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Cape Cod Flyer Weekend Getaway from Boston – Family Fun without a Car!

Posted by Mary Turner on June 13, 2013 No Responses »

Jun 132013

Everyone loves a day at the beach, but, very few people enjoy sitting in traffic for hours to get there. Summer weekends in Boston find many families waiting in traffic on their way to the sunny beaches of Cape Cod or the North Shore – a fun day can quickly turn into an ordeal. Families on vacation or college tours in Boston often miss out on seeing the Cape because of worries about how long the trip will take.

Veterans Beach in Hyannis, Cape Cod

For many years, the only public transportation options from Boston to the Cape have been buses (which also get stuck in traffic) or boats. This year, however, families that want to visit Cape Cod without a car have a new choice: the Cape Cod Flyer train service from Boston to Hyannis, the gateway to Cape Cod. After a 25 year absence, it is great to have train service available to the Cape from downtown Boston.

The Cape Cod Flyer runs from Boston’s South Station to Hyannis on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings with return trips available Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings between Memorial Day and September 2nd. Trains to Hyannis will also run the evening of Wednesday July 3. The roundtrip fare is $35. Kids age 5 and under and pets travel for free. Free Wi-Fi is available on board. Bikes can also come along for no charge. The schedule allows for weekend getaways or day trips. Intermediate stops are also made at Braintree, Middleborough and Buzzard’s Bay.

The ride lasts about two hours and 15 minutes, which is probably less time that it would take to drive on a Friday night or in Saturday morning beach traffic. Upon arrival at Hyannis, free shuttles will make connections to the HyLine Cruises dock for ferries to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, as well as fishing boats and Harbor Cruises. Connections to other ferries can also be made from the Buzzard’s Bay stop. Bus service to most of the rest of the Cape originates at the Hyannis Transportation Center where the train arrives.

Hyannis Channel Point

If you are making a daytrip or a quick weekend getaway, plan to stay in Hyannis where there is lots to do with kids, teens and tweens. We recommend bringing bikes or taking advantage of the free Main Street Shuttle . It is less than a 2 mile bike ride from the Transportation Center to the Hyannis Veterans Beach or the Kalmus Park Beach. The Shuttle makes connections to hotels and shopping easy. Daily and weekly bike rentals are available at the Bike Zone. And of course, taxi cabs are always available.

Besides the beach, Hyannis is a hub for all sorts of activities and family fun. Whale watches depart from Barnstable with Hyannis Whale Watch Cruises. For pirate fans, the Sea Gypsy takes kids ages 3-10 on a swashbuckling treasure hunting voyage around Hyannis Harbor. Helen H Deep Sea Tours in Hyannis caters to families with a range of custom charter fishing operations as well as its Kids Sea-Fari tour led by marine naturalists. Cape Code Duckmobile tours leave from Hyannis as well.

Afterwards, walk and shop in the Hyannis Main Street area which boasts more than a half dozen ice cream and candy shops. The Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory tour is another must do! The teens love those chips. There are plenty of family friendly hotels in and around downtown Hyannis so it makes a great base camp for exploring the Cape for a day or weekend without a car. If you take the Cape Cod Flyer, let us know what you think!

Photos courtesy Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism

Get Outdoors with a Family Vacation to the Sunny Mississippi Gulf Coast

Posted by Mary Turner on March 18, 2013 Comments Off

Mar 182013

Don’t miss the crawfish during your visit to the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Families planning spring break and summer vacations with active kids, teens and tweens are always looking for affordable destinations that mix sun and surf with opportunities for family fun. With 62 miles of shoreline and warm Gulf of Mexico waters, the sunny beaches of the Mississippi Gulf Coast are clean and sparkling and ready to host family outdoor vacations during spring break and throughout the summer.

With daytime temperatures regularly in the 70s or higher, a Spring break vacation to the area is a great time to break out the fishing gear, rent a kayak, visit a waterpark or work on your tan at the beach. Visitors from northern climates will really appreciate the opportunity to get an early start on summer.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast is also a great place to reconnect with nature. If your teens and tweens are interested in wildlife, the Audubon Center offers visitors a two hour interpretive boat trip along the free flowing natural habitat of the Pascagoula River. Airboat gator tours, shrimping trips and day sails on an authentic replica of a Biloxi oyster schooner are all also available.

