Trip Ideas By Activity
There are so many ways to vacation with your children.
City explorations, museum sleepovers, condo-style rentals, road trips, mountain and lake cabins, beaches, cruises, and all-inclusive vacations stretch budgets. Resorts run the gamut from moderate to pricey. Staying midweek or during shoulder season saves money.
Dream trips—African safaris, Galapagos treks, polar bear watches—deliver the thrill of wildlife encounters but at a hefty price. Farmstays, state and national parks, and hikes through Costa Rican rain forests let you enjoy animal encounters at a fraction of the cost.
Time travel fascinates kids. At living history parks, march with the militia and meet pioneers. In Europe, tour centuries-old castles, climb atop medieval walls, and stroll streets laced with 18th-century buildings. Go back millions of years to the dinosaur era. Satisfy your kids’ curiosity by going on a dinosaur dig, walking in dinosaur footprints, and ogling fossils of these fierce critters in museums.
Build sandcastles at the beach, canoe and fish at a lake, get tossed, twirled, and dropped on rollercoasters at an amusement, ski downhill, or snowshoe through snowy woods.
Stay overnight, for a few days, or a week. Plan carefully, allow for spontaneity, know that things will go awry, and maintain your sense of humor. Have fun.
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Spectacular Scenery Plus Native American History in the Southwest
Creators Syndicate | Arcamax||by Candyce H. StapenCategories: Adventures, By Activity, By Age, Destinations, Featured News, Multigenerational, National and State Parks in the US, Trip Ideas, United States Destinations, Western United States DestinationsNative American land in the Southwest blooms with spectacular scenery and rewards visitors with an understanding of Native American history and culture. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Canyon de Chelly and Taos Pueblo not only put you in the midst of formidable landscapes but also provide the opportunity for a first-hand encounter with Native Americans to hear their history and live their traditions. Take advantage of spring, summer and fall to visit these memorable places.
Some of the most stunning scenery in the Southwest lies on the 27,000 square miles of Navajo Nation land in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. In Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, which straddles the border of Arizona and Utah, the sun turns the canyon walls the color of flames, and red rock buttes and mesas rise up from the desert floor. Although the much-photographed vistas appear in movies and commercials, being in the area always dazzles us.
Unescorted visitors can view the formations from the 17-mile loop road, but only Navajo guides can take tourists into the magnificent landscape. On our Jeep and hike tour, our guide told us that the Navajo people consider the area to be sacred. He brought us close to the 1,000-foot-high structures and, eagle-eyed, pointed to rows of glistening blue crystals on petrified logs that line the dry riverbed. In the distance, a lone stallion cantered across the high plateau, framed by the wind-sculpted spires. Jeep tours, horseback rides and stargazing evenings are all available.
Also located on Navajo Nation land near Chinle, Arizona, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, known as Tsegi to the Navajo, is visually impressive and important for its history. Towering sandstone walls ring the 84,000-acre site, and sunlight makes the canyon walls glow. For me, hearing the tales of Canyon de Chelly from a Dine guide — the term the Navajo use to refer to themselves — deepened my experience. To book a hike, horseback ride or Jeep outing led by a Dine guide, it is necessary to reserve the tour with a Navajo company.
Our guide told us that the Dine have farmed and raised livestock at the site for more than 5,000 years. He showed us ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs of dogs, turkeys and ducks and explained why the Dine revere the area. According to tribal legend, Navajo culture emerged from this canyon. We could imagine a way of life unspooling from the ground and swirling up the 1,000-foot-high sandstone walls.
Tribal stories are handed down from generation to generation. Some of the history was painful to hear. In 1864, Col. Kit Carson attacked the Navajo. Our guide told us how the whine of bullets ricocheted across the canyon. Those who survived set off on the Long Walk — a forced march of more than 300 miles to Fort Sumner, New Mexico, during which many perished.
The ancestors of the Taos Pueblo people, also known as the People of the Red Willow, have lived in the Taos Valley in New Mexico for more than 1,000 years. Parts of the pueblo were constructed between 1000 and 1450, making the five-story adobe structure the oldest continuously inhabited pueblo in the United States. The pueblo is both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark. Set against the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the buildings exude a quiet dignity. On a tour we learned a bit of history and viewed the San Geronimo Chapel, constructed in 1850.
A wonderful time to visit is during the annual Taos Pueblo Pow Wow, where we witnessed the dancing, drumming, sharing and sense of community that is so important in Native American culture. Initially a celebration of successful harvests and hunts, pow wows evolved as social events that affirm traditions. During the dance competitions, participants, wearing traditional regalia with feathers, shawls, bells, ribbons and rainbow-colored beads, swirl to the rhythms of drums. The spectacle enchanted us.
From the food booths serving authentic Native fare, we sampled tasty tacos made of fry bread wrapped around meat, beans and grated cheese, often topped with sauce. Sated, we walked back to the main area, tapping our feet to the pulsing beat.
When You Go
The 2025 Taos Pueblo Pow Wow is scheduled for July 7 to 9.
Navajo Nation Park: navajonationparks.org
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park: navajonationparks.org/navajo-tribal-parks/monument-valley
Monument Valley Tribal Tours: monumentvalleytribaltours.com
Canyon de Chelly National Monument: nps.gov/cach/index.htm
Taos Pueblo: taospueblo.com
A Tale of Two East Coast Boardwalks
Creators Syndicate||by Candyce H. StapenCategories: Beaches, College Age & Adult, Destinations, Family, Featured News, Grade-Schoolers Ages 6-9, Historic, Multigenerational, Preschoolers Ages 3-5, Southern United States Destinations, Teens Ages 13-17, Tweens Ages 10-12, United States DestinationsPedaling along the boardwalk to the rhythmic whoosh of the breaking waves, first on a tricycle and then on a bike, is among my favorite childhood memories. And boardwalks still make me happy. They add fun to the classic American idyll of sun, sand and sea. Two of my favorite East Coast boardwalks unfurl in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Miami Beach, Florida. Both delight with ocean breezes, salt spray, good food and great people-watching, but each of these seaside paths charms with its own unique character.
Virginia Beach’s boardwalk — actually a concrete path — gains fame for its prettily landscaped, 28-foot-wide 3-mile span and for its many concerts, festivals and other events. Bicyclists roll along separate lanes from walkers, and sea-themed sculptures brighten the boards. The 34-foot Neptune statue at 31st Street, a Virginia Beach landmark, marks Neptune Festival Park, one of three boardwalk stages hosting free outdoor performances. Hear rock, country, contemporary, tribute bands and other music. On Atlantic Avenue, parallel to the boardwalk, mimes, magicians and jugglers perform, drawing shoppers to the souvenir and sundry shops lining the street and to many nearby eateries.
A new level of boardwalk area entertainment is scheduled to debut May 4, when The Dome, a 70,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor entertainment venue, debuts with a Three Dog Night concert. The Dome is one component of the mixed-used Atlantic Park project backed by Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams and others. When the Wavegarden Cove surf lagoon, another Atlantic Park anchor, opens this summer, learners to experts can carve 1- to 6-foot-high waves.
Virginia Beach’s fun includes family-friendly movies on the beach and festivals that showcase skateboarding stunts, monster trucks and Latin culture as well as my favorite, the International Sandsculpting Championship, part of the hoopla of the fall Neptune Festival.
Although relatively few restaurants are on the boardwalk, I’ve enjoyed ocean views and seafood at Catch 31 Fish House & Bar, attached to the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront, and at Mahi’s oceanfront sushi bar, part of the DoubleTree Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront South.
Another not-to-miss boardwalk, the Miami Beach Boardwalk, stretches for 7 miles from South Pointe Park in South Beach north to the border of Surfside. Dune grass and bushes separate people from the ocean, but you can hear the waves and spot the water at the beach entrances. I stroll or bike parts of the paved pathway each time I visit Miami Beach, stopping in the neighborhoods to catch the local flavors and flair. It’s a great way to explore the city with the bonus of no car traffic.
South Pointe Park’s 17 acres of greenery feel worlds away from the bustle of South Beach. Rows of palm trees shade concrete benches along the 20-foot-wide paved promenade, and rocks edge the water. On one walk we spotted a manatee near the shore, her young swimming above her back. In the park, locals do yoga and play catch with their dogs on the grass.
Tobias Rehberger’s “obstinate lighthouse,” a witty sculpture of unevenly stacked cubes, rises on the lawn, an homage to the lighthouses that guard ports. Appropriately, across the bay is PortMiami, Miami’s cruise ship base. One day we saw Royal Caribbean’s mega-ship Icon of the Seas, a behemoth that dwarfed the harbor. For a steak with a spectacular skyline and water view, consider Smith & Wollensky, one of the few restaurants in the park.
By mid-beach, roughly 24th to 60th streets, the scene changes to high-rise condo buildings and such luxury hotels as Nobu Hotel Miami Beach, Faena and the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Stroll by on weekends and hear the bass boom of bands playing at day pool parties. The energy is lively but not wild.
Continue your boardwalk trek to family-friendly North Beach, which stretches from 63rd to 87th streets. Affectionately called “NoBe,” in counterpoint to South Beach’s sobriquet SoBe, North Beach’s rhythm comes not from the hip clubs packed by sightseers but from locals. The boardwalk path runs behind the Miami Beach Bandshell, a concert venue, and gets you near the North Beach Oceanside Park Beach, a stretch of uncrowded sand backed by trees. It’s worth biking the local streets to see the many hotels and low-rise homes that feature design elements of Miami Modernism.
Since many residents hail from Argentina, Peru, Cuba and other Latin and South American countries, the Latin fare is tasty. We like Moises Bakery for empanadas and Sazon Cubano’s chicken with sweet plantain stuffing is a guilty pleasure of mine. Feeling stuffed and tired after your long bike ride or walk? Reward yourself with a spa treatment at the neighborhood’s Carillon Miami Wellness Resort.
When You Go
Virginia Beach: visitvirginiabeach.com
Greater Miami and the beaches: miamiandbeaches.com
Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority: miamibeachvca.com
The Dome: livenation.com/venue/KovZ917ARDx/the-dome-events
Wavegarden Cove: wavegarden.com
Catch 31: catch31.com
Mahi’s: mahisvb.com
Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront: hilton.com/en/hotels/orfvhhf-hilton-virginia-beach-oceanfront
DoubleTree Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront South: hilton.com/en/hotels/orfvidt-doubletree-virginia-beach-oceanfront-south
Smith & Wollensky: smithandwollensky.com/locations/miami-beach
Nobu Hotel Miami Beach, nobuhotels.com/miami-beach
Fontainebleau Miami Beach: fontainebleau.com
Faena: www.faena.com
Miami Beach Bandshell: miamibeachbandshell.com
North Beach Oceanside Park Beach: miamiandbeaches.com/l/beaches/north-beach-oceanside-park-beach/2968
Moises Bakery: moisesbakery.com
Sazon Cubano: elsazoncubano.com
Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, carillonhotel.com
The 14 Best Things to Do in Delaware
U.S. News & World Report||by Candyce H. StapenCategories: Destinations, Featured News, Northeast United States Destinations, United States DestinationsYou might know Delaware as the corporate capital of the U.S., but the country’s second-smallest state offers much to explore. Delaware’s beaches, wildlife refuges and state parks rejuvenate work-weary urbanites. The Winterthur estate dazzles with exquisite American furniture, decorative arts and lush gardens, while Hagley Museum and Library tells the story of how the family earned a fortune manufacturing black powder. You can tour Fort Delaware State Park, root for your NASCAR favorite at Dover Motor Speedway, and sail along the Christina River on a replica of a 1638 tall ship. From Wilmington in the north to the state’s southern beaches, discover the best things to do in the First State.
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