Pit Stops - Pitstops for Kids

Ruby Falls, Tennessee

February 3, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

If you’ve ever been within a hundred miles of Chattanooga, Tenn., chances are you’ve seen billboards for Ruby Falls. The signs are big and obvious and might lead you to think it’s a tourist trap, but you’d be wrong. Although it is definitely a commercial operation, Ruby Falls is well worth a visit. It is a tightly-run facility that makes good on its claims of spectacular rock formations and a breathtaking waterfall.

Until the early 1900s, local children played in a cave beneath Lookout Mountain. Eventually it was sealed off during construction of a railroad tunnel. A man named Leo Lambert set out to dig an elevator shaft and reopen it to the public, but in the process he stumbled upon a previously unknown cave, which ended up stealing the show. These limestone passageways contain countless beautiful rock formations. The owners have installed solar-powered electricity and colored lights that highlight the artistry of nature. And all that is before you reach Ruby Falls itself—a 145-foot cascade of water emerging from a crevasse at the top of a cylindrical cavern, a thousand feet below the surface of the mountain. It’s hard to describe the place itself except to say this: it’s worth the wait.

Wait Times at Ruby Falls:

Ruby Falls lives up to its hype, but this means there’s always a crowd. Our tour guide told us that most days, lines form by 8:15 a.m. At any given time there will be multiple tour groups navigating the relatively narrow passageways. The staff does a good job of keeping thing moving, but the sheer number of people trying to coexist in an enclosed space means that inbound tour groups have to hug the wall and wait for outbound groups to pass.

One piece of advice: Because the tour groups are large and get spread out, it’s natural to feel pressured to hurry through the cave. Don’t. There is a lot to see between one tour stop and the next. Give yourself permission to go slow, take pictures, and appreciate the natural beauty of the rock formations. Yes, you are going to hold up the line. But you’re likely to end up waiting anyway. Don’t cheat yourself of the experience.

Location/Accessibility:

Ruby Falls is accessible by car from TN 148, very close to I-24 in Chattanooga, TN. Parking lots, both paved and gravel, stretch around the mountain. The day we visited, three people were coordinating traffic via walkie talkie.

Access to the cave is by elevator, but the cave is not wheelchair/stroller accessible. Although the path is paved, it’s not wide enough, and just before the waterfall there are a handful of low steps to navigate.

Most of the cave is dry, but with a running stream inside it, the floor does sometimes get wet. Passages are high enough to walk in, but tall individuals will occasionally have to duck down, and there is not a lot of ventilation, so it can feel stuffy in the passageways. The waterfall room, however, is cool, breezy and expansive.

Food/Shopping:

Ruby Falls has a sandwich/snack counter inside the building. The day we visited was cold, and they were doing a steady business in candied nuts, which were delicious. Visitors can also bring their own food and drink. There are two gift shops on site as well.

Admission/Hours:

The cave tour generally takes a little over an hour, but plan to spend three hours at Ruby Falls; the line moves fairly quickly, but it’s a long line. According to our tour guide, the best way to avoid the crowds is to come between January and March. Otherwise, there will be wait times both before entry and in the cave to allow outbound tours to pass.

After your tour, you’ll also want to give yourself time to climb the lookout tower and let the kids explore the playground outside the upper gift shop. In the summertime, you can pan for jewels here, too. There’s also a zipline adventure course on-site, and package deals are available to combine a cave tour with the zipline and/or the nearby Incline Railway and Rock City attractions.

Ruby Falls is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily except for Christmas Day, or when heavy rains cause flooding in the cave. Admission costs $18.95 for adults and $10.95 for children ages 3-12.

As I disclose whenever applicable, our visit to Ruby Falls was complimentary, for the purpose of review. All opinions remain my own.

Touring Paris with Fat Tire Tours

February 1, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

While planning our itinerary for Paris with kids, I kept hearing about an English-language, Paris-based tour company that goes around on bikes. My family loves exploring cities by bike (you may remember how we gushed about Bike ‘n Roll in the States), so we contacted Fat Tire Tours and set up a morning with them.

We chose to try their Paris Day Bike Tour, which has been a staple at the company since 1999. The tour is 3.5 hours, and covers a lot of ground. After several days of hoofing it around Paris, it was a welcome relief to be on two wheels. The Paris Day Bike Tour is designed to give visitors an overview of the area around the Eiffel Tower, Concorde, and Invalides. We took the tour on Day 3, and but while we’d seen the Eiffel Tower from afar and walked around the Louvre area, most of the stops were brand new to us.

The tour started at 9 am. After booking online, we were sent an email confirmation with instructions on where to meet the group. It was easy to find the Metro station indicated, but we almost ended up being late when we stood in the wrong place and somehow didn’t notice the group gathering. Doh! Once we were on the right track, one guide led the large group of about 25 people to Fat Tire’s office, where we could stash backpacks if needed, buy water, use the restroom, and get fitted for bikes. I worried at this point that our group would be too large to be manageable, but I shouldn’t have feared. Once we were all on bikes, the group was broken down to about 8 people per guide.

We set out within about 25 minutes, and rode primarily on streets, following our guide, with breaks from traffic on some bike paths and while on car-free paths along the Seine. While we did need to pay close attention to our guide while navigating the streets, it was easy to follow instructions and I never felt unsafe. Our kids were old enough to ride solo and follow instructions, but young kids are also welcome, as Fat Tire Tours has bikes with child seats available. I’d venture to say kids under age 5 would have a hard time in the traffic, and should be in bike seats.

