For many families who live in Asia, Hong Kong is one of the top destination when thinking about family vacation or even just shopping trip. With the easy access from various flights from many major cities in Asia, visiting Hong Kong is easy and convenient. Plus with first class hotels, efficient public transportation, wide range of activities and sleepless shopping areas, Hong Kong is a great destination for family vacation.

As we prepare our summer trip this year to visit Thailand, I stalked the popular low-cost airline, AirAsia, for any promotion I can find from Thailand. And my effort didn’t go in vain, I scored a great airfare ticket for less than $60 RT from Thailand to Macau. Now, that we had tickets in hand, it’s time to plan for fun things to do with kids in Hong Kong.

Things to Do in Hong Kong with Kids

This list is created selfishly for our family so you might not see many popular attractions that you have read from Lonely Planet or other guide book. One of the reason is this is not our first trip to Hong Kong. Actually, our first trip to Hong Kong was the starting point of me creating this blog. So our itinerary might not be typical. But I will add other recommendation at the end of this post.

Hong Kong Disneyland

One of the most popular attraction in Hong Kong for family is Hong Kong Disneyland. Being a Florida resident for over 10 years and even after we moved to Atlanta we still continue to visit Walt Disney World on a yearly basis, it doesn’t seem to make sense to visit Disneyland in Hong Kong, does it? I know the park might not be the same scale but I would love to experience Disneyland in other locations. I would love to see how Disney creates magical memories for different cultures and couldn’t wait to try Chinese food Disney style.

Ngong Ping 360

A fun way to enjoy breathtaking view of Hong Kong and Kowloon area from the bird’s eye view angle in the enclosed glass cable car. We did it on our last trip but the kids were too young to remember and we think they will really enjoy the opportunity again. For thrill seeker, you can also opt for the glass bottom car to add to the experience. It will cost more but the wait will be shorter as well.

Peak Tram

Having a child who loves to ride any train and his eyes lighted up whenever he sees train, I knew that we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit the Victoria peak on the Peak Tram. Located at at Central’s Garden Road St Joseph Building, it’s easily accessible from Central’s Star Ferry Pier, take bus 15C; or from Central’s Admiralty Station Exit B, Lippo Centre Bus Terminus and take bus 12S; or if you like to walk, you can exit Central’s MTR Station from Exit J2, walk along Garden Road which is in between The Bank of China building and The Cheung Kong Centre. The walk to the tram station only takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

Ding Ding Tram

As I move down the list of things to do in Hong Kong, I realized that it seems we have some obsession with transportation. I won’t deny it. We love to move around in the city using public transportation or anything that moves. So after reading about the Hong Kong tram or Ding Ding tram as local called it, I know I will have to add that to our to-do list. Riding local tram seems like a great way to experience Hong Kong in a more unique way and provide us a chance to explore into the area that most tourists won’t go. Plus with a low cost, it’s a win in our book.

Symphony of Lights @ Avenue of Stars

The Avenue of Stars is the equivalent of Hong Kong owned version of Hollywood boulevard where it honors celebrities of Hong Kong film industry. It’s located along the waterfront of the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui (on the Kowloon side). It’s also a perfect location to walk at night and catch the Symphony of Lights show. This synchronized light and laser multimedia show runs everyday at 8PM for 10 minutes.

Victoria Harbor with Star Ferry Ride

A cheap but fun way to see Hong Kong in a more unique way is to take the Star Ferry ride across the Victoria Harbour. If we time it right, we might be able to catch the Symphony of Lights during the ride. I told you this trip will be all about every modes of transportation in Hong Kong. Another option is to ride on the Duk Ling – the authentic Chinese junk boat. The cost will be higher but for less than $15 I think it is worth the experience.

Lady Night Market

Our experience in Hong Kong will not be completed if we don’t visit at least one of many popular markets in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is the shopping capital in Asia. Many of my friends and families go there just to shop. So even if we don’t want to spend money buying toys or souvenir, it is still a great experience to walk along the bustling market at night.

So here is our short list of things we plan to do in Hong Kong with our kids. There are many other fun attractions and family-friendly things to do in Hong Kong that you might want to check out. I found that the Hong Kong Tourism Board website – Discover Hong Kong has a great information, well designed and easy to navigate.

Source: Stuck in Customs, Cafetricot, allena29, Trenchfoot, Francisco Diez, ManilaRyce

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Our visit to Vancouver with kids last summer was short and mixed in with business but it was one of the most memorable trip for the kids. Not only we took several mode of transportation ranging from boat, train, trolley and bus, we also got to bike around the popular Stanley Park in Vancouver.

Explore Stanley Park by Bicycle

Stanley park is a must visit for anyone who plan a trip to Vancouver. The park is well maintained with various activities for the whole family to enjoy and the view.. the view is breathtaking even with cloudy sky!

Great Bicycle Rental Shop with Ideal Location

During this trip we had only a few hours to explore Stanley park, ideally I wish we could stay longer during our visit in Vancouver. So we decided to explore the park on a bike. We received complimentary passes from the conference I attended for Spokes Bicycle Rentals. Funny how thing worked out since that’s the company that I had been researching and planned to use them anyway.

Spokes store is located only a short walk from the entrance of Stanley park which makes it’s an ideal location. With kids, we didn’t want to have to walk with our bikes around the block. The shop has various types of bikes to fit various level of bikers. For our family, we opted for one child’s bike and one trail-a-bike. Mr. Z still hasn’t mastered his bike skill and we knew he would most likely give up on biking if he has to do it on his own.

The staff was very helpful in setting up our bike and made sure that it was the right size for each of us. The process didn’t take long and soon after we were ready to head out for a fun day except it was still raining. It was our last day in Vancouver and it was one of the activity that the kids had been looking forward to. We waited it out a bit and luckily the sky opened up and we were ready to roll.

Let’s GO!

Biking in Stanley park is very popular and easy. With separate path just for bike and pedestrian, it was safe and easy to do with young kids. The path is clearly marked with the sign to show separate lane for bike versus pedestrians. We started off at the main entrance of Stanley Park and followed along the bike trail the curve around the shoreline providing us with amazing view as we look back to Vancouver skyline.

Kids Approved Points of Interest

There are several points of interest to stop along the way that will keep kids entertain for the whole bike trail. It would have taken us the whole day to stop at everything. But with limited time, we just had to skip some and save those for next visit. Not long after the entrance, we learned about First Nation History and the Totem Poles at Brockton Point Interpretive Centre.

As we peddled leisurely along the Sea Wall bike route, we stopped to check out the Nine O’Clock Gun, the historical canon that still booms out message faithfully each night.

The bike trail wraps around the shoreline that go around the whole park. It took us about an hour and a half to complete the whole loop. The path is clearly marked for bicycle, pedestrian and roller-blade traffic. Most of the path is easy even for kids. There are some sections that narrow but with caution there shouldn’t be any issues for any kids.

We also saw several playgrounds along the way. Even though we visited Vancouver in June, the day we went to Stanley Park was cool and cloudy so we didn’t try out the outdoor water fun at the Variety Kids Water Park.

In the end, we enjoyed our time in Stanley park and we would highly recommend exploring the park on a bike. It was fun and easy to do as a family.

Family Tips:

• Dress properly with tennis shoes or non-slipper shoes.
• Dress in layer as the weather in Vancouver can change frequently. An extra rain jacket came in handy for us.
• Bring bottle of water. There are also a few concession stands and restroom along the way.
• Remember to ask for the trail map from bicycle rental shops.
• Enjoy!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Vancouver with Kids: Biking in Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

In honor of the Earth Day this year, I have been thinking about ways family travel can help reduce the impact from our travel. In the past, going green in your travels meant extremely expensive hotels and often lower quality products. Today, that’s just not the case.

In numerous studies, travelers have responded that when given the choice they’d take a sustainable hotel or plane ride over one that wasn’t if they had the choice.

Because demand has been so high, sustainable travel as an industry has really taken off. Today, you can find sustainable hotels all throughout the price spectrum, including guesthouses and hotels that are perfect for the whole family. Our recent visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge showed how much thought and actions the resort has done to help promote sustainable environment.

Planning for Eco-Friendly Travel

Traveling with the whole family requires a lot more planning than traveling solo.

If you were traveling solo, it’s not all that difficult to just plan one city at a time. All you need to do is find an eco-friendly hotel in the next city and you’re off.

When you’re with a big family, however, you’ll probably want to plan your whole trip before you leave. This allows you to ensure you have a sustainable hotel and sustainable activities planned throughout the whole trip.

Teaching Your Kids about Sustainability

One of the best things about eco-friendly travel is that it gives you the perfect experiential opportunity to teach your kids about sustainability.

Back home, eco-friendliness can be just a concept to kids. They haven’t seen the impact of environmentalism first hand, nor have they seen the difference between being sustainable and unsustainable.

While traveling, however, kids can get a very different perspective. They get to see a very different culture and can often see the costs of unsustainability first hand, depending on what countries you visit.

This can be a perfect time to teach them about helping their planet and being sustainable in general.

Planning Eco-Friendly Activities for the Whole Family

The best way to plan eco-friendly activities for the whole family is to involve your kids in the decision process.

Instead of making the decision yourself, ask your kids: Would they like to ride elephants? Learn to scuba dive or snorkel? Would they like to see monkeys or go on a safari?

Sometimes kids will be naturally excited about certain prospects and sometimes they’ll be just terrified. The only way you’ll know for sure is to make sure you get their input before planning.

If you’ve never taken your kids hiking or camping before, this could be the perfect opportunity to try.

Going on an eco-friendly family trip can be the perfect time to educate your kids on sustainability. It can be an incredible bonding experience for the whole family and it can be great fun for everyone involved.

