Little boys and birthdays are full of fun and cake. That’s a fact. Nowhere is this more evident than a Disneyland birthday celebration at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Seriously, go there and see for yourself if you don’t believe me. There is cake everywhere.

We took our now 6-year-old bundle of joy and adrenaline to a Disney character breakfast at Storytellers Cafe in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. The hotel is awe-inspiring. The breakfast was fantastic. I love it when that happens.

We bought the buffet, which was fresh, amply stocked, and moved along quickly (unless you waited for a personal omelet, but that’s all you). The buffet was just under $24 per person for adults and slightly under $12 for kids. Smaller kids (0-2) are free.

The breakfast was hosted by Chip and Dale, of Chip and Dale fame, and with some of their other Disney animal friends they visited each table in turn and spent a good amount of time with each child (and adults, too).

Then came singing and cake (an optional addition for $15.99 of a pirate treasure chest or princess-themed box filled with said cake), and the smiles were worth every penny. And then some.

We went into Disneyland full and happy, first stop was Town Hall on Main Street, U.S.A. for free birthday buttons and a character phone call, then it was into the magic and the memories made there.

My son said it was the best birthday ever. I am inclined to believe him.

There is a character breakfast in each of the Disneyland Resort Hotels and one in each park (Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure). Reservations are recommended (call (714) 781-DINE or (714) 781-3463). If you are celebrating a special occasion let the host or server know.

Speaking of special occasions, Town Hall has buttons for everything — anniversaries, first visit, birthdays, button wearers… you name it!

We paid for our own stay on Disney property, park ticket admission, and buffet. Disney was kind enough to provide the birthday pirate chest for the purpose of this review. Opinions are my own (and everyone that was with us).

Photo by W. Honea

We recently visited Legoland in Carlsbad, California (just north of San Diego), and the results were a bit mixed. Kind of like nuts.

The good: It is all about Legos, which are, obviously, awesome. The bad: the rides are awful. The majority of rides are geared towards children under the age of six, because personal experience has shown that Lego-obsessed kids around 8-years-old were barely able to hold back a yawn. Sure, it’s great that the younger kids have fun — it’s for them, I get it, but there should be something for kids of other ages, not to mention an occasional block thrown to the adults.

The good: The park itself is quite beautiful. Most of the walkways are wide and clean, and the landscaping is lush and pleasant. The bad: The lines are really long and do not have any sort of theme or interactive components that might keep kids occupied or entertained.

The good: The food served is pretty tasty by theme park standards. The bad: The food is expensive, which is to be expected, but the admission is really expensive — it’s not much cheaper than a day at Disneyland, and it offers about a tenth (if that) of the experience.

The good: It’s close to the ocean. The bad: You actually need to have something else to do, because there isn’t enough to do in the park to last a full day, and even if there was Legoland closes on most days before the sun sets (that includes stores and dining, when they say they’re closed they aren’t messing around).

The good: The Star Wars exhibit is really cool. The bad: It’s basically a museum of things to look at, which would be fine IN A MUSEUM. It’s a theme park about Legos featuring Star Wars things created with Legos, offer something for kids to do that combines the two. Peanut butter and chocolate, people.

We wanted to like Legoland. My wife and I love the San Diego area. Our whole family loves Legos — seriously, there are an embarrassing amount of Legos in our house. We had a fun time at Legoland, but that was despite the park, not because of it. We were on vacation and we made the most of it. Also, we wouldn’t talk bad about something that the kids were enjoying, however, even they noticed the park’s many shortcomings, and when we asked them if they were ready to leave they didn’t hesitate to say “yes.” That’s never a good sign.

Photo: W. Honea

Just across from New Orleans Square in Disneyland is an island that be circled by ship and canoe, or reached via ferry. It used to be all about Tom Sawyer, but now it is about Tom Sawyer and his encounter with the pirates. There are caves to explore, treasure to plunder, and interactive skeleton fun (don’t worry, not your skeleton).

It’s a great place to let kids run wild and burn off some energy — just make sure you have a place to meet should you become separated, and understand that there is only one way on and off of the island.

Have fun!

This post is part of the Uptake Family Friday Series.