Our guide Nick was British, living in Paris, and he was a wealth of information with a fun and lively personality. The kids were always interested in his commentary as he described Paris history through the various stops at historical buildings, churches, and bridges. I appreciated that Nick didn’t ‘dumb down’ the information for children. Even when the commentary was geared more to adults, there was always the novelty of riding the bikes through the city to keep kids entertained.

I learned a great deal about some buildings I otherwise would have passed by in Paris, and Nick was able to provide advice on where else to go in the city with the kids. In fact, we would have skipped seeing the d’Orsay Museum if not for his tip to go the following morning. It turned out to be our favorite museum.

We made about 10 stops through the city, with a longer break off the bikes at a cafe in the Tuileries by the Louvre. Even though we went in winter, this garden area was beautiful, and the little cafe was perfect for an easy lunch with kids. The boys got savory crepes and soup, and the adults had sandwiches on baguette. The wine and hot chocolate were both nice, too. At the end of our tour, we got a great photo op at the tower, too.

Note: Lunch is not included in the price, but is not expensive. I believe we spent about €7 per person. We brought our own water bottles in a small backpack.

Overall, we found everyone at Fat Tire Tours to be friendly, welcoming, and energetic, from Nick to the office staff to the attendants putting us on bikes. It was a very friendly place to spend a morning in Paris, which can be an intimidating city. After our tour, the office staff gave us further advice on how to spend our afternoon. We had tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower, so we walked over from the office and spent a few hours enjoying the winter sunshine and checking out the Christmas market.

Cost:

This half-day tour is $32 each, which I think is a steal. It was absolutely worth this and more.

Directions:

The office is located by the Eiffel Tower, and full instructions for meeting your group will be given upon booking.

As I disclose whenever applicable, our tour was comped by Fat Tire Tours, for the purpose of review. All opinions remain our own.

Tips for touring the Eiffel Tower

January 29, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Whether you think of the Eiffel Tower as cliched or iconic (or both!), it’s undoubtedly a must do on a family trip to Paris. We actually loved the time we spent at this most famous landmark, especially since we made a day of it. We started our morning with a bike tour with Fat Tire Tours, enjoyed the afternoon playing soccer and pursuing food stalls at the base of the tower, then went to the top in time for sunset. Our whole family counts this day as one of our favorites in Paris.

There are several levels of the tower, and several ways to get in and on it. We knew the kids would want to go to the top, so I bought tickets online before our trip for 3rd level access. When purchasing, I chose the time I wanted to visit, as it’s a timed entry situation. I thought about our time quite carefully, finally deciding to check weather.com for the estimated sunset time for the day we were going, and selecting a time period just before. Yes, this is high level planning-geek stuff, but it worked! We ascended the tower just before sunset, saw the sun set over the city at the second level, and enjoyed the twinkling lights of dusk at the top. Here’s what you need to know:

Tips for touring the Eiffel Tower:

When you buy tickets online in advance, you skip the line at the tower. Just print your emailed confirmation and show it at one of the four Advanced Ticket queues. They won’t let you up before your reserved time…we asked.

You’ll still go through a security check point, but you get to skip the majority of this line, too. From this point, you can either walk or ride the elevator to the second level. For some reason we didn’t understand, during our visit, the stair access was closed (going up). Our French wasn’t good enough to understand why.

Note: During high season, we’ve been told it’s possible to skip the queue at the bottom (assuming you don’t have an online ticket or don’t want to reserve a time) and climb the stairs to the second level to buy level 3 tickets, but when we visited in winter, this ticketing option was closed. Don’t count on it. Instead, buy online in advance.

At the second level, you’ll have to get out of the elevator. This is a nice place to look around, though. It was higher than we expected, and the views were great. From here, there’s a queue to get on the elevators to the top level. They’re unavoidable, sadly. When we visited, this line took about 25 minutes. However, this is where our sunset/twilight timing worked out: we were able to see the city in mostly daylight on the second level, and by the time we reached the third level, it was fully night.

At the top, there’s a glassed in, covered area and an outdoor area. It’s not unlike visiting the (former) Sears Tower or Empire State Building in that it’s extremely high, very windy, and totally thrilling for kids. We spent quite a bit of time up here, even though it was freezing and starting to snow. We actually got better photos down below, but the wow factor is fun. Plus, there are a few exhibits at the top showing Eiffel’s office he kept at the top for years, and some history on the tower. I knew he had created the design for the world’s fair, but had not realized that the city of Paris gave him the tower for 20 years afterward.

Going down, you have to wait in the queue again, so definitely budget at least 1.5 hours for the whole endeavor. You are let back off at the second level, and this time, the stairs were open (or perhaps they were always open for downward travel) so we took them. It was a great way to see more of the structure up close while not fighting gravity. On the first level (just above the ground), there’s an ice skating rink during the winter holidays. And it’s completely free, including rentals. Yes, really! We were so surprised by this. The kids all skated, and we adults enjoyed a hot beverage at the food stand adjacent. I’m curious what this space is used for in summer.

As most people know, the tower’s lights twinkle at the top of every hour. It’s certainly a better sight looking AT the tower instead of while being on it, but we happened to catch it while we were ice skating, and it was quite impressive. We felt as though we were inside the sparkle.

Note: At the security checkpoint, they are looking for and confiscating locks, like the kind used symbolically on the bridges. This is because they are absolutely not allowed on the tower. I had a lock in my bag to use elsewhere, and it was still taken from me. Lesson learned.

