Attractions

West Edmonton Mall Wave Pool - The World's Largest Indoor Wave Pool

West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, is absolutely huge. It’s the largest in North America and the fifth largest in the world. At 3.8 million square feet, this mall has everything you might ever need for a trip to the mall: two  hotels in case you’re too tired to drive back home after shopping  (Fantasy Land Hotel and the West Edmonton Mall Inn), a water park complete with a gigantic wave pool (the world’s largest), the world’s largest indoor amusement park, an ice skating rink,  a marine life exhibit and a theme park with roller coasters.

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Xcaret Eco Water Park near Playa del Carmen, Mexico

I went to a wedding in Playa del Carmen, Mexico in the Mexican Riviera a couple of years ago, and one of the most amazing things I did NOT have a chance to do was the Xcaret Eco Water Park. I was so disappointed because the place looks amazing. Xcaret (the pronunciation is “eesh-caret”) is a huge eco-water park about 1 hour south of Cancun and about 15 minutes away from Playa del Carmen. There is so much to see and do there, and there is definitely something for everyone.

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Olivine Pools

by Gudrun Enger, of Kitchen Gadget Girl

Last week I wrote about a hike we took while on the road to Hana, upon a recommendation by Maui Revealed. We also followed their recommendation and explored the fascinating, natural Olivine Pools on Maui’s upper West coast, the best natural swimming pool on Maui.

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Shark Tank Pool, Golden Nugget Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada

It’s heating up in Las Vegas.  During our last family visit temperatures topped 112+ degrees.  Still, Las Vegas provides lots of opportunities for an affordable family vacation.  With the slump in business travel, hotel rates are amazing.  We spent our spring break in Las Vegas staying in premium hotels on the Strip and in  Down Town Las Vegas for less that $100 a night.  On our trip last week we scored a full suite at the Las Vegas Desert Rose Resort, a few blocks off the strip, for a similar price.

On a summer visit to Las Vegas, a pool can be a source of hours of family fun.  Although this city is not always considered the most family friendly tourist destination, I have found that families can be found frolicking in most Las Vegas hotel pools.  Many casinos are now introducing separate pool areas for adults.  I think this is a great idea.  Hopefully this will segregate the splashing kids from the serious (and perhaps topless) sun bathers.  Read More »

by Gudrun Enger, of Kitchen Gadget Girl

Raging Waters San Jose

When it starts getting hot in the Bay Area, there is no better place to cool off than Raging Waters San Jose. Fortunately, during last week’s heat wave, we took our annual trip to the park and were not disappointed. Everywhere we looked, slides and water awaited us!

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King's Pointe Waterpark on Storm Lake. Photo by minnemom on flickr.

When it comes to a water oasis, Iowa probably isn’t the first place you think of.  In fact, it’s probably not even on your list.  After all, unlike its neighbor to the north with its 10,000+ lakes, Iowa isn’t really a water wonderland.

In Storm Lake, Iowa, however, there’s a water lover’s dream.  For those who enjoy fishing, boating, and other water activites, there’s Storm Lake itself.  And for those who like to splash and slide, rain or shine, there’s King’s Pointe Waterpark Resort. Read More »

My travels recently brought me to Charlotte, North Carolina and I was told that they have an indoor water park. With slides and stuff. Indoors.

I’m from sunny Florida. We don’t do ‘indoor’ when it comes to our water parks. I suspect we wouldn’t know how to build a water park indoors if we tried. (I hope we don’t try, either!)

So needless to say, I was intrigued.

Ray’s Splash Planet is right in the heart of downtown Charlotte and is probably incredibly easy to get to but my iPhone GPS was a little directionally-challenged that day. Fortunately for me, it told me to park near a lovely little park that in it had a sign pointing to Ray’s Splash Planet. So I did. And off we went.

By Golly, It’s an indoor water park!