What other ways you have done to create sustainable family vacation?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Green Family Travel: How to Have Sustainable Ecofriendly Family Trip is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge by far is one of most memorable and our family favorite resort we have stayed in Walt Disney World. There is no doubt that the Disney’s Grand Floridian Spa & Resort is the most convenient for family but there is something about having animals roaming in the backyard (ok.. not entirely our backyard but you know what I mean) that created a lasting memory for the whole family.

Arusha Savanna View Room – Worth the Splurge

We chose to splurge on this trip and booked standard room with Arusha Savanna view. There are various room types in Animal Kingdom Lodge and the most popular type is the Savanna View type. There are 3 separate savannas within the Animal Kingdom Lodge which are Sunset, Arusha and Uzima. Each savanna has different type of wildlife but Giraffes are the only animal that can be found in all three savannas.

The animal guide inside the room became handy for kids to help them spot and try to identify the animal. And some animal isn’t that hard to identify. Giraffe, anyone?

Room with Personality

The standard room is a good size for our family of 4 with two queen beds. I love the detail that goes into the decoration to make us feel like we have stay at a safari lodge in Africa.

Of course, we won’t see Mickey Mouse towel art in Africa but it’s a little thing to keep the magic alive in Disney World Resort.

I love the detail on the wall in the bathroom. Make waiting for my turn to use the bathroom more fun.

Fun Recreation for Family

Not all resort pools are created equal and the Uzima Spring pool is one of our family favorite.

With nicely landscape around the pool providing shade for families, zero-depth entry, 67-foot slide and kid wading pool, it’s one of the best pool on Disney World Resorts.

For little kids who are not into pool time, the Hakuna Matata playground nearby is a great place to spend that extra energy. The shade area provides great cover during the hot Florida day with a great view of the savanna to boast.

Another fun family activity is the movies under the stars where guests can enjoy Disney movie in the pool under the stars. It was nice to enjoy great weather while watching one of our favorite Disney movie.

Animal, animal, animal everywhere

One of the most unique feature of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is the wildlife encounter that guests can experience throughout the resort. So it’s no surprise that there are various activities available for guests from cultural immersion, animal programs & wildlife encounters to culinary exploration. Make sure to check out activities list when you check-in to find out more about available activities for everyone.

We took the Night Vision Animal Viewing where we learned about animals at night time and used night vision goggles to check them out.

Arusha Rock and fire pit is also a great place to view animals all day long. The overlook allows guests to be able to have a closer look at animals while they roam around the Arusha Savanna.

The stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge came with a high price tag. But for special occasion, it’s totally worth it. The kind of service and experience we received during our stay at this resort is one of the best we have experienced. Kids still talked about their visit even months after we have checked out. So if you are looking for one of the most memorable stay for your family in Disney resort, the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge will not disappointed.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge: Family Favorite Resort in Walt Disney World Resorts is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This blog has been a labor of love and I couldn’t be happier to see the result that he has created.

We have moved things up a bit but it should make it easier for you to navigate.

At the top navigation menu, you will be able to see our posts by Destinations, Travel Tips, Travel Reviews and Family Vacations. Our resources page has a great list of travel blogs for you to check out.

The search box will make it easier for you to find specific post.

We still plan a few tweaks so please bear with us.

So I hope you will take time to check it out and let me know what you think! :)

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Spring has sprung the new look at The Q Family Adventures is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Picking a place to travel with a young family can be difficult for a number of reasons. Between finding kid-friendly activities, suitable places to eat, and a relaxing place to stay, there are a lot of criteria to satisfy in order to keep everyone happy. Hawaii has long been an attractive option for families due to the practically universal enjoyment derived from beach activities, as well as a unique combination of sights, sounds, and eats that is guaranteed to make even the youngest traveler smile. Plenty of family-friendly Honolulu hotels promise close proximity to the beach and to a number of inland activities that are enjoyable for everyone! Here are a few excursions that your family is sure to love.

Honolulu Zoo

The amount of things to do on one of Oahu’s beaches is no secret. Between snorkeling, surfing, or just lounging around and building sandcastles, every member of the family is sure to find something to their liking. But for a change of pace that won’t result in groans or frowns from the younger members of your gang, consider spending an afternoon at the Honolulu Zoo!  Close to the beach, the zoo champions a large array of animals that are sure to keep your kids’ jaws dropped. After a long day at the beach, it will be nice to get a walk in while surrounded by colorful, exciting creatures.

Sea Life Park

You’ve seen the photos before of friends and celebrities getting to interact with dolphins, and when visiting Oahu, you can do the same! Sea Life Park, besides having plenty of exhibits and shows to take in, allows visitors to hop into the water with a life vest on and play with the wildlife. You’ll be able to snap your family getting smooched by the infinitely entertaining dolphins at the park–giving your kids a story that they won’t stop telling for a long time!

The Bishop Museum

Another educational activity for adults and children alike is a trip out to one of Hawaii’s most famous museums–The Bishop. With plenty of cultural artifacts and specimens dating back to the earliest days of the Island, as well as a large series of exhibits (such as the Living Islands zone or Dinosaurs Unearthed), your family will learn a ton about this unique area that they’re visiting in a fun and exciting way.

After a long day of adventures, having a nice hotel to call home will certainly make your treat all the more memorable. The Lotus Honolulu caters to families with their comfortable rooms and unbeatable location, providing you with a large selection of restaurants and activities just out the front door. Make your Oahu vacation the trip of a lifetime!

Photo Credit: dexxus, frikitiki, meredith, nostri

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

By now, I’m pretty sure most of you either have visited or have heard about the LEGOLAND Florida, brand new theme park in Winter Haven near Orlando.

The grand opening in October of 2011 was a huge success with many coverage from media and family travel bloggers. I have read and know that we will visit soon. Even though we have already been to LEGOLAND California but with the driving distance from Atlanta, it is a must-do for us especially with Mr. Z being so obsessed with all things LEGO. So here is our detail review post on our visit to LEGOLAND Florida. Be warned that this is a long post. I tried to provide as much information as I can to other parents who look into visiting in the future.

Where to Stay when Visiting LEGOLAND Florida

Winter Haven is actually about 45 minutes drive from Orlando area. Most families opt to stay in Orlando area so they can take advantage of other attractions in the area. Plus the options for accommodation will increased ten fold staying in Orlando or Kissimmee area. We stayed at the Residence Inn Orlando International Drive which proved to be a great choice for family.

Other family friendly hotels and resorts that we have stayed and will be a great choice are the Omni Orlando Resort which is closer than typical hotels in Orlando or the Holiday Inn Club Vacation Orange Lake which provides plenty of amenity and space for the whole family.

There are several options for staying in Winter Haven but it means you will be far from everything else. Plus with the operating hour of 10 AM – 5 PM (double check website for special hours and date), it’s very doable to just wake up early and drive from Orlando area.

LEGOLAND Florida Tickets Price & Discount

With the listed price online for $75 per adult and $65 per child, it seems very pricey comparing to other theme parks that have longer operating hours and more rides or attractions. However, there are also more discount and coupon code available from LEGO to help offset the cost.

When we went, we use the Pepsi promotion (which already expired) to snag Buy one adult ticket, get a FREE child ticket, a saving of almost 45% off. Check out MouseSavers.com for the most current deals or discount on LEGOLAND Florida tickets. There are still deals to have.

Inside LEGOLAND Florida: First Stop Ford Driving School

Plan your LEGOLAND Florida visit by arriving early before the park open at 10AM. We arrived around 9AM and they already let you walk into the park even though many areas are roped off waiting for the official opening hour. We were able to take pictures and get that out of the way before start trekking to LEGO City for Ford Driving School.

Our friends gave us a tip to head directly to the Ford Driving School because the line will get longer as more families arrive. And we did just that and we were the first group to get on the driving track. It’s another dream fulfilled for Mr. Z since last time we visited LEGOLAND California he was too small to partake in the Volvo Driving School. For parents of younger kids, no fret, Ford Jr. Driving School is available for 3-5 years old to enjoy their driving skill.

More School Time with Flying School & Boating School

We didn’t waste any time in checking off each ride on our map. Kids hopped to the next school for some flying time. Being one of the first in the back of the park has its perk. We got on the ride with no line. This kid-friendly roller coaster is just what I need. If you are the dare devil who loves the fastest or the scariest ride then don’t waste your time in LEGOLAND. Most rides have enough fun and excitement but it’s not gonna turn your stomach upside down.

Kids have no sign of slowing down. After the flying school, they zoomed to the next school but this time on the water at Boating School. It’s a good way to take a little break. We started to see more people and the line started to form. Luckily it’s a covered area so it wasn’t so bad. But during the hot months in Florid (which will be pretty much almost all year long), come prepare with fan or battery-operated fan to tame those heat down.

Another fun interactive stop for the whole family is the Rescue Academy where family will have to work together to compete with other teams. Then we headed out of LEGO City and stepped into LEGO Technic zone.

LEGO Technic Zone: Heart Stopping Fun at Test Track

In LEGO Technic Zone there are several fun rides that kids will enjoy. With the heat beating down on us, we made a beeline to the Test Track. It doesn’t seem to be scary at first but that little car on top of the track moving at the fast speed with no guard gave me a heart stopping thrill. I’m sure it was safe but when I was on the track I wasn’t so sure about that. Or maybe it was the momentum and physic at work at our vehicle that Mr. Rojo and I rode had more speed than the kids’ vehicle.

We took a lunch break at the Lakeside Sandwich Co before the lunch crowd started to come in. The space wasn’t big so it can be hard to find table to sit if you plan to eat during lunch. Plan ahead and take a break sooner than normal to avoid this problem. Another plus is the Lakeside Sandwich is indoor with A/C, a must for Florida fun day.