Sailing along the Mississippi Gulf Coast

If you need a break from outdoor adventures, the Mississippi Gulf Coast hosts a non-stop array of family friendly festivals. The 21st Annual Mississippi Coast Coliseum Crawfish Music Festival starts on April 18 and continues for two long weekends covering April 18–21 and April 25–28. Enjoy the midway rides, catch nationally recognized musical acts like Scotty McCreery of American Idol fame and sample the local recipes at the Crawfish cook-off. At other times during the season enjoy such events such as the Gulfport Music Festival, the Biloxi Seafood Festival, the Kite Festival, Chefs of the Coast, the Scottish Highland Games and Celtic Music Festival, and the Blues and Heritage Festival.

Discount hotel, bed and breakfast, and condo rental discount packages are available for multi-night stays in the cities of Gulfport and Biloxi and all along the coast. Casinos and golf courses are available as well if that is more your style.

For families with teens and tweens that are looking for some outdoor adventure in their family vacation destinations the Mississippi Gulf Coast is a fun and affordable option for Spring Break or summer vacations. We haven’t had the chance to visit yet so we appreciate these tips from our friends at the Gulf Coast Regional Tourism Partnership. We hope to make it to the Mississippi Gulf Coast soon to enjoy all the great food, sun and outdoor fun.

Photos Courtesy of the Gulf Coast Regional Tourism Partnership

The Boardwalk at Seaside Heights, NJ – All This and Snookie Too!

Posted by Mary Turner on July 9, 2012 Comments Off

Jul 092012

The teens are big fans of the Jersey Shore boardwalks having spent much time over the years strolling the boards on the way to the beach in Belmar, shopping in Asbury Park and Atlantic City and hitting the arcade games and rides in Pt. Pleasant and Wildwood. This year, we added a new Jersey Shore boardwalk to the bucket list with a visit to the infamous mile long Seaside Heights, NJ boardwalk, where, in recent years, the rides, shops and games on the boardwalk have been a bit overshadowed by MTV’s reality show headliners including Snookie, Pauly D, the Situation and the rest.

The teens enjoy the roller coaster on Casino Pier at the Seaside Heights, NJ Boardwalk

Like any good tourists we made a point to ride the classics including the roller coaster, the merry-go-round, the tilt-a-whirl, the go karts, bumper cards, a death defying vertical round-up type ride called the Enterprise, and the chair-lift style Sky Ride which happens to glide right past the now famous Shore House and the Shore Store where the Jersey Shore cast members sometime show up for work selling tee shirts.

The Seaside Heights Sky Ride is a great way to check out the Boardwalk scene

During our Sky Ride we noticed a fair amount of activity in front of the Shore House and decided to walk back up the boardwalk by way of the house. It is well protected by a security detail but we managed to walk by just in time to see Snookie and best friend Deena coming out the front door. Later we saw Pauly D, Vinnie and The Situation being filmed while hanging out on the roof deck at sunset. A few minuted later, we saw NJ Governor Christie out with his family! He made the news and You Tube that evening for have a rather loud disagreement with a heckler.

The Shore House roof deck and Shore Store made famous by Snookie and the MTV Jersey Shore crew

For the record, the teens totally enjoyed the rides, arcade games, pizza, and ice cream at the Seaside Height, NJ Boardwalk. With more thrill rides and a wider selection of games than Pt. Pleasant, Seaside is a good afternoon or early evening destination for families with teens and tweens, although we recommend staying outside of town and away from the late night craziness that tends to take over when the bars let out.

Try your luck at the Seaside Heights Boardwalk

The Seaside boardwalk definitely has its rough edges but it is actually much more family friendly than MTV would lead you to believe. We visited from 5 pm to about 10 pm on a hot summer Thursday evening and found it to be a great night out for the teens – we certainly covered a lot of ground in just a few hours. If you visit Seaside let us know what you think.

Photo Friday: The Last Sunset of Summer

Posted by Mary Turner on September 8, 2011 3 Responses »

Sep 082011

In our neighborhood, autumn came early this year when Hurricane Irene washed out the last weekend of summer and school started before Labor Day. Just a few days before the hurricane barrelled across New Jersey, New York and Vermont we enjoyed one last summer sunset in Long Branch, NJ. #1 Son caught this image which pretty much sums it all up for us.

: The last summer sunset of 2011

The lifeguards are all off duty and the bathing suits and suntan lotion have been put away. The backpacks are full of newly purchased school supplies and a new season of Travel with Teens and Tweens adventures awaits. Happy Fall!

Note: we shared this post with the Delicious Baby photo friday roundup which is a great place to discover lots of fun family travel bloggers.

Coming Soon – Atlantis Teen Club Crush: Wishing We Were Here!

