When visiting California, our family’s goal was to learn about some of the history and culture of the state as well as visiting attractions like Disneyland and Legoland.  As Minnesota farmers, we also hoped to learn a bit about agriculture in California.  We found the perfect stop for this at California Citrus State Historic Park in Riverside.

California Citrus SHP exists to preserve the history of the citrus industry that is shrinking in Riverside and its surrounding areas.  While our children explored the exhibits and worked through the children’s brochure in the visitor center, my husband and I visited with the knowledgeable docents, learning about the citrus industry’s history in California and how it is changing in a time of population growth and urbanization.

After we’d had our questions answered and browsed the gift shop, the docent took us to the patio behind the visitor center, where we were offered tastes of a variety of citrus fruits.

We had our first experience with kumquats (little tiny oranges that are eaten like grapes, skin and all), really sweet clementines/mandarins, lemons, and juicy, red-orange Cara Cara navels.  Even the choosiest eaters in our family were adventurous enough to taste the fruits.

The docent then led us down the sidewalk and showed us some of the other varieties growing near the visitor center.  The rule was that we, as visitors, could not pick any of the fruit in the park, but our ranger could pick things and share them with us.  It was a new and tasty experience to eat oranges that had just been picked from the trees.

After trying several of the varieties, the ranger left us to wander through the rest of the park on our own, and we walked the many paved paths through what is an actual working orchard.  Throughout the park, signs indicate the varieties of the trees, from the Meyer lemons that are common in California backyards to the spiky Flying Dragon seedling that is good for root stock but does not bear good fruit.

Our kids liked learning about the trees and how they grow,

as well as just walking between the palm trees, which were originally grown in the orange groves as a navigation aid, so workers could find the roads among the acres of orange trees.

Displays along the paths explained things such as the importance of the local canal to the citrus industry and the citrus heritage of the area.

The orange trees were just beginning to bloom and I found that their sweet smell now rivals lilacs as my favorite scent.

The visitor center is only open on weekends, but the park is open daily for walking its tree-lined paths.

After leaving the park, we stopped at the Gless Ranch stand, conveniently located just outside the entrance, and purchased some fresh California oranges to take home with us.  Sadly, they did not make it home, as we ate 16 pounds of oranges in a week’s time.  Even worse, we cannot find anything that tastes nearly as good now that we are back in Minnesota.

We made one more stop before heading back to our hotel in Anaheim, at the ranger’s suggestion:  We drove through Riverside to the corner of Magnolia and Arlington to see the Parent Navel Tree.  If you’ve ever eaten a navel orange grown in the United States, it is likely a descendant of this tree that dates back to the 1800s.  How’s that for a piece of history?

I highly recommend California Citrus SHP for visitors to California who want to learn about this type of agriculture or to taste a variety of citrus fruits, or to California residents who may know little about the citrus industry and its history in the state.

Say, for instance, that you’re driving on the 101 freeway from Disneyland to Universal Studios.

If you look at just the right time, and you’re not the driver who has to pay attention to traffic or the kid who’s in the backseat on the driver’s side of the vehicle, you might just get a good look at it like this:

Now, for some people, that would be good enough.  But for others who actually wanted more than a glimpse, or who want to prove that they can find a better vantage point, or maybe have their photo taken in front of the real thing (as opposed to the fake photo op background at Universal Studios) as proof that they were actually along on the family vacation, it is possible to get closer to the sign.

In my somewhat-extensive Hollywood-sign research before we left home, I had read that you could see the Hollywood sign from Griffith Park.  We, however, did not go to Griffith Park.

I also talked to someone from my hometown whose family had attempted to get up-close and personal with the Hollywood sign and had become hopelessly intertwined in the Hollywood hills, and never did successfully complete their quest to see the sign.  I wanted to do better than that.

So I searched Google Maps.  (Do you use Google Maps for as many things as I do?)  And I looked for that sign and found it right here.

Do you see it?  It’s that faint white line just below Mt. Lee Drive on the map.  Yup, that’s the Hollywood sign from way up in space.

Then, I looked at the terrain.  Obviously, any vantage point for the sign was going to be south of this location.

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And yes, those are some twisting, winding roads.

Next, I used street view to see exactly where the sign was visible from a public roadway.

This view? Not exactly the right spot.

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Then I got smart and turned on the photos layer. And voila! I could instantly see all of the spots where people had taken photos of the Hollywood sign with their fancy GPS-enabled cameras or cell phones.

Now, I realize it’s hard to see, but all of those pictures with blue sky and brown-green bottoms and a little bit of white in the middle?  They’re pictures of the Hollywood sign.

Next, we had the issue of finding a place to park and safely take a picture without being chased off someone’s private property or being run down by people who actually knew how to quickly and accurately navigate these streets.

What’s that?  A public park?  With what looks to be cars parked safely and legally on both sides of the street?  I think that’s our spot.

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And so it was that upon leaving Universal Studios, we made our way to see the Hollywood sign. Cahuenga Blvd W to Barham Blvd to Lake Hollywood Dr to Tahoe Dr to Canyon Lake Dr to Lake Hollywood Park doesn’t seem too tricky, but I’d advise having a map or smartphone navigation app to get you there. (It was comforting to see one small “Hollywood Sign” arrow along the way, but it alone wasn’t enough to get us there without getting lost.)

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At the southern tip of the park, we found a place to park along the street, and spotted the sign.

To the naked eye it looked like this:

Zoomed in it looked like this:

And proof that I was in California looked like this:

If you know of a better/faster/easier place to see the Hollywood sign, please share in the comments.

Before we went, I tried to get an idea of what the Safari Park would be like.  I looked at satellite views on Google Maps and read the website extensively, trying to guess if it would be a good stop for our family, and how much time we would need there.  Much of the guessing I did was wrong.

It’s hard to get a feel for the Safari Park from a map because the terrain is quite varied, and also because much of the park’s expanse is not in publicly-accessible areas.  The vastness of the park that scared me when looking at the map was really not so much to worry about.

I had read that the Safari Park is extensive and the terrain quite hilly, so I was concerned that my already-troubled feet wouldn’t be able to take it, especially after several days in amusement parks.  While it’s true that one does a lot of walking at the Safari Park, the only part that I thought was really steep was down into the tiger area.  The other zone where there’s a big hill is near the cheetah and lion area, but there’s an elevator available at that location.

We arrived at the Safari Park just before it opened and parked very near the entrance.  The ticket line was slow-moving but the agent was knowledgeable and helpful when it came to our turn.  At $42 for adults and $32 for children, the Africa Safari is the most basic ticket available.  There are many other ticket options available that include extras like Segway and zipline tours or behind-the-scenes options, all at increased prices.  In fact, there are upsells throughout the park itself, including $5 to have a better view for the cheetah run.  The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park do not participate in the AZA reciprocal program, and adult memberships are only available to southern California residents, so there isn’t a good way to get reduced admission.  Visitors to southern California who want to save a few dollars should take a look at the Koala Club for kids, use their AAA card for a discount, look at the Go San Diego card*, or look at the multi-park/multi-visit options if visiting both the Zoo and the Safari Park.

The Africa tram is a 25-minute open-air ride that is included with the most basic admission ticket.  During the tram tour, visitors are taken to areas of the park that are otherwise inaccessible by the public.  Narration provides information about the various animals in this zone, many of which are severely endangered.  Since the Africa tram tour is included with admission, it’s worth the time for visitors, especially those who are there for the first time.

After the tram tour, we wandered around the rest of the Safari Park.  I was pleasantly surprised at the number of paths that were shady, lined with beautiful plants.

The walking was not nearly as difficult as I had envisioned.  Paths and trails and specific exhibits were well-marked, making it easy to navigate to the areas we wanted to visit.

Because the animal areas at the Safari Park are often large, it’s not always easy to see the animals.  After trekking down the tiger path, we learned that the tigers were not in a visible area at that time, and I had a disappointed six-year-old to lead back up the hill.

Food is available at several locations in the park.  The $7.49 kids meal included two small chicken fingers, a bag of Pirate’s Booty, raisins, animal crackers, and a child-sized soda (with $1 in-park refills).  While milk and chocolate milk could be purchased for $1.49, an adult soda (refillable for a charge) carried the price tag of $4.99.  In my opinion, the food was high-priced and mediocre, and I’d recommend packing a picnic lunch if you can.

Our kids enjoyed an interactive screen show featuring Robert, the zebra from Madagascar, in an amphitheater, and begged to spend time in the splash area and play & climb zone in the park that give kids a chance to run and play.  The carousel was also a hit with the kids.

We spent four hours at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.  In the future, if I had to choose either the San Diego Zoo or the Safari Park, I’d go back to the zoo, where more animals were easily seen and more programs were available.  Benefits of the Safari Park, however, included easier parking and a less-crowded atmosphere.  I was surprised at the amount of duplication of animals between the two, and on future visits to San Diego, I would likely choose one or the other, but not go to both.

For my Minnesota readers who may be interested in visiting the Safari Park, I found it to be very similar to the Minnesota Zoo, and in fact, many of the animals are the same (tigers, takin, meerkat).  The tram ride is similar in scope to the Minnesota Zoo’s monorail, and the terrain and amount of walking we did seemed very much like that of the Minnesota Zoo.

The San Diego Zoo and its Safari Park are known as some of the best zoos in the world, giving visitors to San Diego good options for a zoo experience while in California.

Disclosure:  The San Diego Zoo gave us four free passes so we could check out the Zoo and Safari Park.
* Affiliate link

Set in the beautiful hills of Simi Valley, California, north of Los Angeles, the setting for this museum is breathtaking.  Our children enjoyed seeing the banners depicting the order of the presidents as we wound up the driveway, until we arrived at number 40, Ronald Reagan, at the top of the hill.

Our first contact upon entering the building was a representative offering a membership to the library.  We declined this option and moved to the admission window, where we paid for our visit and a Guidecam tour upgrade for an additional $7 per person.  Though this price was somewhat high, we hoped that it would provide additional interest for our kids as we walked through the museum.

The museum itself is very large and well-done.  The exhibits are informational and appealing to look at, with each area based around a specific period or topic of President Reagan’s life.  Occasional interactive areas, like a radio show from Reagan’s early days, or a White House etiquette trivia quiz, livened it up a bit for the kids.

The Guidecams, which are specially-purposed iPod Touches, were indeed a good choice, as the exhibit areas were marked with audio locations.  One daughter especially liked the option of using the Guidecam to take photos in the museum, which were e-mailed to us at the end of the tour.

Guidecam Photo taken by 7-year-old

On the downside, there is no child-specific audio option, so the kids got the same spiel as the adults.  A special kid-friendly audio tour would make the Guidecams even better.  Still, listening as we walked and looked made for a very well-rounded experience.

Docents were available at every turn should we have questions, and while some waited quietly in the exhibit areas for questions to be addressed to them, others interacted with the kids as we walked through.  One even gave us tiny bags of Jelly Belly jelly beans (Ronald Reagan’s favorite) when we stopped to ask a question.

