We visited Savannah without kids on our most recent anniversary trip. I highly recommended taking a trip without kids once in a while to reconnect with your partner. It was fun walking around Savannah without any plan or itinerary and just enjoyed taking the pictures of great architects in the city.
The Independent Presbyterian Church is one of many locations that were featured in Forrest Gump movie in Savannah, GA.
Have you been to Savannah? What’s your most favorite part of the city?
My favorite post that I love to write each year and I have been consistently keeping it up for all 4 years of blogging is our family travel year end review post. With a lack of posting in the past few months, it’s surprising for me to see that we have done quite a few adventures this year. I can’t say enough of how bless we feel to be able to afford the chances to explore the world with our family. I hope you will find this post not as a bragging on ‘hey-see-where-I-go’ but more of an inspiration to create your own family adventures with your family.
We continued our ski-bug-bite from the previous year trip to Keystone resort with family ski trip with a group of friends to Appalachian Ski resort in North Carolina. The ski resort is nothing compared to the Colorado mountain but it’s the companionship that made the trip. Kids enjoyed playing in the snow when we got snowed in for a day and had a blast on the slopes the next day. It’s a great alternative for us to get some ski time near Atlanta area.
Yet another short ski trip from Atlanta to satisfy the kids new favorite sport. For a beginner in skiing, the Cattaloochee ski resort in North Carolina area is perfect for us. The within-driving distance from Atlanta, low-key ski resort, more affordable lift ticket and ski rental are great for us to learn how to master our skill after learning from Keystone Ski school. But we know eventually we will need to plan a proper ski trip out West or even further up North for them to enjoy. But this trip was yet another successful fun trip for them. It goes to show that traveling with kids doesn’t have to be fancy.
In March, we explored our own backyard and checked out the newly opened Legoland Discovery Center in Atlanta. With a boy whose currently toys collection consisted of only LEGO, it was beyond happy for Mr. Z.
This month, we were invited to attend Disney Social Media Mom celebration in Disney World and got a chance to get a sneak peek at their new Disney’s Art of Animation resort, a great new addition to Walt Disney World resort that we plan to stay on our next trip.
During Spring break, we stayed in town and visited Stone Mountain park to check out their new attraction, the Geyser Towers. Kids had fun on the hot day.
The summer of 2012, we spent 2 months in Thailand with my family. It will take us a while to write about our visit. We took several side trips from Bangkok to Hua Hin, Rayong, Phuket and Ayutthaya. It was one of the highlight for us to be able to spend a big chunk of time with cousins and relatives.
With our long stay in Thailand, we took advantage of cheap airfare from Air Asia and went to Hong Kong for a few days. We explored the island slowly and enjoyed our time walking, eating and sightseeing.
On our way back from Thailand, we had a stopover in Singapore for a few days. My family flew there with us and we had a great time checking out Universal Studio Singapore and eating chilli crab. It was a short yet sweet trip for us to end our summer in Asia.
We escaped for a couple trip to Savannah to celebrate our anniversary. I fell in love with this historic mossy town. We plan to bring the kids back with us later this year. After all, Miss J is a girl scout so she has been asking about a visit to Savannah for a while.
After that, we have been staying put in town. I guess the months long trip to Asia has done it for us. It makes me realized that I love to travel but I also love to be home in my own bed, taking my dog for a walk and having coffee with my friends. So the last quarter of the year was all about friends and parties.
It has been yet another blessed year for us that we can continue to pursue our love of travel and adventures with our children.
And if you have free time, you can check out our family travel in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Although we are a few days into 2012, our recent family trip to Keystone resort is still fresh in our mind, the first ski experience on one of the best family ski resort in Colorado. So to keep up with our tradition, we have our review post looking back to our family travel last year. It was a fun year!
It’s not often or should I say NEVER that Atlanta metro area will get seven inches of snow in winter. So it was a real big treat for our kids to enjoy snow tubing (home-made style) at our own backyard. The snow storm in Atlanta shut down the whole city a whole week. For adults, the cabin fever started to set in but for kids it was like an unexpected winter break!
