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Traveling with a Toddler

Traveling with a toddler can be one of the hardest ways to travel. When they are babies they will likely sleep much of the trip or be satisfied with a bottle, but when they are toddlers and not yet old enough to read or watch a video for longer than a ten minute stretch you will really have to be creative to keep them occupied.

One main thing to keep in mind is that you should always have food. Frequent small snacks of your toddler’s favorite foods are a great way to keep them busy. They will be so busy eating they won’t have a chance to get too bored. Just make sure you bring plenty of juice or milk and get them up to try and potty or change their pull up often. You don’t want to make them sit in a wet diaper for too long because they’ve been drinking so much.

Another easy form of entertainment is drawing. Crayola has their new color wonder line of products that allow coloring without the mess. These markers only show up on the special paper so any accidents are kept to a minimum. They have coloring books as well as plain paper kits so if your child prefers regular drawing or coloring they can have their needs met in a very neat and clean way.

Make sure you bring your child’s favorite stuffed animal or blanket so they can be comfortable. Just because they are past the baby stage does not mean they won’t be able to have a nap or two in a long car trip or flight.

Finally, having new items is always a good choice. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it is new and unfamiliar to the toddler it will provide at least a few moments of peace for you. Just make sure anything you bring will be easy to clean up and keep contained in the car.

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Baltimore’s Inner Harbor: A True Vacation

If you have never been to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland, you owe yourself the opportunity to visit one of the most scenic and enjoyable vacation spots in the U.S.

With several hotels in the area, you are walking distance from some of the finest attractions in Baltimore. One place no one should miss is the National Aquarium, featuring more than 660 species of animals and 16,500 animals. Whether it is the dolphin show, the 4-D theater or just a spectacular view of the animals, there is no shortage of entertainment.

The Baltimore Water Taxi is an affordable way to get around the harbor, while the Spirit of Baltimore offers lunch and dinner cruises all year around. For the history buff, there is a water taxi ride to Fort McHenry, the site of “The Battle of Baltimore” in 1814 that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the Star-Spangled Banner. The Baltimore Maritime Museum features the USS Constellation, the only Civil War ship still floating.

No sports fan will want to miss the opportunity to visit Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles and one of the most scenic of all sports facilities in the nation. The site includes the Sports Legends Museum, featuring an interactive experience with artifacts on the city’s most famous teams and athletes, including Cal Ripken Jr., Johnny Unitas, and Baltimore-born Babe Ruth. Just two blocks away is the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum.

The World Trade Center in Baltimore is the world’s tallest equilateral five-sided building, but its most impressive feature is the “Top of the World” Observation Level on the 27th floor. While the harbor area is beautiful from ground level, it is breathtaking with its panoramic view of the city, the harbor, and surrounding areas from the observation level. You may want to start here and plan out your trip with the guided maps to this beautiful city.

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Family Destination: The Local Zoo

Although on some days it may seem like you already live in one, a family trip to the zoo can be a fun adventure for the whole family.

While individual admissions can be a bit pricey, annual memberships provides a good value.  In addition, membership in some zoos affords you benefits at other zoos, like reduced entrance fees and gift shop discounts.  Some zoos also have “member entries” so you can avoid standing in line.

Another way to cut your costs is to pack lunch and snacks.  While not all zoos allow outside food on their grounds, often you can leave the zoo and be readmitted once you’ve had your lunch.

If you prefer to miss the crowds, be prepared to visit the zoo on a weekday or early in the day.  For those in colder climates, winter can be a quiet time at the zoo.  The crowds are gone and the animals tend to be more active.  Just remember to dress appropriately.

While planning your trip to the zoo, consider bringing along binoculars and cameras.  Binoculars give you a better chance of seeing animals up close.  Zoos can be great place for taking wildlife photographs.

Most zoos now have activities that appeal to everyone in the family.  In addition to viewing and learning about the animals, there are play areas, monorails, treasure hunts and unique animal presentations (Feeding the Sharks is a favorite).

Beyond your visit, many zoos have a newsletters or website and you can follow the animals, learn about conservation efforts, or help name new arrivals.  Camps and other learning opportunities for children are also offered.  Membership gets you a discount if these activities sound interesting.

So plan a day of fun at the local zoo soon.  And watch out for the little monkeys- yours and theirs.

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Outdoor Adventures

For serious outdoors enthusiasts tiny Connecticut provides big opportunities for recreation. Especially for travelers seeking to spend time at a beach or on the water.

