Live Young and Run Free at Ramblewild

Hidden inside the forest on the MA/NY line of the Berkshires is the amazing one-of-a-kind experience of Ramblewild. Ramblewild boasts the title of America’s largest aerial park. The best way I can describe it is the ultimate playground meets the ultimate tree house. Ramblewild is the perfect place for families of preteens and teens to unplug and enjoy being together.

 

Ramblewild was created by Feronia Forests, an organization, dedicated to creating smart, new ways to save our trees. The park is their way to conserve the natural forest while utilizing them to combat Nature Deficit Disorder. Nature Deficit Disorder is a hypothesis from Richard Louv that states that human beings, especially children, are spending less time outdoors resulting in a wide range of behavioral problems. He wrote about this hypothesis in his book, ” The Last Child in the Woods.”

One of thing that sets Ramblewild apart is that it is built from tree to tree. I have seen other aerial parks but they are artificially built. Incredibly, the park was built without one putting one nail or screw in a tree.

When you first arrive to Ramblewild make sure you try the varieties of maple syrup from Mission Maple and the maple flavored Vertical Water. My favorite was the light syrup while my guests was the Bourbon flavor.

I suggest bringing your own pair of gloves that have grips. They do provide gloves for you but even the smaller size was too big for me. You will need the gloves to help prevent calluses on your hands from holding on to the cables.

Before you are able to experience the trails you have to graduate from school. This is where you will get your equipment and safely learn how to use the auto belays. Once you do that you are on your own on the trails because there are no guides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trails at the park are color coded from yellow to double black diamond.  I tried to start at the black diamond but the rule is you have to work your way up starting from the yellow.

Its important to know that each trail takes around 30 to 45 minutes so choose your trails wisely.  I was pumped to make it to the blue trail because of the kick *** zip line! I loved every minute of zip lining over the river. It felt like I was flying.

 

 

Each trail has unique elements that are designed to challenge you mentally and physically.  One of the best challenges was jumping right out of a tree to the ground! Many people found themselves hesitant to jump.

 

 

Ramblewild was full of surprises and I don’t want to tell you too much because  I think being surprised made my experience that much better. The elements in the trees were like something out of my wildest imagination.  To give you an idea how creative the elements were I will tell you there is a pony zip line. Yes, you ride on a saddle mounted onto a log from and zip line tree to tree. I hollered giddy up the entire ride!

 

 

The entire experience of Ramblewild was awesome. Here you will find people connecting the old fashioned way.  You will see people encouraging each other and working together. It’s like a breath of fresh air, pun intended.  I hope all of you take your family to unplug for a while and play together.

Click here for rates and times.

 

 Staying the weekend?

 

Since, Ramblewild was almost 3 hours away from us so we decided to make a weekend out of it.

Here are my recommendations while you are there.

1. Have dinner at Powder Hounds Tavern and experience a red neck snow ball. Its  BBQ pulled pork, wrapped in mashed potatoes, deep fried topped with brown gravy and bacon. I guarantee you will be VERY impressed with the menu  and the size of the portions here. #yum

 

2.  Spend the night at  The Vacation Village Resorts which is directly located next door to Ramblewild.  It has an awesome pool and view of Jiminy Peak. Also if you forget anything you need or are looking for food to make something in your room you can grab your needs at The Country Store.

 

 

3. Get some ice cream at Gardner’s Ice Cream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Take in the rustic open space and take cool pictures.

 

 

Live Young And Run Free

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Is Disneyland worth it for Walt Disney World fans?

 

I have become one of those crazy Disney people.  I do just about anything and everything to go back to Walt Disney World one time a year with my family. Going once a year means sacrificing going out to dinner as a family, shopping second hand and giving up some other shorter trips but we think its all worth it to go “Where dreams come true.”

As a  kid I never went to Disney with my family and I told myself that when I had a family I would be that family that went every year. Every time I walk onto Main Street with my family I well up with tears because it is my dream come true. Not to mention the complete euphoria I feel surrounded by the Mickey Balloons, popcorn, cotton candy and of course Cinderella Castle.

As a Disney fan I wanted to see Disneyland too.  After all it is the original park and Walt Disney himself actually walked on the grounds! That dream came true last week when I had the opportunity to go to California. I felt awful not taking the kids but I wanted to see if it was worth the expensive trip to the West Coast. Others have told me things like its very small and stick to Walt Disney World but…

I couldn’t disagree more I thought Disneyland was amazing and worth it for every Disney fan.

