Family Adventure Guidebooks Photo Journalist in Training, Justin Smith
This post is made possible by one of the hansomest young photographers I know, my son Justin Smith, age 12. I did not join him on this outing. Although this garden really brings out the best in kids who are able to walk quietly and use their inside voices, it is not appropriate for preschoolers, toddlers and even exuberant kindergarteners. Jared and I stayed home! Recently my seven year old daughter joined my mom for a trip to the Self Realization Temple Meditation Garden. It was a rite of passage for Destiny that she was able to enjoy the garden in a quiet and mature manner, and we lavished her with praise. Looking forward to that hopefully not so far off day, when the entire family can enjoy this garden. In the mean time I live vicariously through Justin’s gorgeous photos:
Cactus in Bloom, Self Realization Temple Garden Encinitas
Once again, Family Adventure Guidebooks is proud to participate in the Passports with Purpose Travel Blog Fundraiser. Passports with Purpose, is a yearly fundraiser organized by travel bloggers that raises money for deserving non profits throughout the world. Last year Passports with Purpose raised over $30,000 to build a school in Cambodia. You can find out more about the this beautiful school built by PWP donations .
This year the goal is even more ambitious. We hope to raise over $50,000 in order to build a village in Southern India with the help of the non profit organization . How do we plan to do it? Well Passports with Purpose has some wonderful sponsors ( , , , , , , , , , and .) who have given us a big boost towards our goal, but we still have a lot of money to raise. How can you help? Bloggers around the web used their connections to secure great travel related prizes. For a ten dollar donation you can enter a drawing for the prize of your choice. It’s that simple! Check out the . Drawings will be held on December 13th to give you plenty of time, to slip your prize under the Christmas tree if you wish!
Because Carlsbad is one of the most beautiful, most fun, most exciting locations for a family vacation (can you tell I live here ? ). I have worked with LEGOLAND California, The Museum of Making Music, and HotelClub.com to bring you a fun LEGOLAND getaway for four. The winner of the Family Adventure Guidebooks LEGOLAND prize pack with receive single day Sealife Aquarium/LEGOLAND hopper passes for four. They will also receive four tickets to the nearby Museum of Making Music. In order to make sure you have a place to stay during your LEGOLAND Adventure you will receive a $200 Hotel Club credit at HotelClub.com. You can use this for one night in an upscale property or two or more nights at a more budget oriented choice.
You have until mid September to use your prize passes, so do your Christmas shopping at the LEGOLAND gift shop, stop by the Carlsbad Flower Fields in the spring, or upgrade to a LEGOLAND water park ticket for a nominal price and float down the river on a LEGO raft. The possibilities are limitless!
I’ll also throw in a PDF copy of The Unauthorized Legoland Guidebook to help you find some great local restaurants and other nearby kid friendly attractions.
The value of this package totals more than $550 dollars! Not bad for a $10 donation. and click on the LEGOLAND prize pack. Hope you win
Happy Trails,
Bridget
P.S. Thanks to , The , and for your generous donations.
Here’s more info about Hotel Club:
Whether you are looking to book a or , HotelClub.com has got you covered.”
HotelClub.com is a world leading global accommodation website offering hotel and accommodation bookings for up to 12 months in advance. Established in 1996, HotelClub provides consumers with over 69,000 accommodation choices in over 7,300 cities worldwide throughout 138 countries. HotelClub is a truly global offering with its services available in fourteen languages. The company operates three websites – , and .”
Destiny, Jared and I boogied down at the Brick or Treat Celebration at last weekend. The weather was pure Indian summer and we had a great time getting together with friends, watching the shows, and getting our groove on at the Brick or Treat Dance Party. Brick or Treat activities are much more spread out this year, which makes things a lot easier and more fun. The last one I attended there were moments that felt more claustrophobic especially as we went from place to place with preschoolers. Now that the festivities take place throughout half of the park, kids and parents have plenty of room to enjoy the fun. Here are some highlights of our Brick or Treat adventures:
Meeting Up With Friends
Family Adventure Guidebooks was lucky enough to receive a VIP invite to attend Brick or Treat. The kids and I had fun seeing two of my favorite travel bloggers and their kids. Sharlene Earnshaw of and came with her delightful twins. We had fun swapping stories as moms of bossy big sisters and mischievious little brothers. Coleen Lanin of brought her kids as well and as the kids enjoyed to Duplo Play Area the moms shared blogging and travel writing war stories. I love the picture below because it shows that girls like construction equipment to .
