D.C. With Kids: 7 Tips to maximize your visit ( PHOTO HEAVY )

July 4, 2017 By Cori

No matter which way you voted in November, there is one thing we can all agree on and that is that this past election season reached our kids possibly more than any in generations past.

I don’t recall ever being interested in elections or history in school, but my kids were discussing it in school, with friends and had questions and curiosities about the places and things they saw and heard about- which I thought was great! So we decided (somewhat on a whim) to kick off this summer with a 3 day trip to our Nation’s Capitol– which you may have caught a glimpse of if you follow me on Instagram.

The city was more beautiful than I imagined (hence all of the pictures in this post) and despite the heat and humidity frizzing even my pin-straight hair (haha) it was a really nice family weekend.

Below is a little recap of our experience and 7 of our takeaways and tips that we would recommend to anyone looking to visit DC with their kids.

Map out your day

Typically, we are planners. We research tons and have pretty good idea of how each day will be spent prior to our arrival– but for whatever reason, we winged D.C. and you guys, that was a mistake. Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t “ruin” any part of our trip by any means, we had a blast. BUT, the time we spent researching things in the hotel could definitely have been better spent exploring the city. Also, there are so many parts of D.C. to explore we probably could have dedicated a day to each instead of splitting up the day. Again, not terrible– but you always want to maximize your time.

The Mall is likely a lot bigger than you think

Maybe this one is obvious to some but since this trip was planned without a whole lot of prep, I made the mistake of assuming everything I saw on TV and in pictures (don’t laugh) were right next to eachother– they’re not– at all, and it is a bit of a hike with little ones in tow.

What we did that seemed to work perfectly for the kids – we explored one-half of the mall one day, and the other half the next.

Note: Learn from our mistakes. You definitely want to pack comfortable sneakers and clothing!

DC Metro is the way to go

The DC Metro got us around everywhere. We purchased SmarTrip cards and it was super easy to navigate and the kids actually really liked it.

The stations and trains are pristine, and the waffle-like ceilings are gorgeous– especially Union Station. In fact, Union Station is so pretty, I’d recommend stopping in just to check it out and take some pics if you can.

A hotel that feels like home > fancy bells and whistles

There is no shortage of hotels to choose from in the D.C. area– but when you are traveling with kids, doing a lot of sightseeing and walking, trust that the bells and whistles of some of the high-end hotels will shy in comparison to having a place that is comfy and spacious enough for everyone to lounge out and feel at home at the end of the day.

During our stay were hosted at One Washington Circle, which is located walking distance to the Foggy Bottom Metro station, part of the Modus Hotel family– and has a killer burger joint right across the park (more on that in a bit).

One of the great things about staying at a smaller, boutique hotel vs. the larger chains is the “Family feel”. The staff knew us by the end of the first day, offered us umbrellas to use in the rain, and fresh fruit infused water before we headed out for the day. It felt so much like home that Avery called it our “new house”– haha.

Once upon a time, this boutique hotel was a luxury apartment building– so every room is a “suite” with a kitchen or kitchenette in each, stocked with cookware– and a fresh coffee grind & brewer!

King suites like the one we stayed in also include a dining room, 1.5 bathrooms and a huge walk out balcony with sweeping views of the park; we loved starting our days with breakfast on ours.

There is a CVS, Trader Joes and Whole Foods all in walking distance – and Modus Hotels even offers an incredible “Stock The Fridge“ service, where you can have your groceries delivered to you for really reasonable prices. (You can see the menu here.) Cooking on vacation isn’t everyone’s thing, but having quick grab-and-go snacks, drinks and breakfast options on hand save our lives every time with the kids.

Follow The Kids Lead

Say the word “history” and often it can automatically sound like a snoozefest to kids– so D.C. can feel like a gamble– but our kids (12, 8, and 3.5) enjoyed it and I think it had a lot to do with the fact that for the most part, we just followed their lead.

Explore what grabs kids interests and skip past what doesn’t.

With no real agenda, we decided to pop just in a few of the Smithsonian museums (which are all free- nothing to lose!) and see where the day took us.

There was a lot in the Museum of American History that grabbed the kids attention, so we spent a good deal of time there and got to see most, if not all of it. They have hands-on history areas for the kids (toddler- grade school) which I highly recommend stopping by.

The American Museum of Natural History was another favorite of theirs– especially the gems and dinosaur exhibits.

We stopped in The Air and Space and Art Museum, but at that point, the kids were done with museums and tired from a lot of walking, so we headed back to the hotel for a pool break and put it on our list for next time.

The International Spy Museum is not a free one but most everyone who has been there raves about it. Their interactive espionage experience is said to be a really fun one. However, since that activity was ages 12 and up– leaving 2 out of 3 kids out of luck– we skipped it this time and added it to our list for a future visit.

The Monument By Moonlight Tour was the highlight of our trip. DC is a beautiful city in daylight but there is nothing like the beauty of seeing everything lit up at night.

We did the 8pm trolley tour through Trusted Tours, which gave a quick tour around the mall as the sunset and had 3 major stops– The FDR & MLK Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial, and The WWII Memorial.

The trolley was able to park pretty close to the memorials so there wasn’t a ton of walking for the kids (though those steps up to the Lincoln Memorial are no joke– James carried Avery (3) up them– he is forever my hero).

Photo tip: At the FDR memorial, there is a prime family photo opp with a fully lit Washington Monument in the background!

Get adventurous with your food

There are so many opportunities to experience great food in D.C. Food Truck City is located right along the Mall and stretches for BLOCKS and BLOCKS. It has quite literally every kind of cuisine you can imagine– from Greek to Mexican to Indian– you can basically eat your way around the world & even grab some ice cream while you are sightseeing around The Mall.

While Food Truck city is pretty amazing, there is so much more to see in D.C beyond The Mall and grabbing a quick bite is a great excuse to step outside the tourist thing and explore the other areas and eateries that locals love.

Burger, Tap & Shake– Foggy Bottom

Burger Tap and Shake was one of the first places we stumbled upon when we arrived in D.C., as it is was right across the park from where we were staying. It was one of (if not the best) burger joints we have ever been to. Think Shake Shake– but better!

Their burgers were fresh and could be customized with a ton of different toppings, and their shake menu– which included candy favorites like Twix and Snickers– is incredible.

The kids asked for it every.single.night. of our trip and are still raving about it.

And on a hot summer day like the ones we experienced during our trip, their unique and delicious “shaketails” (cocktail meets shake) was exactly what James and I needed!

credit: Yelp

Pictured above: Bad cubmaster “Shake-tail” which includes Smirnoff marshmallow vodka, Godiva chocolate liquor, graham crackers and vanilla ice cream.

Pinstripes– Georgetown

Located in Georgetown, Pinstripes is a nice sit-down restaurant with great food, indoor/outdoor seating and bowling and bocce ball right on site!

The kids really liked it there and since it was a nice night out we were able to walk there from our hotel and get a little peek at Georgetown– which I’d love to explore more next time around! Such a cute town with some great shopping too!

Baked & Wired Cupcakes– Georgetown

Baked and Wired is a local cupcake shop that came highly recommended by several people so we saved it as our very last hoorah and their cupcakes did not dissapoint– truly out-of-this-world (Try the chi cupcake- to. die. for!!). That being said, I would recommend ordering online before you go as it is a fairly busy, small shop and the staff seemed a little put-off by things like indecisive small children or requests for almond milk for coffee.

3 days will be enough and also not enough

One thing we didn’t expect was to leave with an even longer list of things we wanted to see than when we first came. There is seriously just SO much.

I personally could have spent a full day just taking pictures of the architecture– GORGEOUS!

On our way home, James and I discussed what we thought would be the perfect amount of time to spend in D.C. with kids, and we decided that although 3 days wasn’t enough to see everything by any means, 3 days was perfect for the kids.

We were able to see all the things they were most familiar with and learn enough about the city to make them want to come back again and see more.

Disclosure: Our stay was hosted by One Washington Circle. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Very Best Things To Do At Disney’s Aulani Resort

May 1, 2017 By Cori

My family and I took a trip back to Hawaii in July, to the lovely island of Oahu. You may have seen my post about our time exploring Oahu with kids. While we spent two days on Waikiki Beach, we cashed in our Disney Vacation Club points and stayed at Aulani for most of our stay.

Aulani, as you can imagine is absolutely top-notch and definitely a place that makes a family vacation enjoyable for all. While Aulani is a Disney property, it was designed to really embrace Hawaiian culture with only sprinkles of Disney throughout, and the onsite amenities were made to mirror many of those you would find about a Disney Cruise.

With the addition of a newly renovated adult-only pool section, that opened this past September, the resort can truly be enjoyed by both families with children and adults vacationing sans kids.

Many have asked if we were going to post our “family vacation recap”, as we did after our Disney Fantasy Cruise and Universal Trip, so before I get into the details of our suggestions an experiences, without further adieu…

Best Things To Do At Disney’s Aulani Resort

Pools, Waterslide, Lazy River– Oh, my!

Aulani definitely does not lack in water -fun. You can spend an entire day just hopping around from the pools, the lazy river, infinity hot tubs and the kids water playground. The lazy river was my personal favorite, as I could not go on the slide with my belly bump. The gorgeous infinity pool and hot tubs overlook Aulani’s private beach and is all the beauty you could ask for in a vacation.

Tip: Each day you will need to get a wristband for the pool, as well as towels. Get there early! And DO NOT plan on “reserving” your seats with those towels, my friends. There are what I dubbed “Pool police” that patrol the pool area for pool-side squatters. If they see a seat is empty for longer than about 20 minutes they remove the towel and your belongings back to the towel hut (Where you can claim it) and open up the seat for others to sit. It’s actually a great policy, I personally would love to see at other resorts.

Cool Down With A Shaved Ice

Although in general I feel like Hawaii is not a vacation you go on for the cuisine, but for the love of all things sweet and delicious, do not miss out on Aulani’s Papalua Shaved Ice– and it’s vacation, when they ask if you want sweetened and condensed milk on top? Just say “Yes! “– TRUST. ME.

Beyond the shaved ice, Aulani has 3 on property restaurants.

Mama’s Snack Shop, which has quick bites like hotdogs, chicken fingers and salads was a little over priced for what it offered.

Makahiki/ Character Dining -This is the Buffett restaurant. We did both the character breakfast here and one night of dining. The breakfast was fun. Characters danced around with the kids, there was a large variety of good eats to choose from, I definitely recommend it. For dinner, the food was as good, again a large variety, but our kids (ages 8 and 5) just didn’t eat that much to justify an additional night of dining there.

AMA AMA This is the more fine dining restaurant on the resort. You will need a reservation to dine here and there is a dress code. AMA, AMA offers live music, good food (presentation a 10), and a gorgeous view – especially at sunset. It is on the pricey side as most fine dining restaurants are but it is a really nice dining experience and definitely beats the buffet! I recommend dining there at least once during your stay.

ULU Cafe. This was our favorite places to dine on-site. Located by the main pool, this casual outdoor dining restaurant offered reasonably priced sandwiches that we enjoyed. We lunched here probably about 4 times during our stay. The tuna sandwich was my favorite.

*Dining Tip: There are outdoor BBQ’s on premise. We took advantage of this by purchasing hotdogs, chicken and the makings for a great salad and had some great BBQ’s that were cost effective, fun and delish. All of the Disney Vacation Club rooms are equipped with a full kitchen, so if you are staying in a DVC room you can stock up on some easy to make meals so you aren’t buying every meal.

MeneHune Hunt + Aunties Beach House

Menehune Hunt. Menehune are mischievous little people with magical powers that live and hide throughout the Aulani resort. Aulani legend is that the children’s Menehune Sprinkler bridge was created by the menehune themselves. Upon arrival, guests are greeted with leis and kids are given a small menehune necklace and told all about these little guys that are hidden throughout the resort. Guests can rent (for free) a device that will send them on a scavenger hunt around the resort property to find the menehune. Along the way there are interactive elements—with special effects involving fire, water, light and animation. There are 3 different trails you can explore. My kids loved this!

Auntie’s Beach House. Auntie’s Beach house is a kids club for children ages 3-12 and has a lot of the same features the kids club on the Disney Cruise ships have. Each child is given an armband to get in which lets them know where your child is within the beach house area at all times. Auntie’s is made up of various indoor and outdoor play areas and filled with games, crafts and costumes, and was the highlight for my kids. Every. single. day they begged us to bring them to Auntie’s.

*Kids Club Tip: The early morning line to get into Auntie’s can be quite long. You will want to plan on being there 30 minutes before it opens. The first day your child is there they will need to fill out paperwork to register them– so you will want to allot extra time for that. Also, if your child is going to be there for a show/activity or meal, you will need to call ahead and it can fill up quickly. So plan ahead!

The kids love for Auntie’s allowed the hubs and I to enjoy lunch, dinner or drinks. {{ In my case, “drinks” consisted of a big bottle of Pelligrino water at the Olelo lounge because I was expecting. For me, it was the next best thing to being able to enjoy a cocktail…but I digress.}}

Family beach-side games and activities

There are various family activities every day that you can sign up for and participate in together. We did the family beach relay activities and got to soak the kids with super soakers and bury them in the sand– it was great. We also did the Kayak making and racing activity with Uncle and character drawing lessons– which for the record, I totally rocked.

*Activities Tip: Many of these activities have limited spots, so you want to be sure to sign up for them first thing in the morning.

Take Advantage Of Character Meet & Greets

Though not as many or as often as you might find onboard a Disney Cruise, there are several meet and greets for kids throughout the day and the lines were not terrible, which means more smiles and less in-line melt downs. Yay!

Bring The Kids To The Menehune Bridge and Splash-Zone

Recommended for kids 8 and under, my kids LOVED this spot. Water slides, sprinklers, bridges, it is a lot of fun. There is seating for parents available all along the bridge area.

Attend The Kawaa Luau

The Starlit Hui is probably in my top 3 things I loved about this resort. In 2016 they changed the Starlit Hui the Kawaa Luau. Similarly to the Starlit Hui, before the Kawaa Luau there are tons of fun activities for kids to enjoy including lei making, hula lessons and more. Definitely plan on arriving in time to enjoy some of these!

Kids who learned the hula in the pre-show activities are invited to the stage to show off their new skills– which my little hula girl, was super excited about. The end of the show closes with an interactive Disney-style dance party where families can dance and take pictures withe Disney Characters.

Snorkle At Rainbow Reef

Though a tad (read: very) cold, Aulani’s Rainbow Reef offers daily snorkeling with some gorgeous fish and sea life. The rainbow reef pool is great for first time snorkelers as it is small, private area compared to ocean snorkeling. My husband and my son visited twice during our stay and really enjoyed it. Laina and I watched on the sidelines through the glass window. For daily rentals it is $15 per adult (ages 10 and up); $10 per child (ages 9 and under) and for $20 per adult (ages 10 and up); $15 per child (ages 9 and under), you can snorkel an unlimited amount of times throughout your stay.

Pamper Your Teen At Painted Sky Spa

For teens (14+), Aulani offers the only teen spa on Hawaii. The Painted Sky spa has age-specific spa treatments, as well as things like a lounge, Yogurt bar, Computer stations, Daily teen-only events and D.I.Y. mixology bar for body polishes and face masks! My daughter (5) was bummed she was too young to spend time here. Would have been adorable to have something like this for little divas her age, but there was plenty else for her age. We will have to come back and visit the Painted Sky spa when she is older.

Take Sunset Pictures

While there are plenty of great places on the resort to catch an amazing view of the sunest, to the left of the resort is a hilly area that is a great overlook to Ko Olina Beach that makes the most beautiful pictures.

Take Walking Tour & Learn About The Culture Embedded In The Resort.

While at the resort, we were able to take a guided walking tour of the property. There is so much culture and fascinating back stories to be heard about the design of the resort. For instance, there are different details that are within the gorgeous 200 foot mural that adorns the the walls of the Maka’ala lobby, and splits the lobby in two sides – masculine and feminine.

Another fun story you will want to hear is how the team worked with Hawaiian students from kindergarten through grade 12 to create the colorful “Rainbow Wall”collage behind guest services. If you are a fun-fact lover like my husband and I, this is a definite must do.

Olelo Room. The Oleo Lounge can be found on the lower level of the resort and has indoor and outdoor seating. Olelo is Hawaiian for language and the inside lounge features wooden carvings that teach guests different Hawaiian words. The bartenders were extremely friendly, knowledgeable and helped with pronunciations of various words.

Relax at the outdoor hydrotherapy Garden

Laniwa Spa. For guests looking for a little relaxation, the resort has impressive day spa services you can indulge in, including facials, messages and couple messages. The Laniwa spa is home to the only outdoor hydrotherapy garden on O‘ahu! Kids at Auntie’s beach house? Say Ohmmmm. You can see a list of spa services here.

Bask in the infinity pool and grotto.

Overlooking Ko Olina Beach, this infinity pool is a feature that just opened this September. We did not get the chance to check it out as it was not open when we were there. However, we did get to view the construction site and have seen pictures since and the view looks ah-mazing!

This post was originally posted in May 2014 and updated in 2017

5 Family Fun Faves In New Jersey

March 15, 2017 By Cori

Exploring and traveling with the kids is one of my favorite things to do, but there is nothing quite like finding fun and adventure in your own backyard.

Here in New Jersey there are some truly great places for family fun and so today I am teaming up with some of my fellow ‘Jersey girls’/Moms to share our favorite spots!

/ Mama Lew / A Fancy Girl Must / Everyday Cori / The Millenial Mom / We’re Parents /

Five Family Fun Faves In New Jersey

/ Outdoor fun /

LIBERTY STATE PARK

When it comes to the perfect park day there is just nothing that compares to this one.

Beyond your typical playground fun, Liberty State Park is home of the most breathtaking views of the sweeping New York City skyline, a gorgeous 9/11 memorial, old vintage train yard and a ferry to Liberty Island!

[read more about my favorite Mother’s Day ever at Liberty State Park]

/ Family Noshing /

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT ROONEY’S

credit: Rooney’s

We don’t often eat out for breakfast but that is what makes it extra special when we do!

Located directly off the beach in Long Branch, New Jersey, Rooney’s offers indoor and outdoor dining with a view– that is totally family friendly!

Rooney’s Sunday brunch is one of the best we’ve ever experienced here in New Jersey. Served buffet style (the kids looove buffets), they have everything you can imagine omelets, carving station, muffins, waffles, bagels salads, desserts…. and complimentary mimosas!

/ Indoor Fun /

KNOCKERBALL AT THE MONMOUTH MALL

This one we just discovered this past week when my oldest attended a birthday party here. Such a unique and fun experience, I knew right away I had to include it in this post.

Whether you’ve heard it called bubble soccer, bubble ball or bumper ball, Knockerball is basically human bumper cars. It is SO much fun and the perfect way for active kids to burn off some energy indoors!

The Knockerball location at the Monmouth mall also offer human foosball, “foot pool” (life/human-size pool table), “foot darts” and bocce. You can reserve any of these activities for 60-90 min.

/ Sweet Tooth /

FAMILY ICE CREAM SOCIAL AT CONEY WAFFLE

credit: Coney Waffle

You know those crazy, ginormous, ice cream sundaes people wait in line for, for hours (literally.) in New York City??

Well because we are friends, I’m going to let you in on a super secret I just recently discovered– you can find that same jaw-dropping sweetness here in New Jersey– without the crazy lines!

Coney Waffle is located Ocean Avenue in Belmar, New Jersey and serves up unique Sundaes that will wow your taste buds and give you and your family the ultimate dessert experience– what kid wouldn’t love that??

/ Beach Fun /

Jenkinson’s Boardwalk

There is definitely no shortage of boardwalk fun to be had here in New Jersey, but Jenkinson’s remains our favorite perhaps because it is holds so many years of memories for us.

It’s where James and I spent countless days when we first started dating, where we took our wedding photos, where all of our children had their first “beach day”, where we started our Father’s Day-at-the beach tradition – and not to brag, but it’s where our claw-game skills truly go to new levels– we get super competitive with each other over these games– only at Jenks!

We love spending the morning at the beach, the afternoon playing games, riding rides, sometimes popping in to see the penguins at Jenkinson’s Aquarium and always stopping at Joey Tomatoes for a ginormous-Jersey size slice of pizza. I highly recommend the buffalo chicken slice!

The fun doesn’t stop here!

There is so much more family fun here in The Garden State.

Hop on over to check out more Jersey Mom Favorites below:

/ Mama Lew / We’re Parents / A Fancy Girl Must / The Millenial Mom /

Riding The Polar Express Train Ride– Morristown and Eerie Railway (New Jersey)

December 12, 2016 By Cori

Sometimes the most fun is the unplanned kind.

A few weeks ago, a family friend let me know she had purchased tickets for the Polar Express train ride, NJ and wanted to gift them to our family since she was now unable to attend herself– yea, she’s pretty amazing.

We’ve heard a lot about the Polar Express train ride, there are two here in NJ but had never been and really weren’t sure what to expect– but we knew the kids would have a lot of fun– especially Avery who is crazy about trains these days.

What we didn’t expect is how into it our oldest would be! He’s 11 (going on 16) now, so it’s sometimes hard to get him excited about these types of things–but as soon as he heard we were going he announced: “I’m wearing my Pajamas!! We didn’t know that families are encouraged to wear their pajamas for the ride, but apparently, our son did!

So with all 3 kids in PJ’s and bundled up– we headed to ride (what Avery has dubbed) “Santa’s train”….

The station and train had a classic look and feel and everyone, and I mean EVERYONE who worked there was upbeat and in character– from the people at the will call window to the people calling groups for boarding.

When our group was called, we approached the train. The conductor welcomed us, and before we could enter, a little boy in a deep blue robe (like in the book) quickly ran up to ride the train.

The train was beautifully decorated and the sweet smell of sugar cookies and hot cocoa waft throughout.

We sang songs with the train staff and they read the Polar Express as we were served hot chocolate and cookies. The cocoa was the perfect temperature too– not too hot, but warm enough for even Avery to enjoy right away… and as if this winter wonderland experience couldn’t get any more perfect, the snow began to fall– for real!

The train ride lasted about an hour and passed by Santa’s village in the North Pole where Santa boarded and stopped in to say hello and gift us “the very first Christmas gift– a silver sleigh bell”, which he explained could only be heard by those who truly believe.

When we stepped off the train, into the snow, dreams of a snow day began dancing in the kid’s head, but sadly for them, it was not snowing back at home– *poof* magic moment over–end scene.

About The Polar Express along the Morristown and Eerie Railway

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride departs from Whippany Station located at 1 Railroad Plaza, Whippany, NJ 07981. Passengers are required to arrive at least one hour before their listed departure time to allow time to park at a designated offsite lot, ride a shuttle to the station, and board the train.

Tickets are available at two price points, $35 & $75 and sell out fast!

The $75 tickets include a bell, table seating and ceramic souvenir mug.

There is merchandise available for purchase, but it important to note that it is CASH ONLY.

Lessons Learned In Traveling With The Kids … And Without My Other Half

October 25, 2016 By Cori

Maybe it’s juggling multiple little people, maybe it’s my own anxiety, maybe it’s a healthy mix of both– whatever it is– I will sheepishly confess to you guys, that the cold-hard-truth is, when it comes to traveling (anywhere!) with my crew in tow, I’m not exactly the most spontaneous person in the world.

Don’t get me wrong. I love traveling as a family, but I’m a planner. I like knowing what to expect and the comfort of feeling I’m prepared for anything the kids may throw our way.

And I’m painfully aware that at times it holds us back..

For probably about 5 years now, spending a weekend soaking in all of the fall foliage goodness in the New England area has been on my proverbial list. But with both the foliage and our social calendars peaking simultaneously every year, the stars never seemed to align for us.

Last Tuesday, on the way to pre-k drop off, I drove down a gorgeous canopy tree lined road, and it hit me– another season was passing by, and we were missing it– again! I looked at the calendar and with James heading to LA for work, the weekend ahead was looking like the last October weekend we had “free”– but it was just me and the kids.

I don’t know what came over me, but I called my mother and said, “I know this sounds crazy… but… let’s take a roadtrip to Boston… this weekend!!”

Fast forward a few minutes and I was researching hotels, scenic roads and places to bring the kids –because if there’s one thing Carol of Girl Gone Travel has taught me, it’s that being spontaneous doesn’t necessarily mean not having at least a rough outline of options.

I learned a couple of other important lessons relatively quickly in both the planning process and the road trip itself.

Lesson one: There was NO way I was going to fit in everything I wanted to– and that was ok!

The Boston area has a ridiculous amount of things to do– so much history, shopping, restaurants– and lots of options for kids too. It was easy to lose sight of the fact that it was the foliage that led us on the trip on the first place. We could always come back to see a lot of the other stuff.

Lesson two: Spontaneous adventures are built on flexibility.

When looking for a hotel, I learned that weekend was the Head Of Charles Regatta– an annual rowing event that takes place on the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge– which meant hotel availability was scarce and the city was extra busy

So I found the awesome site, Furkot and began planning our “Plan B” adventure– which now included a stop in Mystic Connecticut, the basketball hall of fame, a hike through a the Rockhouse Reservation– and only a quick stop in the actual city of Boston.

Lesson three: My kids are a lot more go-with-the-flow than I give them credit for.

The picture above was taken at a scenic overlook we spied out the window. The kids were so excited to race down to the water and check it out.

From the moment I announced we were going on a road trip, my kids were totally game. I have a tendency to focus on all that can go wrong in trying to keep everyone happy on the road, but truthfully? They were pretty content with their iPads, snacks and checking out the sights. I cannot say that the trip was without the occasional toddler protest, tween-age angst, sibling bickering or even my own overwhelm– it was tooootally sprinkled with all those things, but the kids truly enjoyed everywhere we went and everything we did along the way– from hiking to boat-making at the Seaport.

Lesson four: Social media can wait.

I love live-sharing when we travel, but being in the “driver’s seat” (both figuratively and literally) this time around didn’t really allow me to do that the way I normally do– and my experience was all the better for it. I was fully “IN” the moment, and it made me realize how not rushing to share photos allowed me to appreciate and enjoy the moments themselves, and the time with my family even more.

Lesson five: Though traveling with our complete family unit is always ideal, having an a different kind of adventure can be good for the soul.

We missed James beyond words (I lost track of how many times Avery asked for him). He is usually the compass in our family adventures, and when it comes to juggling the kids, we are truly the definition of a team to our core– but this trip reminded me that I can travel with the kids independently.

It was also a quality of bonding time we don’t often get to experience with my mom– spending that time with her, in itself is a memory that will last us a lifetime.

And unexpectedly, the best part of it all was coming home to James, sitting around the table, eating late night pizza and one by one filling him in on our crazy adventure.

Stay tuned….

I still have SO much to share, specifics about our trip and TONS of photos. I’ll be breaking up it all up into into several posts over the next week and will update this post below with the links.

Thank you to Toyota for providing us with a smooth ride in their Highlander SUV!

Enjoy the journey. Every moment.

Follow along on instagram #GoPlacesCori

Traveling With Kids To The Famous Madonna Inn Is A Trip They Won’t Forget

September 5, 2015 By Cori

When kids daydream, they dream BIG.

Sky’s the limit.

Everything is bold, colorful, quirky, silly, fun– and nothing is impossible.

Expect the unexpected.

In a nutshell– that is the Madonna Inn.

In all of it’s PINK, flamboyant, kitschy glory, The Madonna Inn was our chosen mid-point for an over-night stay, as we packed up our family of 5 in an Acura MDX and trekked along the PCH from San Jose to LA.

While not billed specifically as a “kid resort”, it is undeniably family friendly and definitely taps into the a child’s imagination.

The Inn first opened up in in 1958 by Alex Madonna, with just 12 room and has since grown into a sprawling 2,200 acre resort with 2 restaurants, an infinity pool and over 110 over-the-top themed rooms, each decorated differently and more elaborately than the next.

From the Old Mill room’s Disney-esque vibe to the Yahoo’s old frontier motif, or my personal favorite, the “What’s Left” room (which is decorated in exactly that… what was left from all the other rooms)– no two rooms are the same!

credit: Trip Advisor

Fun Facts About The Madonna Inn:

The LA Times has dubbed the “waterfall urinal” in the men’s bathroom located in the Inn’s Gold Rush Steak House, “The most photographed men’s urinal” in North America – (Yup. you read that right, folks. ha!)
In 2010, the Madonna Inn was featured on “The Bachelor”– AKA, the season of Jake and Vie

Why Our Visit To The Madonna Inn One We’ll Never Forget

The Best Room At The Madonna Inn

During our stay, we stayed in the Jungle Rock Room– complete with vines growing across the ceiling, tree limbs hanging over the bed, and rock waterfall for that morning shower! It was like we had walked into a real-life version of The Jungle Book. The kids were in awe. With very low lighting and minimal windows in our room we slept like babies… in a very quiet, peaceful jungle.

And while it’s true it is the only room at The Madonna Inn we’ve ever stayed in, I’m going to go ahead and dubb it the best. Trust, we did our research.

{For more sneak peeks at the rooms, Buzzfeed has a great round up of 25 ridiculously awesome rooms at The Madonna Inn}

Pink Champagne Cake!

credit: Madonna Inn
Slice of Pink Champagne Cake, $6.95

We arrived pretty late in the evening but I had heard so much about the Famous Pink Champagne Cake that as soon as we walked in the door, I picked up the phone and called the Madonna Inn Bakery to BEG for a slice… and… OMG you guys! For the love of all things sweet and delish– if you are visiting The Madonna Inn, say yes to the pink champagne cake! I promise you won’t regret it.

Infinity Pool With A View

Overlooking sweeping views of the gorgeous San Louis Obispo hillside, the infinity pool is absolutely breathtaking. So before hitting the road again, we headed out to the pool 1st thing in the morning. It was empty– SCORE! Being early birds does have its advantages!

Dining At The Gold Rush Dining Room & Coopers Cafe

Both of the restaurants at the resort serve a standard American-favorites menu, and have touches of that Madonna Inn kitch & flair– like the shakers filled with pink sugar on every table at Cooper’s Cafe and the gorgeous hand-carved marble balustrade in the Gold Rush dining room that was inspired by the Hearst Castle (located is just 40 miles north of the Inn).

Bottom line, everything at this resort is over-the-top and worth exploring. We had only one regret with the Madonna Inn, and that is that we didn’t get to stay longer!

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