#4kidstravel

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Thank you to all of my followers, readers and fellow bloggers for making 2018 a successful and memorable year. To many more family adventures in 2019. Salud 🥂 #adventure #happynewyear2019 #familytravel #explore #4kidstravel #justgo (at Connecticut) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsGXVYMlmB9/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=lo0r2elmekg8

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One step closer to #Cuba #majestyoftheseas #teachingkids #havanacruise #fortlauderdale #4kidstravel #setsail #itsasuitelife (at Port Everglades Ft Lauderdale Cruise Terminal) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrfkqzpFCDD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1hy5hrzaeggux

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A highlight of our trip to Washington, DC with our kids a few year’s ago, was visiting the Frederick Douglass Historic Site where 70 % of the artifacts are original. It was so moving to watch our children roll down the hill where his own grand children played and sit on the rocking chair where the likes of Harriott Tubman enjoyed the beatiful views of DC. #history #dc #washingtondc #teachingkids #4kidstravel #makingmemories #blackhistory #homeschoolresources #nps (at Frederick Douglass National Historic Site) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqhbdueFqht/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ojg0nqan0e5k

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We family spent 5 days and 4 nights at Smugglers’ Notch Resort in Jeffersonville, VT. We stayed in a 3 bedroom unit in the Owls section of the Mountain. Check out our Vlogs of our adventures to be inspired to schedule your own family or extended friends - family trip to Smuggs and create lasting family memories. This is a quick overview of our itinerary. Please check back for a full trip report coming soon. 

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Happy Birthday to the one who made me a mami and has been our first travel companion! Be bold, be adventurous, be courageous in these teen years. The world is your playground! Turning 13 on the road is just our style. #4kidstravel #intentionalparenting #family

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When pictures are worth 1000 words. #mv #marthasvineyard #itsavineyardthing #lighthouse #beach #nature #4kidstravel (at Aquinnah, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnOkBiTHF9R/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=k6y8rikyt5me

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Another day full of @marthasvineyard memories. #mv #marthasvineyard #ob #oakbluffs #lighthouse #4kidstravel #summervibes #itsavineyardthing #familytravel #roadtrip (at East Chop Light) https://www.instagram.com/p/BmwEuxpnqcT/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ki02uuxhmx5p

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Wow, it’s been a great year.

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Trip Report: 24 Hours in Hershey, PA with Kids

Part 2 - Hershey Park

We hit the hotel for a goodnight’s sleep, as we had plans to be up early for breakfast prior to getting to Hershey Park at opening. We stayed at Marriott Courtyard which was a mile from Chocolate World and Hershey Park. It was a brand-new hotel and worked perfectly for our brief, one-night stay. We went to The Hotel Hershey for breakfast and highly recommend it. The hotel grounds are beautiful and inviting. Our youngest girls kept saying “ooh la la” in response to the décor. We ate at The Circular which has huge windows with views of the gardens. The children’s menu is available for ages 3-11. The children’s buffet is $10.50 and or you can order off the menu with prices ranging from 3.75 – 7.00. Some of the breakfast options that are unique to Hershey include S’mores French Toast, Belgian “Kiss” Waffles, and high-grade Hershey syrup. The service was second to none and I would love to go back and actually stay at The Hotel Hershey.

Our plan was to have breakfast from 8 am to 9 am, walk around The Hotel Hershey gift shops and grounds and then drive over to Hershey Park to park and walk to the gate for a 10 am opening. This was a wonderful plan, as it allowed us to get parking close enough to avoid the tram and get into the park before the crowds. Hershey Park is massive. Do yourselves a favor and arrive early, if you wish to get through most of the park and actually make it to the water-park side. In total Hershey Park has a zoo (Zoo America), an 11-acre water-park (The Boardwalk) and many rides including 14 roller coasters. By arriving at opening, we were able to split up; my friend took the older two 10-year-old boys and I took the younger 3 – 7 and 5-year old(s) and we divided and conquered age appropriate rides. Make sure to check out the height requirements and have a plan of action prior to your visit. We were done with rides by 12:30 pm and headed over to The Boardwalk for a few hours. We spent a total of 4 hours at the park and were able to get to almost everything that we wanted, thanks to the short wait times early in the morning. If we hadn’t arrived at opening, we probably would not have been able to even visit the water park.