Construction Girls, LEGOLAND CA
LEGOLAND is an ideal place for a play date. Kids love hanging out with their friends, and Moms have someone to help keep them sane as they navigate the theme park lines. It is also allows for a little kid swapping so the daring can ride the roller coasters and the timid can find other fun. We were lucky to spend the rest of our evening with Destiny’s best friend and her family. Aren’t they cute as they pose by the Brick or Treat Trail?
Destiny and Friends LEGOLAND CA
LEGOLAND DANCE PARTY
This was one of the best parts of our Brick or Treat Adventure. The witchy cast members were experts at creating a fun environment where kids felt comfortable boogieing down . The music was fun, kid appropriate yet bearable for the adults. Kids got participation ribbons which unfortunately didn’t stick to clothing very well and were lost within minutes. Destiny and Jared could have spent all night shaking their groove things.
Destiny's Brick or Treat Dance Moves
Disco Jared, Brick or Treat Party LEGOLAND CA
Brick or Treat Trail
Brick or Treat Trail, Legoland Ca
The kids love this experience because they get candy. I love this experience because they don’t get too much candy. This year LEGOLAND is offering Brick or Treat Trails at two different locations, but kids can only choose one. I’m glad they’re spreading out, but wish the kids could try both trails. It’s pretty hard to explain to an impulsive five year old, why he can’t go trick or treating at that cool are over there.
The Scoop on Brick or Treat
My kids are passionate fans of Halloween and it is excruciating for them to wait 31 days until trick or treating despite the spooky decorations popping up on our neighbor’s houses and the giant bags of candy showing up in the stores. Brick or Treat is the perfect place for little kids to get ready for Halloween. The LEGOLAND staff and Cast Members work very hard to transform LEGOLAND into a truly magical place for a night time adventure. continues Saturday Nights through Halloween. It’s free with a full day admission, but there is also a lower cost option for evenings only. $30 to visit LEGOLAND. That’s a bargain!
P.S. To learn more about other fun Halloween happenings in the San Diego Area check out my post on .
P.P.S. Family Adventure Guidebooks is a proud participant in Trekaroo’s Blog Roundup.
P.P.P.S. Family Adventure Guidebooks received complimentary passes to attend Brick or Treat. This didn’t really influence my review as I am already a huge LEGOLAND fan without the freebees. I even wrote a book about it. Check out on LULU.com
Two of the Smith family’s favorite San Diego Attractions, the and the(formally the ) are offering FREE KIDS ADMISSION during the month of October.
The zoo has lots of fun and active kids activities planned for the month. I hope to make it there sometime in the next few weeks to give you a first hand account, but in the mean time you can visit the for event details.
Today I’m off to for their annual Brick or Treat celebration. This fun Halloween themed activity including a Brick or Treating Trail, costume contests, etc. starts today and continues weekends through Halloween.
I took a summer sabbatical from writing. Not a great idea for a travel blogger . Still, I’m back with plenty of adventures to share. One of the highlights of our summer was a trip to the Padres game at in for the Fourth of July. We purchased a cheap package on Groupon, that included great seats, a hot dog lunch, and Padres hats. I definitely recommend signing for Groupon and keeping up with the deals. They can really save you money on a family adventure. In previous years we have spent Independence Day at minor league games. This is another affordable way to share baseball with the family.
I was worried that my wiggly five and six year old wouldn’t make it through the game, but they did great. Before the game we went exploring and came upon a great display about the construction of Petco Park and some of the Padres greatest players. Jared and Destiny were particularly impressed with Tony Gwinn’s golden glove.
Tonny Gwynn's Golden Glove
We returned to our seats just in time to witness the pre-game festivities. My oldest Justin had just returned from a trip to and was excited to see the Revolutionary War cast of characters come alive on the ball field.
Revolutionary War Salute
The entire family enjoyed the first few innings then the little guys and I headed to the ballpark playground to get some energy out. I was able to follow the game on the nearby Jumbotron.