After learning about most of Reagan’s life, we made it to the Air Force One exhibit area.  The large annex area is home to the Air Force One that was in use during Reagan’s presidency, and it was very interesting to step on board and walk through the plane, seeing the office areas, press seating, and how the president’s office in the sky is set up.  While photography is allowed in the rest of the museum, there are no photos allowed on board Air Force One.

Other presidential and military vehicles, including a presidential limousine from the Reagan years, are also on exhibit in this large area of the museum.

From Air Force One, we continued the audio tour to its end.  We kind of breezed through the last area quickly because we were hungry; we hadn’t realized just how much time we’d be able to spend in the museum.  Using the Guidecam, we had spent nearly three hours learning about Ronald Reagan.

We ate lunch at Reagan’s Country Cafe, which was at the end of the tour.  (If we had only realized when we entered that it was just through the doors by the Guidecam pickup point, we would have eaten first).  There is also a pub in the Air Force One exhibit area, but we opted for the cafe with more menu options and beautiful views from the dining area.

Though it rained while we were in the museum, by the time we headed outdoors again it was sunny, so we took some time to see a portion of the Berlin Wall and the replicas of the White House gardens, as well as President Reagan’s gravesite.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is one of the largest and most-visited presidential museums in the U.S.  With its excellent exhibits, the Guidecam tour, and Air Force One, we found it to be an excellent history lesson amidst the fun of other southern California attractions.

Have you visited the Reagan Library or another presidential library/museum?  Was it interesting for kids?

• Alaska Native Heritage Center (Anchorage, AK) at AK on the Go
• Austin (TX) on a Budget at Road Trips for Families
• BIG Stuff in Philadephia, PA at Go Big or Go Home
• Biltmore Estate’s Family Playground (Asheville, NC) at Road Trips for Families
• Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (St. Augustine, FL) at Field Trips with Sue
• Colonial Williamsburg with Kids (Williamsburg, VA) at Ciao Bambino
• Colors of the Carlsbad Flower Fields at The World is a Book
• Corinth National Military Park (Mississippi) at Our Traveling Tribe
• Cruising Boston Harbor with Boston’s Best Cruises (Boston, MA) at Albany Kid
• Disney’s Fort Wilderness Cabins (Orlando, FL) at The Traveling Praters
• Dos and Don’ts of Disney’s Castaway Cay at Travel Mamas
• Eagle Watching in Decorah, IA, at Road Trips for Families
• Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum (McMinnville, OR) at Pit Stops for Kids
• Exploring Atlanta, GA, with Kids at SuiteTrip
• Exploring Eastland, TX, at Suitcases and Sippycups
• Exploring the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch (Carlsbad, CA) at Go Explore Nature
• Family-Friendly Activities in Nevada at Trekaroo
• Family Friendly Utah Ski Resort: Snowbird at Dotting the Map
• Favorite Things to Do in Yosemite National Park at Go Explore Nature
• Five Great Activities in South Central Alaska with Younger Children (Anchorage area)at AK on the Go
• Five Great Activities in Fairbanks with Younger Children (Fairbanks, AK) at AK on the Go
• Five Great Activities in Southeastern Alaska with Younger Children at AK on the Go
• The Florida Keys at New School Nomads
• A Guide to the White House Easter Egg Roll at Tulip Family Travels
• Half Moon Bay with Kids: San Francisco’s Secret Seaside Neighbor (Half Moon Bay, CA) at Ciao Bambino
• Hilton Times Square at More Kids than Suitcases
• Is a Disney Cruise Right for Your Family? at Pit Stops for Kids
• Justifiying the Cost of a Disney Cruise at Two Kids and a Map
• LBJ National Historic Park, Stonewall, TX at R We There Yet Mom?
• League Stadium in Huntingburg, IN at Little Indiana
• Lego Sculptures at Reiman Gardens (Ames, IA) at Family Rambling
• Manitou Cliff Dwellings (Colorado Springs, CO) at Six Suitcase Travel
• Metaphor, the Tree of Utah (95 miles west of Salt Lake City, UT) at Eccentric Roadside
• Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ, at The Mother of All Trips
• National Museum of Naval Aviation (Pensacola, FL) at Our Traveling Tribe
• National Museum of Naval Aviation (Pensacola, FL) at The Rocket Scientist’s Guide to Raising Kids
• New National Historic Landmarks in the Capitol Region (near Albany, NY) at Albany Kid
• Panning for Gold in Alaska (El Dorado Gold Mine) at Gone with the Family
• Pennsylvania’s Amish Country at Intelligent Travel
• Play for All Abilities Park (Round Rock, TX) at R We There Yet Mom?
• Sequoia National Park with Kids at The World is a Book
• Shiloh National Battlefield (Shiloh, TN) at Our Traveling Tribe
• Solomon’s Castle (Ona, FL) at New School Nomads
• St. Augustine, Florida: Rich in History at New School Nomads
• Stones River National Battlefield (TN) at Our Traveling Tribe
• Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum (Waco, TX) at R We There Yet Mom?
• Tips for Visiting National Parks with Kids at The World is a Book
• Top Five Reasons Keystone Resort is Great for Families at The Mother of All Trips
• Top Picks for Kids at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum at Sherri May’s Traveling Classroom
• Vanishing Texas River Cruise (Lake Buchanan, TX) at R We There Yet Mom?
• What to Expect When Taking Disney World’s Magical Express at Two Kids and a Map
• What’s Included (and What You’ll Pay Extra For) on a Disney Cruise at Pit Stops for Kids
• 5 Items We Were Glad We Had on a Disney Cruise and 5 We Didn’t Need at Pit Stops for Kids
• 5 Multigenerational Travel Mistakes to Avoid at Kidventurous
• 10 Free Family Activities in Baltimore, MD at Kidventurous
• 10 Tips for Sailing Aboard the Carnival Magic with Kids at Suitcases and Sippycups

The Pavek Museum of Broadcasting is located in a business/light-industrial area of St. Louis Park, MN, just off Hwys 100 and 7.  After paying our admission and hanging up our coats, one son noticed the audio tour option, but we instead went with the guided tour of the museum that was offered to us.  Our guide cranked up a Victrola and a replica of Edison’s first phonograph, and we threw some nickels into an old-time juke box.  We learned about electricity with Leyden jar experiments like they have at the Bakken Museum, and got a demonstration of a ship’s radio system from days gone by.

Then it was on to the next room, where three kids at a time competed in a quiz show, complete with Jeopardy-style buzz-in buttons and broadcast on an old-time TV right in front of us.

Our guide read the questions and kept score.

We tried our hands at playing the Theremin, and then were shown a video that proves that some people actually were able to get songs to come from this electronic musical instrument.  We were taken to a back room where it was explained how film works, and after being given actual film clips to look at (something new for our kids’ generation), we watched the Roadrunner escape the coyote until the film broke.

Each child tried their hand at a telegraph, we heard music from old-time movie-theater speakers, and watched old-time TV shows on an old-time television.

The highlight of the visit, however, was doing our own radio show in the radio studio.  With one child at the controls, two announcers, and two reporters, we followed the script and broadcast our very own radio show, which was e-mailed to us after we left the museum.  Seeing how radio works, even though the studio setup was from the late-1960s, was an eye-opener for our WCCO-listening family.

Our Pavek Museum Radio Broadcast

We spent about an hour and a half at the museum; enthusiasts who want to examine all of the old radios and television sets on site could spend much longer.

At the end, even those children who weren’t sure about going to the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting said it was a lot more fun than they’d expected it to be.  I’ve already recommended it to friends and to our school as a good field trip option for upper-elementary students.  The Pavek Museum of Broadcasting does an excellent job of portraying the history of broadcasting in an informative and interactive way.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway sounded like a good idea when I was planning the trip.  I’d ask Californians if they’d been on it, and they’d say things like, “No, but I’ve heard only good things about it.”  Comments like this, paired with the fact that it was open into the evening, made it a good stop for the end of our day in the Palm Springs area.

As we drove up the four-mile access road just after 4 p.m., however, I began to question my wisdom in putting it on our to-do list.  “We’re going up THERE?” I asked as we pulled into the parking lot and could see the towers on the mountainside that held the tram cables in place.

By then, however, it was too late.  We were there.  We hiked up the parking lot and into the ticket building to buy our tickets.

Although it was in no way due to excellent planning on my part, we learned that we’d arrived at a good time.  Tickets are discounted after 4:00 for the ride to the top of the mountain.  Though still not a great bargain, the discount was appreciated.

Aerial Tramway tickets are issued for a specific time, and our tram car was boarding as soon as we’d finished the purchase transaction.  We waited in a holding room until our tram car arrived, and then walked into the large car.

The floor of the car rotates throughout the ride, so passengers get a 360-degree view of the Coachella Valley without having to move around the car.  Everyone stands, but a woman with a severe fear of heights was allowed to sit on a small step in the center of the car.

There are five towers that the car rolls over along the way to the top, and while the 10-minute ride is otherwise smooth, there’s a bit of an “oooh” moment as the car swings over the arms of each of these towers.

Soon enough, we were at the top, with the option to explore as long as we wanted.  The top station includes overlooks, restaurants, a bar, a gift shop, and photo kiosk as well as restrooms and other amenities.

I wasn’t too sure how I was going to like looking down from the top of an 8516-foot mountain, but it wasn’t really so bad.  Because it’s not a sheer dropoff from the lookout areas, the vegetation and landscape make it appear that you’re just on some uneven terrain, but with a really good view in the distance.  I’m nervous about the third-floor railing at Mall of America, but I managed the fenced-in areas at the top of this mountain just fine.

The kids begged for quarters for the binoculars, and enjoyed getting closer views of the sights from these.  We could see the mountains near Joshua Tree National Park to the left, Palm Springs and its nearby towns below, some of the many wind generators that line the Coachella Valley at the bottom of the mountain, and the Salton Sea to the right.  I forgot to look for the San Andreas Fault, although I’d read that it can be seen from the top.

Looking the other way, we could see hikers in the distance; the land at the top of the mountain is a state park and is available for recreational activities.

We stayed near the station, however, and after getting our fill of the view, headed inside to find something to eat.  We chose the cafeteria-style Pines Cafe instead of the fancier Peaks Restaurant, and were pleasantly surprised at the reasonable prices for basic but good food.  The boys had a large slice of pizza for $4, I had tortilla soup for $3.50, and our daughter liked the $5 yogurt parfait.  My husband had some kind of sausage and sauerkraut that was part of a meal deal but also sold a la carte.  All in all, we ate for about the same cost as fast food would have been, but with a much nicer view.

While we were eating, the sun set over the mountain, so that when we boarded the tram car again and began moving, we had a beautiful view of the city lights below.  Once again we completed two and a half rotations as we rode, but this time to upbeat music instead of the informational narrative we’d heard on the way up.

In some ways, I’d compare the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to the Pikes Peak Cog Railway; both take you up about 8000 feet from the city below for some beautiful views.  If I had to choose one over the other for my family, however, I’d go with the tramway.  The 10-minute ride is much easier for kids than the hour-plus of Pikes Peak, and you can stay at the top as long as you wish.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was one of the high points of our California trip, especially since it was unique and not what I expected when I first thought of California.