Photo: Whit Honea

Cheekwood Mansion

Exploring the sprawling gardens and extensive art collection at Cheekwood is a must for Nashville visitors. Built by the Cheek family, owners of Maxwell House Coffee in 1932, the historic limestone mansion and formal gardens are closely tied to Nashville history. A visit to the gardens and galleries offers an intriguing peek at grand, Southern lifestyles during the early 20 th century.

A view of a Cheekwood pond

From the lovely gardens to the extensive art collections, Cheekwood supplies indoor and outdoor fun. Start with the art galleries, which include the courtyard gallery, Carrell Woodson sculpture trail, video installation galleries and the permanent collection.  The newest exhibit, “Permanent Residents: Artists From Cheekwood’s Collection” will open on March 31.  Noted for an impressive assortment of  American art, Cheekwood will display selected works from 19th Century American artists.  The sculpture trail was my particular favorite, with “One Line Horizontal Floating -Twenty Feet” a fascinating piece that reminded me of a javelin soaring through the air,  a standout art work. This moving line of metal blends with nature creating a range of ever evolving images.  The 55-acre gardens includes pools, fountains and stunning views of the Tennessee Hills. Meander through the herb garden, color garden, water garden, Japanese garden, two perennial gardens and a wildflower garden. After all that exploring, relax in the friendly atmosphere of The Frothy Monkey Coffeehouse.  This charming neighborhood cafe offers an array of locally produced and sustainably-produced food, including corn crusted trout with quinoa and blackened shrimp over cheese grits.

Photos by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

This post is part of Uptake’s Wordless Wednesday Series. Words explaining why it is wordless don’t count.

Photo:Bruce Tuten via Flickr

The Frist Center for Visual Arts

The striking Art Deco structure of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts beckons in downtown Nashville as a highly visible landmark. Originally built as the Nashville post office in 1934,  the building now boasts 24,000 square feet of gallery space. The Frist Center offers popular family outings with hands on workshops for kids and an impressive collection of exhibits.

The array of exhibits and collections dazzle young and old alike but the most constant and popular artwork is probably the building itself. Every  first Saturday of the month, architecture tours that explore the building’s Art Deco treasures that were constructed in the heart of the Great Depression provide a great overview of the center.  Through May 28,  ’Fairy Tales, Monsters, and The Genetic Imagination”  will be highlighted. The exhibit presents works by contemporary artists who create human like , hybrid creatures that symbolize life’s mysteries, fears and desires. Inspired by everything from fables to genetic experimentation, the exhibit presents 60 contemporary paintings, videos, photographs and sculptures. On March 3, the Frist Center will host a family activity, ” Connecting Cultures Celebrates Kudistan.”  The free event will feature art making and stories from the Kurdish culture. After browsing the museum, make your way to the cafe for a variety of soups, sandwiches and desserts.  Don’t miss the coconut crusted chicken with Spanish rice and pineapple.

Photo courtesy of Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Gold and platinum country music records

You may think you know country music but you really don’t realize just how much you don’t now until you step into the vast, interactive rooms of Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.  Sure, you know the iconic Minnie Pearl character from  the Hee Haw TV show but did you know that Sarah Cannon, the woman who played her, was a classically trained actor and musician from a wealthy family?  That’s just one of the tidbits that you’ll discover as you delve into the museum’s video clips, recordings, memorabilia and exhibits chronicling the turns of two centuries of country music history.

Artifacts from Gene Autry, Tex Ritter ans Roy Rogers

Billed as the world’s  largest popular music museum, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum does not take that claim lightly.  Walking through the museum, I was overwhelmed with the sheer number of  exhibits.  Everywhere I turned, there were photos, recordings, videos, posters and a host of interactive media. This is not the place to allocate a quick hour to. I sincerely doubt that you can view everything in a day  but I’d set aside at least three hours to gain a good sense of what’s offered. Highlights include Roy Rogers’ cowboy boots, Gene Autry’s guitar, Brenda Lee’s embroidered gown, A “Blue Yodel” record by Jimmie Rogers and the showstopper? Elvis’ solid gold Cadillac and piano, of course.  And that’s not even a fraction of the highlights, there are scads of gold and platinum albums, recorded stories of artists’  hit song inspirations and lots of sparkly, shiny costumes.  Rest up between exhibits and head to Two Twenty restaurant inside the museum. Try fresh takes on Southern classics like Southern-inspired egg rolls stuffed with pulled pork and Carolina slaw or the savory  sweet potato cake of  Yukon potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted tomato and smoked Gouda. The museum is open daily from 9-5PM.

Elvis' gold piano

Photos courtesy of Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Disclosure: The Museum tour was part of a sponsored press trip.

An Elvis Guitar outside of Studio B

If you’ve never heard of Studio B, you’ve definitely heard the songs produced by this historic Nashville studio. Dubbed the home of 1,000 hits,  RCA Studio B pumped out classic tunes from the 50s through  today, including Elvis’ “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” The Everly Brothers’ “All I Have To Do Is Dream”, Ray Charles’ “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and Dolly Parton’s original version of “I’ Will Always Love You.”    This 30 minute tour is the only historic studio tour in Nashville.

You can feel the history oozing out of the walls of the studio as soon as you step through the doors. Large photos of the studios famous recording artists like Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Elivs and The Every Brothers loom over your movements.  Elvis recorded 200 songs at Studio B and his presence is perhaps the strongest. The tour guide tells fascinating stories about the details of a lot of the recordings.  Elvis apparently recorded ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight” at 4Am in total darkness. The piano that he played gospel tunes to warm up his backing group the Jordainaires still sits in the middle of the studio. Tours leave daily from the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum and are only sold in conjunction with museum admission. Afterwards, head to the stylish Sambucca restaurant in the hip Gulch district. Sample elegant fare like the Cosmo pizza with vodka tomato cream sauce, prosciutto and smoked gouda or the blackened snapper etouffee.

Photo by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Disclosure: All activities were part of a sponsored press trip.

Puss N Boots greets Opryland visitors

If you live in a part of the country that’s covered with snow and freezing temperatures like I do, there is hope. Jetting to an island isn’t the only was to thaw out and have fun, Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland Resort boasts temperature- controlled  glass atriums where the whole family can shop, frolic in gardens and waterfalls and just have fun without worrying about chilly breezes.

Located on nine acres of the banks of the Cumberland River,  Gaylord Opryland offers an array of family activities without leaving ever the resort. Strolling through the atrium, I was tickled to spot on indoor river, complete with a Delta flatboat.  Lush foliage and tropical gardens made me forget all about the frost covered sidewalks outside.  The resort offers dozens of specialty shops for browsing and restaurants for dining as well as a sports club and fitness center. The kids are sure to be occupied by the roaming Dreamworks characters, including Puss N Boots and Shrek.  On March 16, 24 and 30, the resort hosts ‘Spring Break With Friends From Madagascar”. Alex, King and Skipper will show up for a tropical DJ party including games like coconut bowling and puzzles.  Wind down at the elegant Ravello restaurant. Dedicated to Southern Italian cuisine, I sampled artisan cheeses and cured meats as well as carbonara papardelle.

Photo courtesy of Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Disclosure: All activities were part of a sponsored press trip.

Nashville's Athena Parthenos

Nashville may be closely associated with country music and live performances but the Music City nickname is a relatively recent association. Up until the 1940s, Nashville was called “Athens of the South” because of all the universities, museums and cultural activities.  Accordingly, the city’s most stunning landmark is a replica of the Athenian Parthenon.  As the focal point for Centennial Park,  a tour of this dramatic building is a Nashville must do.

Originally constructed for Tennessee’s 1897 Centennial Exposition, the Nashville Parthenon is such an exact replica of the Athenian original that Greek builders came to Nashville to study the structure when they wanted to restore the  ancient Athenian Parthenon.  The towering columns and attention to detail are impressive up close but the show stopper is the  gilded Athena statue.  Looming 41 feet, 10 inches and weighing 12 tons, Athena Parthenos is a jaw-dropping spectacle.  Besides the sheer dimensions and artistry, the most impressive point of the statue is that it was constructed in Nashville by noted sculptor Alan LeQuire from 1982-1990.  The original Nashville Parthenon did not house an Athena statue so the city commissioned it in 1982 and local citizens formed an Athena fund to finance the long and costly process.  Viewing the gleaming Athena Parthenos is as close to Athens, Greece as you can come in the U.S.  Enjoy another Nashville signature experience at the Hermitage Hotel’s Capitol Grille. Serving up Southern classic with a sophisticated twist, don’t miss the braised pork cheeks with corn bread puree or  Gulf snapper .

Photo courtesy of Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Disclosure: All activities were part of a sponsored press trip.