Arriving at Disneyland is very different than arriving at Walt Disney World. Walt Disney World is tucked away from the real world while Disneyland is more just off of a local street. The build up to the park is a little less exciting.

Disneyland Resort includes two parks, Downtown Disney and three hotels. However I think the fact that its smaller makes it a less over whelming especially for those with smaller children.One thing I did miss was the awesomeness of the Magic Band.

The three resorts are Paradise Pier Hotel, Disneyland Hotel and The Grand Californian Hotel.  One downside here is there are no value resorts so staying inside Disney is a little more costly.  However all three are directly attached to Downtown Disney  and both parks are connected to Downtown Disney. On one side of the courtyard is Disneyland and the other side California Adventure. You can literally walk out of one park and into the other. So it is comparable to paying to be closer to a park at at Walt Disney World

There is a monorail at Downtown Disney that takes you from Downtown Disney into the Disneyland Park but sadly it brings you to the back of the park. I was kind of bummed that it didn’t bring you to the front of Disneyland it made the arrival into the park a little less magical.

You will definitely notice that Sleeping Beauty castle is much smaller than Cinderella Castle.  You will also notice that Fantasyland feels a bit more congested due to the rides being close together BUT it was home to some classic rides that you cant ride anymore at Disney World. Fantasyland still has Mr. Toads Wild Ride, Snow White’s Scary Adventure and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Indiana Jones Adventure can only be found at Disneyland too!

Its really weird to walk around Disneyland if you are a frequent visitor of Disney World because things feel missing or out of place. Expert navigator at Walt Disney World but novice at Disneyland Park.

Being able to take a trip down nostalgia lane makes a trip to Disneyland Park very unique.  I even found some things to be better! Space Mountain was a better ride in Disneyland Park compared to Walt Disney World. The ride was much smoother and a double rider instead of a single rider. You will also find that even though some rides are super similar they have small differences. Its a Small World has Disney characters inside. The Haunted Mansion is located inside New Orleans Square. It is the same exact ride on the inside but I prefer the Southern Plantation with the spanish moss to the Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square.

After a day inside Disneyland Park we headed over to enjoy some night time hours at California Adventure. California Adventure has become my second favorite Disney Park. My favorite will always be Magic Kingdom but California Adventure was just amazing. It was a totally new and unique experience from any other park.

You are greeted by a very special mouse on a super cool red car trolley when you arrive at California Adventure! Hi ya pal! California Adventure is home to Pacific Wharf, Cars Land,  A  Bugs Land, Grizzly Peak Airfield, Hollywood Land and my favorite Paradise Pier.

“A Bugs Life” is one my favorite Disney films. How can anyone resist the Heimlich the adorable caterpillar who loves candy corn?  You have to see  Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train its too flipping cute!  A Bugs Land is definitely an area for smaller children with smaller rides and an awesome splash pad.

 

Now lets talk about Paradise Pier. Paradise Pier can only be described as amusement perfection!  If you have ever been to the Boardwalk at Disney World picture that but on steroids.  It was bursting with bright and bold colors, whimsical music, delicious smells and happiness. The Mickeys Fun Wheel lit up at night and it is just MAGICAL. I have a new favorite roller coaster and its California Screamin which is inside Paradise Pier. Best ride EVER!!!

Cars Land alone is worth making the trip to Disneyland. It brings Radiator Springs to life. I felt like I was actually inside the Cars Movie.  We ate dinner at V8 Flo’s cafe, just across the street from the Cozy Cone Motel. While eating our dinner we saw Red actually drive by the restaurant!

The highlight of Cars Land is  Radiator Spring Racers. It was just so awesome. I took a video of the ride for everyone.

.https://youtu.be/DDwEb9WdPyI

I felt really bad my son wasn’t there. Dang it mommy guilt!

I was sort of bummed that I didn’t get to ride the Matterhorn Bobsleds or see the World of Color but that’s okay that just means I have to get back out there to do it again

I think Disneyland Resort is absolutely worth it for any Disney fan.  I loved being able to seek out the differences between the two resorts. It also has some new things to experience for us folks that frequent Disney World.  I found it to be just as awesome if not even a tad bit more special because Walt Disney himself walked in the very same place. This Winter we are planning to sail away on the Disney Dream but I definitely think the year after a family trip to experience Disneyland is worth it.

