The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Yosemite with Kids

A family trip to Yosemite National Park is the quintessential American summer holiday. Exploring Yosemite with kids while camping (or glamping as it is for us!), splashing through rivers, and spying out some of the best natural scenes in the US is one of the best trips you can do with your family.

If you are planning a visit to California’s most iconic park, we have laid out all you need to know in order to have the best trip ever in Yosemite with kids. Below are our top picks for things to do in Yosemite National Park with kids as well as options on where to stay and eat. Trust me, seeing this national treasure through your little one’s eyes is a truly magical experience that you will not want to miss.

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The Old West Revisited in Philipsburg Montana with Mining, Hiking & More

Montana is known as a nature lovers paradise and the treasure state, but what it also holds dear are traditions of the past. In Philipsburg Montana you can not only experience beautiful scenery, but also life in an old western town now dubbed as a ghost town full of a rich history worth exploring.  If you only have time for one adventure on your Yellowstone or Montana vacation, this is the place to go! 

Here you can go sapphire mining, stroll through an old ghost town mining camp, go fly fishing and so much more. The adorable town lined with antique storefronts and shops make Philipsburg a picturesque start to any adventure in the state.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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10 Magical Things to Do in Joshua Tree (+ 1 Day Itinerary)

Growing up in the 80s and 90s, Joshua Tree for me symbolized music, not a National Park.  But because of the music, the park has always held a certain allure. Once I discovered how close it was to LA, it moved to the top of my local travel list. But, even then, it took me almost a year of living here before I made it out. Now after several trips, it continues to be one of my favorite places in Southern California.

If you are like me and can’t ever find a weekend to go, dump the excuses and head out for a day trip! It is such a magical place that it’s worth the drive even for just the day. It will be a long day for sure, but if you have kids who will nap in the car, then go for it. Even my non-car napper managed to take a quick after lunch snooze and slept the entire way home. You will not regret exploring Joshua Tree with kids – and they will thank you!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Fiji

5 reasons why you should visit FijiWe have just returned from a “once in a lifetime” trip to Fiji. I put it in quotes because I really hope that it is not actually just once in my lifetime! I wasn’t sure what to expect other than it looked similar to Hawaii, is known as a honeymoon destination and a getaway for the rich and famous.

Without fail, everyone we talked to about Fiji said it was their dream to go someday. Rightly so, who wouldn’t want to go to an idyllic paradise with beautiful white sand beaches in the middle of crystalline waters? Even with the weather not cooperating for most of our trip, I have to admit that it was still magical, but not for the reasons I had initially thought. Read on for the 5 reasons why you should visit Fiji too.

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Inspire Your Inner Artist at Watts Towers

Watts Towers, Los AngelesLooking for something new to do? A micro-adventure? Or perhaps you need some artistic inspiration? Head down to one of LA’s finest cultural gems, Watts Towers, for a visual treat. From the massive spiral towers resembling Sagrada Familia in Barcelona to the garden and adorable turtle pond out back, Watts Towers in South Los Angeles is a unique and fascinating outing with much to interest everyone in the family.

What is Watts Towers? It is a beautiful piece of folk art that is the result of one man’s imagination and his persistence of realizing his vision. Watts Towers, designed and built by Simon Rodia (an Italian immigrant), are a collection of 17 interconnected structures made out of rebar, glass bottles, seashells, concrete and broken ceramic tiles. Over a period of 33 years, Rodia designed and built this magnificent structure on his own without machine equipment, scaffolding or drawing board designs. One day, Rodia handed over the deed to his property and walked away, leaving all of his work behind. Neighbors fought the city to save it from being demolished. After 16 years of taking care of it themselves, the neighborhood group donated the towers and art center to the City of Los Angeles.

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Eaton Canyon Falls Hike

Eaton canyon FallsEveryone woke up early, ready to “go go go” as my little one likes to say. It was a cool foggy morning, so we decided to head out to Eaton Canyon Falls for a hike. It had been on my to-do list for ages and it looked like a perfect morning to check it out. And right we were. Seeing only 3 other cars there, we knew we would have the trails to ourselves.

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Up Close & Personal at the Wildlife Learning Center in Sylmar

There are few constants in life, but one of them seems to be the Groupon deal for the Wildlife Learning Center in Sylmar. I guess what they say is true – the more you see something, the more likely you are to check it out! Today we had nothing on the agenda so decided to take the bait and visit. … Read more

Kids Workshop at Home Depot

Do you have a construction loving little one? If so, this is the post for you! My son gets confused with all of the large warehouse type stores, so when he sees Home Depot he says “This is my favorite Target!” very excitedly. It must run in the genes. His grandfather is a contractor and … Read more

Insider’s Guide: Best Shopping in Mumbai

The Insider’s Guide to Mumbai series is loaded with information to help you visit and explore this expansive and vibrant city like a local. After living as an expat for so many years, I found that to really get to know a city quickly you need to stay outside of the tourist zones and hang out and eat where the … Read more

The Most Beautiful Hotel in Udaipur – Devi Garh Palace

Devi Garh Palace (Udaipur, India) The difficult part of living abroad is that eventually you have to leave. When our time was almost up in India, I knew I had to fit in a few more places from my never ending (India) bucket list. One of these was the beautiful (and expensive!) RASS Devi Garh Palace … Read more

5 Easy Hikes for Toddlers Los Angeles

Hiking is the thing to do in LA. Before moving here I didn’t think that hiking with kids was even possible, especially once they were too big to carry and no longer interested in the stroller. As a baby you can carry them and older kids can walk, but what do you do during those few years where your … Read more

Celebrating Holi – The Festival of Colors in Los Angeles

Celebrating Holi is one of our favorite Indian holidays. The yearly festival was the highlight of the spring for our family and so many in India. In our 8+ years in Mumbai, we never missed one Holi. This was one Indian tradition I felt we had to continue even after moving to the US. Holi, also known as the festival … Read more

Insider’s Guide: The Best Things to Do in Mumbai

The Insider’s Guide to Mumbai series is loaded with information to help you visit and explore this expansive and vibrant city like a local. After living as an expat for so many years, I found that to really get to know a city quickly you need to stay outside of the tourist zones and hang out and eat where the … Read more

Vasquez Rocks with Kids

My son woke up saying he wanted to go on a hike and I knew immediately where we should go. Vasquez Rocks.  It has been on our to do list forever. All I knew about Vasquez Rocks was that it’s great for kids who like to climb rocks and that an episode or portion of Star Trek had been filmed there. … Read more

Insider’s Guide: Top Restaurants in Mumbai

The Insider’s Guide to Mumbai series is loaded with information to help you visit and explore this expansive and vibrant city like a local. After living as an expat for so many years, I found that to really get to know a city quickly you need to stay outside of the tourist zones and hang out and eat where the … Read more

An Honest Review: The Discovery Cube Los Angeles

Last week we had the opportunity to visit the science focused children’s museum Discovery Cube Los Angeles (which is actually in the Valley).  The few posts I had read on it made it sound amazing, so I went with high expectations. This might have been my problem, but overall I was a bit underwhelmed. However, the kids … Read more

What are kid friendly destinations?

One of my fellow family travel bloggers posted a question on their Facebook page a while back asking where people thought of when they thought of kid friendly destinations. My initial response was Costa Rica, mostly because we were in the midst of planning a trip there. But then I realized that every place is kid friendly … Read more

Things To Do in LA over Winter Break (Updated 2015)

This upcoming winter break is the first break at my son’s school in over a year that we do not have travel plans. After our India trip and a very busy fall, we have decided to stay put and spend our break exploring areas of LA that we never have time for. Although I would venture to … Read more

Sand Sledding: Winter fun for the whole family

It is almost that time of year again — sand sledding!  This is my favorite part of winter in LA. What isn’t awesome about sledding in warm weather not having to worry about gloves and hats and frostbite. And showing off sand sledding photos to all of our east coast friends bundled up is sort of … Read more

Malibu Lagoon Bird Watching with Kids

I love nature, hiking and animals, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine taking time on a Sunday to go bird watching. But yep, this is what happens in my household every month.  The Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society hosts a kid friendly bird watching walk at Malibu Lagoon State Beach and after our … Read more