You may have noticed how beautiful and romantic Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawai’i (O’ahu) is. It’s hard to miss. However, just because Disney has taken the best of Hawai’i and sprinkled it with pixie dust, doesn’t mean that it’s all walks on the beach and drinks with umbrellas (not that there is anything wrong with that). There’s plenty of fun for the kids, too!
In addition to the natural wonders of Hawai’i and the popular tourist sites of the island, the resort offers an array of family fun. Most of it is wet.
There are two water slides, a lazy river, snorkeling (in a mouse-made reef), and a water play area. There are also indoor places to play, relax and hang out — some of which are no parents allowed! Well, I suppose they’re allowed, but they don’t have to be there, which is nice.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with many of the Aulani cast members and Walt Disney Imagineers that created the resort, and they shared some interesting facts and stories about the area. Videos below. Read More »
The Louvre in Paris, France is full of beauty inside and out. It’s located an easy walk from the Eiffel Tower and numerous cafes, but you may want to save those for another day — the Louvre is a full day (at least) of art and history.
Inside you’ll find some of the best known art EVER. The Mona Lisa is there (please don’t bring up The Da Vinci Code), as is the armless beauty of Venus de Milo.
The building that houses the Louvre was built in the 12th century, and the museum has been there since 1793. It’s a work of art in its own right.
There are plenty of family activities, including guided tours, workshops and storytellers. There are even special deals and activities for visitors under the age of 30 (anyone older and you can’t trust them!).
The Louvre is a must-see on any trip to France. Take the kids, they’ll thank you.
This post is part of UpTake’s Monday Museums & Monuments Series.
The northern panhandle of Idaho is my family’s stomping ground. Over the years, we’ve discovered a great number of cool and exciting places to take the kids. So, when people ask what there is to do around here with children, I always have a ready list of sights and activities that will make any family vacation a memorable one.
Ten Cool Things For Kids In North Idaho
1. World’s Longest Gondola Ride
Silver Mountain Gondola
In the town of Kellogg, you can board the longest gondola in the world for a 20 minute ride to the Mountain Haus terminal at the top of Silver Mountain, a climb of 3400 vertical feet. In the winter, you’ll find some of the best ski runs around, but in the summer you can hike the nature trails, go mountain biking, or ride the chair lifts for more scenic beauty even higher up the mountain.
2. Hiawatha Bike Trail
Along the Hiawatha Bike Trail
I’ve covered this amazing trail already, but it bears repeating: This is an incredibly easy ride for kids of all ages. 17 miles of gradual downhill biking through stunning wilderness, with a shuttle bus waiting for you at the end to take you back to your car. The 1.6-mile Taft Tunnel alone will keep your children talking about this adventure for a long time.
3. Digging For Garnets
Digging for star garnets
There are only two places in the world to find star garnet gem stones… India and Idaho. Near the tiny town of Clarkia, Idaho, is the forested Emerald Creek Garnet Area, run by the US Forest Service, where you can dig into a massive pile of mud and gravel, then use sluice boxes to search for star garnets. What kid doesn’t like playing in the mud?
4. Coeur d’Alene City Park and Independence Point
Coeur d'Alene City Beach and City Park
Just west of downtown Coeur d’Alene, the 16-acre City Park and Independence Point sits on the northern shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene. Here you’ll find a wide range of free activities, from playing on a huge wooden castle in the park to splashing on the smooth sands of City Beach. For something more adventurous, you can rent paddle boats, kayaks, and jet skis, or, view the lake from above via parasail or float plane.
5. Tubbs Hill Beaches
A secluded beach on Lake Coeur d'Alene
If you’re in Coeur d’Alene and you want to get away from the crowds at City Beach, I suggest taking a hike on Tubbs Hill, a 135-acred forested peninsula with a 2-mile loop trail that will take you to one of dozens of secluded beaches. Oh, there will still be people out there during the summer, just not as many. All along the trail, older kids will find rope swings and high rocks so they can fling themselves into the water below. Our favorite Tubbs Hill beach is at the tip of the peninsula, where there are smaller rocks for the kids to play on. Just a warning, though… Bring swim shoes. These beaches are mostly rocky, and not easy on bare feet.
6. Sierra Silver Mine Tour
Inside the Sierra Silver Mine
We’ve been on this tour so many times, I should get frequent miner miles. The tour starts in downtown Wallace, a town that is so historic they put the whole place on the National Registry of Historic Places. A trolley takes you up to the mine itself, where you don hardhats and then descend into a cool dark tunnel that winds into the mountain for over 1,000 feet. During the 90-minute tour, you’ll learn a lot about hard rock mining and the history of the Silver Valley. It’s completely safe, although a little bit noisy when they demonstrate the hydraulic equipment.
7. David Thompson Game Preserve
Oh, deer.
Located along the northern shore of Lake Pend O’Reille, this game preserve is cool with my kids for one reason. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of whitetail deer there, grazing contentedly along the paths and roads, and in amongst the Beyond Hope RV Park. Several years ago, the owners prohibited feeding the very tame deer, but it’s still fun to walk among them.
8. Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes
Chatcolet Bridge, on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
I don’t propose you make your kids pedal the entire 73-mile paved Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. That’s a long way. But you can certainly ride portions of the trail, which spans almost the entire panhandle and runs along rivers and lakes, over trestles and bridges, and through several historic small towns. There are 20 trailheads with parking and restrooms, so you can begin your ride anywhere. One of our favorite short rides starts in Heyburn State Park and crosses the 3100-foot Chatcolet Bridge, which spans the southern end of Lake Coeur d’Alene. Another beautiful spot to start a ride is near the Old Mission at Cataldo, where you can ride east along the north fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.
9. University of Idaho Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Stopping to smell the roses
Amid the rolling hills of Moscow, in the middle of the campus of the University of Idaho, sits 63 acres of walking trails, ponds, creeks, and, of course, lush vegetation divided into geographical regions. Don’t tell your kids that it’s educational, just let them roam the grounds and discover things for themselves. There are rare flowers and trees, and plenty of granite benches to sit or climb on. My kids had the most fun exploring the creek and ponds, where a student researcher patiently showed them tadpoles and frogs. The arboretum is open year-round, and it’s free.
10. Silverwood Theme Park
The kids drive dad at Silverwood
This goes without saying. Silverwood, the northwest’s largest theme park, is the #1 destination of families heading to North Idaho. Between the rides and the adjoining water park, all of which falls under just one admission price, your kids will be in paradise. Rollercoasters in the morning, water slides in the afternoon!
First thing they do each morning is clear out the bears.
Because you really don’t want to meet a bear while you’re biking through one of the dark mountain tunnels of the Hiawatha Bike Trail in North Idaho.
The Hiawatha is the ultimate family bike trail in the United States. According to me, anyway. The trail winds along 17 miles of abandoned railbed, through nine tunnels, across seven high trestles, and among some of the most stunning mountain scenery you can imagine.
One of many tunnels on the Hiawatha Bike Trail
You start your adventure about two miles off Interstate 90, right across the Idaho-Montana border. After parking your car and paying a trail use fee, you’re immediately faced with a black hole in the side of the mountain. It’s the 1.7-mile Taft Tunnel, the longest and darkest of the many tunnels you’ll experience on the trail.
This is where you’d better have some good flashlights strapped to your bike. We rode through the Taft Tunnel with one good light and several weak ones. My son took the strong light and the lead, and we followed a tiny flashing red light clipped to his backpack. It didn’t take long for me to start hallucinating as I followed that bouncing little light into the pitch black. In the cool, quiet center of the mountain, you start to feel like you’re cycling off into space. And you miss the spot, about halfway through, when you cross from Montana into Idaho.
Eventually, as the tunnel curves, you see a little white dot of sunlight on the other side, and you exit the tunnel to find a lovely little waterfall and creek. Here’s where the scenery begins as you start your descent of 1000 feet over the course of 15 more miles on a compact dirt and gravel trail. With a 2% grade, it’s an easy ride for everyone, regardless of experience and skill. My son easily did it at the age of 7.
You may have noticed how beautiful and romantic Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawai’i (O’ahu) is. It’s hard to miss. However, just because Disney has taken the best of Hawai’i and sprinkled it with pixie dust, doesn’t mean that it’s all walks on the beach and drinks with umbrellas (not that there is anything wrong with that). There’s plenty of fun for the kids, too!
