Even though you spend every day with your family, there’s something about taking a trip together that just brings everyone closer. Being away from hectic daily life allows you to have more enjoyable quality time, and it’s a great opportunity to try out new activities or foods you don’t have access to at home.

One of the best places to take a family vacation is Hawaii, hands down. The lush tropical setting and sparkling coastline feel like an exotic foreign country, and the welcoming spirit and laid-back atmosphere make it the perfect place for a trip that pleases everyone.

Waikiki Beach, Oahu

We usually start off at Waikiki Beach. It’s a surefire crowd pleaser. There’s a reason it’s one of the most famous beaches in the world, after all. It’s safe for swimming and wading, close to Oahu hotels and resorts, and offers up many opportunities for surfing lessons, snorkeling, canoeing and beach combing.

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, Oahu

This safe, calm cove is a gorgeous place, and has been a protected marine environment since 1967. The efforts to return the bay to its natural ecosystem have spawned decades of environmental stewardship throughout Hawaii and have enlightened and educated visitors for years. Just 10 minutes away from Waikiki, the curved bay is home to hundreds of species of fish and is perfect for those who are new to snorkeling or scuba diving. Children love to wade with the colorful fish, and everyone will walk away with a deeper sense of respect for pristine nature.

Dole Cannery Maze, Dole Plantation, Central Oahu

Corn mazes are so mainland. Take a tropical twist on the labyrinthine adventure by treating yourself and your family to a puzzling path through pineapple gardens! Actually, the maze is made up of hibiscus, heliconia, croton, panax and pineapple, so it’s not only breathtakingly beautiful but also pleasantly fragrant. Race with your kids to search for the eight secret stations on the way to solving the mystery of the maze, and try to beat the record-holding time of seven minutes. Most people take about an hour to finish, so don’t feel bad if you find yourself sidelined during the floral journey.

Atlantis Submarine Tour, Waikiki, Oahu

You’ve spent plenty of time staring at the water’s surface. Now it’s time to really see the world beneath with a submarine tour. Skim below the water at a depth of 80 to 110 feet past coral formations, sunken tanker ships and plenty of multicolored sea life.

Waikiki Aquarium, Oahu

Situated beside a living coral reef, the Waikiki Aquarium is one of the oldest public aquariums in the United States. More than 500 species of marine plants and animals reside in the aquarium, which is conveniently located near Waikiki hotels and beaches. Come to get a true taste of all the biodiversity unique to Hawaii!

Have you been to Hawaii with your family? What do you recommend?

This is a sponsored post.

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

With the gloomy sky and low temperature we are experiencing in Atlanta, I am yearning for the warm breeze and salty smell of the ocean we had many years ago in Phuket.

It had been over 5 years since we visited Phuket with Miss J when she was just a toddle. Mr. Z has yet to visit Phuket. So our next Summer trip we might try to plan a quick trip to Phuket with him. With many Phuket Flights from Bangkok, visiting Phuket from Bangkok is easy and convenient. No wonder, Phuket is one of top family destination in Thailand.

Even though with many things that had happened since we last visited, Phuket remains in our heart as one of our first family trip to Thailand. Here are our family favorite moments in Phuket.

Lunch at Floating Village

On our way to visit Khao Ta Pu (or more famously known for James Bond Island), we stopped by the Floating Village for lunch. We had a great meal and had some little free time to walk around the village. It amazed me to see restaurants, shops and even school operated solely afloat the Andaman Sea.

Boat Ride to James Bond Island

We bought a boat tour package to visit Khao Ta Pu or more famously known as James Bond Island. I won’t lie but we had more fun on the boat ride than on the island itself. The small boat didn’t seem save to be on the open ocean but in reality we were not worried.

Beach-side Thai Restaurant

One day during lunch after a tour to Phuket’s popular spot at Promthem cape, we stopped at a non descriptive restaurant on the beach. The decoration was simple but the view was priceless. It’s not surprising to see our family favorite moments will have a current theme of food-related. :) It’s part of the culture and upbringing here in Thailand. We love our food!

Fun Night at Phuket FantaSea

A popular attraction in Phuket for family is Phuket FantaSea. Even though Miss J was still too young to remember anything. We could still remember her laugh and giggle as she watched the show at Phuket FantaSea.

Beach Time

Last but not least family favorite moment was the beach time we could enjoy as a family. The long stretch of sand beach, the wind that blow fine hair and the peace we felt as we walk along the beach was some of the moment we couldn’t wait to go back there again.

And Happy Birthday Miss J!! It has been a blast having you in our life.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Phuket With Kids: 5 Family Favorite Moments in Phuket is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

There is no doubt that family ski vacation is expensive. There is no sugar coat about it. There is only a small window each year for you to enjoy this winter sport and there are only handful of ski resorts you can visit. So when planning a family ski trip, starts with answering these three questions: What mountain should we ski/snowboard? Where should we stay while we are there? and how much we are willing to spend on lift tickets and equipment rental?

A family ski vacation can easily cost a family thousands of dollars, but there are budget tips to help family to get by on about $150 a day per person. Here are some money saving strategies for planning your next family ski trip.

Ski During Off Season

Ski resorts are busy during holidays and school break. The full peak season typically start after Christmas. So you can snag a great deal if you plan your trip before or after those peak season. A trip to Colorado mountain ski resorts after Thanksgiving or before Christmas will save you several hundred dollars on lift tickets and accommodation for a family of four.

