Archive for July, 2008

Family Travel Destinations/Ideas for Families & Kids Who Love Baseball - Part I

Monday, July 14th, 2008

Family Travel Ideas for Kids Who Love Baseball and Sports


Family Travel Destinations/Ideas for Families Who Like Baseball

Baseball is a favorite pastime for many individuals and it is especially a great spectator sport for the whole family to enjoy. For those families who truly love the sport of baseball, there are ways to plan your family travel around such a great sport and the following will provide some destinations/ideas for those individuals to consider.

Make a Vacation Tour of a Couple Different Baseball Stadiums

take a baseball stadium tour with your kids and family

If traveling during the baseball season, families can turn their vacation into a baseball stadium tour. Before leaving on your vacation, plan which cities you want to go to and then arrange for baseball game tickets at the various city stadiums. This is a great way to have your favorite activity become a main part of your vacation.

Visit One Location but Engage in All Baseball Related Activities

visit one location and just do baseball activities

For those families who don’t want to travel that much during their vacation and prefer just to stay in one particular vacation destination, there are options for this select group as well. Book a stay at a resort in one particular city in which you would like to attend a baseball game. Then you can plan your vacation around that game by doing things which are all baseball-related. Some examples besides attending the game include shopping for baseball memorabilia, having a picnic at a park and playing some form of baseball with the family, such as whiffle ball or softball, and touring any baseball related museums in the area.

Visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame

visit the national baseball hall of fame with your kids and family

For those who are history buffs as well as baseball fans, you may also find that combining the two while on vacation is a great idea. This would entail a trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which is located in Cooperstown, New York. This large baseball museum has so much for the whole family to enjoy. You can spend one day at the museum or multiple days there. On your time away from the museum you will find a wealth of activities in the local area to take part in, both baseball and non-baseball related ones.

 

Visit The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum with Your Family

Through the inspiration of Horace M. Peterson III (1945-1992), founder of the Black Archives of Mid-America, a group of local historians, business leaders, and former baseball players came together to create the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in the early 1990s. This museum preserves the rich history of African-American baseball. The current museum uses 10,000 square feet of space. The exhibit features multi-media computer stations, several film exhibits, hundreds of photographs, Field of 12 bronze sculptures and a growing collection of baseball artifacts. Location: 1616 East 18th Street Kansas City, MO 64108 Tel: (816) 221-1920 , (888) 221-NLBM

 

Visit the Babe Ruth Museum and the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards

Visit Babe Ruth Museum

Maryland is a great place to visit with your kids if you have a family of baseball lovers. The Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum presents the life and times of George Herman “Babe” Ruth, Baltimore’s native son who became America’s first sports celebrity and an international icon. Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards is the state’s sports history headquarters. It features exhibits on the Baltimore Orioles, Colts, Ravens and Blast; Orioles Hall of Fame; Negro League teams; the Preakness; the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame; regional college athletics; Locker Room - Kids’ Discovery Room; and more!

Visit America’s Oldest Baseball Park

visit the oldest baseball park in the country

Rickwood is America’s oldest baseball park. Today, Rickwood Field is a place to relive the magic of baseball’s glory years. For those hopeless romantics who are still in love but a little disenchanted with the game, we are preserving Rickwood Field. Our dream is for rickwood Field to be a working museum, a place to actually see and experience baseball as it once was. Location: 1137 2nd Avenue West, Birmingham, Alabama 35203, United States Telephone number is 205-458-8161

Visit the Ty Cobb Museum

Visit the Ty Cobb Museum

The Ty Cobb Museum is a professionally designed museum that features rare photographs and artifacts, including Cobbís 1907 American League batting champion medal. Cobb Theater features stadium-style seating accented by a beautiful mural. A stirring video features the narration of Georgia broadcasting legend Larry Munson and interviews with Atlanta Bravesí star Chipper Jones and ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons, along with rare footage and still photographs. The museum also houses the Franklin County Sports Hall of Fame. Charter inductees are Cobb, 1943 A.L. MVP Spud Chandler, Pro Bowl lineman Tony Jones, and All-American quarterback Dee Dowis Location: 461 Cook Street Royston, GA 30662-3903 Tel: (706) 245-1825

See More Ideas for Fun Travel Ideas for Baseball Lovers in Part II

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Family Travel Ideas for Kids Who Love Animals

Monday, July 7th, 2008

Family Travel Ideas for Kids Who Love Animals - kids swimming with dolphins

Family Travel Destinations/Ideas for Families Who Like Animals

When planning a family vacation most families base it around what they all like to do as a family. Some families agree that sports are a key component to family fun whereas other families have different ideas in mind. Some families find that basing their family vacation around their love of animals is the way to go. For this group of individuals the following will provide some ideas for great family vacation fun.

Take a Zoo Tour

Take a zoo tour with the kids

Visiting zoos provides a great way for families to see all of their favorite animals up close and personal. Since most individuals will have different ideas as to what type of animal is their absolute favorite, the zoo provides a way for families to see all different kinds of animals all at once. As vacations usually last a few days or weeks, families may consider planning a zoo tour where they visit different cities and go to the zoos in each city. This is not only a way to see the animals but see various city sights as well.

Working Farms for Vacation

Working farms for a family vacation

These days there are vacation destinations to suit almost any individual tastes. One type of vacation which is getting to be popular with the masses is a “working” vacation. On these types of vacations the individuals will learn a specific trade or be involved with a certain occupation. For animal lovers, vacationing at a working farm where you can be involved with the day-to-day operations involving animals is a great possibility for a destination.

Aquarium Tour

Aquarium tours with kids

Along the same lines of a zoo tour vacation, families may also consider an aquarium tour. Not only will you be able to see a wide array of fish and marine life but you will see other types of animals as well. You can choose to visit one particular city or a few, depending on the length of your vacation and desire to travel to different locales.

Go On a Safari

Go on a family safari vacation

For the daring families and those who have some extra spending cash, going on a guided safari in a different country is an adventuresome option. There are many different safari companies in various countries which will take individuals on a safari for a few days. This allows the individuals to see exotic animals in their natural habitats and brings out the daring side in the family members. For those individuals who worry about the safety feature of this type of tour, there are also contained safari tours such as Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida which gives individuals the feeling of a safari without having to leave the country and provides them with a safer environment than a true safari vacation.

Go on a Dude Ranch Vacation

Go on a family dude ranch vacation

Although I have never been on a Dude Ranch vacation with my kids, I have heard that they are a hit with the kids. In fact, Dude Ranch vacations are one of the biggest growing trends in family vacations. Some Dude Ranch packages are set up the same way that an all-inclusive resort in set up in that there are kids’ camp programs in which the parents can leave the children in camp from morning until night (if they choose to) in order to get some alone time. While the kids are in the camp, they have a blast and make life-time friends as well. Your kids will be able to play hard, learn about nature, and learn how to ride and take care of horses. This is a lot of fun for your animal-loving kids.

Swim with Dolphins and Sea Lions

Swim with the dolphins and sea lions

Swimming with dolphins and / or Sea Lions is an adventure that your child will never forget. There are so many companies that offer Swimming with Dolphins / Sea Lions, especially cities that are located off of the coast, such as Florida. These programs are well worth the money as your kids will certainly not forget this amazing experience.

Go to a Vacation Spot That Allows Dogs / Animals

Go to a vacation resort or hotel that allows and caters to dogs and other animals

Believe it or not, many resorts, campgrounds, and hotels are now accommodating pets as well so you no longer need to leave Fido at home. A few examples are Paw House Inn, The Mountaineer Inn, Camp Gone to the Dogs, and Dog Paddling Adventures. I got these links from a very helpful article that I found about Going on Vacations with Dogs … you might also enjoy it as well.

 

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