Looking for the best quick service restaurants at Magic Kingdom when traveling with kids? After more than a handful of visits to Disney over the years, our family has definitely settled on the list of best places to eat in Magic Kingdom that meet these criteria: Our list includes at least one spot in almost every corner of the park. No matter where you are, great food is just a short walk away....
To make your Disney vacation a success, it is important to be prepared with tips for how to stay cool at Disney World before you go. Orlando, Florida can be hot and sunny most days of the year but summertime heat can be absolutely brutal, especially if you’re not used to the heat and humidity of the South. Add in a theme park loaded to the gills with guests all crowding shoulder to shoulder waiting in queues for rides....
I found her sitting all alone with her lunch plate in her lap. The beach house was full of family, why was my precious Little Pea looking so crestfallen? “Honey, why aren’t you eating lunch outside with grandma and grandpa?” “They are too busy, they weren’t talking to me. So, I came inside.” “What were they busy doing?” “Grandma was reading on her iPad, Grandpa was on his phone.” In their defense, every adult I know needs a little downtime during a busy family vacation....
During our week in Amelia Island, Florida with the kids for our annual beach trip, we had the opportunity to sample some of the best restaurants in the Fernandina area for vacation dinners. We rented an oceanfront condo for the week and took advantage of the kitchen for cooking our own breakfast and a second lighter meal for either lunch or dinner depending on our schedule for the day. If you’re renting a beach condo too, don’t miss my beach house meal plan here....
When you visit a city as large as London, you need to go prepared with your best options for getting around town to see all the sights. After spending a week in London with my husband and kids, we tested out pretty much every option available so we could share our best tips with you. This totally free app is absolutely essential for getting around in London. You can type in your destination and the app will give you several options for getting there along with the estimated cost and expected time for each one....
I’m sharing a peek inside my own carry on, this is what I packed when I flew from Charlotte to London with my family for our 6-day spring break trip. Thanks to my planning, we were prepared when the airline lost my daughter’s suitcase and she was stuck without her items for THREE WHOLE DAYS. Here’s everything you need for your own carry on bag to travel with peace of mind....
My friend Maggy who lives in London shared with me her top insider tip that she uses to take friends exploring when they come to visit. We took an afternoon and followed her very-specific suggestions for visiting the Prime Meridian in Greenwich in an exciting journey that took us on boats, trains, the tube, and tunnels over the course of several hours. This is such an excellent way to see parts of London you might miss if you stay close to the basic tourist areas....
When reserving your Disney Parks tickets, a huge question every parent has is whether or not to spend the extra money on the Park Hopper option. Real all the guide books and blog posts you want, the best way to get Disney advice is from a family who has recently experienced the Disney magic themselves. I love interviewing people after they travel to Disney to hear the kind of real world, hands-on advice you can only get from a parent who has just been to Disney!...
When you are choosing your hotel in Pigeon Forge, location should definitely be one of your top deciding factors. We had a wonderful experience staying at The Inn at Christmas Place because the location couldn’t be more perfect. We were right within walking distance of several of the best Pigeon Forge activities and just a tiny drive away from The Island in Pigeon Forge and convenient distance from Dollywood. Being able to walk between the attractions, restaurants, and our hotel gave us all a chance to stretch our legs and get some fresh air....
46 hours. That’s how many hours I’ll be in the car with my kids traveling throughout the midwest this month. We’ve done road trips, but this is the Epic Road Trip to end all road trips. I am enduring hour after hour of kid friendly music, kid friendly audiobooks, kid friendly videos, kid friendly food, kid friendly tourist attractions. I love my kids but 3 full weeks with 46 hours of driving sprinkled throughout is a Whole Lot of Kid Friendly for just about anyone....
Every time we go on a family vacation, I make a packing list for my teenage girls. It is always customized to the trip I have planned but more often than not the same items appear over and over again. I finally decided to create a master packing list for teenage girls that we could use for all of our trips as a starting point. Even though I don’t have sons, it was only fair for me to also create a packing list for teenage boys!...
When you’ve obsessed over all the gorgeous Disney photos on Instagram before your Disney vacation, it can be a rude awakening to arrive at the parks and realize this terrible secret: Getting good shots at Disney is HARD! The Biggest Problem: Disney parks are very crowded even on slower traffic days. Those gorgeous photos you see on social media can be nearly impossible to capture without lots of extra bodies in the frame....
Fun Fact: I was lucky enough to live in Milan for almost a year after I graduated from college. Those were some of the most exciting days of my life and I dream about the day when I can bring my kids over to Italy and show them all my favorite spots in Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan. Since it will be a while before I can make that trip happen, the next best thing is reading these picture books about Italy with my kids and sharing my love of that fantastic country....
Abby Huntsman's trajectory through the media landscape is a compelling narrative—a blend of family legacy, strategic career moves, and undeniable talent. While her father's prominent political career undoubtedly provided initial inroads, her ascent to a highly visible television presence is a testament to her ambition and skills. However, pinning down her precise net worth proves surprisingly challenging, with estimates ranging widely, from a conservative $2 million to a more substantial $15 million....
We are practically family road trip experts. With dozens of long road trips under our belt, I know exactly what it takes to keep everyone comfortable and happy for a long drive. When you’re taking a long road trip with kids, you need to set yourself up for a successful vacation with these easy tips for making your car more comfortable for the drive. With just a little bit of prep, everyone will be comfy, entertained, fed, and happy and the miles will just fly by!...
Growing up in Milwaukee, heading to the zoo was an annual rite of summer. I loved turning around as a parent to take my girls to the Milwaukee County Zoo I adored myself as a child. When we moved last year, I was disappointed to discover that Charlotte, NC does not have a zoo in town. I didn’t realize how I had taken this attraction for granted. With a quick scout online, I discovered the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC is only about an hour and a half away from us....
We spent a glorious 7 days in Ireland this month, starting in Dublin and traveling to Limerick, Blarney, Galway, and the Cliffs of Moher on the western coast. Though we were on a school trip and had to follow a strict itinerary which included eating several meals at our hotel, I had the opportunity to venture out into the local Irish pubs and restaurants to taste some of the best Ireland has to offer....
When planning a Disney vacation, one of the bigger questions friends often have is: “Which order should we visit the Disney parks??” Real all the guide books and blog posts you want, the best way to get Disney advice is from a family who has recently experienced the Disney magic themselves. I love interviewing people after they travel to Disney to hear the kind of real world, hands-on advice you can only get from a parent who has just been to Disney!...
Within days of moving to North Carolina, the Wright Brothers were on our minds. Our license plates boast NC’s claim to fame as First in Flight and when given the option of plate designs, I absolutely chose the one that featured Orville and Wilbur Wrights amazing flying machine. It took us a few years to finally find the time to plan a family trip to the Outer Banks where Kitty Hawk and the national flight memorial is located....
Our first major stop landed us in Chicago to visit my sister at her downtown apartment. I remembered that Chicago can be a ridiculously expensive place to visit so I spent a fair amount of trip-planning time figuring out how to save money on a family vacation in Chicago. Save money on room & transportation in Chicago: We were lucky enough to be able to stay right downtown with my sister at her place, but parking for our car still cost $33/night at her apartment....