More Lands to Cover in LEGOLAND Florida

The Land of Adventure is another favorite for kids with Coastersaurus, the wooden roller coaster setting in Dinosaur theme, and the Lost Kingdom Adventure, where kid fires laser blaster at target to unearth treasure in the Egypt Kingdom. For parent of younger kids, Safari Trek and Beetle Bounce provide excitement and fun that tame enough for the little ones.

At this time, we already knew that we won’t be able to test every ride to go to every single attraction. We took a break at the DUPLO Village for some ice cream and playground fun at DUPLO Farm. It was a great way to break up your go..go..go day in LEGOLAND. Next to DUPLO Village is a stand for Granny’s Apple Fries which many of my travel blogger friends raved about on their blogs.

After the quick break, we made a few stops in Fun Town, checking out the gifts and toys in LEGO Studio Store, before taking in the bird’s eye view of LEGOLAND Florida on the Island in the Sky.

Great Place to Refuel: The Market Restaurant

For a quick refuel to recharge the crew battery so we can tackle the rest of the park, we headed to the Market Restaurant. It’s a food court style that offers various options from Asian Market to Kids’ Choices. Too bad many food selection had dwindling down to only a few choices from each station.

Another great reason to consider Market Restaurant for family dining option was the LEGO station where kids can enjoy limitless time to build their own masterpieces. We were there during the non-busy hours so it was fun for kids. But I don’t know how hard will it be during lunch time.

Last but Not Least Stop: Miniland USA

My favorite part of LEGOLAND Florida but not so much for the kids. Yes, they did enjoy looking at each part of the town in Miniland USA but they just ran around so fast competing to be the first one to push the button! It was also dark when we got to this part of the park. Luckily, it seems the park did extend the hour for another hour instead of their regular closing hour at 5 PM.

Even though I have heard many people say this park can be done in one day. To fully experience and enjoy all the rides, it will take more than a day. We had already skipped many kiddie rides that were too small for our school-age kids. But we still missed many parts of the park like the Cypress Garden or the Pirate Cove area where you can catch the Live Water Ski show.

Based on many resources, it seems you can easily upgrade your one day pass to include the next day admission for a fraction of the price. I couldn’t confirm this information on LEGOLAND Florida website so you might want to call ahead or ask the customer service.

I know this is a long post so thank you to stay with me till the end. I will try to work on another post with family tips for LEGOLAND Florida soon. In the mean time, check out my friend, Jen from Pensacola With Kids on her detailed review of LEGOLAND Florida that has a lot of great information and tips.

Have you been to Legoland Florida? Any tips or experience you would love to share?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) LEGOLAND Florida with Kids: Fun Family Visit for LEGO Lover Kids or Any Kids is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

After our first ever family skip trip to Keystone Resort, our family is hooked to this new winter sport. However, it’s hard for us to find a good ski resorts within driving distance to Atlanta. I did a little search and found that there are several ski areas near Atlanta that we can drive up over a weekend. So the plan was in motion to go for another ski trip.

We were fully aware that the snow, the trails or even the facility will not be anywhere near what we had experienced in Keystone like my friend, Kristin mentioned on her blog :) . But as beginner skiers, we just want to learn the art and skill of skiing at this time. Appalachian Ski Mountain is located in Blowing Rock, North Carolina about 5 hours drive from Atlanta, not too bad for a long weekend.

More Fun with More Friends

This trip we planned it with a group of friends that have kids similar in ages to Miss J and Mr. Z. Traveling or planning a trip with group of friends can help save on family ski vacation and kids will have instant playmates.

We had enough in our group to even get the discount group rate for our ski lift tickets and rentals. Another bonus of group traveling.

Cabin Stay in the Snow

There were different types of accommodations available in Appalachian area. Most popular ones are cabin rentals or hotel stay. We chose to rent a cabin since it can accommodate all of us and we had extra space for kids to hang out and play.

Kitchen was a center of our action during our whole stay. We cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner all throughout our stay. With a bit of pre-trip planning, each family just had to prepare minimum about of work and it was more fun cooking with friends.

We were lucky to get snow the night we arrived. Kids couldn’t dress up in layer fast enough to enjoy the snow flake and play outside.

In the morning, we woke up to several inches of fresh, untouched, white snow surrounding our cabin and covering our driveway. Here’s where we learned one valuable lesson in choosing a cabin rental (make sure that the driveway is not too steep to get in and out during snow or properly maintain with salt & gravel) or preparing for staying in a cabin rental during winter. Living in Atlanta, we don’t have to worry about snow tire or anything in that nature. So we were quite unprepared to handle this situation. We ended up stuck inside the house half a day before we could go anywhere.

But it’s not exactly a big problem for us or the kids. There were fun things to do all around the house in the snow. They built a fort, had a snow ball fight, sled down the hill and enjoyed time together.

The Appalachian Ski Mountain Experience

Our cabin was only a few minutes from the Appalachian Ski mountain entrance. So it was a quick hop in the car to start our day at the ski area.

The rental process for group rental was very efficient and fast. A coordinator gave us a quick overview and provided our group with lift ticket. After a few minutes, we were off to get our ski rental gears.

I loved the fact that there were plenty of staffs to help direct people to where they need to be. Many instructors even helped us out to put our ski boot on. With many kids on our trip, some of them took a basic lesson to refresh their learning and some headed to the magic carpet.

There are not many choices for the trails if you are an expert who frequent much higher elevation slopes in the West or the Colorado mountain but it’s sufficient for first time skiers family especially for kids. We (ok.. *I*) stick to the only slope I could manage while Mr. Rojo and our friend who is more experience skier than us took the kids to try out different slopes.

We spent the whole day there and lunch time was a challenge. We didn’t pack lunch as we should so the line was long but moved at the reasonable speed. After several more runs on the trail, it was time to say goodbye to the slope.

Kids had a wonderful time partly because they had many friends to share their fun experience with. I would be lying if I say I hardly compare this family ski experience with our family ski trip in Colorado. But knowing that this experience provided us with different experience and allowed us to improve our skill within a budget, I’m okay with that.

We actually planned another trip to try out another ski resort in North Carolina soon.

Here are family ski vacation tips we learned from our trip:

• If your schedule allows, try to ski on non-holiday and non-weekend day. We went during MLK day and ski on Monday and got a great discount in addition to our group rate.
• Choose your accommodation wisely. Check to make sure that you can get in and out of your cabin during snow. There are hotels in Boone area which is about 15 minutes drive from Appalachian Ski mountain.
• Pack your own lunch to avoid paying steep price for food.
• If you plan to buy food, eat early or later than normal lunch time.
• Enjoy!!!

So have you been to Appalachian Ski Mountain in North Carolina? Any tips you would like to share?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Family Ski Vacation in North Carolina @ Appalachian Ski Mountain is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

As many part of the country are still battling the cold and snow, we at the Q Family already are dreaming about our next adventure in Spring and Summer. Our recently family ski trip to Keystone resort put the Colorado mountain resorts on the map for us and Breckenridge is one that we want to visit on our next family vacation.

It’s without a doubt that Breckenridge is well known for winter sport and ski family vacation that comes with quite a price tag for family who looks to travel on a budget. However, there are many ways to enjoy great family spring vacation for less. As we are dreaming about our next spring adventure, we would like to share with you how we plan our next family vacation for less!

Home Away from Home

When travel with kids, accommodation is a big factor in make or break your dream vacation. Choosing the right type of accommodation for your family is crucial part of travel planning.

We always look for vacation home rental as our first option. Most home rental provides extra room for family so we are not on top of each other. The homey atmosphere provides kids (and adults) a more relaxing environment after a long day of activities or fun in town.

Breckenridge has a lot of lodging types to choose from. With a quick search on Homeaway for Breckenridge, we know we will have no problem finding the right place to stay for our family.

Friends Make Travel more Fun

Another way to help save on your next family trip is to make it a group affair! We recently took a quick long weekend getaway during the holiday break with a group of friends who also have kids that are in the same age range as our kids. The cost of home rental is considerably lower than renting traditional hotel room in the same area.

At dinner time, we enjoyed our dinner as each of the family showcase their favorite dish. Kids had a blast because they had friend to play with. So we know that if possible our next spring vacation, we would love to go with our friends again.

Feast fits for the King

Food is a big part of our life and we wouldn’t have enjoyed much of our vacation if food is blah.. So to have our own full kitchen during our vacation is a big plus and one that we always love!

Cooking during vacation doesn’t have to be painful or too much work. We plan simple family favorite meal that everyone loves. The time to prepare and cook our meal is typically shorter than the time we wait at a restaurant. Plus kids can be kids and running around the house until the dinner is ready instead of having to sit quietly (most of the time) in a restaurant.

One Last Run on the Slope

Spring in Atlanta means warmer weather and short sleeve shirt. But in Breckenridge, it means discount rate from ski resort for the end of the season discount. The resort season doesn’t end until mid April so it’s a great chance to enjoy winter sport while the rest of the country flock to the warmer destinations.

Photo credits: Breckenridge

This post is sponsored post. Bought to you by: 

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Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) My Dream Vacation for Less: Spring Family Vacation at Breckenridge is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

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

Summer break is still months away but it’s never too soon to start planning. And actually most experienced family travelers probably map out their next summer vacation and start booking their reservation. This year I hope to go back and visit Thailand with kids again. With over a thousand dollar price tag per person on airfare, I always try to maximize our trip to Thailand by planning a trip within our Thailand trip to nearby family friendly destinations and Singapore holidays seem like one of a great option.