Petco Playground
We scooted back into our seats in the 8th inning and were able to celebrate together as the Padres won over the Colorado Rockies. The Smith Family went wild along with the rest of the crowd. Here’s a picture of our happy tired crew.
I was appalled to read yesterday, that High School English Classes are no longer assigning fiction in most of their curriculum. In order to combat this ignorant and shortsighted trend I plan to start including where possible great books that reflect the theme of my posts. Here are some baseball suggestions:
Jim and Me by Dan Gutman. All of Dan Gutman’s baseball adventures are amazing and teach kids about US history and Baseball greats. This particular book is about a Native American Ball Playing Legend Jim Thorpe.
What I Learned from Jackie Robinson by Carl Erskine . I must confess I plan to bribe my 11 year-old to read this book. Written by one of Robinson’s team mates it provides an inspirational and compelling look at the life of one of Baseball’s greatest and bravest athletes.
This year it is more important than ever to celebrate World Ocean’s Day. The devastating oil spill off of the coast of the US could have been prevented. If we give our children an appreciation of our world’s oceans, they will be better policy makers and protectors of this fragile marine ecosystem.
Living in a tourist town I can tell you that a clean healthy ocean creates a thriving local economy . People come to enjoy clean beaches and to swim in clean water. This is what is making the effects of the current oil spill particularly devastating for southern economies.
It is easy to overlook that the mission of many local aquariums includes a conservation component. These are not just glorified theme parks, but organizations that are dedicated to educating the public about respecting marine life and making decisions that have a positive impact on our oceans. A child who has a chance to learn how to touch creatures gently under the watchful eye of a docent, will take that knowledge on their family tide pool excursions and hopefully know to leave those critters in their native habitat . The child who sees the exhibit on global warming will start shutting off lights and encouraging their parents to carpool. The child who sees a giant mural made out of beach trash will think twice before discarding a gum wrapper in the sand.
Growing up I spent many days at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and those visits inspire a life long fascination with the marine world. At seventeen, I proposed a bill that banned off shore oil drilling at the Youth and Government Model Legislature and Court program. As a teacher, I took classes at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and shared the knowledge I gained with my students. Many of those students lived very close to the beach but had never been there. A fieldtrip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium opened up a whole new world for them. As a parent , I join my kids for beach cleanups. We are always amazed at the trash we find.
In Carlsbad we are lucky to have the Sea Life Aquarium just down the street from us. I must confess that when it was first constructed I wondered if it was really a worthwhile addition to Legoland. After all the Birch Aquarium at UC San Diego and Sea World are both just a half hour away. After I did some research into the Sea Life organization and paid a second visit to Sea Life on a less crowded day, I started to gain a deeper appreciation for this little kid friendly aquarium. Sealife sponsors cleanups of local beaches. They have proudly displayed a mosaic entitled, “Beach Trash, a Whale of a Problem” constructed by local school children. Visitors are asked to make a clean oceans pledge before leaving the aquarium. If you have preschoolers, the smaller size of this aquarium and the specially designed peep holes that put kids in the middle of the tank make this an ideal introduction to the marine world.
This Saturday my family will be honoring World Ocean’s Day with a visit to the Sea Life Aquarium. They are sponsoring a fun Dr. Seuss themed day with plenty of conservation information snuck into the Seussian silliness of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. More information about their World Oceans Day Celebration is included on the .
World Ocean’s Day Celebrations are being held world wide. If you have some free time this Saturday or next week on June 8, the actual World Ocean’s Day, visit the to find a place to celebrate.
With three kids and the price of airfare, we tend to stick close to home for many of our vacations. That doesn’t mean we spend all our time at Disneyland, however. There are lots of fun ways for families to enjoy their California vacations. Here are some of our favorites from North to South.
View from the Train, Train Town Sonoma
Sonoma Adventures
Picnic in the Sonoma Plaza: This was one of my family’s favorite day trips as a child. Last summer I returned with my kids and am happy to say it continues to be very fun. Grab a picnic from a local gourmet deli and play at the Children’s Playground.
Ride a train at Train Town: Admission is affordable and the ride on the miniature train is perfect for all ages. You stop to take on water at a kid sized town that the little ones enjoy exploring.
US Pampanito, Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco California
San Francisco Adventures
Visit Fisherman’s Wharf Play vintage games at the Musee Mechanique and take an audio tour of the USS Pampanito Submarine.
Explore the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park This National Historic Park has a cheap entrance fee and plenty of big vessels to explore. They also have a wide assortment of tours and kids programs.
Roaring Camp Railroads, Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz Adventures
Ride a Train Through the Redwoods Roaring Camp provides old fashioned family fun. You can ride a steam train through the redwoods or catch a diesel down to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
Ride the Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk This is my favorite roller coaster in the world. It’s more than 100 years old and you can catch a glimpse off the ocean and the town of Santa Cruz as you zoom along.
Carlsbad Adventures
Build and Test at LEGOLAND California Carlsbad, California is a charming family oriented beach town with a great family attraction. Legoland California is an interactive theme park for young children. The Sea Life Aquarium and the new LEGO themed Water Park give families more reasons to visit.
Play at the Flower Fields. Unfortunately the Flower Fields have finished their season, but if you return next spring, you will be awed by the fields of flowers. Kid’s enjoy a quaint Santa’s Village themed playground.
Soar Over the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Adventures
Go on Safari at the San Diego Zoo. It may be clique, but a visit to the world famous San Diego Zoo is a must see for family travelers. Keep an eye out for The Unauthorized Guide to the San Diego Zoo releasing later this year.
Stop by Cousin’s Candy in Old Town. Old Town San Diego is a great location for family adventure. Kids enjoy visiting the old buildings and learning about life in old San Diego. The highlight of your trip will be the trip to this old fashioned candy store- trust me .
Happy Trails,
Bridget
PS “I wrote this blog post while participating in the Williamsburg Tourism and TwitterMoms blogging program for a chance to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, .
Living up in Carlsbad, a tony suburb in Northern San Diego county, sometimes it’s easy to forget that I’m minutes away from a metropolitan city. Last night I ventured down town to for a Mom’s Night Out event at the elegant . We met at the Porto Vista’s rooftop bar which offers a stunning view of the San Diego Harbor and downtown.
San Diego Cityscape from Porto Vista Rooftop Bar
This hotel has a very distinctive vibe of retro urban chic. Step into the lobby and you are greeted by a bright yellow vintage vespa. Everything is sleek and post modern. I stopped by The Glass Door Restaurant, which offers city views through wall length windows or share an intimate cocktail with your love out on the balcony.
Fun quirks of this sophisticated hotel are the fact that you can bring your dog to the Friday HappyHour or attend a free yoga class. Although it’s not the first place you would think of when planning your family vacation, it’s proximity to the airport and down town as well as shuttles to many nearby attractions make it a destination to consider.
As twilight fell over the city and I headed home, I took a moment to reflect on my downtown San Diego adventure. I plan to return with my children this summer. It’s time that they get a taste of life in the big city and see the world outside their sheltered corner of San Diego. I’m looking forward to exploring the restaurants of Little Italy, and maybe going in search of the best gelato San Diego has to offer.
I enjoyed networking with other bloggers including ,, , , at thebobbypin.com. I had a chance to reconnect with my friend . I always turn to her blog when I need to laugh…and think, or maybe think…and laugh. I also had a chance to talk with Charity Lacey, a San Diego Marketing expert with a new business venture designed to connect bloggers and brands.
Family Adventure Guidebooks participates in . Other places you could find me this week are Mother of All Trips , The currently visiting , and Trekaroos . My post about the new Polar Bear Plunge exhibit at the is now live at Uptake. Phew! I’ve been busy this week.
Off for a well deserved rest . Have a great weekend!
Clutch and Friends, Clutch Powers 4-D Movie Legoland, California
This Spring my kids and I were invited to preview LEGOLAND’s newest 4-D movie, “Clutch Powers” and spend the day at LEGOLAND. As usual LEGOLAND delivered a fast paced and creative 4-D movie experience that great for preschoolers and young school aged kids. We also received a complimentary Clutch Powers DVD that was watched many times at home.
As long as your child can handle a darkened movie theater with lots of noise and some surprises, (mist, blowing air, etc), this movie will be lots of fun. It’s a great way to take a rest after a busy day at LEGOLAND.
I enjoy Clutch Powers a lot because he is creative and solves problems using LEGO Bricks. One of my favorite things about the LEGOLAND movie is that the creations look very much like the models I see being invented at home. They are interesting, show out of the box thinking, but don’t look like the slick LEGO models that you can buy in the store. I think this encourages kids to think creatively and problem solve. With a little imagination, it’s easy to become Clutch Powers saving the universe with their LEGO building prowess.
The movie starts out with a lot of competition and infighting among Clutch and his friends, but ends with a message of cooperation. It might be good to review this lesson on your way out the door, since of course the competitive extremes are what get the big laughs from the kids.
If you think your kids would enjoy a copy of the Clutch Powers DVD you can purchase at Amazon using the highlighted link.
I was joined at the preview by my friend Colleen Lanin, from Travel Mamas.com with her daughter. Our kids immediately bonded and we had a great time exploring the park together. You can read more about the Family Adventure Guidebooks/ adventures at LEGOLAND at Colleen’s . She is also giving away free LEGOLAND tickets plus a copy of my excellent so be sure to stop by.
Summer is coming up. If you want to make the most of your LEGOLAND visit, check out my UPTAKE post on beating the summer crowds at .
We have been San Diego Zoo and members on and off for the last three years, and I have never attended annual “” exhibit. This year Spring Break fell during the tail end of this fabulous event and nothing…not dishwasher deliveries or kids with colds was going to stop us! So a bit sniffly we ventured out after lunch in search of some Wild Animal Park butterflies.
Silly Butterflies, SD Wild Animal Park
Upon our arrival we met some pretty amusing butterflies. My kids were a bit skeptical and didn’t want to stop and dance with these unusal creatures. There were a bunch of two year olds boogying down with Latin American instruments however. We followed the giant silken butterflies posted throughout the park until we came upon… a pretty substantial line!
Luckily the Wild Animal Park made waiting in line both amusing and enjoyable. There was a guy in butterfly wings giving out barbecue flavored meal worms and crickets for the guests to try. It was fun to see people’s responses when they were offered real live bugs. My ten year old, Justin and I tried these delicacies. Justin was a little hesitant to eat the cricket, but in the end he found it delicious! He made me eat the legs, however.
Bottoms Up!
Not So Sure About the Crickets!
The highlight of our wait in line was a visit with the Butterfly Queen who was giving out bookmarks. Destiny and Jared thought she was delightful!
Once again I was amazed by the patience and creativity of the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park’s staff and volunteers. They are truly a priceless gift to the visitors.
The kids were very bummed. Despite being decked out in our most colorful threads, we didn’t have a single butterfly land on us. Justin and I had fun taking pictures though.
Green Butterfly, Butterfly Jungle, SD Wild Animal Park
Taking Flight
The kids had fun spinning for the volunteers as we left the exhibit. They need to check to make sure that there aren’t any hitchhikers since the FDA prohibits these butterflies being released into the wild.
If you want to catch this colorful exhibit before it leaves, head to the San Diego Wild Animal Park this weekend. Say hi to those silly butterfly folks from me!
Happy Trails,
Bridget
PS Family Adventure Guidebooks participates in Delicious Baby’s Blog Roundup.
If you are planning to visit the Legoland theme park in Carlsbad, California, this book contains all the information you need to make the most of your family adventure. The book also includes information about other area attractions, local restaurants and hotels.
Bridget Smith, mom of three, loves to blog about everyday adventures. Her mission is to change the world; one kid, one destination, one effortless trip, one overworked mom, one frazzled dad... one day at a time! Come and join her.
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). I have worked with LEGOLAND California, The Museum of Making Music, and HotelClub.com to bring you a fun LEGOLAND getaway for four. The winner of the Family Adventure Guidebooks LEGOLAND prize pack with receive single day Sealife Aquarium/LEGOLAND hopper passes for four. They will also receive four tickets to the nearby Museum of Making Music. In order to make sure you have a place to stay during your LEGOLAND Adventure you will receive a $200 Hotel Club credit at HotelClub.com. You can use this for one night in an upscale property or two or more nights at a more budget oriented choice.
at Amazon using the highlighted link.
