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!

January: Snow in Atlanta

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!

February: Indoor Water Park fun

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.

March: Mickey Memory with Disney Social Media Mom

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!

April: Fun in Atlanta at Georgia Aquarium

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

May: Birthday Celebration at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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!

June: Summer fun in Seattle & Vancouver

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.

July: Family Reunion in the Ozark & Side trip to St. Louis

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.

August: Back to School

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!

September: Myrtle Beach on Labor Day

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.

October: Fall Family Camping

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.

November: Legoland Florida

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!

December: Ski & Snow at Keystone Ski Resort

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!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) A Look Back to Family Travel 2011 is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

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.

LEGOLAND Florida

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.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta

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?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Dreaming Of LEGOLAND Florida & LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

When we travel, we like to mix educational type activities with a little dose of pure fun family entertainments. There is no other places that offer more varieties of family attractions than in Myrtle Beach.

Driving Experience at NASCAR SpeedPark

With only a few days visiting Myrtle Beach, we had to pick and choose activities that would please the whole family. One of the choice that Mr. Z & Miss J chose was the NASCAR SpeedPark.

They had been fascinating with the idea of being able to drive a car by themselves for a while. But with petite size parents, I felt bad that they were always too short to meet minimum height to most theme parks to enjoy those go-karts fun.

Luckily, there were a few options for them to be able to drive the car themselves in NASCAR SpeedPark. The Beginners Circle is a perfect spot for pint-size visitors. However, Mr. Z was a bit disappointed that most of the rides were for younger crowds.

Nonetheless, he was able to drive his own go-kart as he wished. It was a bit disappointment for him that he didn’t have as many choices as he hoped for but it was a great motivation for him to eat more so next time we visit he would be tall enough for all the rides.

Miss J, on the other hand, was a little dare devil that came out of her shell this year. She enjoyed driving and I had to say she was pretty good for a little girl.

If you decide to check out NASCAR SpeedPark, I would recommend you to check out their website and see what type of tickets or passes you want to purchase beforehand. It was very confusing to figure out which is the best value for a family. It all depends on your kids and how long you want to stay.

The line to purchase tickets was long and slow so pack your patience with you when you visit. At least your kids can play some video games while you wait in line. :)

Putt Putt at Hawaiian Rumble Golf

I’m not avid golfer and quite frankly I don’t have much time to spend that much on the golf course. But for a quick putting fun, there is no better place to try out mini-golf at this miniature golf courses capital city. I don’t really know how many mini-golf courses there are in Myrtle Beach but we saw them as frequent as drug stores.

We were able to squeeze in putt putt fun one night at Hawaiian Rumble Golf. This Hawaiian mini-golf theme is a bit further North for people who stays closer to Myrtle Beach downtown area. But if you stay in the North end of the beach, it would be a good place to visit.

The Volcano is the showcase at the Hawaiian Rumble Golf. Fortunately, Miss J had gotten over her fear of volcano from a few years ago!

Don’t forget to check out the sign for each hole to learn Hawaiian phrases.

Mahalo NASCAR SpeedPark and Hawaiian Rumble Golf for providing us with complimentary passes. As always, you can count on me to disclose when I receive something for free and also to share my honest opinions.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Myrtle Beach with Kids: Fun Time with Mini Golf & Go-Karts is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Over the long weekend, we went to the family friendly beach destination in Myrtle Beach for the last hooray of the summer. Even though here in Atlanta, the kids have been back in school for almost a month but another dose of beach time is always a good thing.

When I started researching for things to do in Myrtle Beach with Kids, the list is a mile long. There are just so many options to satisfy every types of vacation we want to do. With limited time in Myrtle Beach, we had to make a choice and narrow down the list considerably.

One of the attraction that I knew that we couldn’t cut is MagiQuest.

What’s MagiQuest?

MagiQuest is an interactive and live family entertainment center that combine fantasy world into fun live action game. Ok.. It sounds a bit confusing but in reality it’s not that hard to understand.

Just imagine the World of Warcraft or Everquest MMO games that you have quests and adventures but make that into live, hand-on activities and you have MagiQuest!

Let’s the Game Begins

To start, you first have to pick a wand. A wand will be your tool that allows you to play the game and store your information to continue the game for your future visits. There are also additional items you can add on for your wand to give more power to your game. But for beginner, I suggest just stick to regular wand to get your bearing on how to play the game before spending money on additional items.

Even though it’s not Harry Potter Wand, the kids do enjoy a few spells fun with each other.

We did get a topper for each kid just because it looks cool. But later, I found out that these toppers also provide additional power to your game. That what you got when you don’t read all the detail. But now that we know, next visit I’m sure to start utilize it.

The cool thing about this is there are more than one location of MagiQuest in the US and even Japan! Yup, Mr. Z already started talking about visiting Japan and bring his MagiQuest wand with him.

Training for the Newbies

I was a bit uncertain if I would be able to grasp the concept of this game playing and worry that we might waste valuable time in trying to learn how to use the wand. But there is no need to worry about that because each player will receive a five minute training (the time doesn’t count toward your play time) in the training room.

First, each of us received our own Ancient Book of Wisdom. Whatever you do, don’t lose this book. It’s your main resource in playing the game. We learned how to use our wand and what exactly we were supposed to do once we started.

Stepping Into a Magical World

The heart of the MagiQuest world is the Quest Stones where tall stone columns form a circle with interactive screens. Each player will be able to start a quest, check status and complete the quest. Once you start the quest, now you are racing against time!

The commotion, the search and the movement were all around us. Kids ran from one clue to the next, lifting their wand to complete the next mission for their quest for a new rune. Families worked together to figure out the message for the next clue. Our hearts were racing as we checked our remaining time and we cheered as we completed the mission and earned ourselves the new rune.

And before we realized it, it was the end of our session. Our time in MagiQuest was truly magical. We worked as a team to accomplish something (even though it’s just a game but kids were so proud of their accomplishment). We enjoyed each other company without much bickering or whining. And in the end, we wanted more!

More Fun Outside with Garden Quest

In addition to quest inside MagiQuest, the MagiQuest in Myrtle Beach also offers additional fun with no extra cost in the Broadway at the Beach area with their Garden Quest. All along the area in Broadway at the Beach there are hidden quests in the Market Place. All you need is a wand and the Ancient Book of Wisdom to start your quest. Unfortunately, we didn’t finish this fun quest.

Two Thumbs Up

Yes, the price of admission and the cost of wand can add up quickly. This is not one of the cheapest thing to do in Myrtle Beach HOWEVER I think it’s definitely worth every single pennies for our game lover kids. We like it so much that we actually went back the next day to complete more quests and adventure. It’s one of the experience that you normally don’t get from other type of family attraction. The hand-on, the scavenger hunt style, the search and the clue are all part of what make this a truly unique and magical experience in Myrtle Beach.

Family Tips:

• This attraction is geared toward school-aged and older kids. Younger kids can enjoy it but I would suggest to just get a wand for the whole family with younger kids and parents will most likely do the work for them.
• Time is ticking so make sure you take care of business before going in. Don’t waste your precious time in the bathroom.
• It will involve a lot of walking so make sure to wear good shoes.
• Not all family members need to buy a wand. If parents couldn’t careless about having their own account, you can purchase a pass for a minimal fee to walk along with your kids.

Have you been to one of MagiQuest? What do you think?

Disclosure: Thank you to VisitMyrtleBeach and MagiQuest for providing us with complimentary pass. However, this post is based solely on my personal opinion and experience. We loved it so much that we ended up purchased our own wand and went back again the next day on our own.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Myrtle Beach With Kids: Magical Family Fun @ MagiQuest is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is not only an attraction for thrill seeker who wants to challenge their fear of height but also a great place to visit for families as well. With various options for things to do with kids in Vancouver, the Capilano Suspension Bridge is a one must-visit for any families even if you have only a few days in Vancouver.

The Easy Transportation from Downtown Vancouver

For us, during our trip to Vancouver we decided to go against the recommendation of many friends to drive from Seattle. We instead took the Amtrak Cascades train to Vancouver. So during the whole time while we were in Vancouver, we explored the city on foot, bike, skytrain and bus. The location of the Capilano Suspension Bridge is actually outside downtown area. BUT, with free shuttle service from several stops at downtown hotels, the visit there was just a quick 15 minutes ride.

We waited for the shuttle bus at one of the stop near downtown area and soon we were on our way to the suspension bridge.

Learned about History & Development at Story Center

Once we got our tickets and our hands stamped, we picked up the map and checked out the Story Center where we learned about history of the bridge via life size photo books, artifacts and antiques. I would love to spend more time reading and learning about the stories of the early adventurers but the kids were getting impatient to get their feet on the bridge.

Breathtaking Walk on The Capilano Suspension Bridge

To say walking on the Capilano Suspension Bridge is a piece of cake will be lying. It was scary at my first step to the suspension bridge. However, the way the bridge is built made me feel much more confidence in every step we took along the way.

The bridge has secured steel anchored and also safety net along on both sides. The kids soon felt better to even manage to smile of their accomplishment at the other side of the bridge. And the view above the Capilano river was breathtaking.

Entering Family Favorite at the Rainforest and Treetops Adventure

Yes, walking on the suspension bridge is the main attraction here at Capilano but for me my most favorite part of the whole place is the Rainforest and Treetops Adventure on the other side of the cliff.

Once we crossed the bridge, we entered into the Rainforest zone where you can explore the park on the walking trail or join the complimentary Eco guided tour. For us, we opted to take the high road literally by going up on the Treetops Adventure.

Fun for Kids at Treetops Adventure

The Treetop Adventures is by far MY favorite part in this park. The thought and the work that they put in to make the whole experience fun not just for adults but for the whole family is huge. If you just want to walk around the elevate suspension bridge from one tree to another, it is already fun adventure. But for families, it will be even more exciting for kids to grab a scavenger hunt activities sheet to become a Rainforest Explorer.

The Rainforest Explorer activity sheet at the Treetop Adventures is a great way to not only get kids engaged in the walk along the whole path but also learn more about nature in the Rainforest.

Each kid will get a clipboard with map & clue for stations around Treetops Adventure.

Each station will feature little fact about the nature that kids can learn and question for them to answer from the information they gather at the station.

With the amount of walking that in our typical day would definitely last only a quarter of the distance the kids were so eager to learn and collect all the stamps from each location that we walked the whole trail without whining! This was definitely the first in our walking adventure history.

After earning their badge of the Rainforest Explorer, we took a little break at Dr. Wood’s Cabin for snack and drink while kids enjoyed checking out interactive display about Rainforest and Capilano Suspension Bridge. I’m telling you.. This place is full of educational and hand-on activities for kids.

More Adventure Fun at the Cliffwalk

To add more to the adventures fun inside the park is the brand new thrill seeking walk at the Cliffwalk. This cliffside journey is not for the faint of heart as we walked on the series of suspended walkway along the granite cliff above the Capilano river and through the unexplored rainforest part of the park.

The walkway is narrow and has steps along the way and some sections even have only glass to separate us from below. Surprisingly, the kids had no fear of heights. They enjoyed the walk without any fuss. Then it was time to head back downtown.

Our fun day at the Capilano Suspension Bridge is one of the most memorable moment for me in Vancouver. Many times popular attractions fall short on their hype and promise but the Capilano Suspension Bridge is one of a few that exceed my expectation. Yes, I expected a fun adventure day walking on swaying suspension bridge 450 feet above the river. But I didn’t expect to enjoy the walk along the nature path in the rainforest and learning so much about our eco system.

This is definitely one of a must-visit family attraction in Vancouver.

Family Tips:

• Wear layer clothing as weather in Vancouver can change in a moment notice. They also provide biodegradable poncho!
• A good pair of walking shoes will go a long way and make walking around more enjoyable.
• Arrive early for a cool morning walk will ensure a less complaint from kiddos.
• Grab the park map and go on a hunt for the stamp around the park will keep kids engaged and interested.

Disclosure: Thank you the Capilano Suspension Bridge for providing us with complimentary tickets. But we would have gone there even if we have to pay full price. This post is based solely on my experience and opinion!

 

Vancouver Vacations

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Vancouver With Kids: Adventurous Family Fun @ Capilano Suspension Bridge is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

One of the best thing we have purchased from our travel was the National Park passport book for our kids. It was a great little book that kids can collect the national park stamp and cancellation when they visit the national parks or historical sites. It’s one of the thing we always research for whenever we plan a trip.

In Seattle, the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is one of the national park site that we can get the stamp to fill up our book. The park is located in the Pioneer Square, the historical area near downtown Seattle. We took a short bus ride to the Pioneer Square and followed our map to the park. It wasn’t originally on our list of things to do with kids in Seattle but we decided to check it out on an unplanned day. And I was glad we did!

At first we almost missed it because the Klondike Gold Rush is located inside the historical building with tiny little sign in the front. The outside can be deceiving. My first thought was this will be a quick stamp and run place. BUT, how wrong I was.

The Klondike Gold Rush museum & historical park provides us a glimpse into the lives and stories of people during the Gold Rush era on their hardship, their adventures and their success.

At first I thought the exhibits and displays will be too classroom-like for the kids to handle but the museum has done a wonderful job in making the exhibit interactive and fun for kids. Kids learn best through interactive and hand-on experience. They enjoy checking out the old equipment that the men and women packed and carried with them. The huge spinning wheel was especially fun not just for them but adults as well.

Another fun thing for kids was the scavenger hunt for the embossing and rubbing stamp station all through out the museum. As the men and women who took the journey through the Yukon for the Klondike Gold rush, the kids walked through different stages of their journey from the train station to the Alaskan territory.

We spent quite a while there even though we didn’t even participate in the programs available for kids like the ranger walking tour or geocaching. Best of all, it’s all FREE for you and your family.

So if you plan a trip to Seattle with a history bluff or even kids, I will definitely recommend a quick visit to the Klondike Gold Rush museum. It’s a good alternative on a not-so-perfect weather day in Seattle.

Seattle Vacations

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Seattle With Kids: Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Pioneer Square Seattle is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

The Pacific Science Center in Seattle is one of our list of things to do with kids in Seattle and is highly recommended by my local friends. So after a good night sleep at the Hotel Monaco Seattle, we headed out for a fun day at the Pacific Science Center Seattle.

With its convenient location at Seattle Center, we can get to the Pacific Science Center easily via Seattle Monorail. We hopped on the Monorail from the Westlake Center to the Seattle Center. Mr. Z and Miss J couldn’t be more excited to get to ride on the monorail. The elevated track allowed them to enjoy the sight of Seattle homes and building. The ride was quite short but fun nonetheless. I love the large window in the monorail that allows us to enjoy the view even more. Get your camera ready to take the snap shot of the Space Needle as the monorail approaches the Seattle Center.

