Attractions

There is no place in the world that I would rather be during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons than in New York City.  I can say this wholeheartedly and without a doubt in my mind, because I have spent many holiday seasons in many places around the world, but despite the wonderful sites elsewhere, I stand firm to my belief that this is definitely the place to be.

Right now, the streets are filled with tourists. Fifth Avenue, Times Square, and Herald Square are almost impossible to walk through, no matter what day of the week, but the shopping is good, the streets are festive, and celebration is in the air.  Some say it starts right after Halloween, and this year that pretty much seemed like the case with some retailers showcasing their best Holiday displays. But, truthfully, the celebrations really begin the day before Thanksgiving with the inflation of the Thanksgiving Day Parade floats. This event has gotten crowded over the years, so if you are heading over to Central Park West (between 71st and 81st St) with the little ones, get there early and avoid the crowds. The inflating of the floats happens between 4:00 and 8:00pm.

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Tourists Ready to Take the Bobsled Plunge

If you find yourself caught up in the Olympic spirit this fall while waiting for Vancouver to host the 2010 Winter Games, take a ride over to Lake Placid, NY where you can visit all kinds of Olympic sites, from the site of hockey’s 1980 Miracle on Ice to the ski jump facility where future talent is trained, practices and hosts events year-round. But for pure interaction, you must visit the Bobsled run. Read More »

Taughannock Falls

When we were on our way to Niagara Falls recently, our route took us through New York’s Finger Lakes region which is always scenic and packed with adventure. We didn’t have a lot of time to stop and play, but we did make a point to seek out the Taughannock Falls at Cayuga Lake. We had heard they were even taller than Niagara and decided to do some comparative waterfall analysis.

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Jackie Robinson Exhibit in the Baseball Hall of Fame

Strolling down Main Street in the village of Cooperstown is a bit like going back in time. You feel transplanted to the days when people walked to town to take care of their errands and visited with neighbors along the way. And kids would ride by, unscheduled and unsupervised, with baseball cards in their bicycle spokes. You can buy those same baseball cards in collectors’ shops on Main Street or you can head down a few more blocks to the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum and see displays of them and other treasures while learning all about the history of the game.

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Chasing Rainbows at the Cave of the Winds

Where are you guaranteed to see a rainbow on a sunny day? Why, Niagara Falls of course. The sun glistening on thick mist provides rainbows so plentiful they named the bridge spanning the river after them. If you would like to chase these rainbows and get up close and personal with the falls that create them, the Cave of the Winds is just for you.

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by Barbara Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

High Museum of Art exterior, photo courtesy of the museum

Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, today one of the preeminent art museums in the Southeastern United States, evolved from humble beginnings. Founded in 1905 as the Atlanta Art Association, the museum was originally housed in a private residence on Peachtree Street that had been donated by Mrs. Joseph M. High. When the renowned collection of classic and contemporary art grew so large that more display space was needed, Coca-Cola magnate Robert W. Woodruff stepped up to the plate, offering a $7.5 million grant to build a new facility. The resultant stunning porcelain-enameled building, designed by Robert Meier, has been named one of the “ten best works of American architecture in the 1980’s” by the American Institute of Architects.

A towering atrium, soaring to four interior levels, is naturally lit by sunlight streaming through its glass roof. Spiral ramps surround the central core, leading up to galleries that display 18th and 19th-century collections near the ground floor and contemporary art on the upper levels. Still the museum’s collection continued to grow and more space was needed. The acclaimed Italian architect Renzo Piano was commissioned to design three new buildings, which were opened in 2005 and essentially tripled the available display space. Read More »

The neighborhood of Greenwich Village in Manhattan is known for many things, like restaurants, shops, clubs, wonderful people watching, amazing art scene, and NYU.  The last thing one thinks about when thinking of The Village is kid-friendly.  I still wouldn’t go as far as stating that it is, though I do think that it should be a stop in your travels while in NYC, even with the kids, because even with the changes in the area over the years, it still remains a cool part of NYC, one that your kids might enjoy walking through.

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by Linda (minnemom) of Travels with Children

We live in the rural Midwest, where wide open spaces are plentiful and a traffic mess consists of getting stuck behind a tractor on a gravel road.  We’ve mastered driving in Minneapolis.  We can manage Chicago if we have a very specific plan.  But driving in New York City?  No way.  Not gonna do it.

Still, when we visited Philadelphia and found ourselves with an extra day in our itinerary, the Statue of Liberty was tops on our list.  It’s big, it’s famous, it’s historic, the kids would love it.

Statue of Liberty. Photo by minnemom.

But then we remembered:  It’s in New York City.

We thought about driving to New York. For about two seconds.

And we almost gave up.

But then, in looking at the Statue of Libery website again, we found a possibility:  Park at Liberty State Park in New Jersey and take the ferry from there, rather than from the more famous and more popular option of New York’s Battery Park.

We decided to give it a try.

We had a few things going in our favor.  We would be visiting on the day after Christmas, which happened to be a Friday, and we were hoping that everyone who possibly could take the day off would have done exactly that, easing the traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike.  We also hoped that people who had spent the previous day at family Christmas gatherings would just want to sleep in and not go sight-seeing until later in the day.

And do you know what?  We were right.

Statue of Liberty Tickets. Photo by minnemom.

