Vacations Blog

All aboard!

Seriously, if you haven’t picked your pumpkin yet you’re about as big a slacker as the guy that waits until October 30th to write about a pumpkin patch.  Let’s not judge.

Besides, calling Remlinger Farms a pumpkin patch is like calling Neil Diamond a singer.  He’s an entertainer, people.  Remlinger Farms is pretty entertaining, too.

The farm is located in Carnation, WA and is a self-contained family destination, minus the lodging.  Luckily, Seattle is about 30 minutes away and they have a couple of motels along the freeway. Read More »

Perhaps you thought this was Texas.  True, they do everything bigger, but this kernel of candy corn is located outside Disneyland Resort’s second gate Disney’s California Adventure.

Disneyland knows big, too. The two guys in the photo are both well over 7′ tall.  Read More »

Starting January 1, 2010 you can give some magic to someone in need and get some magic in return.  Disney Magic, no less.

The Disney Theme Parks are starting a great new campaign, one that rewards community service with free admission to a Disney Park. Read More »

There’s about to be more magic in Orlando.

Universal Orlando Resort and Warner Bros. have finally revealed the “first-ever details about the incredible scope of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.”  Not the least of which is that the land will open in spring 2010.  That’s soon!
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be an addition to Universal’s Islands of Adventure park, which is already AWESOME (it’s all Marvel characters though, which leads me to wonder what talks are underway between Universal and Marvel’s new owner Disney).  The Spider-Man ride alone is worth the price of admission.

And the Dr. Suess stuff.

Harry Potter’s new land is obviously based upon the stories and characters of J.K. Rowling and promises to remain “faithful to the visual landscapes of the films.” Read More »

Leaving our mark on Disneyland.

At the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, there is a large square of open area between the gates of the original Disneyland park and Disney’s California Adventure.  The square is filled with families waiting for loved ones and teenagers trying to look cool in mouse ears and all of the randomness that one might associate with the downtime of a Disney vacation. Read More »

Legoland in San Diego, CA

A big worry I often have when deciding to take our recently-turned-four-year-old twins places is whether that place will be age appropriate.  Restaurants have to be scrutinized.  Will there be things the kids can eat?  Will the kids be engaged or bored?  And that’s just for a night out on the town.  When it comes to amusement parks, I’m always dubious that young kids will have much to do.  Usually, amusement parks are built for the over 40-inch crowd and those with smaller children are left with whiny kids and even whinier parents.  (Is whinier a word? It is now.)

But Legoland, in Carlsbad, CA (located in San Diego County) and it’s newest attraction SeaLife Aquarium, are made for younger kids.  Recently I had the pleasure of a tour of the SeaLife Aquarium and LegoLand and was informed that the age range they aim to please is 2 to 12 years old.  Perfect for my little ones.

Rays at LegoLand's SeaLife Aquarium

If you go to LegoLand, go early – especially in the summer.  It gets mighty warm and the morning crowds are still manageable (For ways to beat the Summer crowds at LegoLand, see this post).  You can also eat at the new Ocean Journey Cafe which is part of the new SeaLife Aquarium.  The food is freshly made and really yummy.  You can choose between smoothies, muffins, eggs & potatoes made to order, cereal, fresh fruit and a multitude of other breakfast fare.  Breakfast is served from 9:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. and make sure you get a cranberry or blueberry muffin.  My wife, a true muffin connoisseur, highly recommends them.

The new SeaLife Aquarium was a lot of fun for the kids.  It has interactive tide pools for the kids to touch starfish and horseshoe crabs to a large 200,000 gallon ocean display complete with sharks, rays and tropical creatures that swim amongst some pretty cool Lego displays.  The LegoLand park itself has a lot of rides for kids of all ages.  My kids were able to go on a mini-rollercoaster (accompanied by me and my wife, of course) and had a bunch of fun running around in Explore Village and playing with the water features that make up part of the village.  Good times for a couple of four-year-olds.

Of course, vacationing in San Diego offers many things to do, but you’d be hard pressed to find something that is so uniquely catered to younger kids.  And big kids like me.

Silverwood Theme Park in North Idaho

Driving along Highway 95 in the panhandle of North Idaho, you don’t expect to find something like Silverwood.

Most people are surprised to find the largest amusement park in the Pacific Northwest located in the middle of the Idaho forest halfway between the small towns of Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint.

Hey, it’s as good a place as any. Read More »