Always a Big Hit for Kids at Science Centers

We have been to many Science Centers in the US from San Diego Reuben H. Fleet Science Center to Orlando Science Center but the kids still had a blast every time we visit a new science museum. This time is no difference. They enjoyed pushing, pulling and touching all the buttons at various exhibits from BodyWorks to Science.

If you use the entrance in the Seattle Center, you will enter through the outdoor exhibit which is one of my favorite. There are a few water exhibits that were closed for the season. It was not yet summer after all. Guess it will be a good excuse for us to go back to Seattle again!

Mr. Rojo even tried the High Rail Bicycle where he rode a bicycle on the 1-inch wide rail that sits 15 feet above ground. Well, I will see if we can get a video up soon. It was pretty cool! And for those who don’t know, Mr. Rojo doesn’t really like height so it was very brave of him to do this. I couldn’t try it out because I wore skirt and even though many have manage to ride bike wearing skirt, I’m not one of them.

More Fun with Inside Exhibits

Inside exhibits offer plenty of hand-on experience for kids of various ages. I love the fact that they have a section blocked off for little ones. Now that my kids are older, I could sympathize to parents of younger kids that have to watch out for their little ones from getting knocked down by overzealous learners.

Mr. Z loved that he is now tall enough to be able to finally touch starfish and asked many questions about the animals of the Puget Sound. But even for smaller kids, they provided many step up platform for kids to be able to experience the tide pool without much problems.

Live Butterfly in the Tropical Butterfly House

As typical to the Q kids whenever they went to the science museums, they bounced from one station to the next with little time for me to go after them. The one exhibit that slowed them down was the Tropical Butterfly House.

After listening to rule of engagement for the butterfly house, we were ready to embrace an eighty degree environment where 500 butterflies from South and Central America, Africa, and Asia enjoy their day in this 4,000 square feet tropical house.

It was fun to walk around the Tropical Butterfly house with kids and try to identify them all. We grabbed the butterfly information sheet at the entrance of the exhibit that helped us learning and looking for various types of butterflies.

Many of these butterflies were so friendly and they would literally land on your hand but just remember not to touch them. Yes, they can touch you but you CAN’T touch them.

When we left the butterfly house, we had to inspect ourselves to make sure that our friends didn’t try to hitch a ride outside of their own house.

There are many exhibits that we didn’t check out like the Laser Dome or the Dinosaur. By this time, we were all exhausted from a long day of walking and walking. So we decided to leave those exhibits for the next trip. Yes, there will definitely be a next trip for us to visit Seattle again.

Family Tips:

• The Pacific Science Center is located at the Seattle Center where there are other attractions like the Space Needle, The EMP and Seattle Children’s Museum so you can plan your trip accordingly to enjoy other attractions in the same area.
• If you want to watch IMAX show, makes sure you check the schedule first so you can plan your visit.
• This is a perfect place for a rainy day in Seattle. Fortunately for us, the weather was perfect all week during the time we were there with only one or two rainy days.

Have you been to the Seattle Pacific Science Center? What is your favorite part?

So today I dream about going back to visit Seattle including the Pacific Science Center again. Check out other travelers Mondays are for Dreaming at Mother of All Trips.

Disclaimer: We received complimentary tickets from the Pacific Science Center. However, this post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence.

Seattle Vacations

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Seattle With Kids: Hand-On Fun For Family @ Pacific Science Center is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

The busy summer season has started. We are looking forward to many fun trips this summer.

First stop, we will be spending time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, a deluxe resort in Disney’s Animal Kingdom park, to celebrate Mr. Rojo‘s birthday weekend.

Here are a few friends we have met outside our balcony!

Stay tuned for more detail on fun things we did in Orlando. In the mean time, you can check out other travelers photos from Delicious Baby – Photo Friday.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney With Kids: Go Wild at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

There is no doubt that you will encounter the lines, really long lines, in Disney World’s theme parks and Walt Disney World Resorts.

The most important thing you can do to help ease that boring lines is to prepare your family mentally and physically.

One of the best way we have used in countless times during our family vacation is the trusty portable electronic toys like LeapFrog Leapster (when they were toddler and pre-schooler) and Nintendo DSi (now that they are in elementary school).

I can’t tell you how much whining we saved during our trip to Disney. From waiting to get on the Disney’s bus back to our fabulous hotel at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa to waiting for a good meal at Yak & Yeti in Animal Kingdom.

For us, it’s also a little reward for them during our trip. They don’t usually spend a lot of time at home with this toys. We keep it locked up at home. So it’s something that they look forward to and it’s part of our travel that they love.

However, I do wish that there will be more educational games in Nintendo DS. When we had Leapster, it was pretty easy to find educational and fun games for them.

Check out other travelers pictures from Delicious Baby Photo Friday.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) The Best Way to Combat Long Lines in Disney World is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

When we visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom park on our recent trip to Walt Disney World, one of the must-do on our list was to ride the Expedition Everest. As we walked along the path to the Expedition Everest area, the smell from Yak & Yeti restaurant was so enticing. It was so good we almost made a quick turn to the restaurant right away. It was almost lunch time and our stomach reminded us all that THIS was a place to enjoy our lunch.

However, knowing that we would be on a roller coaster soon, we determined to push along the path to Everest. It was the hardest thing we had to do that day to walk past the inviting aroma.

It was a great decision on our part because once we got back from the ride it was late afternoon and there was relatively short wait to be seated.

An indoor, air-conditioned restaurant was a perfect choice for us especially on the hot day. In the past we had always battled the crowd and heat to have lunch at Tamu Tamu Refreshments – Harambe because we thought it was the cheapest alternative and the quickest.

But after experiencing Yak & Yeti restaurant, I have found a new dining option in this huge park.

Yes, at first glance at the menu the price is not what I will call affordable. However, after studying (yes, studying) a menu, I found that there were ways to enjoy the meal without shelling out $20 per person. Here are my tips.

1. Let Kids Share the Kids’ Meal – Miss J & Mr. Z were not big eaters. So I knew that they would be satisfied with sharing a meal. We ordered chicken bites with a side of chicken fried rice. Miss J took care of the fried rice and Mr. Z enjoyed the chicken bites.

2. Get 2 side dishes to make a meal - I ordered 2 side dishes of Stir-Fried Vegetables and Steam rice to make a great meal for under $9 while the cheapest entree on the menu is $16.99.

3. Split the adult entree – Yes, it’s pricey for an entree to cost $17-$25 but all thing considered the portion is considerably large. Unless you always eat a large portion at home, I’m pretty sure you can split the meal and everyone still has a fulfilling meal.

So if you plan to visit Animal Kingdom and don’t plan to pack your own lunch (which is probably the best way to save on dining), consider Yak & Yeti Restaurant. Mr. Rojo probably recommend you to try the Kobe Beef Burger.. Oh!! It was so tender and tasty. The size of the burger is big enough to share as well.

Disclosure: Thank you Walt Disney World for hosting our family during Disney’s Social Media Moms. We received discount hotel stays and complimentary tickets to Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. But we paid for our food ourselves and as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any no outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney With Kids: Good Eat @ Yak & Yeti Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Our recent trip to Walt Disney World marked a special milestone for our kids. They are now tall enough to ride most of the roller coaster rides and old enough to enjoy those rides themselves.

After three days of fun hopping between Walt Disney World theme parks from Hollywood Studio to Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It is clear that the Expedition Everest ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom was their favorite. Even though we didn’t meet the Yeti on the ride since he was on spring break. Maybe next trip we will get to meet him.

Mr. Rojo took Miss J and Mr. Z for the second time on the Expedition Everest ride on the last day. Yeah.. I was too much of the scary cat to take on a roller coaster ride the same day I was going to drive 8 hours back to Atlanta.

After the ride, it was fun to walk around in the gift shop. Yes, it’s a tourist trap to get more money from our pocket but when we talked to the cast member who worked the cash register that day we found out that most of the props inside the shop are the real equipment left behind on the Mount Everest base camps.

In order to create the accurate experience and also help clean up the Mount Everest, Walt Disney World had help recycle and brought down some equipments and gears left behind by climbers.

Knowing that it gave me goose bump. I looked around and imagined the life and danger these climbers encountered during their climb. I don’t know if we will ever be that adventurous like our friends at the Planet D who climbed to Mount Everest Base Camp so for now we have at least concurred the thrill ride.

You can check out other travelers photo at Delicious Baby.

Disclosure: Thank you Walt Disney World for hosting our family during Disney’s Social Media Moms. We received discount hotel stays and complimentary items like tickets, food and entertainment from Walt Disney World. But as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any no outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney With Kids: Conquered the Expedition Everest @ Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

One of the best part for our recent visit to Walt Disney World during Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2011 was that our kids are now tall enough to enjoy most of the roller coaster and thrill rides in Walt Disney World theme parks.

Here is an inside look of their experience at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Test Track ride.

The Q Kids on Walt Disney World’s Epcot Test Track Ride

I think they have developed the need for speed now!

Disclosure: Thank you Walt Disney World for hosting our family during Disney’s Social Media Moms. We received discount hotel stays and complimentary items like tickets, food and entertainment from Walt Disney World. But as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any no outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney With Kids: Thrill Ride Video of Epcot’s Test Track is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

As I start to work on improving our blog to provide more information about family travel, I know that one of the best way to share our experience is by video.

Today we want to introduce our video production from Mr. Rojo from our recent visit to the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa during our Disney Social Media Mom celebration.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: Thank you Walt Disney World for hosting our family during Disney’s Social Media Moms. We received discount hotel stays and complimentary items like tickets, food and entertainment from Walt Disney World. But as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any no outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Experienced the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Walt Disney World Resort Orlando is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

In February, we escaped the cold winter in Atlanta for a quick getaway and thawed ourselves at the fun, family-friendly indoor waterpark resort at the Wilderness at the Smokies Sevierville Tennessee.

I have been checking out and stalking the website for quite some times but have yet to pull the trigger to stay there. It was our friend’s birthday celebration and they invited us to stay with them. So we couldn’t say yes fast enough.

The Wilderness At the Smokies Sevierville TN Hotel & Waterpark Resort

The resort is located in Sevierville about 20 minutes from downtown Gatlinburg. It’s a great location for family in Atlanta to enjoy a quick getaway on the weekend or holidays. With a short distance from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, family can enjoy nature at the same time as the fun in the waterpark. The resort comprises of hotels, indoor waterpark, outdoor waterpark (seasonal) and timeshare units.

The check-in process was smooth and rather uneventful. One note for family is that you can opt to check in early which allow you more time in the waterpark with extra charge for $50. So I guess it’s up to you to decide whether extra 4  hours is worth the $50. In our case, we only stayed for one night so we decided to pay extra $50 to give us extra time in the waterpark.

Plenty of Room for Multi-Families Vacation

We stayed at the one bedroom deluxe unit at the River Lodge building which connects to the Wild WaterDome indoor waterpark and Lake Wilderness outdoor waterpark (which was closed for the season).

The room layout is designed with multi-families in mind with one bedroom with 1 king beds and partial wall and another bunk bed. Kids couldn’t get enough of climbing up and down the bunk bed. With in the bedroom itself, there is also sofa bed, small fridge and a microwave.

Our group of 3 families stayed comfortable in this one bedroom deluxe with plenty of room to move around. The kitchen and dining room area was a big plus for family vacation with kids. We were able to cook dinner and have quick breakfast at our room to save money.

In the living room area, there is a murphy queen bed and sofa bed for more people in our group. What I like most is the screen that you can use at night to give more privacy during night time.

Fun Time in the Wild Waterdome Indoor Waterpark

Now, I know what you want to know most is the indoor waterpark. Here is the deal. If you are looking for a relaxing vacation where you can read your book by the pool, then I would say look for somewhere else. But if you want to find a resort where kids will enjoy a full fun day and say ‘this is the best day ever’ to you multiple times a day, then you are in the right place.

There is no mistake that the Wilderness At the Smokies resort is a family destination seeing from the rows of minivan parked in the parking lot. We went there during the holiday break so the waterpark was quite crowd. But based on my friend who visited the resort a few times in the past, she said this was not at all crowd!! Hmm.. I don’t know if I can take any more people in this space.

The whole indoor waterpark was under the see-through roof so you still get plenty of Sun. Don’t forget to put sunscreen on even though it’s indoor.

Great Fun for Kids of All Ages

With many different sections and features within the Wild Waterdome indoor waterpark, kids of all ages can enjoy the fun. For the toddler and younger kids, the Flying Squirrel Play Area provides the safe area with 2 kiddie slides, bounce/swing tree and teeter totter

The Great Wave is definitely a favorite for the whole family especially the dare devil ones. It reminded me of the Surf Pool at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon waterpark but in a much smaller scale.

However, Miss J surprised me when she went on all 3 tube slides – the Storm Chaser, the Runaway Canyon and the Trail Twisters. Mr. Z was just a couple inches under the limit to ride the Storm Chaser so I guess we will have to go back again for him to experience that thrill ride.

Safety First

The safety measure inside the waterpark was prominent. There were several lifeguards around the park area. But I wouldn’t dare to leave my kids alone just because of how easy it was to loose sight of them in the crowd. Plus there is really no security measure to check-in or check-out of the waterpark area.

For kids that still learn how to swim, there are plenty of floating-vests available for them at the entrance of the waterpark and at the other end of the waterpark.

It was a great weekend for us to spend with our close friends and celebrated their birthday. Kids truly enjoyed the fun in the water and didn’t want to leave at all. I know we might want to go back and visit again in summer to check out their 2 other outdoor waterparks.

Family Tips:

• Don’t forget to put on sun screen for kids. Even though, it’s indoor waterpark, the roof is see-through so it means you can still get plenty of sun.
• The room configuration allows for sharing the room with other families to make it more affordable.
• The cost of the room includes the waterpark admission. So the price might seem high but if you add the cost of typical waterpark admission, it is fairly affordable.
• Most room has full kitchen so you can save by preparing your meal at your room.

Check out other travelers photo at Delicious Baby – Photo Friday.

Sevierville Vacations

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Tennessee With Kids: Family Indoor Waterpark Resort @ Wilderness at the Smokies Sevierville is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Ah.. The world of luxury travel doesn’t come along often at the Q Family Adventures. As you might have notice, we are the family travel on a budget in quest to fulfill our wanderlust souls to travel all around the country and the world. So whenever we have a chance to travel, we tend to stick to budget accommodations and the like. HOWEVER, there are always exceptions to the rule.

