Central Connecticut Drive, Ferry, Train, Castle AND a Show!

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A two-day drive through south-central Connecticut can fill a late summer or fall foliage weekend.

Use this itinerary as a guide to create two separate day trips, or find lodging along the Connecticut shore and make the trip into a loop for a full weekend.  

Speaking of the shore, here are two phrases for blending in with the locals:

• Refer to Southern Connecticut as the "shore" rather than the "coast" or the "beach"
• When you order a long sandwich that people in other parts refer to as a submarine, ask for a "grinder"

Advance Planning

See if the Goodspeed Opera House has tickets available for an afternoon matinee or evening performance.

Day 1

Driving south along Route 17 in Glastonbury you will pass the Old Cider Mill and several farm stands worth a stop.  If you need a great coffee fix try So. G Coffee Roasters before heading to the Rocky Hill Glastonbury ferry.  

Take the ferry across the Connecticut River.  The cost is $5 per car on weekdays and $6 on weekends. 

The ferry itself is a large, car-holding raft which is pushed across the river by a tug boat.  Watching the captain maneuver the ferry away from one landing and onto the other is impressive.

From the Rocky Hill ferry landing, drive a short ways to Dinosaur State Park.  Displayed under a giant dome are hundreds of actual dinosaur tracks unearthed in the 1960s and preserved.  The accompanying exhibit is fascinating for all ages— you may learn how a track can be identified as a swimming track or why tracks and fossilized bones are highly unlikely to be co-located.  In addition there are nature trails and picnic tables if you want to bring along a picnic lunch.

Continue south to The Goodspeed Opera house. If you chose not to picnic at Dinosaur State Park, enjoy lunch on the deck at the Gelston House next to the Goodspeed before your matinee.

Day 2

Continue your exploration of multiple forms of transportation with a train/ferry combination trip encompassing Gillett's castle and the Essex Steam Train.  You can start with a tour of the castle at Gillette Castle State Park where you will learn about William Gillette, an actor, who created the phrase, “Elementary, my dear Watson”.   Then follow your State Park visit with a steam engine ride on the Essex Steam Train.

Alternatively, if you’re looking to get in a short hike , try the Essex Train Gillette Castle Connection.  Passengers take a train, walk to a ferry landing, ride the ferry and hike up the hill to Gillette Castle and tour before heading back and reversing the process.  Check their website for details on timing as the connection is only offered twice a day during the summer and into early fall.

Additional Stops

Two great additions on either end of this trip are a visit to Mystic Seaport on the Connecticut shore and Applefest in Glastonbury, which is held annually in mid-October.  The festival this year is October 17-19, 2014. 

Seattle and Olympic National Park with Teens

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From city-life to Olympic National Park, there's plenty to keep kids of all ages occupied in the far northwest.  This loop can be done in 4 or 5 days with plenty of time to find your own diversions along the way.

Advance Planning

Campsites and hotels need to be booked in advance for Olympic National Park. During peak seasons many non-camping accommodations require two-night-or-more minimum stays.

Take your rain gear!  You may have sunshine, but plenty of storms funnel through.

Pack a cooler. If you are flying into the region, purchase a collapsable cooler and some Ziploc bags for ice along the way.  The food choices are minimal in and near Olympic National Park and it's helpful to have some picnic lunches when hiking.

A small daypack as well is great to have for hikes in Olympic National Park.

Days 1-2 in Seattle

Seattle is very straight-forward to navigate on foot, so no need to get a rental car while you are in the city.  Highlights to visit:

• Seattle Space Needle:  Go before 9:30 for reduced ticket prices and, more importantly, reduced lines even on a clear day.
• Pike Place: While locals will stay away when multiple cruise ships are in port, it's still a great place to wander with plenty of places to buy snacks along the way.
• Underground Seattle officially Bill Speidel's Underground Tour: A colorful, and likely somewhat accurate, tour beneath the streets of Seattle.  Just enough walking to keep kids interested without getting too tired.

Days 3-5 in Olympic National Park

Drive from Seattle to Olympic National Park.  Taking the Bainbridge Island Ferry is the most direct route.  Stop at Sunny Farms in Sequim where there are plenty of healthful snacks, sandwiches, drinks and prepared foods to store in your cooler for the next 3 days.  .

