetarium.

It is important to note that D.C. has great public transportation, called The Metro, to get you all over the National Mall and its surrounding areas. Parking is very limited, so this is a great alternative. The Mall is well marked and guides you to the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and many other museums and government buildings. The kids also enjoyed the carousal that runs next to the Air and Space Museum and stopping for ice cream and popcorn at one of the many snack shacks.

Money-saving Tips....

I think it is important to take a break and share some of the tips we often use to help us afford all of these travel expenses. Even by taking advantage of some of them, you may be surprised by how affordable your trips can be.
#1-Open a travel credit card- We put most purchases (from groceries to major purchases) on a Southwest Airlines card. Southwest is the airline we fly most often and we usually earn 2-3 flights per year.
#2-Travel mid week or at least be flexible with your dates- Most hotels offer better rates on weeknight stays than Friday and Saturday nights. You may also save if you are willing to travel a day earlier or later than you had planned. I recently saved $90 per flight by switching our flights from Saturday to Sunday.
#3- Book a room with a kitchen- We save so much money by eating breakfast in our room and having snacks available. We pack snacks in our suitcase or add them to the grocery list. When we arrive at our destination, we stop at the grocery store to stock up on water bottles, fresh fruit, bread/bagels and anything else we might need. It is so nice to have a refrigerator stocked with fresh options. Not to mention- it is a lot healthier, too!
#4- Take advantage of Timeshare tour offers- Many timeshare hotels offer great deals if you are willing to sit through a 90 minute presentation. We have stayed at some of the nicest Marriott hotels for $199 for 3 nights. We have also been given restaurant gift cards and free vouchers for some great activities.
#5-Book travel as a package deal- You can often get better rates if you book airfare, hotel and rental car together. Price them separately to compare.
#6- Shop around- I often pick a destination and then price compare on several websites. I check travel sites such as Travelocity.com and Hotels.com as well as hotel and airline home sites.

Big Bear- Summer vs. Winter

Although the scenery in Big Bear is beautiful any time of year, summertime with 2 small kids left us scratching our heads, looking for ways to keep the kids busy. Our 1st disappointment came when we realized we had just traded our week in Maui for a week at the Lagonita Lodge in Big Bear! The lodge served its purpose (no frills), but it certainly wasn't oceanfront in Maui! It didn't seem like a fair trade to us, but we were trying to save money by not booking airfare. Big Bear is about 2 hours from anywhere in Southern California, so it made it our logical choice for a close getaway. As I said, the scenery was breathtaking and the weather was perfect, but since the girls weren't old enough to mountain bike or hike, we struggled to find activities.


We were able to find a little petting zoo, a children's museum in Lake Arrowhead and went on a small tour boat ride around the lake, but otherwise we spent lots of time playing at the playground and swimming in the Lodge's indoor swimming pool. Who wants to swim indoors in the middle of summer?



But Big Bear sure redeemed itself in the winter!


It was picture perfect. We enjoyed a great breakfast at the Teddy Bear Cafe and then headed to Snow Summit Ski Resort. The parking lot fills up fast, but they have shuttles running continuously so you don't have to carry your gear too far. I recommend renting your skis and boots at a local sporting goods store before heading up the mountain. It sure saves time and the hassle of waiting in line once you get up there. I also recommend coming up mid week, if possible. The lines are so much shorter and you may get more individualized time in a lesson. We put our older daughter in a 1/2 day lesson, which gave us time to teach the little one the basics. It's important to note that kids ski free through age 6, so teach them while they're young! Snow Summit has a nice bunny hill for beginners and was a great spot to teach the girls how to get on and off the chairlift. There is a ski run for every skier and snowboarder.


They also have a small daycare if you have a little one too young to ski. If you are just there to watch or need to take a break, there are plenty of viewing spots, picnic benches and outdoor restaurant seating areas to choose from.

Big Bear doesn't just offer ski resorts, either.
There are a few sledding and tubing locations and plenty of shopping in the quaint downtown area. You can also take a break from the cold and see a movie or play at the arcade.

Disneyland

We live within an hour of Disneyland, so we have had many opportunities to visit. Many months out of the year, Disneyland offers a Southern California 2-for-1 pass, which we have taken advantage of on several occasions. This is a great way to see everything without rushing. There are many hotel options, but we were impressed with the Anabella Hotel. It was reasonably priced and within walking distance to the park (even with small children). As the kids have grown, we have learned the best ways to save money and provide the most memorable experience possible. However, our first experience with toddlers was an experience all its own! Tip #1-Pack a backpack full of snacks, drinks, wipes and sunscreen. As if the tickets weren't expensive enough, snacks and meals add up quickly. It is so nice having a bag of snacks while you wait in line and often helps delay an over tired child from spiraling out of control.
Tip #2- Pace yourself and plan out your day. Take advantage of FastPasses to help get on the most popular rides quickly and look for shows or parades to give your feet a break. When our girls were toddlers, they were more interested in seeing the princesses than any ride the park had to offer. So think of what will keep everyone smiling throughout the day! There are several

rides that have height limits (Star Tours, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Thunder Mountain, etc), so we avoided those completely. Just an FYI- if you do have a child old enough for those rides, you can get a pass from the ride attendant and you can do a parent swap at the ride exit. This allows both parents to experience the ride with the older child, without disrupting the little ones. We focused more on Fantasyland and Mickey's Toon Town. No height limits there.

As much as we talk about cutting costs, a day at Disneyland is not complete without a frozen chocolate covered banana or Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwich. It is part of the Disney experience and our splurge for the day! We do make a rule each time we go, though. We don't buy any souveniers until the end of the day. #1- The kids want everything they see. #2- It is a hassle carrying items with you all day. #3- It allows the girls to really think about what they want as we look through the stores and #4- It is a great bribing tool to get you through the day! We end every successful trip with a stop at World of Disney in Downtown Disney so they can pick out their favorite souvenir.