KIDS LOVE FLORIDA: An Organized Family Travel Guide to Exploring Kid-Friendly Florida. 600 Fun Stops & Unique Spots.
KIDS LOVE FLORIDA lists and reviews hundreds of kid-tested attractions and events throughout the state. Besides all of the details (where, when), the book is best known for its easy-to-read reviews of what is most engaging about each site. And, you’ll discover most of the book explores places besides theme parks. You won’t find this information together in any other resource or on the internet. Great idea for unique, easy day trips or vacations.
KIDS LOVE GEORGIA: Your Family Travel Guide to Exploring Kid-Friendly Georgia. 400 Fun Stops & Unique Spots.
Explore hidden islands, humbling habitats, and historic gold mines. See dancing dolphins and comical kangaroos. Watch out for cowboys, Indians and swamp creatures. Well-known attractions plus hundreds of places you’ve probably never thought of! Make short vacation plans or get to know your favorite area better. Each chapter is a day trip zone including points of interest, events and suggested lodging and dining. New features include hand-picked HIGHLIGHTS, itineraries and web resources to quickly help you make the most of a short trip in each chapter. Searching countless hours on the internet? We give you fast travel facts, prices, and our kid-tested reviews for every listing (expanded in this edition). We did the work so you don’t have to. Great tool for moms, dads, grandparents, teachers & visitors.
** The print books are available at Bookstores and Online Retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. NOTE: Amazonoften runs sales on our best selling titles each season.Our travel guides are best suited to print books so you can easily mark and highlight places you want to visit next!
From picnics in open spaces to stepping back in time with visits to historical sites, nature excursions to walking and driving tours, small towns offer options for off-the-beaten path getaways. All provide plenty of relaxation and outdoor adventures, with fewer crowds and room to wander.
But, planning trips can be so frustrating … especially when your kids are bored and begging for ideas on something fun to do … away from the backyard! “Traveling with kids shouldn’t be so hard. We wanted to make family trips easy so, we researched and wrote books about years of experiences,” says Family Travel Mom, Michele Z. KIDS LOVE TRAVEL GUIDES include great hints on what kids like best.
Kids can discover places to race and fly over giant sand dunes or just dip your toes in the water. Watch a butterfly form before your eyes or learn the secrets of a perfect children’s garden.
Another weekend you’ll discover where ponies swim and dolphins dance, or dig into archaeology and living history. Search for real treasure, pirates, castles and lost civilizations. Cross prairies, romp around forts, or venture on journeys of Indians and explorers.
And what about the wonders of nature – the roar of the falls, fossils, fish ladders or pine forests. Rent a boat to traverse a new river or smile at the antics of baby animals in zoos.
The books provide all the details a family needs to
know (i.e. maps, directions, websites, prices, reviews) to save lots of
time. PLUS:
The ACTIVITY INDEX is helpful. Choose to explore Animals & Farms, Outdoor Exploring, or Historical sites that often have walking trails and gardens.
Limited budget, don’t worry – each book finds lots of places to visit for little or no charge!
Packed full of over 500 places designed for children between the ages of 2-15. Updated regularly.
Quick look Favorites in each region.
Tried & true Suggested Lodging & Dining that appeal to kids. Often we mention candy shops & Mom & Pop ice cream shops around the corner from major attractions.
The series offers 16 regional travel guides: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, The Carolinas, Virginia, Wisconsin, I-75 & I-95
Grab your KIDS LOVE TRAVEL GUIDE and Create your own old-fashioned Road Trips! Books can be purchased at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Updates are on https://kidslovetravel.com/travel-books/
KIDS LOVE I-95 – Your Family Travel Guide to I-95. 500 Kid-Tested Fun Stops & Unique Spots from the Mid-Atlantic to Miami
Welcome to Side-Tripping with Kids – a New Way to Travel Quick Stops along I-95.
SideTrips!: travel just minutes off the interstate to learn of hidden messages and historic secrets. Fly in Space and see priceless national treasures. Escape rooms full of bugs, enchanted gardens, explosive museums, pirate ships, and haunted lighthouses & forts. See George Washington’s teeth, experience a Civil War battle, and find the elusive Fountain of Youth.