Visit Areas with Multiple Resorts

In the areas with multiple ski resorts, the competition will drive cost down and be beneficial to us, family travelers. The Salt Lake City or Colorado mountain towns, such as Breckenridge, Vail or Keystone, have several resorts within driving distance so you will have more choices and deals to choose from.

Ski at “Low Keys” Resorts

If flying to Salt Lake City or Colorado is out of your budget, it doesn’t mean you can’t still plan for family ski vacation in other low keys ski resorts. California and Washington in the West coast have several ski resorts within driving distance and West Virginia & North Carolina offer ski slopes that can be fun for the families look for ski near Atlanta with out the high price tag.

Stay Up to Date with Package Deals

Even before the ski season starts, sign up to resorts’ newsletter to receive update and deals. Many will offer great deals for family travel like Kids Stay Free & Ski Free. Flexibility is the key to be able to take advantage of this kind of deal because most of the time the deal will have restriction and will not be available during peak season. Hence, tip #1.

Make it a Group Vacation

Most ski resorts will offer group rate if you have 15 persons or more. If you can get a group of friends together, plan your vacation together will save on lift tickets and ski rentals. Most time you can save up to 20% of the normal rate. For family of 4, you just need 3 more families to join your trip. The planning doesn’t involve more work. You will need to call ahead and make a reservation for your group.

Go with Multiple Day Passes

If you already know you want to ski more than one day, purchase multiple day pass will add additional saving to your lift tickets and rental. Most resorts will offer additional discount for multi-day passes and even upgrade option to seasonal pass. For families, most resorts will also offer free child lift ticket with adult ticket purchased.

Pack Lunch and Cook Dinner

For many families, cooking during your vacation is the last thing you want to do. But when you travel with your family eating out every meal can add up rather quickly. Instead, pack simple sandwich for lunch will save at least $30 for a family. Lunch at ski slope can be expensive and you will also be wasting time lining up with other skiers for lunch line at the food court. Bring it along if skiing with a backpack, or store it in a cooler in a locker. At dinner time, a quick simple meal will satisfy everyone and keep the money in your wallet. Staying in an accommodation with small kitchen will cost a bit more but will give you space and ways to save on food.

Family Ski Tips & Resources from Other Travel Bloggers

General Family Ski Tips

• Family travel tips: How to get kids ready to downhill ski – From Mother of All Trips
• Tackling Tahoe with Toddlers -  From Frisco Kids
• Tips for Family Ski Trips from a Former Scaredy Cat Skier – From Travel Mamas
• Tips for Planning the Best Family Ski Vacation – From Ciao Bambino

Location Specific Family Ski Tips

• Kids Ski – Free! If They’re In The NY 4th Grade Ski & Ride Passport Program – From Albany Kids
• Review: Smuggler’s Notch in Winter with Kids – From Jersey Kids
• Slopeside Condo – From Bedroom Slippers to Ski Boots at Sunday River – From Albany Kids
• Whistler Weekend – From The Travelling Mom
• Whistler Wonderland – From The Travelling Mom
• Whistler Trip Report Jan 2009 – From Wander Mom
• First Ski Lesson at Whistler – From Delicious Baby
• Family Winter Ski Vacation in Tahoe – From Road Trips for Families

Do you have other budget tips to plan family ski vacation to share?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Travel Tips: How to Plan a Family Ski Trip on a Budget is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

With the amount of family ski trip posts, I hope you won’t get bored about this. We have so much information to share about our first family ski trip experience that I know other families who are thinking about it will find useful. Seeing that we don’t live in the Northern part of the country, planning a ski trip is a daunting task and it’s not cheap. However, with good pre-trip planning, you and your family can enjoy family ski vacation on a budget.

Lodging Options in Keystone Ski Resort are Endless

On our Keystone Ski trip, we stayed at the River Run Village condominium. For first time visitor, choosing the right accommodation to stay with your family can be overwhelming. Keystone Ski resort offers various type of lodging from vacation home rentals, condominiums, bed & breakfast and inn.

For family vacation, I found that renting from condominium type lodging is the best value. Not only, we have extra space for all the ski equipments, we also have kitchen that we can prepare breakfast, lunch or even dinner (if we have energy left after a long day of skiing) to help save on family ski vacation.

Inside the Dakota Lodge

Within River Run Village, there are multiple buildings for accommodation. We stayed at the Dakota Lodge that is right in front of the brand new Dercum Square outdoor ice skating rink. Unlike hotel, the setup for rooms in Dakota Lodge is more apartment type with separate living room, dining room and full kitchen. After picking up our ski equipments, the extra space came in handy. If you stay in a small room, there is also locker to put your ski equipment on the first floor.

Deluxe Mountain-Inspired Decoration

Our 2 bedroom condominium is beautifully decorated with mountain-inspired theme. Each bedroom has comfortable bed that we fell asleep as soon as we hit the pillow. All standard amenities, towels, soap, shampoo, hair dryer, are provided. With 3 flat screen TVs in our unit, everyone (for once) doesn’t have to fight over what channel they want to watch. And yes, internet connection is FREE and fast. I have to say though that with a full day of skiing, I hardly touch my computer except to check out our photo from EpicMix.

River Run Village: Great Location for Family

Within Keystone Resort, there are multiple areas for lodging. The River Run is a PERFECT location for families especially ones with beginner skiers. With its central location right at the base of River Run Gondola and the Summit Express chair lift, we don’t have to take a bus or get in a car to get on the slopes.

The Keystone Ski & Ride school and the Ski rental facility are also within walking distance from the River Run Village making it’s a breeze to pick up our ski equipments and drop kids off at their school.

All in all, the stay at River Run got a thumb up from Miss J!