If you’re lucky enough to be there during the Christmas season, in addition to the ice skating rink, you’ll find a medium-sized Christmas market directly below the tower, complete with a second rink and lots of goodies. We especially recommend the chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) and mulled wine, paired with Belgian waffles with Nutella and crepes.

Pricing and hours:

Tickets are €17 for adults, €14,50 for youth (12-24) and €8 for kids. Age 4 and under is free. After selecting the number and type of tickets you need, you’ll be prompted to select a time period. When we booked two weeks prior to our trip, there were only 2-3 time choices left in the day we needed, so book early.

Directions:

The closest metro lines are Metro line 6 – Bir Hakeim or Metro line 8. Walk away from the tower along the open space toward the military building on the other side, then turn left at the far left corner. You can also walk to the Concorde area pretty easily.

Chicago Field Museum tips

January 22, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

We love natural history museums and have visited versions of them all over the country. The Chicago Field Museum is in our top five! We loved this cavernous, elegant museum situated on the Museum Campus by Lake Michigan and Shedd Aquarium. Here’s what we recommend seeing and doing, plus tips to plan your visit:

What not to miss:

If you have older kids or teens, the top two or three exhibits may be the Inside Ancient Egypt exhibit, the Mastodons and Mammoths exhibit (extra ticket required), and the Evolving Planet exhibit. We also really loved the Ancient Americas exhibit. The Egypt exhibit hall starts at the main level, but staircases lead both upstairs to get a view of a tomb from the top and downstairs, where to bulk of the artifacts can be found. The best place to enter is on the main level, to get the full experience of walking through the tomb first.

Note: There are mummified remains on display, including the remains of children and infants (and cats and birds). These artifacts were amazing, but I did give my kids a heads-up.

The Evolving Planet exhibit is the primarily exhibit with dinosaur fossils, so this area will appeal to all ages, but the actual exhibit goes even deeper, which is why I recommend it for older children. It chronicles multiple ‘extinction events’ throughout history, starting billions of years ago, and is fascinating in its scope of time.

For younger kids, the multiple halls of mammals, which takes up the entire left side of the main floor, will be popular, as well as the North American Indians section and the Pawnee Earth Lodge. We were lucky enough to step into the Earth Lodge while a museum docent was on duty, and she explained all the artifacts inside, many of which kids can touch and play with. The temporary Underground Adventure (extra ticket required) is lots of fun too; after being ‘shrunk’ to 1/2 inch size, kids can walk through a soil landscape and see ‘life-size’ bugs, worms, roots, and other life in the soil. Think Honey I Shrunk the Kids.

Everyone will want to see ‘Sue’ the T-Rex that has been making its way slowly across the country. We saw it about seven years ago in Portland, Oregon. It was fun to see again. There’s enough to see and do to spend at least 3-4 hours in the Field Museum, and possibly more. You can re-enter with you ticket if you want to take a break in the day and return. A few tips:

Check the Field Museum website’s calendar before arriving:

The Field Museum offers a number of free days, which may or may not work in your favor. During our visit, it was a free day of residents of Illinois. Since we are not residents of the state, a free day only means a crowded day for us, without the benefits. Normally, I would avoid free days that do not apply to us. However, the day we visited also happened to be a game day for the Chicago Bears, played directly adjacent to the museum. This worked in our favor, as long as we timed our bus ride to avoid the fans pouring into the stadium. The Field Museum was almost empty when we arrived at opening, and stayed light on crowds all morning, until the game ended at 3 pm.

Decide what ticket option is best for you:

The basic entry price gets you into all the regular permanent exhibits. To access the ones noted as ‘ticket required’ or to view one of the 3-4 3D movies showing, you’ll need to upgrade to either an All Access Pass (gets you into everything) or a modified all access, which allows you to chose a few extra items to do. If you plan to be in Chicago long enough to visit at least two other attractions participating in the Chicago CityPass, I recommend getting this pass before your trip or at your first stop. The Chicago CityPass is $96 for adults and $69 for kids, and gives you an all access pass to the Field Museum, plus entrance to Shedd Aquarium next door and the SkyDeck at Willis (Sears) Tower, as well as several other attractions.

Dining options in the museum:

There are two dining services in the museum. We ate at the Field Bistro, which serves healthy options like soup, salads, and sandwiches, as well as some samples like hot dogs and burgers. Downstairs, an even more casual option has more ‘kid’ foods, like chicken fingers. We were told there are food trucks at the lower level as well, though we did not see them during our trip.

Outside the museum, families can find several hot dog carts, one of which is located between the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium.

Tip: Find more things to do with kids in this guide to 25 top things to do in Chicago!

Hours and admission:

As described above, there are several admission levels. Basic admission is $18 for adults and $13 for kids. The Discovery Pass is the middle level, and is $25 and $18. The All Access is $31 for adults and $21 for kids. Hours are listed here.

Getting there:

The Field Museum is located on the Museum Campus, just south of downtown. It’s an easy metra bus ride on the 146 from Magnificent Mile or State Street (it took us about 15 minutes on a single line from State Street in the River North district). As noted above, it can be busier if there’s an event at Soldier Field. You can also drive, but prepare to pay for parking.

How to plan a Paris itinerary with kids

January 13, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

With its 20 arrondissements connected by a busy metro system, Paris can feel intimating at first. The key to planning a Paris itinerary with kids is to plan your days ahead of time, grouping destinations by proximity and utilizing walking tours to bridge the gaps (figuratively and literally).

