4 Tips on How To Get the Most Out of Costa Rica on the Cheap

May 20, 2012 by 10 Comments

Costa Rica is a great country for nature lovers. The problem is that ever since it became a popular place for travelers it also became expensive. Since not all of us can afford spending a small fortune on a vacation I came up with a list tips to save you money and have great adventures.

How to Save When Visiting Costa Rica:

1. Arenal and La Fortuna – Secrets to fun and cheap adventures such as: La Fortuna Waterfalls, Hanging Bridges and Hot Springs – go without a guide. You don’t need a tour for these places and this way all you do is pay for the entrance fee which is a fraction of the price for a tour.

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2. Monteverde Cloud Forest – Head to the private reserves of Santa Elena or Monteverde and simply do the hiking and exploring on your own. There is so much to see and do, and quite frankly a guide doesn’t really point out anything that isn’t obvious.

However, if you want to see tons of animals, including colorful frogs, take ‘the night tour’ instead of the regular day tour. Believe me it is worth the $25 per person. During the day tour you don’t see as many frogs and animals. There are many interesting Costa Rica tours to choose from and this is just one of them.

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3. Manuel Antonio [Read more…]

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Visit the Columbus Zoo- in the winter? You bet!

February 4, 2012 by 16 Comments

What kind of zoo visit can you have in a snow storm? A surprisingly fun one, actually. Especially at a zoo which is open year round as the Columbus Zoo and Aquariumis.

The morning we decided to check out the zoo, we pulled into the parking lot as some small flurries started to fall from the sky. As we found our parking spot, the snow storm picked up. We bundled up and began our trek. The zoo was very quiet in terms of visitors and also animals. We did a quick walk through a few exhibits, but unfortunately most of the animals were not out and about. We saw the gray wolves which were out and very active. Also, the interactive barn was open. The sheep and goats were very happy to see others walking about. Our main objective was to see the polar bears in their new enclosure.<br/>

Their [Read more…]

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The Beach Waterpark- Your Next Day-Cation

January 31, 2012 by 18 Comments

OK, so it is not summer time in the slightest. But it will be here before you know it- so think warm thoughts!
If you start day dreaming of hot weather and water parks, it will come true, right? (Or, eventually, seasons will change, haha.)

Have you ever heard of The Beach Waterparkin Warren County, Ohio? The Beach Waterpark is a huge water park, and a great way to spend a hot summer’s day. From the Kahuna BeachWavepool to the massive amount of water slides ranging from tame to insanely twisty. For those more interested in the cooling properties of the water and not so much the the wild or thrilling, there are “lush palm trees” to lounge under and a huge lazy river to slowly float your day away.

For the bigger kids, Splash Mountain offers tons of attractions including otter slides and a pool with waterfalls and fountains. There is also the Toucan Lagoon which is a zero depth slide with a miniature body slide.
Have Sippy Disclosure- not my favorite place for little [Read more…]

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Kings Island- Now With Dinosaurs Alive!

January 21, 2012 by 25 Comments

Where else can you go on one of ten roller coasters while your kids play on one of eighteen Peanuts themed attractions (ok, while mom takes the kids and dad rides the coasters, in our case)? King’s Island is one of those places that make you realize what an amusement park should be. It is clean, family friendly, the lines are manageable, and they have a waterpark that is included in the price of the theme park- what??? Yep- that is what makes Kings Island my favorite theme park of all time. Mark it down. I have been all over the world, to 29 countries, and all up and down the coast and to about half the 50 states- and if you have only 1 theme park to go to- I’d make it Kings Island, for sure. And it just got even better!

Right now there is also a really neat exhibit called Dinosaurs Alive!, only $5 with park admission, which is a recreation of a half dozen dinosaur scenes. These scenes vary from carnivores setting up a mud pit trap to long necked sauropods. These scenes are astoundingly accurate and kind of surreal when you get down to it. They are on motion sensors, so they move and roar as you walk by. Eerily, you can pass by a recreation flash flood scene from a dinosaur era. Then a second scene showing the deceased dinos and a third showing the fossilized remains of said dinos- sort of strange- not scary, though. Very interesting and mesmerizing. Not only for adults but also for kids. The dinosaurs are realistic but not overly scary for kids.

“Dinosaurs Alive! at Kings Island features more than 60 life-sized dinosaurs in a 12.5 acre Jurassic forest setting, including 56 animatronic models.
Highlights of Dinosaurs Alive! include the vicious-looking Irritator and its cousins the Baryonyx and the Spinosaurus, the lizard-like Stegosaurus, the meat-eating Tyrannosaurus Rex, the three-horned Triceratops and the flying Pteranodon.

Four [Read more…]

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Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party- a Special Event at Magic Kingdom

December 22, 2011 by 19 Comments

Nothing compares to Disney- one of the greatest of all American Icons, and one of the most recognizable faces in all the world. This year for Christmas, celebrate with Mickey and all his friends at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, a special event at Magic Kindom Park at Disney World.

We had the pleasure of attending last week, and the kids had an amazing time- they had more fun at the Christmas Party then they did during the day if you can believe that!
The park closes early for this event, but don’t worry- if you have tickets, you can go right back in! As soon as you get there, Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade begins- complete with a special appearance by Santa Claus himself. While he comes up the rear- I can’t say that he was the main attraction for many- it was still Micky and Minnie!

It was magic! The dancers and Disney characters never fell out of step or character- they were the person who they were stepping into! Real magic for your child- and you too. So many adults just love Disney- there were as many adults as children online to see the Princesses and characters for photos!

There were so many grown-ups, Disney Magic is for everyone! Some of the other wonderful attractions for the Very Merry Christmas Party include-

  • The enchanted Castle Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle
  • Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, complete with a special appearance by Santa Claus himself
  • An exclusive holiday fireworks extravaganza — Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of [Read more…]
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Top 10 Warren County Ohio Haunts you don’t want to miss! #tourism

October 10, 2011 by 3 Comments
This was on the Warren County Ohio’s tourism page- click to order your travel guide now! These are too good to pass up….and too good not to tell you about! So, I cross posted them here for you to see as well. This is NOT an original post from me- but I think you will love it, so I am passing it on 🙂

Top 10 Warren County Haunts You Don’t Want to Miss

As the home to Waynesville, “The Most Haunted Village in Ohio,” (according to Haunted Ohio,) and Kings Island’s famously-creepy Halloween HAUNT, Warren County’s mix of scary experiences range from historical-haunts to gruesome and gory.

Here are the top ten haunted events, tours and locations in Ohio’s Largest SCAREground:

 

1) Halloween HAUNT at Kings Island

According to park officials, Halloween HAUNT is the most immersive horror experience in the Midwest. The bloodcurdling horror, mind-bending terror and nightmarish madness of Halloween Haunt features more than 500 ghastly creatures lurking in the shadows searching for souls, 12 highly-intense and chilling haunted attractions and some of the most hair-raising rides on the planet including The Beast and Diamondback. Location: Kings Island, Kings Island Drive, Mason. Admission to Halloween Haunt is included free with park admission tickets and 2011 season passes. For more information click here.

2) Springboro Haunted Hayride and Black Bog

Evenings Fridays and Saturdays, September 23 – October 29
Providing more than 20 years of jaw-dropping scares, the Springboro Haunted Hayride and Black Bog are both award-winning attractions. The Haunted Hayride is more than one-mile of tractor-drawn, twisting terror and has been voted “Best Hayride” by Ohio Valley Haunts.
Location: 6070 Springboro Rd., Lebanon. Tickets are $12 for the Hayride, $10 for the Black Bog and $18 for a combo ticket. For more information click here.

3) HOWL-O-FEST at Kings Island

HOWL-O-FEST includes non-scary activities such as a Costume Contest, Twisted Tales Maze, Pumpkin Patch, Gigantic Hay Bale Maze, Dance Party, Foam Pit, Tractor Town, Mask Painting, Games, Food and much more.
Location: Kings Island, Kings Island Drive, Mason. This family-friendly event is included FREE with park admission tickets and 2011 season passes. For more information click here.

4) Morgan’s HAUNTED RIVER

7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays beginning October 7
Hike through the “Forest of Lost Souls” then embark on a guided raft trip down the “Haunted Little Miami River.” Recommended for children 10 and up (under 17 must be accompanied by an adult).
Location: Morgan’s Riverside Campground, 6262 Gilmour Road, Morrow. $15 for adults, $10 children 12 and under. Reservations highly recommended. Call 1-800-932-2663 or visit www.morganscanoe.com for more information.

5) Ghostly Walking Tours of Waynesville, “The Most Haunted Village in Ohio”

7:30 p.m. Every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from October 12 – October 30
Experience Ohio’s most haunted village first-hand as you tour historic buildings along Main Street and throughout the Quaker Hill area of Waynesville while learning of ghostly encounters past and present. You begin at the Museum at the Friends Home, a restored boarding home which appears very much as it did when retired Quakers and single school teachers lived there around the turn of the 20th Century.
Location: Museum at the Friends Home, 115 South Fourth Street, Waynesville. Tickets [Read more…]

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Hallo-Weekends @CedarPoint #Ohio @DiscoverOhio #Travel #tourism

October 6, 2011 by 5 Comments

Fun for Facebook Fans
as Cedar Point Climbs to a Million Likes

SANDUSKY, Ohio, – If you “like” Cedar Point on Facebook, the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort has some money-saving deals and lots of fun waiting for you on Sundays at the park through the end of October.

Beginning this Sunday, Oct. 9 and all Sundays through Oct. 30, Cedar Point will be hosting the Climbing to a Million contest when current and new Facebook fans of Cedar Point will be able to receive a $10 discount on admission to the park ($39.99 per person) by downloading and printing a special voucher from Facebook and redeeming it at Cedar Point on any Sunday in October.

There is even more fun and prizes to be had for Facebook fans on Sundays at the park. On all Sundays in October, all Facebook fans at Cedar Point will receive a specially designed Facebook sticker. If a Facebook fan is spotted by an official fan-finder (only on Sundays), those Facebook fans could win valuable prizes such as complimentary merchandise, food or front-of-the-line privileges on a favorite ride.

And when the park reaches one million fans (before or after the season), a special fan will win the Ultimate Opening Day Experience that includes complimentary tickets to the park on Opening Day 2012, the first ride of the season on your favorite ride, plus tours and more. Plus, all Facebook fans will be able to [Read more…]

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Great Deal if you are traveling to the Mason, Ohio area!

August 27, 2011 by 7 Comments

Great Wolf Lodge

Receive 10% off a room at the Great Wolf Lodge Mason Location.
Use LM&M Railroad code LM&M450A when you book your room.
Reservations: 800.913.9653
Hotel Direct: 513.459.8885
Don’t forget to book a ride on the LM&M Railroad- we just took a train ride with Clifford the Big Red dog, and it was a great day to be a kid! Check [Read more…]
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