Recently, we had a chance to attend the Disney Social Media Moms celebration in Orlando and stayed at the Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, one of the Deluxe Resorts in Disney and probably one of the top rated in all Disney’s resorts.

We are no stranger to Walt Disney World theme parks as we have visited frequently in the past and stayed at various hotels in Orlando area. BUT we have never stayed at Disney’s resorts with our kids. So this was a first experience for them to stay at Disney’s resorts.

Attentive Cast Members & Inviting Lobby

As soon as we pulled our car to the entrance of the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, we were greeted enthusiastically from the valet member. The whole magical experience had begun.

It was during the Floridian spring break so the hotel was totally packed. We checked-in but couldn’t get to our room until later. It was nice to be able to find ample of space to lounge in the lobby while a pianist serenade all the princesses.

It would be easy to impress all the adults with the Victorian-style decoration with all the detail. But they also didn’t forget about the little ones in the family. There are a special sitting area created just for kids while we waited for our room. How cute is this pint-size TV, chairs and sofa.

I have never seen so many hotel staffs in any hotels we have been to. Everywhere we turned, we always found the smiling face ready to help us in anyway they can.

Fun Things to Do in the Water & Beyond

There are 2 pools at the Grand Floridian. The courtyard pool is right in front of our building with large pool, hot tub and kiddie pool. The beach pool features zero-depth entry, cascade waterfall and water slide. There are planned activities during the day.

For Mr. Z, he decisively picked the beach pool as his favorite because it has the water slide. I was surprised to find that Miss J loved the courtyard pool more because of the size of the pool.

Apart from the fun in the pool, there are other fun things family can enjoy with their kids like watercraft rental, arcade room, white-sand beach of the Seven Seas Lagoon.

There are also other kids activities programs available like Disney’s Pirate Adventure, the Mouseketeer Club, Movie under the Star and Wonderland Tea Party. Most of the programs will require additional fee and reservation is required. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to check out any of these kids-friendly programs. But it’s good to see so many options available.

Best Location You will Ever Get to Disney’s Magic Kingdom

What make the Grand Floridian an AWESOME resort to stay for family vacation visiting Disney’s theme parks is by far its prime location. Situated on the monorail line to Disney’s Magic Kingdom with a stop directly at the resort make it a perfect hotel for family with kids.

As many experts in Disney’s theme parks have pointed out, taking a break during the day helps kids enjoy the park even more in the afternoon. A stay at the Grand Floridian provides such opportunity with ease. A short hop on the monorail and we were back at our room enjoying a quick dip in the pool.

And to mix thing up and make it more interesting, we boarded the boat back to Disney’s Magic Kingdom. A great way to enjoy the scenery that sure to make any kids happy.

Comfortable Room After A Long Day in the Park

The room at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa has all the amenities as you would expect from five stars hotel. The room includes a desk with plenty of outlet which is a nice touch especially for this family travel blogger, a day bed (which we didn’t really know how to open it up) and the arm chair.

The best part of this room is the BED! We typically had a hard time sleeping at the hotel because we were too spoiled with our pillow-top mattress. But not here, as soon as we laid down, there was no toss and turn. Everyone felt fast asleep even before we can say M-I-C-K-E-Y..

Kids also loved the turndown service at night. The little Mickey is a great reminder of our cruise trip animal towels. And who doesn’t love to find chocolate on their bed at night.

One note I want to point out, the internet access is NOT free at the Grand Floridian. I was provided complimentary internet access as part of Disney’s Social Media Moms. But if you were a paying guest, you would have to pay additional fee to get the internet access.

Luxury Stay Worth a Splurge

Remember the saying of ‘You get what you pay for’. I think it rings true at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. Yes, the cost of one night stay here can be as much as a week stay at a cheaper accommodation (and you can also do so with Disney’s Value Resorts). But for the price you pay, you will certainly get to experience a stay with exceptional service, prime location and unforgettable memory. So it’s a stay worth a splurge for a special celebration with your family.

It’s just the total immersion in Disney’s magic that makes the whole trip that much more magical. We love our experience so much that we already plan the next trip to another Disney’s Deluxe resort at the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge this summer.

As I’m dreaming about our next stay at Disney’s resort, check out other travelers dreams at Mother of All Trips.

Disclosure: Thank you Walt Disney World for hosting our family during Disney’s Social Media Moms. We received discount hotel stays and complimentary items like tickets, food and entertainment from Walt Disney World. But as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any no outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney With Kids: Luxury Family Stay @ The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This week we are here at the Walt Disney World resort to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2011. It has been a great experience learning and connecting with other social media enthusiasts.

We are staying at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa which I will do proper review later. But I have to say all the rave review about the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is not hype at all. I could totally see why this is a five star resort. But what impress me the most is the service and friendliness of all the staffs even during the busy day with many tired customers.

Our first session was hosted by Disney’s Wedding where we learned about new destination wedding (Hawaii for a renewal of a vow anyone?) and wedding on the Disney Dream Cruise Line. In the evening, Disney hosted attendees and their families at the Grand Floridian Lake Front lawn for dinner, drinks and carnival games.

And of course, we had special guests appearance from Minnie, Mickey, Pluto and Goofy throughout the evening. Definitely made many little kids happy. Miss J kept saying ‘Today is the BEST day of my life’. Seriously!! This is not her first trip but I guess staying in the Disney’s property does have its magic.

Disclosure: We received discount hotel stays and complimentary items like tickets, food and entertainment from Walt Disney World. But as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any no outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2011: A Magical Experience for the Whole Family is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Of all 4 Disney theme parks in Orlando, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the smallest park in size which make it the easiest park to manage in one day. But it doesn’t mean that there are few options for attractions and rides.

Our recent visit to the Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we approached the park with the idea that that we would not be able to ride everything or watch every show. As recommended by Frommer’s Walt Disney World and Orlando 2011, you have to have a plan of attack when planning a family vacation to Walt Disney World. Granted that my plan was nothing fancy with just a quick look at what will be the best rides for our school age kids to enjoy.

Since we haven’t been to Disney’s Hollywood Studios with kids for a while, our original list of our favorite rides in Walt Disney World has changed. Now that the kids are older, they have become more involve in the planning and can go to other big kids rides. So here are our top 5 rides for our school age children in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

1. Toy Story Midway Mania: Fun for all ages

The newest ride in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is also the hottest ride. With the fun, interactive, 3D game type ride, the Toy Story Midway Mania! is one of the most popular ride that you can’t miss. The ride is great for kids of all ages so the line will be extremely long. Fortunately, this is the fastpass ride which means you can insert your theme park ticket to one of many fastpass kiosk outside the entrance of Toy Story Mania ride and the machine will dispense the fastpass ticket which gives you the timeframe for you to come back.

I would highly recommend you to head to get your fastpass as soon as you arrive. When we arrived around 10 AM, our fastpass time was for 5:55PM-6:55PM. Like I said, it’s one popular ride in this park.

2. Star Wars: Jedi Training Academy: Join the force for kids age 4-12

I don’t know that many boys who don’t love Star Wars or dream about becoming a Jedi. This 30-minute live show allows kids to become part of the show. I knew that it was one of our priority. So as soon as we picked up the map and check the time, we walked to Echo Lake area where the Star Tours is located. Just look for the cast member and you can sign up your young padawan for the Jedi Training Academy.

Kids will be a part of the Jedi Training Academy and have a chance to fight with Darth Vader or Darth Maul. After the training, each kid will also receive the certificate. I wish they will let you keep the robe. :)

3. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: Perfect for the thrill seekers

I didn’t know who screamed the loudest but I knew my throat hurt a little when we got off from the elevator of the Hollywood Tower hotel. We were very lucky that day that there were virtually no wait at all. We didn’t even have to use any fastpass for this ride because the wait time was 5 minutes.

4. Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show: Thrilling show for kids

This live show was a surprise for us. The arena is large so it can fit a LOT of people so it’s one of the attractions where you don’t have to wait in line for a long time. The show was entertaining and exhilarating. Some of the stunt they did was surreal. It was also nice to see the secret behind the shooting as well. Our kids absolutely loved this show. Even though the show has no age recommendation, with the nature of explosive and loud noise, small kids might get scared easily.

5. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular

Yes, it’s another stunt show but this is Indiana Jones we are talking about. Kids got excited at the opening scene cheering for Indy to run fast than the giant rock. The show involved a lot of stunt including several audiences who got a chance to be a part of the scene. Fighting, jumping, climbing and explosion, they had it all. It was especially nice to catch the show at the end of the day with the blue sky as a backdrop. The amphitheater is big enough to accommodate pretty everyone. So there is no need for fastpass here. For parents with young children, you might want to consider whether they can tolerate the loud noise and explosion.

Orlando Vacations

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This Monday I couldn’t help but getting excited about our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World.

We have been a die-hard fan of Disney for a really long time. We have taken multiple trips over the years from Mr. Rojo’s birthday celebration trip to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon last summer, holiday break to Disney’s Hollywood Studio or Christmas at Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

So what make this trip is so different from our previous trips?

This trip we will be staying at Walt Disney World Resort property at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. I mean technically I have stayed at Walt Disney World Resorts before kids. But this will be the first time for our kids. I can’t wait to see their faces and their reaction once we arrive at the resort.

I have been reading a few posts from my blogging friends about their experience in staying at Walt Disney World’s resort which added to my excitement.

• Jen from Two Kids and A Map shared her experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. This is the one place that I really really want to stay.
• Renee from Cutie Booty Cake celebrated her birthday during the Disney Princess Marathon with a stay at Disney’s Polynesian resort. Now, that’s how we should celebrate our birthday!

Business Trip with Kids

This trip is actually my business trip to attend a social media conference hosted by Walt Disney World – The Disney Social Media Moms 2011. We are no strangers to combining business trip with family trip. So I know my kids and Mr. Rojo will have a great time while I’m working.

I have to admit that this is the least planned family trip we have ever done. I just feel like we are going to see our old friends so it’s less planning than usual. At least I have the big 3 main things done. Now just have to figure out what to eat!

• Accommodation – Checked
• Transportation – Checked (the beauty of living within driving distance (an 8 hours drive) to Orlando is the saving from flying)
• Entertainment – Checked (I will be attending the Disney Social Media Moms conference while Mr. Rojo and the kids will enjoy parks hopping)

Check out other travelers’ dream at Mother of All Trips – Mondays are for Dreaming.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Dreaming of Walt Disney World with Kids (Again) is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Miss J enjoyed her water roller coaster ride of Trail Twisters Tube Slides at Wilderness at the Smokies, an indoor-outdoor waterpark resort in Severville near Gatlinburg, TN.

It’s a great family resort. Stay tune for more detail review of the hotel and the waterpark.

Check out other travelers Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Water Fun at Wilderness at the Smokies is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

What’s for lunch? Ah, the old-age question that I really don’t want to hear especially when we travel as a family. Sometimes it’s hard to please everyone in the family for the options we have. I mean technically my kids probably can survive on cheese pizza alone. But who want to eat cheese pizza on your vacation? Ok.. don’t answer that!

Fun Family Dining Option in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

So in order to add a little fun to our lunch, we opted for one of theme restaurant inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios – the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre. The restaurant is modeled after drive-in theatre where you can dine in the 50′s car and enjoy B movies on the big screen under the stars.

Sound like something that will please my kids especially after a long day in the Disney’s park.

Food & Flick at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre

After we checked in with the host who took us to be seated at our CAR, we walked through what looked like a backstage of a movie set. Then a little doorway lead us into what I feel like a totally different world. We stepped into the time where families went to the theatre in their cars and enjoyed movie and dinner. That’s what the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre is all about.

Inside you will see rows of cars facing the big screen just like you would see at the drive-in theatre. Car can seat up to 6 people where small car will seat 4 people. So for a big party, you have to be willing to split the group. Since there is no way for them to move the car around. The restaurant might seem a little bit dark because we were dining out under the stars after all. But there were enough lighting at our car for us to check out the menu.

How about Food & Price?

Food serves in the restaurant is typical American fare with burger, pasta and sandwich. Quite frankly, this will probably be the worst review of a restaurant ever because I didn’t remember what we had. But sometimes, the food doesn’t matter as much as the experience and atmosphere in which the Sci-Fi Dine-In theatre certainly provided us with memorable experience.

Kids truly enjoyed eating and watching movies from the 50′s and 60′s. Then again, which kids don’t love to watch movie and eat at the same time. I just had to remind them that it won’t happen at home. :)

With the main course range from $11.99 to $19.99, this is not a cheap eat by any measure. However, I viewed it as an experience that we will not have a chance to do often. So it all depends on how much price tag you put on the experience. For us, it’s worth it for a fun time during lunch with good food.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney With Kids: Fun Family Dining at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Last year (Gosh, it feels weird to say that when it was just a couple months ago), when we visited Gatlinburg, we also had a chance to visit the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.

Now, living in Atlanta with the world’s largest aquarium, I tend to be a little snobby at the other aquarium. What could be there that I haven’t seen already. But EVERY TIME I always surprised at how much fun both our kids and us enjoying the visit.

The Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies

This time was no difference. After a great day which started with hearty breakfast and great walk in the nature, we were a little bit tired, so I didn’t know how much we would be able to keep up the energy. Luckily, the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies opened late during the holidays. We were able to take a quick break at our resort at Holiday Inn Club Vacation before heading out to the aquarium.

Just like most aquariums, we followed the path in the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies to view various types of sea creatures. But what I like most about the Ripley’s Aquarium is various stations inside that allows kids to explore more at their own pace in the Discovery Center.

Mr. Z loved to get up close and personal with Nemo & Dory inside this bubble tank after he bounced from touching the sting ray, played the interactive games and jumped on the play area.

The Penguin Playhouse

As we walked around the aquarium, we rounded up to probably the best part of this aquarium. The Penguin Playhouse where kids (or adults) can crawl inside the tunnel that will lead you to the middle of their exhibit.

We literally came face-to-face with them. I bet they were wondered what kind of animal are we.

Many of them even tried to peck Mr. Rojo and the kids while they were inside.

We had a great time there and the aquarium is the right size that doesn’t overwhelm kids. Plus with many open space for kids to roam around, even during the holiday season, we didn’t feel crowd at all.

Family Tips:

• There is a locker that you can rent to keep your coats or other personal items. It makes visiting and chasing after kids in the aquarium much easier.
• We went there a bit late so we didn’t get to see the penguin swimming around inside the penguin crawl tube. So plan your visit during the day might give you more chances to see penguin in action.

