Most people don’t go to France to see alligators.  We are not most people.
_________________________________________________________________________________

side·track (sīd´trăk): n. 1. A diversion from the main course.  2. A detour taken with children that you would never, ever take without them.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Who:
Travel Savvy Mom founder Jamie Pearson, her husband, and their children (then 1 and 3, so set your time machines to “way back”).  This was our first ever sidetrack.

What and Where:
Le Reptilarium Mont St Michel (since renamed “Alligator Bay”).  Normandy, France.  A reptile zoo with tortoises, snakes, and (according to their breathless brochure copy) the biggest group of alligators in Europe. At least that’s what we think it said, it was in French.

Why:
Mont St Michel is one of those absolutely gorgeous, but entirely pointless, destinations that are so depressingly common in Europe (see also: Carcassone, San Gimignano, and Montmartre).  You go.  You admire it from afar.  You make the fatal mistake of actually entering it, and instantly regret it.

Maybe you love these places.  If so, we’re going to have to agree to disagree.

After battling the huge crowds on this rocky tidal island (formerly a monastery, now wall-to-wall souvenir shops and restaurants serving obscenely overpriced omelets), we carried our exhausted kids through the city gates and back to our car.

We had driven two hours to get there, and were done in twenty minutes.  Then we saw a billboard for Le Reptilarium, and our fate was sealed.

The Low Point:
Being dressed in winter clothing in a warm, steamy, stinky, crowded place for two hours.  Did I mention it smelled bad?

The Kids’ Take:
Ten thumbs up!  Approximately 1,000 times better than stupid omelet island.

The Bottom Line:
If you think your kids would enjoy crawling through plexiglass tunnels that allow them to get up close and personal with boa constrictors, this is the place for you.

During the tortoise feeding, they can also go into the pen and give lettuce to giant reptiles.

Like this?  Get our monthly newsletter. Wondering who pays for all this travel and how it affects our objectivity?  Read our disclosure policy.

A taste of Africa, except in Ohio
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

side·track (sīd´trăk): n. 1. A diversion from the main course. 2. A detour taken with children that you would never, ever take without them.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Who and What:
My good friends Todd and Diana and their two children who take really cool trips, but refuse to be bullied into writing for my website.  For this post, I had to just interview them.

African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton, Ohio.  A drive-through an animal safari park where you can feed the animals: either food out of a cup or carrots, depending on the animal.  This is both exhilarating and terrifying.  Admission includes unlimited trips through the safari as well as admission to their zoo, pony rides, camel rides (in Ohio!) and their animal show.

These are not big carnivores.  Most of the animals are ruminants, with a few tortoises, ocelots, warthogs, and gibbons in the mix (and these are in another area).

Why:
Todd’s family lives in Ohio and they go back every summer, so they’ve pretty much ferreted out all the weird things to do within a 200-mile radius of Toledo.

The High Point:
Animals sticking their entire heads in the car.  Feeding a giraffe a carrot through the sunroof.

The Low Point:
Explaining to Todd’s father why his whole car was smeared with buffalo snot.

The Kids’ Take:
Awesome and scary.

The  Bottom Line:
A great place to spend the day if your kids love animals.   Be sure to stay for the animal show–you’ll get to pet a porcupine and a raccoon and put a snake around your neck.  Good times.

Like this?  Get our monthly email newsletter.

Come home from our nation’s capital with more than just memories

When you visit Washington D.C., you’re going to take a lot of family pictures. They may as well be in good places. Here are four funny shots to consider.

1. Newseum

The top floor of this fabulous museum has a balcony, where you get killer views of the Capitol. Good enough for our holiday photo. Just try to crop out the Canadian flags in the foreground – their embassy is right next door (eh!).

Or for a newsy angle, get in front of the camera at Newseum and read a prepared news or weather script. You’ll look like a regular on CNN.

(more…)

Warm weather, small stadiums, and autograph opportunities

When it comes to being a baseball fan, I’m a bit of a late bloomer.  I was excited as anyone when the San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series, but I jumped on the bandwagon so recently that my shirts practically still have tags in them.

My 9-year-old son is a whole different story.  Thanks to his father’s influence, baseball is pretty much his religion.  Which is why I decided to take him to spring training in Arizona.  Even if you don’t like baseball, Phoenix is great for spring break.  And if you do?  It’s heaven.

For a great trip, take your own baseball-crazy kid to Spring Training.  And take our advice too:

Catch a mid-week, away game

The best access to your favorite players, their autographs, and good seats will be at mid-week away games.  We saw the Giants play the Reds at the charming Goodyear Ballpark with just 4,000 other people.   Even the big stars took the time to sign autographs and chat with fans along the first base fence.

A weekend home game against the Dodgers at Scottsdale Stadium was a lot more crowded and a lot more like regular big league baseball.  In fact, there are ten stadiums in the Cactus League, so go check a few out.

About those autographs

Speaking of autographs, there are a few ways to get them.  Some parks (such as Goodyear and Scottsdale) will let you line up near your team’s dugout before the game.  Peoria Sports Complex (home of the Padres and the Mariners) has a specially designated “autograph alley”.   Another good bet is to ambush players when they arrive at their home stadium for practice on game days.

If you’re serious about collecting autographs, bring plenty of patience, fresh MLB baseballs, and a blue ballpoint pen.  Don’t turn your nose up at rookies either — they might be the stars of tomorrow.  Giants rookie Brandon Belt had plenty of time for us this year.  Next year, who knows?

See more stars

The Giants brought over 60 players to spring training this year: some stars, some rookies, some career minor league players.  Not all of them make it.  As the spring training season wears on, teams send players down.  They also play their starters more to get them in shape for opening day.  If you want to see more stars, go later in the season.

Don’t like your seats?  Try moving

Even in March, Phoenix can get unbearably hot.  If you’re polite with the ushers (most of whom are volunteers), you’ll easily be able to move to better, shadier seats.  We traded in some average seats for great ones right behind the plate twice with no problem.

There are no guarantees though, so bring plenty of sunscreen and a bandana or two to protect your families’ tender necks from the Arizona sun.

Do your homework

Most stadiums will allow you to bring in one sealed water bottle per person.  Some will let you bring food, but no coolers.  Some let you come in 90 minutes early to watch batting practice.   Others don’t.  All have family restrooms with changing tables if you know where to look.

Go to the official Cactus League website for detailed information about the teams and stadiums.  For more insider information, try Spring Training Tips.  They sell an e-book guide to the Cactus League, but have lots of free information too.

Where to stay

There are plenty of hotels to choose from for spring training.  Since you’ll wind up doing a fair amount of driving no matter where you stay, try to stay in Scottsdale.  My son and I stayed at the Scottsdale Homewood Suites and it had everything we needed, including a pool, a basketball court, free breakfast, free internet access, and even free dinner Monday through Thursday.

Just when you thought it was safe to vacation in the Galapagos

Who:

Me, my husband, and my age-appropriately sharkophobic kids (12 and 9).

What and Where:

A very big and alarming-looking fin spotted on a zodiac excursion just off Isabela Island in the Galapagos, an archipelago 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador.  We were visiting the islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavor with Lindblad Expeditions.  It’s a trip every family should take.

The Story:

It’s not really a shark.  It’s actually a delightfully bizarre (and prehistoric) animal called an Ocean Sunfish or Mola mola.  While these docile creatures don’t inspire quite as much sphincter tightening as their toothy cousins, they grow to an average weight of over 2,000 pounds.

To me, this animal looks more like a potato than a fish.  In German, the Ocean Sunfish is sometimes called Schwimmender Kopf , the swimming head.

Here’s a photo of one I took at the Monterey Bay Aquarium:

While we didn’t spot any sharks from the boat that day, we wound up seeing plenty of them in the water when we are snorkeling.  Have you ever heard a kid scream through a snorkel?  But that’s a post for another day.

Like this?  Get our email newsletter.