Safari West is a 400-acre wildlife preserve and African-style tent camp located just outside of Santa [...]]]>

Some spend their Mother’s Day going by spa; I spent mine going by jeep.

I hope you all had a fantastic Mother’s Day weekend! For me, it was one wonderful birthday celebration sliding into a most memorable weekend getaway, checking out a place that’s been on my to-do list for some time.

Safari West is a 400-acre wildlife preserve and African-style tent camp located just outside of Santa Rosa, California. It’s just over one hour’s drive north of San Francisco on Highway 101, and a fabulous stop to add to your family’s Northern California Road trip. I’ll have more photos of what you’ll find and all the details to help plan your visit–or overnight stay!–soon. And yes, we did get a turn to ride on the top of the jeep–right through the ostriches and cape buffalo, so it was a turn well-timed indeed.

It’s been a busy week here! But so many great things are underway, including a gear giveaway I’ll be kicking off next week, sponsored by one of my favorite brands! If haven’t subscribed for email updates yet, please do so you won’t miss the announcement–or your chance for an extra entry.

Have you taken a look at the homepage this week? We’ve redesigned to help you find the info you need even faster at TravelswithBaby.com. If you have a chance, please take a look and let me know what you think!

This post is part of the Photo Friday fun at DeliciousBaby.com.

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby 

www.travelswithbaby.com   facebook   twitter   about the author   

Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.

If you are planning a family road trip to or through California, [...]]]>

The largest living organism on earth, based on volume? You can’t say no to a photo with “General Sherman.”

I will never forget the first time I saw a tree big enough to drive through. I was only five years old and beyond thrilled that our family road trip not only took us through the redwoods, but actually THROUGH a redwood tree.

If you are planning a family road trip to or through California, I hope you’ll be able to visit some of its oldest–and largest–inhabitants: giant sequoias and giant redwoods. Here is a quick guide to five of our family’s favorites destinations for seeing these beauties.

1) The Chandelier Tree, a.k.a. the “drive-thru tree” (Leggett, CA)

Making our way through the Chandelier “drive-thru” tree at Leggett, California.

While cutting a car-size hole through ancient redwoods is, thankfully, no longer permitted, you can still drive your kids through the Chandelier Tree (above) at Leggett, California, where this enormous redwood continues to stand and grow in spite of its drive-thru traffic. Just be sure to turn your side mirrors in to avoid spending more time in there than you’d like. The Chandelier Tree is just south of the intersection of Highway 101 and Coastal Highway 1, not far from the famed “Avenue of the Giants,” included below.  Follow this link for more information about the Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree.

2) Calaveras Big Trees State Park (Angel’s Camp, CA)

Calaveras “Big Trees” State Park lives up to its name.

We are very fond of “Big Trees” as it’s easy to reach in less than 3 hours from San Francisco or Berkeley, and has giant sequoias that simply do not disappoint. The North Grove walking loop gets you up close to–and even inside of–jaw-droppingly delightful trees, and is easy enough to do with toddlers on foot, or you can push a buggy or stroller through if you like. If you plan well in advance, you may be able to get a camping reservation here as well (see my tips for Camping at Big Trees here). Otherwise, you can book a hotel room in nearby Angel’s Camp (my kids would recommend the Best Western Cedar Inn & Suites with swimming pool and complimentary hot breakfast). Read more about Calaveras Big Trees State Park in my blog post here, and access the CA State Parks pages for the park here.

3) Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Humboldt Redwoods State Park is home to the 31-mile “Avenue of Giants.” As you can see… they are.

If it’s giant redwoods you want to see on your Northern California road trip, look no farther than Humboldt Redwoods State Park, where you’ll find plenty of shady groves to explore and the 31-mile scenic detour beside 101 called the “Avenue of Giants.” If you’re not sure how your little ones will do on the meandering route, know that you can tour small sections of the Avenue of Giants without committing to the whole tour. There are plenty of places to stop and picnic and explore the giants along the way. For a printable map of the Avenue of the Giants, click here, and to see descriptions and details of hikes at Humbolt Redwoods, click here. For more information about Humboldt Redwoods State Park, including details about camping in the park, click here.

4) Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park

The “Grizzly Giant” is a clear stand-out at Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove.

With so many other spectacles competing for your attention within Yosemite National Park, you might lose sight of its majestic resident trees. Some of our favorites are the giant sequoias near the south entrance in the Mariposa Grove. The massive “Grizzly Giant” can be seen on a 1.6-mile roundtrip hike from the parking area. Or, if your family’s up for it, you can do a 6-mile roundtrip hike from Yosemite’s historic Wawona Hotel (my review here).  Click here to see a map of the Mariposa Grove area trails. Find more help and inspiration for your Yosemite family vacation on my Yosemite board on Pinterest and in my reviews of Curry Village and Evergreen Lodge.

5) The Parker Group, Sequoia National Park

The Parker Group: Off the beaten path and accessible to all who would hug them.