Singapore is a popular destination in Southeast Asia. This clean and modern cosmopolitan country has a lot of fun activities for families. With Western style education, visiting Singapore couldn’t be easier. There are plenty of English signs and speakers making communication a breeze. The melting pot of Malay, Chinese and Indians, Singapore, offers the unique blend of Asian cultures. The small island is tiny in size but there are plenty of fun things to do and explore in Singapore. Here are our picks for top things to do with kids in Singapore.

Singapore Zoo & Night Safari

Locate next to each other, plan your day for a full fun day of animals. Enjoy Singapore Zoo in the morning at this “Open Concept” zoo where kids will have a chance to experience the zoo in a less cage-like environment. Also don’t forget to pack extra set of clothes or swimming outfit because I’m sure kids won’t let you skip the Singapore Zoo’s Rainforest Kidzworld.

Then at night check out one of the best Night Safari in the world at the Night Safari where you can choose to explore the park on foot via three walking trails, or by tram.

Marina Bay Sands Waterfront

The Marina Bay Sands Resort by itself is a sight to see. Three separated tall buildings connected by a long skypark looks like a scene from Star Wars. Stop by in the evening for a stroll along the Marina Bay Sands waterfront and grab a seat for the front row of Wonder Full – Light (Laser) and Water Spectacular. Best of all it’s FREE. The show time of Wonder Full  (subject to weather): Sunday to Thursday: 8pm, and 9.30pm AND Friday and Saturday: 8pm, 9.30pm and 11pm

ArtScience Museum

Uniquely designed as a symbolic gesture of welcome to guests from across the globe, the ArtScience Museum, is a new top attraction in Singapore. We also love to visit museums in various cities and we definitely can’t pass up on this Lotus-inspired shape museum that hosts marquee international exhibits as well as permanent exhibits on three floors of gallery space across over 50,000 square feet.

Singapore Flyer

The world largest Giant Observation Wheel, Singapore Flyer, is the Asian version of London Eye. Out with the old day of Ferris wheel, the new generation of giant observation wheel gives tourists a better way to enjoy the bird eyes view of the city. As the wheel turns, you’ll be treated to a visual 360° feast of iconic and historical landmarks and views from the Marina Bay to the Singapore River, Raffles Place, Merlion Park, Empress Place and the Padang.

Jurong Bird Park

Another park from Wildlife Preserve Singapore boasts one of the world largest bird park. The Jurong Bird Park offers a 20.2-hectare hillside haven for 5,000 birds representing 380 species. Check out birds from various part of the world and catch one of the shows. And if your kids are too tired (or whiny) to walk, you can hop on Bird Park’s Panorail, the one-of-its-kind air-conditioned monorail available fir ferrying visitors to view the awesome Park without hassle.

Sentosa

Sentosa is the popular island resort in Singapore. With various attractions and beaches  within the resort, it makes a great family destination for visitors or locals. One of a fun way to get to Sentosa from the mainland is to take the Jewel Box cable car from Mt Faber. Once arriving to Sentosa island, there are a wide range of fun things to do from Underwater World, Sentosa Luge & Skyride , Tiger Sky Tower or just simply hang out by the beaches.

With the newly open Resort World Sentosa, the integrated resort with Casino, Universal Studio Theme park, shopping and soon-to-be-open Marine Life Park, Sentosa is sure to maintain the most popular family destination in Singapore.

Singapore River Bumboat Tour

With water surrounding Singapore, one of the best way to explore the cit is to take one of the Singapore River Bumboat Tour. The bumboat is the small boat that used as water taxi or ferry in Singapore. It might look a bit run down but I think it will be fun to cruise along the Singapore river especially at night.

Shopping on Orchard Road

I still remember the bustling of pedestrians along the Orchard Road at the end of the day. This famous road lined with department stores and shops is the epicenter for shoppers. I’m a firm believer that you have to check out the shopping mall to get the feel of the local and it’s a fun way to enjoy a relaxing day in any city. Ok… ok.. I just love to shop, ok?

Singapore Botanic Gardens

A great green space in the middle of the city, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, is a favorite spot for families. With free admission, it’s also budget friendly to anyone. Bring lunch to have a picnic in this lush escape from the bustling of the city even for a short while.

Day Trip to Pulau Ubin

To experience a completely different world from Singapore city, take a bumboat for a day trip to Pulau Ubin. Once there rent a bike to explore this Northeastern coast of Singapore’s village and local living.

Have you been to Singapore with Kids? Do you have any family friendly attractions to recommend?

Photo Credit: Xoai, Ericc1, williamcho, eustaquio, cawood, kelvin_luffs, nlann, mystical-mii, anhgemus-photography, linkway88

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

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

Whether you’re heading to the mountains, beach, or grandma’s house, flying doesn’t have to be a dreaded hurdle to leap over on your way to vacation bliss. Follow these mom-tested family air travel tips, and you and your little ones will be airborne and on your way to having fun in no time.

1. Check-in with your airlines before you leave

Most airlines allow passengers to check-in for their flight and print their boarding passes at home, and some even offer the option of check-in using your smart phone. By checking in ahead of time, you and your family will avoid standing in a long line for your boarding passes, which is tedious for anyone, but it’s especially difficult for antsy little ones. If you don’t have a printer or forget to check-in prior to arriving at the airport, you can also use a self-serve kiosk to speed up the process.

2. Travel light

If possible, limit what you and your family brings on the trip to what will fit in your carry-on baggage. Most airlines allow each passenger one small piece of luggage and one personal item, such as a purse, small backpack, or laptop case. Tell kids that they will have to carry their own bag for the trip, so that they don’t pack more than what’s necessary. Carrying on your bags will also save your family money since most airlines are now charging fees for checked luggage. If you have to check luggage, make sure to find out your airline’s baggage limits prior to departing, since the rules vary by company. Also, make sure all bags – especially children’s – have an identification tag, whether they’re being checked or not.

3. Fuel up

Have your family eat a meal or substantial snack prior to leaving for the airport.. This is especially important if you have kids who tend to get grumbly tummies when flying. Eating beforehand will help you avoid unnecessary trips to the airport food court where the options tend to be unhealthy and pricey. If you’re going to be airborne for an extended amount of time, pack a healthy snack for your family to eat while they’re en route. You may also want to bring empty water bottles to fill once you’re past airport security, so you can avoid purchasing drinks near your gate or on the flight.

4. Be prepared for airport security checkpoints

This can be one of the most stressful parts of traveling with children since it requires showing IDs and getting through the x-ray machines. The Transportation Security Administration is required to screen everyone and their bags, regardless of age, so be prepared to show your family’s IDs and know what you can and cannot carry on to the plane. If you are traveling with an infant, you must carry him/her through the x-ray machine. You cannot leave the child in their stroller or carrier. Some good news about security checkpoints is that the TSA now allows travelers ages 12 and younger to leave their shoes on through the security checkpoint, so no more wrestling with shoelaces before and after screenings!

5. Reserve your airport parking

Online sites, such as Airport Parking Reservations, now allow travelers the convenience of pre-booking their airport parking space. With these sites you can check rates and availability for any type of parking you’re looking for – whether you prefer a garage space, covered lot, outdoor parking, or valet service. By reserving your parking space ahead of time, you save time and money, and you don’t have to stress about searching for a spot once you arrive at the airport. Plus, a reserved spot is extremely helpful if you and your family are running late for your flight or if someone has to use the bathroom!

So what other tips you have to help reduce stress on family air travel?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 5 Simple Ways to Make Family Air Travel Less Stressful is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

During our recent family ski vacation in Colorado at Keystone Resort, we spent a few nights in downtown Denver before heading up to the Rocky Mountain National Park. I have been searching for family friendly accommodations that is also within our budget in Denver. Yes, many online forum recommended staying in downtown Denver. But, with kids in tow we actually like to stay out of downtown in the area where we don’t have to worry about finding or paying for parking. We also prefer to  have grocery stores within driving distance.

Those factors lead us to Homewood Suites by Hilton Denver International Airport. We have stayed at various types of accommodation and Homewood Suites by Hilton remains one of top family friendly hotel in our opinion.

Convenient Location to Explore More of Denver

With the convenient location near the Denver International Airport, we were able to not only enjoy exploring downtown Denver but venture out to other surrounding area. The hotel is right by the interstate highway that lead to other cities like Colorado Springs, Aurora and Golden.

There are many chain restaurants like Outback Steak House, Ted’s Montana Grill or Applebee’s nearby which make it very convenient for us to grab a quick meal or have a special dinner night.  If you want to get your own groceries and cook in the room, there is Safeway within short driving distance.

AMAZING View from the Room

The majestic view of the mountain range as a backdrop to Denver is one of the best feature of this city.  Homewood Suites Denver International Airport took advantage of the view. Our room is facing the mountain and I never got tired of waking up to this view. Now I understand why Denver residents are so active. The mountain just beckons them to go out and enjoy wide range of outdoor activities

Extra Space with Everything You Need and Want

When travel with kids, we try to avoid staying at a typical hotel room because of the space. That’s why I love Homewood Suites by Hilton. With a suite room, we have extra space so we won’t be on top of each other. We all know how sibling love each other so much that they can’t invade each other personal space. The two-bedroom suite provides ample space for us to relax at the end of the day and gives us privacy from the kids with separate living room and kitchen area.

After spend the day doing what you do, it’s nice to know that you can rest easy in a bedroom that is clean and comfortable.  The room is spacious and has a flat screen tv that allowed me to kick back and watch my shows while Mr. Rojo and the kids watched their shows on the other tv’s.  We definitely don’t get this at home.  Did I mention the view from the room?  Oh yes.  I already did.  Just wanted to make sure you got that point.

