Las Vegas, the Perfect Destination for Everyone

October 3, 2012 by 2 Comments

You’re not much of a drinker or party-goer, but for some reason, you are ending up in Las Vegas on vacation. Although it may seem like you are a fish out of water, you would be surprised at the number of people, who just like you, accompany others to sin city, but don’t spend their time gambling or drinking and still have a fabulous time.

The Vegas Lights

A must-see for any Vegas visitor is the strip at night. The bright lights, billboards and outdoor shows are excellent. Head over to the Bellagio and take in the spectacular fountain show that is set to go off every 15 minutes. Be sure to take good, strong walking shoes if you plan on walking the strip – it is long and there are lots of things to see. Hop on a bus that makes a giant loop around the strip and really enjoy the night shows and lights.

Walk around and enjoy the street vendors, shows and people. You’ll meet lots of interesting folks that have fun talents.

Visit the Different Hotels During the Day

Go up the Eiffel tower and see the Vegas strip from above. You’ll have fun listening to the staff speak French. The interior of the Lux hotel is spectacular, walk around the pharaohs and enjoy the peace of the falling waterfalls. While there you can enjoy the King Tut museum. Head over to the Venetian to see the sheer beauty of old Venetia and enjoy seeing the gondolas go up and down the water ways.

Walk over to the Excalibur to see the jousters on horses and enjoy the fun game room in the dungeon. [Read more…]

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: ,

1,000 Places to See Before You Die Review and Giveaway @1000Places

September 25, 2012 by 27 Comments

Today we are looking at a must read for any traveler. A book which helped bring traveling back to the lime light. That book of course is: 1,000 Place to See Before You Die. This great book shows you the 1,000 most incredible sights that MUST be seen. It is so much fun to flip through and see the gorgeous photos and fun facts. Each ‘place’ detailed in all it’s glory, with pictures and descriptions. The best thing about this book is places aren’t just listed, but experiences explained- which adventures they advise should be experienced when visiting. As a traveler, I have to say I have seen a few place in this book. But as I am sure most travelers will agree with- not nearly enough places. 🙂

This book also makes a great “coffee table book”. I do not mean a book left on the table to make it look [Read more…]

Filed Under: book review, giveaway, travel Tagged With: , ,

Adorable Travel Books For Kids – And Travel With Children Advice

September 13, 2012 by 3 Comments

Brandon Rudd, Publisher of the new travel book series for kids – Cooper’s Pack Travel Guides – has some tips and tricks on traveling with your kids- and of course, some cute books as well. Cooper’s Pack has launched four children’s travel books (so far) featuring London, Seattle, New York City and Alaska. Little Man loved checking these out- they are a fun way to introduce kids to new cities, and travel in general.

1. Learn about where you are going before you go.

EXAMPLE: Read a travel guide, search the internet, talk to a relative or
friend about their experiences there). Everyone wins when they are invested
in trip.

2. Bring a friend…

EXAMPLE: Bring your best friend…if they can’t go, bring your favorite
stuffed animal friend. Stuffed animals love to travel too!

3. Take a camera!

EXAMPLE: Take pictures of your favorite sites, stuffed animal and things
you can’t see at home.

4. Bring a small backpack

EXAMPLE: Bring a small [Read more…]

Filed Under: kids, travel Tagged With: , , , , ,

Camelback Water Park

September 1, 2012 by 5 Comments

What started out as a very rainy day, turned into a sunny one (with no lines, since the weather kept all but the hardy from attempting to go, LOL) at CamelBeach Water Park. So what if it rained for a few hours? We were at a waterpark- going to get wet anyway, right? 😛

Check out the last water park of the season – Camelback Mountain Water Park. Camelback has got to be one of the best water parks in the area. For real- LOVED IT. My favorite by far in the area. They have over seven thrill rides, including a six story call triple slide, Triple Venom. There are also a plethora of family and little kid attractions including the 1,000 foot long lazy river ride, that is full of fun like waterfalls and geysers. But the absolute best attraction there has to be the Pharaoh’s Phortress with loads of splashing fun including a spilling bucket, slides and enough water cannons to soak your whole family.

My little guy went on everything- mommy was so proud of her brave little dude. He really enjoyed himself- this was one of the best days we had all summer. The [Read more…]

Filed Under: family, kids, travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

The Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center

August 28, 2012 by 4 Comments

One of the nicest resorts we have been to in a long time, the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center was a vacation all in itself. With lovely rooms, several restaurants and dining options right on site, as well as shopping available, and it’s own pool and water park, you won’t need to leave the campus to have a great time. Beautiful gardens with running rivers and waterfalls, fish (including mangrove snappers, redfish, snook, stingrays and tarpon) and koi fish, alligators, turtles, and other aquatica abound in over 360,000 gallons of water, you may forget you are indoors as you [Read more…]

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Paddle Boarding in New Smyrna Beach

August 28, 2012 by 5 Comments

Tired of the crazy, frenzied, tourist rush? I love theme parks as much as the next gal (maybe more!) but sometimes, you just have to get away. My son, a friend, and I took a day trip out to New Smyrna Beach to paddle board at East Coast Paddle, and it was one of the highlights of our trip. Spending the day out in the quietude, in nature, and with only 5 people visible to me (including myself) was a welcome break from the crush of crowds you typically find at most attractions.

vacation in florida

About and hour and a half from Kissimmee, East Coast Paddle is an award winning-company, run by a husband and wife team. Proud parents themselves, they are excellent with children. Mine was smitten with wife, Cheryl, who toured about with him on her board the morning through. Cheryl, who has a doctorate in addition to her company and expert paddle boarder-status (and is a boat captain as well- yes, she makes us all look bad, LOL) also acted as tour guide in the river in New Smyrna for us, and was more then patient as we found our balance (or didn’t) and with my son, who kept dangling his feet in the water (which I am sure did not make steering easy for her!) Her husband, Tim, joined us in the beginning, and gave us our “lessons” on how to properly use the paddles and boards before we got on.

I think I annoyed him mildly, as I was only half paying attention (my son was asking a million questions, and also since he was on a boat and wandering, I was nervous- even though he was standing with Cheryl and I was an arm’s length away, LOL. What can I say, nervous mommy!) When we got on the boards, I found myself not having much of an issue finding my balance or keeping it. As a yoga lover for many years, I think that helped a lot, and did a fondness for kayaking. My son got right on Cheryl’s board, and stayed there, no problem. How she kept her balance with his wiggling is beyond me, though! My friend had a rougher start, but then he found his groove and we were on the way.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: fitness, travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wingate by Wyndham- Universal Location

August 28, 2012 by 3 Comments

If you are looking for a hotel that is close to Universal Studios, Orlando, and the airport, feel free to check out Wingate by Wyndham Universal and Convention Center. Great for business or pleasure- or a mix of both- the Wingate is a great place to stay that won’t break the bank.

I am traveling with my son, who is 5. I know this is terrible of me, but I really liked the fact that there was an IHOP, KFC, and Taco Bell in the parking lot of the hotel. He almost never eats fast food, but when on vacation, [Read more…]

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Dining With Al Capone

August 28, 2012 by 4 Comments

The Kissimmee area has much to choose from when it comes to dining, but our favorite is dinner and a show. It’s a fun way to experience some local flavor, and who cares if it’s raining?

We ate at Capones Dinner and Show, an interactive experience that is cute for all ages. It was a whole lot of “kitch” and meant to be fun and silly. It reminded me of another restaurant chain’s slogan- “Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined”. It for sure fell under that category. One of the running gags of the evening was “Fork You!” while brandishing- you guessed it- a fork.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: entertainment, food, theater, travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,