Check out other travelers photo from Delicious Babay – Photo Friday.

Disclosure: Thank you Holiday Inn Club Vacations Smoky Mountain Resort for hosting my family over the weekend and providing us with complimentary attraction tickets and expense card. This post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence. I will not write about a place we will not visit ourselves.

Gatlinburg Vacations

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Last November we spent a week in Orlando and Kissimmee. Without a doubt one of MY favorite visit was The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. As much as this blog is all about family travel, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea that we travel solely based on our kids’ need. Yes, we travel as a family but we chose our destination for different reasons and many times we picked them based on OUR own desire.

I have been a fan of Harry Potter Books Series since before we had kids. So for me to be able to walk into the world that I have enjoyed reading and later watching was something that I couldn’t put into words.

Stepping into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

My heart was pounding at the glimpse of the entrance to Hogsmeade. Many people might complain about the crowd and all the tourists that seem to head to the same destination. But for me, it added more to the atmosphere.

Yes, it was crazy busy when we were at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was so packed that Universal Studio had to implement the ticketing system similar to Disney’s Fast Pass. We had to get the timed tickets for each of us to get inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter section.

By the time, we got in which was just after 11AM. The park (or should I say the WWHP) was packed. It was like the whole Hogwarts students were here on their weekend excursion. We didn’t let that bothered us though. Kids enjoyed their pretend broomstick ride on the Nimbus 2000.

I love all the Detail inside Hogsmeade

We took our time to check every single little details from store front at Hogsmeade. I was truly amazed at the details Universal Studio have put in. Majority if not all park staff speaks with British accent giving us the impression that we were truly indeed in the World of Harry Potter.

In the bathroom, if you listen carefully, you will surely know that Myrtle is there just like in the books and the movie!

There will be a long line, really long line

I mentioned that I expected it to be a long line but what I didn’t expect was there were lines to EVERYTHING from gift shop to restaurant! So plan your day carefully. Here is a few tips to help you out:

1. Get Harry Potter souvenir at the main gift shop outside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

You can get most major souvenir items (sweaters, books, wands and more) at the main souvenir shop at the front of Island of Adventure. So you don’t really have to wait in line and cram into Dervish and Bangles to get those. BUT, it was nice to walk through the store nonetheless.

2. Avoid eating during lunch time or dinner time.

It’s actually typical recommendation to most theme parks anyway. But it’s even more critical in this case because there was line to get into Three Broomstick, the only main sit down place inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

3. Bring cash to get your own Harry Potter Wand at the cart shop.

If you want to get a wand for yourself, you don’t really have to wait in line to get inside Dervish and Bangles. You can buy a wand from a cart. But it’s cash only based on what my friend who recently went told me.

Lines Worth Waiting for in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

No matter how tired or how cranky you were, one ride that you couldn’t miss is the Forbidden Journey.

When we went, the estimate wait time was 60 minutes but it felt more like 2 hours for us. Luckily, our kids were now at the age that they could entertain themselves with a little bit of technology. Since, Mr. Z wasn’t tall enough yet, we skipped the locker and carried all our bags in line.

It was a good thing we did that so I could take a few pictures inside Hogwarts School. I think they should have a separate line just for people who just want to walk inside Hogwarts! I totally would slow down next time and enjoy all the details inside the school.

The ride itself was AMAZING but be warned that if you tend to have motion sickness, this ride might not be for you. With the twist and turn and 3D technology, I was surprised I lasted till the ride end.

In the end I think we spent probably 5-6 hours just inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and I still felt that it wasn’t enough for me. :) We went back at night after we walked around the other parts of Universal’s Islands of Adventure. So I just want to leave you with this picture. It’s the one that make me dream about going back there again!

So have you been the Wizarding World of Harry Potter yet? Any other tips to share to other travelers?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando With Kids: Experiencing The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

With many things that are going on with our family this year especially during this Holiday season, it’s hard for me to spend time and sit down to blog about our fun adventures we have done lately. As we approach the end of year 2010, I couldn’t help but feel thankful and grateful for all the opportunities and friendships I have made during this year.

It was a great year for us here at the Q Family Adventures. I don’t want to sound bragging or showing off but then again I want to be able to come back one day and read about our year in travel. So if you don’t feel like going on the walk back in time with us, I completely understand. Otherwise, let take a trip back to see what we have done this year.

January to March: Connecting

Our first quarter was our typical time to stay home and enjoy time together. With 2 birthdays we enjoyed our time closer to home and explored what Atlanta had to offer. I did get to meet many wonderful people in real life and started to get more invitation to events around Atlanta. One of those connection turned into a invitation to a visit our neighboring state in South Carolina.

April: Columbia, SC

We had a great fun during spring break in South Carolina with kids. Our quick getaway weekend gave us the chance to check out the Riverbank Zoo, the EdVenture Children’s museum and the Congaree National Park. The time we spent was short but it was a great introduction for us.

May: Family Trip to Thailand

This was the trip I had been waiting and planning for the whole year. It wasn’t the first trip back to Thailand for the kids but it was the first trip they would remember. They were at the right age to be able to enjoy and recognize families. We had a great time spending 3 weeks in Thailand and other provinces. I know I have only scratch the surface on our trips to Thailand with post about Saraburi, Ko Samet and Bangkok. But there are still many more posts to come. This was the month when things started to pick up. After we came back from Thailand, we barely had time to unpack before we headed to our next destination.

June: New York City for TBEX

I headed up to New York City for my first TBEX conference. It was so great to finally be able to meet many travel bloggers I have followed online. The conference was a bit disorganized but the networking made up for it. I had only a few hours to spare each day so there was no time to explore the city. The last day, I met up with Mr. Rojo and the kids for a whirlwind day in New York City. Needless to say, it only made me want to plan a trip to properly introduce New York City to my kids soon.

July: Orlando for Summer

In July, we headed down to our family favorite vacation spot in Orlando. As much as I think, we would get tired of the theme parks city, I couldn’t be more wrong. We enjoyed exploring the other side of Orlando by visit the Orlando Science Museum for a day of non-theme park and a couple more days of exploring other free things to do in Orlando gave us a new perspective for this tourist destination.

August: Huntsville for Space & Star Wars

As kids were getting ready to start the new year in school, we took the last trip before all the free times would be limited to just holidays and weekend to Huntsville, AL. It was a trip for both kids and Mr. Rojo because Star Wars had a travel exhibition at the Space Center.

September: Asheville, NC

I attended my 2nd blog conference for 2010 in Ashville, NC at Type-A-Mom conference. This was my second year attending the conference and I had to say I still learned something new and met many new bloggers that I both admired and followed. Asheville has become one of our family favorite small town. With the second trip, we still found many new things to explore.

November: Kissimmee, FL

As we headed toward the busy holiday season, we kicked off our celebration of Thanksgiving in Kissimmee. I have yet to write about our trip on this blog but you can read about our experience at Visit Kissimmee blog.

December: Gatlinburg, FL

We ended our last trip of the year at beautiful Gatlinburg in winter. The Holiday Inn Club Vacations Smoky Mountain Resort hosted us for the weekend to this fun mountain town where we enjoyed a day in one of the most visited national park at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and spent a night strolling along the downtown street for the festive Christmas lights.

I am thankful that I am able to take various trip throughout the year. It has been an amazing year for me both as a mom and a travel blogger.

I am looking forward to year 2011 and hope that we will be as fortunate to be able to explore different parts of the country or even other countries (Canada is on the horizon for TBEX’2011). I also hope to be able to continue to provide the inspiration to other families out there to get out and explore the world. It doesn’t have to be an exotic place or expensive resorts. There are many many places and many many ways to travel.

I hope everyone a very happy holiday and look forward to hearing from you about your family adventures too!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Our Family Travel in 2010 is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

We are planning a quick weekend trip to our neighboring state in Tennessee. Destination – Gatlinburg. Thanks to the invitation from Holiday Inn Club Vacations.

Our family trip to Gatlinburg a couple years ago was short and hardly enough for us to truly explore other things to do in or around Gatlinburg.

This trip will be equally short but I hope we will have more time to explore Gatlinburg and surrounding area a little bit more.

There is no doubt that Gatlinburg is known for various fun attractions from aquarium, theme parks, miniature golf to theatre. You name it and I’m sure you will be able to find it! But Gatlinburg is also the gateway to one of America’s favorite national park – The Smoky Mountains National Park. So it’s understandable why Gatlinburg is a great family destination.

With the upcoming trip, I have done a bit more research than our previous trip to narrow down of things we would want to do on this quick weekend getaway. So here are our top 5 family-friendly things to do in Gatlinburg with kids.

1. Sugarlands Visitor Center at the Smoky Mountains National Park

My kids are hard pressed to collect all the cancellation stamps from national park, we couldn’t skip visiting one of the visitor center to add one more stamp to their National Park Passport. Plus, it will be a great introduction for them to learn about the wildlife and nature in the Smoky Mountains National Park during the free 20 minutes movie.

2. Ripley Aquarium of the Smokies

We walked past the Ripley aquarium on our last visit but with limited time we couldn’t visit. This trip, I will make sure that we set aside the time to visit this aquarium. Yes,we do have the world largest aquarium in Atlanta but I know that the kids will enjoy the underwater tunnel and are curious about the working mechanism of the System control room.

3. Enjoy special Winter events

We will be in Gatlinburg during winter so it will be cold and hopefully less crowd. At the same time, the city will be all light up with holiday decoration and lighting. I can’t wait to take a stroll along the streets in downtown Gatlinburg and hopefully catch the Winter Magic Tunes & Tales. Afterward, we might hop on the Trolley Ride of Lights to enjoy a guided trolley ride of the spectacular Gatlinburg Winter Magic lighting displays.

4. Ober Gatlinburg

Quite frankly, I don’t know if we will have time to enjoy Ober Gatlinburg this trip. But last time, we all had a blast as we slid down the hill on one of their snow tubing, a great family activity that is sure to please kids of all ages. My kids still remembered the view of the mountain city as we rode the aerial tram down from the top. So if we have enough time, we might ride the aerial tram up to have a fun time in the snow.

5. Guided Nature Hike with A Walk in the Woods

The Holiday Inn Club Vacation not only invite us to stay at their spacious location but they also arrange for a guide nature walk for us with A Walk in the Woods. To be honest, I have never thought about hiring a company to take us on a nature hike. BUT, after our own limited experience hiking with kids, I am sold (even before we try it out). You know why? Because we are newbies and lack of knowledge. Most of our hikes involved kids whined about they were tired and us trying to point to some unknown leaves or birds.

From their website, there are various programs available based on your preference and comfort. I especially love the ‘Exploring Nature with Children’ program. It will be like a class during vacation but it’s more FUN!

So there you have it. Our top pick for this weekend trip planning from Atlanta.

How about you? What would be your top things to do with kids in Gatlinburg?

Gatlinburg Vacations

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Our Top 5 Family Friendly Things to Do With Kids in Gatlinburg, Tennessee is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Before the beginning of school year, we took the kids to Fernbank Museum of Natural History. With a great deal we snagged from Groupon for 50% off for a family membership, we were able to enjoy a great family day out on a cheap.

The Fernbank Museum has a great permanent exhibits and also educational and fun special exhibit throughout the year. Currently, the Geckos: Tails to Toepads is on display until the end of September.

We went there during the weekend that they also hosted a fun family day. So kids pretty much enjoyed the fun games as well as the fun display of live bugs in the area.

Once we stepped inside the exhibit, their attention was drawn to various types and varieties of Geckos in the enclosures.

I love the fact that they put up the little treasure hunt on each enclosure. Kids and adults spent time trying to locate geckos in the enclosure to see if we could locate all the geckos in that enclosure.

Can you find where is the gecko?

It’s very interesting to learn about different environments these little creatures could survive in.

We did spend some time walking around the permanent exhibits. Even though, we have visited the Fernbank Museum in the past, our kids still enjoyed checking out the Sensing Nature room where they could learn about how their sense work together to understand the environment.

With many interactive stations, it’s no doubt one of the favorite room for kids as they can touch and play.

And the visit wouldn’t be complete if they didn’t get their own souvenir. Our budget friendly souvenir is still the pennies pressed. Their little pennie book is almost full. I guess it’s time for me to invest in a new book for them.

Family Tips:

• Check out many deal sites in Atlanta area for discount tickets. So far I have seen deals from Groupon and HalfOffDepot.
• There is also IMAX theatre where different movies are shown. Check the schedule if you and your family are interested. The IMAX ticket is sold separately.
• The museum is not that big so this can be done in half day.

Atlanta

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The weekend before our school started here in Georgia, we squeezed in a last hurray before we all back to the routine of life. We packed up the car and drove to our neighboring state in Alabama for a fun weekend of family friendly activities in Huntsville. Here are the sneak peek of what we did in Huntsville during this weekend trip.

The Wonder of Nature at Cathedral Caverns

Our first stop while we were en route to Hunstville was Cathedral Caverns. This was our first visit to any caves with kids. A cave helmet was a great souvenir to get them excited about the journey lied ahead.

I will have to write a more detail post on our journey deep into the caverns. It was such a cool and great experience. The Cathedral Caverns State park is well maintained so it was very easy for family to enjoy. The path along the caverns is paved and you can easily navigate with your stroller.

Sharpen Young Mind with Science

Sci-Quest was our next stop in Huntsville. This small, yet fun science center provided us with many hand-on exhibits that we spent the rest of the day there.

Blast Off Their Imagination with Space Center

Our last stop was the main attraction that we came here for. The US Space & Rocket Center was hosting the special Star Wars exhibit. And the kids were truly excited as we pulled into the parking lot greeting by the huge space rocket.

Needless to say, Mr. Z couldn’t stop talking since. He even asked if we can move there permanently. Only if he will realize that the Star Wars exhibit is only temporary and they have already moved on to the unknown destination.

Visit back soon as we dive into the detail of our fun visit in this small town.

Also check out other traveler tales at Photo Friday and Spotlight Thursday.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Huntsville, AL With Kids: Caverns, Science and Rocket is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

When talking about a visit to Orlando and more specifically Walt Disney World, most people will probably think about the big 4 – Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studio. But for us, summer family trip to Orlando only means a water park. Our last trip we enjoyed our visit to Disney’s Blizzard Beach.

This time around we went to another Disney Water park at Typhoon Lagoon. I always recommend my friends who visit Walt Disney World in summer or even spring to at least plan a day to the water park. Not only, it’s a great way to break out park routine but it’s a wonderful way to beat the heat in Florida.

