Ponies on the Beach and More

Tweet

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

Tweet

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

Tweet

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).

Two Days Exploring Acadia National Park

Tweet

Most of the activities at Acadia are outdoors, so this itinerary is weather dependent. If you are fortunate to get a clear evening and a clear day then Acadia can be an outdoor enthusiast’s ideal.

Advance Planning:

• Book a hotel early. Finding somewhere for a family to stay that is a reasonable value can be difficult (most everything is very pricey and the cozier places are targeted for couples).
• Get a copy of the Beaver Log (the park’s newspaper) .
• Book a kayaking adventure with one of the outfitters in Southwest Harbor (the quiet side of the island). Maine State Sea Kayak. is one outfitter on this side of the island.
• Bring your bikes! Or you can rent bikes from several outfitters on the island.

Clear Evening: Star Gazing
If there is a star gazing ranger talk while you are in Acadia then GO! Dress very warmly and bring a flashlight (it can be a dark walk down to the beach). The stars and other celestial objects are brilliant when viewed from the beaches along the Maine coast.

Day 1: Hike, Picnic, Kayak
My family’s favorite hike is the Beehive trail which is considered strenuous and not recommended for younger children. But if you are a group of hardy hikers, undeterred by heights, then this is a great trail to entice even the most reticent teen out for a climb.

Park at the small parking lot at the top of Sand Beach. The trailhead is across the road (back a bit). For a short hike you can go up the Beehive and loop back down to the parking lot. For a longer hike, continue up and over Gorham Mountain. This will bring you to the Gorham Mountain Trailhead not far from Otter Cliffs You can then follow the Ocean Path back about 1 ½ miles. Note that depending on your route this can be a 5 mile hike (or longer if you go out to Otter Cliffs) —be sure to bring plenty of water along especially on a hot, dry day.

Head over to Northeast Harbor where you can get a picnic lunch to go from The Colonel’s Restaurant and Bakery. Take your picnic down by the harbor and watch folks coming and going on their boats while you enjoy your picnic.

Enjoy the afternoon with a group kayaking.

For dinner wander through Southwest Harbor to find a restaurant to suit your family’s taste. While there are fewer restaurants here than in Bar Harbor, most offer a broad spectrum of selections. Dry Dock is one casual family friendly spot.



Day 2: Bike
The carriage trails around Acadia are outstanding for biking—wide, fairly smooth and free of motorized traffic. Get a map, find a starting point and head out for as long or short as your family would like.

When you tire of biking and hiking, drive the Loop Road around Acadia being sure to stop at Thunder Hole. Back in Bar Harbor there are plenty of places to browse. For a healthy take away lunch try Michelle’s Brown Bag Café. You can watch candy being made, try lobster ice cream and shop all along Main Street.

When you head out of Acadia, look for some wild blueberries to purchase and take home to freeze. There is a fabulous wild blueberry stand on Route 1 in Ellsworth, just north of Acadia. Buy a flat at around $3/pound and take them home to make pies and muffins all winter!

Two Full Days in Paris

Tweet

You need more than two days to enjoy the relaxed pace and beauty of this multi-faceted city, so here are two very full days to incorporate into an otherwise hopefully more relaxed schedule. Day 1 takes you wandering outdoors in Paris while Day 2 is focused on two of the many outstanding museums in the city.

Advance Planning:

Book your segway tour in advance. Depending on the time of year you may need to book days to weeks in advance with Fat Tire Bike Tours.


Day 1: Centre Georges Pompidou, Notre Dame including Towers, Walk along the Seine, Segway Tour, Lights of Paris

• Morning: Start at the Centre Georges Pompidou.No need to go inside—outside there are many great opportunities for your teenage photographers, shoppers, art lovers, and people watchers.Small trinket shops line one side of the square; there is an outdoor fountain with fabulous water art that is both fun to look at and fun to photograph; the Centre itself is cool to view for its architecture and during nicer weather there are street performers all around the square

  From Georges Pompidou walk to Notre Dame —a 15 minute stroll. The Notre Dame Towers—worth the wait to go up—open at 10 am. There are nearly 400 steps to the top of the south tower though, no elevator. Like most of the main attractions in Paris, the towers are free for those under 18. The views from the top are outstanding and offer a great place to help your family get acquainted with Paris from a bird’s eye view. In addition, coming down the stone spiral staircase is a lot of fun. It is free to go into Notre Dame de Paris—an a good time to remind (or teach) your teens (and yourself) about showing respect inside a religious institution.