Posted by Mary Turner on September 28, 2010 Comments Off

Sep 282010

The Atlantis resort in the Bahamas isn’t kidding when it describes itself as a “family-vacation Mecca”. The resort includes a wide range of hotel rooms, suites and villas, as well as 21 restaurants and a gorgeous beachfront location. That’s just for starters. What really makes our teens wish they were at Atlantis is the range and quality of high energy teen and tween activities available all day and most of the night. From the world’s largest outdoor marine habitat to death defying water rides, no one in the family will run out of things to do here. And to make it even more fun for teens, this winter the resort is launching a total make-over of its teen evening entertainment zone with the introduction of Club Crush – a high tech, parent free, VIP club experience for teens ages 13-18.

The new Club Crush at Atlantis will give teens VIP treatment!

The 14,000 square-foot Club Crush will feature an internet lounge, a game room stocked with the most up-to-date technology available, including a floor-to-ceiling gaming tower with 32 monitors, the first-ever teen-only branch of Starbucks, and a dance club complete with VIP sections, doormen and paparazzi! Parents of teens can enjoy the resort’s casinos or more adult evening activities while the teens can play games and hang out with their new friends in this alcohol free club. Of course, with the VIP dance zone, your teenage daughter will probably have to bring an extra suitcase of clothes (or go on a major shopping spree at the resort) so she can create the perfect diva look every night!

Is your teen brave enough for the Atlantis water slides?

Luckily, teens on vacation don’t need too much sleep. After dancing the night away, there is plenty to keep them busy at Atlantis all day long as well. The centerpiece of the resort is a 140-acre waterscape comprised of over 20 million gallons of fresh and saltwater lagoons, pools and habitats that are home to 50,000 marine animals. Sharks, rays, dolphins, sea lions and many species of fish can be seen, and in some cases met up close during structured encounters or in snorkeling lagoons.

When they get bored with the sea life, teens and tweens can find plenty of thrills at Aquaventure, a non-stop water park that includes several death-defying near-vertical ”Challenger” water slide towers with names like Leap of Faith and the Abyss.

The Current, a lazy river on steroids, takes inner tube riders through a tropical jungle river featuring rapids, caves and rolling 4-5 foot waves. Water conveyors provide access to the Power Tower water slides, allowing guests to stay in their inner tubes for the ride to the top. And did we mention the 11 pools, the rock climbing, the pottery studio, tennis courts, and the arcade? And that is all before the sun goes down when its time to grab dinner and head back to Club Crush.

The Current at Atlantis - not your mother's lazy river

Obviously Atlantis is extremely popular during major school vacation weeks but if you can squeeze in a visit before December 22 or during January and early February, the resort has some great deals including free companion airfare on longer stays and the 4th night free on selected dates. For families on the East Coast the short flight makes this a real option for a quick family getaway.

Disclosure

As with all the articles in our “Wishing We Were Here” series, we received no compensation or incentive to write this article. We just wish we here here! Visit the link to see some of the other resorts on our wish list.

Photos courtesy of Atlantis

Small Hope Bay Lodge: Wishing We Were Here!

Posted by Mary Turner on September 24, 2010 Comments Off

Sep 242010

In our ongoing search for great seaside resorts that offer something special for families with teens and tweens we recently learned about an all inclusive scuba diving resort called Small Hope Bay Lodge on Andros Island in the Bahamas. With just 21 rooms in hand built coral rock and pine beachfront cottages, the Lodge takes a low impact approach to beach vacationing. Several 2-bedroom cottages are available for families.

View of the beach at Small Hope Bay Lodge

Scuba diving is the main event with free introductory lessons available for beginners ages 10 and up. For the more advanced, the Lodge also offers complete open water certification courses, including the PADI Open Water Course, Adventure and Advanced Open Water courses as well as specialty certifications. Children under ten can try SASY (Supplied Air Snorkeling for Youth) which gives them an introduction to surface and underwater swimming with an air supply.

A Discover Scuba class at Small Hope Bay Lodge

The intro course was explained to us as follows: It is generally from 1:30-3:30pm. Participants meet in the “games room” to watch a short video after a brief description of the video from a dive instructor. After the video the instructor will have a general discussion with the class and review the video. Next, it is on to the dock to learn about the basic gear required to scuba dive and how to perform some of the basic skills. Then its time to suit up and get in the water using the ladder at the dock. Once the guest can clear their mask and regulator properly, they familiarize themselves in the water and can scuba dive around the dock which is a shallow area of 3-5ft of water. Sounds like a perfect introduction for teens and tweens.

