Vacations Blog

Shopping for beach toys on the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk.

Initially the trip was planned with only economics and convenience in mind. You can get to Delaware in about five hours from New York City (assuming traffic and a rest stop), and only spend three quarters of a tank of gas on the drive down. It’s also considerably cheaper than Virginia Beach during the high season, which is generally late spring through Labor Day. And Rehoboth Beach not nearly as unpredictable as Myrtle Beach. What’s more is that Rehoboth Beach is much tamer than it’s neighbor Ocean City and has substantial appeal for families looking for an affordable getaway during tight times when every penny counts. Read More »

What would you do from this balcony, hmmm? Relax? Drink?

I did the same, but with a slight twist.

See, we all have hobbies, one of mine is music. And talking about music. And local music.

Because I like music? No. I hate it. Can’t stand the thought of it. Read More »

It’s 106 in the Phoenix area today, which is causing me to cast my memory fondly back to last Saturday and Sunday.

(Hover over the pictures to see captions.)

Last weekend was equally as sweltering, which prompted my husband to call me at work on Friday afternoon, all full of spur-of-the-moment planning. He asked if I wanted to head up to Flagstaff for an overnight getaway, to get out of the heat and to indulge in the annual Made in the Shade Beer Festival. Well, he certainly didn’t have to ask me twice (we are great fans of the beer festival, after all) – within a half hour I secured us a hotel room. Since, due to our last minute planning, everything in Flagstaff was booked or exorbitantly priced (the Beer Festival AND the Flagstaff Music Festival were going on) I ended up booking us a room in Sedona. It’s only a quick 28-mile jaunt down 89A from Flagstaff and, for that weekend anyway, cheaper.

Read More »

Nearly every state in the U.S. hosts a series of beer festivals in the spring, summer, and fall months.  For a fee (varying by the number and size of the beer “samples” in which you wish to partake) adults can spend a leisurely afternoon in the sun, wandering from booth to booth obtaining libations of their preference, a few ounces at a time. Festival participants are also entertained with live music, crafts, brew-oriented merchandise, and local cuisine.

My husband and I have enjoyed festivals hosted in Arizona and Oregon (we specifically planned a trip to Portland for their annual Brewer’s Festival). I’m also hoping to coincide a road trip this summer with events happening in Denver Colorado. Unfortunately, I’ll just miss the Brewers of Indiana Guild Microbrewers Festival in Indianapolis in July – I’ll be in the area the week prior.

The Made in the Shade beer festival in Flagstaff, Arizona is one that my husband and I try never to miss – we’ll be going again this year, for the third year in a row. It’s always scheduled in the middle of summer; by that time we are desperate to get out of the heat in Phoenix and head up north to the cool pines and mountains.

BeerFestivals.org is a great website dedicated to keeping track of when and where any beer festival is scheduled, anywhere in the world. So find one scheduled near you and enjoy! Just remember a few things:

1. Establish a Designated Driver. Festivals often offer discounted or free entrance, non-alcoholic beverages, and food for those participants who have the distinction of being the designated driver. This IS a beer festival, after all. You can still get drunk, even one ounce at a time. So be smart, and be safe.

2. Sun + Heat + Alcohol = Dehydration. It’s summertime. You’re indulging in some fabulous brews, and may lose track of just how much you’re drinking. Alcohol dehydrates, so be sure to drink plenty of good old fashioned water in between samples. It probably wouldn’t hurt to get a bite to eat every now and then, too. I know this from experience.

3. Patience is a virtue. A lot of these festivals can get crowded, and combining crowds with long lines and beer is sometimes less than entertaining. Especially when the crowd contains some of those hooty types that like to holler, “Woooo! Beer!” every few minutes, like clockwork. Have patience, slow down, enjoy the day. The beer will still be there when you get to the front of the line.

4. If you have children, get a babysitter. As you surely have realized, beer festivals are limited to those who are of legal drinking age. While it’s a great and fun idea for grown-ups, festival attendance really isn’t appropriate for children. You can make it up to them the next day by taking them to an amusement park. I just wouldn’t recommend getting on any twirly rides if you have a hangover.

Word to the wise.

John F. Kennedy bust at Presidents Park in Williamsburg, Virginia

It’s inauguration time and if welcoming in our nations next president means a family trip to our nation’s capitol you may also like to visit Presidents Park in Williamsburg, Virginia. Except for the one in South Dakota, or the new one in Texas, it would be hard to find a location that proudly displays eighteen foot tall busts of all our former presidents. It is quite a display and it left me wondering just how many pounds of concrete were used to sculpt all those presidential noses. I also thought the chip in JFK’s head was a little tacky.

The presidential statues are arranged in chronological order along a winding and tree lined concrete path. They offer several color-coded self-guided tours that focus on several topics including:

18 Foot Tall Presidential Busts at Presidents Park in Williamsburg, Virginia

• The Constitution and The Bill of Rights
• Protecting The Nation
• Human Rights, Civil Rights, Slavery
• Religion
• Assassinations and Near Misses

The themes are non-partisan and very well done. The entire park is a fun and stress free educational experience and this is definitely an excellent alternative to sitting down with a textbook and looking at pictures of funny looking old guys. I really like this place and I give a big thumbs up to the sculptor David Adickes.

The site includes a presidential pet museum, replicas of inaugural ball gowns, and a replica of the Oval Office where you can pay to have a picture taken with a cardboard cutout of the president.

If you get hungry you can dine in the Air Force One Café and then a quick stop at the gift shop will fulfill all of your presidential shopping needs.

No word on when they will be adding the Obama statue but you can buy your own if you want.