Cape Codder Resort & Spa

Going swimming outside is not an activity that you would usually plan for your family on a Friday night in the middle of winter. It would just be crazy to jump in a pool when its 19 degrees outside right? Wrong, its AWESOME and possible thanks to the Cape Codder Resort which is home to the beautiful Rainbow Falls outdoor HEATED pool. The pool water is  heated to a glorious 85 degrees so your family can enjoy swimming even in the winter months.

The Cape Codder Resort, located in the town of Hyannis, is a wonderland for families.  It has a little something to make every one in the family smile.The highlight of the resort is its 8200 square foot themed indoor wave pool and two water slides. But the resort is so much more than the pools.

The Cape Codder is a night out at the Grand Cru Wine Bar & Grill for adults who want to enjoy a glass of wine and live entertainment. Its a family breakfast together at The Hearth’n’ Kettle. Its a summer retreat where you can enjoy a breakfast out on the Deck or a campfire at night. Its a chance to be pampered at the Beach Plum Spa. Its a beautiful venue for a banquet or event. Its the perfect family getaway from winter and for families to play all year round.

As soon as you walk into the Lobby you will be see a gorgeous hand blown chandelier. It is a magnificent piece of work created by the McDermott Glass Studio and it is made up of 400 pieces of glass including twelve fish, three scallop shells and one large Whelk shell. Its the perfect accent piece to compliment the coastal feel of the resort.

Its clear that the resort cares about their guests because the guest rooms are complete with a mini refrigerator. Having a mini refrigerator makes life so much easier for traveling families.

The themed indoor wave pool area is a bit smaller than the bigger chain of indoor water parks but I think that is what makes its perfect for families with smaller children. You can sit in a chair and see the entire pool area.  I would suggest taking your own beach towel to use the pools because the ones provided wont cover much 😉

The pool area wont be on the smaller side for long because the resort is planning a huge expansion.  The building will be a 30,000 square foot water park with retractable roof, huge water slides, lazy river, and much more. Check it out!

The Cape Codder Resort offers a never ending calendar of children’s activities. Their specialty is school vacations!  They even turn one of their banquet room into a giant arcade filled with games from Ryan Family Amusements. I look at it this way just taking my family to the movies is a $50 dollar bill. Why pay that for two hours when you can pay to spend a night and 2 days filled of activities INCLUDING an in house movie and more.

Below is the complete list of this  years February Vacation Activity Schedule.

The Cape Codder Resort is just one of three properties owned by the  Catania Hospitality Group. What makes them special is that all their properties have been  family run for over 40 years. They put a lot of care and effort into their resorts and properties and it shows.

What are you waiting for? Book your getaway now!

.

Look at the fun the kids had:)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

*You can buy a day pass to use both pools except for school vacations and they are on a first come first serve basis*

Ice Castles and Freezing Thrills

 

I always try my best to not let winter stop us from enjoying being outdoors and living it up a little. Its easier said than done when the weather outside is frightful. Most of my readers know that I am always looking for something new to experience with the family so I was psyched when I stumbled across Ice Castles.

The Incredible Ice Castles are located at the Hobo Railroad in Lincoln, NH.  First of all this incredible display of ice is hand made by one man. Brent Christensen’s,  the original creator of Ice Castles, oversees the design and Construction at all four Ice Castles sites. He and a team of about a dozen put in thousands of man hours to create these masterpieces made of ice. The daily process alone consists of growing 5,000 to 12,000 icicles that are harvested by hand and individually sculpted into existing ice formations.

Ice Castles are these gigantic, breathtaking, ice formations that are lit up with beautiful colors from the inside at night. I can only compare being inside the castles to what is must be like to experience the Aurora Borealis at the North Pole.

The Ice Castles have tunnels to walk through and a slide made of ice. Yes you slide through a tunnel of ice. I didn’t think the kids were going to let us leave the slide. I didn’t think my husband was going to let us leave the slide either.

It was really hard to get a picture of the kids coming off of the slide because my fingers froze even for a second coming out of my glove! Bring your hot hands kids!

 

Here are some tips for visiting the Ice Castles.

1. Wear ALL your snow gear. If you want to walk on ice, touch ice, and slide on ice its very important to have snow pants, snow boots and snow gloves.

2. Take your time to really appreciate the artists work. Look at the icicles and and the formations up close. Its really quite impressive.

3.Start your visit at dusk to see the castles transform from daylight to glowing at night.

