Travel With Teens and Tweens

More Summer Family Fun Arrives at New England Ski Resorts

Mt. Washington Valley, New England, Resorts, Smugglers' Notch, Vermont No Responses »

May 282011

More Summer Family Fun Arrives at New England Ski Resorts

For a number of years, New England’s ski resorts have been investing in a wide range of attractions and activities designed to encourage families to visit all year round. This summer, there seems to be an emphasis on attractions of interest to families with teens and tweens at some of our favorite New England summer destinations. If you are heading to New Hampshire’s White Mountains this summer be sure to check out the new Adventure Park at Mount Cranmore in the Mount Washington Valley. In Vermont, Smugglers’ Notch is adding a number of new summer adventure options and jazzing up its day camp and evening programs for teens and tweens. Mt. Cranmore Mountain Adventure Park Opens Memorial Day Weekend The new Mt. Cranmore Mountain Adventure Park opened Memorial [...]

Ski Vermont: A Teen’s View from the Top

New England, Ski Country, Vermont 6 Responses »

Jan 062011

While the princess labored to learn snowboarding at the foot of Vermont’s ski mountains, her brother skied the mountains from top to bottom armed with a new camera he found under the Christmas tree. These photos mark the first time one of the teens has contributed images to our blog so we are thrilled to share one teen’s views from the top of the Burke Mountain and Bolton Valley ski areas. For more details on the mountains themselves check our snowboard story. The trails beckoned on a rare cloudless Vermont winter day! Then on to Bolton Valley which was covered in hoar frost and sparkled in the sun. A quick ride on the chairlift And a moment to enjoy the view before an exhilarating run! The views in the winter [...]

Learning to Snowboard: A Tale of Three Mountains

New England, Ski Country, Vermont 1 Response »

Jan 052011

After getting a taste of the action last season, our princess decided this is the year she wants to put some effort into learning to snowboard. For someone who skates, but has never skied, this goal rates as a definite challenge. Santa helped out by leaving a new board under the tree and Mother Nature made sure we had plenty of snow thanks to the Christmas blizzard. With a day to kill before leaving for Vermont, we sped to nearby Nashoba Valley in Westford, MA for a quick lesson and trial run. Just 25 miles from Boston, Nashoba’s 240 ft vertical height, 17 trails, 4 chairlifts plus rope tows and a small terrain park are perfect for a few hours of skiing without investing in hours of driving. [...]

An Unexpected Christmas 2010 Family Vacation Sidetrip

New England, Ski Country 2 Responses »

Jan 012011

An Unexpected Christmas 2010 Family Vacation Sidetrip

As any New Englander knows, the weather in the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont can be cold, windy and unpredictable. Undaunted by 17 inches of snow at home on the day after Christmas 2010, we packed up all manner of ski and skate gear, shoveled our driveway and headed north from Boston on Monday morning for a long planned Christmas ski and snowboard vacation with our Vermont based cousins. Our initial destination, Burke Mountain in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom would normally be a 4 hour drive via Route 93 through New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Although the snow had stopped at home and we saw blue sky in Southern New Hampshire, things got interesting as we approached the Mountains. Apparently, no one had told Mother Nature that the [...]

The Breakers Mansion at Christmas in Newport, RI

New England 2 Responses »

Dec 122010

The Breakers Mansion at Christmas in Newport, RI

Newport, Rhode Island is well known as a glamorous summer boating and beach destination that is home to an amazing collection of Gilded Age Mansions, many of which are now owned and opened to the public by the Preservation Society of Newport County. A hockey tournament recently took us to Newport, which provided us an opportunity to explore this town in the off season. Despite brisk early winter weather, the downtown, the Mansions and the famous 3.5-mile Cliff Walk trail along the coast were all busy. We were delighted to discover that several of the grandest mansions were not only open, but festively decorated for the holiday season. From November 20 to January 2, The Elms, Marble House and The Breakers can be visited daily. For the rest [...]

Enjoy a Small Town Vermont Foliage Weekend

New England No Responses »

Oct 132010

Enjoy a Small Town Vermont Foliage Weekend

Sometimes teens just have to put up with the parents’ agenda and that’s what our teens had to suffer through over this past Columbus Day weekend. Family commitments took us to a small college town in central Vermont where we had an opportunity to enjoy near-peak foliage, hang out with cousins and witness a classic small town college Homecoming football grudge match. Of course, it being the height of foliage season, we had to explore the backroads and local landmarks. These included drives down dirt roads and stops at covered bridges. Even #1 son, who is taking a high school photography class, found the countryside worth a few photo opps! Our rambles took us past a true Vermont landmark – Dan and Whit’s country store in Norwich. [...]

A Summer’s Eve at Boston’s Historic Waterfront

Best trip archives, New England 3 Responses »

Jul 242010

A Summer's Eve at Boston's Historic Waterfront

Although Boston winters are cold and snowy, a warm summer’s evening visiting the city’s historic waterfront area is a relaxing way to spend time with your teens and tweens. The centerpiece of the area is the famed Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market food and shopping district, located in buildings that date back to the 1820s. This is a good place to look for souvenirs or to grab a snack from an extensive and often crowded food court. But don’t limit your visit just to Fanueil Hall as there is a lot more history and local color nearby. For example, just a couple of blocks outside the market you’ll come upon a small cobblestone side road known as the Blackstone Block. Somehow, despite centuries of urban renewal and re-development efforts, this tiny fragment of Boston’s colonial past has [...]

Older Entries