We went up to Sevierville, Tennessee to help celebrate our friend’s birthday. An indoor water park at Wilderness in the Smokies is a great year round fun where kids (and adults) can enjoy swimming, sliding, surfing and more in the heated environment even in the middle of winter.
This month we drove down to our familiar vacation spot in Orlando to attend the Disney Social Media Mom 2011 where we learned, laughed and connected with bloggers. It was our first time staying at the Disney’s Grand Floridian Spa & Resort and it was an experience we won’t easily forget. Mr. Z also experienced a big kid ride and hooked on the roller coaster now!
In Spring, we stayed close to home and enjoy local attractions in Atlanta like the Grand opening of new Dolphin Tale show at the Georgia Aquarium, the beautiful day at Piedmont Park for the Dogwood Festival
This year we took another trip down to Orlando to celebrate Mr. Rojo’s birthday at the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. We hardly stayed at the Disney’s resorts previously because our family has a timeshare in Orlando but year 2011 we stayed in not just one but two property! And I have to say I understand why people keep going back year after year!
Our big summer trip this year was a two weeks trip to Seattle and Vancouver. It was a business/family trip combo. I attended TBEX 2011, the Travel bloggers conference, in Vancouver and we also enjoyed family vacation in Seattle.
Our first family reunion was planned at the YMCA of the Ozark. It was wonderful for kids to meet and play with their cousins. We also took a little detour to visit St. Louis, MO. A fun day but not nearly enough to discover this gem in the Midwest.
Summer time flew by when you had so much fun. Before we knew it, the kids were back in school. Yes, here in Atlanta we go back to school in August!
Now, that kids are in school, we have to work around school holidays and take advantage of every holidays we can get. So we planned a short break during Labor Day weekend to visit Myrtle Beach. What a fun place for the whole family! We found that Myrtle Beach is not just a place for fun time at the beach or various family entertainments like MagiQuest but we could also enjoy nature like Kayak tour.
In October, we had our first fall family camping trip with a group of our friends at Redtop Mountain Park. It was beautiful even though a bit too cold for this tropical girl. Kids, on the other hand, had no problem with the cold temperature at night when they had the whole park to explore. The water in the lake was too cold for anyone of us to dare going in. But we knew it will be a great place to camp again in the summer.
During the Thanksgiving break, we went to visit the recently opened Legoland Florida. Mr. Z was beyond happy to be able to ride in EVERY SINGLE ride at his height. Miss J loved being a big kid who could take her little brother on the ride without us. Ah!! A theme park where kids rule!
Our last but certainly not least family trip of the year was one of the memorable one for our whole family. It was their first time on ski and my first time learning to ski. One word, AMAZING trip! We certainly enjoyed our whole experience during our trip to Denver & Keystone. This will certainly be a place we would love to revisit again in the future.
Wow! I didn’t realize how much we have traveled this past year until I started this post. It certainly has been a blessing for us to be able to continue our love of travel and adventures. We are thankful for the opportunities we have been given and hope we will continue to be able to travel as a family in 2012. Here to more travel in 2012!
How exciting news for us who live on the East coast to hear about upcoming attractions from LEGOLAND! Not just one but two new LEGOLAND attractions will be opening soon. First is LEGOLAND Florida theme park which is counting down to days before the opening day and LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta which will be opening in Spring 2012.
With the upcoming grand opening of LEGOLAND Florida on October 15, I can’t help but dream about our future trip down to our favorite tourist spot in Orlando. Luckily for us that we can just drive down there instead of booking flights to Florida.
Visiting Orlando with kids has been one of our annual vacation and adding LEGOLAND to the already long list of family attractions makes it even more enticing to plan a family trip to Orlando area.