4. The Ice Castles will take you about  an hour or so to explore (unless you really have a child that wont leave the slide.) So if you have a long way to travel to get there make the most of your trip with scheduling in some other fun.

If you want to stay in Lincoln my suggestion is to visit Loon Mountain Adventure Center. There is a coupon for the park directly on the Ice Castles NH page. We opted out of going to  Loon only because I wanted the kids to experience the mountain coaster at Cranmore Mountain Adventure Park.

The Ice Castles are a chance for your family to enjoy a  unique experience this Winter. We hope you take your family too.

 

 

 

 

Foxwoods Resort Casino Winter Patio Blast

Foxwoods Resort Casino opened their Winter Patio for the season and we were lucky enough to attendthe Grand Opening. Let me tell you we had a BLAST! My family loves to skate and we have visited a lot of ice rinks but I have to say this one was my favorite.

There are many reasons this was our favorite venue to go skating but mainly it was because it is gorgeous. The Christmas tree is beautiful, the decorations are super fun and the golden lights surrounding the rink are just spectacular.

It is the perfect backdrop for a family holiday card.

Another reason we loved the Winter Patio was the open fires surrounded by adirondack chairs. As you can see the kids loved warming up by the fire. It was a nice touch and even a little romantic.

One thing I like about the ice rink at Foxwoods Resort Casino is that you are not limited to skate in a one direction circle. You can free skate.

We were having a blast skating around the rink with music pumping by a LIVE DJ! During the cold and dark winter months getting outside skating and dancing on the ice felt wonderful! Just watch the fun we had.

 

The family fun doesn’t have to end after skating. The resort offers a Skate & Play package. For one price your family can enjoy fun on the Winter Patio and play some games at the The Tree House Arcade.

We decided that we would take advantage of one of the over 30 restaurants at the resort. With that many restaurants there is one to fit every budget and family style. Last year we tried Hard Rock Cafe. This time we decided wed try Fuddruckers. I think it was a good decision.

I mean if you are already at Foxwoods why not stay the night? Thats what we did.  The plan was to take the kids to the indoor pool but after skating and dinner all they wanted to do was curl up in their fancy beds and watch a Christmas special. So I went back to the room with the kids while Daddy spent his $20 dollar gambling budget. I know we are high rollers right!  We stayed at the Fox Tower which was perfect because the Winter Patio is directly attached to the tower.

You can even turn a family getaway at Foxwoods into an educational field trip thanks to the Manshantucket Pequot Museum located next door. The museum is the worlds largest Native American Museum and it walks you through 20,000 years of Native American History.

We went to the museum last year for the “Backyard Monsters’ exhibit. Its definitely worth visiting especially for the Observation Tower. It has a majestic view of the land all while surrounded by glass! The kids loved the free shuttle that takes you from the resort to the museum. Its the little things.

The Winter Patio is open seven days a week and has many family fun events so be sure to visit www.foxwoods.com to keep up to date.

FYI  Tanger Outlets  will be opening up at Foxwoods on May 21, 2015!

Foxwoods Resort Casino Winter Patio

Pumpkins A Glow

Our family loves Halloween! I mean LOVES Halloween. Whats not to love about October? We are so fortunate that we get to experience October in New England.

We go to many many events this time of year but hands down our favorite was Pumpkins A Glow at Edaville USA. It was perfection.

 

Here are 10 reasons why I think it is the best event for children around 10 and under:

 

1. The twinkling lights of the rides at night

2. Nothing jumps out at you.

3. Dino Land in the dark!

4. The costume parade

5. Trick or Treating at the rides

6. The creepy music and decoration

7. All the pumpkins

8. That little bit of excitement you feel seeing some of the Christmas lights on!!!!!!

9. The just spooky enough train ride

10. My FAVORITE part of the night was the talking pumpkin! If I could’ve taken him home I would have.

 

Remember the bumper cars are INSIDE now!

Edaville

A real rope swing at Myles Standish State Forest

A friend introduced us to Myles Standish State Forest a couple weeks ago. She had been camping there for a bit now and asked us if we wanted to meet up at one of their ponds for the day. I was hesitant to go because usually the lake/pond water grosses me out but to my surprise it was beautiful. The water was clear and the bottom was sandy. The proof is below in the picture of my daughter swimming in the water.