As a geek family, internet connection is something we need prefer. And it’s nice to have free internet connection at an acceptable speed to catch up with family and friends online at the end of the day.  Mr. Rojo is the crazy one who always likes to check the speed.  He never tells me the numbers but he had a big grin on his face after testing the speed and proceeded to go watch his online videos.

The kitchen is small but efficient. We didn’t cook any meal in the room but it’s nice to be able to have a full size refrigerator to put our drinks and fruits for late night snacks. The full service of the hotel included them putting the dishes in the dishwasher for you and running it. It’s something that I didn’t even know that they do. It’s nice not to have to worry about too much cleaning when travelling because I know many of my friends don’t like staying in VRBO because they don’t want to clean when they are on vacation! Well, at Homewood Suites you get the best of both world, the space of the VRBO and the service of the hotel.

Perfect Amenities with Family in Mind

Other services and amenities from Homewood Suites are also perfect for family. We love the complimentary hot breakfast, the type where you get real scramble eggs, make your own waffle and enjoy hot coffee.

The indoor swimming pool is perfect for kids to use up those energy from a long day of travel or for parents to get a quick me time at the hot tub. The exercise room looks very nice… yes, look nice because admit it we are not gonna exercise during our trip. I’m exhausted most of the time at the end of the day because of the thin air of Denver… or.. is it because I’m too lazy to exercise.  You pick.

Great Value for Budget Conscious Family

Yes, you might not be in the middle of downtown Denver. But I don’t see the benefit of staying in downtown. We would have to pay for parking fee and most hotels in downtown will cost more. The saving itself is totally worth an extra drive. It’s also not so bad when we have a great view to drive to downtown Denver when we want to explore.

At the time of our visit, room rate ranged from $99-$250 (based on date and availability). The extra space, free parking, complimentary breakfast, free internet connection and convenient location make Homewood Suites by Hilton Denver International Airport a great option for family who want value without sacrifice the luxury. Make sure to check out hotel special for any promotions or discount rate.

Disclosure: We received media rate from Homewood Suites by Hilton Denver International Airport. 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 stay ourselves.

Denver Hotel Review

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Denver with Kids: A Room with A-Mazing View at Homewood Suites by Hilton Denver International Airport is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Myrtle Beach, SC is well known for it’s well groomed golf courses.  It is the Nexus for all golfers to test their golf skills on professionally designed golf courses.  Yes, I love to play golf but I have only been to experience Myrtle Beach Golf one time in my life many moons ago when life was simpler and the days seemed longer.  When my good friend called and invited me for a trip to Myrtle Beach, I had to say yes even without the family CFO’s approval.  Luckily, I didn’t get into too much trouble for my impulsive behavior.

On our Dude’s Most Excellent Golfing Adventure, we planned to play three golf courses with the best course saved for last.  Oh.. and maybe we could run into Natalie Gulbis… For my friend. Not me.. because I’m a happily married man writing on my wife’s blog…  The last course we played was Wild Wing Plantation’s 27 hole course.  When we were younger, we probably  would have played all 27, but in our current state of easily pulled back muscles, we only played 18.  On this day, we were to tackle the Avocet course on Wild Wing Plantation.  It proved to be a tough track with rolling hills and hidden traps and water.  I’m not going to mention my score due to embarassment and besides, I think I stopped keeping score after the second snow man.  That’s a score of 8 for you non-golfers.

I had mentioned that I had visited Myrtle Beach when I was younger single man.  The only thing that I noticed was the golf and the beaches..  Oh.. and the bright neon lights of the T-Shirt shops.  This time around I saw Myrtle Beach through the eyes of a family man and noticed that there are a lot of family friendly things to do in Myrtle Beach like Broadway On The Beach and NASCAR Speed Park.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Mr. Rojo’s return to the Greens of Myrtle Beach 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

Our recent trip to check out the brand new Legoland Florida, we have found yet another great family hotel that I know many of my readers will love. Legoland Florida is in Winter Heaven which is about 40 minutes away from Orlando. There are several hotels in Winter Heaven but we chose to stay in Orlando area because there are just many more choices to choose from for dining and non-Legoland activities.

Convenient Location

This trip we chose to stay at Residence Inn Orlando International Drive which is conveniently located just off I-4 exit by Universal Studio so we didn’t have to go through a bunch of stop lights to get to our hotel. To our surprise, we were just a couple blocks away from one of Mr. Z’s favorite McDonald of all time. This McDonald has one of the largest Play area and also services gourmet menu like pasta, ravioli and other cook-to-order food.

Nearby there are also other options for many restaurants. But for me, I love that it’s less than 5 minutes from the Whole Food Market. When traveling with family, grocery shopping can save us a lot of money. And Whole Food Market also has hot food bar that you can pick up healthy food on the go.

Plenty of Room for Everyone and More

Walking from the lobby to our room, I already felt that this place is different from typical hotels. The setup is more like an apartment complex than hotel building, giving us a feeling of coming home than checking in to a hotel. We walked through the courtyard to our 2nd floor room. It also doesn’t hurt to have such a beautiful blue sky during the time of our stay.

Once we got inside, I couldn’t stop the squeaking of joy from my kids. You will think they have never seen a hotel room before. In fact, they have been to all types of accommodation ranging from 2-star hotel, vacation rental home, resort and luxury hotel. But what made them so excited to see was the loft in our 2 bedroom penthouse suite.

The room is definitely setup for a couple families to share the room or large family. With one queen bed on the loft and 2 full size bed in another bedroom, we were not on top of each other.

Cook Your Own Meal

With full size kitchen equipped with everything you need to cook your own meal, it’s a great option for family who looks for way to save on a vacation. Even if you don’t want to cook, I found that when we eat out we always have left over. It was nice to be able to pack it and save it for the next meal.

Family Favorite Features: Free Wi-Fi, Waffle and Swimming Pool

So I asked my family to pick one of their favorite feature from Residence Inn Orlando International Drive. Miss J couldn’t get enough of going up and down to the loft. It was one of her favorite part. Hmm.. No wonder she always talks about building her own tree house. I think she just loves to be above the ground.

For me, as a travel blogger I love that they have free internet access during our stay. It’s nice to be able to catch up with my show online after a long day in the park. It’s sad to be excited to this small thing but it’s something that’s matter to me.

Mr. Z loved the swimming pool. They had a blast in a pool with our friends. It was a beautiful day and we had the pool to ourselves all afternoon. They even took another dip in the pool on the departure day. It’s also good to know that their pool is heated!

Mr. Rojo loved the waffle station which is part of the complimentary breakfast. What make it even more special was that you could make mini-waffle or normal size waffle and you could also add chocolate chip or blueberries to create your own waffle. Now, that’s the kind of waffle I love!

Overall, we had a great stay and will definitely consider staying here again in the future. We were hosted by Residence Inn Orlando International Drive but when I checked the rack rate during my stay it was very reasonable considering all the extra we had like internet access, complimentary breakfast, full kitchen and friendly staffs!

Thank you Residence Inn Orlando International Drive for hosting our family for a weekend.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Orlando with Kids: Great Family Value Stay @ Residence Inn Orlando International Drive is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Miss J has been practicing her composition that she learned from our Seattle Photowalk tour and I have to say she has a great potential!

Mr. Z, on the other hand, took after Mr. Rojo in video and learned how to use our little video cam rather quickly. I’m pretty sure our family look rather funny when people saw us with each of our own equipment.

I love seeing how my kids capturing their trip thru their lens.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) The Apple Does Not Fall Far from the Tree 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

Mr. Z enjoyed laying down and viewing the Arch from the base. I loved the space where they could run wild.

See other travelers’ Photo Friday from Delicious Baby.

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Pizza has been a staple food in our household. On a busy school night when I ran out of idea or time to cook, I typically gave in and picked up from our local pizza.

During our quick jaunt to St. Louis this past summer for our family reunion, we got a taste of St. Louis pizza style. After a quick search on Yelp & TripAdvisor, it seems Imo’s Pizza is one of the best choice.

Imo’s Pizza is the local chain that serves up original St. Louis style pizza. They have several locations in the area so it’s very convenient for us during our visit to the City Museum (one of the best and most fun museum EVER and I promise to write about our experience soon). We took a short walk from the City Museum to Imo’s Pizza Downtown on Washington.

The place looks bright and clean, perfect for a quick bite. We ordered at the counter and waited for our food.

For Miss J and Mr. Z, they will only eat Cheese pizza so Cheese pizza it is. I have to say I’m in love with St. Louis style pizza. The super thin, cracker-like crust pizza with Provel cheese instead of mozzarella that is cut into square pieces made it easier for the kids to enjoy. Plus I am not a big fan of thick crust to begin with so this pizza style satisfied me without making me felt too full.

We tried toasted ravioli which unfortunately I wasn’t fast enough to take picture before it was gone! We also ordered cheese sticks which was a big hit for the kids as well.

Overall, it was a great lunch before we headed back home. Definitely a place to visit if you love pizza.

Check out other travelers’ food around the world from WanderFood Wednesday.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) St Louis With Kids: Quick & Easy Lunch @ Imo’s Pizza is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

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

Hello. Mr. Rojo here.  I don’t usually do the writing but I thought I would pick this one up because of the sports twist to it and that a new NHL Hockey season is upon us.  We were fortunate that we took a trip last year to Vancouver during the Stanley Cup finals and experienced the passion of the city first hand.  Yes.. I know that that image got tarnished after the completion of the Stanley Cup finals.  So I thought to help bring back a good memory of that period of time with some shots we took.

While walking the Vancouver city streets one day, we ran into this curious looking VW Beetle parked on one of the streets intersecting Robson St.  From far away it looked like a piece of junk with more junk glued to it.  After closer inspection, we found it was an interesting tribute to Canada with a Vancouver Canuck hockey team twist to it.

