Vacations Blog

Gary Allan Get Off on the Pain Tour

Vacation planning for touring musicians is slightly more complicated than it is for everyone else.

Country star Gary Allan is on a whirlwind 25-city Get Off On The Pain tour with special guests Jack Ingram and Eli Young Band. The tour kicked off at Chicago’s House of Blues, and also featured a historic Allan headliner at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN.

Historic not just because of the venue, but also because this is Allan’s first tour where he’s headlining shows and Gary Allan tickets are being sold.

The point here being that since he won’t be interested in a vacation in Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans or any of the dozens of places where he’s been performing - where the heck can he go for some down-time after the tour wraps up?

Gonna take two weeks, Gonna have a fine vacation
l’m gonna take my problem, To the United Nation

Lyrics – Summer Time Blues, by Gary Allan

Does this mean a trip to New York, to see the UN Building? Nope, for one – it’s not summer, and secondly - he used to live in California and vacation in Hawaii, so he’d probably get his butt frozen over in New York. Gary Allan, most likely accompanied by his family, will be enjoying the sun n’sand at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. 

If you want to know where he stays in Puerto Vallarta and what he likes best about the place, what kind of clubs and music he listens to while he’s there, and where he eats and parties… 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 »

Couples Retreat may have topped the box office with $35.3m over the opening weekend, but it doesn’t really make the case for vacation therapy.

In fact, this Vince Vaughn starrer goes the other way – and suggests that the best way to save your marriage is to escape from the wacky Couples Retreat staff and the weird yoga techniques (filmed at the St. Regis Resort in Bora Bora). You end up at a singles resort instead, get sloshed, scream and shout at your spouse and then a round of make-up sex solves all your problems. Read More »

Happiest pumpkins on Earth - or at least Disneyland.

Yes, those are real pumpkins.  Yes, they are intimidating.  No, I didn’t carve them.  That’s a little something the kids call Disney magic.  They do, I’ve heard them.

Your moment will soon be upon you.  Prepare for pumpkins! Also, turkey.  Happy carving!

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

Photo by W. Honea

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 »

Kanab Utah Main Street

Many people call Kanab, Utah the Gateway. Kanab sits in Southern Utah along route 89 about seven miles north of the Arizona border and subsequently gets visitors on their way to the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park among many others. Summer finds the town packed with RVs towing boats and wave runners on their way to Lake Powell and family vehicles bursting at the seams with camping and hiking equipment. The winters in Kanab are not quite as busy but still full from people going to ski at

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Brianhead Ski Resort and snow tubing at Coral Pink Sand Dunes. The beauty to be found in Kanab and the surrounding area is breathtaking and you usually take a little bit home with you in the form of the red dirt that Kanab is famous for.

Kanab’s population is small, about 3,500, and the residents rely heavily on tourists as the largest source of income for the city. The slow-paced small town feel is a nice change from the crowded attractions and parks and the people are friendly as you walk down Main Street to check out the stores. Frontier Movie Town is a short walk away from downtown where you’ll see authentic movie sets and memorabilia from some great western movies made there. They also have the Pioneer Museum with classic western and pioneer artifacts. 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 »

Fountain at the Arizona Grand Resort

The Arizona Grand Resort, located in Phoenix, Arizona, just completed a 52 million dollar renovation. This AAA Four Diamond Preferred all-suite hotel is offering the “Grand Opening Summer Splash”, from Thursday May 21st through Monday September 7th, with rates starting at $129 per night. Visitors who stay for two or more nights receive a $50 gift card that can be used toward any of the numerous resort services and amenities.

The Arizona Grand Resort has something for everyone in the family. The full service spa and salon can be enjoyed after a round on the resort’s 18-hole golf course. The Lobby features a bar and grill, and a marketplace with everything you might need, and a few things you might just want. Aunt Chiladas Mexican Restaurant is within walking distance, and the Phantom Horse Grill and Sports Bar is on the resort property. For the fitness minded, a 20,000 square foot athletic club is available, complete with 45 fitness classes offered per week. The 17,000 acre South Mountain preserve is right at the back door, with 60 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking. The Oasis Water Park, rated among the top 10 resort water parks in the nation by The Travel Channel, has water slides, a “river ride”, and an enormous wave pool. During the “Island Nights at the Oasis” visitors can enjoy a “dive-in” movie on the big screen behind the pool.

Click here to Read More »