Pro tips:

-          Hershey Park is massive with lots of hills. I was glad that I brought a stroller for my youngest and had the girls hold on to either side of the stroller. This allowed me to better manage keeping track of 3 young children in a busy park.

-          Spend time studying the map prior to your visit and have a plan as to which areas best suits your family’s needs.

-          Divide and conquer. We (Stay at Home Mom Yeah Right) traveled with two 10-year-old boys and 3 young kids. If we had not divided up the kids by age and height, we would’ve had to deal with a lot of whining and complaining.

-          Pack refillable water bottles. All restaurants allow you to refill with them with ice and water at no cost.

-          Pack water shoes or flip flops. The ground surface in the water park is extremely hot.

-          By arriving early, we paid $15.00 for general parking and parked near the front.

-          We’ve been to Disney more times than we can count and the entrance is cheaper at Hershey, the lines are shorter and the ride times are longer.

Check out my Vlog of our entire 24 hour trip to Hershey, PA.  Click here for additional pictures and live Instagram updates from our PA road trip.

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Disclosure: Thank you, Hershey Parks for hosting us for the park portion of our PA road trip. 

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A day at Crayola Experience in Easton, PA

Much more to see and do than we imagined when we thought of visiting a Crayola themed attractions.

The Crayola Experience exceeded our expectation in terms of activities, educational opportunities and interactive options for kids of all ages. As a homeschooling mom of four kids, I was expecting plenty of opportunity for creative outlets, but I was pleasantly surprised by the various opportunities to engage older children. Each child gets 2 tokens that can be used for activities like customize your own crayon and others (you can pay for more tokens at select locations).

An overview of the 4 floors and layout of activities: I’m highlighting the ones that we were able to enjoy during the 4 hours that we visited.

-          Floor 1: Crayola Store, photo pick up, world’s largest crayon, Café Crayola, Check in and restrooms.

-          Floor 2: Wrap it up (requires a token): Customize a Crayola label and wrap your own crayon. Crayon Factory Theater: live theater show that teaches how crayons are made. Art alive:  bring your art creations to life on a huge projected surface. Be a star: start in your own coloring page. Color Magic: turn your coloring page into animation. Modeling madness: a token can be used to buy modeling clay and tools are provided.

-          Floor 3: Water works: maneuver a boat through an 85-foot water table. Color playground. Wax hands (additional cost): mold your hands into a colorful keepsake.

-          Floor 4: Melt & Mold: watch your favorite Crayola color melt into a rink or car. Drip Art: another level of drip art using crayon wax results in a masterpiece. Meltdown: create a melted wax painting.

 Pro tips:

-          During summer months, you may want to arrive after lunch time in order to avoid the school and camp crowds. Thanks to reading many TripAdvisor reviews prior to our trip, arrived at 1 pm and stayed until a little past 5:30 pm and it was perfect. Fewer crowds and we got to everything that the kids wanted to do with minimal wait times.

-          Bring a cooler for any wax items that you may buy. We were on a 2-night road trip when we visited and I was glad that I had a cooler in my car where I could store the wax hands and crayons that the kids made.

Pin for later:

-          Parking is available in the garage behind the building for $3 per hour.

-          I would avoid visiting on a weekend. The setup is such that it could be really easy to have a child leave your sight lines for a bit if really crowded.

-          The make your own wax hand takes approximately 15 per person, so keep that in mind when you look at the size of the line.

Click here to read additional posts from our road trip to PA.

Check out this Vlog summer of our day at Crayola Experience.