Miss J and Mr Z were fascinated by all the little items glued to the vehicle.  All they wanted to do was to look at all the little toys and pluck a few off.  For the record, we made sure that they didn’t do any of the plucking.

Here is a closeup of the right rear section of the car.  This is just a small sampling of all the items on the car.  I tried looking up the total of items on the car but couldn’t find the number.  I wasn’t going to count every piece on the car.  I am a bit OC but that bad.

Here’s an item on the car that embodied the Stanly Cup Finals.  The good old Canadian Mountie wearing the Vancouver Canucks jersey.

I guess this is what embodies the Canadian spirit but as hard as I tried to find, I only heard one person say the word “Eh” in a sentence.  I suppose it’s an urban legend of some sorts eh…

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) The VW Canuck in Vancouver 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

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We had a great time during the Labor day weekend in Myrtle Beach. Our accommodation is the beachfront condominium of Kingston Plantation that has great pool and waterpark for kids to enjoy on that beautiful sunny day. Just steps away we can also enjoy beach time.

Stay tune for detail review on this family-friendly accommodation!

Disclosure: Thank you to VisitMyrtleBeach and Kingston Plantation for providing us with complimentary accommodation. However, this post is based solely on my personal opinion and experience.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Wordless Wednesday: Chilling in the Pool @ Myrtle Beach with Kids 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.

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During our visit to Vancouver, we took an evening leisure break at Stanley Park. We have a perfect backdrop for the jump shot!

A jump shot during our Seattle Photo Walking tour with Shutter Tours at the Post Alley.

A group jump shot in Seattle China Town on a beautiful day. I love that I was able to capture while all of them were in the air!

A shot at the Seattle Waterfront with Seattle Aquarium as a background. I love the look on Mr. Z’s face. I think he imagines he is one of the super hero or Kung Fu fighter.

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

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Luckily, I have some helps from the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. A quick look at their website at VisitMyrtleBeach.com, I already have a page full of kids-friendly attractions, tours and museums.

Plus we found out that during the Labor Day weekend, they are hosting the sixth annual Beach, Boogie & BBQ Festival September 2-4 at Grand Park at The Market Common! I can’t wait for the fun day at the beach and BBQ!

So here are our list for fun things you can do with kids in Myrtle Beach

1. Mini-Golf at Hawaiian Rumble

I don’t have the official number of how many mini-golf places there are in Myrtle Beach. But I’m pretty sure that there are enough mini-golf theme to satisfy almost all types of kids. We are looking into the Hawaiian Rumble just because Hawaii has always been on top of the list of places I want to visit and I would love my kids to get over their fear of volcano. Hmm.. now I wonder if it will get worse if they have seen it up close. We will see! Other notable mini-golf themes I have seen online are Jungle Safari for animals lovers, Jurassic Golf for the Dinosaur fanatics, or the Dragon’s Lair Fantasy Golf for the fantasy fans.

2. Kayak Tour with Black River Outdoors Center

As much as we love to do things on our own, we also love to do local tours whether it’s a photography tour or walking tour. This time around we are looking forward to learn more about nature surrounding the inlets in Myrtle Beach with a kayak tour with Black River Outdoors Center. My kids will have a blast because they have been asking for a kayak tour for a while.

3. MagiQuest

And for the fantasy or game fans, you can take it even a step further by checking out MagiQuest where kids and adults can take gaming experience to the next level with the interactive wand that take them on a journey of fun and entertainment. Mr. Rojo is probably the one who will be the most excited about this experience. Even though it’s a bit pricey, it’s something that we probably won’t experience anywhere else.

4.  Brookgreen Gardens

Is it a Zoo or is it a botanical garden? Well, it’s both. We love to plan activity that also low key that doesn’t bombard us with too much sensory overload. A trip to Brookgreen Gardens seems like a good choice to provide an escape from busting fun in the main Myrtle Beach downtown area.

5. Huntington Beach State Park

The Murrell inlets is highly recommended by many of my friends who have been there. And how can we visit Myrtle Beach without visiting one of the popular beach here. We plan to explore and take it easy in the morning at the Huntington Beach State Park. Maybe a quick nap under the shade sounds like a great plan to me.

6. Barefoot Landing

A shopping complex consists of various shops, dining options and entertainment is a popular destination for tourists. Too bad we arrive at the tail end of summer because it would be fun to enjoy a family fun Friday activities. But we still have a chance to catch the last firework of the summer at Barefoot Landing on Saturday night if we are not too wiped out by all the fun activities.

7. Broadway at the Beach

Another family entertainment complex with options from dining, shopping and fun entertainment centers. MagiQuest is part of the Broadway at the Beach as well so we might walk around and check things out before or after our fun time at MagiQuest.

8. Myrtle Beach Boardwalk

Fairly new boardwalk along the beach in downtown area is a great free alternative to enjoy a day in Myrtle Beach. Walking or jogging along the beach and check out locals or tourists enjoy their time on the beach. And if looking from above is one of your thing, check out the Skywheel Myrtle Beach where you can get a bird’s eyes view of the city above the sky.

9. Children’s Museum of South Carolina

A great option for family who already have family membership to your local children’s museum that have the passport program to allow you free admission to the Children’s Museum of South Carolina. It will be a great way to break out the day and escape the heat to indoor fun.

10. NASCAR SpeedPark

My kids love to ride the go-karts. They beg for it ALL the time. Unfortunately, they get their petite body frame from me so they are mostly too short to be able to ride the car in most of the family attractions we have been. But at NASCAR SpeedPark, they probably know that little kids love to ride the go-karts too because they have a couple rides that smaller kids can enjoy riding all by themselves. I know it might be not for every family but this one will definitely be a must-do for us. Oh.. Things you do for your kids.

Do you any other recommendation for fun things to do with kids in Myrtle Beach?

 

Myrtle Beach Vacations

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We headed to the ultimate gelato wonderland, La Casa Gelato, where they would be able to choose from varieties of gelato goodness. La Casa Gelato is a local favorite and tourist attractions within itself. Judging from the pictures lining the wall of several famous people like Martha Stewart. With over 218 flavors available daily and more than 508 flavors, picking one will be a huge challenge.

We got there pretty late but it seemed this is the place to be on the Saturday night. The place was packed and loud with techno music to get the fun atmosphere going. They just need a disco light and it would be a party. There is no seating inside the store but across the street there is a little garden with outdoor seating available.

It can be overwhelming walking in and trying to figure out what you will have. The gelato selections are made from ingredients around the world from Wasabi, Akbar Mashti to Hazelnut Chocolate. But don’t worry you don’t have to make a commitment as soon as you walk in. You can try out any flavor you like and once you decide you can go to the cashier to purchase a token to get your ice cream.

Our first taste was based solely from our curiosity. Balsamic Vinegar gelato!! Seriously? Who would buy them? But we had to try it.

You can tell from Miss J’s face that it wasn’t something for our taste bud. However, surprisingly the employee told us that there are quite a few people who love them because otherwise they would never put it up.

We slowly made our way around the shop. (not that we tried every single flavor. That would be CRAZY!) I found the Asian section where Lychee, Durian and Mango were on display. I knew I had to try Durian to see how authentic the taste was. And I was pretty impressed with the taste because I felt like I was really eating a Durian fruit.

After a while, we each settled on our own favorite. A few notable options for me are Death by Mango, Durian, Papaya Rasberry Sorbeto, and Peanut Buttercup.

So if you are in Vancouver and look for a place to enjoy gelato experience, La Casa Gelato is definitely worth a visit.

Have you been to La Casa Gelato? What’s your favorite flavor?

Check out other travelers’ food posts from Wander Food Wednesday.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Vancouver With Kids: Flavor Overload @ La Casa Gelato 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

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Typically, I share more than just a photo during Photo Friday but today I just want to share the look on Mr. Z’s face of how happy and excited he was to be able to take the Amtrak Cascades from Seattle to Vancouver. It was one of the highlight on his experience during our Seattle trip.

Check out other travelers’ photos at Delicious Baby – Photo Friday.

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As much as I want to say my kids are adventurous eaters who can devour new types of food from around the world, I accept the fact that they are not always willing to try new thing most of the time. I just have to slowly introduce new cuisine to them whether we are at home or on the road.

One of the easiest way to introduce new food is to find food that similar to their comfort food at home. And with that I shamelessly admit that they do love their hot dog. So when I heard, read and see about Japadog, a famous food truck in Vancouver that blend Japanese flavor to American favorite food, I know this is a must-try on our Vancouver trip.

The Japadog is a food truck so that means there is no table to sit, no servers and no restroom. But that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy our street food experience. With their population, Japadog operates in several locations where each location has their own special dog.

Fortunately, we stay at the hotel where it is just a block away from the Japadog at Burrard & Smithe Street corner. The selection is plentiful with topping from Japanese style of Edamame or my favorite, Oroshi with grated raddish & soy sauce to Terimayo series which you can choose from different type of hot dog type topped with mayo & dried seaweed.

And for kids who are not so sure about weird looking topping, you can order a normal hot dog for them. Another great option will be Yakisoba hot dog, a hot dog with yakisoba noodle topping. As for Mr. Rojo and me, we love the Oroshi. The grated radish is a great topping to counter the saltiness from hot dog. The popular Terimayo series hot dog is a little too salty for my taste but we tried it anyway. Who can resist Kobe beef hot dog!

For more Vancouver food truck experience, check out Albany With Kids post about her Vancouver Food. Also check out other food stories from Wander Food Wednesday.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Vancouver With Kids: Food Truck Adventure @ Japadog Hot Dog Stand is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

There are not many cities that leave a huge impression on our family. Yes, we mostly enjoy visiting different cities and attractions but at the end of the days we were happy to be home. But Vancouver is one of the city that we wouldn’t mind packing our bag and trek across the continent to move there.