LEGOLAND is probably one of the only few theme park that built with youngsters in mind. Yes, you have Walt Disney World and Disneyland but LEGOLAND has more to offer to toddler and young children than any parks we have visited. Our last visit to LEGOLAND California, our kids still remembered the fun day they had.
Miss J still holds on to her driver license she received from the Volvo Driving School and Mr. Z couldn’t wait to try out the FORD Driving School in LEGOLAND Florida himself because last visit he was a bit too small.
And I have already seen many pictures from LEGOLAND Florida on amazing fun built they have like the Space Shuttle!
To stay up-to-date to current news and promotion from LEGOLAND Florida, become a fan on their Facebook fan page or follow them on Twitter.
Like having LEGOLAND Florida within driving distance for us is not enough, we are lucky that Atlanta will be a home to new LEGOLAND Discovery Center next year as well!
LEGOLAND Discovery Center will offer a fun, highly interactive and educational two to three-hour indoor experience ideal for families with children 3-10 years old and provide a range of interactive play areas including 4D cinema; master classes from the LEGO Master Model Builder; exciting LEGO rides; special party rooms for birthdays and other celebrations; as well as the popular MINILAND exhibit designed to reflect the iconic buildings and skyline of Atlanta.
Mr. Rojo went to the ground breaking ceremony for the new site of LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta Phipps Plaza in Buckhead and I can’t tell you how excited I am to have LEGOLAND nearby. Our house is full of LEGO sets and pieces. I think it’s the only toy that they never get tired of.
To keep up with the news from LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta, become a fan on their Facebook fan page for update & news.
How about you? What trip are you dreaming of this Monday?
As I have posted yesterday that this year Passports with Purpose has started to a great race. The participants travel bloggers have hosted various of great, amazing, jaw-dropping prizes.
So it was my great pleasure to be able to offer a wonderful getaway at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation, Georgia.
The AAA Five Diamond Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation is a luxury resort located 75 miles from Atlanta on a stunning lake where your worries and stress are washed away. This is an ideal winter escape destination for families and couples – the spirit of the season is captured in the wide array of activities, amenities and events offered at this luxury resort overlooking scenic Lake Oconee.
The property has a wide range of activities from great selection of dining, golfing at one of five signature world-class courses or relaxing in the The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation Spa – the award-winning, 27,600-square-foot/7,925-square-meter facility.
With all the luxury and relaxing, you might want to leave kids at home. But for family that travel with kids, no worry, the Ritz-Carlton Lodge has many options for children as well. The Ritz Kids programs offers a variety of supervised physical and creative activities designed especially for children aged 5-12. Offering full or half-day options, seven days a week, Ritz Kids has something for every child. In addition to Ritz Kids program, the children’s programs at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge include nanny service, recreation programs, games, campfire and many more.
So with this wonderful prize, DO NOT WAIT!!! Help us build a village in India and enter to win this great luxury vacation package at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge.
Go to the Passports with Purpose Donation Page to see the complete list of prizes offered this year including The Q Family’s The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation. You can buy the $10 raffle tickets here and specify which prize(s) are of interest.
Please join us in supporting this important effort.
Travel bloggers around the world are hosting giveaways in support of this fundraising effort. For each $10 donation that you make to LAFTI, you will be entered in the giveaway(s) of your choice. The donations for prizes closes on December 13 and all proceeds go directly to LAFTI. Donations will still be accepted after December 13 but you won’t be entered into the giveaway drawings. LAFTI is a501(c)3 charity. Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
If none of the prizes interest you, you can go to the Passports with Passport website and make your donation without entering the draw. The full contest rules are here.
Please pass along this link and the link to the Passports with Purpose website – the more exposure, the better the chance of attaining our 2010 goal. I’ll be updating the progress on our fundraising goals on Twitter using the hashtag #pwp, and you can also follow on Facebook via Passports with Purpose’s Fan Page.
A big thank you to the Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation for provide such an amazing prize.
The Q Family is a family of 4 with 2 school-aged kids who love to explore as much as their parent.