The state offers several parks on the coast that offer open sandy beaches. Whether seeking swimming or laying out to sunbathe, Hammonasset Beach near Clinton and Sherwood Island in Westport are ideal destinations. Aquatics are also prominently featured at Long Island Sound. Boating in the clear blue waters or fishing for bluefish and flounders are popular activities. The Thimble Islands are another boating and fishing hot spot off of the coast of Connecticut.

Even though the state’s maritime tradition is largely associated with the ocean, Connecticut also has plenty of fresh water attractions. More than 80 lakes and 300 miles of rivers and streams dot the countryside. Avid fishermen head to the western part of the state to try their luck on the Farmington and Housatonic Rivers. Bass and rainbow trout are some of the most popular game. Fly fishing is permitted on a section of the Housatonic in Housatonic Meadows State Park in Cornwall Bridge.

For those seeking a leisurely day on the water, the Connecticut river offers canoeing and kayaking. Tubing is a popular activity on the quiet section of the Farmington River near New Hartford. Even though it might not seem like it, Connecticut is also a hub for scuba diving. Oxygen tanks and flippers are called for at Lake Waramug State Park in New Preston and at Squantz Pond in New Fairfield.

For tourists look to enjoy the sights of water rather than jumping in and getting wet, Connecticut offers plenty of water falls. Hiking trails lead to Chapman Falls at Devils Hopyard in East Haddam and to Shelter Falls near Mansfield. Connecticut provides travelers lucky enough to seek it out.

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Trip to Visit a Baseball Palace

Only a few of baseball’s great palaces still stand. And for baseball historians or even those will a passing interest in the game few spots hold more allure than Boston’s Fenway Park.

Babe Ruther played their first as a member of the hometown Red Sox and later as a member of the hated New York Yankees. If the original Yankee Stadium in the Bronx was the House that Ruth built then Fenway Park in Boston was the house that Ruth Cursed. The stadium opened in 1912 and it quickly was filled with World Series champions. The Red Sox won the World Series in 1918, and the long successful franchise seemed poised to enjoy more success shortly. Shortly turned out to be 86-years for Red Sox fans.

The franchise that won the first World Series in 1903 produced plenty of great players between 1918 and 2003, but non of the Hall of Fame bound Red Sox could ever deliver a championship to the city. Ted Williams won batting titles and a Triple Crown while playing the outfield at Fenway. Carl Yastrzemski won American League Most Valuable Player awards and American League Championships at Fenway. And Carlton Fisk hit his famous “waving fair” home run at Fenway win a game against the Big Red Machine in the 1975 World Series. Despite all of their efforts none of these players or their teams ever captured the World Series. The 2004 Red Sox reversed the fortunes of the franchise in dramatic fashion by becoming the only team in baseball history to bounce back from a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series.

The Red Sox are in the midst of another golden age in the history of the franchise. The best way to visit would be to attend a game. Tickets must usually be bought far in advance. Stadium tours to walk in the footsteps of history can be arranged during the off season.

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Freedom Trail Walking Tour

Perhaps the only place where it is appropriate to yell out that “The British are coming” is on the Freedom Trail in Boston. The national recreation trail passes through many of the city’s and the nation’s most important historic sites. Each stop tells a story that can fill up an important chapter in American history.

The trail begins at Boston Common and it ends at the Bunker Hill National Monument in Charlestown. Bunker Hill is the famous American Revolution battle where the American patriots were told to not shoot until they could see the whites in the eyes of the approaching British Redcoats. Red bricks and granite stones are embedded in the sidewalk that forms a path to guide tourist from place to place.

Boston Common is a perfect place to spend a day, but on the tour it is best known for the it location near the Massachusetts State House. The dome that covers the statehouse was covered in cooper by Paul Revere’s company in 1802. The statehouse sits on Beacon Hill, one of Boston’s richest and most revered neighborhoods.

The statehouse is a short distance from the Granary Burying Ground that saw its first body laid to rest in 1660. The area is the final resting place for heroes of the American Revolution, nine Massachusetts governors and other famous people. The Granary Burying Ground also holds the graves of Samuel Adams, John Hancock and the five victims of the Boston Massacre.

Other highlights of the tour include the Old State House, which housed stirring debates between American patriots and members of the royal government. The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence occurred from a balcony at the statehouse.

Some of the other highlights of the walking tour include the Paul Revere house and the USS Constitution. Both of these sites can be toured. The walking tour concludes at the Bunker Hill Monument. The tour offer some of the best chapters in American history.

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