Dexter Sign Photo by Jody Halsted www.havekidwilltravel.com
About 30 miles west of Des Moines is the “one horse town” of Dexter. It’s a small town, easy to bypass; if you did detour through you wouldn’t think much of it.
Which would be a shame. Within this town lies history, entertainment and some of the country’s best chocolates. Let me show you around… Read More »
Looking for a last minute event for Saturday or Sunday? Check out the Bridge School Benefit!
The proceeds from this annual fundraising concert, organized by Neil Young and his wife in 1986, benefit the Bridge School, a non-profit organization which supports the development of individuals with severe speech and physical impairments. The Bridge School is internationally known and recognized from their success with using augmentative and alternative communication and they continue to develop programs and train highly skilled professionals in the use of state of the art assistive technology.
Each year, Neil Young puts together a knock-out lineup. This year’s performers include:
The concert is Saturday, October 24th, and Sunday, October 25th, at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View. Tickets are available through Livenation.com. Advance tickets are $150.00 and $75.00 for reserved seating and $39.50 for general admission plus applicable service charges. Four packs of general admission tickets may be purchased for $99.00.
Photo Courtesy of the Bridge School.
The Amana Colonies may be one of Iowa’s best kept secrets. Founded in 1855 by the Inspirationists, the six villages positioned a mile or two apart- and no more than an hour by ox cart- would go on to become on of the longest lived and largest communal societies in America. In 1861 the village of Homestead (known today as the place Ashton Kutcher grew up) was added to give the communities access to the railroad.
The Amana Colonies are west of Iowa City, just off Interstate 80. For a bit of “Amana Light” stop in Little Amana, just off the interstate. Here you will find two great German restaurants, a gift shop filled with amazing Amana wines, fresh meats, woolens, woodworks and crafts, the Wasserbahn Waterpark at the Holiday Inn and an Iowa original restaurant: Maid Rite.
But to really enjoy the community of villages plan a weekend.
You will want to begin in Amana (the other villages are Middle Amana, East Amana, West Amana, South Amana, High Amana) as the visitor’s center is located in the center of the village. Housed in an old corn crib and refinished by the amazing artists from the Amana Furniture and Clock Shop the exterior gives no indication of the beauty inside. Here you can rent bikes to explore the colonies, book a room at one of the many B&Bs, find out about events, get maps and information. You won’t get out of here easily; the staff are full of information and eager to share as much information as you’re willing to receive. Before you leave be sure to climb to the top and view the village from the cupola. Read More »
My husband has been wanting to take a road trip with the family fo’evah. Yup, that’s how we hard core New Yorkers say it. Another thing about us hard core New Yorkers: we don’t take road trips…to far away lands…like the Rocky Mountains and beyond. Nope. We fly.
But, when you are a member of a family of five, it seems that road trips become the way to go, no matter where you are from. So we ventured out on our trip, and saw several great places, and the one place I was eager to see was Yellowstone National Park. I have always heard it’s a wonderful place to visit, especially with kids and that it is beautiful. And when we arrived there I could see that all of that was true.
We did several things while in Yellowstone. We skipped pebbles on the lake, we camped, we saw caribou and buffalo, we even went for hikes. But it was the scenery in Yellowstone that really made the trip wonderful. First let me just say, that to get from the East entrance of the park to the West entrance it took us about 2 hours. It is, of course, huge.
When you tire of the repetition of slot machines or after you’ve had your fill of partying like a rock star, take a break from the win-lose cycle of gambling and set out to explore some of Las Vegas’ other delights. For a trip down memory lane to the Sin City of yesterday, make an appointment to visit the Neon Boneyard.
The Boneyard was founded by the Neon Museum, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring the historic neon signs of Vegas’ heyday. Once the signs are refurbished, they are displayed near the Fremont Street Experience near downtown. But while they wait to be returned to their former glory, they live in the Neon Boneyard.
Historic Signs at the Neon Boneyard
There are some great rotating exhibits, like the current “Hero or Villain” showcase, which portrays important historical figures who did both good and bad in their lives and ask patrons to decide, does the good outweigh the bad? The permanent exhibits, however, are the best.
The “Streets of Old Detroit” in the Museum’s lower level, recreate the city’s streets and show the progression from the 1840’s to the early 1900’s. Visitors can stroll down cobbled streets, visit a one-room schoolhouse and peer in shop windows.
Streets of Old Detroit Exhibit
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.
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.
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!
by Gudrun Enger, of Kitchen Gadget Girl
After many days in a hotel, on a beautiful beach, believe it or not, we were ready to explore the island of Maui. With the help of my favorite Hawaiian guide book, Maui Revealed, we hit the Road to Hana, intending to find a nice waterfall hike. And boy, did we ever!
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