Thank you Keystone Ski resort for providing our family with complimentary accommodation, transportation and some dining during our stay.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Keystone Ski Resort with Kids: Wonderful Stay for Family at River Run Village is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Even though we have been back for more than two weeks, I still can’t help but remember all the precious memory we had at Keystone Ski resort.

The morning at the River Run Village was busy with the sound of ski pants rubbing each other, the clicking noise of the ski boots on the street, the sound of exciting kids to race down the slopes and the cheerful greeting from happy employees at Keystone resort.

It’s those moments that I am thankful and appreciate the opportunity we have as a family to be able to enjoy and experience it. Born in a tropical country in Thailand, if you would have said one day I will ski down one of the best ski resort in the Colorado mountains, I would have laughed at you. But now, we are planning our second ski trip for this year to ski resorts near Atlanta. (yes, we do have some in North Carolina area) The snow might not be as powdery or even real snow at all but I know the thrill and excitement of going down hill will probably be the same!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Blissful Moment at Family Ski Trip is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

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

Learning to ski has been something I have been afraid to commit to since my first experience 10 plus years ago when my friend encouraged (ok.. maybe pushed) me downhill on the slippy slopes in New England. It wasn’t a pleasant experience that has scared into my mind since.

So when we first planned our family ski trip to Keystone Resort this winter, the first thing I checked was the ski school program. I don’t want Miss J and Mr. Z to have the same experience. Fortunately, we have picked one of most family friendly ski resort in the Colorado mountains.

The Keystone Resort Ski & Ride school has a great system and programs that make this nervous parent feel at ease.

Easy & Efficient Ski Rental

We took a bit longer to get our ski rental gear ready with our bulky ski-ready jacket and pant. But the process in itself was easy and quite efficient even during the busy winter season in Keystone Resort. After register our family members to their system, a knowledgeable attendant quickly measured our feet size and found our ski boot. Then we went to the next station to get our ski binding. Then off to the cashier to pay for the rental.

Private Lesson

There are several lessons for you to choose from. Group lessons, private lessons or family private lessons are all excellent option for beginner or even more experienced skiers. On the first lesson, we took family private lesson with the most AMAZING and patient instructor ever, Mrs. Kim Hesh Olson. So if you plan to book private lesson, make sure to ask for her!

After we were all set, Mrs. Kim took us up the gondola ride to the mid station to start our lesson. We started slowly by learning how to put our ski on, glide on one foot and move around.

With high altitude (it’s called a mile high city for a reason, we were at least 8,000 feet above sea level), we took it easy on the first day. There were several breaks for us and the kids. The learning area at mid station is also used by Ski & Ride School children lessons where we saw kids as young as 3 years old enjoying their lesson.

By mid day, the high altitude had hit Miss J hard so I took her down and rested while Mr. Rojo and Mr. Z continued their lesson. By the end of our first private lesson day, Mr. Rojo and Mr. Z had already learned how to turn and went down green slopes a few times!!

If you have never ski before, I would highly recommend taking private ski lesson. The cost might seem high from the price tag but you can have up to 6 people in your private group. So if you have a group of friends who have similar skill, private lesson will be the way to go.

Children’s Ski & Ride School

The process of checking in our kids to their lesson couldn’t be easier. We arrived at the Ski & Ride school at the River Run village about 20 minutes before the class. After confirming our registration and our information (including our phone number so they can contact us in case of emergency), the kids were tagged with their class information and personal information.

The school will take care of fitting and getting kids’ ski gear ready. We didn’t have to worry about getting their gear since we already had our ski rental from yesterday. Even if you didn’t have your rental from previous day, the school will take care of providing proper gear for them in the school. You don’t have to do anything except dropping them off with proper outfit and on time.

Kids were assessed and put into group of similar age and skill level. Since Miss J missed half her private lesson the previous day, she started in Beginner group while Mr. Z moved to Green group. The instructor also paid close attention to kids’ skill level so that they can adjust the group accordingly.

The ski & ride school has several separate learning area. They went up to the Summit station on top of Dercum Mountain in another learning area. So we were able to see them in their classes a few time. It’s amazed me to see Miss J who was still fighting her high altitude sickness participated and enjoyed her lesson with her new friends. Mr. Z had a blast learning more advance skill and racking up his points on EpicMix on his several runs that day.

The school also provided end of day lesson review and recommendation. As we picked them up at the end of their lesson, the instructor gave us detail information on how they did on their lesson including runs & terrain and what they can work on.

It’s true that kids are fast learners. So I know it’s a great idea to put them in ski school instead of continuing with private lesson with us because by day 2 our skill level within our family has already varied. The least athletic one in the family, I still need a lot of coaching and hand holding while Mr. Z is more comfortable with Green slopes. The boy has no fear and already start talking about Black diamond.. Ha.. He will have to find someone else to take him down that path!

If you are thinking or planning a ski trip for your family, I would highly recommend checking out Keystone Ski & Ride School for your kids (or even yourself). There are various type of lessons and discount for different packages.

Thank you Keystone Ski resort for providing our family with complimentary accommodation, ski lessons and lift tickets during our stay.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Keystone Ski Resort with Kids: Outstanding Ski School for Family is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

We recently just came back from our first family ski trip to Keystone Resort in Colorado. One word, AMAZING family vacation!! My kids couldn’t stop talking about how much fun they had at the Ski & Ride school and already asked about going back there again. If only, we have unlimited fund to fly to Denver, we probably would do it in a heartbeat.