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‪Traveling family challenge: landscaping. The kids and I are on the road most of summer, with hubby joining us for shorter getaways. I love my drought resistant farmhouse inspired landscaping because once we were gone for a week and hubby asked: Do you really have to water plants?‬ Green thumbs: you either have it, or you don’t. #rusticliving #farmhouseporch #farmhouselandscape #droughtresistant #4kidstravel #weareneverhome #rusticdecor #farmhousestyle #deerproof #traditionalhome #welcometoourporch (at Connecticut)

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1 Day in Yosemite National Park with Kids

Yosemite National Park

Day 2 of our family California and Pacific Coast Highway road trip started at the crack of dawn. We spent the night at the Springhill Suites Fresno after driving from Sequoia National Park. Our early rising children must not have gotten the memo that we were on vacation and were up and hungry at 4 am. Thus, our review of the Marriott Springhill Suites Fresno is that we slept well and the room accommodated our family of 6. Under a normal circumstances, Fresno would have provided us a great opportunity to buy groceries as they had a Costco and a Trader Joes. The bad news was that nothing was open when we were up and ready to start driving to Yosemite, so we were unable to stock up on goodies for the road. We did fill the rental gas tank at Costco, as the gas station was open at 6 am when we started our drive to Yosemite National Park.

A little background: our family is a seasoned traveling family and we traveled across the US with one small carry-on and a backpack for each person. This strategy aided in our ability to check into the hotel in Fresno with only our backpacks (I had packed overnight clothes and toiletries in the backpacks) and leave our suitcases in the car. When traveling with young children, less is more when it comes to one-night stays and need for fast transitions. I had no idea how important this actually was, until we witnessed how congested Yosemite National Park got in the afternoon. Trust me, you don’t want to dilly dally in a hotel or camp site if you want to make the most out of your day in Yosemite.

Family friendly (easy and flat) day hikes at Yosemite Valley:

Bridalveil Fall: a 0.5 round-trip; 20-minute (80 feet elevation change) hike leads from the parking area via a paved trail to the base of this waterfall.

Lower Yosemite Fall: (wheelchair accessible): 1.1-mile loop trail which takes 30 minutes with an elevation change of 50 feet.

Cook’s Meadow Loop: (wheelchair Accessible): 1 mile 30 minutes mostly level trail.

Mirror Lake Trail: 2-mile trail to the lake and back. Elevation change of 100 feet. This was our family’s favorite trail. We could have spent hours there.

Yosemite National Park is massive and is broken up in to 6 major areas: Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point, Wawona and Mariposa Grove, Tioga Road and Tuolumne Grove, Tuolumne Meadows and Hetch Hetchy. Due to our one-day trip to Yosemite, we decided to maximize our time and spend our day at Yosemite Valley prior to continuing our drive to San Francisco.

Pin for later:

Our family’s trip report of our time in Yosemite Valley.

Due to it’s location in the heart of the Yosemite National Park, this was a natural area of focus for our family. The Yosemite Valley offers unlimited array of activities that keeps the interest of young children. This impressive natural valley has the most outstanding concentration of waterfalls, granite walls – cliffs, meadows, wildflowers, trees and streams.

What we did at Yosemite Valley:

-          Yosemite Falls was flowing with the spring runoff when we visited in mid-June (please note that it may be dry if you visit later in the summer). We chose to walk near and to the base, but you can also take a strenuous trail to the top.

-          Half Dome is Yosemite’s most distinct feature as it dominates most views in the Yosemite Valley. You can enjoy stunning views of Half Dome from Cook’s Meadow, Sentinel Bridge, Tunnel View and Glacier Point. We stopped at each of these locations, but by far or favorite view from Sentinel Bridge and Swinging Bridge.

-          As we arrived at the park early, we were able to find parking at the Yosemite Village Parking. This is not an easy task in the summer months, as folks tend to park for the day and not move their vehicle.

Getting around Yosemite: due to congestion, once we parked our car at the Yosemite Valley, we used the free shuttle to get around.

Source: www.nps.gov

-          We explored the Valley Visitor Center, Bookstore, Yosemite Museum and watched one of two feature films: Ken Burns’ Yosemite: A Gathering of Spirits. Our kids loved learning about the Black Buffalo Soldiers that cared for the National Parks prior to the Rangers. We didn’t have time to watch the second film: The Spirit of Yosemite.

-          We ended our day in Yosemite with a late lunch at the Majestic Yosemite Hotel.