 

 

Myles Standish is located across the southern sections of Plymouth and Carver MA. It is the largest publicly owned recreation area in southeastern Massachusetts. It boasts five camping areas and 16 ponds.  Charge Pond area is set aside specifically for horse camping. A day-use area at College Pond offers picnicking, swimming, fishing, canoeing. Myles Standish also offers  fifteen miles of bicycle trails, 35 miles of equestrian trails and 13 miles of hiking trails. Its a little slice of an outdoor lover Heaven.

The day we we met up with our friends we swam at College Pond.  The fee was a whopping $5 dollars per car for the day. After that day I decided to research the area a little more and actually found a private ROPE SWING at Curlew Pond. Well after I found that I immediately had to go back to get on that rope swing. A rope swing was one of the items on our summer bucket list.

There was one catch, you cant access the rope swing unless you reserve a camp site at Curlew Pond.  I don’t camp in tents but I was determined to get on that rope swing so I reserved a site anyways.   The rate for a campsite is very affordable at only 12 dollars a night www.reserveamerica.com.  We were all very excited after I made the reservations to go on our adventure to find that rope swing! I have to say that we found it more difficult to find the camping site than to find the rope swing.

 

Once we found the rope swing each kid took their turn saying, Geronimo! The kids got higher and higher each time as they got more confident.  I did have one child who chickened out. She tried over and over again and swung but never let go.

These are the kinds of memories and experiences money cant buy.

*The rope swing is not an official part of the pond*shhhhhhhh

 

 

Get Chocolate Wasted at Hersheypark!!!

I am a true believer of the saying that families that play together stay together and that’s why we try to make a family vacation happen every year. We’ve outgrown our annual trip to Santa’s Village and Storyland so I had to find a new place that would make everyone happy. All of a sudden it hit me like a ton of chocolate and we chose The Sweetest Place on Earth, Hersheypark, and got chocolate wasted!!!

We weren’t sure what to expect because we have never been before but part of what attracted us to Hershey was the unique story of its founder, Milton Hershey. Hersheypark is a little bit pricier than the smaller parks but we always find ways to make our trips affordable. One of the ways we make it work is to travel midweek to avoid long lines and higher costs. The food bill is usually our highest expense so I pack tons of food, even a toaster.

One of our first decisions was where to stay in Hershey. Hersheypark has three official resort choices for three different budgets, Hotel Hershey, Hershey Lodge and The Hershey Park Camping Resort. We chose the Hershey Lodge because of its family friendly activities and mid-range prices and added extras.

When you arrive into town you are greeted by the smell of chocolate in the air and Hershey Kisses street lights. When we checked-in at the Hershey Lodge we were greeted with an inviting smile and five Hershey Bars. I like Hershey’s style.

One of my kids favorite activities at The Hershey Lodge was “kids check-in” where kids get to write their name in a guestbook, get a piece of candy, meet a character and receive their Hershey Lodge Badge. The back of the badge has a place to write your child’s name and contact information, which is great in case your child gets lost in the park, which my son did, TWICE!!

Our first stop out of the Hershey Lodge was Chocolate World. There is enough chocolate in there to give the world cavities. While there, we embarked on our special agent mission to solve the 4D Great Chocolate Factory Mystery with Mr. Reese’s. During the prep for the mystery we learned that Hershey and Reese’s played baseball together ever since they were bite size. The kids made great chocolate agents, that Sauer Von Sauer and the No-Bots had nothing on my kids. Inside Chocolate Then we went on The Hershey’s Great American Tour Ride four times. Each rider gets a bite Hershey Bar after every ride. We loved it so much we went on it four times. Okay you caught us; we kept going on for the free bite size candy bar.

After Chocolate World, we took advantage of the preview plan, and walked over to Hersheypark which greeted us with the song “I want candy”. We couldn’t help but skip to the music. The kids rushed over to see what candy bar they measured up to. They were all Reese’s which left my oldest a little disappointed because she wanted ride the bigger rides which were for Hershey Bars.

The first thing you see when you walk into the park is a beautiful water fountain with a statue of Milton Hershey and then everyone you look are rides and coasters.The preview plan offered the luxury of NO lines and cooler night temps. We saved The Kissing Tower for the last ride of the night. Way above the park at night you get a fantastic view of all the sparkling lights from the rides.

 

The next morning we were ready for day 2 which had ZooAmerica and more of Hersheypark. ZooAmerica was first so the temps would be cool and the animals would be out. Then temperature rose quickly and we zipped over to Hersheypark’s themed waterpark, The Boardwalk which at first glimpse stopped us dead in our tracks. It really is GIGANTIC!!!

