Vacations Blog

I would never suggest that you visit an airport with your children just for fun.  However, if you are stranded at an airport on your way home from holiday travel, let it be known that some of them have incredibly cool features that will help you kill the time and burn off the kids’ energy so they will pass out on the airplane.  Just don’t let them visit the ubiquitous airport candy store.

My holiday gift to you is a list, below, of links to the major US airlines and their hub airports.  Chances are, if you are traveling across the country, you may have to set foot in one of them, and you may even have to spend many of your precious hours there.  To all of our delight, I am sure, the city editors of Being Savvy, a guide for parents of preschoolers, have found interesting ways to kill time with children of all ages at many of these airports.

Do not be intimidated by the links.  Find your airline, then find the airport you where you will be sleeping changing planes.

Alaska Airlines: Alaska Airlines (AS) uses Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) where Being Savvy helps you locate the children’s play area, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Portland International Airport (PDX).

Music scape at the American Airlines terminal at Dallas/Ft. Worth

American Airlines: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) – (check out the terminal’s many cool larger-than-life sculptures), Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) (check out Being Savvy’s guide to O’Hare), Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport (STL), Miami International Airport (MIA).

Continental Airlines:  Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE).

Delta Air Lines:  Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) (here’s Being Savvy’s guide ),Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) with fully equipped children’s play areas on three concourses, Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

Frontier Airlines:  Denver International Airport (DEN) where Being Savvy found five fun frolics.  Until December 31st, 2008, kids under 12 fly, ski, and stay free in Aspen.

Jet Blue :  John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS) where Being Savvy visits the Kidport – Also, if you get a chance, show the older kids Logan’s 9/11 memorial.

The Kidport at Logan

Midwest Airlines:  Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) and Kansas City International Airport (MCI).

Northwest Airlines:  Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) where Being Savvy locates the family services and hits you with family travel tips, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), Memphis International Airport (MEM).

Southwest Airlines:  technically does not have hubs, but has main activities at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Chicago Midway Airport (MDW), Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL), Las Vegas’s McCarran International Airport (LAS), Houston Hobby Airport (HOU), and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).

Spirit Airlines:  calls their hubs “bases” which are at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) where Being Savvy finds you kid-friendly activities, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).

United Airlines (UA) uses Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) with its in-house aquarium!, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) – (check out the Being Savvy layover lifesaver ), Denver International Airport (DEN), and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

US Airways (US) uses Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT), and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

[Photos courtesy of Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport and Logan International Airport]

This summer has been HOT. Muy Caliente. So, what is the best way to beat the heat in Dallas right now? Bahama Beach is a family water park with a lazy river, a rain-fortress playground and tons of slides. Mondays are half-off moms’ tickets with a downloadable coupon and seasons passes are also available. They are located ten minutes south of downtown and open from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. There’s plenty of shade, reservable private cabanas and concession stands to feed the family.

The City of Dallas also offers seven spraygrounds and a summer brochure listing the metro pool schedules. That makes it easy to find the pool nearest you, because honestly, a cold pool is the best way to beat the Texas summer heat.

Just outside of Dallas is a unique indoor playground called Kidz Muze where children ages twelve and under can play and learn in a safe, clean environment. There are climbing structures, mazes, an arcade, construction zones, ball play centers and a pretend play village. You can skip the sunscreen and quit worrying about the heat on this playground. Adults and babies pay no admission while children one to three years old are $5.99 and children four to twelve years old are $7.99.

You seriously need to check out White Rock Lake, a unique 1,015 acre city lake where you can hike or bike on trails, rent sailboats, fish and picnic. Motorized boats and swimming are not permitted. The lake contains catfish, sunfish, crappie, carp, gar and bass. It’s a great place in the metro area to cool off under the trees while fishing or enjoying the cool breeze off the water while sailing.

What can a family of four do in Dallas for $20 a day?  Here are some ideas.

The best inexpensive fun is practically free and right around the corner from you, no matter where you are in Dallas.  Find the nearest Dallas park and take your family for the day.  Pack a picnic lunch, arrange for a water gun fight, and blow bubbles and let the kids try to catch them.

