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posted on May 22nd, 2013
 I just love this photo. My head fills in the top with this cute little boy looking out to sea. St. Simon’s Island is one of four barrier islands along the Georgia coast that make up the Golden Isles and one of my favorite beach towns. Other Islands include Jekyll Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simon’s Island and Brunswick, Ga.
St. Simon’s is a family friendly beach town, with a year round populations of about 13,000, so most businesses are open all year, rather than just seasonal, so no matter when you go, you’ll have a lot to keep you busy.
Southern schools generally get out for the summer in late May and go back in early August, so for those who don’t go back to school until after Labor Day, you may find some good deals toward the end of August. When you go, here are five of my families’ favorite things to do on the Island. Continue reading Five Favorite Activities on St. Simon’s Island for under $15
posted on May 8th, 2013
 Tidelands Nature Center on Jekyll Island offers fantastic affordable family fun. What: Tidelands Nature Center
Where: 100 S. Riverview Dr., Jekyll Island, GA 31527 | 912-635-5032
When: Monday – Friday 9 am – 4 pm
Cost: $3 Admission to the Center. Program charges vary.
Nature Walks: $5 Adults $3 Kids 8 – 18 ($25 max per family)
Docent Lead Programs: $6 per person
Canoe Rental: $15 per hour
Guided Kayak Tours: $55 per person for a 3 hrs.
*Note: The Nature Center only accepts cash
Photos: For more photos visit the Tidelands Nature Center album
Jekyll Island is located along the coast of Georgia and is part of the Golden Isles that also includes St. Simon’s Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simon’s Island and Brunswick, Ga. One of my favorite places to visit at Jekyll Island is the 4-H Tidelands Nature Center. They have some of the best kids programs and they’re exceptionally affordable. I recently took the kids to do a docent lead dock study and we learned about the eco-system around the dock and used nets to pull up shrimp, crabs, oysters and other sea life.
Continue reading Tidelands Nature Center at Jekyll Island offers Affordable Fun
posted on April 11th, 2013
 Mini-land was one of my 13-year-old’s favorite parts of LEGOLAND Florida. What: LEGOLAND Florida
Where: One LEGOLAND Way, WinterHaven, FL
When: LEGOLAND Florida is open 7 days a week, but may be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during specific periods.
LEGOLAND Water Park re-opens for the season on March 9, 2013.
Cost: Online Prices begin at $64 for adults and $54 for kids
Visit Orlando’s Magic Card gives you a discount on admission to LEGOLAND and other Orlando dining and attractions.
After our trip to LEGOLAND Florida, I had a lot of people ask me if it was something that tweens and teens would enjoy. The park itself is geared toward those 12 and under, but tweens and young teens can have a good time, especially if they go with a younger sibling or friend. My 13 year-old was almost as excited as my 8 year-old to visit LEGOLAND, and although they enjoyed many of the same things, they also experienced the park a bit differently. Given more time to plan his own schedule, my teen would have spent more time in mini-land, Instagramming photos of mini cities. Here’s his thoughts on what to do at LEGOLAND Florida for tweens and teens.
Continue reading LEGOLAND Florida: Review from a 13-year-old
posted on April 11th, 2013
 Find your favorite Minis in Macro at LEGOLAND Florida What: LEGOLAND Florida
Where: One LEGOLAND Way, WinterHaven, FL
When: LEGOLAND Florida is open 7 days a week, but may be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during specific periods.
LEGOLAND Water Park re-opened for the season on March 9, 2013.
Cost: Online Prices begin at $64 for adults and $54 for kids
Visit Orlando’s Magic Card gives you a discount on admission to LEGOLAND and other Orlando dining and attractions.
On a long weekend in January, we visited LEGOLAND Florida. It was a highly anticipated visit for my 8-year-old. Before we left, he carefully chose mini-figures to trade with the staff members at the park. The evening before our visit, he picked up a brochure to begin mapping out our day. The morning of, he counted down the minutes until we left the hotel. A week after our visit, he still talks about how much fun he had. When I asked him to review LEGOLAND Florida, here’s what he said.
Continue reading LEGOLAND Florida: Review from an 8-year-old
posted on March 22nd, 2013
 Our Behind the Scenes tour included meeting and touching Edward the Magellanic Penguin. What: SeaWorld Orlando Behind the Scenes Tour
Where: 7007 Sea World Dr., Orlando, FL 32821
When: SeaWorld Orlando is open seven days a week. Visit the SeaWorld Orlando website for updated hours
Cost: Single Day Tickets are $79 for adults and $71 for children (online purchase prices. In person is $10 additional). Multi-day and Multi-park tickets are available Behind the Scenes Tour: $29 per person + park admission
For anyone looking to get up close and personal with the animals at SeaWorld Orlando, check out the behind the scenes and animal interaction tours. These special tours allow guests to go behind theme park walls and experience SeaWorld from a trainer’s perspective.
There is a Sea Lion Up-Close Tour, a Dolphin Up-Close Tour and a Beluga Whale interaction program, as well as a general behind the scenes tour. We took the behind the scenes tour and enjoyed viewing the backstage look, as well as a few surprises.
Continue reading SeaWorld Orlando: Behind the Scenes Tour
posted on March 13th, 2013
 Rock City offers a RockQuest Adventure Package for Spring Break that includes a Rock Climbing wall and gem mining. What: Chattanooga, TN Spring Break Safari
Where: Chattanooga, TN
When: March 15 – April 14, 2013
Cost: Individual attractions have their own fees. Many offer free add ones for Safari participants
Contest: Enter to win a Spring Break Safari Getaway in Chattanooga for up to 2 adults and 2 children! Grand prize includes 2 nights’ accommodations at the downtown DoubleTree hotel & 4 tickets to six of the Spring Break Safari adventures. Winner will be drawn on March 11, 2013.
Chattanooga, TN does a great job of wooing families looking for an action packed spring break. The Spring Break Safari in Chattanooga, TN let’s kids’ become an animal Keeper Kid and feed and mingle with sharks and sea turtles; Spelunker deep in a cavern; RockQuest Adventurer on an enchanted trail; Pilot House Mate and navigate the Tennessee River; an Art Explorer and uncover hidden treasures; a Conductor aboard a traincar; a Zoologist encountering chimpanzees, jaguars, reptiles and camels; a Time Traveler exploring the age of dinosaurs; an Engineer on a trolley; or a Culinary Creator whipping up sweets. Best part, the program is so well laid out, you can pick and choose what you want to do and book a hotel within a half an hour. Most attractions offer free extras to kids that participate in the program. Here’s what you need to know.
Continue reading Chattanooga, TN Offers Spring Break Safari for Kids
posted on March 12th, 2013
 My children observed and recorded the activity of penguins during the Tennessee Aquarium’s Keeper Kids program. What: Tennessee Aquarium Keeper Kids
Where: One Broad St., Chattanooga, TN 800-262-0695
When: 10 am – 6 pm except Thanksgiving and Christmas
Cost: $24.95 adults, $14.95 children (3-12)
- Add the IMAX to your aquarium visit for $6 per person
- Add Creative Discovery Museum for Kids for $10 per person
- An annual family pass is only $115. Depending on how many kids you have, this could pay for itself in one visit.
Photos: For additional photos of the Tennessee Aquarium, visit Field Trips with Sue on Facebook
Chattanooga is a short drive up I-75 from Atlanta and a great place to spend spring break. It’s an easy day trip, but if you’d like to spend the night, consider The Chattanoogan, which is located downtown and close to all the attractions, including the Tennessee Aquarium. The Tennessee Aquarium offers a tremendous spring break program of behind the scenes tours called Keeper Kids. Best of all, from March 15 – April 15, these programs, geared toward kids age 6 and up, are FREE. Here’s what you need to know to take advantage of this popular program.
Continue reading Keeper Kids Programs Free at Tennessee Aquarium During Spring Break
posted on March 7th, 2013
 What: LEGOLAND Florida
Where: One LEGOLAND Way, WinterHaven, FL
When: LEGOLAND Florida is open 7 days a week, but may be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during specific periods.
LEGOLAND Water Park re-opens for the season on March 9, 2013.
Cost: Online Prices begin at $64 for adults and $54 for kids
Visit Orlando’s Magic Card gives you a discount on admission to LEGOLAND and other Orlando dining and attractions.
About 45 minutes from the gates of the Magic Kingdom in Florida is Orlando’s newest theme park LEGOLAND Florida. LEGOLAND brand has three different ways to experience LEGOS. The LEGOLAND Store, Discovery Center and Theme Park. There is one LEGOLAND theme park in California and the latest, LEGOLAND Florida. We have a LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Atlanta and as complete LEGO fans, were anxious to experience the theme park at LEGOLAND Florida. My youngest was so excited he grabbed a brochure from our hotel the night before to begin mapping out the day – boy after my own heart. Here are 10 tips for a great day at LEGOLAND Florida.
Continue reading Ten Plus Tips for a great day at LEGOLAND Florida
posted on March 7th, 2013
 LEGOLAND Florida is geared toward the 12 and under crowd, but a love of LEGOS doesn’t stop at 12. What: LEGOLAND Florida
Where: One LEGOLAND Way, WinterHaven, FL
When: LEGOLAND Florida is open 7 days a week, but may be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during specific periods.
LEGOLAND Water Park re-opens for the season on March 9, 2013.
Cost: Online Prices begin at $64 for adults and $54 for kids
Visit Orlando’s Magic Card gives you a discount on admission to LEGOLAND and other Orlando dining and attractions.
LEGOLAND Florida is geared toward the 12 and under set, but a love of LEGO doesn’t stop at 12, so what is the best age to visit LEGOLAND Florida? That’s the question I was asked most about Florida’s newest theme park – what is the recommended age for visiting? LEGOLAND Florida recommends the park for kids 12 and under. My suggestion is it completely depends on your child, your available time and resources. I visited with my 8.5 year old and newly minted teen and they both had a blast. Here’s why…
Continue reading What’s the Right Age for LEGOLAND Florida?
posted on March 6th, 2013
 The iconic Gator teeth are a perfect photo pop. It’s one of the most photographed parts of Gatorland and turned 50 last year. What: Gatorland
Where: 14501 S. Orange Blossom Trail | 407-855-5496
When: Daily from 10 am – 5 pm
Cost: $24.99 for adults and $16.99 for children over 3 (find a coupon for $2.50 off the admission price on their website)
Grunt Pass $31.99 adults, $24.99 children (includes admission, gator wrestling photo opportunity (photo extra), unlimited train rides and gator food (hot dogs)
On a recent visit to Orlando, we decided to do the ‘Everything BUT Disney tour’ and take in a little of the real Florida. What could be more Florida than alligators and swamps, so our first stop was Gatorland. According to our train guide Donny, the “alligator Capital of the World” was built in 1949, and went through several names before settling in on Gatorland. Donny also told us baby alligators were sold as a souvenir for $1 when the park first opened. Of course my boys wanted one.
We went to the park on a chilly, drizzly January afternoon. Not the best weather for alligators, who are cold-blooded and try to conserve energy in chilly weather by not moving a lot. Gatorland is probably the only attraction where you want to visit later in the day, when it’s hot outside, as the gators tend to be more active in the later part of the day when things have had a chance to warm up. This also makes summer the ideal time to visit Gatorland, although winter has it’s advantages too. Here’s what you can expect.
Continue reading Why You Need to Make Time for Gatorland Florida
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Nickelodeon Parents' Pick for Best Local Blog in Atlanta