Sandcastle Cove was a hit with my five year old son and nephew. The Tidal Force, which is one of the highest splash down rides in the world, was my daughters favorite ride and mine too! As we approached the top and looked down we both doubted our choice to even get on the rideThe splash from that ride covers an enormous crowd of people that stand around in the Splash Zone and they get DRENCHED!.

No matter which direction you look there is a giant roller coaster in the skyline. Skyrush is the newest coaster. It looks like a monstrous yellow track in the sky. My favorite coaster was Comet because of the nostalgic feeling you get while riding a wooden coaster and listening to the click and clack of the wood.

Before we said goodbye to the park we had to ride the Reese’s Xtreme Cup Challenge just one more time. I think my husband cheats because his score is always ridiculously higher than mine.

Two hints for families with many small children.

1. Plan the rides according to area of the park so you don’t have to walk back and forth. There is no transportation throughout the park.
2. Bring an adult rider per small child that LIKES rides because many of the rides that my children wanted to go on required an adult.

Even though we packed most of our food we do like to treat ourselves to a dinner once in a while. Our family requirements for a restaurant are, does it have French fries and is it loud enough to drown out the sound of our kids. With that in mind we chose, “The Bears Den” which is a hockey themed American Pub inside the Hershey Lodge.

On our last day there we visited The Children’s Garden located inside of The Hershey Gardens. There my children participated in a scavenger hunt to win the prize of a garden tool. It was filled with lots of plants that mimicked scents from chocolate.

The last stop on our trip was The Hershey Story which is an interactive museum that tells the story of the Milton Hershey and his chocolate company. One really neat feature of the museum is the kids can design a virtual Hershey Bar wrapper and email it and actually print it out to fit a Hershey Bar.

If your goal is to ride EVERYTHING at Hersheypark I would suggest at least a two day ticket to the park. We had an awesome time and are planning on going back when all the kids measure at a Hershey Bar. I think it would be really neat to experience the Halloween in Hershey.

*Download the free mobile Hersheypark App*

For more information:

www.hersheypark.com

*Disclaimer- Tickets to Hersheypark, a one night accommodation at the Hershey Lodge and tickets to the 4D experience at Chocolate World were comped.*

A Mystical Day-cation ;)

Mystic, Connecticut is a jewel of New England. It is rich with history and old New England charm.  I have been to the Mystic Aquarium plenty of times because my kids love it but I never took the time to explore the rest of the town. To my surprise, if you drive just a mile or so down the road passing by the Mystic Seaport you enter the picturesque downtown area of Mystic. My kids, two of their cousins, and I took what I call a day-cation to Mystic. We spent the morning at Mystic Seaport, had lunch at The Captain Daniel Packer Inne, had close encounters with some sea creature friends at the Mystic Aquarium and enjoyed an evening of ice cream and shopping in the Downtown Mystic shops.

The first stop of our day-cation was Mystic Seaport. It is a living history museum that takes you back to life of the 19th century seafaring village. Here you can climb aboard historic vessels like the Charles W. Morgan which was built in 1841 at the yard of Jethro and Zachariah Hillman in New Bedford, MA. The Morgan is America’s last surviving wooden whaleship and a precious piece of maritime history. It was recently restored and launched on July 21, 2013.

We stopped inside many of the small shops in the seaport village including the Nautical Instrument Shop which is where you can be given your navigation quest kit. The Navigation Quest is a scavenger hunt within the Seaport that you have to conquer by using nautical instruments such as a compass, telescope and a GPS. I learned that if I was left in the woods with a compass I would not survive. However, the kids and I did successfully work together to find all the boxes hidden around the seaport to collect all four cards. After collecting all four cards we returned with our treasures to the Nautical Instrument Shop and claimed our prize.

The kids eagerly climbed aboard the Liberty which is the free water shuttle and took a nice leisurely ride from one point of the Mystic Seaport to the other. The ride was perfect to feel the wind and catch a glimpse of the Bascule Drawbridge. If you’d like there’s even a steamboat to catch a ride on!

Mystic Seaport offers lots of family activities including, The Art Spot, Australia Beach, Children’s Museum, Discover Barn, Pastimes & Playthings, Playscapes,Tale of a Whaler and Toy Boat Building.