What I Like About Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon

Easy on the Wallet (sort of)

The Typhoon Lagoon is part of Walt Disney World theme parks but the price is very comparable to local theme parks in Orlando. I mean we are still talking about a big chunck of cash for a family of 4 but at least it’s much cheaper than the main Disney Theme parks.

Plus you don’t have to pay for parking like other parks so it’s a perfect place to enjoy even half a day or a whole day.

Fun For the Whole Family

Having little kids always create a challenge in finding a fun ride that will satisfy the whole family. At Typhoon Lagoon, there is something for everyone. We especially love the Castaway Creek where we could float along the gently steam as it’s winding along the park.

And for the dare devil of the family, there is no dispute that the Surf Pool is one of the kids’ favorite. They braved the chest-high water and patiently waited along with hundred of kids and adult in the blue pool. As thundering sound roared from the distant, the crowd started to prepare themselves. Parents held on tight to their children’s little hand. School-age kids pushed down their goggle and breathed in the last big breath.

The wave as high as two story house crushing down to anticipating kids. Some rode with the wave and got pushed all the way in land to the white sandy beach. Some ducked down under the water as the tide passed. Some swam up and found the strength to ride on it. In the end, you heard the cheer and the laugh all around.

Fun For the Littlest of the Family

Ketchakiddee Creek is a perfect safe haven for babies and toddlers to enjoy the cool water slide, fun fountains, waterfalls or the mini ripply-rapids ride. At first, Miss J and Mr. Z anxiously waited in line to ride on the mini ripply-rapids raide. But soon discovered that the ride was too timid for their liking.

Fun For Big Kids and the rest of us

Miss J and Mr. Z are bordering big kids size so we were able to have fun in most of the 9 waterslides attractions available in the park.

We enjoyed the Strom Slide, the fast moving body slide that twists and turns through waterfalls, caves, and geysers then drops into an exhilarating pool at the bottom, so much that we slid down the 3 different slides twice so that’s a total of 6 slides in one day! Luckily, the line was not long at all.

Our second favorite ride was the Gang Plank Falls, a 4-person family inner tube. The walk up was a bit of a work out for the daddy but it was all worth it as we descended down the 300-foot long waterslide.

Family Tips:

• Bring water shoes for everyone. You will be walking a lot between ride. And on a hot day, it wasn’t fun to walk bare foot.
• You can bring cooler to the park. So to help save money, you can bring water, sandwich and snacks for the mid-day break.
• Rent a locker to put valuable items and your clothes because you won’t spend much time at your spot.
• Don’t forget to reapply your sunscreen regularly and make sure to dry yourself before doing so. Trust me, apply sunscreen to the wet body doesn’t help.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando With Kids: The Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

During summer, we took Miss J and Mr. Z to Six Flags Over Georgia using their free tickets from their school reading reward program and with the current promotion of adult pays child ticket, we were able to save quite a bit in tickets admission.

Our First Time Experience was 2 Years Ago

We haven’t been to Six Flags in a couple years. Our first visit to Six Flags Over Georgia was when they were still pre-school and I found that it wasn’t much they could enjoy. It was more of a hassle to have to explain to them why they couldn’t get on the ride because they were too short or too young.

Now that they were older and hopefully more reasonable, we took a chance.

A Different Game Plan and Approach

After talking to a friend of us who recommended us to go to the park in the afternoon and stay late instead of going early in the morning to escape the heat, we decided to head there after lunch.

It might seem weird to go there late but it worked out pretty well. The park during the summer time close at 10PM so even when we arrived at 2PM we still had a full 8 hours in the park. This approach however might not work with a family with younger children who have early bed time. For our kids, they could easily stay up until midnight if we let them.

When It Rained, It Poured

Well, we thought that would give us plenty of time to explore the whole park. Unfortunately, the mother nature didn’t agree. It was raining for a good hour while we were there. So after the rain, a lot of rides were close and we spent time walking around trying to find a ride. Mr. Z was pleased to hop on the Railroad and enjoyed the preview of many rides in the park that he hoped he could conquer.

Small People Area: Spanish/Bugs Bunny World

For us, even though they are now in school, their sizes are still small comparing to their peers. So there were still many disappointment when they couldn’t get on several rides they hoped for.

We decided to head to Spanish/Bugs Bunny World – the area mainly for younger kids. This area provided us with an insurance that they would be able to enjoy every single ride and with less wait time as well.

By now, we were all hot and sweaty. It was time to head to the back of the park for some water fun.

Water Fun in the Park

When we visited Six Flags Over Georgia last time, the Skull Island was already closed. So this time, we were looking forward to it.

I think we could have just come to the Skull Island and they would be VERY happy about it.

But as a parent, it was very stressful to have to keep an eye on your kids running around in the slippery and wet area. No matter how many times you tell them not to run, they just couldn’t easily contain their excitement.

We spent the rest of our time in the Skull Island. In hindsight, I think we should have come to this area sooner. They had so much fun that I think we might have to visit Six Flags again before they close for the season.

So if you have the little dare devil in your household, I think this is a park that they will absolutely enjoy. Mr. Z is working hard to grow himself a few more inches so he can enjoy most of the roller coaster rides. Check out Six Flags Over Georgia tickets page for various deal and ticket combination.

Family Tips:

• Bring extra change of clothes and towel for Skull Island water fun.
• Check out the ride restriction so you can plan your visit accordingly.
• We purchased bottomless refill drink to enjoy cold drink throughout the day. Yes, it’s soda but it’s only for a day. :)
• Purchase ticket online to avoid the line at the entrance.

Check out other travelers stories with Photo Friday from Delicious Baby and Spotlight Thursday from Trekaroo

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Atlanta With Kids: Six Flags Over Georgia is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Riding the BTS (Bangkok Mass Transit System) is one of the activity that we did in Bangkok that Mr. Z is still talking about and asking about till now. I think we could do that all month long and he would think that it was the best day of his life.

Purchase A Day Pass

The cost to ride the BTS for adult and kids (taller than 100 cm) can range from 15 Baht to 40 Baht. We decided to purchase a day pass for 120 Baht (it costs around $3.75) and made it a BTS day. A day pass allows us to be able to hop on and hop off in any stop or ride the BTS as many times as we want in one day. It’s a perfect choice for us.

Here are family friendly things to do near BTS stops in Bangkok.

The Sukhumvit Line

Ekkamai Station (E7)

The planetarium and Science Museum: It’s only a few steps away from the Ekkamai station. The Science Museum has various hand-on and interactive exhibits for kids in this multi-levels building. Unfortunately, when we visited, they worked on updating several exhibits. I hope our next visit, there would be more exhibits that work!

Another worthy note here is that a lot of displays are in Thai so it might be more difficult to read and understand. But our kids were bouncing between exhibits they hardly paid attention to the words or descriptions.

Phrom Pong Station (E5)

The Emporium Jamboree Land: The Emporium shopping mall is one of the high end shopping mall in Bangkok. If you plan to travel on the budget then don’t even bother shop in there. You won’t find anything worth purchasing.

However, it’s a great stop to escape the heat with a little break for kids. The Jamboree land is very small comparing to other kid indoor play area in other malls but there are enough rides and activities for kids to last a couple hours. We enjoyed making craft and played in the bounce house.

You can stay at nearby family friendly hotels*:

• Emporium Suites Bangkok – Near BTS Phrom Pong Station
• The Davis Bangkok – Near BTS Phrom Pong Station
• Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok – Near BTS Asok Station
• Rembrandt Hotel & Towers Bangkok – Near BTS Asok Station
• The Westin Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok – Near Asok Station

Siam Center Station (CEN)

Siam Ocean World: The Paragon – Siam Ocean world is one of the top destination for family in Bangkok. This underground aquarium is surprisingly fun and has a lot to offer as a day trip in Bangkok. The price is not cheap by Thai standard but comparable to other tourist attractions around the world. We have visited the Siam Ocean World in the past and I have to say I was surprised that I still enjoyed it as much.

You can stay at nearby family friendly hotels*:

• Novotel on Siam Square – Near BTS Siam Station
• Pratumwan Princess Hotel – Near BTS Siam Station
• Centara Grand at Central World – Near BTS Siam Station
• Grande Centre Point Hotel & Residence Ratchadamri – Between BTS Chit Lom Station & BTS Siam Station
• InterContinental Bangkok – Near BTS Chit Lom Station
• Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok – Near BTS Chit Lom Station

Mo Chit Station (N8)

Bangkok Butterfly and Insectarium: Located next to the famous Chatuchak Weekend market, this insects’ natural habitat provide a sanctuary for over 500 butterflies.

Silom Line

National Stadium Station (W1)

Bangkok Art and Cultural Center: As we have reveals the little hideaway on the basement level of BACC, this place is a great stop for a nice quiet break in the crazy day. The Kids library has a great selection of books with both English and Thai.

Sala Daeng Station (S2)

Lumphini park: A popular green space in the middle of the city. Lumphini park has many things to offer for families. You can enjoy a leisure walk in the morning and observe the locals work on their Tai Chi or enjoy a peddle boat in the lake.

You can stay at nearby family friendly hotels*:

• The Dusit Thani Bangkok – Near BTS Sala Daeng Station
• Montien Hotel – Near BTS Sala Daeng Station

*Note on hotel recommendation: I have never had to stay in the hotels so the list is based on the rating I found and the location that I think it’s convenient to the BTS station.

Have you done BTS day during your visit to Bangkok? Is there any fun stops I missed?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Bangkok With Kids: Family Friendly Stops along BTS Skytrain is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

There was no doubt in my mind that our trip to Thailand would be hot. It’s just inevitable.

During our day trip to Wat Pho was no different. The best thing we could do just prepare ourselves physically (hat – checked, fan – checked, breathable clothes – checked) and mentally.

Get Ready to Explore Wat Pho

So we marched into Wat Pho late morning with a game plan to beat the Bangkok heat. First we would replenish ourselves with cold water and yummy popsicles as often as we could. Forget about checking out the site and walking the whole temple. We would just have to pick and stick only to the main area.

The Reclining Budha (Phra Buddhasaiyas)

Our first stop after an ice cream break was to visit the Reclining Budha. With the measurement of 46 meters long and 15 meters high, the Golden Reclining Budha is one of the most visit sacred destination in Thailand.

Built during Rama III’s restoration of Wat Pho, the Reclining Budha is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration, and the feet also show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha.

Calm, Cool and Coins

As we walked around to the other side of the Budha, the 108 bronze prayer bowls are lined along the wall as visitors put a coin to each one as they give merit and wish for good luck.

Don’t worry if you don’t have 108 coins handy in your pocket, there is a donation table that already setup a bowl of coins for you.

As we dropped one coin at a time to the bowl, I could feel the stillness and calm inside the building.

Thai Massage at the Original Thai Massage School

Along with being one of the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok, Wat Pho is also known for Thai traditional massage school. And that was my game plan number two. As much as I would love to walk around the grounds, I knew that my family was melting rather quickly. So we played a game of “Get in the Shade” as we made our way to the back of the temple for the Thai Traditional Massage area.

To my surprise, the upgrade from fan to A/C definitely provided us with much comfort and relief we looked for. The Wat Pho massage that I have seen in the past was done in the open area where fan was the only source of air flow. Now that they had upgraded to A/C, we couldn’t sign up fast enough for massage sessions for the whole family.

Yes, I mean the whole family as in Miss J and Mr. Z as well. I guess we could say their first Thai massage experience were truly from the origin.

Family Tips:

• Dress in appropriate clothes as a temple is a place of worship.
• To avoid the heat, the morning hours will provide some relief from hot Sun in mid-day.
• To cover the grounds with kids might be too much in the heat. So plan to break it up to small area.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Bangkok With Kids: Escape the Heat in Wat Pho (The Temple of The Reclining Budha) is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

During our recent visit to Orlando, after so many trips to Disney World Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Universal Studio and Island of Adventure, it’s time that we switch it up and do a non-theme park day for a change.

The Non-Theme Park Attraction in Downtown Orlando

So we decided to take a day to explore Orlando downtown. With our family membership to our local Science Museum, thanks to the deal from Groupon Atlanta!, we received reciprocal admissions to Orlando Science Center. There is nothing better than free admission to local attractions.

The Orlando Science Center looks rather small from the outside but it impressed our kids as soon as we parked. The walk way from the parking garage to the entrance provided them the unique view to see the cars driving by underneath. Yes, for many part of the world or even in a big city, it’s normal.. But for these kids, it’s something they thought was so cool!

KidsTown and NatureWorks

We started off from the first floor to check out Kids Town and Nature Work.

From adult’s perspective, the Kids Town is small and decent exhibit, not as big as the one we have seen in EdVenture Children’s Museum. But for kids, I think they can spend hours in there if we didn’t persuade them that there were more to see.

The walk through Nature Work was fun and provided a good hand-on and learning experience. The staff was friendly and we also got a chance to touch and feel both snake and baby alligator.

Explore the Science Park

Next stop was probably where we spent most of our time. The Science Work is a really great place with hand-on and interactive exhibits that allow kids to touch, push and play for all their heart content.

Mr. Z’s favorites were probably between the Hurricane chamber and the race car platform. How cool was it to be in a chamber with 70 MPH wind!

Another neat and very education exhibit within the Science Park is the H2NOW city. Kids learned about the use of Hydrogen energy from earning the Hydro Cell to power the miniature city. It was a great way to help their little brain to focus on learning. Even if it’s just a bit!

We spent the rest of the afternoon checking out various exhibits like the DinoDigs, Frog (the traveling exhibit), Diabetes: A Deeper Look and SimMan. It was rather quiet on the weekdays. It was so quiet to the point that we thought we were the only ones in the whole place.

Before we knew it, it was the closing time. So we didn’t have a chance to check out the Crosby Observatory.

Overall, it was a fun day away from the buzz and busy of the theme parks that kids can truly enjoy.

Family Tips:

• If you have family membership to your local Science Museums, check if they have a reciprocal membership with the Orlando Science Center. You will save your admission fee. The parking is $5.
• I don’t know about weekend, but weekday is very quiet so it’s a good day to visit. This will allow kids to be able to enjoy interactive exhibits with more time to explore.
• You can explore the whole center in about 2-3 hours. This can be a half day trip.

This post is part of Trekaroo Spotlight Thursday. Check out other family travel posts.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando With Kids: The Orlando Science Center is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Ok.. It’s a confession time. I feel a bit unmotivated to update the blog lately. Guess you guys know from the infrequent update recently. We did have a great summer with so many trips far beyond my expectation. But all the traveling seems to wear me out. I even swore of traveling for a while.

However, I guess travel soul die hard. We are at it again but this time it will be just for a quick weekend trip to Huntsville, Alabama.