We almost always have a soccer ball in the trunk or a Frisbee.  The kids can climb or swing on a playground, feed ducks, fly kites or you can send them on a nature scavenger hunt.  Can they find a stick shaped like the letter “y” or a stone shaped like a heart?  A nature stroll is healthy and aerobic and while you’re at it, pick up trash or wash graffiti off play equipment, teaching your children an important lesson about nature and taking good care of our Earth.  The only money you need to spend will be on the picnic lunch.

In historic Fair Park many museums offer free admission.  Also within the park is a hidden gem called Texas Discovery Gardens, which contains ten themed garden areas for parents and kids to explore together and learn more about nature on their own, through workshops or guided tours.  Admission is pretty inexpensive at three dollars an adult, a dollar and fifty cents for children ages three to eleven years old, and children under three years old are free.  They have a butterfly habitat, a native wildlife pond, a scent garden, a shade garden and an heirloom garden.

The historic M-Line Streetcars that run along McKinney Avenue in Uptown Dallas are also free, and a great inexpensive way to explore that area of the city.

Five your children a free art lesson at Nasher Sculpture Center.  Adult admission is $10 but children twelve and under are free.  The indoor and outdoor galleries contain a comprehensive collection of masterpieces with rotating and special exhibitions.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has an area in their Founders Plaza called Observation Station where you can watch the thousands of take-offs and landings in one of the busiest airports in the world.  A graph board helps you identify the many different types of aircrafts while you listen to live audio straight from the control tower.  This area is currently closed but scheduled to open up again in September.

Who says you can’t have inexpensive fun?

If a romantic getaway to the Dallas area is on your calendar, then this is the article for you.  Dallas is full of romance and passion, if you know where to look for it (and you have the right person with you). There are plenty of places to stay, but here are a few unique ones.

Hotel ZaZa, a magical, luxurious boutique hotel, offers an expensive but one of a kind romance package with a suite, half terrace, whirlpool bath, house champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, a couples massage and manicure or pedicure, dinner for two at Dragonfly with VIP seating, breakfast served in suite and complimentary covered, secure valet parking.  Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?

Another wonderfully romantic place to stay is the Hotel St. Germain, an old-fashioned hotel with European décor and genuine French and Creole antiques.  They have plenty of great ideas for love birds, such as a lover’s treasure hunt, scented bath with rose petals and rose petal turndown service.  Every evening the Parisian Champagne Bar service is offered, exuding a sophisticated ambiance and they offer amazing arrays of chocolate in their boutique.

A couple of great restaurants to start off your romantic evening are Nana and The Grape.  Nana Restaurant is on the 27th floor of the Hilton Anatole building in downtown Dallas with a spectacular view of the city.  They offer live jazz music nightly and an enlarged dance floor.  With critically acclaimed food, a priceless Asian art collection and an elegant interior, this is an experience that will feed your senses.  The Grape Restaurant is a Dallas original neighborhood wine bistro inspired by New York and European bistros and wine bars.  Quality food and wine at affordable prices continue the long-standing tradition and charm of this local favorite.

Now that you have a place to stay and eat, you need the option of romantic things to do.  How about a ride on the McKinney Avenue Trolley where the streetcar route allows couples to explore Uptown where there are outstanding theaters, historical tours, sidewalk cages, art galleries and antique stores full of unexpected treasures, museums and live music venues.  Another nice idea is a leisurely stroll through the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, 66 acres of gardens and fountains with a view of the lake and the downtown Dallas skyline. It’s a popular spot for outdoor concerts, picnics, and photography sessions.  The perfect place for private conversations and I bet you could even get someone to take a picture of you two for the scrapbook.

Whether you are in town for business or pleasure, Dallas has a lot of different activities and attractions, and what better way to immerse yourself into what the city has to offer than by staying in a bed & breakfast. Here are four to choose from in neighborhoods near downtown.

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With children home for the summer, I’ve been trying to find ways to get them out of house and having fun without spending too much money. There are lots of kid-friendly things to do, but finding the ones that work when you’re feeling broke can be more of a challenge. This translates into our spending a lot of time at parks and playgrounds, because you know what? The parks in the Dallas metro area are extremely varied, educational, beautiful and, best of all, free.

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