A 2-bedroom cottage at Small Hope Bay Lodge

The all-inclusive rate (i.e. $235 per person/per night till Dec. 18, 2010 with kids 2-7 yrs $95 and kids 8-12 are $120) covers beginner or refresher lessons for scuba diving and snorkeling, self-guided nature walks, windsurfers, Hobie Cat, Escape sailboat, kayaks, bicycles, and a hot tub on the beach as well as meals and accommodations. More advanced snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing (fly fishing, spincasting, bonefishing, reef and deep sea), guided eco-tours, and massage are offered for additional fees a la carte or via packages. The Lodge’s web page offers a wide range of options.

Inside a cottage

Small Hope Bay Lodge has four boats for diving and snorkeling, including two large pontoon boats, so that they can take divers and snorkelers in smaller groups to explore the local shallow reefs, wrecks, blue holes and coral gardens. There are three regular daily dives, sometimes four when a night dive is scheduled. They tell us that In the winter, the water temperature is about 74 degrees Fahrenheit and the summer water temperature is about 84 degrees Fahrenheit.

Snorkeling at Small Hope Bay Lodge

In researching Small Hope Bay Lodge we were impressed by the many positive reviews we read online and by the general attitude of the staff. Unlike many resorts that will only offer programs if a minimum number of people register, Small Hope Bay says that ”if someone is interested in learning to dive, they simply let a member of the dive staff know .. the minimum class size is 1, so as long as someone is interested in learning to dive, there will be a class”. Thats the kind of service we look for!

Disclosure

We’re highlighting Small Hope Bay Lodge because it is the kind of place our teens wish they were visiting instead of hitting the books at school. We didn’t get any compensation for this article. If you’ve been there please share your thoughts and comments.

All photos courtesy Small Hope Bay Lodge

Beaches Turks and Caicos: Wishing We Were There

Posted by Mary Turner on September 13, 2010 Comments Off

Sep 132010

As the weather cools off and the school routine sets in, we start wishing we were back on vacation. We constantly research potential destinations, always looking for deals and windows of opportunity on our calendar. Although we can’t go to all the wonderful places we discover, we enjoy sharing the best ideas with you, our readers. This is the first in what will be a weekly (more or less) feature highlighting a destination from our ever growing wish list.

Teens Can’t Get Bored at Beaches Turks and Caicos

Our teens are always looking for destinations that will allow them to try new things, get outside, and most importantly, have a chance to get away from the parental units from time to time. Beaches Turks and Caicos has all the elements they require including access to just-released games in the cutting edge XBOX 360® Game Garage, DJ spinning and mixing lessons at the Scratch DJ Academy and lots of music and dancing at Liquid at Beaches, a happening nightclub all their own.

Liquid teen lounge at Beaches Turks and Caicos

And then of course, there is the 12-mile beach, 6 pools, a 45,000 square foot water-park, kayaks, snorkeling, sail boats, and a swim-up soda bar to help pass the time in the water and beach volleyball, croquet, tennis, and lawn chess on land — all included in the package. An extensive menu of spa services are available for an extra charge.

Food Options for Every Appetite

Whether your teen wants pizza and casual food or you want to explore more exotic gourmet cuisine Beaches Turks and Caicos has it. We have our eyes on Kimonos Zen-inspired Teppanyaki-style eatery and the nautically themed restaurant Schooners seafood restaurant located mere feet away from the beach. We suspect the teens will make some friends and skip out to the Pizzeria or find Tex-Mex at Arizona’s.

Teen and tween friendly rooms

Teen-Size Family Suites

Besides the great all-inclusive activity choices and restaurant options, we are impressed by the range of available accommodations. As anyone who travels with teenagers knows, teens need some personal space and the standard hotel room is pretty uncomfortable for two parents and more then one teen. Beaches Turks and Caicos totally understands that families on vacation need some space. They offer one, two and three bedroom family suites with a range of configurations including king size beds, twins, trundles, bunks, pull-outs and day beds. Even regular rooms recognize that older kids don’t want to share beds. They offer a king or queen paired with bunks or trundles or two doubles paired with a pull out.

Accomodations are arranged in four “village” clusters, each with its own regional theme, i.e. Caribbean Village, Seaside Village, Italian Village and French Village. Each Village has its own pool complex and restaurants so you don’t have to worry about venturing too far, unless you want to.

All-Inclusive Price!

Add to all this the fact that one price includes accommodations, all meals, snacks, premium drinks, water and land sports, teen activities, taxes, tips and airport transfers and Beaches in Turks and Caicos looks like the perfect getaway any time of the year, but particularly during a snowy New England winter. If you can get there this fall the resort is offering free nights and discounts of up to 65% on selected dates.

If you go, please stop by and let us know what you think!

All photos courtesy Beaches Turks and Caicos

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