Why Huntsville?

Huntsville has a nickname as ‘The Rocket City’ because it has the U.S. Space and Rocket Center there and that’s where we want to go for this trip. It’s not just the Space Center though because right now they have the traveling ‘Star Wars’ exhibits.

And needless to say, we HAVE to go there. Mr. Rojo is a HUGE fan of Star Wars and he proudly raises Mr. Z to be another little Jedi in a making. The kid can name all the ships from the Star Wars collection so I know he will be so ecstatic once we get there. We will keep that a secret about the exhibit and can’t wait to see his face.

I can’t just go to Huntsville without checking out other fun things to do with kids. So here are family friendly things you can do in Huntsville for a quick weekend getaway.

1. U.S. Space and Rocket Center – The main attraction for the Huntsville especially for school aged kids. The U.S. Space and Rocket Center also provides space camp for kids and parents. It’s something I might consider when they are a bit older. For now, they have one of the coolest exhibit (at least for a big Star Wars fans)

2. Sci-Quest – A hand-on science center with more than 100 permanent, interactive exhibits in seven different subject areas. Unlike a typical “museum,” Sci-Quest‘s exhibits are designed to engage, educate and entertain.

3. Huntsville Botanical Garden – The Huntsville Botanical Garden has the largest seasonal butterfly house with over 2,000 butterflies, tadpoles, frogs and other critters. The Children Garden and the Tremendous Treehouses are sure going to be a big hit for the kids.

4. Cathedral Cave – Not exactly in Huntsville downtown but only a short drive and we will be able to explore one of the wonder in nature. The Cathedral Cave is part of Alabama State Park and is located about 40 minutes East of Huntsville. We have never been to a big cave before so I’m looking forward to taking the kids and let them experience the beautiful formation that Mother Nature has created.

5. Earlyworks Museums Complex – With the options of Constitution Village for history buff kids, Children’s History Museum for the hand-on, interactive kids, or Huntsville Depot & Museum for all-things-move kids, it’s sure a good pick for the whole family. And if you have your local family membership to your Children Museum and they participate in the reciprocal program with ACM then you are in luck because you can get in for free.

6. Unclaimed Baggage Center – Now, that we spend most of our itinerary for kids entertainment, I have to put in a stop for moms. Since the Unclaimed Baggage Center will be on our way without any detour, it’s only appropriate that we stop by and *check* them out. It’s the Lost Treasures of Travelers around the world – sounds like a great bargain hunting place for me.

That’s probably will pack our weekend to the brim. But please feel free to leave a comment if you know of other fun things to do with kids that are not on this list.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Fun Things to Do with Kids in Huntsville, Alabama is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Bangkok is a city of crowd street and chaos and there is no way to sugar it up. Where ever you go, you will surely see a sea of people on the buses, in the mega malls or along the sidewalks.

So where could you find a quiet place to escape those craziness for a few hours?

Hidden on the ground floor of the fairly new Bangkok Art and Cultural Center right in the middle of the city is the Art Library with special children room – Kid’s Corner.

Central Location

The Bangkok Art and Cultural Center (BACC) is located just off the last station (National Stadium) on BTS Silom line across from both MBK and Siam Discovery Center, the famous shopping area in the heart of Bangkok.

The Bangkok Art and Cultural Center was opened in 2008 as the city center contemporary art center to connect artists and create new cultural resources for both public and private sectors.

When we first walked in, we were greeted by two giant astronaut-looking model with the height at at least 2 stories tall. Definitely a fun way to start our tour of this center with kids.

The center seemed to be very much ignored by most of the people in Bangkok because even on the busy day where we could see thousand of people walked by, the area was largely quiet and empty!

The Hidden Gem on the Lower Ground Floor

Walking around in the BACC didn’t take long if kids were young and didn’t fully appreciate the different types of art. BUT, heading down to the lower ground floor and kids will enjoy the Kid’s Corners in the Art Library.

Visitors could use the library free of charge. They just asked that you sign in at the guest book.

The Kid’s Corner was clean and spacious with bright color suitable for little ones. There are books lining along all 4 walls with several simple toys for the little ones.

The book selections are surprisingly good. I found several bilingual books with both Thai and English languages.

So if you are in the Siam Center shopping area and look for a place for a downtime, check out BACC library. Best of all, it’s free!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Bangkok With Kids: A Quiet Escape In the Midst of Chaos is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Three years ago when we went back to Thailand for a family vacation, we met up with my brother’s family for a fun family-friendly day at Siam Ocean World.

Siam Ocean World is one of the main attraction for family with children in Bangkok. It is one of the biggest aquarium in Bangkok and South East Asia. Plus it is located at the heart of Bangkok in Siam Paragon.

However, with the unsettling situation in Bangkok near Ratchaprasong business area, we will probably skip our return visit if the situation is not resolved by then. I do sincerely hope that it will be resolved though.

We went there during the weekend so that my brother’s family could meet us. It was a great family outing even though it was a bit crowd. But that’s something you just have to learn to deal with when visiting Bangkok. We have a lot of people live there.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how well kept the exhibits were. We also purchased the tickets to Glass Bottom Boat. The tour was fun. It was quite nerve racking at the same time when we had 4 kids all under the age of 5 in the group. I think if we go back now my kids will enjoy it even more because they will be able to feed the fish.

There were also many other interactive activities for children and family to enjoy throughout the aquarium. We witnessed the diver feeding at the huge wall-to-wall glass tank. We enjoyed seeing the sense of humor they put in from car fish tank or refrigerator fish tank. Basically, virtually anything can become a fish tank!

It wasn’t long before all the kids were restless. So we headed out and played with Thai mermaids. I guess you can see from Mr. Z’s face how exhausted he was by then.

The benefit of having the Aquarium right underneath the shopping mall was it was easy for dinner or lunch. Bangkok is famous for food. And Siam Paragon food court wasn’t disappointed. If you are a tourist, I think it’s a safe bet to eat at the food court. You will be able to try out different types of food and the price is very affordable as well.

Check out other travelers’ Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

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It’s without a doubt that one of the must-do in Walt Disney World, is to find a perfect spot to watch the firework from Epcot – Illumination Show or Magic Kingdom – Wishes Show.  But the perfect spot doesn’t have to be inside one of these parks. There are several spots you can enjoy these fireworks without paying the admission tickets to the park. Check out best places to view Disney fireworks outside the park.

Disney’s Boardwalk

With the close proximity to Epcot theme park, Disney’s Boardwalk is a perfect place to watch the Illumination at night show. You can stroll along the boardwalk and check out various shops around the lake. The best location is the bridge that connect the walkways between the Disney Boardwalk Villas , Disney’s Yacht Club resort and Disney’s Beach Club resort.

The California Grill at the Contemporary

The Beach in front of the Polynesian resort

Bring your blanket and enjoy the show by the beach in the Polynesian resort with music from the park pipe to the speakers hidden in the bushes along the beach.

The Narcoossee at the Grand Floridian resort

Another restaurant option for viewing the Wishes firework outside the park is The Narcoossee restaurant.  It is located inside the Grand Floridian resort. Make your reservation at nightfall to enjoy the spectacular view of the firework.

See my full article at Oyster Locals.

Photo credits: 1. Express Monorail 2. Express Monorail

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As you might remember from my Mondays are for Dreaming post about our dilemma for this Spring break, we finally came up with the decision and decided to go to Columbia, SC for a weekend.

I have to admit that at first I have no idea where Columbia, SC is. The only Columbia I know is in South America. Silly me! After a quick search from Columbia Visitor Center website, which I have to say very informative, I have found that there are many things to do and it looks like our Spring break is shaping to be a fun one after all!

Columbia is about over 3 hours drive from Atlanta so it’s a perfect location for a great weekend escape. Here are my Best 5 fun things to do with kids in Columbia, SC.

1. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden

The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is a must-see in every list I have searched online. It’s a great place for a visit for kids of any ages. Plus I love the fact that it’s a 2-in-1 place. You get the Zoo and the Botanical Garden in one visit. What a value! The ticket price is very reasonable for less than $10 for adult and just over $7 for kid.

I check out their website and found that there are many animal presentation throughout the day. So I might need to spend some times to map out and consult with my little travelers to see what they would like to see on this trip.

Apart from the animals, there are also many fun rides and attractions that I know my kids will love especially the train ride! Check out the Attraction Wristband for $20 that will allow for unlimited ride. I don’t think we will have enough time to do that. We still have to visit the Botanical Garden part.

It’s a bummer that we will miss the Springtime at the Garden Festival that happened this past weekend. But I know I will enjoy taking pictures and hopefully get a few great ones to show you when we come back.

2. EdVenture Children’s Museum

Ok.. This is probably one of the coolest museum I have seen online because of Mr. Eddie – The World Largest Child. The reason I think it’s cool because it’s not just typical statue that you can just look at and be in awe but you can actually climb inside him! I wonder if they will allow adult to climb as well. We will know about that soon.

Visiting the EdVenture Children’s museum is a great way to spend a day for kids to explore, learn and interact. I especially love special exhibitions that the EdVenture currently has on displayed. From Here to Timbuktu is a journey through West Africa and Monkey King: A Story from China will introduce kids to China beyond Chinese restaurant.

3. Congaree National Park

With the Spring is in full swing, a visit to Congaree National Park will give us a great day of outdoor activities that we need. It has been a long Winter and my kids energy level is through the roof. So I’m looking forward to a day to reconnect with the outdoor adventures that we started last year.

I would love to do the Guided Canoe Tour now that Mr. Z is finally old enough for the minimum age. However, I might need to see if he will be able to do it. It’s a 3 hours canoe tour after all. My other option is a guided walk – Nature Discovery.

4. South Carolina State Museum

Another museum? Yup, how can I pass up a museum featuring Pirates, Privateers and Buccaneers? The South Carolina State Museum has 4 large floors devoted to the disciplines of art, history, natural history and science/technology. At first I wasn’t so sure about putting this on my to-see list. But after checking out their website and read about various exhibits from Art, History, Natural Historay and Science/Technology, I’m convinced that Miss J and Mr. Z will have a blast here.

The museum itself has a cool factor because it’s housed in its largest artifact, the former Columbia Mill. This former textile mill also is a world-first totally-electric textile mill.

5. Frankie’s Fun Park

I have to admit that this one will probably top my kids’ list of thing they must do. We don’t have a lot of chance to ride go-cart. So whenever we travel and they spot any go-cart place, we will here a non-stop begging and pleading for a quick round.

The Frankie’s Fun Park has many fun attractions that will make the whole family happy – at least my family! Mr. Rojo will probably spend a good chunk of tokens at the arcade and if I can drag my kids away from the Rookie track, I will probably have to chase after them in the Fun House.

There are still many more activities that I would love to do in Columbia, SC. But I think with these 5 on my list, I’m already pushing it. I won’t sweat it though. It’s just a quick drive from Atlanta so we can always go back there again if we miss out on any fun things to do.

So have you ever been to Columbia, SC? Do you have any additional recommendation for things to do with kids? Don’t be shy! Leave me a comment..

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Best 5 Fun Things to Do with Kids in Columbia, SC is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Taking kids to a museum in Los Angeles can be hit or miss, depending on what kind of museums you visit and what mood your kids are in. Los Angeles might be known for glitz, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that the city is superficial. Your vacation in L.A. can be as educational as you make it. If your kids are in a good mood for adventure and learning, check out these museums:

Page Museum La Brea Tar Pits (5801 Wilshire Boulevard): Where else can you find the piece of history in the middle of the city? The Page Museum hosts one of the largest collection of Ice Age fossils, and that collection is still growing. Kids will love to walk in the park to check out the many tar pit displays. Stop by Pit 91 and you can see what the archeologist have to do to in order to get all of those fossils. Nearby, you can stay in Le Parc Suites hotel in Hollywood.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (5905 Wilshire Boulevard): This art museum knows how to take care of family with kids — it was even voted one of the ”10 Best Art Museums for Kids” by Parents magazine. There are various programs available throughout the year and kids can bring adults in to visit for free. Plus, it’s located right next door to the Page Museum. Another option for a place to stay while visiting the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is the Petit Ermitage in Hollywood.

Griffith Park Observatory (2800 East Observatory Avenue): Part museum, part observatory, part planetarium – The Griffith Park Observatory will satisfy everyone in the family. Kids seem to be especially mesmerized by the Foucault pendulum at its entrance. As the saying goes, “the best things in life are free.”  You got it.  The best thing about the Griffith Park Observatory is that the admission is free for all.  Though, you will have to pay to watch the planetarium show. It’s just a quick car ride from the kid-friendly Magic Castle Hotel.

See my full ariticle at Oyster Locals.

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A visit to Los Angeles with kids will not be complete if we didn’t visit the Page Museum – La Brea Tar Pits. It’s one of the best things to do with kids in Los Angeles. I have read about this museum from other travel blogger and put it on our to-do list for our quick jaunt to Los Angeles. After a fun day at the El Capitan theatre, it’s time for a bit of educational trip for the kids.

The Page Museum AKA the Ice Age Museum

The Page Museum La Brea Tar Pits is a research and educational facility and one of the best museum with the most extensive collection of extinct Ice Age fossils.

It helps that our kids have watched the Ice Age movies countless times. So it’s nice to be able to point out the extinct animals and they were able to make a connection. It took quite sometimes for them to grab the concept of ‘extinction’ because they still can see it on TV.

Perfect Size Museum for Kids

We went there during the weekday so it was very easy to find parking along the street. There is also parking inside the park and you can get the discount when you purchased museum admission tickets.

The museum itself is only one story. But the display and exhibition is very adequate to give you the knowledge about the ice age creatures.

With small size, it allows kids to remain engage without getting bored with the display.

The Coolest Things to See at The Page Museum

One of the coolest part of the Page Museum at La Brea Tar Pits has to be the Fish Bowl. The Fish Bowl is the area where researchers are working on the on-going project at the tar pits mostly cleaning and cataloging the fossils.

Kids (and adults) were mesmerized by the whole thing. (I don’t think I can work in that fish bowl. Too much pressure with people watching.) They were able to see how scientists and volunteers are working and cleaning those fossils. We also stopped by the theatre room to watch the short movie about the history of the Page Museum. It’s very fun and engaging and I highly recommend it. It will provide you with the background and history of the museum in a quick and fun way.

The Active Tar Pits in the City

After we walked around the Page Museum, we headed out to the most popular spot in the whole park – Tar Pits in Hancock Park. The Tar Pit give us a glimpse to the real Indiana Jones wanna-be like myself. We visited in Fall so there was no working excavation going on at that moment.