When planning our five days in Paris, I started by making a list of our must-do’s, which included the usual suspects: the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, and d’Orsay. Of course, at this point in my planning, I knew I was missing a lot. To properly fill out my itinerary, I utilized itinerary planning services that offer local recommendations, walking tours, and dining picks. Once I had ‘B list’ destinations and restaurants in the mix, I organized my days based on where we could walk after only one or two metro rides per day. Finally, I bought every ticket possible ahead of time, including Paris Museum Passes, which allowed us to skip every entrance queue we found (and we found quite a few).

Itinerary services we recommend:

Momaboard:

I’ve known the folks at Momaboard for years, and I was thrilled to learn they’d launched their trip planning program. Momaboard pairs traveling families with local experts with kids of their own. After a brief questionnaire about our trip, the ages of our kids, and our interests and goals, our Momaboard expert put together several days’ worth of itineraries for us, including detailed directions, dining recommendations, and fun facts en route.

How I used this information: certainly, families can use the itineraries ‘out of the box’. They’re ready to go. However, since I already had a very loose sketch of our our days would look, I instead mixed and matched the attractions suggested. For instance, our Momaboard itinerary suggested a morning in Montmartre followed by an afternoon near the Eiffel Tower. I did both, but broke them up into two different days. By far the most useful part of our Momaboard itinerary: the dining recs. We are not foodies, and we have hungry teens to feed, and all the restaurant picks were right on target for us.

TraveLove:

We also tried out Travelove on this trip. Similar to Momaboard in that Travelove uses local itinerary-builders and asks families questions ahead of time, Travelove printed us a multipage, bound guidebook with custom itineraries, walking tours, and maps…lots and lots of useful maps. They also put together a journal/activity book for our ten-year-old that included custom-built questions and activities based on our particular itinerary. He had a lot of fun with it.

By far, the best attribute of our Travelove service was the walking tours suggested. They went point-by-point, with great maps and descriptions. For instance, they put together an excellent walk from the Tuileries to the Lourve, which we actually walked in reverse. Starting at the Lourve after our morning there, we walked along the Seine past the booksellers, Latin Quarter, and Notre Dame, learning things along the way.

Here’s what our itinerary looked like by the time we’d implemented both these services and gathered ideas from other guidebooks. (I recommend Rick Steves.) Our must-dos we started with are highlighted.

Day 1:

Metro from our neighborhood in Montmartre to Musee de Lourve. Morning at the Louvre, followed by a walking tour along the river through the Latin Quarter to Notre Dame. Dinner in the Hotel D’Ville area. Metro back ‘home’ in time to walk to Sacre Coeur at night to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle.

Day 2:

Metro from our neighborhood to the Eiffel Tower area, where we booked a morning Fat Tire Tour of the Concorde and Invalides area. (See separate post.) Lunch at street vendors under the tower, followed by a stop at a creperie recommended by Momaboard. Timed tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower at sunset.

Day 3:

Metro from our neighborhood to the d’Orsay Museum, followed by a shorter stint in the Rodin courtyard (recommended by a tour guide). Built-in ‘free’ afternoon; we spent it watching the new Star Wars movie followed by a visit to the Paris catacombs.

Day 4:

Toured the area near the Arc d’Triumph and Champs Elysees, including dining recommendations from Momaboard. We concluded our day with a boat tour along the Seine, and explored the seasonal Christmas markets. Almost all of this day was built out based on local recommendations.

Day 5:

Viator tour through Normandy to see D-Day beaches and museums (see separate post).

Getting around:

We used the Paris metro system exclusively. We found it very easy to use once we got our bearings, with good signage and multiple stops. Each day, we hopped on the metro from our Montmartre neighborhood (Chateau Rogue stop) and rode it multiple times per day. To do this, we found multi-day metro passes to be crucial (see below).

A word on the Paris Museum Pass:

The Paris Pass allows families to skip the long lines at museums, and gives parents the freedom to plan shorter museum visits (with the pass, it’s no big deal if you only spend 30 minutes checking out 2-3 major works). Kids are free at almost all museums (18 and under) which is wonderful, but if they don’t have a kids’ Paris Pass, you’ll still need to wait in line to get them a ticket (silly, I know). Because the Paris Pass comes included with a multi-day metro pass, it may be worth it to pay for kids’ passes along with adults, so everyone can skip the lines. Without these passes, we would have waited over an hour to get into the Lourve and Notre Dame each (instead we walked in immediately). Look for the Paris Pass or advanced tickets queue, or ask for it. Note: a few locations indicate they ‘don’t guarantee line skipping’, such as Notre Dame. I asked the guard at the start of the line politely if we needed to wait in line, showing our Paris Pass, and he waved us right in.

General tips:

Seek out the less touristy cafes and food carts, but not at the expense of hunger. After hours in the Lourve, we knew we should go in search of a crepe or baguette, but everyone was hungry and tired and ready to revolt if we walked in the wrong direction. The museum cafe sufficed (and actually had very good takeaway sandwiches).

Give kids spending money: there are so many tempting treats as you walk along the streets in Paris, you’ll be saying ‘no’ every ten minutes if you’re asked to open your wallet that often. Give kids money of their own to spend on tasty but small change treats such as macarons, eclairs, and crepes.

What are your best tips for touring Paris with kids?

Touring Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin: Why this site should be on your itinerary

January 11, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Few attractions in Dublin, Ireland feel more sobering to me than Kilmainham Gaol. An Ireland heritage site, Kilmainham’s influence spans from the 1780s to the 1920’s, serving as a backdrop to multiple tragic and heroic moments in Irish and European history. It’s now one of the largest unoccupied gaols in Europe, and a great place to start learning about Irish history, particularly the Irish Revolution.

Families will want to take a 60 minute tour of the gaol; this is definitely the way to understand what you’re seeing. However, some of the stories told on the tour can be upsetting. For instance, we learned about a man jailed here for starting a political riot in the early 1900s who was permitted to marry his fiancé while in the gaol…only to be executed minutes after the ceremony. We also learned about the harsh conditions of life in Kilmainham, including drafty cells, extreme discomfort and cold, and manual labor, such as moving rocks in the stone yard for hours on end. However, we also learned that during the Irish famine, conditions were so bad in Dublin, many people purposely placed themselves in Kilmainham by stealing bread or some other small crime, just so they’d have a roof over their head and humble meals.

The halls and cells are dank and depressing, but the entire building is impressive to see. School-aged kids will be able to appreciate the stories and history and be wowed by the architecture (and the cool-factor of being in a big prison). Young kids may either lose interest or become frightened; you know you children and can be the best judge.

If you do opt for the guided tour, they are timed tickets, but cannot be booked in advance, unless you’re a group of over 10 people. Otherwise, groups are small: our tour had about 8 people present. We didn’t wait long for our tour time, even in the peak of summer. While you wait, there are exhibits to see.

Hours and Admission:

The gaol is open all year. Hours are:

April – September: Daily 09:30 – 18:00 (last admission at 17:00)

October – March: Mon -Sat 09:30 – 17:30 (last admission at 16:30)

Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00 (last admission at 17:00)

Admission is very reasonable at €4.00 for adults, €2.00 for kids and students, or even better, €10.00 for families.

Getting here:

Most families will rent a car in Ireland. If this is the case for you, it’s easy to get to Kilmainham, which is only 3.5 km from Dublin. The address is Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8. It’s also possible to take public transit.

Photo credit

Pompeii or Ostia Antica: Which to include as a day trip from Rome

January 4, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Click on just about any message board or forum about Roman travel, and you’ll see the question, “Should we go to Pompeii or Ostia Antica during our trip to Rome? After debating the question for ourselves last month as we planned our own Roman holiday, I can tell you there’s no easy answer.

For those in the early stages of planning, here’s the scoop: Pompeii is, of course, the site of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and the archeological remains are those of a civilization caught in time. Ostia Antica is the site of the one-time Roman seaport, which fell out of popularity slowly, as the sea receded (it’s now several miles away). Ostia Antica is also beautifully preserved, and somewhat more accessible in both location and visual layout. The bottom line: do you want to see your ruins with our without a volcano? Here are some questions to ask yourself as you plan:

How much time do you have?

Pompeii is easily a long full day trip from Rome, whereas Ostia Antica is just 30 minutes away. You’ll want to dedicate at least half a day to tour either location (the more the better), so take this into account. Some travelers even make Pompeii an overnight trip. It’s that extensive. To get to Pompeii, you’ll want to take the Frecciarossa line from Termini station in Rome to Napoli Centrale in Naples, then transfer to the local line. Be sure to start your trip early in the day, especially in the off-season, when exhibits at Pompeii closer earlier (as early as 3 pm). Advanced reservations are only needed for the first leg of the train trip. If you opt to rent a car in Italy, you’ll definitely save time and have more flexibility.

What’s your budget for a day trip?

Train tickets to Pompeii ran about $70 per adult and $30 for children in late 2015. Consider this cost in your considerations. Tickets to Ostia Antica are just a few euros, and the train line is included in the greater metro area of Rome. This means that if you have Roma Pass, you’ll travel there for free. Both locations charge entry fees, but they’re minimal. At both locations, it’s possible to either tour on your own or hire a local guide.

What type of preservation do you hope to see?

Pompeii is unique in that it’s literally a moment preserved in time. Ostia Antica was abandoned more slowly and naturally, as the port grew out of service (as the sea receded). Therefore, what you’ll see there is a more generalized ruin that represents many centuries. There’s more to physically see at Ostia Antica, because it’s all above ground and spread out in a city format. At Pompeii, much is still hidden under layers of ash and dirt, but what you can see is magnificent. So the question boils down to: do you want to show your children what a civilization looks like in mid-movement, when struck by a natural disaster, or what many centuries of commerce look like? There’s no wrong answer.

What we decided:

After much debate, we decided to take the plunge and go to Pompeii. Why? Several members of our traveling party were set on it, and when there’s that much enthusiasm for a site, that’s where we head. There’s something vey iconic about seeing Pompeii, and I didn’t want to damper this excitement. Would we have loved Ostia Antica? I have no doubt we would have. As I said before, there’s no wrong answer here.

The above post was written in partnership with Alamo Europe. All opinions remain my own.

Snow day activities that get kids and adults outside

December 26, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

It’s easy to succumb to cabin fever during our long Canadian winters. Most of us probably don’t get outside as much as we would like to in the winter months, which is unfortunate because winter offers a host of fun activities that are perfect for the whole family. Not only are winter activities fun, but they are a great way to make sure your children stay active and healthy. So when the snow starts to fall, grab your scarf and mittens and head outside to enjoy any of these fun snow day activities.

Skiing and Snowboarding

Skiing and snowboarding are certainly one of the most popular winter activities around. Having a vehicle in Canada, is a great — and sometimes the only — way to get to and from some of our country’s excellent ski destinations.

Most ski resorts offer ski and snowboard classes and bunny hills that are perfect for children and families. But don’t assume that you need a hill to ski. Cross-country skiing may not be as popular as its downhill counterpart, but it is a fun way to spend the day together and enjoy the great outdoors. Furthermore, it offers a gentler pace for the little ones or for those who prefer the tranquility of nature over the adrenaline rush of downhill skiing.

Skating and Hockey

Most towns and cities operate free skating rinks during the winter months. The ice rink at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square has long been a huge draw for families throughout southern Ontario, but there are plenty of other (and less crowded ones) in towns and backyards throughout the country. For many, of course, the best skating is not to be found at an ice rink, but the old fashioned way by enjoying skating and a game of hockey on a frozen pond.

Alternatively, Arrowhead Provincial Park’s ice skating trail may be one of the most unique skating experiences available. This frozen trail takes families on a skating journey through one of Ontario’s most scenic natural parks.

Sledding and Tubing

It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s a great way to keep kids (and adults!) happy and healthy during the winter months. From toboggans to magic carpets, there are plenty of ways to sled down a hill and all of them are a blast for children. Because it is so much fun, kids hardly even realize how much exercise they are getting dragging their sleds back up the hill after each run.

Of course, be sure to only choose a hill that is safe and legal to sled down. Similarly, you can also take your family to a snow tubing park, which provides for even more thrills. Linking the tubes and going down the hill together is especially popular with kids.

Winter may be cold and snowy, but that is no excuse to stay indoors. Instead of spending countless hours watching television or playing video games, do something this winter that will get the whole family healthy and active. There are countless snow day activities that are bound to make this winter one your family will remember for years to come.

Victoria Edge is an advocate for getting kids (and parents!) outdoors and away from screens and technology. Saying this, she does enjoy blogging in her down time. Her articles can be found on a growing number of parenting, lifestyle and travel blogs.

24-hour Chicago winter itinerary with kids

December 18, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

On a snowy November weekend, my youngest son and I found ourselves in Chicago. Our trip there was accidental; we had been en route to Savannah, Georgia when we became stranded at O’Hare during the first snowstorm of the season. After 30-plus hours trying to continue our planned itinerary, our flight was cancelled and rebooked two days later. Rather than sit around waiting to depart, we decided to enjoy a Chicago winter itinerary. Here’s what we did with 24 hours in Chicago:

Morning: Head to the Museum Campus

Captain Obvious alert: Chicago in winter is cold! Rather than brave the weather all day long, start your itinerary with an indoors activity. We took Metra to the Museum Campus, which houses both The Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium. Families will want to budget at least three hours for each. Because we wanted to spend some time outdoors enjoying the wintry atmosphere as well, we opted to visit just one indoor attraction—Field Museum—but if you’d rather spend all day indoors (or the weather necessitates it), you could happily spend all day on the Museum Campus, checkout out both attractions.

We chose to visit the Field Museum for its temporary exhibits, including an excellent exhibit on Ancient Egypt and on Mastodons and Mammoths. In order to see these, we upgraded from a standard entrance fee to a full access pass, a difference of approximately $10 per person. With this pass comes admission to the museum’s 3D movie options as well. We started downstairs, checking out these special exhibits first, then moved our way up the museum to end with a 3D movie (check movie times when you enter). Favorite stops among the permanent exhibits included the mammals section and dinosaur section (which has a focus on extinctions during the ages).

We spent all morning enjoying the warmth of the museum, then ate lunch at the museum bistro, which had many healthy options, including a full salad bar and specialty sandwiches and soups. Alternatives include classic Chicago hot dog carts outside and—we were told later—food trucks on the museum ground floor.

Afternoon: Ice skating at Millennium Park

From the Museum Campus, we used the pedestrian underpass to access the nearest Metra bus stop, and took a bus back toward downtown to Millennium Park. We used Google Maps to find the correct bus lines for both the ride to and from the Museum Campus, and had no trouble using the system. If paying cash, our rides were $2.50 for adults and $1 for kids, each way.

At Millennium Park, the McCormick Ice Skating Rink is only about half a block further on foot. On the Sunday before the Thanksgiving holiday, the rink was crowded, but not unmanageable. Plus, the snowy weather added charm to the experience! We waited in line approximately 25 minutes to rent skates (they have a timed system here, so not too many people are crowding the rental area and rink at one time). Once on the ice, we could skate indefinitely. We enjoyed the rink for about 45 minutes, then took a break at the Warming Hut, which serves hot cocoa with a full hot cocoa ‘bar’ (toppings include several kinds of marshmallows, chocolate shavings, candy bar crumbles, and syrups), plus tea and coffee, to which liquors can be added. The hut has a padded floor, so there’s no need to take off skates while warming up.

We continued skating about 30 minutes or so, then unlaced so we could climb the stairs above the rink to check out the famous Chicago ‘bean’ sculpture, which overlooks the skating area. It was fun to see it reflecting the snowy Chicago landscape! We didn’t see much else to do outdoors in the immediate vicinity, but were told that had we been there just a week or so later, the ‘ice skating ribbon’ at adjacent Maggie Daley Park would have been open.

Early evening: City lights

Twilight hit the cityscape at approximately 4:30 pm, and we made our way back to the Metra stop to take a bus to Sears Tower (now called Willis Tower). The SkyDeck allows visitors to enjoy amazing views of the city from the 103rd floor, and even step out onto a glass floor for a thrill. Because we weren’t in the city long enough to warrant buying CityPass (more on this below), we had an hour wait in line for the SkyDeck (including the security line). We loved the views of the city with lights aglow, but agreed the wait was too long. There are two alternatives:

1. Buy CityPass tickets. We always buy CityPass when we visit participating cities, but our visit to Chicago was just too short this time around to make it worthwhile financially. However, if we’d even had one more day, we would have bought the tickets, which are approximately $95 for adults and $69 for kids, and allow entry to 5-7 attractions. With CityPass, families skip the majority of the queue at all attractions, and CityPass holders we saw at Willis Tower enjoyed very little wait time.

2. Head to Hancock Tower instead, and eat a meal at Signature Room on the 95th floor. I’m told the views here are just as amazing, and while you do need to purchase something to eat or drink to enjoy it, the price is less than SkyDeck. Unfortunately, during our visit, a small fire caused the building to close.

Evening: Dining in or out

I polled my favorite Midwest travel writers when I realized we’d be spending a day in Chicago, and they offered several great dining recommendations. Topping the list is Eataly, an upscale but fun Italian dining experience that even includes a Nutella bar. Eataly can be found at 43 E. Ohio. Other top picks are Pizzeria Due at 619 N. Wabash and Flo and Santos at 1310 S. Wabash. Where did we go? Back to our hotel to cozy up with room service! We loved ending our day in Chicago in our robes, looking out our window to watch the Chicago skyline.

Deal: Save up to 53% on Chicago’s 5 best attractions with CityPASS. Shop Now!

Alternate ideas for a Chicago winter itinerary:

While we couldn’t get to everything we wanted to during this trip, the following additional winter activities are on our radar for next time.

Museum of Science and Industry: This year, this museum is hosting an amazing robot exhibit called Robot Revolution, which cutting edge robots around around the world kids can interact with. During the holiday season, it also features Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light, which depicts holiday traditions from dozens of countries and cultures.
Christkindl Market: This annual German Christmas market is held on Daley Plaza, with traditional wooden huts and vendors from Germany.
A Christmas Carol: This show is also an annual tradition and almost always a sell-out, so get advanced tickets for the Goodman Theatre.
Zoolights: Held every holiday season, Zoolights at Lincoln Park Zoo showcases light displays across the zoo in the after-hours; families can come during daylight to see the animals and stay for the light show.
Navy Pier: Though a different experience than during the warmer months, Navy Pier has events and attractions open year round. Pick a day that’s not too chilly to be directly on the water. During our visit, it was simply too windy for us to feel comfortable at Navy Pier!

Where to stay: Westin Chicago River North

We stayed two nights in complete luxurious comfort at Westin Chicago River North, which offered the perfect downtown location for our adventure. Our room on the 9th floor overlooked the Chicago River, and we loved watching the snow fall on the water and bridges. We upgraded to club level, which allowed us to use the club lounge on the 20th floor included in our stay. While an initial investment, I always recommend upgrading to club or concierge level when available. Most offer a complete breakfast service, plus snacks and drinks available all day and an appetizer and small plates spread in the evening to easily feed children and even adults (depending the day’s offering). If you’ll be at the hotel enough to take advantage of at least the breakfast and one additional stop-in during the day or evening, the value is there.

From O’Hare airport, the Westin North River is only one metra train line away (blue line from O’Hare), plus a two block walk. It’s also only two blocks from the metra bus lines. The views are amazing, and the concierge desk is invaluable when planning a last minute itinerary!

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Ecotourism activities in Costa Rica: Nature parks and lodging

December 17, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

The Republic of Costa Rica is a rough and tropical rain forested Central American country, with a population of around 4.5 million. The country is popular for nature travel destination among the tourist because of its rich flora and fauna, beaches and volcanoes. Costa Rica has the highest population of plants and animals species on earth.

There are around 26 nature parks, 8 biological reserves, 32 protected zones, 11 forest reserves, 58 wildlife refuges, 15 wetlands in Costa Rica (source: Costa Rica National Parks) which is home to 850 type of bird species, 237 mammal species, 1,260 tree species, 1,200 orchid species, and 361 reptile and amphibian species. Because of the rich wildlife, ecotourism activities in Costa Rica are one of the popular and key activities of the tourism industry which attracts large crowd of tourist to this country. As ecotourism is a major source of income; the country has very strict environmental policies, to safe guard the environment. Government also implemented special programs like Bandera Azul Program (Ecological Blue Flag) and Voluntary Certification Program to evaluate and maintain sustainable tourism with the conservation of the environment.

Ecotourism activities in Costa Rica provides a combination of luxury and adventure activities, which includes visits to rich wildlife to experience flora and fauna, visiting volcanoes, hiking, river rafting, bird watching, whale watching, canopy tours, horse riding, bungee jumping, surfing and snorkeling are some of the few mentions. You can also visit to the local coffee plantations and visits to the local communities to know more about their culture. In Costa Rica you will experience rainforest, volcanoes, beaches, wetlands and caves all at one place. These activities are not only for fun and leisure but also take you closer to the nature and help you understand the natural life more properly.