Some of the highlights include:

• The Blue Comet – A three-story water slide that whips you around in a double figure eight then dumps you into the waters below.
• The Orbiter – Grab a Tube and lazily float around The Blue Comet. Perfect for relaxing.
• Saturation Station – Tumble buckets, water walls, and slides galore!
• The Vortex – A current pool that will whip you into a frenzy!
• Moon Beach – The entry point where all your water fun begins!
• Sea of Tranquility – Two lap lanes for slower swimming or basketball/volleyball area with two basketball hoops and a large net. (balls are provided by the lifeguard staff)

Admission:

Daily Admission:

• Youth 17 & Under $6 County Resident/ $8 Non-County Resident
• Adult 18 & Older $8 County Resident/ $11 Non-County Resident
• Senior 62 & Over $6 County Resident/ $8 Non-County Resident
• Dry Ticket (Chaperone/NonSwimmer/Escort) $3 County Resident/ $5 Non-County Resident

The perfect way to end the day!

View of Sutro Baths from hilltop

by Gudrun Enger, of Kitchen Gadget Girl

Opened in 1896, as part of the grand Adolph Sutro’s development of the western edge of San Francisco, the Sutro Baths offered so many activities to local residents. Nowadays, they are the perfect place to remember what life was like in San Francisco in the last century!

Bathhouse ruins

The Sutro Baths were comprised of 7 separate pools, offering fresh and salt water at different temperatures, plus slides, diving platforms, trampolines and other clever ways to get into the pools. In addition, Sutro Baths also featured many items from Adolph Sutro’s diverse personal collections, including stuffed animals, pinned insects and Egyptian mummies. Diverse, indeed.

Sutro Baths

Located just below the Cliff House, on the beach in a small cove, the Sutro Bath struggled financially after Adolph Sutro’s death, and in 1966 the baths closed permanently. Shortly thereafter, the outer building burned to the ground and all that remains today are low cement walls as a reminder of the long-ago grandeur. For more information about the history of Sutro Baths, I recommend a visit to the Sutro Bath information page on outdoor.org.

Plan your visit:

Sutro Baths are part of the Golden Gate National Park system, and are accessible via trailhead from the parking lot off the Great Highway, just north of the Cliff House. A short walk down the path brings you to the baths; heed the warnings on the signs cautioning visitors to stay away from the edges.

Take SF Muni – both the #38 Geary and #18 46^th Avenue lines stop by the Baths.

Beauty Along the Road

by Tamara Rice of The Rice Paper

Now that I’ve spilled the beans on Maui’s Seven Sacred Pools, I should probably explain one of the most talked-about Maui attractions, which is the road you’ll take to get there: The Road to Hana.

Love it or hate it, it’s a memorable drive. Recently Maui reopened the more user-friendly freeway of the island (it suffered terrible damage during an earthquake and was shut down for far too long). However, the Road to Hana is a sight to behold and–provided you are not prone to car-sickness–makes for a great excursion.

When we braved the drive in a rental car–because what else would we be driving in Maui–my husband was designated the driver, our most-likely-to-lose-his-lunch friend got the other front seat, and my girlfriend and I were stuck in the back. Was it a long drive? Yes. Did it make our friend sitting shotgun want to puke? Yes. But did we have fun?

I think it depends on who you ask.

One thing we all agreed on: It was beautiful. Some of the most beautiful waterfalls and shores and jungles I’ve ever seen.

So, if you think you’d like to brave the road next time you’re on Maui, check out the five best tip lists for driving the Road to Hana before you do.

The Winding Road to Hana

1. Paradise-Found-in-Maui.com’s fabulous Road to Hana tip list.

2. What Maui’s rental car folks at AlohaRents.com want you to know about the drive, given you might be in one of their cars.

3. A tip list from the people at MauiInformationGuide.com, along with a great list of landmarks along the way.

4. A list with tons of user feedback from the award-winning site GoVisitHawaii.com.

5. Last but not least, tips and landmark notes from Hawaiilogue.com.

Photos by Tamara Rice and Wiedz (Flickr.com)