Read about Olympic National Park in advance.  There are many great places to explore and options to camp in and near the park, some moderate-cost options outside of the park and two pricey, though very nice lodges, Lake Crescent Lodge and Lake Quinalt Lodge.  If you want to stay at either lodge, call and book directly as there are fees associated with booking online and you can also reserve a dinner reservation at a table by the window in either lodge.

Here is a sample itinerary for in the park:

• Drive up to Hurricane Ridge and take a moderate and very rewarding hike up Hurricane Hill.
  
• Spend the night in or near the park.
• On the next full day check out Second Beach if the tide is low, or Rialto Beach.
• Visit the Hoh Rain Forest and take a ranger tour.
• Stop at Ruby Beach.
• Spend the night camping near Ruby Beach or at Lake Quinalt Lodge.
• In the morning walk the 4 mile loop along Lake Quinalt and through the woods or take a shorter hike to one of the many waterfalls in the area.

You can extend your trip down to the Oregon coast and through Portland, or simply head back to Seattle.

Two Days in Washington DC with Teens

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Summer is nearly here and it’s time for a family trip to Washington, D.C. While our nation’s capital, offers much more to visit than our Nation’s Capitol, beginning on the Mall is certainly a fine starting point. As with all my blogs, there is far more to see than can possibly fit into two days, regardless of how fast you walk. So use this itinerary as a guide to build your family’s visit.

Advance Planning
If you can plan in advance, contact your state senator or representative for tickets to the White House (over 6 months in advance), Washington Monument, Federal Bureau of Engraving and/or Capitol. While all except the White House Tour tickets can be acquired once you arrive, it will require both getting up early and waiting in line. Tickets to the Capitol are generally easiest to come by if you are late in the planning process. Below I incorporated a visit to the Capitol on Day 1.

Get tickets to both the Spy Museum and Operation Spy in advance if you are visiting during a peak tourist season and save the wait in line.

View from Walking Tour

RSVP for a Free Walking Tour of DC at http://www.dcbyfoot.com/  

Make dinner reservations in advance.

Get a Circulator Bus map from their web site: http://www.dccirculator.com/ . Not only is it only a $1 to ride, you get a view of the city as you travel!

Book your hotel—there are abundant options in and outside the city. If you can get a good deal in the city, it is very convenient as many of the sites are fabulous at night and it’s nice to be able to stop back at the hotel before dinner or to pick up a raincoat if the weather changes. The Liaison near the Capitol is an excellent boutique hotel, in a terrific location that sometimes has good deals.

Day 1
Breakfast at one of many cafes. West Wing Café on New Jersey NW near the Capitol though chaotic is one of the most reasonably priced places for breakfast, lunch or a coffee.

Start your day at the Air and Space Museum. Definitely take a free, guided tour offered several times during the day. The tour guides are knowledgeable and bring the exhibits to life—even for teens. The flight simulators cost $8 per person and are appealing to anyone who likes simulating barrel rolls—the long lines tend to move fairly quickly.

For lunch head next door to the American Indian Museum. Try to arrive by noon to avoid the crushing crowds. Although the cafeteria options can be overwhelming and aren’t well organized, the quality of the food is outstanding—healthful and tasty.

Close up of Interior of Capitol Dome

Take a slow walk over to the Botanical Garden and then to the Capitol for a tour. If you have extra time, find out where your senator’s office is and stop in.

After your Capitol Tour walk along the north side of the mall. Select any of the Smithsonian museums that appeal to your family’s tastes before heading to dinner.

After dinner head to the meeting point for a tip-based DC by Foot walking tour of the monuments at night. Keep in mind that you end up at the Lincoln Memorial from which you may want to get a cab to return to your hotel, as the two closest metro stops are not all that close.


Day 2
Split your day between the Spy Museum http://www.spymuseum.org/ and the Newseum http://www.newseum.org/ . While both of these museums have substantial admission prices, they are both very well done and are geared for adults and teens.

