Trip Reports Archives – Page 21 of 26

Central Park Zoo

September 8th, 2018admin0 Comments

Central Park is an oasis in the middle of New York City, and the Central Park Zoo is one of many hidden gems inside it. At only 6.5 acres, it is a tiny part of the 843 acre park. But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in quality. It is well worth the hour or two it takes to explore. It is especially great for young kids, as the small size makes it manageable to see all the animals and less overwhelming for little ones. We had been once before with the boys about 5 years ago, …

Rainy Weekend in NYC

September 8th, 2018admin0 Comments

I grew up just 50 miles outside of NYC but visited surprisingly infrequently. Somehow having the city only a short train ride away actually seemed to make me less likely to go. I figured it would always be there. But the strange thing about things that will always be there is that you rarely motivate yourself to actually take advantage of them. I took day trips here and there to visit my siblings who lived and/or worked there but I had never actually spent a weekend or more there. But kids have a strange way of motivating you to see …

The Quarry at Carrigan Farms

August 13th, 2018admin0 Comments

Located about 30 minutes north of Charlotte in Mooresville, Carrigan Farms is a 5th generation family-owned farm. With pick your own strawberries in the summer and pumpkins and hayrides in the fall, it is one of several farms to choose from in the Charlotte area for a fun family outing. But Carrigan Farms also has a feature that is completely unique – a natural, spring-fed body of water known as The Quarry. In the 1960s, this area of the farm was quarried for granite stone used to build I-77. After mining half a million tons of granite, they struck a …

Daufuskie Island

July 26th, 2018admin0 Comments

Visible from Harbour Town, Daufuskie Island sits across the Calibogue Sound from Hilton Head. It is an island with a fascinating history and an equally fascinating present. With no bridge connecting it to the mainland, it is a place where time has seemingly stood still. Golf carts and bicycles are the main mode of transportation. There is no hospital, no police, no grocery store. The small country store has a sign in the front window stating “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it!” Life is simple here by choice and its roughly 400 residents love it that way. …

May River Excursions – Bluffton, SC

July 18th, 2018admin0 Comments

During our most recent stay in Hilton Head, we decided that we wanted to visit Daufuskie Island. Visible from the Harbour Town Lighthouse, Daufuskie Island sits across the Calibogue Sound and is only accessible by boat. There are several ferry or water taxi options, but once we decided to take a tour through Tour Daufuskie, we were left with two choices: the Daufuskie Island Ferry or May River Excursions. The Daufuskie Island Ferry leaves from Buckingham Landing at the foot of the Hilton Head Bridge. (It is across the bridge so actually off the island.) Round-trip tickets cost $35 (children …

Harbour Town – Hilton Head, SC

July 17th, 2018admin0 Comments

Harbour Town has a little bit of everything – shops, restaurants, boats, water activities, a playground, a lighthouse, a golf course. There is something for everyone there. Over the years we have been there to eat, shop, play, and even take a super fun pirate cruise with Pirates of Hilton Head back when the boys were younger. Located in Sea Pines, one of the largest plantations on Hilton Head, Harbour Town is a top destination for visitors to Hilton Head. If you are not staying in Sea Pines, there is a fee to get in – as well as a long …

Palmetto Dunes – Hilton Head, SC

July 9th, 2018admin0 Comments

Hilton Head is a barrier island featuring twelve miles of beautiful beachfront in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Located close to both Savannah and Charleston, the island offers pristine white sand beaches, more than a dozen championship golf courses, 64 miles of bike trails, and over 250 restaurants. That’s a lot to pack in to a 5 by 12 mile island! Hilton Head Island is divided into 11 gated communities known as plantations. Some of these communities are private (year-round residents only), but many are public or semi-private and offer resorts and activities for vacationers. We have been coming to Hilton …

Safety in Belize and Guatemala

June 15th, 2018admin0 Comments

Safety in Belize While safety is always in the back of my mind while traveling, it immediately moves to the forefront when you are planning a trip that includes your kids. When my oldest son wanted to choose Belize for our family trip this year, I knew next to nothing about it. A few quick google searches and it became clear that we would have to research further on the safety issue before agreeing to this trip. Belize consistently ranks in the top ten countries in the world for per capita murders. It has been as high as #2 on the list …

Snorkeling the Belize Barrier Reef

June 9th, 2018admin0 Comments

At 185 miles long, the Belize Barrier Reef is second in size only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It includes 7 marine reserves, over 400 islands, and three atolls. Roughly 70 species of coral and 450 species of fish inhabit the reef. Just a half mile off the coast of Ambergris Caye, snorkeling is an easy half day trip from the island. Two years ago, the boys had attempted snorkeling at the Stingray Adventure on Castaway Caye during our Disney cruise. It didn’t go especially well, but the water was shallow enough that they could just swim or even walk …

Coco Beach and Ambergris Caye

June 9th, 2018admin0 Comments

We had three nights and two full days on Ambergris Caye. We had one snorkeling trip planned but otherwise were just looking forward to some good, old-fashioned R&R. We arrived around 6pm after a super long day of travel. The kids wanted to swim and the parents wanted to eat (and possibly drink). We checked into our room and the kids changed into their bathing suits. We grabbed a table in the pool bar, where the kids could conveniently swim in the adjacent pool or even float by in the lazy river that wrapped around the bar. They swam until …