Photo Credits: Photos by or adapted from photos by D.B. King

Vasquez Rocks on the San Andreas Fault

Vasquez Rocks Park is less than an hour north of Los Angeles, but it feels like it is a world away.  The 745-acre park is located in the Aqua Dulce area which is roughly midway between the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys, respectively.

You may recognize the rock formation from every movie ever made (well, most of them).  It is has also been featured in many television shows.  Among the more notable movies/shows are:

• Star Trek (2009)
• Cars (2006)
• Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
• Joe Dirt (2001)
• Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
• Planet of the Apes (2001)
• Bubble Boy (2001)
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
• The Flintstones (1994)
• Army of Darkness (1993)
• Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
• Short Circuit (1986)
• Blazing Saddles (1974)
• Werewolf of London (1935)
• Dracula (1931)
• Saving Grace
• The Twilight Zone (the original series)
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
• Mission: Impossible
• 24
• Airwolf
• Bonanza
• Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Mr. Show with Bob and David
• MacGyver
• Charmed
• Friends
• Fear Factor
• Lassie
• The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
• The Bionic Woman
• Numb3rs

List and links via Wikipedia

But that’s not all!  In addition to being the home of the Gorn it’s also the site of prehistoric peoples, specifically the Shoshonean and Tataviam.  It was also the hideout of the infamous (more than famous) bandit Tiburcio Vasquez, hence the name.

The park is located on the San Andreas fault line and offers a full day of activities including (from the website) “campfire nature talks, equestrian programs, a junior ranger program, seasonal special events, hiking and horseback riding.  Picnic areas are provided.”

It also boasts a very alert ranger staff and a rapid emergency response time as I can attest from our last visit. Don’t worry, it wasn’t me.

Vasquez Rocks Park is located just off Interstate-5 at 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd. in Agua Dulce, CA 91350.  The phone number is (661) 268-0840.

Wear proper footwear and bring lots of water!

L.A.F.D. to the rescue

Just because money is tight does not mean that you have to sit at home and stare at the walls. There are plenty of free activities to keep you and your family busy. Why not challenge yourself to find the most interesting free activity? Here are some suggestions to get you started on your path of Free and Exciting Things to Do in the Midwest.

In Kansas, try the Fashion Museum, a museum that covers 100 years of style, from 1870-1970. Or visit one of the many free activities in Amelia Earhart’s birthplace of Atchison. Click on the Other Attractions option on Amelia’s Birthplace Museum for a listing of free and/or inexpensive activities.

In Omaha, visit a replica garden of Mt. Vernon Gardens, that half-size replica of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. The estate sits on top a bluff overlooking the Missouri River and is said to be reminiscent of the view from the original Mount Vernon of the Potomac. Or visit the Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters, a museum and visitor’s center that showcases the Mormon Trail from Illinois to Salt Lake City, with a Mormon temple and cemetery adjacent to the Center.

In Illinois, you can see a cube made from 1 million dollars and learn how to properly identify fake bills at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Money Museum. Of course, there are plenty of opportunities for history buffs in Illinois, as it is the birthplace of Abe Lincoln. For a list of free Abraham Lincoln sites, visit the Springfield Visitors Center web site. If a more rural take on Midwestern history interests you, then check out the Deere and Company World Headquarters.

In Michigan, honor those who fought, lived, and died during the Holocaust by visiting the Holocaust Memorial Center. For more history specific to the state, try the Michigan Historical Museum, where you can get a sample of arts and culture, research your family’s history, and discover much about Michigan’s past.

In North Dakota, the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site features exhibits, trails and a film that explore the culture and history of the villages where Sacagawea once lived. Or stop by the North Dakota Heritage Center, where a giant marine lizard greets visitors at this kid-friendly history museum.

Clearly there are plenty of options for those of us who are trying to tighten the belt and watch our budget. If you want to continue entertaining yourself and your family, you can pinch pennies at the same time by enjoying so much of what the beautiful Midwest has to offer. So load up the kids and head on out!

America. Nothing says it more than a visit to a historical landmark. And what better way to ease the kids back into school than with a late-summer trip somewhere that is fun as well as educational!

In the midwest, there are several great options from which to choose. The first landmark that most people probably think of in the US’s midwest region is Mount Rushmore. From the Mt. Rushmore government site:

“This epic sculpture features the faces of four exalted American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. South Dakota’s Black Hills provide the backdrop for Mount Rushmore, the world’s greatest mountain carving. These 60-foot high faces, 500 feet up, look out over a setting of pine, spruce, birch, and aspen in the clear western air.”

Mt. Rushmore offers plenty of family fun, including sculpture workshops, guided tours, and opportunities for volunteering, youth programs, and internships. They also have great things for kids to do, so be sure to get them involved!

People probably also think of St. Louis and the Gateway Arch. My family and I were there several months ago and it is truly something to behold. From the Gateway Arch’s web site, linked above:

“The Gateway Arch reflects St. Louis’ role in the Westward Expansion of the United States during the nineteenth century. The park is a memorial to Thomas Jefferson’s role in opening the West, to the pioneers who helped shape its history, and to Dred Scott who sued for his freedom in the Old Courthouse.”

Once there, one thing that everyone….except me….wants to do it take the tram to the top of the arch. While the more adventurous were doing that, I watched Monument to the Dream, the movie that uses live footage of the building of the arch to tell the story of how the idea became a reality. The monument also houses the Museum of Westward Expansion, and nearby you can take a ride down the Mississippi on a riverboat and visit the Historic Courthouse.

Whether you visit one of these landmarks or opt for another, be sure to enjoy what is left of summer here in the Midwest. It won’t be long before we’ll be picking apples and pumpkins and planning our Halloween parties, so take the family and get away for one last weekend. Be safe, have fun, and be sure to tell George Washington I said hello.