There are many great fun things to do with kids in Vancouver and the best part most of them are free or fairly affordable. With our short visit, here are the fun things we have on our to-do list. Stay tuned for our review of each visit!

Top 5 Family Friendly Things to Do in Vancouver with Kids

1. Bike in Stanley Park

I love to the idea of doing things that will help kids experience the city in a different way. Instead of just walking around Stanley Park, we are looking forward to renting our bikes from Spokes and enjoying biking along the seawall to experience Stanley Park from the wheels.

2. Visit Vancouver Aquarium

With the location inside Stanley Park, the Vancouver Aquarium is a perfect choice after a couple hours of exploring Stanley Park. Yes, we do visit many aquariums around the country but this will be our first visit to the Canadian aquarium. I am curious to see what kind of experience we will have.

3. Visit Vancouver Science World

The Vancouver Science World is under renovation so there are many exhibits that are currently closed. But it also means that the discount admission is a great chance for us to check it out. I love to bring our kids to visit Science Museum in general because there are many hand-on and interactive exhibits for kids to enjoy for hours.

4. Grandville Island Kids Market

We are also looking forward to riding the Aquabus, a mini ferry across the bay, to Grandville Island. The Grandville Island Kids Market looks like a great place for families to spend a couple hours (or more) there enjoying shopping, playing and exploring in the market.

5. Capilano Suspension Bridge

A must-visit place in Vancouver even if you are not the dare devil type! The Capilano Suspension Bridge is much more than just a suspension bridge, there are also Treetops Adventure where kids can enjoy a scavenger hunt, Cliffwalk where you can face your fear of height on this suspended walkway.

What other family fun would you recommend for family visiting Vancouver?

 

Vancouver Vacations

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Visiting a local library might not be on the top of things to do with kids in your itinerary. But for us, it seems we can’t resist a little break during a busy traveling day to a peaceful and quiet environment in the library like this one in Bangkok.

During our summer trip to Seattle, surprisingly one of the recommended place to visit with kids in Seattle is the Seattle Central Library. Fortunately, we stayed at the Hotel Monaco Seattle which is right across the street from the library. So I knew that we would have a chance to visit this cool looking library!

The Seattle Central Library is not only architectural pleasing and wonderful but also huge. With 11 floors, underground parking and large Children’s section on the first floor, it’s by far one of the best public library we have visited.

With the combination of smart interior design for sustainable and energy efficient building, the glass panel wall with metal grid provided plenty of light inside and yet visually pleasing at the same time. It makes us feel like we were in an art museum instead of the public library.

The use of bright color like eye popping yellow or keylime green offers the playful mood that we don’t typically feel when we step into a library. It almost like an invitation to just hang around and enjoy books at your own leisure time. The ride on the escalator made me feel like we stepped into the future.

But what captivated us the most has to be the Faye G. Allen Children’s Center. The colorful interior with story time area, children’s play area, a family restroom, boys’ and girls’ restrooms, and an area for parking strollers is no doubt a place where kids can let their imagination run wild.

We would probably stay for a whole day there if we didn’t have a meeting with our friends. There are various events and things to do inside the library that you can take advantage of even if you are a visitor like story time for children, library free tour, or enjoy public arts that are displayed throughout the library.

Also with free wifi and coffee shop, this is a perfect spot for a quick catchup from the road.

Seattle has many things to offer for family vacation and the Seattle Public Central Library is definitely one of the best place to visit with kids in Seattle. Plus with no admission fee, it’s the best bargain for family travel!

Do you have favorite library that you have visited in the past?

Also check out other travelers’ photos at Delicious Baby Photo Friday

 

Seattle Vacations

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Seattle With Kids: Best Library for Family at Seattle Central Library is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

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

One of our favorite things to do in Seattle during our visit to Seattle with kids is a photography walking tour with Shutter Tours company. It was one of the first activity we did soon after we arrived and it was a great decision to do it to learn about the city and got a good idea of the area. The tour costs $29 per adult with discount for kids. With 3 hours of learning about photography and the city at the same it is one of the best deal in Seattle.

We met up with our tour guide and photographer, Mr. Scott at the corner near Pike Place Market. We were lucky to be the only people in our group so we basically had a personal tour guide for the whole 3 hours. As soon as we met him, we hit it off right away. His knowledge of photography techniques and city of Seattle was one of many reasons why this is a great tour to do even with kids.

Our tour started at the corner of Pike & 1st street. This tour is not one where you walk around, listen to story and that’s it. It’s a hand-on workshop walking tour. At first Mr. Scott asked about our level of photography. We had a wide range here from a semi-beginner, beginner to video user. He was very good at explaining things so all of us could understand.

We listened to a quick story about the Pike Place market and then started working on our photo. So we learned a lot about composition, exposure, and lighting. Mr. Scott listened patiently to our questions and frequently asked if we had any more questions.

Miss J was a quick learner and proof to have great eye for composition and followed rule of third quite well. She was using my old DSLR camera and I think soon she will learn to take the picture from manual mode.

At the ripe young age of 7, Mr. Z enjoyed the walking tour as much as me. At first I had a reservation that this tour will be too much for them to handle. But the fun and interesting facts that we learned from Mr. Scott and frequent stops kept them entertained for hours.

Yes, the tour was a walking tour so it involved a lot of walking. But kids soon forgot about the tired feet as soon as we turned around the corner to the Gum Wall. It was deemed the second germiest tourist attraction in the world! The kids were mesmerized by the sheer amount of gum that they begged us to return a few days later to add their own gum to the wall.

We walked along the Post Alley, up University St to 1st Ave to the Seattle Art Museum then turn on 2nd Ave to Seneca and head down to the Waterfront on Alaskan Way. It was a long walk that probably will not be good for small children. But for school age kids, I think it’s a perfect tour. There were many breaks along the way for us to learn about taking good travel photography so kids were able to rest and also learn about picture taking at the same time.

We had wonderful during the tour and would highly recommend anyone who plan to visit Seattle. It’s a great introduction tour to the city and also great lesson about photography as well.

Family Tips:

• Give kids their own camera so they will be able to learn and enjoy taking pictures during the tour as well.
• Dress in layer because the weather can change quite frequently in Seattle. The tour is on rain or shine. Also don’t forget a good walking shoe. This is a walking tour after all.
• Bring extra snacks and drinks for kids. The tour is 3 hours long so they will get hungry eventually.

Check out other travelers’ Photo Friday from Delicious Baby

 

Seattle Vacations

Disclosure: We received media discount rate for the tours from Shutter Tours. But all opinion and positive expression are my own. I would have done this tour with or without the discount.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Seattle With Kids: Photo Walking Tour with Shutter Tours is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Photo Credit: Pedrosz

We do not typically plan a trip without any research on things to do with kids in certain location. It helps make travel with kids easily to know in advance what options we have in a city. Even with just a short list of things to do already make planning that much easier.

We have a last minute trip coming up to St. Louis, Missouri so I have to do a quick research on what are fun things to do with kids in Saint Louis.

So here are our picks for 5 Fun Things to Do with Kids in St. Louis

The Gateway Arch

Photo Credit: Wroemance

It’s without a doubt a must-see and must-do on our list. The symbolic arch that stands tall in Saint Louis is also a Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. For us, it’s a another stamp we will collect in our National Park passport book. The visit to the base of the Arch is free but to get a great view of the city we plan to purchase a ticket for a Journey to the Top. We will also see if we can join the free ranger-led guided tour as well. Also we will heed Sarah from WanderOff.com advice on tips to visit the Gateway Arch.

The City Museum

Photo Credit: Janet

A museum in the city that is housed in the 600,000 square-foot former International Shoe Company with the eclectic mixture of children’s playground, funhouse, surrealistic pavilion, and architectural marvel made out of unique, found objects? We are definitely there! The bonus is with a location in downtown area near the Arch, it’s a perfect location for our short visit in St. Louis when we have limited time in the city.

Citygarden Sculpture Park

Photo Credit: Ron,Ron,Ron

A quick stop at this oasis in the downtown seems like a good idea. The Citygarden is a green space blends art, architecture and functions into a park that the whole family can enjoy. We love visiting parks with unique characters like the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle and we are looking forward to checking out the sculptures in the Citygarden park as well. Plus reading Jodi from FamilyRambling.com about the Citygarden, Mr. Z already pointed out and said ‘I wanna see that!’

The Magic House

Photo Credit: tafkabecky

I have read a couple reviews on the Magic House children museum and from what I gathered this place is HUGE. So we will probably visit knowing that we won’t be able to do everything and see all the exhibits. It’s a bit further from downtown but we will have car so it’s not so hard to get to. I hope the kids will leave without fuss even if we can’t see the whole place. Mara from Motherofalltrips.com has a great review post on Magic House.

The Saint Louis Zoo

Photo Credit: tojosan

This highly recommended place to visit with kids are St. Louis long time resident Sarah from Wandering Off is a good stamp of approval for us. We put this on the list but might have to see if we will have enough time to visit this trip or for our future trip. The best part about this zoo? FREE admission for all. For budget family travel, this is probably the best part. But free admission doesn’t mean you will get dingy zoo. The Saint Louis Zoo is a well-maintained zoo with many family-friendly activities for kids as well.

 

St Louis Vacations

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

My family can confirm my love of Pho and all things Vietnamese food. So during our visit to Seattle, it was not a surprise that one of our favorite meal (at least for me) was an unplanned dinner at Pho Than Brothers.

Yes, most of the time I tried to plan where we want to eat each day or at least have done some research. It was a must because there are so many places to eat in Seattle. But that day we were on our way back from Mount Rainier and it was late. Many restaurants I had in mind were already closed. Well, thanks to my Urbanspoon & Yelp iPhone app, we found our new destination.