We’ll tell you exactly how to find unique landmarks and favorite pit stops, too. Make spontaneous or planned sidetrips and get to know your favorite destinations better! All on a budget of time and money.
The print books are available at Bookstores and Online Retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. NOTE: Amazonoften runs sales on our best selling titles each season.Our travel guides are best suited to print books so you can easily mark and highlight places you want to visit next!
An Organized Family Travel Guide to Exploring “Kid-Friendly” Pennsylvania – 600 Fun Stops & Unique Spots
Your kids will love finding where to discover Oil and take a tram ride deep into Coal Mines…hike along tall trees, great lakes, waterfalls and grand canyons…tour fun Snack Food Factories…twist your own Pretzel…take a peak at Polar Bears and Groundhogs…travel around Train Curves and Inclines…or, “meet” Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln and even see some real Christopher Columbus stuff!
Each chapter is a day trip zone including points of interest, events and suggested lodging and dining options.
Save Time. New features include QUICK TOURS and web resources to quickly help you make the most of a short trip in each chapter. Searching countless hours on the internet? We give you fast travel facts, prices, and our kid-tested reviews for every listing. We did the work so you don’t have to.
Save Money. Once you purchase the book you’ll have access to a special page of online updates that keeps your book FRESH for years. Plus, we’ve found many places to visit for little or no charge.
The books are available at Bookstores and Online Retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Virginia is for love and February 14th is the perfect time to introduce a new edition of KIDS LOVE VIRGINIA, An Organized Family Travel Guide to Kid-Friendly Virginia! All the listings have been UPDATED, about a dozen places closed (mostly little museums that didn’t survive the pandemic shutdown), yet a handful of new places opened or added significant new attractions.
The print books are available at Bookstores and Online Retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. NOTE: Amazonoften runs sales on our best selling titles each season.Our travel guides are best suited to print books so you can easily mark and highlight places you want to visit next!
I just found this video we put together years ago highlighting why travel with kids? It still applies to how we research and write today…check it out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Y1H_V-LIU
For some, big vacations are the way to celebrate spring break with a bang but for others, time and finances may make that type of trip impossible. Regardless, here are a few tips on how you can make the most of school breaks no matter your schedule or budget!
Be a Hometown Tourist Many residents don’t take the time to visit all the landmarks and attractions that their hometown is famous for. Make like a tourist and visit a popular monument, a local museum or sporting event. Often, there are outdoor festivals celebrating some fun local foods. Sometimes a stay-cation is all you need to recharge 😉
Sleep Away Go online and find a reasonably priced hotel in your own city, book a room for a night or two and go. Since your stay will be short, you can even splurge and go for that five star hotel that you have always wanted to visit. Enjoy the luxuries of room service and all the amenities, such as the pool and jacuzzi. The kids can swim to their hearts content while you lounge or enjoy a favorite treat.
Take a Hike! Find a nearby nature preserve or mountain with marked hiking trails. Grab your walking shoes, backpack, water bottle and get moving. Make the most of the sun and warm weat her or clean spring air by taking in all that nature has to offer. Pack a lunch and make a day out of it.
Day Tripping Plan to do something fun for the day. Look up towns and landmarks that are up to 2 hours away so you can make it up and back comfortably with time to explore. You’d be surprised how even being 30 minutes outside of the city can feel like being a world away 😉
Weekend Getaway Plan ahead to take the whole weekend off and devote it to your family. Explore as far as you can for as long as you can. Camping is also a great, affordable weekend trip that gets you away from the big city stress and in touch with nature.
Get Creative No matter what you do this break, get out there and do something! Make some family travel memories, explore your world and enjoy the leisure of school breaks while you can.
A little Frazzled? Busy? Have a Free Weekend coming up but no time to plan it? Kids Love Travel Family Guides to the rescue! We’ve already surveyed all the kid-friendly attractions and organized them for you to plan day trips and getaways…on a budget.
Moms everywhere are planning their family vacations for the year. Destination Toledo and Ohio State Parks are here to help mom out by providing a slew of great ideas for a family getaway to Northwest Ohio!