If you want to see giant sequoias on the grandest scale there is, do not pass Go, but head directly to Sequoia National Park. Not only is Sequoia home to the world’s largest tree (based on volume), the General Sherman tree shown atop this post, but it has mammoth sequoias and giant redwoods throughout the park. While many are prominently mapped and made as accessible as possible, our favorites remain this stand called “The Parker Group” that is off the most beaten path, not far from Moro Rock, which you’ll want to be sure and visit while you’re there (see my tips for hiking Moro Rock with little kids here). For help planning your trip to Sequoia National Park, click here to see the latest Park Newspaper with maps and updates (scroll down for the latest edition). Be sure to also read my important(!) tips for visiting Crystal Cave while you’re there. Only a few campgrounds in Sequoia accept reservations, with most being available on a first-come, first-served basis. More camping info here. For a detailed review of our family’s stay at Sequoia’s Wuksachi Lodge, click here,and by all means if you’re on Pinterest, check out my Sequoia National Park board.

Well, I’d like to think I’ve done my Arbor Day good deed now by planting these seeds for your future travels – and here’s a map with all five of these destinations to help with your planning.

So how about it? Do you want to add any of these stops to your California bucket list? Have you visited any of these gorgeous trees yet? And by the way, where are YOUR favorite trees? Please leave me a comment below!

Previous post: Puerto Rico with Kids – San Juan’s 5 Best Activities with Kids Under 5

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby 

www.travelswithbaby.com   facebook   twitter   about the author   

Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.

With so many things to do in San Juan with kids, only a week to explore [...]]]>

The sun sets on another afternoon at the beach in San Juan.

Today’s guest post comes from Elaine N. Schoch, an avid traveler who is busy exploring the world, usually with her two kids in tow (ages 3 and 5). She shares her adventures, travel advice and tips on CarpeTravel.com.

With so many things to do in San Juan with kids, only a week to explore the city and a need to hit the beach every day, we had to narrow down our excursions. We found these were the five best activities to do with kids under five in San Juan.

1. The Beaches in San Juan

The beach was on the “must do list” everyday in San Juan for my girls. Since the weather was amazing it was an easy compromise. It was winter in San Juan during our stay so the mornings were cooler (think 70’s) with the afternoon reaching highs in the mid to high 80’s. The mild morning temperatures made the mornings perfect for excursions, lunch at the beach (a nap under the umbrella for the kids) followed by sandcastle making and swimming.

Lunch at the beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

All beaches in San Juan, even those fronting the top hotels are open to the public. (Caribe Hilton is the only hotel that has a small private beach.) Beach hours are typically 9-5pm.  One thing parents need to note, many of the beaches have strong riptides so keep a good eye on your kids. There were a few times I had to grab both my girls and we were in a “calm, swimming area”. In hindsight, I would have outfitted them both with a life jacket.

 While the beaches in San Juan are all open to the public, not all are created equal. There are only two beaches in San Juan that have lifeguards  - El Escambron (right next to Caribe Hilton) and Isla Verde Public Beach. These two beaches also have changing rooms, bathrooms, showers, picnic areas and onsite restaurants or snack bars. Each are also protected from reefs and rocks, providing a bit calmer water for swimming – and little ones who want to sit and splash. Isla Verde Beach is another popular beachfront lined with resorts, which makes access to it a bit more difficult (Isla Verde Public Beach sits on the same stretch of land but access to it is much easier if you’re not a hotel guest). Isla Verde Beach is a great beach for families given its calm waters and the variety of amenities along the beachfront. There are a number of kiosks lining the beach where you can rent snorkeling gear or participate in a variety of water sports – snuba, parasailing, etc.

2. Explore San Juan’s largest two forts: San Felipe del Morro “El Morro” and Castillo de San Cristobal

At San Juan Cristobal with the kids.

El Morro and San Cristobal were built during the 1500-1600’s to protect San Juan from land-based invasions. Today they are both World Heritage Sites, and National Historic Sites that are administered by the US National Park Service. The forts offer kids a fun and interactive way to explore San Juan’s history, or just put their vivid imaginations into overdrive. Once my girls understood what the forts were and how people used them they could not stop pretending they were Pirate Princesses. Running down the underground tunnel systems and hiding in the towers were a thrill. Walking into a “real dungeon” and seeing the doodling that prisoners made on the walls made my five-year-old turn and ask me in her most serious and concerned voice, “Is this were Maleficent locked up Prince Eric”. (A Sleeping Beauty related question.) She was a bit disappointed to learn he was not in fact imprisoned in this dungeon.

If you are up for exploring both forts, do it. There is a 15-20 minute walking trail along the beach that connects them; it’s stroller friendly. If the walk is too much and you still want to do both jump on the trolley that ferries people back and forth.

If you just have time – or the attention span – for one fort, head to El Morro. It is much larger and has a labyrinth of tunnels, towers and dungeons to explore. The grounds outside of El Morro are also open and always breezy making it an ideal spot for a picnic and some kite flying. You can buy a kite in the gift shop at El Morro or San Cristobal but you may pay less at the Walgreens or Puerto Rico Drug store located across the street from El Morro.

Exploring the maze-like El Morro with the kids

Both forts offer hourly guided tours, but you can take advantage of the information brochure you receive when you pay for admission and do your own guided tour. (You can purchase a $5 admission that allows access to both forts.) I found the self-guided tour was our best option given our little ones like to talk a lot, interrupt whomever else is speaking and have the attention span of a gnat. While we didn’t take our stroller on this outing there are ramps throughout the forts along with elevators. Given that even winter in San Juan is hot, you can escape the heat in the theatre which shows a short introduction of the forts, their history and impact they played in history. The movies are offered at both locations in Spanish (on the ½ hour) or English (on the hour) every hour throughout the day.

3. Explore Old San Juan

You can make a day of exploring Old San Juan with kids. There are so many different types of activities you can do, be it in doors, outdoors or a combination of the two. One of the first thing I’d suggest doing is taking the free trolley tour the city offers so you can see its rich architecture while also getting a feel for where you are and what you want to do. It’s a fairly short ride around the city and you can jump on and off at each stop. The trolley is also a great place to take a little rest when your kids get tired and need to cool off.

Waiting at a trolley stop in Old San Juan.

If you’re in San Juan on a Sunday, head down to Paso De La Princessa as there is an outdoor market during the day (9-5pm). It’s filled with locals dancing to the live bands, local vendors selling art, woodwork and everything you never knew you needed or wanted. There are countless food carts where you can grab lunch or a shaved ice (Piragua in Spanish) to cool off.

For more shopping head up to Fortaleza St and San Francisco St. where kids will love looking for Carnival Masks. The papier-mâché masks are worn at the big masquerade carnivals on the island in February, July and December. One of the best places to find authentic masks in San Juan is La Calle, located on Fortaleza St.

We happened upon Parque de las Palomas (Pigeon Park) during our day in Old San Juan and it immediately reminded me of the Feed the Birds scene from Mary Poppins. The park is covered with hundreds of pigeons all vying for the crumbs and birdseed visitor’s toss to them. A little café setup in the park makes Parque de las Palomas an ideal spot to grab a coffee or snack while letting the kids run around. (There is usually someone there selling birdseed.)

Feed the birds? You’ll find plenty at Parque de las Palomas (pigeon park).

If you have a stroller and you’re walking around Old San Juan, note that the streets and sidewalks are very narrow. While you can maneuver a double stroller, it may be difficult and will require any passerby’s to step on to the road. For little ones who like to walk, again the streets are narrow and cars are not always looking out for little people.

4. El Museo del Nino (The Children’s Museum)

The Children’s Museum in San Juan is a great place to escape the heat or the rain. For one, it’s air-conditioned, even in the winter San Juan is hot! The museum has three floors filled with interactive exhibits and activities for kids – both little and big kids stop for kids. The information posted in the exhibits is in Spanish but there are employees there who can interpret. If you’re like me and have kids running from one to the other before things can be translated, you may want so download WordLens, which translates pictures of a sign or document written in Spanish into English.

5. El Yunque Rain Forest

The El Yunque Rain Forest is a great option for families with kids who are into nature, bugs and have a lot of energy to burn. It’s a 30-minute drive outside of San Juan making it ideal for little ones who need to take a nap and easily fall to sleep in the car.

Within the park there are dozens of trails that wind past waterfalls where families can walk along and listen to the Coqui frogs and watch parrots fly overhead. The trails are not paved and not stroller friendly (backpack carrier is recommended). Make sure to tell your kids they shouldn’t pick the flowers or plants. (It can very difficult for little Princesses not to pick flowers.) The trails are graded by difficulty so it’s easy to find the more kid friendly hikes. One kid-friendly hike worth checking out is the hike to La Mina Falls. It’s about 45 minutes and you end at a natural pool where you can swim and picnic with the kids. This is popular spot for families so expect company.

While these activities in San Juan were a hit for my girls, they may not fit for all kids so make sure to ask yourself a few questions before you venture out. Questions such as, what do your kids really like to do or not like Do they like to play in the water? Sand? Explore nature and bugs? Are they prone to motion sickness, if so skip the long car ride to the rainforest. San Juan is a great place to get kids outside of their comfort zone and explore new things but if you push too hard – disaster.

As your kids get older there are even more things to do in San Juan with kids – zip lining through the rain forest and rappelling through caves, snuba, snorkeling, diving and horseback riding on the beach, etc. – I can’t wait to go back!  The city and Puerto Rico as a whole really have a lot to offer kids of all ages, even if those kids happen to be “adults”.

Have you visited San Juan with kids? What other activities have you done that we should include?

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Thanks so much, Elaine, for sharing your Puerto Rico with Kids travel tips with us! Follow more of her family’s adventures at CarpeTravel.com.

Previous Post: Shark Tunnel at Maui Ocean Center

More Tips for Vacation Destinations with Young Children: Destinations at TravelswithBaby.com

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby 

Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.