  Be sure to walk around Notre Dame to view the architecture all the way around. In addition, behind Notre Dame is a small park with wonderful flower gardens in the spring and summer. There is also a tiny play area, with a spinning disk that seems to have conquered perpetual motion. If there aren’t many small children waiting for a try, it’s worth getting everyone in your family on for a spin—adults included. As an added bonus if you need internet access there is a free wifi spot here.

  From Notre Dame, walk along the right bank of the Seine where you can browse the green book stalls both for books and for prints. Or some can browse the book stalls while others in your family check out the houseboats and barges along the Seine. Then meander towards the Jardin du Luxembourg while scouting out a boulangerie (easy to find), a fromagerie
  (not much harder to find) and an epicerie for bread, cheese and fruit. Then enjoy your picnic in the Jardin du Lxembourg. One warning: pay toilets only here.

  Afternoon: If you have ample time you can walk to the Eiffel Tower where the tours start, but you may need to take a metro to arrive in time. Fat Tire Bike Tours have great guides who really make history interesting and memorable for teens and adults alike. Between riding a segway and hearing the history of Paris in teenage vernacular your family will be entertained.

  Evening: Enjoy the lights of Paris at night: the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, the bridges of the Seine, Notre Dame, the Louvre and all of the buildings along the Seine are spectacularly lit up. The Eiffel Tower shimmers for 10 minutes on the hour every night and offers the potential for a family moment sitting quietly near the Seine enjoying the lights of Paris.

  I am not recommending a specific location for dinner as there are so many and some of the fun is in finding a place that meets the gastronomic requirements of your family. Of course, some places are better than others to look for dinner. The left bank, especially in the Latin Quarter, has many casual options.

  Day 2: Batobus, Musee D’Orsay, Louvre, Latin Quarter

  Morning: Start your day with a leisurely ride along the Seine. The Batobus offers a day ticket with stops at all the major sites long the Seine. You can disembark and reboard throughout the day on a single ticket. If the day is sunny, then not surprisingly it is very warm, hot actually, under the glass bubble on the Batobus.

  Disembark at the Musee d’Orsay. Depending on the art inclinations of your family you can spend an hour or three in this impressionist museum viewing paintings by Cezanne, Gauguin, Manet, Monet, Renoir and on and on. In addition, there are numerous artists who sit and sketch within the light-filled atrium. We enjoyed watching these current artists as much as viewing paintings and sculpture over 100 years old.

  Afternoon: Although the Louvre is a short walk from the Musee d’Orsay, take a break from standing and sit on the Batobus again while cruising along the river. When you’re rested get off at the stop for the Louvre.
  Before going in view the Axe Historique which runs from the horse statue right in front of the Louvre, through the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, through the Jardin des Tuileries, directly across the Place de la Concorde, along the Champs-Elysees, through the Arc de Triomphe and on through Paris.

  If you were to view every painting in the Louvre for only a minute each, you would need 10 weeks to see all of the paintings. So don’t try to see every painting. Don’t even try to see most of the art here. Pick out 7 or 8 art works to view and then go directly to them. Our children most enjoyed The Coronation of Napoleon. It’s a wonderful painting, but in addition to the quality of the painting there is a bench to sit upon while you look at it and it’s quite large so there is a lot to ponder. In addition, the audio guide gives good background on many of the works of art and there are oversized cards available in each room which describe some of the artwork on view. Wandering around the Louvre and possibly getting lost is also a fun pastime in this royal fortress.

  If the afternoon is nice, wander through the Jardin des Tuileries where children float toy boats on the pools and many people sit and enjoy the sun. Cap off your afternoon by relaxing in a café—a great place to share stories on what each of you has seen or just sit quietly together and watch the world pass by. The shops in the Latin Quarter stay open into the evening, so you can continue browsing after the café and before dinner.