Newseum

Starting at the Newseum, follow their suggested visitors’ route to seeing the museum. That way you’ll end up at the interactive game floor once you are saturated with news. The Newseum also has a high quality café, so have lunch before walking over to the Spy Museum.

Just past the Spy Museum is a Frozen Yo http://frozenyo.com/ for a post walk snack before beginning your Operation Spy adventure.

If you have extra time before dinner stop by the National Portrait Gallery which is open until 7 pm to see the presidential portraits. Or your teens can hang out in the atrium while you tour the exhibits. If you have made reservations in advance, Jaleo or Rosa Mexicano are both a short walk from the Portrait Gallery.

Sedona to the Grand Canyon to Vegas

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There is much to see within several hundred miles of the Grand Canyon. Using the Grand Canyon as your center point, a myriad of trips can be created. As you create the trip that fits your time frame and travel schedule use the following as suggestions to flesh out your travel plans with children and teens.

Advance Planning

• If you are traveling during the summer or spring break then book your campsites or hotels in advance.

 Sedona

Activities: Bell Rock hike, sustenance at Red Rock Café, Slide Rock State Park, Oak Creek Canyon

Sedona is a great town for hiking and walking—you can be easily rewarded with spectacular views with very little energy. However, the hikes are so beautiful I highly recommend taking a longer walk to appreciate the vistas.

One great hike is up Bell Rock. There is a small parking lot at the trailhead that gets quite full – so head out early or off peak if you can.

Just a short drive from Bell Rock is the Red Rock Café—a great place for a hearty breakfast before your hike or a rejuvenating lunch following.

Take your time driving north from Sedona to the Grand Canyon through Oak Creek Canyon. Not only are there beautiful vistas, but Slide Rock State Park can also be found in the canyon. This is a great spot when the weather is warm to put on your bathing suit and slide down the natural chutes formed by the creek. In the summer months the park gets extremely crowded and there can even be a wait to park. So arrive early to minimize having disgruntled children in your backseat.

Stop at the lookout at the north of Slide Rock State Park for views back down the canyon towards Sedona. This is a must for the driver, as with hairpin turns and a narrow road, the driver will want to stay focused on the road not the vistas while driving.

Grand Canyon
Activities: Ranger Talk, Hike Partway down the South Kaibab Trail, Ride the Shuttle

Both the north rim and the south rim offer fabulous views of the Grand Canyon. While some people prefer one rim over the other, the best choice for your family is likely to be whichever is closer to your route it’s over 200 miles to drive from one rim to the other. The south rim hosts far more visitors as snow closes the north rim for much of the year and the north rim is generally less accessible. If you are visiting the Grand Canyon along with Sedona (to the south) and Vegas (to the West), then you will most likely want to visit the South Rim.

Start with a ranger talk at the visitor center. Check the schedule in advance. For younger children you can pick up a Junior Ranger guide with activities for children to complete as they learn about the canyon.

If you’re feeling fresh and full of energy start with a short hike along the rim and down into the canyon. The South Kaibab trail is somewhat less traveled and has fabulous views into the canyon.

Hike at least part way down into the canyon. Remember: This is a canyon—knees aside, most people will find themselves more tired and moving more slowly on the return trip so plan accordingly. Ensure that you have adequate water for your group—everyone should carry his or her own water, kids too—and a snack to re-energize for the return trip is well advised.

Game suggestion: The observation game. If you need a diversion from “how much farther?” “Look up at the top of the rim, that’s how much farther”, here’s an easy game all ages can enjoy. Whenever you pass a group of hikers, everyone observes how many people there are, their relative ages, what the fellow hikers are wearing, perhaps even snatches of conversation. Then each member of your hiking party can ask an observation question or 2 such as, “What was written on the smallest child’s T shirt?” or “What color was the first hiker’s back pack?” Everyone in the group tries to answer; hopefully the question asker remembers the correct answer to his or her question. Everyone scores a point for each question answered correctly and the asker gets a bonus point for stumping all but one responder.

Back along the canyon rim take a shuttle ride. The shuttles are not only the only way to drive along the rim of the canyon, they are convenient, frequent and driven by helpful and generally talkative drivers.

