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Archive for January, 2012

Yellowstone National Park – Yogi Bear Adventures

[ 0 ] January 31, 2012

Undoubtedly, your kids will know about the United States’ most famous national park through Yogi bear and because of this, the reserve is one of the top family vacations destinations in the country. There is a lot to do there all year round — in the summer you can go swimming in hot pools and natural springs and in the winter you can experience a skiing vacation like no other. Wildlife such as bears, bison and moose are a popular and much-loved attraction and you can go adventuring through the canyons, grottoes, caves and waterfalls in the park as well.

Become a Junior Ranger

The Junior Ranger Program has been a mainstay of the national park for the last two decades. Thousands of children between the ages of 5-12 have completed the course since then. When you enter the park you receive a 12-page activity paper (or you can download it online before you go) and you must complete it while you are in the park. The paper has a huge number of exciting activities that should be completed while you are in the park, such as following a map and writing down what you see along the way, drawing things that the map asks you to do, completing a journal, and nature puzzles and crosswords. Kids will also be able to learn to identify tracks of different animals in the park and tell the difference between the black bear and the grizzly bear footprints. With a pair of binoculars that you can rent from the park or bring from home, you will also be taught how to spot certain animals from a safe distance and your kids will also learn about all the amazing geothermal and geological features of Yellowstone National Park.

When the activity booklet is complete, it is evaluated by a park ranger and if it is good enough, your kids will receive a merit badge from the park that will certify them as a Junior Ranger and that can be sewn onto their bag or coat when they are home. This can be one of the most exciting family vacations for your kids especially if they love to be outdoors.

Ranger-Guided Programs

In addition to the program above for children, you can and are also extremely encouraged take some of the other guided tours led by experienced park rangers, such as the Junior Ranger Wildlife Olympics, Young Scientist tours as well as different guided tours for the Fall, Winter and Summer. There are guided tours to the Mammoth Hot Springs, West Yellowstone and Old Faithful among others.

Young Scientist Badge of Commendation

You can also earn the Young Scientist Patch or Key Chain at the national park. You will complete activities in a book in the visitor center as well as out in the field and you will also get a toolkit that contains a thermometer, stopwatch, compass and other survival gear. When you complete the booklet using the gear you are given, you get the commendation!

Apart from the above activities, you can go camping, hiking, skiing, boating, rafting and a host of other wonderful children friendly vacation activities in the national park and the surrounding areas.

The Yellowstone National Park is one of the best vacation destinations in the United States for families. Read on to find out more about what activities you can do with your children there.

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IMAX – The Ultimate 3D Cinema Experience

[ 0 ] January 30, 2012

In many family vacations, there’s always a day or two that gets ruined by bad weather and this is the perfect time to take your kids to the movies. But what better way to truly give them a great experience that takes the disappointment out of the weather than by taking them to an IMAX theater? You’re bound to find one no matter where you are in the world, as there are over 500 cinemas in 46 countries.

You can not only take them to see some of the latest movies in 3D, but IMAX is particularly famous for its educational movies.

IMAX To the Arctic 3D

Coming in April 2012 and produced by Warner Bros., Meryl Streep will be narrating this great family friendly documentary about the Arctic. It is a story of survival of a mother polar bear and  her two seven-month-old cubs as they cross the ice and sea of the cold north. It is visually stunning as well as dramatic and educational.

Born to Be Wild 3D

Narrated by the soothing voice of Morgan Freeman, this amazing documentary film about the bond between animals and humans studies the lives of orangutans and elephants in Africa and Indonesia. It is a movie that educates children about preserving wildlife and the natural beauty of the planet we live on and will introduce them to concepts such as biology, environmental science and the mutual love that many zoologists have for the animals they work with.

For older kids

Of course there are movies for teenagers and older kids as well, so their complaints don’t ruin your family vacations! Coming in March 2012 is the story of John Carter, based on a sci-fi novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, it tells the story of an officer in the military who travels to Mars and finds an entire civilization there about to be destroyed. Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocolis the latest installment in the hit series from Tom Cruise and starts in February 2012. You can watch it in glorious 3D with your kids if they are into action and spy movies.