We left our hotel near Valley Forge and headed for New Jersey.  Traffic was a breeze the entire way, a feat that we couldn’t really believe.  How could New Jersey traffic be lighter than Minneapolis?  It didn’t seem possible.  We were to Liberty State Park in less than 90 minutes.

We followed the National Park Service’s driving directions, “Take the New Jersey Turnpike to Exit 14B,” which really seemed too simple to work, but that’s really all there is to it.  An out-of-state driver doesn’t even need to consult a map a directions like that.

After parking in the lot, we walked up to the ticket counter, purchased our tickets, and boarded the first ferry of the day.  We were right about people sleeping in; there were only about a dozen people on our ferry, and when we got to Ellis Island, we had the entire grand hall to ourselves for a while.

Ellis Island. Photo by minnemom.

After visiting Ellis Island, we reboarded the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.  Although we had received monument passes with our tickets, we decided to forego the long line to go inside the pedestal, and we took a nice walk around the Statue of Liberty instead.

When the ferry once again deposited us at Liberty State Park, we got into our car and drove off to the west, with a car full of kids who couldn’t believe they’d really seen the Statue of Liberty.  It was a pretty big deal for our little guys, and we managed it without setting foot in New York City.

Visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from the New Jersey side worked out brilliantly.  Even in busier times of the year, there tends to be less waiting when boarding the ferry from New Jersey.  Parking issues were non-existent, and parking is reasonably priced.  Driving in Manhattan is eliminated.  For people who want to visit the Statue of Liberty without going to New York City, leaving from Liberty State Park in New Jersey is an excellent choice.

Central Park Fountain

Guest Post by Carol Cain (NYCityMama) of The Adventures of an NYC Mama 

As the days get warmer in NYC, one of my absolute favorite places to be is Central Park.  When I moved out of the city, this was the one place that I always thought about that made me want to return.  

Now, back in the city, the to-do list is growing, and most of the list items take me to the park.  One of our favorite places to visit with the kids is the Central Park Zoo.  It is small in comparison to the Bronx Zoo but no less great and,  in combination to the Tisch Children’s Zoo, a petting zoo for children 6 and under, it makes for a wonderful visit. We often like to follow the visits to the zoo with a ride on the Carousel with the kids.  

Central Park Carousel

Another place that promises hours of fun is Wollman Rink. In the Winter this is where you will find the ice skating rink, but in the Spring and Summer months it is the home to Victorian Gardens Amusement Park, with rides and games for all ages.  

Central Park, New York City

The Great Lawn is a wonderful spot for picnics, though the park also has smaller fields for more private gatherings. And starting in June you can’t miss out on the free Summer Stage performances or, the also free, Shakespeare in The Park .  

Central Park, New York City

Whether you’re looking for a low key afternoon strolling in the many paths of the park, a peaceful venture on one of the row boats on the lake , a day full of entertainment and fun, or a romantic meal at the Boat House or Tavern on the Green, you really can’t go wrong with a visit to New York City’s central destination.  

Outdoor dining in Central Park

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut

On October 11, 1776, a battle took place at Valcour Island, off the western shore of Lake Champlain, that may well have decided the fate of the American Revolution.

The village of Whitehall runs along the banks of the Champlain Canal

The hero of the Battle of Valcour Island was Benedict Arnold, one of the colonies’ most courageous and resourceful military leaders. Anticipating that the British would use the lakes as an invasion route to split the revolted colonies in two, Arnold scraped together a fleet capable of at least delaying a British advance along Lake Champlain from Canada. Except for vessels previously captured, all of the ships were constructed during the summer of 1776 at what is today the village of Whitehall, using trees cut from the local forests. Carpenters, riggers, and blacksmiths were imported from as far away as Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Philadelphia to build the ships.

Arnold’s small fleet of 12 vessels of various sizes and capabilities sailed toward Valcour Island in August 1776 to surprise the British as they advanced south. The British armada, which had been constructed at the north end of the lake, set sail in October. When the fleets met at Valcour Island, a fierce two-day battle ensued. The Americans were battered by the more heavily armed British vessels and those that were not sunk were forced to retreat. But the battle caused the British to return north for the winter, providing the Americans with valuable time to gather, arm, and prepare for the British campaign of 1777 that ended with the American victory at Saratoga, the turning point of the war.

Lock 12 of the Champlain Canal, located in the center of town, is the entryway to Lake Champlain

Because Valcour was the first naval battle of strategic importance during the Revolutionary War, the New Yok State Legislature, in 1960, declared Whitehall to be the Birthplace of the United States Navy. Today this sleepy little village, nestled in a valley at the southern tip of Lake Champlain, attracts visitors as much for its scenery as for its history. Cruises regularly pass through Lock 12 of the Champlain Canal and sail onto the Lake, passing historic sites such as Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence, while enjoying abundant sightings of Eagles, Osprey, and Heron.

Skene Manor, an historical Victorian gothic style mansion, perches on the hillside, overlooking Lake Champlain and the village of Whitehall

Another popular attraction in the town is Skene Manor, an elegant Victorian gothic style castle perched on the nearby mountainside that overlooks Whitehall and offers lovely views of Lake Champlain and the historic canal. The Manor provides free tours and serves luncheon several days a week.

Whitehall is located at the junction of U.S. Rt. 4 and Rt. 22, just east of the Vermont State line. Accommodations around Lake Champlain are abundant and Whitehall has a number of hotels as well.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Weibel