Visiting Keystone Resort during winter time is a guarantee fun for the whole family. Keep in mind that it’s the high season for most ski resorts in the area. So be prepared for crowd and busy slopes. We were there just before the busy season started so we didn’t experience much crowd. However, our private ski instructor told us that in the next few days there will be more people on the slopes.

But don’t let that prevent you from planning your next family ski trip to Keystone resort though. There are plenty of other fun activities in the resort to keep everyone happy.

Festive Holiday Lights

We stayed at the River Run village (which in my opinion is a perfect location and there will be more in-depth review later). The main street in the River Run village is a great place to walk around especially at night with all the festive lights.

The Keystone Kidtopia Snow Fort

We were lucky to be there at the grand opening of the Keystone Kidtopia Snow Fort. The Snow Fort is the ultimate playground for kids in the snow. With slide, wall ladder and tunnel, our kids had so much fun they didn’t even care about the sub zero temperature we had.

Kidtopia is family friendly programming that Keystone Resort offers to family during the peak family vacation throughout the winter. The fun activities are offering throughout the week or the weekend with kid-friendly activities including movie night in the village, live entertainment, interactive arts and crafts, family dining and more.

Outdoor Ice Skating at Keystone Lake

Like spending a whole day learning skiing was not enough, we managed to enjoy more outdoor fun at the largest Zamboni-maintained outdoor ice skating rink in North America. The outdoor rink is HUGE. It fits not only a huge Christmas tree in the center but a hockey rink on the side as well. It was Miss J and Mr. Z first time on the outdoor rink and they couldn’t get enough of the fun.

Along the lake, families can also enjoy the ice sculpture of Santa and his sleigh. It’s a great place to have family photo for the season. Just make sure you hold on to the little ones because the ice sleigh is pretty slippery. :)

Chocolate Village at Keystone Lodge & Spa

After the ice skating at the Keystone Lake, we stopped by the lobby of Keystone Lodge & Spa and was treated to the awesome display of Chocolate Village where over 2,500 pounds of chocolate have been crafted into miniature alpine village, a working chocolate gondola, a cascading chocolate waterfall, 6 foot tall white chocolate Christmas tree with chocolate presents.

So if you are looking for great family winter vacation, I would highly recommend check out Keystone Resort and start planning. We had a lot of fun and there are more posts about our visit.

Thanks to Keystone Resort for hosting our family and covered some of our dining and activities cost. But as always this post is based solely on our own experience and opinion without any outside influence.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Holiday Happening at Keystone Resort this Winter is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Living in Atlanta doesn’t allow us with much time or opportunity to enjoy snow sports like skiing or snow boarding. The closest we have gotten to ski was snow tubing a few years ago in Tennessee. Even with that, we can see how much fun the kids had and we know when opportunity comes we would love to be able to take them to a proper ski resort where they can learn to ski and enjoy fluffy white snow.

This upcoming holiday break, we will be able to enjoy a great family vacation at one of the most family-friendly ski resorts, the Keystone Ski Resort. I don’t have first hand experience with Keystone Ski Resort *yet* but I have done some research both online and offline and found that Keystone Ski Resort has what many families are looking for on their winter vacation.

Going on their website, it’s easy to see how much they want to help parents create a trip of a lifetime for their family. The website is easy to navigate with plenty of information to help planing your trip. But I have to say I felt overwhelmed at the choices we can take as a family. Here are some fun family-friendly winter activities we plan to enjoy on our upcoming visit beyond Ski lessons of course!

Keystone Kidtopia Snow Fort & Family Weekends

The Kidtopia is back for another season of fun for family. The Snow Fort is one that I have been waiting to experience after reading about my friend Kara from the Vacation Gals raved about her past experience with her kids. I can’t wait for us to play in a maze, sit on the Kidtopia throne, climb atop snowy towers and much more. It’s also good to know that this unique playground is open as late as the lifts are for the ultimate ending to a great day at Keystone.

During peak family vacation periods throughout the winter, Keystone Resort is also offering family activities throughout the week or weekend with special activities designed just for families including, movie night in the village, live entertainment, interactive arts and crafts, family dining and more. Check out Kidtopia page for more detail on dates & events.

Tubing at Adventure Point

As one of the first activity we had experienced as a family a few years ago, I know we will enjoy going down the snow tubing at Adventure Point on Keystone Mountain. New this year! Every Thursday is Disco Tubing night- to go along with the Kidtopia festival the Disco Tubing continues even when Kidtopia is not in session.

Ice Skating & Ice Hockey

Now that Miss J and Mr. Z learn how to skate, we have been frequent visitors to our local ice skating rink. However, there is nothing more magical than ice skating outdoor. The Ice Skating rink at Keystone Lake boasts the largest Zamboni-maintained outdoor skating rink in North America. (Can anyone tell me what Zamboni-maintained mean?)

Also brand new this year, we can also skate at Dercum Square Ice Rink. This new 7,200-square-foot rink in River Run offers day and night skating along to music piped in from an overhead sound system. All skating is free, with the only exception being if you rent skates at the rink.

Snowshoeing at Keystone Nordic Center

Another new experience we are looking forward to trying our hands (or feet) on is snowshoeing. I have heard that it’s not as hard. Just strap the proper gear and off we go. We will see about that.

Horse Drawn Sleigh Ride

The signature experience at Keystone is one not to be missed. The horse drawn sleigh ride will provide enjoyable 20 minute ride through a snow covered valley to a historic ranch homestead. Once at the homestead, sit back and enjoy the cowboy tunes performed by one of local guitar players, while wranglers prepare and serve an authentic cowboy dinner. Doesn’t this sound like one of the best memories of family winter vacation in a making?

Whew! I think I will need more than a week to enjoy all the activities they have at Keystone Resort. And we haven’t touched on adult-only activities we could enjoy yet!!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Snow & Ski Fun with Kids at Keystone Ski Resort, CO is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Fall is my favorite season because the weather is in perfect temperature and there are so many family friendly activities to do around town. We normally stick closer to home during Fall. Plus now that both kids are in school, it’s harder to plan a vacation trip.

One of fun family activity that we love to do and wish we can do more often is camping. Family camping is an easy, affordable and fun that anyone can enjoy. I would like to put a disclaimer here that I’m not a camping expert. But I love to share our experience from the newbie’s point of view.

Camping in Fall, I think, is the best time to camp, especially for first time camper. I always think it’s easy to warm yourself up in the cold climate than cool yourself down in the heat. Yes, you might pack a little bit more but it’s doable especially if you are not planning a backpacking camping trip.

Here are our list of Essentials on our Fall Camping Trip with Kids

Family Tent:

We purchased the biggest tent we can afford. For our family of 4 we bought 8 person tent. I think it’s the best thing to do when you have kids. It gives them more space to move around and plenty of space to put all our stuff inside the tent. We didn’t buy the best tent but just cheap version at Walmart. If it’s your first time camping and you are not planning to go camping in extreme weather, I would suggest to buy cheap tent or rent one from REI to try it out.

Sleeping Bag:

You will need a sleeping bag per person in your family. Make sure you choose sleeping bag that is appropriate to your camping style. Again, we are not talking about extreme weather camping in the Q Family so I pick the one that is not too warm for our area. I figure if it gets too cold, we can always bundle up with more clothes.

Sleeping Pad:

A must for  your camping trip. This is one item that I think worth investing in because a good night sleep will make your camping experience so much better. We used to bring inflatable mattress. One word of advice – DON’T! It’s not as good as sleeping pad and much harder to setup and pack.

Flashlight or Lantern:

It’s not only a source of lighting at night time for you but a great toy for kids to entertain themselves at night time. Kids can play with their shadow and explore nearby campsite with their flashlight.

Footprint or Tarp:

In order to protect and prolong the life of your tent, footprint or tarp is highly recommended. It will help keep your tent from rock or branch. We bought a tarp that is a bit larger than our tent and use it as a mat so kids have place to take off their shoes before entering our tent as well.

Camping Stove:

Cooking at the camp can be easy or complicated depends on your style. We have been camping with a friend who didn’t even bring any stove or any cooking items and we have also been camping with a family that brought everything except the kitchen sink with them. For us, the Coleman Two Burner Stove is a perfect middle ground. It is small and compact enough to bring with us and provide us with enough space to make a quick meal like bacon in the morning or boil water for noodle at lunch.

Extra Blanket:

During fall camping, the weather at night can drop to as low as 30-40 degree. So make sure that you bring enough blanket or extra jacket. I found that one of those snuggi blanket that you saw on TV is really great. It helps keep the blanket on the kids throughout the night.

Outdoor Chairs:

At camp, you will be doing a lot of sitting around and enjoy the company of each other and nature. So a camp chair is a must.

There are many items that you can bring with you to camp especially if you just do normal camping that you don’t have to carry all your stuff to the camp sites. These are just essential items that we know we will need on our trip.

What are your essential camping items?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Camping With Kids: What to Bring on Fall Family Camping Trip 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

When we travel, one of family activities I love to plan in each city is to find local guided tour whether it was photo walking tour or guided nature walk.

This time in Myrtle Beach is no difference. I combed through list of many family attractions and tours available for families to choose from.

Guided Kayak Eco-Tour with Black River Outdoors Center

The Black River Outdoors Center has caught my eyes. They offered guided kayak eco-tours at various locations in Myrtle Beach area. Plus the tour allows kids of all ages to attend as well. It’s something you don’t find that often with this kind of outdoor adventures.

A quick email and a follow up phone call, we were booked for a 2-hours guided kayak eco-tour of Tupelo Swamp. To get ready for a tour, we checked out their website FAQ which provided great information on what we need to bring – hat, sunscreen, water – just to name a few.

Early Saturday morning, we arrived at the Peachtree landing, our meeting location, to find the Black River Outdoors Center truck was already there loading their kayaks. The guided tour had 2 guides. One is a lead guide, Paul, who provided educational and tidbits information through out our trip. The other is the  guide who makes sure that no one gets lost in this swamp.

Great Activity for the Whole Family

Another reason why I chose Black River Outdoors Center in Myrtle Beach was the family friendly aspect of the tour. There is no age limit on children because you can kayak with your kid. However, children must be 13 and over to be able to paddle their own kayak.

During summer camp, they did kayaking at our local YMCA camp and they were hooked. That’s why they had been so excited to know that I added kayak tour to our trip to Myrtle Beach. Mr. Z and Miss J were pretty bumped that they are not old enough. Nonetheless, they were very excited to get on the water. I will caution parents if their kids want to kayak by themselves because it’s physical. After only 2 hours paddling, I felt like the burn on my arm. Ah! It was the sign of the inactive person in me. :)

Explore, Learn and Relax

We spent the first few minutes on paddling instruction. This was my first time so I was a little nervous. But as soon as we got in the water, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I just had to remember how to slow down and turn.

We started off heading along the water toward the Cypress-Tupelo swamp. Since it was pretty early in the morning, it wasn’t busy at the landing. There was hardly anyone else except our group in the water. Even though it was a busy weekend in Myrtle Beach, we felt completely out of civilization in our own world.

Paul, our tour guide, provided useful information about trees, animals and other knowledge about the swamps. However, due to openness of the space it was hard to hear him talk. So if you are really interested in learning, stay close to him.

He was very good at answering any questions you have about ecology and the environment. At one point, he pointed out the water lily that edible. He even dove under the water to get some for us to try. One word ‘Bleh’.. The taste was horrible. But I was so proud of both Mr. Z and Miss J, they did try it out as well. That’s the thing about traveling. It helps pushing you out of your comfort zone.

The clean air, quiet surrounding with only the sound of birds provided us with the real connection to nature. We cruised along the river, paddled our kayak deep into the river and learned about different types of plants and insects who call its home. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the landing.

It was one of the best experience we had during our fun time in Myrtle Beach. I would highly recommend any family planning a visit to Myrtle Beach who looks for things to do beyond attractions and shopping to check out Black River Outdoors Center. They offer various type of tours and also kayak rental if you want to just explore on your own.

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

Thank you Black River Outdoors Center for providing us with complimentary tours. 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: Guided Kayak Tour with Black River Outdoors Center is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Myrtle Beach is one of top family destination in the US. So it’s a given that there are plenty of choices for accommodation to choose from. To narrow down the perfect place to stay for your family is a task that can be accomplish by utilizing VisitMyrtleBeach.com, the official site of Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Choosing the Area to Stay in Myrtle Beach

First step is to decide which area of the Grand Strand you want to stay. For family-friendly and less crowded, I will suggest the North end of the central Myrtle Beach area for the proximity to various attractions and yet not as busy with crowd visitors as in downtown area.

We were hosted by Kingston Plantation Hotels and Resorts, the oceanfront Myrtle Beach resorts feature Embassy Suites Hotel and Myrtle Beach Condos.

Ideal Location for Family Beach Vacation in Myrtle Beach

The Kingston Plantation is located on the North end of the Myrtle Beach within minutes from various family attractions and shopping centers. It’s a perfect vacation for family seeking a beach vacation where you stay in a condo that is just steps away from stretch of sand beach along the Atlanta ocean yet only a few minutes drive from all local attractions from aquarium, family entertainment centers like MagiQuest, NASCAR Speedpark or shopping mall like Broadway at the Beach or Barefoot Landing.

Spacious Oceanfront Condo for Family

The accommodation options at Kingston Plantation are plentiful and it’s sure to satisfy any type of families or vacationers. There are over 1,000 luxury accommodation choices from oceanfront room, condos and villas. I think I have found our next family reunion location!

We stayed at the 2 bedroom oceanfront condo. The condo units are individually owned but managed by Embassy Suites Hotel so you have all the amenities of home yet the luxury of hotel services. As soon as we opened the door, the kids couldn’t drop their bags fast enough to check out this 2 bedroom condo. They ran from master bedroom to dining room and bounce back to kitchen and the balcony.

The room that we stayed in has more than enough space for the 4 of us. It includes dining room with the view of the Atlantic ocean, full-size kitchen that we spent every morning enjoying breakfast and washer/dryer that we could wash our clothes from a day at the beach.

Since each condo unit is individually owned, the decoration and furniture will be different from one another. Our unit is adequate for our short stay. Many things seem a bit date but not to the point where you will think you have stayed at the 70s show.

If you plan to cook, I recommend checking before hand to see if you will have all kitchen equipment you need. When we travel and stay at a condo, I always plan a simple meal like spaghetti or rotisserie chicken. Who want to spend hours in the kitchen when the beach is calling your name!

Fun Activities for Everyone

Staying for 2 nights was way too short to explore this resort because there are many things to do in Myrtle Beach with kids. The resort has regular activities for guests ranging from live music, games, craft and sport activities.

We didn’t have time to even participate in any resort activities but we sure didn’t miss spending quality time relaxing and enjoying perfect weather at the Splash! Waterpark. Splash! Waterpark is an outdoor waterpark right on the beach with slides and lazy river for kids and adults. Unlike most pools in the property, the hour of operation is shorter so take advantage when they open.

While the kids ran up and slid down the slides numerously time, I enjoyed relaxing time amidst all the laugh and scream of happy families. It’s easy to see why Myrtle Beach is a top destination for families. I have met a family who celebrate 40th birthday and family reunion at the same time. Three generations in one place and everyone as happy as you can see.

Don’t Forget about the Beach

And we wouldn’t be able to face ourselves if we came all the way to Myrtle Beach without spending time on the beach, right? With our busy schedule, we squeeze in beach time for kids to enjoy jumping the wave and chasing after the elusive white foam crashing to shore. It was a busy time as families try to enjoy their last hooray of summer before kids go back to school.

We would be content to just staying here for the rest of the week but life is calling and we had to pack up and go back to be a responsible adult. Stay tune for more stories about our Myrtle Beach visit in the next couple weeks.

Disclosure: I received complimentary stay from Kingston Plantation Hotels and Resorts. But there is no expectation on positive review from them. This post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence. I always provide my honest opinion on our stays and won’t write about a place we will not stay ourselves.

Myrtle Beach Hotel Review

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Myrtle Beach With Kids: Perfect Accommodation for Family @ Kingston Plantation 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

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney With Kids: Top 5 Attractions for School Age Kids @ Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

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

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Gatlinburg With Kids: Fun Time @ Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

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

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Over the past weekend, we went on our second family camping trip that wasn’t in our backyard. If you are a long time reader, you will know how big of a deal this is for us and our kids.