They are not lacking in their educational programs either, they even offer programs for homeschoolers. One super neat program they have is the “Ship to Shore” program where young sailors can learn the trade by day and sleep aboard the Joseph Conrad training vessel by night.

I think the Mystic Seaport will become one of our annual summer destinations.

Next up was lunch. We took a very short drive over to The Captain Daniel Packer Inne situated on the Mystic River. The Captain Daniel Packer Inne was built 250 years ago by the Former square-rigger Captain Daniel Packer. Luckily for us guests,during the recent renovations, the original fire places  mantles, beams and other structural details were preserved. It is absolutely gorgeous. Not only is the building beautiful but the plates that are served are beautiful too. The pub and the dining room make you feel as though you really are taking a step back in time. The staff are well informed on the history of the building and are happy to have you as their guest.  The children really enjoyed their usual, chicken tenders and fries, served with a history lesson.

After lunch we drove over to the Mystic Aquarium.  Mystic Aquarium is one of the nation’s leading aquariums and home of famed ocean explorer Dr. Robert Ballard and his Institute for Exploration. It is the New England’s only hands-on Aquarium and they are home to Beluga Whales and Penguin encounters. We’ve been to the aquarium many times before but I was really happy when I learned the sea lion show was revamped. We saw the all new show, “The Sea Lion Challenge” and it is a BIG step up since the show in previous years. One of the kids favorite things to do is the sting ray touch tank. They sting rays feel a little boogerish. They drove a toy boat in the pond, and made lots of fishie faces back at the fish in the tanks.

You might be thinking you will need a money tree to take your family to Mystic Aquarium and Mystic Seaport but I assure you, you do not. First if you are a Rhode Islander take your child’s Feinstein Jr. Scholar Card and enjoy free admission for you and an adult at the Mystic Aquarium. If you are not from RI and do not have a Feinstein Jr. Scholar card you can always reserve a discount museum pass from the library. The Mystic Seaport also has discount museum passes from the library, AAA discounts and also offers free admission on your birthday. The great thing about Mystic Seaport is you can return on the second day with an admission ticket.

Since you don’t have to spend a lot of money at the attractions you can treat your family to some shopping in Downtown Mystic. Downtown is filled with small charming shops that line the river. The atmosphere is family friendly, casual and very welcoming. That’s actually one thing I noticed about the vendors in downtown Mystic, they make you feel at home.

Our first stop was to treat ourselves to some ice cream at the Mystic DrawBridge Ice Cream where their motto is, ” we make the best.”  The ice cream that is served there today is a tradition that was started from the same exact spot in the 1800’s. About every 20 to the hour the Bascule Drawbridge is raised up. The kids faces when the bridge went up was the look of pure amazement. Here we were, about sunset, on a deck over the Mystic River, enjoying home made ice cream while the drawbridge was being raised. That moment will be going into my memory bank. A quick little tidbit is that it is rumored that Taylor Swift and her friends like Selena Gomez frequent the Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream Parlor.

 

We stopped in other small shops like Tidal River Clothing company which was an awesome collection of “Life is good” T-shirts. Did you know that everytime you purchase a “Life is good” T-shirt a percentage of the proceed goes to their foundation, Playmakers, that provide life-changing programs and support that restore playfulness, joy, optimism and loving connections to our most vulnerable children? Tidal River Clothing also carries brands such as Patagonia, Spyder, and an array of Mystic souvenir T’s. Take a minute to pop in and treat yourself to some cool new threads.

The Spice &Tea Exchange of Mystic is a unique little shop filled with racks of the hand selected spices, gourmet teas and seasonings. Here, we all got to try their strawberry sugar. I don’t really think the kids needed more sugar after the ice cream but whatever.

There are lots of other lovely small shops to please everyone’s taste and many other restaurants to please everyone’s taste buds. There are toy shops, book stores, and children’s boutiques. For a listing of more shops visit their website: http://www.mystictoday.com/business-directory/.

Mystic makes a wonderful vacation, especially a weekend getaway. If you are looking for a place to stay check out The Whaler’s Inn. The Inn is located right smack downtown Mystic and has five separate  “houses or buildings” all suited to different guest situations. The climate inside sets the tone for a peaceful cozy stay.

 

Downtown Mystic always has events going on including one of their most well known events, The Taste of Mystic.  You can “like” Downtown Mystic CT  on Facebook to keep yourself updated on the latest happenings.

We had a wonderful well rounded day. We learned and we laughed. Life is good in Mystic.