Top 5 nature parks in Costa Rica

Manuel Antonio National Park (Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio)

A small national park established in 1972 near Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Although smallest of all Costa Rican natural parks, the park is among the most beautiful natural parks in the world. It covers an area of around 680 hectares. About 150,000 tourists visit this park annually. Manuel Antonio National Park encompasses tropical rain forest, white sand beaches and coral reefs. Although the park is smallest of all in Costa Rica, the diversity of wildlife is immense. This park is home of is 109 mammal species and 184 bird species. Brown-throated three-toed sloth, Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth and white-headed capuchin monkey are the major feature of this park.

Rincón de la Vieja National Park ( Parque Nacional Volcán Rincón de la Vieja)

A national park situated in the Guanacaste province of the northwestern part of Costa Rica. This 34,800 acre national park is a combination of active volcanoes and tropical forests with naturally heated pools, mud fumaroles and beautiful waterfalls. Rincón de la Vieja, Santa María and dormant volcano Cerro Von Seebach are the volcanoes in this national park. The park is rich of flora and fauna which include species like pumas, jaguar, monkeys-howler, spider, and white-faced-kinkajous, sloths, and tapirs.

Isla del Coco (Cocos Island)

An uninhabited island declared as a protected national park, situated in Pacific Ocean around 550 kms from Costa Rica. Cocos Island is the only oceanic island in Pacific region with such a dense rainforests and diverse flora and fauna. Because the island is never linked to the continent, the island is home of endemic species. There are around 230 species of plants, 400 species of insects, 90 bird species and rich marine fauna with a large population of yellow fin tuna, giant mantas, sailfish and sharks such as white tip reef shark, scalloped hammerhead shark and the whale shark. About 3200 of tourists visits this park annually. One of the major attractions of this park is the rich underwater world, ideal for scuba diving.

Corcovado National Park (Parque Nacional Corcovado)

A national park established in 1975 situated on Osa Peninsula in south eastern part of Costa Rica covering a 42,400 hectare of area. It’s the largest park in Costa Rica, with intense and richest bio diversity in the world. The park is open for day and overnight visits (with professional guides) for tourists. This park is home to abundance of wildlife like, scarlet macaws, spider monkeys, Central American squirrel monkey, mantled howler monkeys, sloths, anteaters, pumas, white faced capuchin monkeys, woodpeckers, hermit crabs and pelicans just to name some few.

Tortuguero National Park

This is third most visited national park, which is situated in the northeastern part of the Costa Rica, reached only by airplane or boat. It covers an area of 31173 hectare. This national park is a protected area because of its bio diversity and eco system, which supports endangered species of flora and fauna. The park is located in a tropical climate, which includes rain forests, mangrove forests, swamps, beaches, and lagoons. This national park has a long beach nearly 35 kilometers, which serve as protective nesting ground for the sea turtles which is the main attraction. This park consist of around 400 species for trees and 2200 species of plants and fauna species like, sea turtles (hawksbill, loggerheads, green, and leatherbacks), bull shark, eel and 30 species of freshwater fish.

Where to Stay in Costa Rica

Apart from the ecological activities, Costa Rica is also famous for the ecofriendly resorts. As the government in the country have very strict environmental rules. Every resort in the country has to go through CST (Certification for Sustainable Tourism) program. Under this program, the resort has to be made and run in such a way that they have minimum impact on the nature. Some of the key parameters which all the resorts have to maintain is recycling products, implementation of water and energy saving devices, proper disposal of the waste and conservation and expansion of Costa Rica’s forests.

These ecofriendly resorts are built very close to the nature, far from the towns, which gives the visitors a direct access to the natural outdoor. Tourists can very easily hike through the trails from the resort property to the surrounding forests, hill sides and beaches. As they are situated in isolated locations, they are dependent on solar and wind power for electricity and grow their own food with the help of the local people. These resorts are less fancy and no that much luxurious in comparison of the regular resorts, but definitely they provide accommodation in places like these, which is hard to find mostly. Also the Costa Rican food available in eco lodges is very organic, tasty and fresh. Still some of these are providing luxury rooms, villas and bungalows with AC and WIFI facilities.

Not only the stay, the activities offered in Costa Rica resorts is numerous and also very popular, which includes day and night tours to the wild life, hiking tours, horse-back riding tours, tours to the natural hot springs with local eco-guides, volcano views from observation towers, visits to herbal farms, bird watching, dolphin, whale-watching and adventure activities like mountain bike rides, canopy zip line tours, sport fishing, white-water river rafting, snorkeling, surfing, kayaking and scuba diving. Also the resort helps you to properly schedule your activities and tours for you. So if experiencing nature is your priority travel goal in Costa Rica, these eco lodges will be your priority spots for stay. Here are some popular eco-friendly Costa Rica resorts, Lapa Rios, Luna Nueva Lodge, La Cusinga Lodge, Bosque Del Cabo, Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica Tree House Lodge, Cerro Escondido and Rara Avis Rainforest Lodge and Reserve.

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Tip: Find more things to do with kids in this guide to 25 top things to do in Chicago!

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Skiing and Snowboarding

Skating and Hockey

Sledding and Tubing

Morning: Head to the Museum Campus

Afternoon: Ice skating at Millennium Park

Early evening: City lights

Evening: Dining in or out

Deal: Save up to 53% on Chicago’s 5 best attractions with CityPASS. Shop Now!

Alternate ideas for a Chicago winter itinerary:

Where to stay: Westin Chicago River North

Top 5 nature parks in Costa Rica

Where to Stay in Costa Rica