Keep up to date!

IMAX cinemas are constantly changing the movies they play and you should keep up to date with all the latest offerings. You can use the website to track what’s playing in your local area and find many great films showing such as Happy Feet another Morgan Freeman documentary about penguins, Tornado Alley a co-production with the Discovery Channel, The Adventures of Tintin by Steven Spielberg and Sea Rex: Journey to a Prehistoric World.

Other features

In many IMAX cinemas you will be given 3D glasses to watch the movies and that’s half the fun for the whole family. Additionally, a lot of 3D cinemas also install some sort of technology in their seats that will make the chairs vibrate or even tilt and move, so the experience of 3D is enhanced by the virtual motion, such as the Sky High Over California experience in Disneyland. If you’re looking for a getaway from bad weather that has the potential to ruin your family vacations, then consider going to an IMAX cinema.

IMAX theaters are all over the world and are a great way to break up the disappointment that can happen on family vacations when the weather goes foul. Read on to find out ideas about movies you can watch with your kids!

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Disneyland Dream Family Vacations

[ 0 ] January 29, 2012

There are now 5 locations in the world that have a Disneyland park of some sort and without a doubt this is one of the iconic top family vacations that you could ever consider for your children. There is a magic and charm around Disneyland that children will never forget, even when they are adults. The first Disneyland was opened in 1955 in Los Angeles and is just a few miles from LAX. It’s incredibly easy to get there with a few hours flight from anywhere in the USA.

If you are in another part of the world with your family, then consider one of the other Disneyland locations, such as Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida (the Magic Kingdom), Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Resort Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.

What to do in Disneyland?  

There is simply no way to write about everything you have so much choice. Most people who want to see as much of Disneyland as possible stay for a week and plan out 3-4 days for Disneyland while the other days they explore something else in the area or the city. Even if you would spend two weeks in one of the Disney locations around the world, you still would not have the time to see everything! In fact, many people might make it an annual event and organize top family vacations to Disneyland for a few years so they can see as much as possible, especially if it’s a favorite with the kids.

Thrill rides

Disney is of course famous for its amazing rides that will have your adrenaline pumping and your kids screaming with delight. Alice in Wonderland, California Screamin’, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Goofy’s Sky School and Splash Mountain are just a few of the scores of exciting rides that you can take your family on.

Attraction highlights

Disneyland is of course famous for its memorable and much-loved characters, and there are mini-parks inside the main park everywhere for different movies and shows, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Dumbo the Flying Elephant and even the Tower of Terror.

Seasonal events

Sometimes it is imperative to plan months in advance for your Disneyland trip. If you want to make this the most memorable of the kid friendly vacations they take in their lives, then you should definitely plan ahead. There are many seasonal events that take place in the Disney parks, and here are just a few of them to get you started:

- Lunar New Year Celebration — celebrating the Asian New Year annually in January, this festival has exciting live performances of martial arts, musicians and all the best Asian Disney characters such as Mulan.

- Halloween — in the fall, all the villains from the Disney cartoons take over!  Even the good guys get dressed up!

- Holidays — in the winter, everything is transformed into a mystical and magical ice world that celebrates all the best holidays around the world. Snow-capped towers of Sleeping Beauty’s castle, the Christmas Fantasy Parade and Santa’s reindeer are all just a few of the hundreds of seasonal attractions at this time of the year.

Disneyland is perhaps the most iconic of the top family vacations that you can ever take.

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Orlando, Florida – Disney and Dolphins

[ 0 ] January 28, 2012

Just a few hours flight away from any American city, Orlando, Florida is perhaps one of the most kid friendly vacations that you can take in the entire country. The weather in Florida is beautiful all year round, so you can plan to go whenever you wish. It is very busy though, so if crowds are not your thing then you might consider another location. However, Orlando has everything for a family — beaches, dolphins and of course Disney World, Discovery Cove and Universal Studios.

Dolphins everywhere

Discovery Cove is located in Orlando and it’s perhaps one of the most well-known places in the world to take the family. Designed like a cross between a public pool and a wildlife reserve, it presents a unique opportunity for your entire family to not only explore and see dolphins, tropical fish and birds, but also gives you the chance to not only view these remarkable animals, but interact with them in a way that you cannot in any other place.

