Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning...

Our friends across the pond know a thing or two about jolly holidays. They’re also very gracious hosts. A family vacation to the United Kingdom is something to be cherished for a lifetime.

Plus, there’s a good chance you already speak the language. More or less.

For more family-friendly travel photos visit DeliciousBaby’s Photo Fridays.

Photo by James/Jeherv via Flickr

An installation by Radcliffe Bailey at the Hunter Museum

Supplying over 100 years of architecture in just the buildings alone, the Hunter Museum of American Art is a must see.  Sitting on an 80-floor bluff overlooking the Tennessee River, the museum is housed in an 1905 mansion, a 1975 wing filled with stark lines and a contemporary 2005 structure composed of steel and glass.  The museum focuses on American art from the colonial period to today and hosts many of Chattanooga’s cultural events. Read More »

Cascading waterfall at Gardens of the World

You’ve all heard of Pleasant Holidays, right?  That travel company that sells packaged vacations in various tropical locations?  Well, Ed and Lynn Hogan, who founded the company, loved what they’ve seen in their travels around the world so much that they built a monument to the world’s natural beauty right in their hometown.  It is called The Gardens of the World, and I literally stumbled upon it a few weeks ago.

There are other park-like gardens in Southern California that quite possibly hog the spotlight – Descanso Gardens, Huntington Gardens, the Los Angeles Arboretum – but then if Gardens of the World was more famous, my discovery would not have been so delightful.  I was taking a long walk on Thousand Oaks Boulevard, the thoroughfare that runs parallel north of the 101 Freeway in the Conejo Valley, while my car was being serviced.  And since I recently moved from that other famous valley, the San Fernando, I don’t really know this area very well so I decided to explore.

After walking for over an hour, I was hot and thirsty and feeling too much sun.  But after the car shops and panaderias and boutiques faded away, I came upon a block that was fenced in by a greenery-covered wall.  As I approached, I smelled the flowers.  I looked up to see a gateway.

Open to the public

A sign said “open to the public” and the gates were open, so I wandered in.  I saw this: Read More »

Sculpture Garden in Bluff View Arts District

Blessed with natural as well as urban beauty, Chattanooga, Tennessee offers a great landscape for biking. Whether your interest is cultural, physical, natural or all three, bike rides through Chattanooga provides every level of activity.  I’m a laid back biking enthusiast so I wasn’t looking for rigorous terrain when I signed up for a ride at Outdoor Chattanooga.   Hopping on the bike for a guided tour through the city and parks, I got just what I was looking for, which was an eyeful of the lovely Chattanooga scenery. Read More »