Two Days in London with Teenagers

Tweet

London is an outstanding city for a family. Here is a two day itinerary that can easily be stretched into 3 days if you spend more time walking around.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Kensington—highly recommend for a family. Two double beds and a sufficiently large room allow a family of 4 to share one room. Also, it is just half a block from the Underground and there are 4 quick casual breakfast spots within 5 blocks.

Day 1: Speaker’s Corner, Double Decker Buses, Tower of London, Millennium Bridge, Globe Theatre and/or Saint Paul’s Cathedral

Plan Ahead:

• Buy a family ticket for the Tower of London in advance to save time at the Tower.

Start with breakfast outside the hotel. The Patisserie across from the Gloucester Road underground serves full English breakfasts in a casual atmosphere.

Take a double decker bus (or Underground for quicker transport) from Kensington to Marble Arch. Walk into Hyde Park and listen to the myriad of speakers you are likely to see on their upturned crates at Speaker’s Corner.

Continue your journey via double decker bus to the Tower of London. Although it takes much longer to travel on the bus than on the underground, you will get a great view of the heart of London through the West End, Picadilly Circus, by Saint Paul’s cathedral along the Thames to the White Tower. Sit upstairs and if the front seats open up—sit there! The view is not to be missed—my teenagers wanted to keep riding the bus.

At the Tower of London take a tour with a beefeater (officially known as a yeoman warder). Their theatrics and stories will delight everyone. Have lunch at the New Armouries Restaurant in the Tower which has a terrific selection of food that managed to accommodate the varied dietary requests of our entire family from scones and cream to fresh vegetables and hot meals. While at the Tower be sure to see the Queen’s jewels, the exhibits in the white tower, walk along the ramparts and consider seeing the many other exhibits listed in the brochures available upon entry. You are likely to want to spend 3 hours at the Tower including lunch.

If time permits visit Shakespeare’s Globe for a tour. Otherwise, simply enjoy walking along the Thames taking in the bridges from the Tower Bridge to the Millennium Bridge up to Saint Paul’s Cathedral.

For dinner head to the West End where there are plenty of restaurants to choose among.

Day 2: Clock Tower, Westminster Abbey, Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, Changing of the Guards, London Eye, Walk along Thames, Tea and a show

Plan Ahead:

• Check the time and day for the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Times vary winter to summer and only occurs on alternate days during the winter.
• Buy tickets for the London Eye on-line to save time and money
• Make reservations for tea late in the day
• Get tickets for a show in advance or take your chance at half price tickets once you arrive in London

Take the underground to Westminster for beautiful views of the houses of Parliament—the clock tower which houses Big Ben is particularly striking. From here walk to Westminster Abbey (often a long line) or the Churchill War Rooms (much less crowded). Both are fabulous. The Churchill War Rooms are the actually rooms used by Churchill and his staff during the war to plan their war strategy. It is nearly precisely as it was the day the staff left at the conclusion of World War II and turned off the lights. Large maps with push pins fill the walls, telephones, desks, beds, even the cigarette lighter and saved sugar cubes are all as they were over 50 years ago.

From here walk down to Buckingham Palace. If you arrive late and the crowds have filled in, then head out to the statue of Queen Victoria. From here you can watch the guards march in from 2 sides then walk around to the front of the statue where you can stand on tiptoes to see the proceedings over the heads of the crowd. The police do not want visitors climbing on the statues so take note.

Following the changing of the guards you may have time for a ride on the London Eye before lunch. Even my older teen who thought it was too touristy was pleasantly surprised at the outstanding views and cool photographic angles from the London Eye. The views alone help reinforce the layout of the city and you point out where you have visited and where you’re headed.

Walk along the Thames towards the Golden Jubilee Bridge celebrating the Queen’s 50 year as queen. You can find an EAT along here for lunch, street performers if the weather is nice and people watching in general. Stroll through Gabriel’s Wharf for some artistic shopping. When you’re walked out, head back to the hotel to change for tea.