We are not the “roughing it” or “outdoor adventure” family. Our version of family camping last time involved a long list of things to pack for camping trip like big tent, pillows, electrical hookup, laptop and Nintendo DS.

Family Camping with Cub Scout

This trip is different. It’s a camping trip with the cub scout. There were no electric hookup, no electronic and no wifi.

I wasn’t sure how we will do during that weekend. One saving grace was that we would not be the only camper there. It’s a group camping so I hoped for the kindness of my neighbor.

And I was not disappointed!

We survived!

The campsite is huge and on the lake!! It’s a private camping ground for Boy Scout of USA and the location is privately guarded.

We got there a little bit late and with a long line to check in we arrived at our site when the Sun already went down.

As soon as we pulled in and unloaded our stuff which I realized that I packed too much (There will be another post about lesson learned on this one.), we were approached by another family and helped us find an empty site to start setting up our tent.

First Test for Us, Setting Up a Tent at Night

I have to say that I was pretty proud of us to be able to setup our tent at night with just lantern and headlamp under 30 minutes. Granted, tents these days are much easier to set it up as long as you follow the instruction.

Our secret weapon was we did our dress rehearsal the previous weekend. We did a backyard camping with our friends who came to Cub Scout camping with us. And I’m glad we did.

No Need for Toys

Another great thing of camping with a group of people is the fun the kids had. We don’t have to worry about finding things to do for kids on family camping trip as they immediately found new friends to run around in the wood while adults were busy unpacking and settling down.

The next morning we were ready for a full fun day of activities. There were many fun activities planned throughout the day for the boys and siblings.

Mr. Z took part in the Archery. I had to say it wasn’t bad for his first time trying. He was able to hit the target 2 out of 3 times.

We then spent the majority of the day waiting in line for more activities. I guess it’s part of learning to be patience. By dinner time, we were so tired and ready to bed. BUT there were more activities after dark!

Trick-or-Treating at Night in the Wood

After a fabulous dinner of hot dog and vegetable soup, kids were ready for yet more fun at night. We started off with joining the Halloween parade where the judges gave out prizes during the costume contest.

This was our first year attending this event so next year we already talk about new and improve costume.

The trick-or-treating was definitely a highlight of the night for us. We walked along the path to different campsites in the dark with just the light source from our flashlight. The atmosphere made the event more fun for them but not scary because there were so many kids walking at the same time.

As we stepped into our tent for the last night, the kids were hardly up long enough to change themselves into their pajamas before they were fast asleep.

Memory that Last A Lifetime

The next morning was bittersweet. It was one of the best weekend we have had outdoor and one that I know we will remember for a really long time.

It was something as simple as sleeping in the tent and running wild in the wood that create such a long lasting memory for our family. I know that this will be one of the tradition that we will look forward to doing many years to come.

Camping with kids seem like a disaster in a making but once I let go of the type A personality and my camping phobia, it probably is one of the best thing you can do as a family with kids. Back to nature!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Camping With Kids: The “Somewhat Roughing It” Version 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

Visiting Bangkok with kids for many families mostly involve a stop at one of the mega mall in Siam Square like the Paragon, MBK or Siam Discovery and a tour of the temples and palace. But for us, we started our visit in Bangkok with shopping and then more shopping.

So after a few days it was about time my kids started to ask about temples, more specifically the Golden Temple (as they called). They had seen the Golden Mount (which is part of Wat Saket) from the distance when we went shopping at Bo Bae Plaza a few days earlier and it had been on their mind since.

The Golden Mount at Wat Saket Rajavaramahavihara

The Golden Mount was built in the 19th century during King Rama III and finished in the reign of King Rama IV. In Thailand, we called ‘The Golden Mountain’ but the Golden Mount is not a real hill but the result of soft ground that needed support structure.

The Unusual Place for Graveyard

What unusual about the Golden Mount is not only the history but also the graveyard that is part of the structure. Around the base of the Golden Mount along with trees and vines, there are various shines ranging in size from small with a picture to elaborate one with Budha statue. It was creepy and peaceful at the same time to walk up the 318 steps and looked at the resting place of many departed soul.

Based on the history, Wat Saket was used as a burial and cremation site which was not permitted inside the city wall during the 18th century. During the plague in the reign of King Rama II over 30,000 bodies were brought here.

The Journey to the Top

As much as I wanted to claim an expert badge in traveling, sometimes I went on and did some foolish thing that will disqualify me from such claim. One of those things was visiting and climbing the Golden Mount during mid-day in one of the hottest month in Thailand. That’s NOT advisable.

But sometimes, kids’ enthusiastic blinds your reasons. We took a Tuk Tuk from Wat Pho to Wat Saket. A ride that my kids will forever talk about. Arriving at the quiet temple in the afternoon, we found our way to the base of the stairway.

Without any hesitation, Miss J and Mr. Z climbed up the steps one by one as we ascend to the top of the Chedi. Luckily for me and Mr. Rojo, there are a few break in between for us to catch our breath. Even better, when there are a few distractions to slow Mr. Z down from running all the way to the top while we slowly making our way up. Ringing the bells along the wall of the Golden Mount was one of such distraction.

I would love the say the walk up is easy BUT it was hot and we were tired. So I would say prepare yourself for quite a work out as you walked those steps. The cool thing was that as we went up higher in elevation the view of Bangkok revealed. The steps are wrapped around the Golden Mount so we had a complete 360 degree view.

Once we were at the top, we rewarded ourselves with ice-cold popsicle. There is nothing better than an ice pop on top of the Golden Mount. By this time, Mr. Rojo almost passed out with heat exhaustion and questioned ourselves why did we let the kids talk us into going up in the first place. Well, all things considered it was a really great experience for them.

