Joshua Tree National Park in California has become one of our favorite go-to trips - either as a day trip or for a last minute weekend getaway. Through our many visits, we have found a few trails that we return to…
One of the best family activities you can experience in the San Luis Obispo region is a day out trying your hand at the Oceano Sand Dunes with a Pismo Beach Dune Buggy rental. According to my 8 year old…
The California Coast is filled with amazing destinations making it difficult to decide just where to go when you are looking for a quick escape. We have found the answer with a weekend in San Luis Obispo County (SLOCAL). Sitting…
Did you ever wish you went to sleepaway camp as a child? I never even knew these fantastical places existed as a kid, but now that I am an adult I wish I had the opportunity to go back in…
When I was in college applying for graduate school Madison, Wisconsin was top of my list. I'd never been, and wasn't sure I could manage the cold, but it sounded like an ultra hip town just like Austin where I…
Florida is a family vacation paradise with its abundance of beautiful beaches, vibrant cities and of course the biggest and best amusement parks in the country. Last year I visited Clearwater Beach for a conference and fell in love. So when…
For more than 5 years we have been season pass holders with Disney. One of the main reasons is because of the amazing holiday traditions at Disneyland. Every year my son has to visit Disneyland during the Halloween season, Christmas…
Last summer I was offered an opportunity to visit one of the few national parks in California I had yet to visit, the Channel Islands. Upon looking at the itinerary I noticed that an entire day was dedicated to kayaking…
Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of California's least visited parks. It is located about 5 hours north of the Bay Area, 3 hours north of Sacramento and 1.5 hours east of Redding. It's location is most of the reason…
The state capital of California, Sacramento, loaded with history, is often overlooked as a great family weekend getaway destination. This is too bad since it's filled with fun, family friendly activities that also include a little bit of learning too!…
When people think of Northern California they often just consider the landmark destinations like San Francisco and the Napa and Sonoma wine country. However, Redding and UpState California, the real northern California, is the vast area north of Sacramento all…
In advance of my trip to Memphis for the BlogHouse conference, I asked my social media followers what I should do in the Southern city of soul. Overwhelmingly the choices were to experience the civil rights history, the music and…
Visiting Southern California and and only have the time (or money) to do Disneyland and California Adventure in one day? Those of us who go to Disneyland often will say no, don't do two parks in one day. It's true,…
The long awaited LEGOLAND Castle Hotel California has finally opened! We were so excited to be one of the first guests to stay and experience the new hotel. Read on to find out what we thought and why this should…
San Diego is the ultimate family playground with so many things to do all over the city. From visiting the famous San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park to relaxing on any of the amazing beaches, you will not be at…
If there is one thing that everyone in our family can agree on, it's our love for hot pools of water! It can be a jacuzzi or a natural hot spring, just as long as it's hot. On our recent…
One of the main attractions for our family visit to Universal Studios Hollywood was of course The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Having just finished book number 5, my 7 year old was hankering to visit our neighborhood theme park.…
It's almost that time of year again! The day little boys (and girls) look forward to all year long - trash truck open house! My son equates spring and summer with several things and the opening day to summer in…
It has taken us 5 years of living in Los Angeles, but we finally made it to Universal Studios Hollywood. Wow! I wish we went sooner, but I am also sort of glad we waited. My son is just now…
One of our favorite summer trips, with the best hike ever was to Zion National Park. This is one of Utah's most visited parks and for good reason - it is an amazingly immersive experience whether you stay inside the…