Kids get a chance to see how the real tar pits look like as there are many fenced-off tar pits all around the Hancock Park. However, the most well-known one is Pit 91. Pit 91 is tar pit that has been reopened in 1969 and the excavation work continues until today. We saw the area where the volunteers carefully excavated specimen inch by inch during the Summer.

New Discovery at Rancho La Brea- Project 23

However, the work in Pit 91 is temporarily suspended. In 2006, there was a new discovery of new fossils during the parking garage construction. Twenty three boxes of asphaltic deposits were moved to the Page Museum for further work. Hence, Project 23 is born. The name of Project 23 came from the 23 extract crates.

So far, they have discovered over 700 measured specimens including a large pre-historic American Lion skull, lion bones, dire wolves, saber-toothed cats, juvenile horse and bison, teratorn, coyotes, lynx, and ground sloths. For the current news and update, check out the Excavatrix blog.

It was a great fun day with our kids. They really enjoyed the visit. I think the Page Museum La Brea Tar Pit is one of the coolest place to visit in Los Angeles with kids.

Disclaimer: We paid for our own admission tickets. I will always let you know if I receive the complimentary tickets. And there will never be any outside influence on how I write my post.

Check out other Travelers Photo at Delicious Baby.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Los Angeles With Kids: Page Museum La Brea Tar Pits is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Visiting Los Angeles with kids  was one of the last minute add-on itinerary to our week long visit to the West Coast. We didn’t plan to spend a lot of time in Los Angeles because we had so many things to do in San Diego from theme parks, zoo, museum and beach. But one of the plan that I added to our things to do in Los Angeles and looked forward to doing was watching a show in the El Capitan theatre.

The El Capitan theatre is one of the fully restored movie palaces in Hollywood. It was one of the original 3 theatres envisioned by Charles E. Toberman and Sid Grauman to create Hollywood theatre district in the early 1920s.  After the years of ups and downs, it’s currently operated by the Walt Disney company. Did I just say DISNEY? Yes, it’s the venue for many of Walt Disney Pictures‘ movie premiere. It’s a perfect place for kids to experience different kind of movie going.

The theatre itself is nicely decorated with all the detail. It makes you feel like you step back in time to the old glory day of Hollywood. The staffs were attentive and very helpful.

One of the thing I always love about watching a movie at this kind of movie palace is the pre-show. Kids enjoy listening to the live music which I think much better than just watching the advertising on the screen.

We went there during Thanksgiving and we were able to enjoy Holiday Spectacular pre-show. I think I was enjoying the show more than the movie itself.

After the show, we also walked around and checked out the display of the behind-the-scene information about the movie. We even saw some of the costumes used in the movie. Yes, it’s the 3-D movie but I guess they will need the real costumes to make it more realistic.

The ticket cost might seem to be steeper than your typical movie ticket but I think it’s well worth the experience for a visit on special occasion.

After you exit and still want more Disney experience, you can stop by Disney’s Soda Fountain and Studio Store for some quick snack and shopping.

Disclaimer: We paid for our tickets ourselves but we were very lucky to receive 2 free tickets from a complete stranger while we were waiting in line at the box office to a VIP section. So we only bought 2 extra tickets for our family.

Check out other travelers Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

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On the last day in San Diego, after we made a quick stop at Cabrillo National Monument we made the trek up the highway to San Diego’s Zoo Wild Animal Park.

We should have arrived much earlier than we did. But after a grueling itinerary with non-stop visits to Legoland, San Diego zoo, Science museum and Sea World. I think it took a little toll on us. So we took it easy that day.

The Wild Animal Park is part of San Diego Zoo but is located in Escondido about 45 minutes from San Diego. So plan your trip accordingly. We chose to visit Wild Animal Park on the last day in San Diego so that we could continue our trip to Los Angeles from there.

The Kilimanjaro Safari Walk

When we first arrived at the park, I thought we were in Disney Animal Kingdom park. The park looks really clean with shaded path. After picked up the map, Miss J went into guide mode and studied the map.

Our first stop was the gift shop! Yeah.. Not such a good beginning but we forgot a hat for everyone. And we knew we would be doing a lot of walking in the Sun. So shopping it was.

With the size of the park and knowing my kids’ energy level, I knew we had to lower our expectation. We wouldn’t be able to explore the whole park so we settled to only a few spots. First of, I saw the schedule for Cheetah feeding so we marched down the path heading to Cheetah’s area by following the Kilimanjaro Safari Walk. But it was almost at the totally opposite side of the park. But that didn’t mean that we didn’t stop to enjoy feeding ducks near the Congo Fishing Village.

I have read many reviews about the walking concerns for family and I agree. Know thy children! For younger kids, I would suggest a jogging or umbrella stroller. It will be much more pleasant for the whole family. I saw several moms pushing strollers along the path. Looked like a great place for a workout.

So did we make it for the feeding? NO!

In light of trying to get it there, I actually missed the Cheetah area and kept on walking. By the time, I turned around the feeding was done.

Now, on to plan B.. A quick ice cream stop was in order. We stopped by in front of the entrance to Journey Into Africa and sat down to enjoy our ice cream before got in line for a ride.

Journey Into Africa

If you have limited time and can only do a couple things, THIS is the one I would highly recommend. It’s a no gimmick safari ride that takes you to habitats where animals live together just like in the wild. There is no fancy story of chasing a poacher.

The ride was really educational and informative. I really love our driver who gave us great information. Now I know what make Wild Animal Park different from other typical zoos. The park is big on animal conservation and strives to provide a safe habitat for wild animals.

We rode on a tram along the fence-in area. It’s not really safari experience but hey.. we are in California so what do you expect. Even so, I still think it’s one of the closest experience we can get here and provide us with more understanding on what they are doing in the park.

Little Break for Little Ones

By the time, we were done with the ride, it was late in the afternoon. We decided to hike back to the entrance. It was quite a walk. Then we stumbled upon a staff who provided a much-needed distraction for kids of all ages with the bubble station. He was creating a huge bubble using special solution and allowed kids to forget about that long walk. This shows how family-friendly this park is. I love all this little details that they think of for family with kids.

Not Your Typical Petting Zoo – Petting Kraal

We have been to many petting zoos in the past but definitely not this type of petting zoo. Most petting zoo you will meet goat, chicken, rabbit and other smaller creatures. But here you meet Kraal. Kids were nervous at first to get up-close and personal with big deers. But they were all very tame. Plus we read them the rules before we got in. Definitely, one of unique experience we had!

Our last stop of the day was the Conservation Carousel. This African theme carousel was a great fun to end our day!

So I have been wondering before visiting the Wild Animal Park as to what is the different between the Wild Animal Park and San Diego Zoo and whether it’s worth a trip.

My verdict

For family with younger kids, they might enjoy San Diego Zoo more. But for family with older kids, it’s SO WORTH it!! My kids absolutely loved the safari ride experience. They also begged us to get on the balloon ride but we stood ground on that request. :)

I just wish we had more time to spend and explore. It’s definitely worth extra money to buy the Journey Into Africa ride. There are so many other parts of the park that I wish we had time to explore.

Family Tips:

• Arrive early because this park is huge. You will be able to explore more.
• Bring stroller for younger kids.
• Stop for frequent break with bigger kids. This will allow them to enjoy walking a bit more. There are many interesting things to see and check out along the path so the walk wasn’t that bad.
• Go on Journey Into Africa!

Disclaimer: I received complimentary tickets from San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. However, this post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) San Diego With Kids: Wild Animal Park is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

It’s always hard to plan a visit to a city and try to fit everything you want to do and visit during a short vacation time we typically have. Our San Diego trip is one of those trips.

It was probably partly my fault that I split our trip to San Diego and Los Angeles. I couldn’t resist it. I would die if I didn’t get to eat Thai food in Los Angeles when I was that close to it. Anyway, with that plan our original 7 days in San Diego was cut down to only 5 days.

It’s definitely NOT enough to enjoy San Diego in a slow family style pace but we took what we can get.

The Fun Science Center

During our day to visit San Diego Zoo, I was able to squeeze in another fun visit to Reuben H. Fleet Science center. It’s paid to plan ahead and check out the museum hour so we knew that we could spend a whole day in the Zoo and still have plenty of time to check out the Fleet Science center.

This fun science museum in the heart of the Balcoa Park might seem small when you first got in but don’t let the size fool you.

We received complimentary IMAX movie tickets so we had a couple hours before the show started to check out the whole center.

The first floor has the open floor plan where there are various hand-on exhibits for kids to touch, feel and play with. Mr. Z and Miss J hopped from one to another like a kid in candy store. I didn’t even think they like science that much. Guess I was wrong.

After checking out most exhibits at least twice, we headed upstairs for more fun stuff.

Fun for Little Ones Too

Mr. Z headed to the Kid City. It’s a great room for younger kids to enjoy a kid-size city ranging from grocery store, library, phone booth or the factory.

Kids can enjoy a quiet time (ok.. not so quiet when other kids are enjoying their fun nearby) at the reading nook, play with the magnetic board, build a huge lego set or climb up the factory. I literally  had to drag Mr. Z out from that room to check out what Miss J and Mr. Rojo were up to.

Let’s Build It

We headed to Block Buster! room… Man oh man.. What a fun room. It’s basically a room full of KEVA planks that you can build on several tables provided. I mean the imagination is your possibilities. There are a sheet with example of what you can build and let me tell you.. This room is as much for adults as for children. I saw several couples enjoying building the KEVA planks themselves with no kids in sight.

The KEVA planks are surprisingly easy to use to build amazing structure. Each KEVA plank is uniform in size and shape, made from maple wood and measures 1/4 inch thick, 3/4 inch wide and 4 1/2 inches long. Structures are built by stacking the planks in an infinite number of ways, no glue or connectors necessary.

If I didn’t keep track of time, I bet we could have gotten lost in this room and miss our IMAX show.

Experience Under the Sea

I am typically not a big fan of IMAX theatre just because I can easily get motion sickness. The thought of sitting there with things moving already gives me nausea. But I’m also not one to refuse free tickets. :)

I’m glad we picked the Under the Sea movie. The show takes you to the journey under the sea with a great narrator with some humor comments.

I was concerned about how long Mr. Z would be able to sit still for the whole show. To my surprise, he was so mesmerized by the whole show.

In the end, we all had a great time at the Reuben H. Fleet Science center. It’s a perfect place for the whole family even for the littlest ones. Thank you for inviting us to visit.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary tickets from Reuben H. Fleet Science center. However, this post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence.

Check out other fun Photo Friday from other travel bloggers at Delicious Baby.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) San Diego With Kids: Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

On the last day of our San Deigo trip as we packed our car and ready to head North to visit Wild Animal Park, we made a quick detour to visit Cabrillo National Monument.

Mr. Rojo’s friend highly recommended us to visit the Point Loma Lighthouse. Since we started out the day early, we figured why not.

I’m glad we did

The Cabrillo National Monument is located at the tip of Point Loma Pennisula. It provides us with a great view for the San Diego skyline even though that day it was a bit foggy (probably from dust and pollution).

Locals said it’s a perfect place to watch the ships as they arrive back at the port. We didn’t have time to do that but we did enjoy the view.

We stopped by the Visitor Center and got the pennies pressed to add to our collection.

We checked out Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo Statue and took a few pictures. We even spotted a couple hikers walking along the trail.

But we didn’t walk up to the Lighthouse. Let’s just say whining ruin it all. Maybe next time!

So we got in the car and ready to head to our original destination, but I saw the sign for the Tidepool access and overlook. Another detour was called for.

We parked and got out to enjoy the early day at the coast. We saw several surfers braved the cold water in the early morning for the ride. Ah!! What a beauty.

I think we could probably spend a lot more times there if we didn’t have places to go.

Kids would love to stop by the Lighthouse, walk along the bayside trail, check out tidepool and enjoy the San Diego view.

Even with so little time there, I still think it’s a great place to visit.

Family Tips:

• Arrive early in the morning so it won’t be too hot if you plan to hike along the trail
• Stop by the Visitor Center to get a brochure and learn the history of the park
• Check out the lookout points and see if they can spot any surfers
• Wear comfortable shoes and outfit for the trail hike

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) San Diego With Kids: Cabrillo National Monument is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

During our visit to San Diego Zoo we had so much fun especially interacted with the animals at the zoo. They were the most active animals we have seen at any zoos. Maybe we were lucky or maybe they are just that way.

But instead of wasting your time writing and describing our experience. How about meeting one of them?

The Gorilla duo – mommy and baby – were a hoot. The mom was very playful and funny. One minute she was hugging her baby and the next she pushed the baby away. Guess it’s the PMS. :) Kids were all giggling and had a blast from this show.

This is my first time trying the video. So please let me know if you have any feedback. Would love to hear from you guys!

Disclaimer: I received complimentary tickets from San Diego Zoo. However, this post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) San Diego With Kids: Meet San Diego Zoo Star, The Gorilla is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Me: Guess where we are going in San Diego?

Mr. Z: Where?

Me: Legoland

Mr. Z: Squeak… Squeal… Jump… and start it all over again

That’s the reaction I got when we first told him we will be visiting Legoland in San Diego.

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about Legoland at first. I have read mixed reviews from parents that the park might be more for younger kids. But boy!! were they wrong!

Legoland by far is one of our kids’ favorite theme park.

The Little Park That Could

One of the thing that I was hugely mistaken was how much time we will spend at the park. See! We have done Disney countless times so I thought we could probably enjoy Legoland in half a day and have enough time to visit their new Aquarium next door.

Big mistake! We arrive a little bit after 11 am so that should give us plenty of time, right? Wrong! There are just so many fun rides and attractions for kids (umm.. and adults) to do. I mean just walking around and admiring the amazing lego creation will take us hours.

Plus there are more rides that my kids can enjoy even with height requirement.

They must be parents with kids

I love little things that make our visit enjoyable like the waiting area for kid while parents wait in line.

Basically, during a long line Legoland has a special section that looks like a play area equips with what else but Lego tables with lots of legos for kids to play while the parents stand in line. Then when the parents get closer to the on the ride they can meet their kids.

No fuzzy and whinnying kids in a long line. Genius!!

Why didn’t I see more of that from other parks.

Big Kids, Little Kids

I should have studies the map more thoroughly so we would start of in the right direction. Miss J tried to tell me but I was too busy taking picture. :)

For younger kids in their toddler years, I would suggest to turn right and start counter clockwise once you get in the park. There are more rides for their age range

For older kids, the left turn is the way to go. The Castle Hills and the Adventure Land are full of fun roller coaster rides and excitement for them.

Prepare for Some Sweat

Yes, we went there during November. But there are few attractions that you will have to work out that muscles. I’m not complaining because it was a great way for family to work together as a team.

The highlight of attractions with some fitness built-in has to be the Fun Town Fire Academy. Get ready for some bicep workout.

The Low Point

The low point of the day was that we didn’t have enough time to enjoy Legoland as much as we like. So I’m pretty sure that we will come back to visit them in the future. Maybe Spring or Summer time might be better bet so we could take advantage of many water funs around the park.

We basically skipped the whole Pirate section because there are too many water attractions.

Stay tune for our kids’ pick on their favorite rides and attractions from Legoland.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary tickets from Legoland California. However, this post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) San Diego With Kids: Legoland California is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

During our SeaWorld San Diego visit, we had such a great time enjoying watching the Animal shows and interacting with Animal encounters throughout the park. We tried to pack in as many attractions as our kids’ little legs could handle. But there are still a few other shows and animal encounters that we missed. But here are our favorite ‘Best Animal Shows and Encounters in SeaWorld San Diego’

1. Sea Lions LIVE

The Sea Lion Live show is a fun show and very entertaining. It’s not one of those boring show that you see the sea lion jumping up and down without any story. They have create a great scripts that both funny and witty. The show incorporated current TV shows and musics into their shows making it entertaining without bored parents or bigger kids.

2. Dolphin Experience Presentation

As SeaWorld getting ready to open the new Dolphin Show – Blue Horizon at their new stadium in May 29th, 2010, we got to enjoy their dress rehearsal for their new show. The show took us to behind the scene on how the trainers work closely with the dolphins and what techniques they use to train them. Now there is one more reason to come back to visit San Diego and SeaWorld.

3. The Shamu Show Believe

The star of SeaWorld doesn’t disappoint any kids or adults. Who wouldn’t be in awe to see triple flips from a mammal that size! If that didn’t move you, the music and the story will probably have done it. I don’t think there is any more words I can use to describe our experience with the Shamu show except you have gotta see it for yourself!! It’s one of those things that you can’t really convey the experience unless you have witnessed it. Oh! And they are not kidding when they mark the soak zone

4. Forbidden Reef

It was supposed to be a quick stop while we wait for the Shamu show but it turned out to be one of our favorite stop. The Forbidden Reef provides kids the perfect opportunity to touch and feed bat rays. The lagoon is shallow enough that little kids can reach out and touch the rays. Mr. Z couldn’t get enough of it. It took quite a bribe to get them away from the lagoon.

5. Dolphin Encounter

Another wonderful show that we stumbled upon during our wandering in the park. The Dolphin Encounter allows kids and adults to feed these gentle animals and touch them. I love that the staffs were there ready to help you finding a spot to feed them.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary tickets from SeaWorld San Diego. However, this post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) San Diego With Kids: 5 Best Animal Shows and Encounters in SeaWorld San Diego is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Last week, I posted about our experience in Georgia Aquarium – The Planet Shark exhibit. So this week I will continue on our fun day in the Georgia Aquarium. After we were done with The Planet Shark exhibit, we headed down to the main area of the aquarium.

I wouldn’t want to bore every one to death of every single detail of our visit. It’s just better to experience it yourself.

But here are Our best family’s favorite moments.

Tropical Diver: Jelly Fish and Living Reef

In the Tropical Diver, we experienced the largest living reef exhibit with overhead crashing wave. This is probably one of the favorite in the Tropical Diver. I could imagine myself sitting there all day checking out thousand of colorful coral reef on display.

I was obsessing over trying to get that perfect blue of jelly fish. Well, you are the judge. How did I do?

Ocean Voyager: Underwater tunnel, Whale Sharks and Manta

When we were there, the movable walkway was disable. It maybe because it was already late in the day or it was broken. But either way, I like it. It allows us to spend more time to check out those thousand of fish swimming by overhead.

We pick up a fish guide at the beginning. It was a brilliant idea and perfect for kids to engage in the exhibit. Miss J and Mr. Z were busy looking for each fish and learned about each one of them.

Ocean Voyager: Diver Spectacular Show

Ok, it’s not really a show but we were there when there was the Diving program. It was a perfect timing. Kids enjoyed watching both fish and divers swimming around. It even made Mr. Rojo considered taking up diving… Maybe.. Maybe..

The viewing window is humongous. It’s the second largest viewing window in the world. There is space for everyone to enjoy thousand of fish, sharks, manta and other sea creatures. I think we could probably spend a whole day just sit there and watch the fish.

Georgia Explorer: Touch Pools and Big Whale Slide

Ok.. I’m kidding. I like various touch pools in the exhibit. The most prominent one is the touch pool for stingray and bonehead shark which is right in the entrance of the exhibit. Too bad Mr. Z and Miss J are a bit too small to reach the pool. Maybe the aquarium might consider a touch pool for children? Something a bit shallower that they can reach. Wonder if that’s even possible.

Then they turned around and headed inside the exhibit. A big whale slide was there to greet them and before I could say anything they were off. They ran up and down the slide a few times before we had to pull the plug and head out.

What a great day we had in Georgia Aquarium and thank you for providing us with complimentary passes.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary tickets from Georgia Aquarium and The Planet Shark. However, this post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Best Family Favorite Moments at Georgia Aquarium is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Over the weekend we ventured out downtown to revisit the Georgia Aqueium after our first visit a few years ago.

The Aquarium is conveniently located in downtown right next to the World of Coca-Cola and Imagine It! Children’s Museum of Atlanta. It’s perfect for visitors who come to visit or family who wants to have a fun day out.

Parking Garage – Little thing that counts

We parked in the covered parking garage and walked along to new (for me anyway) covered walkway along to the entrance. This is a new improvemt from our first visit. We no longer have to worry about kids running out into the incoming traffic. It’s little thing that makes parent happy.

The Planet Shark

Once we got in, we headed to the Planet Shark: Predator or Prey exhibition. I was giving the complimentary tickets to check them out. First of we stopped by the information table to rent audio tour for each kid.

I think it’s a great and very inexpensive way to keep kids engaged and interested in exhibitions.

So how did we like it? I like it. It’s very informative and interesting. Kids loved listening to their audio tour and check out different shark jaws, teeth and fossil.

It’s good to have great info to teach them that sharks are not as scary as they might thought. The fact that majority of sharks kill less humans than other accident gives me some comfort.

However, I don’t think toddlers will really enjoy this exhibit as much. Even though there are a few interactive part in the exhibit, the majority of information is on display so they might not have the patience to wait for it. Kids in school-age will love it. They will enjoy learning about Shark history and seeing some of the full-size sharks displayed in the exhibit.

Beware for little kids

A word of caution though, you might want to consider your kids fear tolerance. For us, Mr. Z is a fearless child. He was so eager to see the video of the shark stories and movies that played throughout. Miss J on the other hand was afraid and I knew that I wouldn’t want her to develop fear of water so we kept our visit to just the history and fossil part.

We pretty much zipped through the latter part of the exhibit where they shows authentic artifacts from the movie “Jaws”, stories from survivors or the feature films.

Our Verdict

It was a very positive experience especially coming from a person who was traumatized by Jaws movie. I just wish that I can spend more times there without my kids. Ok.. It sounds a bit bad coming from a family travel blogger. But I just don’t want to pay the bill for the therapist later in life so we try to steer them away from the gruesome and hard-to-watch exhibit.

Also for the additional cost for less than $6 more than the general admission fee, it’s really worth seeing this exhibit.

Disclaimer: I received complimentatry tickets from Georgia Aquarium and The Planet Shark. However, this post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Shark Encounter in Georgia Aquarium is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This past Summer, we took our quick vacation to one of our family favorite spots – Walt Disney World. We have been there countless times and yet still enjoy it every time we visit.

We have been there since before we have kids. I know.. It must be something they put in the water or in the air. Every time we step foot in this place, it just likes magic. You suddenly have this happy feeling.

However, there is certain park that we seems to have the worst of luck whenever we visited. The Disney’s Animal Kingdom park is the newest park (at 11 years of age). We have visited this park a few times and each time we just couldn’t get to explore it to the full extent.

Our first couple trips we were attacked with Florida heat. No surprise here that Florida can be hot. Add that to one of the largest park with a lot of walking, we just couldn’t take the heat.

Our recent trip, we had a high hope. We came prepare with all essentials to survive the heat in Disney’s Animal Kingdom with kids. We wanted to try out the new ride – Expedition Everest. But before heading for the thrill, we opted for a easy and fun ride first.

Wildlife Express Train & Conservation Station

We hopped on the Wildlife Express Train to the Conservation Station. Believe it or not, this was our first time doing this ride! What a gem!

I highly recommended this ride and station for family with small kids. The ride is fun and exciting for kids without too much hassle. After we got off at the station, we walked along a shade path to the conservation station. Along the way, there is Discovery Kid Club station with a ranger to help kids learn about nature. There are 6 Discovery Kid Club in the whole park. You can look at the map on where to find them. Kids will get their pin and a stamp on their Discovery Kid passport. It’s a great way to get kids engaged in exploring the park.

Another big plus is that the conservation station is indoor and cool. Anyone visiting Animal Kingdom will know how hot it can be even on a good day. So this station is a great escape for family with kids. There are also picnic tables all around for you to take a break and have snack.

Kilimanjaro Safari

After spent what feel like hours there, we hopped back on the train to Kilimanjaro Safari. It was probably as close as Africa we can get for our family at this moment seeing the cost of going to the real Africa is out of our budget. Kids enjoyed seeing animals and fun bumpy ride along the way.

I think this ride will be good for family with a bit older kids. School-age kids will throughly enjoy this ride as they can look at the chart provided in the bus to look out for the animal. Younger – preschoolers might enjoy the ride but it can be a bit scary for them if they are not used to bumpy ride.

After a hot and long-lined lunch (yes, I probably should read all the tips about lunch or food in Disney), we walked toward Asia for the Expedition Everest (or we thought we could).

Flight of Wonder

But the walk proved to be too difficult for them to handle. So we took a short break at Flight of Wonder show. It was a really really nice show. The birds were amazing and the casts were very entertaining.

And don’t forget to try out the pineapple ice cream in front of the entrance. It was a life-saver for me.. Cool and tasty!

That’s when it came to an end for us. The rain came and we got soaked. So we decided to abort all other plans and head back to our condo.

Even though it was a really quick visit for us and we only covered 3 rides/attractions, the kids truly enjoyed the experience and I won’t give up on Animal Kingdom anytime soon. :)

Family Tips:

• Prepare for a long walk by bringing stroller for younger kids (or even big kids)
• Bring essential stuffs to combat the heat – hats, fan, sunscreen, water and light clothing
• Pack a poncho or small umbrella because you never when it’s gonna rain in Florida
• Take frequent break. Look for indoor theatre or store for a quick cool down in between attractions

Do you have any other tips for family travel to Disney’s Animal Kingdom? 

Check out other travelers’ Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando With Kids: Disney’s Animal Kingdom – The Condense Version is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

We have been to various types of vacation with our kids ranging from visiting the happiest place on earth, floating on the big ship to the carribean, or playing in the sand by the beach. But one of the best place to vacation with kids is actually our capital city – Washington DC. There are endless possibilities for things to do with kids that our week long vacation couldn’t fit it all.

When I asked Mr. Z what was his favorite place during our visit to DC, his answer was ‘the train museum‘. He meant the National Museum of American History. I didn’t think he would remember because we only spent just over an hour there.

It was our third stop for that day. Yes, it was a lot when you traveling with kids. But with a short break for ice cream, the kids found their hidden energy to explore the museum after all.

I knew that we won’t have enough energy to explore the whole museum or even wait in line to check out the famous exhibits. So after a quick walk through Spark Lab. We headed straight to American On the Move exhibit.

This fun and interactive exhibit take us on the journey through American transportation history. Knowing Mr. Z’s love of all things trains, it’s a sure bet that this will keep him entertained.

We walked through the history of locomotives in America. Kids loved that they could touch, sit or push the button. They enjoyed the fact that they could ride the bus even though it wasn’t moving.Mr. Z spent quite some times studying the train models displaying through out the exhibit. I think he was planning his own train trip one day. Or maybe he was thinking about the sleeper car that we enjoyed in Chattanooga.Miss J and Mr. Rojo loved to pretend to be one of the passengers waiting to get on the cable car.

We ended our visit with a little shopping at the gift shop and then headed back to the hotel for a good R & R.

If you plan to visit this museum with your kids, don’t forget to download the family guide for this exhibit.

Check out other travelers’ Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Washington DC With Kids: National Museum of American History is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

When you tell anyone you are going to Orlando, they automatically assume that you will spend your entire vacation in the Theme Parks. Who can blame them when there are more theme parks than you can visit in one week in Orlando. However, we have been to Orlando countless times and I start to feel Disney-burnout.. Surprise surprise!

Our recent trip down to Orlando for a 5 day vacation trip, we had decided to choose only 1 Disney park and 1 Disney’s Water park. The rest of the time there we enjoyed spending with our friend and another non-theme park favorite location – Downtown Disney.

Downtown Disney is a destination within itself that I think a family with kids will truly enjoy without breaking a bank. It’s very conveniently located right off from I-4. There are plenty of parking and the best of all it’s FREE.

It has various shops and restaurants situated around a lake in the outdoor setting. We loved to go there and enjoy a nice day out in Orlando. A few of our favorite spots are:

1. Once Upon A Toy – A fabulous and unique toy store that offers fun for the whole family for hours. We enjoyed our visit to this store and couldn’t get enough of them.

2. Lego Store – It might be not Lego Land but it is a perfect fun place for lego fan alike. There are plenty of stations that allow kids to explore and play with lego. The creations are also amazing to see.

3. Disney Store – It won’t be Downtown Disney Market without a Disney Store. A mega Disney Store has sections for the whole family from baby, girl, boy, man, woman, and home goods. I think the most popular one is the Disney Princess Salon. Girl will be transformed to a princess with all the pamper from Disney staff.

4. Waterfront Theater – This open-air waterfront theater has events throughout the year. Last year we caught the magic show. This year it was raining. It was right in front of the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop. Grab an ice cream for kids and a cup of coffee for yourself and enjoy people watching.

5. T-Rex Restaurant – Ok.. We didn’t get a chance to go but it looks so cool that we will have to try. It’s the concept restaurant that similar to Rain Forest Cafe. When we went there, the restaurant just recently opened so the line just to get your name on the waiting list was already longer than some of the ride in Blizzard Beach. So maybe next time…

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Five Family Favorites at Downtown Disney Market is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog