During a recent break from school my family and I traveled to Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Virginia Beach is about a 5 hour drive from the Philadelphia Area depending on traffic and weather conditions.  Since we were in Virginia Beach in November it was neat to see how the town was decorated for the holidays. One of the neatest holiday events is McDonalds Holiday Lights at the Beach.  This is the one time a year that you can drive your car on the boardwalk to see a half million twinkling lights.

The town is very welcoming and so was everyone we interacted with.  Everyone was so helpful and wanted to make sure we discovered everything about this fun beach town.  It's also very easy to get around by car, bike, or even walking.

A week before the holidays my family and I had the chance to visit Adventure Aquarium in Camden NJ. This was our first visit and it will not be our last. The aquarium is currently holding it's Christmas Celebration, so the aquarium is decorated for the holidays and the shows have a holiday theme.

We started out in Adventure Zone D, because we wanted to see the hippos. The viewing area to watch them was large and the fish that where in the tank with them were fascinating to watch. Next we made our way over to the Shark Realm, this was the coolest part. We spent a long time in the shark tunnel watching the sharks swimming over us and beside us.

Next we went to Adventure Zone A. This part was neat because we had the chance to touch sand sharks. We also had the chance to see Scuba Santa and one of his elves. Because of the holidays the scuba divers dress in Santa outfits, but even if your there during the non holiday time you can still watch the divers.

We also had the chance to check out Stingray beach which is really cool because not only can you touch a stingray you can put your feet in and walk around where they swim. If you know that your child might be interested in doing something like this make sure they have pants on that can roll up easily.

We loved visiting the Adventure Aquarium. We really liked that they had many opportunities where we could touch animals. At one point we got the chance to touch a jelly fish. There were also lots of hands on exhibits for the kids to learn more about the animals habitats.

The aquarium has a cafeteria where you can purchase food and during warmer weather there is an outdoor seating area so you could pack a lunch and eat outside.

Below is a video overview of what we saw while we were there:




For more information: www.adventureaquarium.com

Location:1 Riverside Drive Camden, NJ

This event is appropriate for: the whole family

Cost: Adult $26.95 Youth (Ages 2-12) $22.95


Disclosure: My family and I received complimentary tickets to visit the Aquarium.

Visitors to ten Brandywine Valley attractions can receive discounted single-rate admission through the Brandywine Treasure Trail promotion that will be offered throughout May 31-September 6, 2010. The program provides a unique opportunity for local neighbors to rediscover the treasures in their own backyard. Out-of-towners can take advantage of a hotel package offered by the Hilton Wilmington/Christiana in conjunction with the program.

Brandywine Treasure Trail Map and a passport good for one-time admission at the following sites:
Brandywine River Museum
Delaware Art Museum
Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts
Delaware Historical Society & Read House
Delaware Museum of Natural History
Hagley Museum and Library
Longwood Gardens
Mt. Cuba Center
Rockwood Museum
Winterthur Museum & Country Estate.

Tickets are $35 for individuals, $75 for a family of 2 adults and up to 3 children.

Tickets can be purchased at all ten locations, and also at the Hilton Wilmington/Christiana, the Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau (GWCVB), the Brandywine Conference & Visitors Bureau, and the Chester County Conference & Visitors Bureau. Passports are also available for purchase online at the GWCVB web site, www.visitwilmingtonde.org.

More information at www.brandywinetreasures.org.

Hotel/ Lodging: Wilderness Lodge (Magic Kingdom)

Price $240- $995 a night
Summary
My family and I recently traveled to Walt Disney World in Florida, we are a Disney Family and try to head to Disney every few years, it the budget will allows. I have been to Disney over 7 times and I know that there are people out there who have been there way more, but friends and family always seem to come to me for advice on planning their Disney trips. In the next few post I will give you some tips that I have learned along the way when traveling with small children in Disney.

Now onto my review of the Wilderness Lodge, let me start out by saying this is the first time my family and I have stayed at a deluxe resort, we normally stay at the moderate resorts and we have stayed at all of them so we decided to change it up a little this time because Disney was offering such a wonderful rate and package. I choose the Wilderness Lodge because it was so close to the Magic Kingdom, and because it seemed to be more peaceful looking and less congested than the other deluxe resorts.




We arrived at the hotel via the Magical Express and the hotel was beautiful it reminded me of Lincoln Logs that we used to play with as kids. When you walked inside it felt like you were in a log cabin.


The rooms are clean and roomy (for a family of 4) and all rooms have a balcony. When we checked in and went to our room we were greeted by Mickey Towels which my kids loved! Unlike the moderate resorts the Wilderness Lodge has everything in one building, you don't have to leave the building to talk to the concierge or get you meals. This was a nice perk since the weather was so cold while we were there.
What we really liked about staying here was how close we were to the Magic Kingdom, which was a 5 minute boat ride! This also allowed us easy access to Epcot as well, because we would take the boat to Magic Kingdom and then hop on the monorail. For Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios we used the bus system.
We didn't take advantage of the camp program that was offered at the resort, but they did have daily activities. On they days when it was too cold or raining the life guards were in the lobby organizing games and activities for the kids. This was a nice touch. The resort also has boat and bike rentals available for a small fee. The pool was lots of fun for the kids, it has a slide and the pool was also heated which made it more enjoyable since the high each day was in the 50's.

The only downside we experienced while we were there was the front desk staff giving different information every time we asked a question. I was also disappointed that they didn't have wi-fi in the lobby of the hotel and it was very difficult to connect to the internet in the hotel room (frustrating for a blogger).

Overall we had a wonderful time and I would definitely recommend staying at the Wilderness Lodge in Walt Disney World.

Name Of Area
Williamsburg, Virginia

Hotel/ Lodging
Marriott's Manor Club

Price $119 -$325 a night


This family friendly hotel is perfect for your summer get away. My family and I spent Spring Break at this clean and beautiful hotel. The staff was very helpful, they even helped me save money on tickets to Bush Gardens!