Hoover Dam
Activities: Take a Dam Tour

Not only is a tour the only way to see the giant turbines in the Hoover Dam, it is a great way to learn about the history of the dam for kids and parents alike. The ticket prices are steep ($30 per person in 2010), but the tour guides are generally very entertaining, the views from the top of the Dam are quite breathtaking when looking down to the Colorado river and the tours are quite educational both in the engineering of the dam and the history of its planning and construction.

Las Vegas
Activities: Walk along the strip, view the hotel extravaganza, ride a double decker bus ($7 for a 24 hour pass)

There is plenty for children and teens to see in Vegas. The fabulous facades at the major hotels are attractions in and of themselves. Three that are worth stopping to view are the Bellagio Fountains, the volcano at the Mirage and the Sirens of Treasure Island at the Treasure Island Hotel. All keep the times of their shows posted and crowds will gather in advance of shows for a front row standing view.
Let your children and teens experiment with their cameras in Vegas—from the juxtaposition of lines and color to the neon lights at night—there is ample material for any photographer to experiment with day and night.

Ponies on the Beach and More

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This itinerary is ideal for families who enjoy camping, but can easily be modified for hotel stays as well. From crowded Rehoboth beach to the quiet beaches of Assateague Island, there is ocean front for everyone.







Advance Planning:

• If you are not camping, book a hotel within an hours drive of Assateague National Seashore. The Residence Inn in Salisbury, MD is clean, comfortable and less than an hour’s drive to the entrance. Campgrounds are first come, first serve; plan to arrive early.
• Campground reservations can be made at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware. If you are not camping, there are many alternatives for lodging in both Rehoboth and Lewes which are on either side of the state park.

Day 1 (as many days as you like!): Assateague National Seashore, MD and Rehoboth, DE
Followed by a drive up route 1 to Cape Henlopen

Arrive (or wake up) in Assateague early to see the wild ponies sleeping on the beach. On your way into the National Seashore stop at the visitor’s center where you can pick up a brochure and trail guides for the 3 nature trails. Or print out the trail guides beforehand http://www.nps.gov/asis/planyourvisit/brochures.htm .
The trails are short and worth walking both for the chance to see the wild ponies as well as for the enjoyment of seeing different ecosystems. Be sure to watch the ponies from a distance—they are wild animals!

After taking a walk or two and driving along the paved roads, park at one of the beach entrances and enjoy the sand and surf.

From Assateague National Seashore, drive north through Ocean City, MD toward Rehoboth. For a lunch stop try McCabe’s Gourmet Market in Bethany, DE which is right on your drive north (although on the left side of the road).

Stop in Rehoboth Beach and head for the boardwalk. There is metered parking along Rehoboth Ave and with a little parking karma you can find a spot. The meters all take credit cards so you won't need to fish for quarters or leave when your change runs out.  Take a walk along the boardwalk, enjoy the people watching, browse in the shops and enjoy candy at Dolle's or an ice cream cone.  While some ice cream stands boast far more flavors, for truly outstanding homemade ice cream try Archie’s which is especially good if you like fresh fruit in homemade vanilla ice cream—perfection!

Day 2: Cape Henlopen State Park, DE
If your family likes ferry rides take the round trip Cape May ferry from Lewes to Cape May, NJ. Children fares are $7 round trip and adult fares are $14 round trip.

But you don’t need to go anywhere to have a great family stay in Cape Henlopen. There are beautiful beaches, kayak rentals, a long pier for fishing and excellent sunset views, a Frolf (Frisbee golf) course, lots of biking trails, a bird nesting area which is roped off, but often staffed by volunteers who will share their binoculars, and much more.


Tips: The main swimming beach rents umbrellas and chairs, so don’t worry if you forgot to pack yours. But do pack your lunch in bring it in from Lewes or Rehoboth as the concession food isn’t too special.

The Outer Banks in Two Days

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You could easily spend a week or a month or a lifetime in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but if you’re driving from Florida to Maine, don’t drive inland—enjoy the Outer Banks!  Here is a two day itinerary, from South to North with one night in Buxton. 