Start your journey at the Toledo Zoo (KIDS LOVE OHIO), one of the nation’s top-ranked zoos and the number one attraction in Toledo! Immerse yourself in the heart of Africa on the Safari Railway through a 5-acre African habitat teeming with giraffes, zebra and all the wilds of Africa. Grab lunch at the Carnivore Café before enjoying your whirlwind trip through the Arctic Encounter, Hippoquarium, Nature’s Neighborhood, Museum of Science and Aquarium…your journey is endless! The new aquarium was funded by locals, so it’s their pride and joy. I particularly loved that the zoo keeps many old structures and recycles them. For instance, the old lion and tiger cages are now the Carnivore Café – indoor seating in actual barred cages!
Take a break and relax with a view of the beautiful downtown Toledo skyline at one of several restaurants located at the Docks (22 Main Street, www.realseafoodcorestaurant.com). Enjoy the picturesque riverfront on the outdoor patio of Real Seafood for an afternoon nibble and a cold drink. They bring in fresh seafood from the Atlantic, Pacific and Great Lakes. Many rave about their crab cakes. I liked their selection of locally caught Perch or Walleye. Lunch runs $10-$13. Dinner runs about double. Entrees include two sides. I recommend you try their blue cheese vinaigrette coleslaw with any fish entrée. All kids meals include a beverage and the entrees (shrimp, burger, tenders, spaghetti, etc) run $5.95. On a nice day, try to get a patio seat. Really good view.
The fishing pier is tiered steps leading right into the water. Once you’re down in there, you escape the resort view and feel like you’re at a favorite fishing hole!
Get ready for some fun in the sun! Head out to the 1,850-acre Maumee Bay State Park (KIDS LOVE OHIO pg 220) and play on the beach on the shores of Lake Erie. Rent a jet ski, kayak or a banana boat and venture out on the water. Take a nature walk on the marshland boardwalk teeming with wildlife, or bike along one of the winding trails with stunning views. Options include the Nature Center, geocaching, court sports, horseshoes, children’s activities, swimming (inside or out), hot tubs, children’s soft play area, fitness room, game room, corn-hole, shuffleboard, fishing, canoeing and paddle boating. And dad will love the 18-hole Scottish Links golf course!
Nature Center is very hands-on.
Indoor splash pad area.
A nice beach for swim and play.
After an afternoon of sun and fun, it’s time to check in at the Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference Center. Whether you opt for one of the fully-furnished cozy cottages, or select a loft-style room at the lodge, your stay is sure to be a delight. Simple furnishings for old-fashioned fun.
No need to leave the park for dinner! Water’s Edge Restaurant encompasses a breathtaking glass wrap-around view of Lake Erie with a variety of choices to suit every appetite. This is not your typical state park dining. The chef uses mostly local ingredients and prepares gourmet entrees that have appealing subtle look and flavor. If you’re there for brunch, it’s so diverse. Come hungry. After dinner, hang out at either the outdoor or indoor pool, or soak in the warmth of the relaxing whirlpool or sauna. Then, watch a feature movie inside or a bonfire and roast s’mores outside.
The ice cream shop was hopping! Veryyyy large portions!
A bonfire and smores – at dusk. Perfect ending to the day!
Moms everywhere are planning their family vacations for the year. Destination Toledo and Ohio State Parks are here to help mom out by providing a slew of great ideas for a family getaway to Northwest Ohio!
DAY ONE
First stop on our Playtime tour is an art museum? (Toledo Museum of Art, KIDS LOVE OHIO pg 219, FREE admission)
Probably my favorite space is the Glass Pavilion. The Glass Pavilion is—in itself—a work of art. All exterior and nearly all interior walls consist of large panels of curved glass, resulting in a transparent structure that blurs the boundaries between interior and exterior spaces. You are greeted by a clear glass “fish-looking” Chihuly sculpture and then drawn in further by the live glass-blowing artists at work.
Toledo’s newest attraction, the National Museum of the Great Lakes (KIDS LOVE OHIO pg 216), reveals the haunting and fascinating history of our treasured Great Lakes that happen to make up 84 percent of the fresh surface water in North America. The main emphasis is on the new museum at the Toledo Maritime Center with a complete experience for visitors of all ages to include: original artifacts (some from horrific shipwrecks like the Edmund Fitzgerald); over 40 hands-on exhibits (for example: direct your own submersible through the wreckage of a lost freighter or keep your own ship afloat by operating a real bilge pump); the real life-size S.S. Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship sits outside the museum for touring; and for waterside wonderers – A beautifully landscaped 3.5 acre maritime-themed park.
Ever felt the whipping winds of a hurricane? Step inside the hurricane chamber at the brand new Imagination Station(KIDS LOVE OHIO pg 215) and your answer can be ‘Yes’. This brand new attraction promises to engage visitors of every age in a multi-sensory experience that’s as fun as it is educational. Defy gravity as you ride the High Wire Cycle, or bounce on the BOYO, a human YoYo. We especially liked the science experiments where it was “old-school” science museum – kids and parents helped make the tests work! I even beat my athlete son at the Pendulum Pull. Brains over Brawn…
Batter up! Family fun is waiting for you as the Toledo Mud Hens (KIDS LOVE OHIO pg 217) play ball at Fifth Third Field! Grab some popcorn, cotton candy and a cold drink and settle in to this unique ballpark situated in the historic downtown landscape of the Warehouse District. We love and support AAA ball…it’s so fan friendly for the price. Not only do you get to see MLB up n comers but it’s likely you’ll see major league stars playing off the dust during rehab. We liked the way this park was setup too. Any seat ticket holder can enter the Club Level Lounge to cool off, catch some stats from other games being played, or grab some upscale food that’s fairly priced.
It’s November and time to start thinking about turkeys and the spaces they live freely
So you thought there was nothing to know about turkeys except whether you liked drumsticks or white meat. Think again.
Wild turkeys strut and display at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, PA. Photo: Copyright Bill Buchanan. Used with permission.
Enough with gobble, gobble. Turkeys also cluck and purr .
Turkey droppings tell a bird’s sex and age. Male droppings are j-shaped; female droppings are spiral-shaped. The larger the diameter, the older the bird.
Feather-hanger: An adult turkey has 5,000 to 6,000 feathers – count them! – on its body.
Tom turkeys aren’t the only ones that swagger and fan their tail feathers to woo mates and ward off rivals. Some hens strut, too.
Crunchy treats. Young turkeys – poults – scarf down insects like candy. They develop more of a taste for plants after they’re four weeks old.
They may look off-kilter – tilting their heads and staring at the sky –yet but they’re fast. Turkeys can clock more than 12 miles per hour.
Move over, American bald eagle. Ben Franklin called the wild turkey a “bird of courage” and thought it would make a better national symbol.
Wild turkeys are not hard to find. National wildlife refuges are great places to look —while you enjoy a stroll in nature and emerge looking less like a butterball yourself. Here are some favorite turkey hideouts:
FLORIDA St Marks National Wildlife Refuge (KIDS LOVE FLORIDA, pg 97) To boost your chances of seeing turkeys, get out of your car and walk. “Turkeys are sensitive to the movement of vehicles,” says Ranger David Moody. Wearing camo colors might help, too. The refuge permits bow hunting the first two weeks in November. Then it closes to hunting until December 13. Almost 50 miles of the Florida National Scenic Trail go through the refuge. Turkeys like the open terrain of the longleaf pine sandhill ecosystem along the trail. $5 entrance fee.
GEORGIA Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge Look for turkeys along 50 miles of gravel road, including five-mile-long Wildlife Drive. You might also see them off Round Oak Juliette Road, a scenic (and paved) byway. Or try one of the refuge’s five hiking trails. No entrance fee. (Note: the refuge is closed for a deer hunt Saturday, Nov. 22.)
ILLINOIS Wild Turkey Trail — Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge (KIDS LOVE ILLINOIS, pg 171) Easy to moderate 1.7- mile trail leads through woods and offers a fine chance of seeing wild turkeys. For more of a challenge, take the connecting 2.2-mile Rocky Bluff Trail. Entrance fee: $2 per vehicle.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge The 9-mile Wildlife Drive passes many woods and fields where you might spot turkeys, especially in mornings and late afternoons. Or lose the wheels and walk any of seven hiking trails along the drive. No entrance fee.
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