Your kids will be able to swim with the dolphins and have one-to-one encounters with them in the lagoons of Discovery Cove. The experienced keepers and trainers will also give information about how dolphins behave and communicate and will allow your children to truly understand just how intelligent these animals are. Undoubtedly the children will want to ride a dolphin and the guides will show you how to hold onto their dorsal fin so that these beautiful sea mammals can take them through the water for the ride of their life.

You will need to book a 30-minute interaction with the dolphins, as the trainers only take small groups into the water at a time.

The bird sanctuary

Discover Cove is also home to the Explorer’s Aviary, a completely natural habitat for thousands of tropical birds from hundreds of different species that can be fed by hand. The birds fly about the aviary completely free and are extremely friendly and will land on your shoulders, hands and head so you can feed them.

Wind-away River and Serenity Bay

Go for a beautiful lazy and slow ride along Wind-away River and see beaches, a thick rain forest and swim under waterfalls into an underwater cave. If your idea of family vacations is soothing and relaxing then there is also Serenity Bay, where you can swim in 80-degree water all year round.

The Grand Reef and SeaVenture

The Grand Reef is a reef that has been landscaped beautifully with bridges and small islands that you can stroll around at your leisure, going to the water’s edge to see coral and tropical fish or crossing glass bottom bridges to see sharks under your feet. Every trip to The Grand Reef will be different as there are so many places to discover. SeaVenture is also located here and is an “underwater walking tour” where you can dive or even gain your SCUBA certification if you are doing it for the first time.

Undoubtedly, one of the best family vacations are in Orlando, Florida. Read on to find out more about the different things you can do in Discovery Cove.

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Family Vacations in the Caribbean

[ 0 ] January 28, 2012

One of the greatest ideas for kid friendly vacations is to take the entire gang to the Caribbean! Sun, surf, sand and everything else in between. There are many hugely popular and safe destinations in the Caribbean to take your entire family and really enjoy one of the best places in the world. Here are several very popular destinations that you should consider whenever you are planning to get away from the cold winters of North America.

Turks and Caicos — So close it’s not funny!

Just a stone’s throw away from Miami, a one and a half hour flight away are the islands of the Turks & Caicos. It’s no wonder that the pure white sand of the beaches here have been nicknamed “the last of the true exotics”. There are so many family friendly activities to do here, such as swimming in the sea, sunbathing, making sandcastles and a host of others. You can also go snorkeling or scuba diving and even if you have never done these activities before, there are experienced trainers and guides who can teach your entire family the basics. A trained guide will not only be able to show you all the best spots and keep you safe with their expert instruction, but will be able to give great biology lessons to your kids about all the sea life, such as the coral reefs, rays, fish, turtles and a veritable swarm of flora and fauna in the ocean.

You will also be able to take tours on glass bottom boats as well as hiking and camping trips on the islands themselves. Luxurious 4 and 5 star hotels abound with swimming pools and because the islands are one of the most well developed places in the world (a former British colony) you can get all the regular amenities such as cinemas and shows to keep your kids entertained no matter what they prefer.

Jamaica – Spitting Distance from Miami

Another extremely close and beautiful place to Miami (1.5 hours flight) is of course the unparalleled island of Jamaica. A former British colony where everybody speaks English really well, with a beautiful tropical climate and 3 world class beaches and resorts, your whole family will never forget the holiday that you spend there.

Without a doubt, Jamaica is one of the top family vacations destinations in the world. The famous Seven Mile Beach presents a place where your kids can relax on the beach or swim in the surf. The water is so turquoise that it is unmatched anywhere else and when the kids are tired after a long day of playing in the sand, you can park them in front of a movie in the hotel room while you and your wife have a romantic dinner on the balcony of your room overlooking the most glorious sunsets you will ever see in your life.

For your next kid friendly vacations, consider one of the beautiful Caribbean islands such as Jamaica or Turks & Caicos.

Top family vacations are to be found in the Caribbean, especially in Jamaica and Turks & Caicos.

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