For a splurge, afternoon tea at fancy hotel in London is gastronomically outstanding as well as offering a relaxing time to talk with your children – ah the pleasures of a family vacation. The Goring Hotel offers fabulous service and an outstanding selection of tea treats all in a beautiful tea room. The price is steep, but in line with prices elsewhere. We actually found it to be less than tea at Fortnum and Mason’s which lacks in the intimate ambiance of the Goring.

Following tea, you can make your way to an evening of theater or enjoy walking along the Thames for the evening.

Optional Day if you have just arrived on a red eye:

Take the Thames River Boat to Greenwich. There are a number of river boats on the Thames. The advantage of the commuter boat is that tickets cost less and if your children are tired and want to nap, there is less intrusive PA talking (of course they do still announce each stop). Taking the boat to Greenwich gives you 45 minutes or so to relax and watch London passing. There are plenty of sites to point out along the way including the houses of Parliament, the London Eye, Shakespeare Globe Theatre, the Tower of London and all of the amazing bridges.

In Greenwich walk around the town then head for the National Maritime Museum (http://www.nmm.ac.uk) —free admission to a wonderful exhibit of maritime history. The model sailing ships and history of telling time at sea kept my sailor teenager enthralled and the state of the art ship’s bridge simulator entertained my active teen.

From the National Maritime Museum walk up the hill to the Royal Observatory, http://www.nmm.ac.uk/places/royal-observatory/, home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian.

If you’re tired and the weather cooperates, relax in the park on your way back to the Thames. There are plenty of places to find a good lunch in town. Then you can return via the river boat or walk under the Thames and take the DLR back to London.

Have ideas for London you would like to share? Comment on this post!

Getting the Best Value in London

Tweet

1. Use a charge card without any international transaction fees. We used a Capital One card and got a 1 point better rate than our ATM rate and 4 to 6 points better than the conversion offered by the local merchant.

Here are some specific rates:

March 13: ATM Heathrow bought British pounds for 1.52 USD
March 13: Capital One credit card exchange rate 1.51 USD
March 16: Harrod’s exchange rate: 1.55 USD
March 16: Capital One exchange rate 1.51 USD
March 16: Hotel exchange rate 1.57 USD

So if you are making a purchase costing 10 British Pounds you could have paid between $15.10 and $15.70 during March 13-16, 2010 depending on your method of payment.

We did NOT use other credit cards as we have received international charges on Discover and another Visa card (don’t remember which one as we got rid of it).

2. Purchase family rate tickets where available if you are 4 or morein your family. The London Eye and the Tower of London both offer family rates.

3. The Travelcard versus Oyster Card dilemma in the underground. Travelcards are simpler and don’t require advance planning to get 15 and under discount rate. Oyster Cards will never cost more than a Travelcard. If you are making 4 or more trips a day or want the simplest option then get the Travelcard. If you’re traveling less or have time to get a child’s photo card in advance then go with the Oyster Card.

Children up to 10 years: free on the buses, trams, tubes, DLR and London Overground when traveling with an adult. But if they look older then they need an ages 5-10 Oyster photocard to travel free.

Children 11 to 15 years: Free on bus and tram BUT need an Oyster photocard (see below). Can purchase a Day Travelcard.

Children 16 and 17: Half adult-rate Oyster fares BUT need an Oyster photocard (see below).

The Oyster is the cheapest way to pay for single journeys on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground and National Rail services in London. BUT it’s more time consuming to add funds to especially if you don’t have internet access.

IMPORTANT: You need to plan ahead to get an Oyster photocard as they take awhile to process (on the order of 2 to 4 weeks).

We used daily travelcards as we took 4 rides each day. Teens up to 15 can get half price daily travel cards at the Underground ticket windows. If you take 4 or more journeys a day then a Travelcard and an Oyster card cost the same for adults.

4. See the national museums! They have free admission. We went into the National Gallery just to see a couple of paintings and then enjoyed the sunshine on Trafalgar Square.

5. If you make a large purchase to take back to the states make sure you get a form to have the VAT rebated. The vendors should have the forms and fill out most of the information. You complete your personal information and then get the form stamped when you depart the EU. At Heathrow terminal 5 look for the (slightly small) red VAT signs. We found the office is located AFTER security, but we were told there was also an office before security (never saw it).