Where we ate: While we fed our kids breakfast, my husband and I were intentional fasting and thus were ready for a good meal after our hikes. We took the Yosemite shuttle bus to the Majestic Yosemite Hotel to look into a table for a late lunch. I guess that it’s customary for parties of 6 to make advanced reservations. Ops, we were winging it and walked right up to the hostess to inquire about a table.  If you’re foodies like us and want to have a nice meal while at Yosemite National Park, please call 209.372.1489 for reservations. We loved our time at the Majestic Yosemite Hotel and are already planning an adult only getaway there in order to tackle some of the more strenuous hikes and enjoy some rest and relaxation.

Learning about Yosemite National Park

As a homeschooling family, I was impressed by the variety of videos and educational material available online to help set the stage prior to our trip. I highly recommend that you spend some time here exploring them. 

Pro tips:

-          Arrive at Yosemite National Park as early as possible. If you don’t rise early, you are likely to encounter heavy congestion, especially in Yosemite Valley. We saw folks driving around in circles for hours attempting to find parking near the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center. Don’t be like them. The park’s printed materials warn of 2 to 3-hour delays, especially in the summer afternoons and weekends.

-          Yosemite day visitors can park in three major parking lots: Yosemite Falls parking Lot, Yosemite Village Park Lot and at Half Dome Parking lots and then take advantage of the free shuttles to get to destination of choice.

-          Park roads are steep, narrow and winding. Make sure to downshift even when driving an automatic car, in order to prevent car damage. If you or your kids get motion sick, do take motion sickness medication. You’ll thank me later.

-          Wear sunblock and insect repellent. Ticks can carry lyme disease and prevention is key to enjoying these national parks.

-          National parks are the natural habitat of wild animals such as bears, rattlesnakes, deer, cougars and others. Please educate yourselves and your children on safety and respect prior to exploring.

Lessons learned from our 1-day trip to Yosemite with young kids:

-          You won’t get to see more than 1/6 of the park in that time, but it will still be a memorable and enjoyable trip. Planning is required and you should focus on the Yosemite Valley area. Spend time on the Yosemite National Park website getting acquainted with the locations of bathrooms, water refill stations and food. Pack a cooler with snacks and water for the drive in and out. Yosemite National Park is massive and once you cross the gate, you will have a lot of driving before you arrive at the Yosemite Valley area.

-          Stay hydrated. We had traveled cross country the day before and had spent time hiking in Sequoia National Park. We were definitely impacted by the time change, elevations change and heat.

-          Wear a hat even on overcast days. I’m naturally tanned, wore sunblock and my nose still got significantly sunburned. Reapply sunblock and insect repellent often.

-          Not everyone has the same respect for nature and common courtesy as our family. This one is a tough one to deal with, as hiking and exploring nature is usually a peaceful and isolated experience for our homeschooling family. We were aware that we were traveling to one of the most popular national parks in the middle of summer, but boy was I shocked by the lack of common courtesy, manners and hiking etiquette that we witnessed. It didn’t ruin our trip, but it did irk me at times. Rude people suck! That’s all.

-          I was also shocked by the lack of diversity at both of the California National Parks that we’ve visited. Our family loves our National Parks and we tend to spend a significant amount of time throughout the year, exploring the East Coast National Parks. While were accustomed to being one of few hikers of color, it was glaring at the lack of diversity at Sequoia and Yosemite National Park. We visited Shenandoah National Park just one week upon our return from California and compared to the west coast national parks, Shenandoah seemed like the United Nations. This observation has led me to research and follow individuals writing and documenting about brown people exploring our National Parks System. Representation matters: my mother calls us her Kennedy Kids because of our sense of adventure and desire to experience the world with our children. Thirteen years of us traveling with our kids to some underrepresented areas, has led to a passion to continue to inspire people of all backgrounds to get outdoors with their children and create a culture of exploration and adventure. These are our spaces, they’re amazing and everyone should enjoy them.

Things to do at Yosemite National Park:

-          Junior Ranger Program: wow, the Junior Ranger Program at Yosemite is serious! In order to take the Junior Ranger Oath and earn your Patch and badge all of the following must be completed:

o   Purchase a self-guided booklet at any Yosemite Conservancy Bookstore.

o   Complete the booklet.

o   Collect a bag of trash (I told you that they weren’t playing).

o   Attended a ranger guided program.