Advance Planning:

• Book a night in Morehead City, NC.  This is the last town with decent lodging before the ferry landing (a one hour drive). The Hampton Inn is good quality and right on the water.
• Book ferry reservations on the morning Cedar Island to Ocracoke Ferry http://www.ncdot.org/ferry/
• Make hotel/motel reservations in Buxton—not a lot to choose from and they fill fast in the summer
• Pack your beach towels and bathing suits!

Day 1: Ferry to Ocracoke, Ferry to Buxton

The drive from Morehead City to the Cedar Island Ferry landing is about 1 hour without traffic.  Get to the ferry landing at the time requested or you could lose your spot!  The ferry ride itself is about 2 ¼ hours.  There are a couple of seats with tables indoors, but these fill immediately.  So bring books or games that don’t need much space or spend your time on deck looking for fishing boats.

Ocracoke is a tiny, compact town.  Pick up an Ocracoke Island brochure at any North Carolina visitor center (including the one on the island). Stop by the Ocracoke lighthouse.  There is only parking for a few cars, so if it’s busy you’ll need to wait.  If your kids like pirate stories, they abound in this area.  Look for pirate references throughout the islands.

For coffee or cinnamon buns definitely stop by the Ocracoke Coffee Co.  Excellent coffee, tasty snacks and comfy indoor and outdoor seating— what more could a coffee shop offer?  Pick up sandwiches for a beach picnic at the Sweet Tooth and Fig Tree Bakery or Back Porch Lunchbox.

From Ocracoke drive north to the Ferry to Hatteras, stopping along the way for a picnic and a swim.  There are several places to access the beach along route 12, so take a break and enjoy the isolated beaches—few people, lots of sand and surf!  There is also the Pony Pens along the drive where you can stop to see descendents of the horses that once roamed the island.  The ferry to Hatteras does not require a reservation.  It is first come, first serve.

Once in Hatteras you can rent kayaks, head to the beaches or climb the lighthouse.  The lighthouse lines can be long.  If you go first thing in the morning (tomorrow) you are likely to have less of a wait. If your family enjoys maritime history stop by the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum right by the ferry landing.  This very small museum has exhibits on the treacherous waterways along the Outer Banks, shipwrecks and piracy.  It also had an exhibit on German subs in World War 2 and the use of air power to sink battleships.

Day 2: Enjoy the National Seashore, Kitty Hawk, Drive North

Start your day early with a visit to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  You can climb the 248 stairs to the top for an excellent view.  Stop by the visitor’s center where you can view the binders on moving the light house.  Kids and adults will be fascinated by the rail and hydraulic system put in place to move the lighthouse further inland (to protect it from the eroding beach) in 1999.

From the lighthouse continue north on route 12.  Again there are plenty of places to stop and enjoy the beaches.  For a short walk stop at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.  You can and should borrow binoculars from the visitor center there.  The bird life is most abundant in the spring and fall migrations and during the cooler morning and evening hours, but you are sure to see egrets even in the middle of the day.

An alternative, or additional, walk takes you to the top of the highest dune east of the Mississippi River in Jockey’s Ridge State Park.  The ever shifting sand dunes are great for kite flying, dune jumping and taking in the view.  There is also a hang gliding school which offers 3 hour lessons in beginning gliding as well as more advanced lessons.

Just a bit further north on Route 12 is the Wright Brothers National Memorial.  Small children will enjoy the Jr. Ranger Program and ALL will enjoy the outstanding talk the rangers give on the first flight.  Both the indoor talk which is given frequently and the twice daily outdoor program are thoroughly worth attending. 

If you have time for one final stop before leaving the Outer Banks, stop at the visitor center in Kitty Hawk to see the Monument to a Century of Flight.  See if your kids can find when Amelia Earhart flew, or the moon landing, or when the U.S. post office established air mail service.

Quite a bit to enjoy in just two days—your family will certainly want to return for a longer visit!

Not to Miss in Southern New Mexico and Arizona

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Advance Planning:

• If you are traveling during the summer then book your campsites or hotels in advance.
• Book a tour of Carlsbad Caverns if you want a guided tour
• Book a tour at Kartchner Caverns

Day 1: Carlsbad Caverns

Followed by a 170 mile drive to White Sands

If you are in an RV stay at White’s City campground—a campground straight out of the 1950s, complete with a ‘Million Dollar Museum’ with a speaker blaring a boardwalk caller.