If You Go:

• Call for ticket prices before you go.  The after-4 discount is not listed on the website, although a ride-and-dine package is.
  
• Bring a sweatshirt or jacket, even if it’s warm in the valley.  We were comfortable with sweatshirts on in mid-February.
• Don’t lean on the glass while the tramway is moving.  Your feet will rotate right out from under the leaning part of you.
• Remember your camera.
• Go up just after 4 p.m., grab something to eat, enjoy the view, and come down after dark for a varied experience at a lower price.
• Check to see if any special activities are available during your visit.

More pictures:

We learned that my son is allergic to peanuts when he was three years old due to skin testing and bloodwork in investigating another condition.  In the past six years, we’ve become adept at navigating restaurant menus and working with our school, friends, and family to ensure a safe environment for him.  We’ve traveled far and wide, but always in a car where we could control the food that’s brought in.

Our recent trip to California created a new page in our book of dealing with food allergies:  flying with a peanut allergy.  Our experience flying on Delta follows; I welcome any thoughts about your own food allergy airline experiences, or tips for traveling families, in the comments.

Pre-Trip Planning

My pre-trip concerns were two-fold: how to keep our son safe while on the flight, and how to handle epi-pens at the security gate.

About a month before our trip, I called Delta’s main information number and spoke to an agent about the peanut allergy.  She said that Delta does not provide peanut-free flights, but recommended sitting in either the first three or last three rows of the cabin.  We already had seats at the back of the plane, so this was not difficult.  Another option provided was to talk to the gate agent one hour prior to the flight and ask to be assigned (him plus one adult) to the first economy row, which is reserved until that point in time for people with service animals or other special needs.  We decided to stay with our seat assignments at the back of the plane, especially since our family of six was already taking up two rows on one side, which would create a bit of a natural buffer zone.

The phone agent also noted the peanut allergy on our son’s reservation.

Regarding the epi-pens, I checked the airline and TSA websites to see how to handle medications and learned that there should be no problem with them.

At Security

We did nothing special with the epi-pens we had in our carry-on luggage and no questions were asked at security regarding them.

Flight 1: At the Gate

We had arrived quite early for the flight, and as soon as the gate agent arrived, I talked to her about the peanut allergy.  She was very kind, reiterating that there were no peanut-free flights offered on Delta, but that they would not offer peanuts in the three rows ahead of or behind my son.  I asked if I needed to talk to the flight attendants, and she said no, that she would inform them.

Flight 1: On the Plane

We had brought along wipes with which to clean the trays and surfaces in my son’s row, in case there should be any peanut residue there from an earlier flight.  Though we normally do not do this in everyday situations, the idea of having a reaction while in the air with no ambulance or hospital readily available caused us to take more precautions than usual.

When the drinks and snacks were served, the flight attendants worked from front to back.  When they reached the row my son was in, they offered him peanuts.  My husband quietly reminded them that there was a peanut allergy in the row, and they hastily backed up and took back the peanuts they’d just given to passengers in the row ahead.  There ended up being just a two-row buffer instead of the three rows there were supposed to be.  I give the confiscated-peanut passengers credit for not complaining, but I was disappointed that the flight attendants had forgotten the protocol and offered peanuts to them in the first place.

Flight 2:  At the Gate

This time, we did not arrive at the gate until about 20 minutes prior to boarding.  I gave the same spiel to the agent:  “My son has a peanut allergy and the reservation agent said I should let you know.”  He annoyed with me, and said he’d have to put us in the last row.  I mentioned that we were already near the back of the plane, but he said the very back was what he was supposed to do, and now the plane was nearly full and he’d have to move people around.  After pausing a bit, he asked how severe the allergy was.  “Not airborne or contact-sensitive as far as we know,” I replied.  “So just ingestion?”  “Yes,” I replied.  He then decided that where we were sitting was good enough and that they’d have to do a buffer zone of “4 rows or something,” and that he’d have to notify the flight attendants RIGHT NOW.  He walked immediately down the jetway with this information.

Flight 2:  On the Plane

When we boarded, we noticed two small pieces of paper taped to the seatbacks of the third row ahead of our son’s row, marked simply with “ø.” Once everyone in those rows had boarded, the flight attendant explained that there was a customer with a peanut allergy in this area, and that peanuts would not be served beyond that point.  She also asked that any passengers who had brought a peanut snack not eat it during the flight, and that if a peanut snack was the only thing they had brought to eat, she would talk with them about trading it for something else from her cart.  As during the first flight, I did not see or hear anyone complain about this.

As had been promised, the flight attendants discontinued offering peanuts when they got to the marked row.  I did notice that there was still trail mix available for sale, but I did not see if anyone attempted to order it during the flight.

Overall Thoughts:

• I’m surprised that the peanut allergy was not flagged in the gate agent’s information. Sometimes it is not possible to arrive early enough for seat reassignment, especially if catching a connecting flight.  Similarly, sometimes seat assignments are not available until arriving at the gate, so the allergic passenger could be assigned to a row other than that suggested for people with allergies on Delta.  Delta’s computer system should be able to flag this so the gate attendant knows before we arrive that there’s an allergy on board.
• The demeanor of the gate agent isn’t what keeps the allergic passenger safe.  The flight attendants are the key piece of the puzzle. Though Flight 1′s gate agent was much friendlier, the flight attendants on the plane were not very attendant.  The gate agent for Flight 2 was more brusque, but the flight attendants on board were much better at communicating with the passengers and following the protocols we’d been told they would use.
• The allergic passenger was kept anonymous throughout the process. We were not in any way singled out as being the ones with a food allergy in our row.  Any passengers who might be disgruntled did not know if the allergic passenger was right next to them or a few rows away.
• Our fellow passengers were kind and understanding. No one on either flight was visibly hostile about the absence of peanuts in their row.
• The cookies and pretzels offered as snacks besides peanuts were a may-contain, so my son couldn’t eat them anyway.  We always travel with our own snacks for him in situations like this.
• It surprises me that Delta can’t create a peanut-free flight.  I don’t think of myself as a warrior mom for whom everyone else has to change just because my son has a peanut allergy.  But is the right to peanuts on a flight so absolute that they can’t simply be removed from the flight when given advance notice of an allergic passenger on board?
• I’d think twice about flying on Delta if the allergy were airborne-sensitive. Some people have severe allergic reactions by merely smelling or breathing small amounts of peanut dust.  In an confined space like an airplane, I’d be very hesitant at having just a buffer zone with an airborne reaction history.
• Traveling with a larger group is a benefit. Our family created its own buffer zone of sorts, just as my son has a self-created group of friends who avoid peanuts so they can sit by him at lunchtime.
• It was still nerve-wracking. Being locked on an airplane without quick access to a hospital can be dangerous in any medical emergency, but with a severe allergic reaction, time is of the essence.  An epi-pen dose only helps for 15 minutes or so, and a second dose will buy a bit more time, but that’s not enough in the case of a severe reaction while at 30,000 feet.  Preventing a reaction in the first place is really the first defense.

Questions and Comments:

• Have you flown with a food allergy?  What was your experience?  What precautions did you take?
• Are there any airlines that offer peanut-free flights?  What are the policies of airlines other than Delta?
• What could/should we have done differently?

Please share with a comment below.

Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach, Oxnard, CA

• The hotel: Resort-style hotel laid out in several buildings with beautifully landscaped grounds and large pool and whirlpool.  Restaurant on-site.  Reasonably priced room service.  Quiet except for baby crying next door.  Most rooms open directly to outside walkways.
  
• Our room: Spacious 2-queen, 2-bath suite with living room, dining table for four, small fridge, and microwave.  Large balcony with doors to both the bedroom and living room provides views of beach and ocean; has bar-height table and two stools.
  
• Breakfast, etc.: Free breakfast that includes made-to-order omelets and other hot items in large breakfast room.  Complimentary evening reception includes snacks (nachos, popcorn) and drinks (alcholic and non-alcoholic) in breakfast area.
• The view: Hotel gate opens directly onto beach.  Some areas are dune-like and others flat beach.  Channel Islands and California mountains can be seen in the distance.
  
• What we paid: $166/nt (“partial view” AAA rate)+ $15 for parking in the hotel’s underground garage.
• Best for: A beach getaway with time to relax at the pools and enjoy the hotel’s resort feel.
• Hints:  Ask for a partial view room for the best combination of view + cost.

Quality Inn and Suites Oceanview, Dana Point/Capistrano Beach, CA

• The hotel: Small (30 rooms?) hotel directly on Pacific Coast Highway.  Restaurants within walking distance.  Highway noise and passing Amtrak trains can be bothersome.  Rooms open to outside walkways.  Bathroom fan is loud and on when bathroom light is on.  Hotel has outdoor whirlpool.  Balconies face each other.  Free underground parking.
• Our room: 2-king bedroom with huge living room, dining table for four, small fridge, and microwave.  Mid-sized balcony off living room with patio table and chairs.
  
• Breakfast, etc.: Free continental breakfast (waffles, pastries, fruit, cereal, toast) in breakfast room with just four tables.
  
• The view: Beach is located across the road/railroad tracks; crossover walkway is about 2 blocks from hotel.  Higher floors have best views of ocean and beach/park.
  
• What we paid:  $95/nt (organizational rate); free parking.
• Best for: Budget-minded travelers who want to be close to the beach.  People looking for a somewhat central location between LA and San Diego.
• Hints: Parking garage entrance can be hard to find at night.  Our GPS had a hard time finding the hotel.
  

Homewood Suites Liberty Station, San Diego, CA

• The hotel: Two lodging buildings plus central “lodge” with lobby, breakfast area, etc.  Outdoor pool and whirlpool, various patios and terraces, some with fireplaces.  Game room with pool table, exercise rooms.  Variety of restaurants (Greek, sushi, Thai, pizza/brewpub, Mexican, Starbucks, Subway) in strip mall just across parking lot. Snack shop in lobby.  Grocery store (Von’s/Trader Joe’s) nearby.  Airport is nearby but plane noise not an issue.  Within 20-minute drive of most San Diego attractions.  Quiet/no highway noise.
• Our room: 1-king, 1-queen, 2-bedroom, 2-bath with living room and full kitchen (except oven) and table for four.  Tiny balcony with patio chair off queen bedroom.
  
• Breakfast, etc.: Free hot breakfast each morning.  Weeknight manager’s reception includes light meal offerings and includes beer and wine.
• The view: Some rooms overlook the harbor inlet, greenway, and walking path.
  
• What we paid: $204/nt (AAA rate); free parking.
• Best for: Families looking for nice, centrally-located lodging in San Diego.  People who want to cook instead of eating in restaurants.
• Hints: You pay the same whether you get a waterfront view or a parking lot view, and it’s luck of the draw whether you get a room with a view or not.  One of the top-rated hotels in San Diego on TripAdvisor.  Price fluctuates so keep an eye on it and rebook at a lower rate if you find it.  Larger rooms can sell out quickly.

So there you have it–the skinny on three waterfront lodging options in southern California.  Of all of them, the one I’d most like to return to is the Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach with its convenient beach access and relaxed feel plus well-designed room and beautiful view. I would, however, stay at any of them again.

Those who have been reading Travels with Children for a while may remember my Disneyland hotel-choice dilemma.  I made and canceled numerous reservations as I found better prices or better promotions or better locations.  On occasion, I even asked my husband where he thought we should stay.

In the end we went with the Comfort Inn Maingate.

It wasn’t a slam-dunk decision, mind you.  After reading reviews on TripAdvisor and looking at Google street view and poring over the hotel’s website, we were pretty sure it would work for our six-night stay, but we agreed that if it wasn’t up to snuff we’d leave after the first night and find something better.

That was not necessary.

I booked the hotel at an association rate that’s usually a bit lower than the AAA/senior rates at Choice Hotels, netting us six nights in a two-queen, two-bunk, two-room with two bathrooms family suite for $102/night.  As our trip dates neared, I checked the rates online and saw that the price had dropped, and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to rebook for the lower $95 rate.  That $95 included free parking, free breakfast, and free wi-fi.  Not bad.

I knew from my research that the location would be decent.  Though it was a beyond walking distance to Disneyland for most people, it was a mere three-minute drive from Disneyland’s Toy Story parking lot, and about 15 from the Mickey & Friends parking structure.  We never had trouble with traffic, and at the end of the day, it was nice to have a short ride back to our lodging.  With restaurants and stores nearby, the location was good.

But would we actually like the room?  The rate seemed almost too good to be true.  Would we be happy there?

When we drove up, the kids gasped in delight.  “It’s a MOtel!” they said.  Apparently parking right in front of the rooms is rare enough for us that they thought it exciting.  The birds of paradise blooming in the parking lot also drew oohs and aahs as our first real taste of California.

I checked in and asked for a room on the second floor, which I’d read might be the quietest.  We were given room 220 at the back of the courtyard and parked next to the stairs.  I took in my flashlight and did the first check I always do at hotels, for bedbugs, before letting anyone or anything else inside.  Being satisfied that we were ok, we moved in.

The family suites at the Comfort Inn Maingate have been constructed by dividing a room in two and giving half of it to each of the adjacent rooms.  One of the half-size bunk rooms gets the extra window, and the other gets the second bath.  Paying a few dollars extra per night for the second bath was well worth it, especially since it meant we also had a second closet.  With all of our luggage, we had plenty of room to stash our stuff.

The bunk room with a real door that closed was also a benefit when our children awakened at 4:45 a.m., having not yet adjusted to the new time zone.  They could play quietly, read, or watch TV without disturbing us.

The two queen beds were comfortable, and even the small square pillows that hotels seem to stock these days were good enough.  We had an upholstered chair and small table plus the dresser/TV stand with dorm fridge and microwave in the main room, and the bunk room had its own dresser with TV plus a kid-sized table and chairs.  The safe in the corner was locked unless we wanted to pay a fee to access it.

This is an older building but it’s in good repair.  Everything in our room worked as it should, except a sink with switched faucets and a delay in getting hot water to the shower in the morning, which were minor inconveniences.  The room was extremely quiet and set back well away from the street.

We didn’t use the pool because we were too busy seeing the sights, so I can’t comment on it.  There was a guest laundry area adjacent to the outdoor pool.

Breakfast was complimentary each morning, just a bit on the better side of basic.  Besides the usual cereal, toast, and pastries, there were make-your-own waffles, scrambled eggs, and sausage.  A refrigerator stocked yogurt and boiled eggs, and fresh fruit was available.  The fare was identical each day of our stay, and while not exciting, there was certainly enough that everyone got a good start to the day.

The breakfast room itself was not large, with seating for perhaps 25 people, but picnic tables just outside the doors provided an acceptable overflow seating area.  Most mornings, we were at breakfast just after it opened, and everything was well stocked.  The only day there were empty shelves was the day we ate later in the breakfast time.

Though the Comfort Inn Maingate is not fancy, it was for us the perfect combination of price, location, and space.  Having a room where each of the six of us can sleep on a bed for under $100/night is a bargain.

I recommended the Comfort Inn Maingate to a friend who was visiting just a week later with her family of six and they had a similar pleasant experience.  When I started to apologize for the basic breakfast fare, she told me it was much, much better than what they’d been offered at their Days Inn in San Diego.

Families, especially with three or four children, visiting Disneyland on a budget should consider the Comfort Inn Maingate.  We’re glad we did.

As soon as we announced our California trip to our children, our 8-year-old had only one request:  Legoland.

Legoland theme parks are a whole lot more than the Lego store and play area at Mall of America.  Legoland comes complete with rides and shows, but also has an array of impressive Lego block creations thrown in for good measure.  Since I’d already been to Legoland Florida and knew that it met its target market of 2- to 12-year-olds very well, I agreed that it would be a good stop for our family with kids ages 6-11.  It did not disappoint.

We arrived at the park bright and early and had time to get our tickets before the gates opened.  There was a group of people waiting to get in on a February Friday morning, but not large crowds like at the San Diego Zoo.

It was our first time in the park, so we chose the let’s-see-what-we-find approach and headed to the left.  First stop was Coastersaurus and it was a hit with everyone.  The ride isn’t long, so they let us go around twice before boarding the next group.

From there, we wandered through the park and rode on almost all the rides that were open.  We took a few minutes to see how Legos are made, and enjoyed the interactive musical fountain.

As is Legoland’s style, Lego creatures and people are part of the landscape.

The Volvo driving school allows kids to drive on “real” roads with lanes and stop lights in little Lego cars.  At the end, they earn a paper drivers license.

For lunch, we tried the Brickolini restaurant with its variety of pizza and pasta.  The portions were large, leading my husband and me to wish we’d split an entree.  Kids meals were on the spendy side at $6.99 but included a souvenir cup that could be refilled in the park (which stocks Coke products) for $.99.

We’re not big souvenir spenders on vacation, but we’d promised the kids they could each get a minifigure at Legoland.  They opted for the prepackaged minifigures ($2 for series 5 closeouts, $3 for the new series 6) instead of making their own (3 for $10), and gladly accepted the clerk’s offer of a scissors so they could cut the bag open and build their minifigures on the spot.  Trading the minifigures was also part of the fun, although many “model citizens” (staff) did not have minifigures on their name tags.

Wandering around Legoland California was low-key.  If we found a ride, we went on it, with 20 minutes being our longest wait.  We walked through Miniland and oohed and aahed at the variety of Lego buildings and details there, and the new Star Wars section of Miniland was a hit with our family.  The narrated boat ride gave us an up-close look at more of Miniland.

We got to Legoland at 10 a.m. and stayed until park closing at 5 p.m.  Looking back now, it’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly what we did for those seven hours, but I do know that we enjoyed the entire time.  The rides and such aren’t as memorable as those at, for example, Disneyland, but the day was filled with fun and more than one child begged to repeat a ride or two.

What I do remember clearly is that we wished we’d had another full day at the park.  Our tickets included admission to the adjacent SeaLife Aquarium, and we didn’t have time to step foot in there.  We didn’t see any of the shows at Legoland, or sign up for any of the building sessions and workshops, and the waterpark was closed.  And despite our children’s begging, we didn’t get to repeat any rides.

For those visiting southern California with pre-teen kids, Legoland is worth a stop.  With the ability to add a second day for $15, first-time visitors should consider this option if they can spend the extra time.

Our day at Legoland California was a happy day.  Older kids might miss the excitement of bigger thrill rides, but for younger, or ride-timid kids, Legoland hits the mark perfectly.

Legoland California Tips

1. The rides are “pink-knuckle” rides, and most are tame enough for young children.
2. There’s a Duplo play zone for the youngest visitors, and family restrooms are plentiful.
   
3. Keep your eyes open for Lego creations in unexpected parts of the landscape.
4. There are a variety of ticket prices and combination options.  Pick the one that’s right for your family.
5. Sign up for the free Lego Club magazine for your children well ahead of your trip.  It often includes coupons such as free child’s admission with purchase of an adult ticket.
6. I thought the food was on the expensive side, but the portions were large.  Try sharing a meal.  There are health-conscious choices available.
7. A 20-oz. bottle from the Coke machine is $3.35.  Consider the $.99 kids-cup refills instead.
   
8. Be sure to try the Granny’s Apple Fries, a unique Legoland favorite.
9. If a Model Citizen has a minifigure on his or her nametag, it’s fair game for trading.  Just ask.
10. Though there’s lots to do in the park, it’s quite compactly laid out, so getting from one side to the other for to reach a specific restaurant or ride is not out of the question.
11. General parking is $12.  If you drive a Volvo, you get a better spot than everyone else.
12. Legoland is in Carlsbad, California.  From downtown San Diego, it’s about 45 minutes north, and from Anaheim, 60-90 minutes south.

Disclosure: Our family was provided with four media preview tickets to visit Legoland.

1. Visit during quiet times. Use a crowd calendar like the one at touringplans.com to choose days when the crowds are expected to be smaller.  Because our early February days were low on the crowd scale, we went on as many as 25 rides in a day, and that was when the park’s hours were relatively short.  Did you know that there are almost as many rides in Disneyland Resort’s two parks as in all the parks at Walt Disney World?  Because the parks are more compact, you can conceivably go on more rides in a day at DLR than at WDW because your walking/traveling time is much less.  (If you go in the winter, remember that even warm days will turn into cool evenings, so bring a sweatshirt or jacket unless you want an unplanned souvenir sweatshirt to take home.)
2. Use your magic mornings. If you buy a 3-day or longer Park Hopper (or combo pass like a CityPASS), you’ll get “Magic Morning” admission on one day of your choice.  This allows you into Fantasyland and Tomorrowland an hour before the park opens to the general public.  This is a great time to go on Star Tours or Peter Pan’s Flight or some of the other rides that inevitably have longer wait times as the day goes on.
3. Arrive before the “rope drop” at least once.  The entrance gates to the parks usually open before the park’s official opening time, and you can wander around Main Street USA before the attractions open.  Ropes keep you back from the entrances to the different lands, and just before official opening time they’ll be pulled back, with instructions from cast members to wait for the official announcement that the park is open.  It’s hard not to smile when you’re welcomed to Disneyland and hear Zippidy Doo Dah while wandering into Frontierland or Adventureland or Fantasyland.  It also means you’ve got a pretty good chance at being one of the first in line on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or whatever ride you’ve decided to ride first in the day.
   
4. Use the Toy Story Parking Lot if you’re staying south of the Convention Center.  This lot is across from the road to the convention center, and if you’re staying at hotels south of there, will be just a few minutes’ drive (or walk if you’re close enough).  From there a free shuttle bus (not a tram) will take you to the park and drop you near the entrance gates.  The lot opens an hour before the park; if you’re using your Magic Morning you’ll want to park in the Mickey and Friends structure (which opens another 30 minutes or so earlier) so you can get to Magic Morning on time.  We got to the Toy Story lot each morning just after it opened and parked just a few spots from the bus stop, and got to the park in enough time to wander around a bit without feeling rushed.
   
5. Bring some snacks. Though officially you can’t bring food into Disneyland, the security check is prior to the lockers and picnic area where you can stash a backpack or cooler for access later in the day.  We gave each of our children a waistpack and allowed them to pack it each morning with snacks we’d brought from home.  They each had to remove and open the waistpack at security, but the guards were looking for things more dangerous than snacks . . . like Mouse traps, for instance.  Having their own snacks worked really well; we allowed them to eat them when they wanted to so we never had to hear, “I’m hungry.”
6. Have some Mickey Beignets.  Sold at the Mint Julep Bar, which is tucked away in New Orleans square between the rest rooms and the train station, the Mickey-shaped doughnut-like treats are perfectly shareable, and at 3 for $3.99 or 6 for $6.99, might be one of the best food bargains in the park.  We also shared a Mint Julep ($2.99), which is a mint/lime nonalcoholic beverage.  We all enjoyed this little taste of southern charm, and both the beignets and mint julep were popular with the whole family.  The Kids Power Packs sold at several Disneyland restaurants were also a hit, and with fish crackers, yogurt, string cheese, apple slices, and a beverage, could serve as either a shareable snack for the family or a meal for a child who doesn’t like burgers or chicken strips or pizza.
7. Make your own lightsaber. The only place you can buy these is at the Star Trader, which is exactly where you’re spit out after riding Star Tours.  Other lightsabers can be purchased at World of Disney in Downtown Disney (and other locations, I suppose), but if you want to make your own, Star Trader is the place to go.
8. Use the package pickup. If you buy, for example, a make-your-own lightsaber at Star Trader, but do not want to carry it around with you the rest of the day, you can take it (with your receipt) to the newsstand near the Disneyland entrance.  They’ll keep it there for you until you’re ready to head to your vehicle, and because they have windows both inside Disneyland and in the entrance plaza, it’s convenient to pick up while exiting California Adventure as well.  They can’t keep food or specialty breakable things, but for general merchandise purchased in the park, it’s a great free service.
9. Stay for the fireworks, but watch them from near the exit.  Though the viewing area on the platform of the Main Street train station is reserved, and you won’t be allowed to watch from the stairs below it, you’ll have a good vantage point for the fireworks from the curb just in front of those stairs, and when the fireworks are done, you’re just steps from the exits.  This means that you can be at the front of the line for the shuttle buses or parking trams and get back to your hotel sooner than those who watched from deeper in the park.
   
10. Find a shorter tram line.  When leaving in the evening via the parking trams, see if there’s a tram loading back farther (past the Wetzel’s Pretzels stand at Downtown Disney).  People bunched up at the lines for the first tram, but by accidentally walking down too far, we found much shorter lines.
11. It’s the little things. If you go to Disneyland, you’ll figure out all kinds of things on your own, such as:  The Billy Hill and the Hillbillies show at the Stage Door Cafe is not to be missed.  The Enchanted Tiki Room may seem odd to you and remind you a bit of Lawrence Welk, but half of your kids may ask to go back.  Even the bravest kid may ask if he can sit by you at the Haunted Mansion.  You can adjust how much the teacups spin, making them a possibility if you trust the person you’re riding with to abide by your minimal-spin wishes.
    Gadget’s GoCoaster in Mickey’s Toontown is a good starter roller coaster.
    If your kids can handle that, they might like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Goofy’s Sky School (at California Adventure) as well.  They will likely want to ride the coasters many more times than their mother.  One of your children may actually be brought to tears when you suggest that the whole family ride It’s a Small World.  You’ll come up with all sorts of your own family memories.
12. (Bonus) Your kids will surprise you.  Despite timezone changes, early mornings, late bedtimes, and oddly spaced meals, we saw smiles throughout our three full days at Disneyland Resort.  As is often the case as a parent, some of my favorite memories are of simply watching my kids have fun, and that’s what brings a smile to my own face.  (That and the fact that I’m actually in a picture with my kids.)

The “11 Things” series is designed to give tips for traveling families to destinations well-known or off the beaten path.  Learn how to share 11 Things about your favorite destination, or read other 11 Things posts.

Tips for Midwesterners driving in LA

1. Don’t be scared. Sure, you’ve heard stories of crazy-fast drivers and no one using turn signals and bumper-to-bumper traffic all the time.  Know that while these frustrations may be seen, they’re not a sure thing.  Minnesotans will be able to relate to this:  We found the traffic most of the time to be similar to Minneapolis’ 494, but with 6-8 lanes instead of 3-4.
2. Signage is good. We drove over 900 miles on our trip and found the signage on California’s roads to be good and easy to follow.
3. Plan ahead. There are a lot of freeways in LA, and often more than one route will get you where you need to go.  While many of these roads have 4-8 lanes in each direction, some (like I-5 between Disneyland and Universal Studios) are only two lanes and can bottleneck even at quieter times of day.  Zoom in closely or do a street view on Google Maps to see if this is the case.  Sometimes a slightly longer route on a higher-capacity road will save time over the most direct route.  Study maps before you go so you have at least a general idea of the routes you’ll be using.
4. Time it right.  If you can avoid driving at rush hour, do.  Go against heavy traffic if you can.  From Anaheim, we had no trouble leaving at 7:30 on a Friday morning to head west to Palm Springs.  Leaving at 8 a.m. to go to Universal Studios on a Tuesday, however, was slow going.  Weekends might be better than weekends, but it’s not guaranteed.  Be prepared to be patient, and leave plenty of time in case you get in a traffic snag.
5. Stay near your destination.  Though LA and San Diego don’t look so far apart on a map, dealing with the traffic each day may make your trip less enjoyable.  Stay in Anaheim when you’re going to Disneyland, northern LA for Universal, and San Diego for the attractions there.  Though I usually don’t like switching hotel rooms throughout the trip, in California I think it’s a good idea.
6. Have your best driver drive and your best navigator navigate. If you have two adults in the car, know their strengths and use them.  My husband is a good driver, and I’m good at reading signs and maps and finding alternate routes if necessary.  We’re a good team in the car as long as he lets me tell him where to go.  “Exit in 1/2 mile; get in the right lane.”  “You’re in an exit-only, move one or two to the left.”  “Left turn at the light, get in the right-left lane.”  (Are we the only people who say “right-left” and “left-left” for multiple turn lanes?)  If you’re both the driver and the navigator, you should spend even more time in the Plan Ahead stage.
7. Use a GPS. And a map. And your smartphone, if you have one. While our GPS was very handy for some things — indicating which lane we should be in, showing our arrival time — it was less than stellar at others.  I usually had a map on my lap for a better overview of the area and to double-check the GPS, and the map feature on my phone was often better at locating destinations and giving better warning as to what our next road would be.  Use all the tools you have to keep your from getting tangled up in the wrong freeway.
8. Check with the experts. If you know people who live in Southern California, tap them for advice, or use social media to your advantage.  Ask other family travelers for advice on Trekaroo, or ask your questions on Facebook or Twitter.  Just as you’d help someone visiting your area, you’ll find people who are willing to share their knowledge when you’re coming to their home turf.
9. Use the carpool lane. If you have two or more people in your vehicle and are traveling any distance on a freeway, use the carpool lane if it’s available.  Besides the possibility of it moving faster, you’ll also have to worry less about lane-change and merging traffic.  Though the carpool lanes generally are on the left alongside the regular lanes, there’s a solid line in most areas that indicates no entry or exit from the lane.  Every so often, there will be an entrance/exit zone indicated by dashed lines, and that’s when you can move in or out of the lane.  We found signage to be very well done in indicating when to leave the lane for specific highway exits.
10. Gas is expensive.  We paid $4.25 a gallon consistently in California, while the price back home was about $3.40.  Budget accordingly, as gas almost always costs more in California than in the Midwest.
11. Enjoy the ride. Even though southern California seems to be all one big city, there are amazing changes in terrain and views as you navigate it.  Try to catch a glimpse of the mountains, the beaches, and the Hollywood sign even while keeping your eyes on the road, and enjoy your trip.

The “11 Things” series is designed to give tips for traveling families to destinations well-known or off the beaten path.  Learn how to share 11 Things about your favorite destination, or read other 11 Things posts.

While I’m far from an expert in this matter, I do have recent experience with it, and I hope what we’ve learned will be of some value to others visiting sunny California.  First, some tips for renting a car.

Tips for Renting a Car in Southern California

1. Reserve early.  As soon as you know your travel dates, reserve a car.  If the price goes down, you can rebook at the lower rate, but if it goes up, you get the rate you reserved at.  If your trip falls through, you can cancel it.  I booked the car rental for our February trip back in July and then kept checking it periodically to see if the price had dropped.  Though it stayed steady for several months, in the weeks before our trip the rate doubled.  I was glad to have done my homework ahead of time.
2. Shop around. Unless you have a fierce loyalty to a particular rental company, check rates at all of them.  When I was looking, rates for a minivan for our family ranged from less than $600 to over $3000 for the same dates and locations.  It takes time to check all the companies, but if saving money is your goal, it’s worth it.
3. Use a discount code and/or coupon. If you’re a member of anything, check to see if there’s a car rental discount code you can use.  I plugged in every code I was eligible for — AAA, Costco, Farm Bureau, Entertainment Book, Delta Airlines — and used the code that gave me the best price.  You can find codes in your membership materials or by doing a web search.  I also got some good ideas at Mousesavers.  Some car rental companies will allow you to use both a discount code and a coupon.  Be aware, however, that many coupons are good for up to a full-size car, and won’t be eligible for use on a minivan or SUV that your family may require.
4. LAX is not your only option.  Again, it can be time-consuming, and you’ll have to figure it along with the price of airline tickets, but it may be cheaper to rent from an airport other than LAX.  We rented our car at Orange County (SNA), which is conveniently close to Disneyland, and returned it at San Diego (SAN), for less than what a rent/return from LAX would have been.
5. Consider convenience. If you rent at LAX, you’ll have to load your luggage onto a rental shuttle, unload it to check in at the rental counter, and then load it into your car.  Renting from SNA, a porter put our luggage on his cart, walked us down to the parking garage where I checked in for our rental, and then helped us load it once the car was brought to the counter.  The speed and convenience were definitely worth the porter’s tip, and not having to deal with a shuttle was welcome after a long day of travel with four kids and all our luggage.  When we returned the car to San Diego, the National agent gave us our receipt as we drove up and then asked if we had a lot of luggage.  We replied, “yes!” and he got an employee to drive us in our loaded car to the airport ticketing area so that we wouldn’t have to deal with our luggage and the shuttle.  I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have gotten the same offer at LAX.
6. Know the extra-driver policy for the rental company.  Many companies will waive the extra-driver fee for drivers who have the same last name and address and are above a certain age (often 25).  If you don’t fit into this category, check with the rental company to see if and how much you’ll be charged to have two drivers listed on the rental.  My husband almost always drives the rental, but if a migraine puts him out of commission or I need to run to Target without the whole family it’s nice to have me listed on as well.
7. Check your insurance coverage. Before you go, check with your insurance agent to see if you need to buy the coverages the rental company will offer you.  Do you need the coverages that can cost $15 or more a day?  You may also consider a third-party car rental policy; we have one through our American Express card that costs $20/rental instead of $15/day.  The rental companies want to sell these policies whether you need them or not, so know before you go whether you’re going to say yes or no.  Also, before you drive off with the rental car, look it over carefully for any dings or dents or damage.  If you see something, take a digital photo at the least, and even better, show the damage to the rental agent so it can be noted as preexisting on your contract.  You don’t want to be charged for damage that was done before you got the car.
8. Be prepared for upgrade offers.  Our $50/day rental was for a Chrysler Town & Country.  At the counter, the rental agent offered us an upgrade to a Toyota Sienna (claim: 8-passenger and better mileage) for a few dollars a day, or an SUV (Dodge Durango, if I recall) for a small upcharge.  For a heftier upgrade fee, we could have had a “Suburban,” but when I asked if it was a full-size Suburban, he said no, it was a Tahoe.  We politely declined the “upgrade” offers and stuck with the minivan, as it fit our needs as well as our luggage.
9. Take your own GPS. The rental companies are happy to rent you a GPS for a daily charge.  While I do recommend a GPS for navigating new cities, take your own if you have one, and remember the charging cable and mount for it as well.  If you don’t have one, consider purchasing your own pre-trip rather than paying the rental company for it.
10. Remember the carseats. Check the child restraint laws for the area you’re visiting and take your own carseats.  (Check with your airline for getting them to your destination.  Some can be used on the plane, and others checked as baggage or gate-checked, usually without a baggage fee.)  Car rental agencies may offer carseat rentals, but you don’t know what you’re getting.
11. Take all your stuff home with you. To be sure we didn’t leave anything behind, we removed everything from the car the day before we left.  We then packed everything into the luggage we’d be taking on the plane.  This way, we only had to grab the big, visible bags from the car, and weren’t scrambling for tiny things like Lego minifigure heads under the seat while in the airport dropoff lane.

Do you have any other car rental tips to add for families traveling to southern California (or anywhere)?

The “11 Things” series is designed to give tips for traveling families to destinations well-known or off the beaten path.  Learn how to share 11 Things about your favorite destination, or read other 11 Things posts.

You’ve heard of tall tales, right?  Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill were larger than life, imaginary characters whose experiences were perfect for a story but hardly realistic.

If you like tall tales, you’ll want to find your way to Cabot’s Pueblo Museum in Desert Hot Springs, California, to learn about Cabot Yerxa.  As our tour guide told us about Yerxa’s life, it sounded more and more like a tall tale, yet the museum includes artifacts showing proof of these things really happening.  Cabot Yerxa was born in 1883 and during his life met the Mexican president, joined the Alaskan gold rush, where he opened a cigar store and lived with an Inuit family, was appointed the youngest postmaster in U.S. history by his personal friend Theodore Roosevelt, lived in Cuba, served in the U.S. Army, and studied art in France.  Buffalo Bill had a standing invitation to stay at Cabot’s home when he was in town, and Yerxa used rattlesnakes as a secondary security system when he was away.

Oh, yeah, and he was the one who found both the hot desert springs and the excellent cold drinking water in Desert Hot Springs, based on a tip from a Native American friend.  And that water just happened to be on the land he had homesteaded, saving him from a 7-mile walk for fresh water.

Throughout his life, Cabot Yerxa collected things with the intention of creating a museum to honor and educate about the Native American people who were many of his friends.  He began building his house in 1940 from reclaimed materials.  He made the windows to fit scraps of glass he found, and used innovative methods to reuse and recycle everything he could, including several uses of precious water before it was finally dumped out.

In some ways, Cabot’s home reminded me of The House on the Rock but with a lot less show and a much better story behind it.

Cabot’s home/museum itself was saved from the wrecking ball by a friend who knew it was too good to let it be destroyed, and today hourly guided tours of this unique home and museum are offered.  Some come to hear Cabot’s story, some to see the Hopi-style home and museum, and some because they heard it was a little-known treasure in Desert Hot Springs and wanted to see what it was all about.

Desert Hot Springs is just across the San Andreas Fault from Palm Springs.  (If you take the tour, you’ll learn what importance the faultline has on the water in the area.)  If you’re in the Palm Springs area, be sure to put Cabot’s Pueblo Museum on your must-see list.  You won’t find anything like it anywhere.

Tips for Visiting Cabot’s Pueblo Museum:

1. Tours are given six times a day and are limited to twelve people on a tour.  See the museum website for tour times.  The museum is closed on Mondays, so plan your time accordingly.
2. This is a “no-touching” museum, but the tour moves through the house and is interesting enough that kids over the age of five should be fine with it.
3. At $11 for adults and $9 for seniors/kids, the one-hour tour isn’t a bargain, but it’s worth it to hear the almost unbelievable story of Yerxa and to see his unique dwelling.
4. Photography is not allowed inside the museum.
5. At the end of the tour, you’ll get a bottle of water from Desert Hot Springs.  It’s really good water and the bottle is unique as well.
   
6. Visitors on the first tour of the day have the best chance of seeing Cabot’s “angel” in the mountains.
   
7. Before or after the tour, be sure to go up to the desert gardens that are part of the property.
8. If you don’t like the desert heat, winter might be your best bet for visiting.
9. The gift shop also sells locally made handiwork and serves as a visitor center for the Desert Hot Springs area.
10. If you take the first tour of the day, you’ll have time to drive out to Joshua Tree National Park, and then back to Palm Springs to ride the Aerial Tramway for a very interesting day trip.  Palm Springs is just 90 minutes from Anaheim.

Have you been somewhere as unique as Cabot’s Pueblo Museum?  Please share in the comments.  I love finding interesting places to visit.

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My nine-year-old son loves model trains, and any time we ask for a family outing suggestion, the Twin City Model Railroad Museum is at the top of his list.  Since the non-train-lovers in our family prefer a bit more variety, for many months I said no, instead promising him we’d visit the San Diego Model Railroad Museum when we got to California. As the largest operating model railroad exhibit in North America, it seemed that he’d love it.  Its location in Balboa Park seemed ideal for a San Diego Sunday afternoon.  And with kids 14 and under free, and adults half price during Museum Month, the price was right.

There was just one problem.

When we got to Balboa Park on our Sunday afternoon, it was packed, and we couldn’t find a place to park.  Being first-timers, we didn’t know the Balboa Park parking tip that Colleen Lanin and Sharlene Earnshaw and Carolina Papa know:  always park in the zoo lot.  Instead, we got tangled in a maze of dead-end streets with nary a parking space to be seen.  As we became more and more frustrated, we gave ourselves a time limit; if we didn’t find a parking spot by the appointed time we’d look for fun elsewhere in San Diego.

And that would mean no model railroad museum.

Our son took it pretty well, or maybe the traffic was getting to him, too.  “I’ll be disappointed,” he said, “but it will be ok.”

I think I felt worse about it than he did, after all those months of promising the museum to him.  But we did not find a parking spot and we left the area, finding other diversions for our Sunday afternoon.

On Monday, we went back to a much less busy Balboa Park, an hour before anything opened, and we indeed found a place to park in the zoo lot.  As we wandered around the park, we found that the model railroad museum is located just a few minutes’ walk from the zoo.  We formulated a new plan on the spot.

“What would you think of going to the train museum for just a few minutes before we head to the airport?”  Everyone was on board with this plan, and though the museum is generally closed on Mondays, it was open on President’s Day.

We walked over from the zoo to the Casa de Balboa building and followed the signs down the stairs and around the corner to the museum.  After paying our admission (just $8 for the entire family with the Museum Month discount), we checked out the model train displays.

The museum is large; we wandered from area to area and there were layouts throughout the museum.  Steps with railings allowed little ones to get a good view, and model railroaders were at the controls of many of the layouts.

The most interactive room was the Toy Train Gallery, where children could push buttons to make things happen along the tracks; this is also where we found the most elaborate cityscapes in the train setups.

Though we weren’t able to stay long, we did see all of the train layouts, and at the end of our time I asked my young train expert what he thought of the museum.

He considered it a minute, and then said that he didn’t like it as well as the Twin City Model Railroad Museum.  Though the layouts were bigger and the tracks longer than in St. Paul, he felt he had to wait a long time for a train to come by.  At the St. Paul museum, there seemed to be more trains running at a time, and more action to watch.  He did like the Toy Train Gallery, but overall, the train museum in St. Paul is still the winner in his book.

Minnesotans, be proud.  Your local model railroad museum has the seal of approval from a nine-year-old model train museum critic.

You know what this means, don’t you?  The next time we ask for suggestions for a family outing, his answer will be exactly the same as always.  And I won’t have a trip to San Diego to promise as a substitute.

Does your family enjoy model train museums?  Which is your favorite?

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As we were planning our trip to California, most people who heard we were going to San Diego asked, “Are you going to the zoo?”  Indeed, the San Diego Zoo is one of the most famous attractions in the city, and is loved by locals and tourists alike.  Find a list of the best zoos in America, and the San Diego Zoo will likely be near the top of the list.

But I still wasn’t sure we were going to go.  After all, we’ve been to zoos — a lot of zoos — and after awhile, they can all start to look alike.  Plus, the San Diego Zoo is not cheap to visit, at $42 for adults and $32 for children, and they don’t offer reciprocal membership discounts like many U.S. zoos do.  Our vacation philosophy is to do things we can’t do at home, and I wasn’t sure the zoo would be different enough to warrant spending a good chunk of our time and money there.

When the San Diego Zoo sent us four media passes in order to give the zoo a try, I decided that we could buy the additional two tickets we’d need for our family and penciled it into our last remaining time slot, from 9 till noon on the last day of our vacation, just before heading to the airport for our flight home.

And even with a minimal investment in time and money, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be impressed.

I was wrong.

We arrived in San Diego’s Balboa Park bright and early on a February Monday morning, which also happened to be President’s Day.  We wandered around the park a bit before returning to the zoo a few minutes before it opened to secure our tickets.  While it had been peaceful and tranquil and uncrowded in the park, as the 9 a.m. opening of the zoo approached, so did the crowds at the entrance gate, making me even more apprehensive about our visit, as crowds and I do not belong in the same place.

After getting a map of the zoo, we wandered around for a few minutes without a plan in place as we got the lay of the land.  We considered the narrated bus tour near the entrance, but the lines there were already becoming long.  We walked to the Skyfari entrance, only to discover that it didn’t open until an hour after the zoo.  So we hastily moved on to Plan C: find the tigers.

We’d been to the Safari Park a few days earlier and were disappointed that the tigers were not visible when we went to see them in their large Safari Park habitat.  After winding through the cool and shady trail at the zoo, however, we had our first pleasant surprise of the day:  the tigers were not only visible, but close to the glass and easy to see from more than one vantage point.  Score one for the zoo.

Next up:  see the pandas, as the San Diego Zoo is one of only four locations in the United States to have pandas.  We followed the paths around to Panda Canyon and were delighted to see the pandas eating their morning snack.  Zoo score, round two.

Because we knew our time was limited, we had a pretty small to-do list, and we’d already covered two items.  Next up, Skyfari.  We had to look a bit, but we found the set of long escalators that would take us up the hill to the Skyfari West station, and got there just as the sky ride opened at 10 a.m.  With a minimal wait as the first passengers were loaded into their cage-on-wire cars, we climbed aboard the aerial shortcut back to the entrance.

Despite my dislike of heights or scary things, I found the Skyfari ride to be smooth and easy (in distinct contrast to, for example, the swinging car on Mickey’s Fun Wheel at Disney’s California Adventure).  For a few minutes, we enjoyed the view from above the animals, peeks of Balboa Park, and the San Diego Skyline, and when we reached Skyfari East, we found a long line of people waiting to board.  Score one for a bit of serendipity in avoiding long lines, and for a nice mode of transportation across the zoo.

Keeping an eye on the time, we decided the bus tour should be our next priority.  The line was still quite long, but it moved quickly.  After 15-20 minutes, we boarded the bus for a 40-minute guided tour of the zoo.  At first, I thought my seat on the driver’s side was a poor choice, as all the animals seemed to be on the right, but as the tour progressed, it evened out so that I had some excellent views of the animals right out my open-air window.  As our tour guide pointed out the various animals, I found myself wishing we had enough time to walk back and take a closer look at many of them.  The bus tour gave a good overview of the zoo and allowed us to see many of the animals in a short window of time.

Sadly, after the bus tour our time at the San Diego Zoo was drawing to a close.  We’d seen only a small portion of the zoo, and hadn’t attended any of the keeper talks or activity booths or animal encounters or shows or other special activities that were included with our zoo admission.  The zoo was open until 5:00 the day we visited, and had it not been for a plane to catch, we could have easily spent the rest of the day there without seeing it all.

Yes, the San Diego Zoo is expensive.  But it is also home to many unique animals.  It’s an accredited botanical garden, so walking the paths allows the opportunity to explore beautiful plants as well as animals.  It’s huge, and there’s a lot going on.  And despite the fact that people were still streaming in the gates as we left at noon, it did not seem crowded.

I’ve changed my mind completely on the notion that the San Diego Zoo is “just another zoo.”  It’s one of the places from our vacation that I wish we’d had much more time to explore.

Tips for Visiting the San Diego Zoo:

1. Get there as soon as it opens so you can make the most of your time there.
2. To avoid Skyfari lines, make your way to the far (Skyfari West) station just as it opens and ride back to the east station by air.
3. Some of the shows and talks are presented only once or twice a day.  Check the schedule and plan around those you want to see.
4. The zoo is very large with some steep hills on the trails.  If you have trouble with the terrain, find the elevators and escalators to help with the biggest elevation changes, or spring for an Express Bus pass to move you from one area to another within the zoo.
5. Food is pricey, with kids’ meals being more expensive than at the amusement parks we visited.  You can bring your own food into the zoo; if you have a large cooler you can eat in the picnic area outside the zoo gates.
6. To save money on admission, consider one of the multi-day or multi-park tickets for San Diego area attractions, or show your AAA card for a 10% discount.  Zoo memberships are also a good option, but some are only available to southern California residents.

Have you been to the San Diego Zoo?  How did it compare to other zoos you’ve visited?

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Last evening, I attended the media preview of Diana: A Celebration, an exhibition that opens today at Mall of America.  It was interesting to learn more about Princess Diana and to see pieces of her life, including her famed wedding dress with its 25-foot train.

Fans of Diana will delight in seeing artifacts from her childhood, viewing some of the beautiful gowns she wore on various occasions, and ooohing and aahing at the wedding dress that was viewed by an estimated 1 billion people when she married Prince Charles.

The exhibit begins with family jewels–tiaras and bracelets and necklaces that sparkle with diamonds and pearls and emeralds galore.  It then moves to Diana’s childhood, providing a feeling of normalcy as you see the appointment book with its note of “Driving Test.  Passed!”, a note to her parents when they were away from home, and some of the toys she played with as a child.

Diana’s wedding gown is in the center of the exhibit, along with shoes, a parasol, and a flower girl dress.  Being able to see the detail of the gown, and just how long a 25-foot train is, will be the focal point of the exhibit for many people.

The Diana exhibit moves from Diana’s wedding to her death abruptly, with no mention made of the years between these two events in her life.  Although her brother’s funeral tribute speech alludes to some troubled times during this period, they are unmentioned here.  Of interest in the funeral room are lyrical and musical drafts of Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” tribute to Diana at her funeral.

A room full of gowns Diana wore on various occasions is impressive; though a few show their time period clearly, most are timelessly beautiful, and the exhibit describes the times and places in which they were worn, as well as naming the designer of each.

A wall of tribute books contains cards, letters, and other remembrances sent to Diana’s family after her passing.

At the end of the exhibit, there is a souvenir area that includes china pieces, jewelry, and other mementos of the exhibition for those who want to take home something related to Diana.

Diana: A Celebration can be found on the 4th level, East Side, of Mall of America through June 12, 2012.

Though fans of Diana in particular or royalty in general will enjoy this exhibition, families may wish to leave their children behind.  Everything is enclosed in glass, so there will be no danger of children damaging things, but there is also nothing interactive about the exhibit save for a few continuous-loop silent video clips.  My friend and I spent about an hour learning about Diana, reading nearly every placard and informational post.  Others will spend a shorter amount of time, making it easy to get a peek of Diana during a shopping trip or other outing to Mall of America.

Since discovering The Works science/technology museum several years ago, it’s been on of our family’s favorites.  We’ve attended special events and camps as well as during regular hours, and our kids always ask to go back again.

Earlier this winter, The Works moved from its old location in Edina down the road a few miles to Bloomington.  We visited the new location in December and found all of our old favorites, plus some new exhibits and activities.

Location

The Works’ new location is at 9740 Grand Ave S in Bloomington.  From 35W, take the 98th Street exit and go a few blocks east, then left on Grand and a quick left into the parking lot.  The parking area is much more convenient than the Edina location’s was.

Exhibits

All of the familiar exhibits from the old The Works came over to Bloomington except the robots.  In addition, there’s a new traveling exhibit area (currently hosting displays about the science of toys).  The space is large and open, and each exhibit seemed to hold our kids’ interest for longer periods of time than before.  It will take a lot more people now to make the exhibits seem crowded, and there’s plenty of natural light coming in to brighten things up.

In addition, there’s a special “design lab” upstairs with do-it-yourself projects and experiments.  Staff move in and out to help with questions or ideas, but visitors can stay and work (or play?) as long as they want.  Our kids didn’t want to leave until they’d each completed all four stations.  The projects in this area will be changed periodically so there’s always something new to try.

Hours and Admission

During the school year, The Works has these expanded hours at its new location:  Thursday-Friday 10-8, Saturday-Sunday-Monday 10-5, Tuesday-Wednesday closed.  Groups, such as schools or birthday parties, can be scheduled any day of the week.

Admission for ages 3 and up is $6 for the exhibit area, and $8 for both the exhibit area and design lab.  The extra $2 is well worth it if the projects have changed since you last visited.  Members of The Works and children 2 and under are free.  ASTC reciprocal membership is accepted for the exhibit portion of the visit only.

Membership

Membership at The Works is affordable at $70 for a family, which includes free visits, discounts on camps and classes, and reciprocity at related museums around the country.

Tech Fest

Tech Fest is held each February and includes admission at a discounted rate plus a variety of special activities and shows.  If you have kids who love science, or you want to show your kids some really exciting things about science, TechFest should be on your list to visit.

Moving The Works to a new location has done nothing but make it better.  We loved the new space and more easily accessible location, the increased exhibit area, and especially the design lab.  If you haven’t been to The Works yet, I really do recommend it as a kid-friendly hands-on science museum in the Twin Cities.

We’ve explored many of the sites and attractions at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, in the past.  Recently we decided to explore something we hadn’t seen yet:  the Amazing Mirror Maze.

Amazing Mirror Maze is located on the third level of MOA between the north food court and Sears.  After paying admission of $7.95 + tax, less if you use a coupon, you’ll be given foodservice gloves to wear and safety/behavior instructions (no running, keep your hands out in front of you) before being allowed into the maze.

Once inside, there are mirrors all around, and it’s nearly impossible to tell where the pathways are and where mirrors are ahead of you.  The instruction to use your hands (gloved so there will be no fingerprints) is essential in finding your way through the maze.

Our kids had mixed reactions.  My 9-year-old adventurer thought it was boring, and he finished and exited the maze in just a few minutes.  My 6-year-old was somewhere between my husband and me and apparently forgot to use her hands, resulting in some loud cries and bent-up glasses as she led with her face in finding her way.  My 11- and 8-year-olds, however, loved the maze, and took advantage of the attendant’s promise that they could stay in and reverse their path if they wanted to.  They ended up going from start to finish, finish to start, and start to finish again before coming out.

At the Amazing Mirror Maze, you’re paying for the unique experience, not the length of time you spend there.  Even those members of our family who did the maze a few times were inside for less than 20 minutes, so I wouldn’t call it a bargain.  Still, it’s not something you can do in most places, so if you’ve got a little extra to spend on something different, you can ooh and ahh at the lights and angles and the seemingly endless representations of yourself, and maybe even wonder how they keep all of those mirrors clean enough that you can’t tell where there’s a mirror and where there’s open space.

The Amazing Mirror Maze isn’t the first thing I’d do with kids at Mall of America, and we probably won’t return for a repeat visit, but as a one-time family experience, it was all right.

Have you been to a mirror maze?  What did you think?

In May of 2009, I took my children on a tour of North Dakota.  At the last-minute, I decided to take the Old Red Old Ten Scenic Byway between Bismarck and Dickinson instead of the faster and mostly parallel Interstate 94.  It’s one of the best travel decisions I’ve made.

Along the byway, we traveled through small towns, found a ghost town, and saw unique, beautiful old buildings, some of which are no longer standing.

The photos I shared of this day on the road visiting Sims and Curlew and Glen Ullin have been the starting point of several conversations with people who hold these nearly-forgotten North Dakota locations dear to their hearts.  Weeks and even months after I wrote about these gems, readers wrote to tell me more of the story.

After I wrote about North Almont and its elevator which caught my eye and made me pause along the road to snap a photo, a reader responded with the news that the elevator had been demolished, just as many other landmarks of historical or sentimental value have disappeared over the years.

This week, I received a message from Rob Reeves of Denver, Colorado, who photographed the North Almont elevator before it was torn down.  He shared this photo with me, and gave me permission to share it with others who may be interested.  And so, I present Rob’s breathtaking photo of a piece of small-town North Dakota history that is now gone.

It’s delightful when a last-minute turn brings about so much conversation and  kindred spirits are found in unexpected locales.  It is satisfying to the writer who receives responses to her work from others who have visited, and loved, these little-known places.  It is heartwarming to see people preserving the history and heritage of a state that is home to many, whether or not they still live within its borders.

You may recognize this post’s title as the last line of Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken. So often when I travel, I look for the lesser-traveled road, and it is the stories like this that spring from those backroads stories that are some of my favorites.

For families who aren’t able to get away as often, the idea of planning a vacation may be overwhelming.  Deciding where to go, when to go, and how much to budget for the trip requires careful thought, especially if schedules or money are tight.

These are the steps I take when planning a vacation.  Perhaps some of them will be useful for families planning their first trip, or even for seasoned travelers.  Please add your own tips below in the comments, and check out the vacation planning processes of other seasoned family travelers.

