Category: Kid-Friendly Trips
Hey Dad…Can We Go Camping this Weekend?
June 15, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
There’s something about camping, from tent, tent trailer, and pop-up camper to diesel pusher and luxury fifth wheel trailer that makes it more than the sum of its parts. Hey, Dad, let’s go camping…to Arches National Park, Utah. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved You’re not just looking for a place to spend the night or weekend or to hide out from the rain—you’re buying into a lifestyle. It’s taking in the fresh air of the great outdoors. The RV lifestyle is about freedom, and it’s a complete 180-degree turn from the hectic pace of everyday life. When you arrive at your campsite it doesn’t matter if the Yankees lost a double header or the Cowboys were defeated in overtime. It’s is a relaxing pleasure to park in a beautiful location and go fishing, take a walk, or simply relax by the camp fire. Camping is a great way to get to know your family better and to meet new friends. Once you get away from all of those distractions at home, you have a great opportunity to really... [Read more...]
Field Trip in the 11th Century and Experience the Middle Ages
June 13, 2012 by Canadianladybug · Leave a Comment
Medieval Times has been part of our lives the last few years. Back in 2009, my husband and I went to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary in Toronto and attended their evening show. We had so much fun that we immediately thought that the kids would enjoy it. So the next year, when we were visiting Toronto with the family, my husband brought the boys as a surprise. Our daughter was too young back then and we knew that one day we would bring her too! In May, we had to go to Toronto since my husband had a contract there. A whole month rving and homeschooling outside. It was different and we had a good time (apart for one cold rainy week!). But while there, I decided to approach various attractions and offer them to review it in exchange of free entrance for my family. One of these attractions was Medieval Times in Toronto. Sending such an email was new to me and I was excited when I got positive answers – including from the Medieval Times. The kids didn’t know I was doing this so... [Read more...]
Doors Open Ontario
May 31, 2012 by Canadianladybug · 1 Comment
Last year, out of the blue, we have decided to participate to the Doors Open Ottawa during the first week-end of June. That year, we have discovered a wonderful way to learn more about the facilities in our city as we visited the Traffic Control, the Supreme Court, the parliament, the paramedic’s headquarters as well as the Ottawa Citizen on a two days adventure. This year, we will miss Doors Open Ottawa since we are away from home. But I discovered that this event is not limited to Ottawa only. Last Saturday, we had the opportunity to participate to Doors Open Toronto and discovered interesting things. Here’s the places we went to learn more about these iconic places in Toronto. Union Station Since the opening in 1927, Union Station has been one of the most significant hubs in Canada’s transportation network. In the last 35 years, the station has taken on added importance in the Toronto area as the terminal for commuter rail services and as a vital link in the Toronto... [Read more...]
Road trip!
May 24, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
It’s the Memorial Day long weekend—the unofficial start of summer—and for many travel-wise Americans that means one thing: Road trip! Let's Go RVing on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved The tradition of taking a road trip dates back about 3,000 years. The first road trip likely occurred in ancient Egypt around 1200 B.C., when Ramses II hit the road in his chariot. Similar ventures—using the well-loved automobile—began in Germany in the 1880s. As the car’s popularity grew, so did the practice of taking to roadways for a carefree holiday. The road trip became an easy, breezy travel idea that’s affordable and accessible—and in America today there is no shortage of highways, byways, and back roads. Answering the call of the open road is practically an American rite of passage—and today more and more are taking to the open road in a recreational vehicle. 5 Great All-American Road Trips These 10 distinctive all-American road trips, inclusive... [Read more...]
Royal Botanical Gardens
May 24, 2012 by Canadianladybug · Leave a Comment
Since my husband has a contract outside of town, we have decided to bring the whole family with the RV and homeschool on the road. Though we do a bit of school work during the weekdays, I also wanted to discover new places in the Toronto area. Since I review books and products, I figure that I could try to get free admission to different attractions in or near Toronto in exchange of a blog post. One of the first attractions I contacted was the Royal Botanical Gardens which is located about 1 hour and 30 minutes from our campsite. This activity would definitively be a day outing and it would require us to be rested. Imagine my delight when I got a positive response from them. We were set to visit the RBG over the long week-end in May. So on May 19th, we drove to Burlington to explore and discover a garden that I have been wanting to see for many years now. I grew up in Montreal and I went many times to the botanical gardens there. I also had the privilege of... [Read more...]
Where to Eat? Taos Pizza Outback
May 6, 2012 by Diane Berry · 2 Comments
Back in the free spirited days of the 1960s a group of ambitious but laid back young people got the idea to open a pizza restaurant in Taos, NM where they lived. They located a place to rent behind another establishment, making it a bit difficult to find. Customers would enter the business in front and ask, “Where’s the pizza?” “Outback” was always the response. Thus was born the name of one of our family’s favorite pizza restaurants in Taos. Still in its same location, Taos Pizza Outback also favors laid back waiters, waitresses and cooks and an extremely casual atmosphere. Your pizza may take a bit longer than at Pizza Hut, but this is, indeed, part of the charm of the place. It gives you a bit more of an opportunity to enjoy the unique atmosphere surrounding you. The restaurant itself is small, consisting of a small eating area and covered porch. Most patrons prefer to dine outside at one of the many picnic tables in the tree-covered yard. You can then enjoy reading the graffiti... [Read more...]
Boston Children’s Museum
April 18, 2012 by Canadianladybug · 1 Comment
Another great place to visit while camping around Boston, MA is definitively the Boston Children’s Museum and let your little ones go crazy around the three floors of this museum. I remember going on a trip to Boston with a friend while being in University. We had visited the Computer Museum, which is now closed, at that same place where now stand the Boston Children’s Museum. We visited this museum twice so far and each time we had a marvelous time with our kids. The Boston Children’s Museum will allow your kids to learn through experience and hands-on engagement. The exhibits focus on science, culture, environmental awareness, health & fitness, and the arts. My younger kids enjoyed the activities in the construction zone and Arthur & Friends while my oldest kids the highlights preferred the 3-story climbing sculpture as well as the Kid Power area where you learn how it is important to stay active. However, all four of them enjoyed the Science Playground when you can... [Read more...]
Steep Cliffs and Towering Spires: Dead Horse Point State Park
March 30, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Dead Horse Point State Park is perhaps Utah’s most spectacular state park. The park lies on the same broad mesa as The Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park. The meandering Colorado River 2,000 feet below Dead Horse Point. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Dead Horse Point is a peninsula of rock atop sheer sandstone cliffs about 6,000 feet above sea level. Two thousand feet below, the Colorado River winds its way from the continental divide in Colorado to the Gulf of California, a distance of 1,400 miles. The peninsula is connected to the mesa by a narrow strip of land called the neck. From the overlook, canyon erosion may be viewed on a grand scale. This erosion process has taken approximately 150 million years. Much of it is caused by the river slicing down into the earth’s crust as land is forced upward. These powerful forces are still sculpting the fantastic shapes of the precipitous bluffs and towering spires. Vegetation and wildlife in this desert environment... [Read more...]
Exploration 101 at the Boston Museum of Science
March 20, 2012 by Canadianladybug · 2 Comments
A couple of years ago, we were once again in the area of Boston and wanted to explore the museums out there. The first one we went to visit was the Boston Museum of Science which we were able to access for almost free because of our membership at our local Science museum. I say almost free because this particular museum charged us a child entrance ticket for our family. I am not complaining because if we would have had to pay for everyone it would have cost us a fortune. Our experience there was fabulous. There are many levels to explore and discover with the kids. We even took a picture with a Naboo Starfighter from Star Wars while there! Two particular things were our highlights while visiting the museum of science in Boston. The first one is the human body section where we stumbled (literally) on a live experiment to explain how our heart works with the heart of a lamb. Apparently, both hearts works the same way so it was very instructive. My oldest... [Read more...]
Day trip around Cape Cod Bay
March 5, 2012 by Canadianladybug · Leave a Comment
Back in 2008, we made a long trip from Ottawa, ON to PA, MA, ME, NB and PEI before going back home. It was our first trip with the RV and we still remember the highlights of that trip. A few weeks ago I presented a tour that we did while in Pennsylvania. Today, let me present you to the coast of Massachusetts – more specifically Cape Cod Bay. While we were in the Boston area, I wanted to go visit the Cape Cod Potato Chip Company that let you see how they make potato chips. The manufacture is located on 100 Breed’s Hill Road in Hyannis, Massachusetts . We were not allowed to take picture inside the facility and to be honest this is a self-guided tour where you look through windows while you watch them work and make potato chips. The tour wasn’t long and can be done in about 10-15 minutes. But the kids enjoyed seeing the process of making potato chips. Self-guided tours are the next best thing to real tours when you take the time to read and explain... [Read more...]
