Destinations Archives - Page 30 of 30

Sep 12 2010

Chesapeake Pirate Adventure

The advantages of living near water easily includes having a few extra summer activities for you and your kids than those who may be land-locked. For a few years now I’ve wanted to take my oldest son on a pirate cruise. A little brother later, it was a necessity this summer. Oftentimes locals don’t take full advantage of all that their city has to offer. Being involved in mommy groups and writing about family travel afford me the motivation to do a little extra exploration.

The Pirate Adventures on the Chesapeake was an adventure into a child’s imagination, creating ideas of what it would be like as a pirate on the waters of Annapolis. The ripe ages of 4-8 are ideal for this type of activity but appropriate for children of all ages. All parents need to do is get their kids to the ship, purchase their tickets, sit back and enjoy the cruise. Granted, a nice cold margarita or light wine would complete the parent’s experience, nonetheless, a dry cruise is just as enjoyable.

My active 2 year old was surprisingly docile as he watched his big brother and the other little boys run around the deck of the pirate ship engaging in role play. The captain and lead pirate did a great job reenacting what it’d be like on the seas searching for treasure, and “avoiding mermaids”. Here are some of the things the boys got to do for an hour and fifteen minutes:

Learned pirate-speak
Dressed up in pirate gear (complete with face paint, eye patches and tattoos)
Hoisted sails
Shot water cannons at a rogue pirate in a nearby fishing boat
Yelled at Naval Academy midshipmen rowing for crew practice
Followed a treasure map
Spotted and rescued a treasure chest bobbing in the water
Partook in “Grog” (a.k.a. soda) at the end of the adventure

All in all, my oldest was able to flex his imagination muscles while my youngest flexed his legs running across the deck. Passing through the downtown Marina, eyeing the various yachts and leisure boats, mommy was able to use her own imagination.

More than just a boat ride for kids, the Chesapeake Pirate Adventure is a time for relaxation, exploration and fun along the historic waters of Annapolis.

Jul 23 2010

Chesapeake Beach, MD – Water Park and more

When I think of the term waterpark, visions of Great Wolf Lodge, Busch Gardens, and Six Flags dance in my head. I envision yards and yards of splishing and splashing, so imagine my surprise when I pulled up to the Chesapeake Beach Waterpark and peeped that it was actually the size of a Brooklyn block(that’s Brooklyn, NY, not Brooklyn, MD). Needless to say, it wasn’t quite what I had expected.

Constructed in 1995, the waterpark serves as the community’s scaled-up pool area complete with two large water slides, one of which uses an inner tube for its spiraling decent. There are six other smaller slides, a kiddie pool, fountains, a waterfall, and a lazy river.

The entry fee for non-county residents over 48 inches is $18.00, and $16.00 under that. Two years and younger enjoy free admission. After 4pm the rates are cheaper at $8.00 and $7.00, respectively; however the park closes at 7. At a fraction of the cost of Six Flags, our family of four (our toddler was free), payed $54 to splash around.

Though my six year old enjoyed himself immensely on the various slides, and my two year old splashed himself to sleep, after a couple of hours, my oldest joined my husband’s chorus of “I’m ready to go”.

I can’t complain too much as there was something charming to me about the waterpark’s intimate setting. I didn’t feel like I needed my cell phone to keep in touch with my husband or that my oldest would necessarily get lost if he got separated from us, which, of course, happened.

In his spirited independence, my son left our family inner-tube while we waded along the lazy river. He merrily swam off with some other kids. Amongst the jubilant commotion of the river’s waterfall, we were separated and couldn’t see him. Oddly enough, neither of us jumped off the inner-tube to find him because we didn’t think he’d feel lost in the small water park. Unfortunately, he did get scared after not being able to spot us, however, that speaks more to the less rational thinking of a 6 year-old than it does to the actual size of the park.

The actual highlight of our trip to Chesapeake Beach, MD turned out to be the drive. It was a peaceful excursion through Anne Arundel County down the never-ending route 2, Solomons Islands Rd into Calvert County, MD. Our drive took us past farms and large estate homes blessed with acres of elbow room. Signs of “live crabs” and “fresh peaches and blackberries” partnered with shoulder-height corn fields and road-side produce stands made us feel like we were deeper south than Maryland.

Mom’s Tip: Be sure to check your Six Flag-esque expectations if you decide to travel to this sleepy town’s biggest attraction – it might not be quite what you expect. Structure your trip around multiple activities. Plan some family beach time; take a visit to the Railway Museum; stay at the Chesapeake Beach Resort and Spa, perhaps; or enjoy a nice family dinner along the water. Your trip, whether day or overnight, will feel more well-rounded and satisfying.

Jun 17 2010

A Taste of Spain at the Baltimore Inner Harbor

As soon as you step into the four year old La Tasca Spanish Tapas Restaurant and Bar, you feel like you’ve been transported right to the Mediterranean. La Tasca, one of the newer additions to the Baltimore Inner Harbor’s eclectic mix of restaurants, is thoughtfully decorated with a definitive Spanish flare. The restaurant is situated on prime real estate, directly in front of the USS Constellation, facing the calm waters of the Inner Harbor.