Decide when to go

For our family, the timing is the trickiest part.  My husband’s work makes it difficult to plan a summer vacation, so we work in trips when we can:  Christmas vacation, long weekends, and school breaks.  If I do plan something in the summer, it has to be easily canceled (more on that later) or doable by myself and the kids if he’s unable to take time off.  Think about how much vacation time you have, and whether you want to use all of that time traveling or would prefer a day or two of recovery before getting back to life’s routines.  Consider weather (especially if driving) and busy travel times (especially if flying).

Decide where to go

Once we have a timeline in mind, I begin to explore the possibilities.  Since we usually drive, farther-away destinations are reserved for long trips.  I’ll think about how many days we have, and how many of them we want to spend on the road, then sketch out a driving radius and see what locations fall in that area.  Sometimes we have a specific destination in mind and plan the timeline around it, and sometimes we have the timeline first and try to find a creative destination that will fit into the time allotted.  When planning a trip, I ask my kids for ideas.  They always seem to have ideas that I’ve never considered, and I throw them into the planning mix.

Decide how to get there

We’re usually road-trippers, and airfare is obvious for overseas destinations, but sometimes we have to run the numbers to find the sweet spot of cost vs. time to see if it’s better to fly or drive to our destination.  I price flights for our family and compare them to the costs we’d incur while driving (including gas, maintenance, and hotel rooms and meals if driving would lengthen the trip over flying).

Set a budget

Next, I start running the numbers.  I research the following to put together a rough budget:  Transportation–flight or driving expenses, rental car or bus transfers;  Lodging–hotel or vacation home rentals; Attractions–all of the fun things we’ll do at our destination or along the way; Food–a daily estimate of what it will cost to eat while away; Souvenirs–an estimate of what we’ll spend on remembrances of our vacation.  Some destinations are more affordable than others, and sometimes I have to choose a new location or shorten the trip because of the cost involved.  It’s also a good idea to throw in a contingency fund in case of unexpected car repairs or medical expenses while away.

Research

Researching a destination is one of my favorite parts of planning the trip. I order visitor’s guides from our destination and check out travel guides and AAA Tourbooks.  I scour websites to find interesting things to do along the way that I may not have heard of before.  I’ll pile up as many books as I can find, then sit with a pad of paper and a pencil and jot down absolutely everything that looks interesting.  Much of it will be weeded out later due to time, cost, weather, or closures, but I like to start with as many possibilities as I can.

Make reservations

Now the fun begins.  As soon as I decide on a location and destination, I begin making hotel reservations, being sure that they’re easily canceled if our plans change.  For our upcoming California trip, I made our first hotel reservations last July.  Rental cars usually are easily canceled as well.  Airfare, cruises, and vacation packages lock you in a bit more, so don’t make these until you’re absolutely certain you can make the trip–or else purchase a good trip insurance policy that covers your cancellation fees.  Don’t be afraid to make your reservations, but be sure to read the fine print regarding cancellation policies.

Keep records

I like to keep all of my reservation information (including cancellation numbers, if applicable) in one place–a computer file, a piece of paper in my vacation folder, online at tripit.com–so that I can see at a glance all of our essential information.

Monitor prices

As I said, I made some of our hotel reservations almost a year in advance, and since then, I’ve rechecked the prices at least weekly.  In one location, the price has steadily risen since I made that first reservation.  In another location, the price of our preferred hotel has dropped as our departure nears, and I rebooked at the better price.  Some air and cruise fares will issue a credit if the price drops after you’ve bought your ticket, but it’s usually up to you to spot the difference.

Create an itinerary

I draw up a rough itinerary when deciding when and where to go, but as we get closer to our trip, I get serious about penciling in what we can do each day of our trip.  Of course, this is always subject to change due to weather, closures, or trying to fit too much into one day, but I like to have a decent plan in place.  When creating an itinerary, I find it helpful to make a chart listing the open days and hours, as well as prices, of each attraction we want to visit.  Seeing when things are open helps to map out a plan, especially over the holidays, when places have additional closures or special extended hours.

Obsess and rethink and research some more

OK, so maybe I’m the only one who does this.  If you can make your plans once and leave them alone, I applaud you!  I have so many different itineraries and possibilities in my California folder that it’s bulging.  Whenever I create a new plan or possibility or amend the budget, I write down the date of my current state of thinking, and I keep the old plans in case I need to go back to them.  This is also the time that I get serious about finding the best prices on attractions, including signing up for our destination’s Groupon site, looking for coupons via the local visitor’s bureaus, and so on.

Make the kids’ vacation books

Before bigger vacations, I make a “vacation book” for my kids that includes information on our destination, maps of where we’re going, journal pages, and reproducible worksheets about the state(s) we’re visiting.  Originally designed to eliminate some of the “are we there yet” questioning, it has become a tradition and keepsake for my chidren.  It does take some time and planning to get the pages gathered and printed, so I start several weeks before we leave.

Start packing

I’ll admit it, and you may find this crazy, but for a big trip, I’ll start packing 3-4 weeks in advance.  As I think of little things we may need on the trip, but not necessarily before then, I’ll put them all in one location so they’re ready when it comes time to put them in the suitcases.  I also start making lists of things easily forgotten–certain medications, sunscreen, gum for on the airplane–in an effort to minimize forgetfulness.  This is when I also begin to think about which electronic devices we’ll bring, and which we’ll leave at home:  Do we want a video camera? Is the laptop necessary? Are we letting the kids bring any gadgets?  Once I decide which things we’ll bring, I start to gather the necessary cables, chargers, and memory cards that go along with them.  The actual packing of clothes and such comes closer to when we leave, but I put in plenty of thought so as to find the perfect mix of having everything we’ll need without overpacking.

Double-check everything

About a week before we leave, I get serious about rechecking our reservations and flight information, and being sure everything we’ll need to take is on the list.  I set aside an area of the house where vacation things can be dropped off.  If it’s for vacation, that’s where it needs to be; if it’s not for vacation, it needs to be somewhere else!  Then, when we’re ready to go, I know that we have everything when that zone is clear and the lists are checked off.

Prepare for take-off

If we’re driving, my husband checks the tires, oil, and gas levels in the car a day or two before we leave.  If we’re flying, I keep an eye on the schedules and recheck the airline guidelines.  We keep an eye on the weather, just in case it will affect our plans.  I print out basic itineraries and emergency contact information for our parents, in case they should need to reach us while we’re gone.  Then it’s time to pack the vehicle, throw in the last snacks and medications, and get on our way for our latest adventure.

Well, there you have it–how I plan a vacation for our family.  Do you use similar steps in planning your family’s trips?

Don’t let the Onamia address confuse you; though you may not be familiar with Onamia’s location on Lake Mille Lacs, you probably know the museum’s nearby neighbor a bit more:  Grand Casino Mille Lacs.  It’s just north of the museum on Highway 169.

The museum’s location is that of a former resort and trading post on the shores of Lake Mille Lacs.  Today, some of the resort buildings are still standing, though not open, and the trading post is open, with museum displays in part of the building and Native American handicrafts and foodstuffs available for sale in the shopping area.

Just up the sidewalk, the Mille Lacs Indian Museum displays the history and culture of the Ojibwe tribe in Minnesota with multimedia displays and hands-on activities for kids.  A scheduled employee-led program depicts the historic life of the tribe, season by season, in a diorama-like setting.

Families heading up north should find the Mille Lacs Indian Museum to be an interesting stop along Highway 169.  The Mille Lacs Indian Museum is open seasonally and for special events.

Wall Drug.  It’s part of the travel experience of most every family who’s approached South Dakota’s Black Hills from the east on I-90 after traveling mile after miles on the Interstate with not much for stops or scenery.  After all, how could you miss it?  With nearly 100 billboards along the Interstate from Sioux Falls to Wall, and others scattered around the country, Wall Drug is certainly hard to miss.

But what exactly IS Wall Drug?

Long before it was a tourist trap, Wall Drug was a struggling pharmacy in the small town of Wall on the South Dakota prairie.  During the dust bowl years, its owners offered free water in the hopes of drawing people into the store.  The idea was a success, and soon people were stopping in for free ice water and buying treats from the soda fountain as well.  Over time, Wall Drug grew and expanded and grew and expanded some more, so that today it is a massive complex that takes up nearly one entire side of Wall’s Main Street.

The attraction itself is free to visit, though you’ll be tempted to buy souvenirs and trinkets from the various shops inside the complex, or maybe to have something to eat from the cafe area.  (Hint: Skip to the end of the cafeteria line and pick up some of tasty doughnuts; they may be the best bargain in the store besides the free ice water, which is still offered at Wall Drug.)

Outside in the “backyard,” let your kids play around the water spurts, maybe let them pan for some jewels, and be sure to take their photo on the famed jackalope, which is big enough for four kids to prove that they’ve been to Wall Drug and have the same family vacation photo as most of their friends and neighbors.

Whether or not the quirky Wall Drug is your best idea of vacation fun, it’s one of those places that you really should stop at if you’re passing through South Dakota.  Grab a cup of ice water, have a doughnut, snap a few photos, and be on your way to your next destination, having experienced the one-of-a-kind American icon that is Wall Drug.

Have you dug Wall Drug?

One of our family’s favorite types of museums is the living history village.  Places like The Landing in Shakopee, Minnesota, Bonanzaville in West Fargo, North Dakota, Farmamerica near Waseca, Minnesota, or even my tiny hometown’s historical complex give us the opportunity to step back in time and experience the buildings and communities that my great-grandparents lived in.

Cassville, Wisconsin, has such a site at the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Stonefield Village.  My grandmother took me to Stonefield when I was a girl, so it was a treat to take my own children there.

We started with a guided tour of the Governor Nelson Dewey estate, across the road from the rest of the complex, and then moved on to the village, which is accessed by walking over a covered bridge.

While the village itself is made-up, its buildings are authentic and came from various locations near Cassville.  From homes to businesses to community buildings, Stonefield has excellent variety in its little town.  My kids loved the ice cream parlor and saloon, while I found the creamery and funeral home to be interesting.  Stonefield has a millinery shop, photography studio, general store, doctor’s office, and other businesses that were common in small towns in the late 1800′s.

Most of the village of Stonefield is accessible as a self-guided tour, but select buildings have living history interpreters providing guided tours at certain times during the day.  For children, there is a challenging scavenger hunt that takes them throughout the village finding historical items, some of which are commonly known, and others that are more obscure.

Stonefield also includes an agricultural history museum that was my husband’s favorite.  The entrance building houses a barn with agricultural implements, and another large farm museum building houses ag exhibits.

Cassville, Wisconsin, is just across the Mississippi River from Iowa, and Stonefield is an easy day trip from Dubuque, Iowa.  On our return to Iowa from Cassville, we took the Cassville Car Ferry across the river, which was an adventure in itself.

Like the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Circus World Museum, we found Stonefield Village to be an interesting, educational, and enjoyable history lesson.

Stonefield Village is open during the summer and early fall.  Hours and admission information can be found on its website.

Have you been to any living history villages?  Which is your favorite?