A No-Admission-Just-Walking Day in Minneapolis

Tweet

So you’re driving around the country (more on that in future blogs) and you find your family in Minneapolis for a day.

No Advance Planning Needed!

Morning:
Talking a morning walk may not be the first activity most families would choose on vacation, but walking through the habitrail-like skyways above Minneapolis is fun for all ages. Sure, they’re warm and dry, but they also have coffee and snack bars all along the way, stores for shopping once the stores open, lots of windows to look out over the city and many twists, turns and forks. Enter near the Target Store on Nicollet or the Hilton on Marquette between 10th and 11th. Wander through, stop for coffee, juice, muffins and see who can navigate the family all the way to 1st street.

If you have a good snack in hand (make your purchase before you get too close to the Mississippi as food options decline quickly closer to the river) then all in tow may have enough energy to make their way to the Stone Arch Bridge where you can read the notices on the West Side Milling District and the waterworks that powered the mills. Returning to the west bank of the Mississippi, head to the Guthrie Theater where you can take a self-guided tour with a free iPod download. Look down on the Stone Arch Bridge and see if you can trace the walk you’ve taken.

For lunch try Allie’s Deli and Catering at 527 Marquette for tasty sandwiches made to order to recharge after your walk.

Afternoon:
In the afternoon head over to the sculpture garden across from the Walker Art Center. Not only does it have the Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture (which all visitors to Minneapolis should see), but it’s a great place to wander at whatever pace your kids prefer. We like finding sculptures to imitate. George Segal’s Walking Man is a pretty straightforward sculpture to imitate. Other more modern pieces require more creativity to mimic. Spend time viewing a piece of art. Then have each family member try to replicate the artistic presentation of the selected sculpture.

By the end of this Minneapolis walk, you’ll be ready to sit down and put your feet up!

A Day In New York City

Tweet

New York is a fabulous place to visit as a family. Here's one (of MANY!) itineraries to try on your next visit.

Advance Planning: Book hotel reservations and get tickets to a Broadway Show. You can also wait in line for tickets at TKTS in Times Square on the day of your show for less expensive tickets, but that means less touring around the city and fewer show options. One hotel option, although moderately expensive for New York, is the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Less expensive hotels can be found farther from tourist hot spots.

Arrive Friday night. Stay at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square for the Wow! factor-- kids (and parents) will love the glass elevators which have guests selecting the floor before entering the elevator.

Friday night:
Go out to an Italian dinner-- try Amarone-- reasonable sized portions, fancier dishes for more adventurous palettes, basic pasta for the less adventurous.

Walk around Times Square-- listen to the voices. How many different languages can your children hear being spoken? Climb to the top of the red stairs and have someone take your family photo with Times Square brilliantly lit in the background.

Saturday morning:
Take a cab to the Tenement Museum in the lower East Side at 108 Orchard Street to arrive by 10am. Get tickets for one of the GREAT tenement tours lasting an hour. While waiting for your tour, stop in for a coffee and lemonade or croissant at 88 Orchard Street then walk down to the Chinatown markets along Grand Street. Can you find two Chinese characters that are the same in different signs?

Come back in time to browse the great Tenement Museum bookstore before your tour then take your tour. Afterward have lunch at 88 Orchard Street-- salads, sandwiches, smoothies-- good food.

Saturday afternoon:
Walk back to Times Square If you have an evening show or at least up to Union Square via Broadway if you have time before an afternoon matinee. There's a great market in Union Square to browse on Saturdays.

Go to an afternoon matinee (see advance planning).

Saturday evening:
Have drinks at The View-- a revolving bar where guests under 21 are permitted before 9 pm. Or for something more active, check out the view from The Top of The Rock at Rockefeller Center. The view here is similar to the Empire State Building without the cool factor and generally without the lines. If you still want to walk, walk 10 to 15 minutes on over to the Apple store just to check out their glass cube entrance.

Have dinner someplace casual but with atmosphere. Plenty of restaurants to choose from, Vnly is one nearby place with a menu that includes an excellent baked mac and cheese. After dinner, watch the skaters at Rockefeller Center or skate yourselves. Walk around Rockefeller Center window shopping before heading back to your hotel.