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.
Celebrity Cruises
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Candyce H. Stapen2023-01-06 14:26:042023-01-13 14:29:04The Ultimate Belizean Food Guide
Celebrity Cruises
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Candyce H. Stapen2022-12-20 12:41:042022-12-29 12:45:08What is Costa Rica Known For?Activities
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A Luxurious Tea Awaits at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel
Epoch Times | Creators Syndicate||by Candyce H. StapenCategories: City and Cultural Vacations, Destinations, Family, Featured News, Northeast United States Destinations, United States DestinationsSometimes it’s nice to make an entrance. Charlotte, wearing a floor-length dress, sashayed into Peacock Alley, positioning herself under the row of Beaux-Arts chandeliers, stepping past the potted palms and gilded pilasters. She found her place on the gold settee flanked by glittering sconces and felt like royalty. The harpist, having noticed her blue Mirabel dress, welcomed her by performing “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from “Encanto,” 4-year-old Charlotte’s favorite movie. She smiled like the combination heroine and fairytale princess she imagined herself to be.
Such is the magic of Peacock Alley at the Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. One of the capital’s best places for an indulgent afternoon tea, the historic hotel, whose roots date back to 1818, has served the refreshment since the 1920s. The sophisticated room embraces a diversity of clientele — hotel guests, women celebrating birthdays, romantic couples and bridesmaids — but just a few kids. Chalk that up to the price.
But after a health challenge I was celebrating my life and gladly splurged, happy to be together with Ann, my daughter, and my granddaughter. After all, Charlotte often invites me to tea in her bedroom, pretending to pour a mint brew into tiny pink cups. I looked forward to showing Charlotte the real thing, plus Ann and I like a bit of luxury.
Along with choosing from a dozen blends, tea-goers select one of five menus — children’s, standard, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan. The breadth of choice is rare and essential to us. Since Ann and I are lactose-intolerant, we can’t eat the wonderful custard-filled tarts, creamy eclairs or whipped-cream-topped pastries plated at traditional teas. At other venues we have settled for dry scones and bland sandwiches.
At The Willard, however, the staff brought us a delectable selection. We enjoyed a beet chutney and tomato-basil tart, marinated grilled vegetables in a spinach wrap, pumpkin shortbread, a raspberry chocolate verrine and a chocolate mendiant so good it was hard to believe it was dairy-free. Charlotte’s favorites from the children’s menu included a brioche, cherry jam and turkey sandwich (she politely asked for another one), a strawberry-ginger choux and a chocolate tart flecked with edible gold leaf, something Charlotte deemed appropriate for princesses.
As the name suggests, Peacock Alley is a promenade lined with settees and wing chairs that leads from The Willard’s lobby to F Street. Legend has it that the term “peacock” derived from the see-and-be-seen strolling of ladies in finery and the strutting of self-important businessmen. Mark Twain traversed Peacock Alley as a showy way to enter the dining room. Charlotte grew wide-eyed as a stunning bride in a flowing white gown appeared with her videographer.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Willard Hotel blooms with a storied past. In 1853 Franklin Pierce became the first president to stay at The Willard. Since then, almost every president has either lodged or attended an event there. Many, like Abraham Lincoln, stayed at the hotel before their inaugurations.
In 1862 Nathaniel Hawthorne, referring to the many politicians, journalists, diplomats and office-seekers at the hotel, stated that “Willard’s Hotel could more justly be called the center of Washington and the Union than either the Capitol, the White House, or the State Department.” When President Ulysses S. Grant chose The Willard’s lobby to escape the pressures of office with a brandy and a cigar, he found himself besieged by powerbrokers hawking their causes. Legend has it that Grant’s situation gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”
After tea we lingered in the two-story lobby. The faux marble pillars, the 48 hand-painted state seals adorning the coffered ceiling and the elaborate wrought-iron railings on the upper windows create an impressive space.
Charlotte admired the center table flush with fresh flowers. When she spied a curving staircase, she begged to investigate. What we found was an open door to a ballroom not set for an event. Charlotte rushed in to jump and twirl on the dance floor, making the room momentarily her own like any joyous princess-heroine.
When You Go
Afternoon Tea at Peacock Alley, Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C.: www.washington.intercontinental.com/food-drink/peacock-alley-tea
Visit Washington, D.C.: www.washington.org
Fall For Bethany Beach: the Delaware Shore’s Quiet Star
Epoch Times | Creators Syndicate||by Candyce H. StapenCategories: Beaches, Destinations, Family, Featured News, Northeast United States Destinations, United States DestinationsTwo by two a pod of some 40 dolphins arced through the water like a double chain of joyful chorus dancers. Enthralled by the Disneylike performance, the seaside crowd in Bethany Beach, Delaware, stood still in awe. For my family and me beaches are our happy places with their healing mix of sun, sand and soothing waves. Add shore critters, good restaurants and a balcony overlooking the ocean, and we morph into contented vacationers. Although summer is prime time, fall brings relatively warm water, fewer crowds and lower lodging fees.
The boardwalk at Bethany Beach, Maryland, is a hub of activity.
For my family and me beaches are our happy places with their healing mix of sun, sand and soothing waves. Add shore critters, good restaurants and a balcony overlooking the ocean, and we morph into contented vacationers. Although summer is prime time, fall brings relatively warm water, fewer crowds and lower lodging fees.
Southern Delaware’s coast, encompassing 25 miles of ocean and bay shoreline, has been attracting explorers for centuries. In 1631 the Dutch established the whaling settlement Swanendael in what later became Lewes (pronounced “Lewis”), thus birthing the first town in the first state. Rehoboth, the grande dame of Delaware beach towns, bustles with a milelong boardwalk, hundreds of condos and many hotels. Thirteen miles south of Rehoboth, Bethany Beach shines as the “quiet resort.”
But quiet, as we learned on our first trip to Bethany Beach, doesn’t mean boring or bad. The beach town delivered good surprises. We reserved five nights at the Bethany Beach Ocean Suites Residence Inn after discovering that Rehoboth’s hotels and lodgings were either booked or required weeklong stays, unfeasible for my daughter and her family and for my husband and me.
Weary from a medical procedure, I craved easy. Not having to schlep blankets, pillows and towels to a rental-by-owner lodging was a plus. The hotel provided linens, cleaned rooms and featured a complimentary breakfast, an onsite restaurant and an oceanfront location. We sat on our balcony enjoying sea breezes with our morning coffee, watched kids flying kites in the afternoon and saw locals playing sand volleyball in the evening.
Being steps to the sand also made it easy for James, age 6, and Charlotte, 4, and their parents, Ann and Michael, to tote pails, shovels, beach towels, a blanket and a shade umbrella. We strolled with our toes in the ocean, sculpted mud pies into castles and dinosaurs, collected shells, searched for sea glass and splashed in the water. We also grazed Bethany’s two-block-long main drag for craveable beach eats, a family tradition.
We devoured a basket of crispy funnel cakes covered with powdered sugar at Steve’s Sugar Shack. Lili’s Place served fresh, made-to-order pizza. James and Charlotte devoured their pepperoni pie, and my vegan cheese and vegetable pizza bested a similar pie we order from our hometown of Washington, D.C., Maureen’s cake pops captivated James and Charlotte, and Ann liked the shop’s vegan ice cream.
Although we found fun food for lunch at the shore, we want tasty meals for dinner. Bethany Beach surprised us with its varied array of good restaurants. We dined on Italian fare in DiFebo’s plant-filled courtyard. My daughter and I split the huge cioppino filled with fresh clams, mussels, crab and shrimp.
Cioppino is the order of the day at DiFebo’s in Bethany Beach, Delaware.
At Off the Hook we especially liked the corn-crusted mahi and the blackened swordfish. Mac and cheese and chicken tenders satisfied the kids. Since Ann’s a barbecue fan, we ate at Bethany Blues, a bar and restaurant with an extensive bourbon menu and a roster of barbecue plates, smoked platters and sandwiches. Both kids munched the chicken tenders, and James felt like he had gotten away with something when he was able to watch sports on the wall televisions while he ate.
We knew Bluecoast Bethany had to be good when we pulled into the parking lot at 4:45 p.m. and nabbed the last spot. After us diners parked on the road’s shoulder. The fresh-cut fried calamari and the blackened tuna proved exceptional, and my pan-roasted grouper with watermelon and cantaloupe was tasty. Dessert was a divine nectarine and red plum cobbler with cinnamon ice cream.
Did I mention the camels, wallabies and kangaroos? We got up-close to those animals as well as owls, a lynx, a Watusi cow, tortoises, roosters and others at Barn Hill Preserve, Frankford, near the beach. My husband and I visited without the rest of the family since we couldn’t pry them off the sand.
A child meets face to face with a camel at the Barn Hill Preserve in Frankford, Delaware.
How you respond to the preserve depends on how you feel about animals in captivity. Even though we wished some enclosures were bigger, the animals served as ambassadors, capturing the attention of the adults and kids. We learned about each species and sometimes quirks about a resident’s personality. Stimulated by scents, Sasha the Eurasian lynx especially likes Obsession by Calvin Klein.
As long as you don’t kick the kangaroos’ and wallabies’ soccer balls — the creatures don’t share — you can pet their surprisingly soft fur, a rare treat. Barn Hill also offers swimming with otters. As always, be careful. Animals are animals, and you must listen to the guides.
If you do all of these things or none of them at all, Bethany Beach is about the best place I can think of for a family getaway.
When You Go
Bethany Beach Ocean Suites Residence Inn by Marriott: www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/rehri-bethany-beach-ocean-suites-residence-inn
Lili’s Place: www.lilisplacebethany.com
Steve’s Sugar Shack: 100 Garfield Parkway (no website)
Maureen’s: www.maureensicecream.com
DiFebo’s: www.difebos.com/location/difebos-restaurant-bethany-beach
Off the Hook: www.offthehookbethany.com
Bethany Blues: www.bethanyblues.com/Bethany-beach
Bluecoast Bethany: www.bluecoastbethany.com
Barn Hill Preserve: www.barnhillpreserve.com/barn-hill-preserve-delaware-2
Bethany Beach and Southern Delaware: www.visitsoutherndelaware.com
The Quieter Side of Miami’s South Beach
Epoch Times | Creators Syndicate||by Candyce H. StapenCategories: Destinations, Featured News, Southern United States Destinations, United States DestinationsAlthough South Beach thrums with lively bars and trendy restaurants, especially along Ocean Drive, the iconic Miami Beach hotspot harbors a quieter — but far from boring — side. On a recent visit to family, we explored South Beach’s northern section, which blooms with stunning water views, al fresco dining, Art Deco buildings and street art, all touched with a breezy vibe that’s residential rather than raucous.
South Beach stretches from South Pointe Park at Miami Beach’s tip north to 23rd Street (some descriptions push the border to 26th Street), east to the Atlantic Ocean and west to Biscayne Bay. We based ourselves at Kimpton Hotel Palomar South Beach in the northern section of South Beach, blocks from the water and from the Sunset Harbour neighborhood.
That location changed our perspective. Instead of heading to the Atlantic Ocean beaches as usual, we focused on Biscayne Bay. We followed Bay Road, admiring the Art Deco low-rise apartment buildings that exemplify Miami Beach architecture. Near 16th Street we turned toward the bay.
The walkway surprised us with its sweeping water views and docklike closeness to the bay. We spotted fish in the water and admired the dramatic skyline of downtown Miami Beach in the distance. Joggers, dog walkers and stroller-pushing moms moved briskly along the nearly mile-long paved promenade that separates the waterfront condominiums and apartment buildings from the bay. A neighborhood gem, the path is open to the public from sunrise to sunset.
Searching for more bay views, we lunched at the Lido Bayside Grill in the Standard Hotel Miami Beach on Belle Isle, one of the six Venetian Islands in Biscayne Bay that abuts the western edge of South Beach. Even though the Standard has gained fame as a destination spa, the property welcomes outsiders to its restaurant. My husband and I savored panoramic water views from our table as we dined on salads, burgers and fish sandwiches.
After lunch, we walked east across the causeway to meander Sunset Harbour, a former industrial area that has morphed into a residential neighborhood spiced with good eateries and restaurants. Stiltsville Fish Bar features seafood that ranges from oysters, fish tacos, grilled shrimp wraps and tuna poke to roasted whole fish. Locals like the sushi at Sushi Garage, which also plates chicken tacos and fried tofu for non-fish lovers. For dinner at Icebox Cafe, we enjoyed the flavorful wasabi-crusted salmon and curried chicken breast.
After people we met raved about True Loaf Bakery, we returned the next morning for multigrain loaves and chocolate croissants. Both proved delicious. A good way to shorten the wait at the much-loved artisanal bakery is to order online ahead of time.
Outdoor enthusiasts also like getting onto the bay. You don’t need a boat. Miami Beach Paddleboard rents its namesake toy as well as kayaks and electric boards that propel you along with no effort required.
Another day we ventured to Lincoln Road Mall, between 16th and 17th streets. We joined the lunchtime strollers in the eight-block-long open-air pedestrian shopping center whose median fills with seating for sidewalk cafes. From pizzerias, burger places, Mediterranean bistros and taquerias, we chose Aura for its eclectic menu and shade umbrellas. Our tropical shrimp salad and chicken fajita wrap were tasty.
The mall also pays homage to the arts. The Miami New Drama, a showcase for drama, film, dance and music, occupies the Art Deco Colony Theatre, a Morris Lapidus icon that opened in 1935. Richard Orlinski’s bright-red crocodile and his orange rearing horse enliven the mall promenade, as does Kfir Moyal’s red and blue transformer created from motorcycle parts. More of Moyal’s work appears in his mall gallery.
You can also browse well-known artist Romero Britto’s work at his namesake mall gallery. Founder of what’s known as the “Happy Art Movement,” Britto is one of the world’s most-licensed artists. His candy-colored pop-art-like designs adorn canvases, clothing, coffee mugs, stuffed animals and staircases.
Back at the Kimpton, we cooled off in the rooftop pool and admired views of the engaging northern South Beach neighborhoods. When we return to northern South Beach, we look forward to an indoor performance at the New World Symphony and an outdoor movie at the New World Center, both nearby on Lincoln Road.
When You Go
Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau: www.miamiandbeaches.com
Kimpton Hotel Palomar South Beach: www.hotelpalomar-southbeach.com
Lido Bayside Grill at The Standard Miami: www. standardhotels.com/miami/properties/miami-beach
Miami Beach Paddleboard: www.miamibeachpaddleboard.com/en
Stiltsville Fish Bar: www.stiltsvillefishbar.com
Lincoln Road Mall: www.lincolnroadmall.com
Aura: www.auraonlincoln.com
Kfir Moyal Gallery: www.lincolnroad.com/project/moyal-gallery-2
Romero Britto Fine Art Gallery: www.shopbritto.com
Miami New Drama: www.miaminewdrama.org