Pho Than Brothers restaurant is a quite popular Vietnamese eatery with many locations throughout Seattle. We settled in at the Broadway location. It might be quite difficult if you don’t have a car to go there from downtown. It’s doable but not as easy.

The restaurant is in a lively neighborhood with many options for food and drinks. For us though, our main goal was food and more specifically steamy, huge bowl of Pho.

There is no frill at this restaurant. With a few decoration, it reminds me of how most of restaurants in Thailand look. It’s all in the taste of the food. Since it was quite late in the evening, we were seated right away. The menu is quite simple with different types of Pho (various varieties of meal) and sizes.

But above all else, we enjoyed the Banh Choux a la cream – a custard puff that was served before the meal. We couldn’t get enough of this dessert that we had to order more for our dessert after the meal.

The pho has 4 sizes from small, medium, large and extra large. I ordered the medium size and I think I might have been even happy with small size. Kids loved their noodle which they shared a small size bowl. It’s the universal food even for the most picky eater will enjoy.

The best part, this meal costs less than $20 for the 4 of us including dessert!

Check out other travelers’ food adventures from WanderFood Wednesday at WanderlustAndLipsticks

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Seattle With Kids: Cheap & Good Eat @ Pho Than Brothers is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

We couldn’t visit Seattle without stopping by the famous Pike Place Market. The color of produces from various stands from local farmers and sellers is just too vibrant to ignore.

Today’s Photo Friday I want to show just a fracture of what we had seen and captured during our walking tour with Shutter Tour, a photography tour with knowledge photographer and tour guide.

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

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) The Color of Pike Place Market Seattle is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Typically on our vacation we opted for cheap and non-descriptive breakfast like cereal or oatmeal in the hotel room to help save money on our trip, but during my research for our Seattle trip with kids, I have found that there are many great breakfast options to pass up. Seattle is a great foodie town to begin with!

In general, we love to try as many new places as possible when we travel. However, in our recent Seattle trip we have found 2 favorite places for our breakfast that we went back again.

Scrumptious Crumpets at the Crumpet Shop

After reading many posts for Seattle restaurant recommendation from various sources from guidebook to online travel sites recommending the Crumpet Shop, we checked them out on our day to visit the Pike Place market.

The Crumpet Shop is located on Pike Place & 1st Ave. The shop has an huge window giving kids or pedestrians a glimpse of how these little pocket of deliciousness come to life.

What’s a crumpet exactly? Based on the owner, the crumpet has the look similar to English muffin but make on the griddle like pancake. The kids enjoyed looking at the kitchen where the crumpets were made.

With various options of toppings from simple butter & preserves to Green eggs & Ham, the Crumpet Shop offered us a great way to start up our day. We ordered the crumpet with butter & blackberry and crumpet with eggs & ham. The second time around, we opted for the green eggs & ham crumpet. All I can say is that the crumpets had never disappointed us during our visits. (3 times but who is counting?)

A few tips to make your visit more pleasant,

• Arrive before the breakfast or lunch crowd to avoid the long line. It can get pretty busy here in this tiny space.
• There are a couple table outside on the street side. Yes, you might have to inhale the smoke from the car but you will enjoy the view of the kitchen and see the crumpet in a making.
• In the morning, they offer special discount for happy hour during 7am-8am. The early bird gets the big worms!

Bacon & Belgian Waffle at Sweet Iron Waffle

Mr. Z has been a lover of bacon and waffle for a really long time (as long as he can voice his own preference). So after trying to figure out what to have for breakfast one morning, the trusty Yelp app on my iPhone show that there was a breakfast place right around the corner from Hotel Monaco Seattle where we stayed. So off we went…

The Sweet Iron Waffle is located on 3rd Ave between University & Seneca. With a small shop where half the space is behind the glass counter top where their Liège, Belgium style waffles are made, seating is limited. We saw many people just ordered to-go. Kids were more interested in the science behind the making of their orders.

As expected, Mr. Z went for the bacon waffle which made him a very very happy boy that day! I believed he even claimed it was the best day of his life and it was just 9AM that day!

What I loved even more was the commitment I could see from the shop to sustainability. All utensils are made of compostable material and they also support local organic farmers and Seattle businesses when possible.

Share with us your favorite breakfast place either in your home town or your vacation spot!

You can see more travelers’ food post at WanderFood Wednesday from Wanderlust & Lipsticks

Seattle Vacations

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Best Breakfast Places for Family in Seattle According to the Q Kids 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

You know there will be many posts I want to share with you on our trip to Seattle and Vancouver. It was a fun trip for us with a lot of walking and more walking. Fortunately, we stayed at the Hotel Monaco Seattle that located in downtown right across from the Seattle Central Library and a short walk from the Central Link light rail station which made our exploring the city much more convenient.

Ideal Location for Independent & Family Travelers

It is always hard to figure out how far or how ideal your accommodation will be in a city you plan to visit. Yes, you can look at Google Map and check out Google Earth. But in reality, when travel with kids you will never know how far your kids will walk before the whining begins. We ran into that problem all the times. Sometimes we were lucky to pick the right location that convenient to everything and sometimes we weren’t. This time we picked the hotel that is in the ideal location.

The Hotel Monaco Seattle is in a great location for family or independent travelers who look to explore more of Seattle especially downtown area and don’t want to depend on renting a car (after learning how expensive it would be to park a car per night in Seattle we decided to only rent a car on the day we planned to go to Mount Rainier). With just one block from the University Street station on the Central Link Light Rail from the airport, traveling from and to airport is cheap and convenient especially if you arrive during the rush hour.

Being in walking distance from the Central Link Light Rail station is not the only benefit of the locale at this fun & friendly hotel, the Seattle Central Library is literally right across the street. And why would I want to visit a library you ask? Just walking around and look at the architecture of the building itself is worth a visit. Not to mention a well-designed children section with bright primary colors and children play area. It’s one of the must-visit location in Seattle for family with kids.

Warm and Welcoming Staffs and Friend

Our first impression as we arrived to Hotel Monaco Seattle from our late night flight was the warm and the welcoming staffs. The kids couldn’t be more excited to find our little pet goldfish friend whom they later named ‘Jachary’ waiting for us in our room. This little dude has become more than a friend to them. It was a sad day for us to leave him/her for sure!

Throughout our stay, we had always been greeted with many friendly faces and smile. Everyone treated us like an old friend and it made us feel like home every time we came back to the hotel. So much so that after a few days we started to refer going back to the hotel as ‘going home’.

They also provided many services like complimentary morning coffee from Starbucks (of course since we are in Seattle after all), the Wine Hour with Guitar Hero on Friday (which we missed because we were too busy exploring the city) and afternoon refreshment drinks.

Room with Amenities We Need

We stayed at the Queen Room with 2 queen-size beds. The room arrangement is typical layout that you will find in most hotel. However, we loved the window bench that provide ample space for us to spread out. At night Mr. Rojo enjoyed his downtime on the bench with his iPad while I uploaded our photos on the desk.

To travel with our family, many will think we bring the whole office with us and we mostly did. Between the 4 of us, we have too many electronic devices to count. So we always fight for the electrical outlet to charge up our devices at night. It was so nice to see that Hotel Monaco understands the need of travelers in this digital age. The spaceship-like outlet is a much-need in our room. And I have to say it’s very useful because we can actually use every single outlet. You know what I am talking about when your charger is too big that it takes over the adjacent outlet!

Another huge service we love was the free high speed internet access. Yes, it’s crazy to be so happy about free Wifi but staying in various type of accommodation during our family trips, I have found that you can’t simply think just because the hotel is 5 stars you will get free Wifi.

At Hotel Monaco Seattle, high speed internet access is complimentary if you sign up for Kimpton InTouch Guest Loyalty program which is free to sign up. The process took less than a few minutes and then we were connected.

Environmental Friendly Hotel

Being “Green” is all the rage this day but really do implement it in the business is not something that most businesses do. I love how Hotel Monaco Seattle has shown that they are not just talking about social responsibility but they do it.

It all starts from obvious thing like offering recycle trash bin along with normal trash bin in our room to the family-size toiletry. They also have several other programs behind the scene like using environmental friendly cleaning supplies or providing organic beverage.

Boutique yet Kids-Friendly

The word ‘Boutique Hotel’ gave me a wrong impression about the Hotel Monaco Seattle. Yes, they have playful and whimsical design like stripe wallpaper and artful headboard in the bedroom, lobby with plenty of seating to welcome guests to relax but they also love kids!

The KimptonKids offers various services for family traveling with children from crib upon request, child-size robe with signature animal print, and kid-friendly activities information in the area. There is a special corner in the lobby with a chest filled with toys for kids to pick out as soon as they check in.

Now, how about price? All good things come with a price. But there are also many great package available throughout the year. Currently, they have several specials and packages like Summer Like a Local, Cars Stay Free, SoFISHticated Family Package, and many more.

Family Tips:

• The hotel doesn’t have swimming pool or fancy hotel water park on property. It’s something that I want to let you know about. For us, every night we were so tired from walking around downtown that we didn’t even miss the pool.
• I highly recommend using public transportation. The valet parking overnight rate for guest is $39/night which is normal in downtown Seattle area. So definitely take that into consideration when you shop around.
• Don’t forget to pick up list of local favorite recommended by the staff. It’s very useful to learn about local suggestions.

Disclosure: I received discount media rate from the Hotel Monaco Seattle. 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.

Check out other travelers Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

 

Seattle Hotel Review

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Seattle With Kids: Fun Boutique Stay @ Hotel Monaco Seattle is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog