-
18 Tips for Visiting Great Wolf Lodge
Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, Washington is undoubtedly one of the most well-known Washington Water Parks. Whether you’re going for a birthday party, with one of the new day passes, or for a warm, light-filled spring break from always-rainy skies, Great Wolf Lodge is definitely a family favorite. But before heading to any big-ticket, big-adventure resort with kids, it’s always best to ask an expert for tips. So I asked three British Columbia and Washington State moms who are repeat guests of Great Wolf Lodge for their best tips, and added a few more tips from my own research. Of course, these are just opinions and suggestions. You may…
-
Oregon Dunes (Florence) with Kids
The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area — the largest coastal sand dunes in North America – makes you feel exactly like Luke Skywalker. Well, maybe you won’t look or sound like him, but after 10 minutes here, you’ll empathize with Luke’s long walk over those huge, majestic dunes on Tatooine. Naturally, kids LOVE this place. As if  dropped right into a giant’s sandbox, you’ll find giant 500-foot-tall (152 m.) peaked mounds and “tree islands,†where trees cluster together, surrounded by sand. The Oregon Dunes NRA Visitors Center offers hiking tips through the dunes, info on the area’s natural history and summertime programs on the plants and animals of the dunes. No tusken…
-
No-Cry Tips for Camping with Babies and Toddlers
OK, I’m sure half of you are laughing at the very title of this article – camping?! With an infant, crawler or toddler? The little humans that are nothing if not predictably unpredictable? Noooothankyou. Wait, wait…come back. We’ll break this down and I’ll see if I can convince you. Because maybe there’s some little part of your pre-baby self that does want to sleep beneath the towering evergreens, the scent of fir and campfire enveloping your soul. (I know, I said the word “campfire†and now all you can think about is your toddler playing with the embers.) We took both kids camping at an early age – my daughter…
-
Stormwatching at the Coast: Tips and Hints
Winds howl outside at 55 miles per hour – fast enough to tip over a toddler. Waves explode on the beach, each one more spectacular than the last. The lights flicker, but stay on. Your family is inside, dry and happy, playing “Apples to Apples†with a warm drink (Hot chocolate? Hot cider? Hot toddy  — just for grown-ups) in hand. During this season of storms and seas, some upscale resorts even offer a “stormwatcher’s package,†like this one at the Wickannish Inn in Tofino. But you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy the wild weather at the coast. Here are tips for enjoying stormwatching in the Pacific…
-
Tips and Hints: Finding a family-friendly hotel
Kid friendly hotels – whether in Portland (Oregon) or Portland (Maine) — are blessedly similar. Sure, the landscape changes, but a great hotel offers both respite and recreation to vacationing families. Here are questions we ask before we go, we or read over hotel websites to find the answers. Any of these points are equally valid if you’re looking for family friendly New York City hotels or kid friendly Las Vegas accommodations. And of course, you’ll want to take into account customer reviews or guidebook recommendations (I recommend dozens of kid-friendly Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle and Portland hotels in my book Northwest Kid Trips). However, it’s rare to find a hotel…