-          Take part of Yosemite Mountaineering School: provides outdoor adventures (professional guides for hiking, backpacking and rock climbing) for folks in various levels of experience. Reservations are required by calling 209.372.8433 or emailing yms@aramack.com

-          Take a photography class: Yosemite visitors can capture the beauty of the national park by taking a class by experts from The Ansel Adams Gallery. There are several free and fee-based classes offered weekly. You can learn more and sign up at Ansel Adam Gallery in Yosemite Village.

-          The Yosemite Valley offers naturalist programs, walking – hiking, ranger guided tours, rafting, bicycling and sightseeing.

Access to Yosemite for all:

For such a massive park, I was impressed with how accessible Yosemite National Park is. Travelers in need in full access should pick up an updated Yosemite Accessible Guide at the park entrance stations, any visitor center or online by clicking here You will find accessible parking spaces just west of the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center which will place you centrally located in the Yosemite Valley. Did you know that Yosemite is the first national park to establish a deaf services program? They have full year language interpreters. Check out my friends at The Thoughtful Travelers Movement to learn more about the challenges faced by travelers with disabilities. Let’s make travel accessible for all.

Camping at Yosemite National Park:

Source: www.nps.gov

If you enjoyed reading about day 2 in our California and Pacific Coast Highway road trip, click here to read about Day 1 at Sequoia National Park.  Day 3: Two Nights in San Francisco with 4 kids will be coming soon. In the meantime, click here for our live updates from our 8 day trip to California and the Pacific Coast Highway. 

Check out our Vlog of day 2 which includes Yosemite and our drive - arrival to San Francisco.

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It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a month since our amazing California and pacific coast highway road trip. I finally finished my trip report on day 1 of our 8 day trip. We’ve been so busy exploring and taking trips that it will be a while before I finish them all. That’s a life of an on the go mom. In the meantime, so enjoy day 1: featuring @sequoiakingsnps with 4 kids. Link in bio. . . . . . #4kidstravel #lovefortravel #havekiddoswilltravel #travelblogger #blackhomeschooler #homeschool #wonderlust #familytravel #blackfamilytravel #largefamilytravel #borrowedtime #intentionaltravel #travelinspiration #roadtrip #momblogger #raisingkids #gowithkids #justgo #bloggervibes #LiveTravelChannel #TheGlobeWanderer #WeAreTravelGirls #AdventureCulture #lessismoreoutdoors #TravelAwesome #travelingpost #WeLiveToExplore #LetsGoEverywhere #travelandlife (at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks)

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On our way to @vegas from @grandcanyonnps, we stopped by @sevenmagicmountains which is a temporary art exhibit located 10 miles south of Vegas. Description: Desert art installation featuring 7 painted boulder totems up to 35 ft. high by Ugo Rondinone. #nevadaart #outdoorartnevada #vegas #vegaswithkids #thingstodoinvegaswithkids #roadtrip #familytravel #teachingkids #4kidstravel (at 7 Magic Mountains) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuP_QEBFU_z/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=19zptatzl68ku

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@lakemeadnps is stunning. We can’t wait to stop by again on our drive back to @vegas later in this trip. Our National Parks are beautiful spaces and it’s a privilege to share them with our kids. #vegas #lakemead #roadtrip #teachingkids #nationalparks #adventure #4kidstravel #blackfamilytravel (at Lake Mead) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuKMbFqFbQS/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xnk81v8lomvb

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Sharing some #skiing throwback pictures on this snowy Monday morning in #connecticut. All of our Kids started skiing as soon as they could walk. It’s hard to believe that this particular trip to @mountsnow was from 7 years ago today. Time flies when you’ve got little ones. Make each moment count. I’m so glad that I’ve taken the kids skiing while pregnant and unable to ski, while wearing babies and toddlers and tag team skiing and while spending a full day in a snow plow on the learning hill. I treasure these memories. Does your family ski? What’s your favorite mountain? #borrowedtime #familytravel #thismom #family #skiing #vermont #familyskiing #skiingwithkids #skitheeast #newengland #vt #mountsnow #teachingkids #4kidstravel #representationmatters #blackskiers (at Mount Snow) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuB1t5_lByR/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=2jm8f80mbvcx