La Tasca offers a kids menu with the standard American fare. However, there’s such a wide variety of tapas ranging from vegetable tapas to red meat to poultry to seafood tapas, that you can easily introduce your kids to “a taste of Spain” that doesn’t seem overly unfamiliar to them. Our family of four spent $35 for lunch, including a bread appetizer, six different tapas, a beer and two drinks.

The Paella Valenciana was not my favorite of our choices as the rice was a little too gummy for my tastes. The Pollo al Ajillo was my second least favorite as the chicken didn’t have that real garlic kick that I was looking for. Overall, we enjoyed the rest of our lunch of other shrimp and chicken tapas. In the past I have had several of their vegetable tapas which were quite flavorful and filling. Their sangria menu is extensive with over 12 varieties of this classic Spanish beverage. However, being that it was the middle of a Monday afternoon, I had my kids, and I was watching my calories, I chose not to partake in a glass.

If you’re traveling with the kids and want to give them the full taste of Spain, your best bet would be to visit on Saturday when they feature live Flamenco dancers. If you are without the children, happy hour would be an ideal time with their $3 happy hour menu from 4-7pm or even Thursdays where they offer half-priced sangria pitchers until 9pm!

All in all, La Tasca worked for my family and I wouldn’t mind visiting them again to explore the rest of their menu – next time, without the kids.

Jun 10 2010

Travel To Greece In Three Hours

Let’s face it, as much as many of us are traveling moms and dads, there are just some places that we’re not going to be able to go. Without a doubt, I promote, wholeheartedly, being able to travel anywhere in the world with your children through proper planning and preparation. However, life’s constraints make it difficult for many families with young children to visit multiple countries on a yearly basis. This is where cultural festivals become you and your family’s best friend. The educational value of festivals is often understated and overlooked.

Why do we travel leisurely? Besides the obvious reason, for relaxation, most of us travel to other countries to explore, learn, and experience other cultures and ways of life. The great thing about living in cities that are melting pots is that you don’t have to travel across any border to get that. During the summer and fall months, you can take your children on a world tour for a fraction of the cost of a bonafide plane ticket and a quarter of the frustration to boot.

A recent visit to a local annual Greek Festival gave us the opportunity to introduce our 6 year old to the sounds, smells, and tastes of the old country. He was fascinated by the Aegean Odyssey dancers, got a chance to at least smell a gyro and a souvlaki sandwich. His bravery was in short order when it came to actually tasting it. He’s not quite that adventurous yet when it comes to the savory options of foreign cultures. However, what kid can turn down the irresistibly sweet smell of hot fresh loukoumades dipped in honey and lightly flavored with sprinkled cinnamon? Not mine.

Listening to the tongue of the locals garnered appropriate questions like: what are they speaking and where do they come from? Walking through the food line prompted other questions like: what’s that black stuff (dolmades: traditional Greek grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat) and how do you pronounce this word (“spanakopita”)? It was a great opportunity to have a living classroom for our son that was easy on our pockets and served as a discreet teaching moment as well.

Our trip to the Greek Festival was the cheapest family trip that we’ve taken in a long time. “To Greece and back in 3 hours” was our theme for the day. On an eighth of a tank of gas and for less than a Benjamin, that’s one Mediterranean trip for a family of four that would have anyone shouting “Opa!”

May 11 2010

May Festivals in D.C.

Spring and Summer are the best times of year to enjoy festivals and outdoor events in the MD/DC/VA area. The New Yorker in me generally keeps me away from crowds, however, there’s something about the combination of sun, music, mobile foods and a good ole fashioned street party that overrides my slight enochlophobia.

Street festivals are like living, breathing classrooms for your kids. You have the opportunity to walk through warm city streets and charming neighborhoods, enjoying cultural diversity through food, music, and people. What better time to teach your kids about the unique cultures present in their immediate environment?

The following is a list of fun and educational events in the District for the remainder of May:

Europe Week: May 9th-May 16th, 2010
The GI Film Festival: May 12th- May 16th, 2010
Mt. Vernon Wine Festival & Sunset Tour: May 14th – May 16th, 2010
Walking Town and Biking Town DC: May 22nd- May 23rd, 2010
National Asian Heritage Festival: May 22nd, 2010

You can also find the following festivals taking place throughout the month in Maryland and Virginia:

Gaithersburg Book Festival: May 25th, 2010
Blue Angels Air Show at Andrews AFB: May 15th, 2010
Taste of Wheaton: May 16th, 2010
Blue Angels Airshow in Annapolis: May 26th-May 28th, 2010
Rockville’s Hometown Holidays: May 29th – May 31st, 2010
N. Virginia Fine Arts Festival: Reston Town Center: May 15th – May 16th, 2010
Taste of Arlington: May 16th, 2010

If you stick around throughout the remainder of the summer and hit up the various ethnic festivals between Baltimore and D.C., your child will have traveled the world in the span of 12 weekends. For free.

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