Get to Carlsbad Caverns early.  Start with the self-guided Natural Entrance tour and get the audio guides for kids and adults.  Both are good, although teenagers and even some pre-teens will likely find the kids much too young. Continue with the self-guided Big Room tour and then a guided tour if you made reservations. If you are at Carlsbad for an entire day during the summer, stay for the bat flight program each evening.

Neither my words nor my two dimensional photographs can possibly begin to describe the magnificence of Carlsbad Caverns.  In short—go!  It is spectacular in beauty, in soundlessness, in darkness, in speleothems, in expanse, in nearly every natural measure.  We explored for over 5 hours and heard not one complaint from any one—we were all captivated.

From Carlsbad to White Sands is about a 170 mile drive which is often more pleasant in the cool of the evening.

Day 2: White Sands

Followed by a 280 mile drive to near Kartchner State Park

Like Carlsbad, it is difficult to describe the beauty of White Sands.  The dunes are fabulous for imprinting footprints, fabulous for photographing, fabulous for making sand angels, fabulous for rolling down, crawling up, jumping off, but most especially fabulous for high stepping down, kind of like a run, which we called the moon walk—such a blast!  Here everyone will be a kid!

The 275 square miles of white gypsum sand has engulfed the desert creating the largest gypsum dune field in the world.  The Tularosa basin has the perfect conditions for creating this spectacular wonder—gypsum, dry air and wind.  Gypsum is soluble in water, so most everywhere else in the world it isn’t in crystallized form.  No water drains from the Tularosa basin, so all rain water that falls pools together in lakes and eventually evaporates.  As the water evaporates it leaves behind gypsum crystals which then get broken down by the wind and when broken into small enough particles, are blown into huge dunes across the flatlands.

Day 3: Kartchner Caverns

Stay two nights at or near Kartchner Caverns

If you are camping, Kartchner State is one of our favorite State Parks.  You need to arrive before 6pm, so if you are coming from White Sands, you will likely need alternative accommodations where you can arrive later.

Kartchner Caverns is a living cave as it is still wet and the formations are continuing to grow in the cave and a fabulous contrast to Carlsbad Caverns. The caverns were discovered in 1974, but kept secret until the mid 1980s and then developed as carefully as possible to protect the cave—and it is spectacular.  The cave is warm and humid—70 degrees and 99% humidity! 

And the sights are spectacular!  The soda straws, draperies, stalagmites, stalactites and other formations that are still growing are translucent—amazing to view.  Everything shines with moisture—the cave is subtly lit so visitors can view the formations. 

Outside the cave there is an excellent foothills loop trail for wonderful above ground vistas.  If you have teens, you can take an early morning walk while they are still sleeping!

Day 4: Bisbee, Arizona

Bisbee is a small town near the Mexico border, just under about a one hour drive from Kartchner Caverns.  There you can tour the Queen Mine—an outstanding Darwinian tour of a copper mine.  Our guide was a wizened prospector, or rather miner, who had lots to share about the life of a miner underground.  This isn’t Disneyworld; he didn’t waste time with frivolous admonitions such as ‘keep your hands and feet in the car at all times (not even possible as the ‘car’ was only 8 inches wide) or ‘don’t wander down any dark mine passageways’.

Day 5: Sonora Desert Museum and Saguaro National Park

Total drive about an hour up to Tucson

The Sonora Desert Museum is really more of a natural oasis than a museum.  There are plenty of activities for young children.  In addition there are animals and plants native to the desert in their natural habitat as well as a small ice cream stand which is always a good stop on a hot day!

The Saguaro Desert National Park is split into an East and West (also known as the Tucson Mountain District) portion.  Both are wonderful to visit, but walking in the desert in the heat of the day is draining for anyone— I recommend choosing one to focus on with your kids—whichever has a program on the day you are visiting that more interests your family.

More Time

If you have more time visit Sedona (a longer post on that in the future) and then head up to the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam (also topics of future posts).