Family Tips:

• Try to plan your visit in the evening or early morning to avoid the heat
• There is a small shop at the top that sell drinks and ice pops. But the best thing to buy is chilled facial wipe. It will help cool you down and sure will help you beat the heat in Bangkok.
• Wear comfortable shoes.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Bangkok with Kids: Climbing the Golden Mount at Wat Saket is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Whenever we go back to Thailand for a visit, we plan a vacation trip (within our vacation trip) with the whole families. These include all my siblings and their children and my cousins. We don’t have a large extended family so it was not anything in the size of a family reunion in America. Basically, it was a size of about 15 adults and 7 kids.

Choosing a place to go depends on where we want to go. Last visit, we all went to Hong Kong and Macau. It might seem like a big deal but when you booked everything through the travel agency, it made it all possible. As much as I cringed for using a guided tour, I was thankful for that trip. With the age ranges from 60 years old to 6 months old, we could use some luxury like our own bus to take us everywhere.

The Photo Story: 5 Things We Love About Ko Samet

This time around we chose a quick weekend getaway from Bangkok to Ko Samet. Check out why we loved our time on Ko Samet!

1. Great Destination for a Quick Trip from Bangkok

This trip was a bit easier because Ko Samet is a great weekend destination from Bangkok. With less than 3 hours drive from Bangkok and another 45 minutes boat ride, we were transported to our homeaway from home for the weekend.

Ko Samet might not be as well-known as Phuket or Phi Phi island but it’s a very popular destination for Thais due to the affordable cost and short distance.

2. Family-Friendly Accommodation

We stayed at Sai Kaew Beach Resort on Sai Kaew beach, the most developed beach on the island. It was a PERFECT place for family.

Our room was literally stone thrown away from the pool and that was where we spent most of our time there. You can see the room from this picture right behind Miss J.

The resort is beautifully decorated with all the detail that incorporate nature to the design.

3. Pool Time is the Best with Family

Even though, our resort is just a quick walk to the beach, we ended up spending most of our time in the pool.

Due to the rainy season, the water wasn’t nearly as nice. Also the rain on the next day didn’t help with our plan to spend the day soaking up the Sun on the beach either. But it was no big deal for kids because the pool was as good or even better than the beach in their mind.

4. Relax Yet Many Options for Fun and Food

Koh Samet is small for a relaxing getaway for the whole family yet still has enough fun activities and great food for us to keep us entertained and fed.

One of the great way to enjoy a good meal is right on the ocean at Ploy Samed Restaurant where you will have to take a free boat ride to their restaurant. The atmosphere was relaxing yet a bit nerve racking for family with small children. I will be writing in more detail about our fun experience here.

5. Time to Reconnect and Relax with Families

This might have been true no matter where we decided to vacation. But Ko Samet provided a perfect location and accommodation for kids to enjoy spending time with each other. At the beginning of the trip, each of them (mostly Miss J and Mr. Z) just met their cousins. But at the end of the trip, they can’t wait to have a sleepover and spend more time together. It made all the plan, the many connecting flights and the cost worth it!

Also, for many of you who are still afraid to come to Thailand, I have been to Thailand for over 2 weeks right after the curfew and the protest, I have never seen any problems. I feel safe here! So please come! Thai people need your help in getting back on their feet. Plus you will be getting a deep discount on everything where ever you go!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Thailand With Kids: 5 Things We Love About Ko Samet is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

There is no doubt that one of the favorite past time for families in Bangkok is going to the mega mall. There are more malls than I could care to remember. One of our mall tour during our Thailand trip was at the Fashion Island shopping center at outskirt of Bangkok in Kan Na Yao district on Ramindra road.

The top floor of Fashion Island is the Kid’s Island where kids could play to their hearts content.

The most unique play area has to be the Jellyfish where kids can step into a huge bubble and float above the water.

Just think of a bubble boy on the water! It was very simple but provided great fun for a whole 3 minutes. It might seem like 3 minutes was a really short time but I could tell that toward the end they were exhausted.

Kids would wait in line to step in the bubble ball while the attendant inflated the ball.

After the balls were fully inflated, they were gently loaded in the water. And off they go trying to run, jump or simple pretend they were walking on the water.

OH.. If only they have an adult version for us to try!

Check out other travelers Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

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

This Monday I have so many dreams. Most of them involve traveling to many places with my family.

The most vivid one for me today however is the dream of going back on the big ship and cruising again to fun places in different port of call. I wouldn’t call us an expert in cruising by any means. We have only been to Disney Cruise and Carnival Cruise with our kids. But I can say that cruising with kids is one of our favorite non-stress vacation we have had.

It also helps to have been following Randy from The Lollipop Road as he is live-blogging and tweeting from the sea.

Check out a month long event from his blog as he talks about his experience on board 3 of the most popular cruise lines – Carnival, Disney and Norwegian.

So far, I have enjoyed reading about the shore excursions which Randy provided insightful information on DIY vs Cruise Line tour, the review of kid’s programs from both Camp Carnival and Disney’s Oceaneer Club, and the tips & tricks for family cruising.

Now, there is more to this month-long program than just information to help family understand and gain more information on cruising with kids, they will also give out the prizes at the end of this event. All you have to do is check out their event page to see how you can enter for a chance to win a prize.

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

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Dreaming of: Cruising with Kids (Again and again and again) 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.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Bangkok With Kids: Thinking of Siam Ocean World is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog