Pigeon Forge has many dinner shows for the whole family to enjoy. Some of the popular ones from my research are the ‘Hatfield and Mccoy dinner show‘, ‘Dolly Parton’s Stampede dinner attraction‘ and the ‘Pirates Voyage and dinner show‘. They are all kid-friendly. ‘Dolly Parton’s Stampede Dinner Attraction’ reminded me of the dinner show in Medieval times.

Pirates voyage dinner and show:

Pigeon Forge has many dinner shows, and we chose to go to the Pirates Voyage show as I thought there may be mermaids my daughter would like. Also, my 12-year-old recently went to Medieval times and experienced all the sword fights and horseback riders, so she wanted something different from that. Dolly Parton stampede sounded like another Medieval time. I expected there to be a plot around mermaids but they didn’t really show up except for once which kind of disappointed my daughter.

The food at Pirates was the regular biscuit, vegetable soup in a teacup, a drink, chicken, slice of ham, corn con, herb seasoned half potato, and apple puff pastry.
It was pretty filling and enjoyable.

Shows were at 3:30, 6 pm and 8:30 pm. The show we went to at 6 p.m. was pretty much full on a Saturday in July.

Spoiler warning:

The show ran around 1.5. The beginning of the show introduced the pirates of two ships and showed the crew’s circus acrobatic abilities which included juggling, diving, and jumping in the water from a swing, acrobatics. Then there was a pyrotechnical who displayed interesting feats with fire including spreading fire on the surface of the water. I liked the sea lion act the best with Salty the sea lion dancing and acting along with the pirates.

Other attractions

Apart from shows, there are other interesting attractions that can be seen as you drive along the main streets there like ‘The Titanic Museum attractions‘, ‘Hollywood Wax Museum’, ‘Wonderworks’ and Dollywood amusement park. We are able to see the ‘Gazillion Bubble show’ and enjoy some rides in Dollywood. Some of the same attractions can be seen in Branson, Missouri in the midwest as well.

Places to go horseback riding:

https://www.visitmysmokies.com/blog/attractions-pigeon-forge/horseback-riding-smoky-mountains/
The price is around $40-$55 for 1 hr for most stables. But for the smokey mountain deer farm, it is $26 for 30 mins or $29 for 45 mins, $32 for 1 hr

Anakeesta seems more like ziplining and tree top adventures.

The Island in Pigeon Forge

The Island in Pigeon Forge seemed more like a boardwalk on the beach with a Ferris wheel and some other kiddie rides, arcades, and shops. We got on the Skyfly Soar ride which takes you around several national parks/landscapes in the US. It was priced at $22 and was enjoyable. It reminded me of the ‘Soarin around the world’ ride at Disney World’s Epcot.

We drove over to Gatlinburg about 20 minutes south of Pigeon Forge and closer to the Smoky Mountains. The Sky Bridge there is priced at $35 which is like a long narrow pedestrian bridge across a valley and has beautiful views. You will need to get on the Sky chairlift in order to get there.

Apart from touristy attractions, the Smoky Mountains live up to its name of breathtaking views and many cabins in the mountains for vacationers. For breathtaking views of the Smoky Mountains, you can check it any of these places.

We drove an hour away from Pigeon Forge to Clingman’s Dome which is the highest point in the Smoky Mountains. It was raining on and off but it did not stop people from taking the 1 mile hike up to the viewing platform. We luckily had umbrellas in our car, so we hiked up the 1-mile wearing hats and using the umbrellas. It was all uphill and tiring but the view was pretty good, reminding me of the view at West Virginia’s highest point at Spruce Mountain. There were a few scenic points on the way near Gatlinburg like a babbling brook which we stopped by and got pictures and enjoyed the rushing water. My kids would have got in the water if they planned to get their bathing suits. We also stopped by Chimney Tops viewpoint and saw the interesting Hemlock trees which were bare and had no leaves. Heard they are dead due to some insects. They looked like antlers in the mountains.

We did some shopping at the Nike clearance store which was close to the vacation condo we booked and at Tanger outlets in nearby Sevierville.

We booked a condo through Airbnb for 6 nights and we enjoyed the stay there. Being near a brook was enjoyable as we saw the view from the backyard.

Must-do hikes in the Smoky Mountains are here: https://www.outdoorproject.com/travel/16-must-do-hikes-great-smoky-mountain-national-park

Major Smoky Mountain expenses for my family:

Riverside condos vacation home: $1500
Pirates voyage dinner show: $400
Dollywood: $364

The post Smoky Mountains Amusement first appeared on Travel Life Stories.

I had the opportunity to visit Zion National Park at the end of November around Thanksgiving break. We flew into Las Vegas and drove 3 hours to the park the next day. Zion National Park truly lives up to its name. The hills look so heavenly and very unique. Pictures do not do justice. The Navajo sandstone is the type of rock the monumental hills are built. The constant erosion and the theory that some parts of the hills were underwater at some time, is the reason that part of the hills are red and the rest whitish at the top. More info on the geological formation for interested folks can be found here.

There were many picture-worthy places to stop by and take pictures along the drive through the park. Shuttles are necessary to the Temple of Sinawa part of the park where the Narrows slot canyon is located. The entrance road toward that direction is blocked and is only shuttle accessible. The temperature in Zion was in the 40s in November but it was amazing to see so many tourists even during that time of the year. The water in the Narrows is surely freezing, so make sure to be well-prepared if planning a hike there.

My family booked an East Zion tour adventure of guided UTV ride and hiking with the kids, and this meant driving via the Mt. Carmel tunnel. Mt Carmel tunnel was once the longest tunnel during the time it was constructed in the late 1920s. It has a length of around 1.1 miles. Since we entered the south entrance of Zion Park, we had to drive via this tunnel and get to the East entrance. The tour started at a coffee shop in Orderville about 30 minutes from the East entrance. The shuttle is not required to get through the tunnel.

The tour was the highlight of our trip that day and both the guided drive on a UTV and the hike were memorable. The kids had a blast. The rock formation at the canyons the tour took us to, is similar to Antelope Canyon, but without the crowds and admission fees. We were well prepared with jackets and layered clothing, so the temperatures did not deter us. The pretty red sandstone formations took our breath away and the many photos we took, got many compliments from friends and family. My friends actually thought we went to Antelope Canyon and were surprised when we said it’s near Zion National Park. We paid around $100 per person for the UTV tour, and hike to two canyons. I came to know later that Antelope Canyon needs to be done via guided tour and is much more expensive at $130 per person. Plus we had no crowds at these canyons near Orderville, Utah. A must-see place!

We had to drive back the almost 3-hour trip back to Las Vegas the same day, so maybe staying longer would have helped to enjoy and get to see the Narrows slot canyon as well. Originally, I planned to stay a night at Zion and drive another almost 2hr to Bryce Canyon. But time did not permit. But surely a trip to Zion and Bryce can be coupled together if planning a vacation.

Admission Fees to Zion: Ticket admission is $35, but interestingly we were not asked to pay any fee( probably as we just drove through the park and did not take the shuttle?) The Fourth Grader park pass is useful as well to visit the national parks – so if you have a fourth grader, print your pass and keep it ready to get the family into a National Park for free!

We planned a short couple of days trip to Las Vegas and decided to visit over the Labor Day weekend in September. But eventually, the plan fell through and we moved the trip up to the Thanksgiving weekend in November. I think it ended up being a great idea so we could escape the crowds and crazy heat during the summer months! Las Vegas November weather was pleasant, mostly in the 60s Fahrenheit and tolerable with a light sweater to slip off during the afternoon heat if required.

David Copperfield magic show: We had some time to spend in Las Vegas before we left for home, so we booked the David Copperfield show at MGM Grand Casino in Vegas. The show was nice but not up to the mark. David definitely had magic tricks unique and far apart from what usual magicians do and bigger than others, but it ended up being boring, especially for the kids, and not very entertaining. I would use the almost $$$ money for another show which can keep the whole family entertained. Unless you are someone who loves magic, I think another show would be more worth your time and money.

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is a park with several unique land formations that you can find all in one place. It is a 2-hour drive from Las Vegas, so made for an easy getaway trip. It is very crowded during the summer months/tourist times, but November was not so busy. Another good part about visiting in November is that the weather is much better and NOT too hot! I was surprised that I needed to take off my sweater when I was in the lowest and hottest point in the US (Badwater Basin), so imagine how hot it would be in the summer! Make sure you are hydrated!

We had no phone signal throughout most of the park, but there were maps near the park ranger’s office on the way and the signposts were very helpful as well. Food was something we couldn’t find easily, but we found a restaurant – The Ranch 1849 Restaurant close to the intersection of Indian Village Rd in Furnace Creek. It had some pizza but had a long line and was expensive. Instead, we got some food at the opposite grocery store in the same building which had some cold sandwiches, fruit, and pasta for lunch.

Land formations at Death Valley:

1. Sand dunes

You can find many sand dunes in the Mojave desert which covers a pretty huge area, but the Mesquite sand dunes in Death Valley are close to the main roads and easy to get there. We spent about an hour or so there, though I wish we had more time to climb the highest dune far in the distance. Eureka Dunes is another area of sand dunes in Death Valley, but it is way far up north and much harder to get there. Since it was November, the sand was not as hot as it would be in the summer. So a win-win here again!

2. Badwater Basin

Badwater Basin is the lowest point in the US which is 280 ft below sea level. There are hexagon shapes formed over the salt flats due to the evaporation of water. There is a well-known hike called the ‘Lowest to Highest hike‘, which has trails for 135 miles from Badwater Basin to the highest point Mt. Whitney which is 14,495 ft above sea level. So, that is something enthusiastic hikers may be interested in! 

3. Zabriskie point

Zabriskie Point is a must-see beautiful gem in a desert. Nowhere did I see such barren and cream colored fashioned mountains. There is a convenient viewing platform to see the hills and take pictures. Adventurous people get off the platform and on top of the hills to enjoy more views.

4. Devil’s golf course

It’s probably due to the salt nearby, but the land has a very interesting look at Devil’s golf course with huge rocks tossed all over the place, something to check out!

5. Dantes view

Dantes view gets you to a viewpoint where you can see the valley floor and the saltwater basin (Badwater Basin)

6. Artist’s palette:

Some of the hills at Death Valley National Park have interesting natural colors of blue, pink, etc all over them when reflecting the sunlight. We didn’t get enough time to stop there, but viewing the beauty from the window was enjoyable as well.

Hover dam

Hoover Dam which is around 2.5 hours from Las Vegas is in the middle of two time zones – Mountain and Pacific Time Zones as it is located on the Nevada – Arizona border. It was interesting to see two clocks on either side of the dam showing both times. My phone still seemed to show Nevada time from where we started our trip, but my car time showed Arizona’s. Lake Mead with its blue waters was visible near the dam which made for some beautiful photos. I heard that Centrifugal force is present near the base of the dam and when things are thrown, they defy gravity. Tours for $15 are present for anyone interested in checking out the inner workings of the dam.

The post 2 Days in National Parks near Las Vegas first appeared on Travel Life Stories.

We took a cruise to Alaska from Seattle and it gave us a good opportunity to visit Seattle and Vancouver. We spent some time in Seattle before we got on the cruise. After we got off our cruise ship, we had a day or so to spend in Seattle and were trying to figure out what to do. Olympic national park seemed like another option, but we finally decided on crossing the border and driving to Vancouver. It was a 3 hrs drive, but luckily customs took only 5 mins at the Canadian border.

Vancouver highlights

Sea to Sky Gondola: The drive on Sea to Sky highway was so pretty with mountains along the Howe Sound which looked like Fjord. The view from Sea to Sky gondola reminded me of the view in Geirengerfjord in Norway.

Once we reached the top by Sea to Sky gondola, there was live music playing near a gift shop center, and a suspended bridge by it. We walked over the bridge and got more pictures and took the trail loop which was. 10 min walk back to the other side of the bridge we started from. The suspended bridge felt a bit more wobbly than the bridge we took near Yukon – Yukon Suspension Bridge.

Granville Island: We drove over to Granville Island that evening and though the shops were closed, we enjoyed the night view Vancouver skyline. The drive from sea to sky to Granville was a pretty one through the downtown where we could admire the clean streets and tall buildings. Vancouver seemed very huge compared to Seattle which we visited a few days earlier. Granville Island is a small island with many cute shops/restaurants and outdoor dining. The view of Vancouver city skyline was beautiful with the hills, marina, a bridge, and tall buildings to complete a full view.

Even though we had a short time – just one evening, we were able to see the city highlights and enjoy the memories. The city of Whistler is another beautiful city just 1 hr drive from Vancouver, but time did not permit it this time. The weather in Vancouver is pretty pleasant throughout the year including mild winters with little snow, which was another interesting thing to note.

Seattle area highlights:

Pike’s Place Market: We visited pikes place market and got to buy some bracelets and souvenirs from there. Pikes Place has a long history and has shops some of which had vintage shops and items to collect. I originally opened up for farmers and the oldest continuously operating market in the United States. The first Starbucks is definitely a must-see for a Starbucks coffee lover, and a must-try if you are ready to stand in a long line!

Microsoft: Microsoft headquarters is about 30 mins north of Seattle in Redmond, WA. We made a quick stop there to check out the history of computer software and the Windows Operating System. It was interesting to see the group of people including Bill Gates who started Microsoft and learn the history behind the company. Microsoft has a huge campus and employees were all over the place while visitors came to check out.

Mt. Rainier: This is a must-see National Park! Mt Rainier is around 3 hours away from the city of Seattle, and we did it in a day trip. It was one of the most beautiful sights I had seen and I recommend it to everyone going to the Seattle area. Parking is usually crowded on weekends at Paradise and Sunrise entrances, so please be sure to plan early or on weekdays.

So, one thing to note while planning a trip to Mt Rainier is to put the directions on GPS to one of the entrances like Paradise (Nisqually), Sunrise, Steven’s Canyon, or Carbon River. The most popular entrances with the best views are Paradise and Sunrise. The distance from one entrance to the other is very long, so please be sure to add the correct entrance in the GPS.

My family entered via the Paradise entrance (Nisqually entrance) on the southwest of the mountain, and it really lived up to its name of Paradise. The pictures don’t do justice and one must actually view to enjoy the beauty. The picturesque Myrtle Falls just before it gave for some beautiful pictures and memories. We hiked about a mile to go through the landscape and see the falls. There was another mile or so to Reflection Lake which would allow you to see the mountain’s reflection. We took along binoculars and could view the glaciers on top of Mt. Rainier. There were many glaciers. The Carbon River entrance is mostly known for trails and the Rainforest.

Mt. Olympus: We did not have time to check out this part of the state of Washington but this is around 3 hours from Seattle and has beautiful views of the Mt Olympic National Park. Olympic National Park may need more time to explore as there are so many sections to the park including a beach and rainforest.

There are many more sights of Seattle including the Seattle waterfront, harbor steps, a Gum wall, space needle, check out Seattle skyline lights from Kerry Park, Alki Beach or Jack block park, Bainbridge island ferry, Museum of Flight, Chinatown, and Seattle Chocolate factory.

The post Seattle and Vancouver beauties first appeared on Travel Life Stories.

1. Scenery

The scenery of the Fjords in Alaska near Skagway and Endicott and Dawes glacier reminded me of the Norway Fjords. Skagway is a small 4-block town at the end of a fjord. The teal glacial feed water had the same look as in the Norway town of Skoljden, but the difference was in the port cities. Norway ports like Bergen and Alesund were bigger towns and had something to sightsee within the cities whereas Alaskan towns like Skagway just had a couple of shops and were a couple of blocks wide.

The mountains and wildflowers in Alaska’s port of Skagway had a unique beauty about them though. The Norway port of Skoljden is a tiny town with more natural beauty, the Norway ports had a mix of big towns and small towns, whereas Alaska had just a tiny town with really nothing to do except take expensive shore excursions.

Norway cities Bergen and Alesund (Venice of the North) are beautiful port cities and are much more enjoyable and offer more to do in the port cities apart from just the mountains and waterfalls in the Alaskan city of Juneau.

So, overall I would prefer to do a Norway cruise as apart from similar scenery in Alaska, we get an extra element of experiencing a different culture and visiting cities with European charm.

2. Shore excursion pricing difference

Shore excursions are definitely necessary in Alaska like wildlife watching and helicopter tours or white pass tours in Skagway as there really isn’t much to do around town at the ports. Those who are more interested in wildlife and glaciers/icebergs might find Alaska more interesting. But seeing wildlife is not guaranteed and there is a steep price to pay for those tours like the bear-watching tour where they catch salmon for a tour price of around $600.

In the case of a Norway cruise, just taking a cheaper city highlights tour or hop on – hop off bus tour would suffice for experiencing the port towns of Norway, though you could be more adventurous and take on some hikes like Pulpit rock.

Due to more rainfall in Alaskan towns like Juneau/Ketchikan, there is a high probability of tours like helicopter tours to fly to glaciers being canceled. The price is between $350-$600 based on whether you want to go on a husky musher ride while on the glacier during the summer months as there is no snow on the ground.

3. Glaciers or Not!

For Alaskan cruises, seeing a glacier is the most important part of the itinerary. Some cruise lines stop at Glacier Bay whereas some stop at smaller glaciers like Endicott Arm/ Tracy Arm. So, if seeing a glacier is at the top of your list, then choosing the Alaska cruise is the way to go. But make sure you choose a cruise going to Glacier Bay!! other glaciers are much smaller and the cruise cannot get that close enough to experience the beauty of the glacier. Alaskan port city of Juneau has the Mendenhall glacier which you can view from a distance as well. Another way is to make sure you get on a chopper ride to get closer and walk on the glacier. Seattle area’s Mt. Rainier has many glaciers which can be seen via binoculars.

For a Norway fjords cruise, you don’t have much of a chance to see glaciers.

4. Flight charges:

For people booking cruises from the North American continent, flights to Alaskan cruise port cities like Seattle and Vancouver might be a lot less expensive than taking a flight to a European port near Norway. So that could be another deciding factor when booking your cruise.

Overall, when considering what would be a better cruise, I think Norway beats Alaska as it has mostly all that Alaska has to offer plus beautiful port cities with different cultures. Simply doing the city highlight hop on hop off bus tours which are pretty cheap should be good enough to enjoy Norway’s ports. For Alaska, a simple city bus tour does not suffice, but will need to take an expensive shore excursion to enjoy. When considering what would be better for more adventurous people who like wildlife, probably Alaska would fit the bill as you can see bears/ eagles, whales, and huskies up close if you book the correct shore excursions.

The post Cruise to Alaska vs Norway Fjords first appeared on Travel Life Stories.

Glacier:

You must choose a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay!!! Ovation of the Seas cruise had a stop at Endicott and Dawes glacier, and I expected the cruise to get much closer to the glacier, but the view seemed pretty much similar to that of The Mendenhall glacier we saw in Juneau which was from a long distance. Also, we did not get to see any type of calving at the glacier due to the distance we were at. Endicott Arm and Tracy Arm are much smaller glaciers than Glacier Bay, and you won’t be able to get much closer to them due to the narrow width of the fjord. I later came to know that only certain older cruise lines get to go to Glacier Bay. Princes Cruises and Norwegian Cruises and Holland America have a stop at Glacier Bay, so the best Alaskan cruise where you could get better scenery would be either of those cruises.

Shore excursions:

Shore excursions are definitely necessary like wildlife watching and helicopter tours or white pass tours in Skagway as there really isn’t much to do around town at the ports. A lot of whales or seals’ tails could be seen in Stephen’s Passage off the coast of Alaska. It was hard to make out exactly what the moving animal was as it was mostly underwater, but most people on the cruise had their binoculars out.

Book your shore excursions early for an Alaska cruise. Helicopter tours are usually sold out and you may not get the time slot you prefer and the rides for the place you need. We wanted to book helicopter and whale watching in Juneau, but we couldn’t get the time slots for morning and afternoon as it stepped in Juneau only for the afternoon. Make sure you pick cruises where it stops at a port for the whole day and not just an afternoon. Pick helicopter rides in places where the weather is much better. For example, Juneau has a 50% chance of bad weather and rains around 200 times in 365 days of the year, so there is a high chance of helicopter rides being canceled. So, given a choice between Skagway and Juneau, I would prefer to book a chopper ride in Skagway. Ketchikan also has a high chance of rain – around 300 days a year.

Those who are more interested in wildlife and glaciers/icebergs might find Alaska interesting. But seeing wildlife is not guaranteed and there is a steep price to pay for those tours like the bear-watching tour where they catch salmon for a tour price of around $600. The price is between $350-$600 based on whether you want to go on a husky musher ride while on the glacier during the summer months as there is no snow on the ground. Whale watching priced around $150-$250 should be a good pick for a port like Juneau where whales are more guaranteed to be seen.

Cruise Activities:

Another priority to look at when booking a cruise is if the cruise caters to your group or family demographic. There are some cruise lines or specific ships that may be more family-friendly and have more activities than other cruise ships, so you need to prioritize and make a decision based on that.

Departure port:

When I was trying to book my cruise, I remember looking at departure port of Vancouver, but found the flight charges to Vancouver more pricey than the flight charges to Seattle, and the ship sailing from Seattle seemed to be much bigger and had more activities than the one from Vancouver. That made a big change in my plans, and I ended up picking Ovation of the Seas outbound from Seattle.

My afterthoughts after the cruise were, that I probably should have booked my flight trip to Seattle, spend a few days there, and then drove on 3 hours to Vancouver to catch the cruise from there. I could even check out the port of Vancouver and nearby Whistler before driving back to Seattle to catch my flight back home.

So, overall I think visiting both cities of Seattle and Vancouver if possible would be a good idea, whether picking either ports as the departure ports or depending on your preference of the cruise line/ship.

Port of Victoria:

The port of Victoria is a stop that is seen on most cruise lines and the reason is due to the Passenger Vessel Services Act, an 1886 law. There isn’t much to see in the port except enjoy the pier and fisherman’s wharf. Butchart Gardens seemed like the only thing worth visiting while there. The gardens were beautiful and comparable to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, thought I found Butchart Gardens to be more pleasant to walk around due to the sheltering trees.

If there was any cruise that would stop at any other Canadian port like Vancouver, that might be even better as Vancouver has much more to see. My post here covers places like Vancouver and Seattle.

The post Tips for choosing the right Alaska cruise first appeared on Travel Life Stories.

Toronto is a big city in Canada with a nice downtown with the CN Tower dominating the skyline. La tour CN Tower gives you a tour of the tower which has several options including the revolving restaurant. We got the timed admission tickets to get access to the main observation level.

The elevator which takes you up has great views of how high you are while you ride up. It was a quick trip to the top. The observation level has a glass bottom at certain places where you can see all the way to the bottom of the tower and try ‘to dare’ yourself to stand on it. We got some nice pictures there. Unfortunately, the fog was thick, so we could not see Lake Ontario from the tower, but only some parts of the city. We were offered to use the ticket for another day, but we knew we weren’t going to come back any time sooner, so we went anyway. 

We drove around the Casa Loma which is the castle-style mansion and gardens in Toronto and an important landmark. There are tickets to visit the museum and see the castle interiors, but time did not permit it as we were there for just a day. 

We visited the distillery district in Toronto and enjoyed checking out the many shops there and we got to get some really nice perfumed soaps at one of the shops there. The area has a history of having been a whiskey distillery. It has old historic buildings o the 19th century and cobblestone streets. Lots of artwork sculptures line the buildings as well. 

To cross over from the US to Canada near the rainbow bridge, the traffic delayed us by around 2-3 hours. Border wait times are listed here which would be useful for anyone who wants to plan ahead of time. https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/bwt-taf/

Niagara Falls:

Niagara Falls is an hour away from Toronto, so making a trip to both places made a good choice. We wanted to visit Niagara falls from the Canadian side which definitely has a better view and also allowed my 6-year-old to see the majestic falls for the first time. She was awed at how huge the falls were when we got on the Hornblower boat ( not called the maid of the mist like on the US side). The attraction is called Voyage to the falls.

We booked a room at the Marriott which is right across from the falls and gave us a great view of the falls from the 31st floor. The boats could be clearly seen from the hotel windows filled with people wearing the familiar red rain jackets of the Hornblower boat in Canada. But there is a lot of mist flying near the horseshoe falls most of the time, so it was kind of hard to view the entire glory of the Horseshoe falls, but we had a clear view of the American falls.

When we walked along the path adjoining the falls to get photos, we were pretty much blasted with mist and water the whole time and the whole path was wet. Wego buses are around to take you around and the pass was provided by Marriott hotels, but otherwise, there may be a small fare. Table rock center has several other attractions to buy tickets for including a 4 d show, a journey behind the falls (like the cave of the winds on the US side), and Niagara’s fury. 

The post Oh, Canada! first appeared on Travel Life Stories.

The beach which had the beach tag mandated seemed to have a lot of shells and small rocks which were sharp. So I skipped trying to surf board to avoid getting hurt. The boardwalk is very long with many rides, shops and arcades for the entire family or group to enjoy. The beach as always was pretty crowded.

Rides: the ferris wheel was the best part for my family and the view from there was breathtaking. There are also chair lifts which take people from one side of the boardwalk. There are several rides and arcades at Seaside, which all ages can enjoy.

Island state beach park at the end of Seaside heights (this is actually a narrow strip of island), Seems pretty busy with beach goers as well but there is no boardwalk there. One can see the Long Beach Island (LBI) Barnegat lighthouse from here which is the adjoining island strip. 

Seaside heights is a great vacation destination as there are several activities the while family can enjoy like the water park Casino pier and breakwater beach, mini golf, dry rides including ferris wheel, long boardwalk which even has chair lifts to go along the length of the boardwalk. Casino pier and breakwater beach has twilight admission rates as well which are lower prices if you prefer to go in there afternoon after 3pm. 

The post Ride along the beach side heights first appeared on Travel Life Stories.

My visit to Turkey Hill experience in Columbia, PA was a memorable one for the family. The place is close by to Lancaster PA which has a lot more attractions like the Strasburg Railroad and Sight and Sound Theatres. You can make a small day trip for the family and visit all these places while in the Lancaster PA area. At the Turkey Hill experience, we booked the ticket which allowed for the experience as well as Taste lab. The experience mainly has exhibits and a theatre show of the history of Turkey Hill and how ice cream is made. We were stuffed with ice cream by the time we were out of the place.

My kids created their own creation of Turkey Hill packaging on their touchscreen devices. Also, there is a place to create a fun commercial for Turkey Hill in the exhibit area. We loved the mechanical milking cows where we could pretend milk the cows and and it would actually squirt water. We got plenty of ice cream samples to try including a room where we could be served the selected ice cream flavor and there was no limit. 

The Taste Lab experience was fun for the kids. An adult has to accompany any children who go to the Taste Lab. We made our own flavor of ice cream with favorite toppings from sprinkles to nuts. The room was full of people and everybody had a great time. 

The post Ice cream paradise first appeared on Travel Life Stories.

As the weather was still a bit cold and windy in spring, I wasn’t seeing much options till we named each state which was close by and possible to drive to within 7 hours or so. I’ve worked in West Virginia before and almost scratched it off my list, till my daughter asked me if I’ve actually visited all places there. That is when I realized that the place I worked at was more near the DC area border, and that I really hadn’t been to more areas of the West Virginia. Looking up things to do in the area opened up a whole new world of possibilities.

Planning

We visited several places in northern west Virginia (closer to Western MD) in the Allegheny mountains. The drive was so scenic and many places looked like a picture from a postcard – red barns surrounded by green rolling meadows and the mountains in the background. Th people in West Virginia seemed very friendly compared to where we lived in the NY-NJ-PA tristate area.

Another thing I found out after researching my options was that not only was many of the scenic/tourist places very far away from each other, but that it was hard to find many hotel options. The hotel we finally found was probably within an hour of driving distance to the attractions we planned to visit. So, here is an itinerary I planned based on the locations of the attractions I found in West Virginia.

Deep Creek, Maryland

We stopped by Deep Creek Maryland as it was on the way and I heard of the place many times as a nice vacation spot. It’s popular during the summer as well as for winter activities. We rented a pontoon at Deep Creek Aquatic center and were out on the lake for 2 hours. It was enjoyable as luckily the weather was nice on that Spring afternoon. We checked out a ropes course at Wisp Resort as well. Deep Creek Lake State park has nice views of the lake which are picture worthy, and there is also a spot where there is beach sand the kids can play with.

Smoke hole caverns:

Smoke hole caverns is open all year and maintains a constant temperature in the 50s Fahrenheit unlike Seneca caverns, which cannot maintain constant temp in spring. One thing to note is there is no phone signal at Smoke Hole caverns and also part of the way there. So, make sure you turn on your google maps on your phones way before you get here, unless u get lost. I’ve had friends who lost their way before and had to find their way back by stopping at Seneca Rocks which was luckily close by.

Seneca Rocks

Seneca Rocks is a unique rock formation, which you basically cannot miss while driving around the Alleghany mountains around Canaan valley. The white color rocks stand out majestically among all the other hills. Seneca Rocks are popular with rock climbing enthusiasts and hikers alike. Seneca Rocks Discovery Center lies at the bottom of the Rocks.

Horse back riding

We got to experience horse back riding at mountain trail rides in Davis, WV, which my whole family enjoyed, even though we were all beginners to horse riding. It was slow paced and the horses rode in a straight line one after the other into the mountains. The view was magnificent and the horses cooperated very well. The guides gave us some basic instructions like how to hold the reigns and control the horse and lead it in the right direction.

Buddy rides (parent with child) must have a weight limit within 240 lb. Mountain trail rides offer various time limits for the rides starting from 30 mins all the way to 1.5 hours (you can check the website for more details). A thirty min (priced at $35) ride is good enough for buddy ride or may be uncomfortable for long. It rained a lot the day before, so there were some spots down hill which were slippery, but the horses seemed to be trained pretty well to handle the trail.

There are a few other places which offer horse riding like Yokum’s stables which take you up into Seneca rocks hills, and Western Trails in the Deep Creek area of Maryland which is around 1 hour from Davis, WV.

Blackwater Falls

Blackwater falls is a beautiful 57 ft waterfall near Davis, West Virginia. It was much bigger than I had expected it to be and had several walk ways and view points to get nice pictures and views from. Lindy Point overlook is a short trail from Blackwater falls which one can get a nice view of the Alleghany mountains.

Spruce Knob

Spruce Knob hill is the highest point in West Virginia at 4,862 ft. The drive took about an hour to go up hill and seemed a bit scary at parts, but the view at the top was very good. Make sure you follow speed limits and focus on the road.

Train rides

Mountain Rail in West Virginia offers many train rides varying from half hour to 4 hour train rides. Some of the train rides provide a meal or view of a waterfall at the end of the ride. One of the train rides also takes you to the top of Bald Knob mountain. Most train rides start sometime in May, so we didn’t have much options except a train ride during the ‘Ramps and Rails’ festival which took place in April.

Place we stayed at

Caanan Valley resort or Elkins are good places to stay at which are nearby these attractions. Elkins is a small town surrounded by mountains – it kind of reminded me of Jim Thorpe, PA in the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania. We preferred to stay at Elkins as it had more facilities like shopping and restaurants during our stay in West Virginia and close enough to all the attractions. The Hampton hotel in Elkins we stayed at was on the top of a hill and had a beautiful view.

The post Scenic and Wonderful West Virginia first appeared on Travel Life Stories.

This was a trip I made with my roommate, Jess at the time. I was living in Florida at the time, and she was in New York City. Jess had a friend living in Barcelona, so that worked out pretty well for us there. We reached Barcelona at 5:00 pm and had trouble figuring out how to call  Jess’  friend as she didn’t turn up at the airport. The palm trees view from the airport windows gave us a feeling of vacation time was close enough! Nobody seemed to understand English at the airport, and we had a hard time. The phone booths at the airport didn’t seem much help either and we kept losing the money. We eventually got hold of someone who could help us and they lend us their cellphone to call our friend. 

Our friend, Maria took us to dinner at a restaurant…Spanish timing for dinner was like 10 pm-12 am. People were coming in very late and the streets were busy with young people. We had Spanish bread with tomato sauce and olive oil on it. We ate that with different kinds of cheese. Some were strongly flavored cheese like goat, etc. We also had kebabs – chicken, meat and vegetarian kebabs,

Maria took us to the top of a hill where there were many trams taking tourists around. The view from the hill was pretty of Barcelona city and especially from inside the restaurant. We ate olives which were pretty good and Maria and Jess ate some crab delicacy and had wine with it. 

The native language spoken in Barcelona was Catalan and not Spanish as we thought. That was interesting….There are three languages spoken in Spain depending on the region. Catalan was spoken in the Catalunya region in which Barcelona is.

After lunch, we walked a little bit around downtown and checked out the place, the narrow streets (the buildings looked ancient and pretty). Some of the roads were pretty narrow, I just wondered how the people drove cars there. It seemed there were several German Volkswagens, Toyota Yaris cars, and Vespas (scooters) on the road. Some of the apartments had the people drying their clothes on the balconies in the street.  We also came across the statue of Columbus (they say pointing to America).

After our short walk, we went back to Maria’s place and had some tea (or coffee). Two of her friends came over and we talked about several things, about the Spanish, America, cultures and about our on-coming trip to Italy. They mentioned some of their experiences in Italy and that especially traffic in Rome was crazy and that life there seemed chaotic.

We had dinner at Maria’s dad’s place that night around 10 pm. It so happened that Maria’s boyfriend also came over that day so that he could meet her father (the first time) before they went on a trip during Easter to some Spanish islands nearby. Maria’s dad made really good food….we first had some salad (which had sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil in it)…it was one of the best salads I had ever had!! –very memorable. I also tasted some Spanish wine called Roja (pronounced Rokha)…which was interesting. We later had some grilled vegetables and meat. Maria showed us her old bedroom which was pretty cute and some of her art. Maria’s brother came over after a little while and we all stood outside on the balcony admiring the beautiful skyline of Barcelona city. We could see the fork-shaped towers of the Gaudi church and also the twin towers clearly.

Jess and I set off to visit the downtown area of Barcelona using a map and took the subway…The station we got on was at Peu di Funicular. We had trouble finding out how to buy a subway ticket for S1 (to reach Provenca station) – the price was about 1.5 Euro (pretty good) and we followed the sign ‘Via 1’. We got on the subway and suddenly Jess had a feeling that we were going more towards the mountains than toward the sea (as Maria had mentioned that downtown was more near the sea as also we saw yesterday near the pier). We looked at the chart and then noticed that we were going in the opposite direction of Provenca. So we got off at the next station and took the stairs to the next platform to catch a train going in the opposite direction. We luckily didn’t have to buy another ticket as we thought for some reason, as the machine at the next platform allowed us to enter the platform. Then we caught the next train and were on our way downtown! We got off at Provenca walked around the narrow streets and admired the buildings and the place overall. We were getting hungry by then and went to downtown Catalunya and ate at a bar. Following are some of the places we visited in the beautiful Mediterranean city of Barcelona.

1. Gaudi church (Sagrada Familia) and Gaudi architecture

We later took a tourist bus for 18 Euros each. We got off at Gaudi church (Sagrada Familia church – means Sacred Family) – it was 8 Euros for entry, and we admired that it had Jesus’ birth depicted on one side and Jesus’ death on the other side of the church. We had previously seen another Gaudi architecture too, which was unique from any other kind of architecture. 

2. Parc Guell

We went to Parc Guell which was the next stop and liked the material that was used in the construction (looked like mosaic material) of the park. Took many pictures there too and of Barcelona city which could be viewed from the top. 

3. Camp Nou

We also saw the biggest stadium in Europe from the bus – it was used in the the1992  Olympics too. We checked out a few shops Maria had mentioned (Berksha, Mango, D&J, etc)  and did a little shopping. 

4. Barcelona pier

It was great to hang out at the pier, which has a great many places to eat and shop, and people watch as well! There’s a beautiful view of the Mediterranean sea and all the boats docked there.

Rome, Italy

We had to get up early to catch our flight at 12 pm to Rome, Italy. Maria had made an appointment with a cab to pick us up at around 9 am in morning. He came as expected and drove us to the airport for around 22 euros.

We had a small surprise at the airport as we heard that our flight to Milan (our stopover) was delayed by one hr which would make us miss our second leg of the flight from Milan to Rome. We went to the ticket counter and the guy there luckily rebooked us on a direct flight from Barcelona to Rome which departed half an hr earlier (11:30 am). We were quite happy with that as that would give us more time in Rome. We were so hungry then as we didn’t have any breakfast yet, so we headed over to the café in the airport and I bought an omelet sandwich (which had onions and tomatoes in it). It was so good. Jess got some cappuccino and a croissant. We reached Rome at around 2:30 pm and found our hostel nearby and the guy there walked us to our room about 6 min (It still happened to be near the Roma Termini station though). We paid the money about US$ 210 (in Euros of course we paid) and he gave us information about the buses to take to travel to Rome and the places to see there. Following are the attractions in Rome which we visited during our trip.

1. Colosseum

We saw the Colosseum and the Victor Emmanuel II Monument – a white palace in Rome’s city center that you cannot miss. The Colosseum reminded me of the movie ‘Gladiator’ which had most of its scenes with views of the Colosseum (or computer-generated graphic depictions). It is partly in ruins, but you can see the tunnels that run under the main part very clearly as the base of the stadium/amphitheater seemed to be in ruins. 

Rome is full of historical places and ruins nearby as well.

2. Trevi Fountain:

Trevi Fountain is a famous fountain in Rome and is the largest one in the city. There is a tradition of throwing coins into the fountain, and we did not miss the opportunity. 

Interesting fact: Around 3000 euros are tossed into the fountain every day.

We had lunch in an Italian restaurant (Pastarito) and had Pasta (it was ok..not as good as expected though). We held on to our bags closely as there were many signs to beware of pickpockets in Rome. Everybody in Rome asked us to beware of Pickpocketers. I guess it’s very famous for that; no wonder why my dad lost more than US $1000 last year in Rome!!

Vatican City

We took the bus to Vatican city this day to see St. Peter’s Basilica. There were thousands of people there as it was the week before Easter. It was Wednesday, two days before Good Friday! We didn’t attempt to go inside the Basilica as there was such a huge line. 

Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina) in Vatican Museum: – This is the chapel in the Papal Palace.

Sistine Chapel had Michelangelo’s paintings; ‘Creation of Adam’ is the most famous one. There is also ‘Last Judgment’ (about Christ’s second coming) above the altar ( I think I missed that). I read later that it is the conclave (where the papal election takes place). The walls have paintings of curtains that look so realistic! Jess and I were wondering if they were real cloth curtains for a while, before deciding they were not. Also, some of the people portrayed in the paintings looked real too – I guess that’s why they’re so famous. People could sit on the sides near the walls and admire the ceiling frescoes of Michelangelo. We sat there for about 20 mins before leaving the Chapel. 

In Italy, we had to pay for tables and bread in restaurants and paid to use restrooms if not buying anything at the restaurant. We ate Chinese food in Roma for a change too. They had quite a few Chinese eateries in one area.

Firenze (Florence), Italy

We got up early to catch a train at around 7 am to Firenze – also known as Florence. We reached Firenze at around 10 am and put our luggage in the lockers in the station for about 21 Euros totally for our 3 pieces of luggage for 9 hours. 

1. Duomo

We first went to look for the famous Duomo cathedral there. It was a pretty sight, very ornate with sculptures, and colorful as can be seen in the pictures we took.

2. Uffizi gallery

We had to wait in line in Firenze Uffizi Gallery (Galleria Degli Uffizi) of art for about 3 and half hours taking turns – which seemed like forever! But it was totally worth it. The gallery is beside the Palazzo Vecchio building which has a nice clock tower type. A copy of the ‘David’ sculpture by Michelangelo is right by the entrance of the Palazzo (this is the original location where the ‘David’ was before it was moved indoors to the gallery Accademia. The original copy of ‘The David’ is in ‘Accademia di Galleria’. Jess bought a sandwich for us to share as we were getting tired and hungry waiting in line so long. Finally, we got in about 50 people at a time and then looked around the gallery. There were many interesting paintings and sculptures. We got to the end, and then Jess remembered that we somehow missed the most famous painting in the gallery. We asked around and went back the whole way to the beginning of the exhibits which was very tiring. We finally got to see it. ’The Birth of Venus’ was the picture of the Greek goddess Venus showing the forces of the wind, water waves, and light depicted in one painting, which made it a pretty famous painting.

3. Ponte Vecchio Bridge

Ponte Vecchio Bridge is an interesting bridge with colorful shops all the way on either side of the bridge’s narrow walkway. We never saw anything so unique like this, and it was such a delight to shop on top of a bridge!

We had a late lunch right after (a pizza and roast potatoes which were pretty good for me), and then left to catch the train to Venezia at around 6 pm. We reached Venezia at around nearly 9:30 pm, but unfortunately, we got off at the wrong station!! We realized that only after I asked a guy at McDonald’s for the hostel address we were looking for. He said that we were not in Venezia but in ‘Maestro’, the station just before it!! So, we hurriedly went back to the platform to find out if we had missed the train or not, or else if we could catch another train. A friendly cop over there helped us out by saying that there was the next train to Venezia at platform 3 and that our current ticket is valid. So we ran over there with our luggage and the train arrived just then. That was an adventure, we were wondering if we would have to stay the night in Maestro or something and find a hostel there and cancel the one in Venice. Thank God! 

We reached Venezia safely in a little while and came out of the train station (Ferrovia) and what did we see?? The beautiful waters of Venice right in front, restaurants on the sides, and taxi boats traveling along the Grand Canal – such a beautiful sight! We found the white bridge as was mentioned in the directions to the hostel and walked till we saw the address. The room looked very cute, it had a big curtain on the ceiling laid across and pretty curtains, but the room was dark and dry. The bathroom was so tiny, but it seemed perfect in condition. The shower was a small one and good enough anyway for the price I guess. I wish we had taken a picture of the room, Jess!! We forgot all about it later as we were so tired!

Venice, Italy

We got up in the morning at around 9 am and had the breakfast they had put on the table for us; some bread and biscuits. We left the hostel room and walked all the way back to the receptionist room on the Grand Canal and gave her back the keys and put our luggage there for the day. We took the map she gave us and walked to the Grand Canal and admired the city – it was beautiful! We later went to the booth where they were selling tickets for the Vaporetti or the water bus. We took a 24hr pass for the waterbus there for about 12 Euros. 

1. Transportation in Venice

The main public transport in Venice is the Vaporetti, boats that travel the principal waterways. The #1 goes along the Grand Canal from the train station and makes many stops, so it’s a good way to cruise the main canal and get a good overview of the city. There are also more expensive water taxis and gondolas.

One of the vaporetti stations in Venice

2. St Mark’s Square

We visited the San Marco square (St Mark’s) which has a history of flooding. The St Mark’s Basilica is in the middle of the square. Pigeons were flying all over the square and were eagerly looking for any food which people would drop. It was fun to get the birds alight on my shoulder.  When I went to San Marco’s square in December, it was an incredibly different sight from the time I last visited in April a few years earlier. There were several platforms laid out for tourists to walk in the square as there was knee-high deep water due to flooding all over the square in December.

2. Glass jewelry

Most shops in Venice were selling hand-blown glass decorative items and jewelry. We bought some jewelry, and this was one of the highlights of Venice for me. The hand-blown jewelry is one of a kind! And they look so special as a gift for a loved one as well. I went back to Venice to buy some more of these on another trip! 

3. Gondola ride

Riding a Gondola is a must-do for any tourist visiting Venice. The price is pretty expensive and we were lucky to share the price with another family who was traveling around the same time. The gondola driver sang us songs while we were floating down the Grand canal under so many bridges. https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/gallivanting_by_gondola.htm

4. Rialto Bridge

Rialto Bridge is a beautiful bridge that gives a very pretty view of Venice over the grand canal, and is very picture-worthy! See the picture below, never seen anything like this anywhere! and so memorable!

5. Islands of Murano and Burano

The islands of Murano and  Burano are where people make hand-blown glass. We took the water taxi to one of the islands of Venice and we could see vehicles on the roads over there for a change, unlike Venice. 

It was snowing one of the days I was there and the ferry ride to the islands of Murano and Burano was freezing. I did not expect it to be so cold and I wished I was better planned with a thicker jacket and boots, as it would surely be colder on the water. It started to snow on one of the days I was there in December as well.

The history of how Venice was built over platforms on top of wooden poles is an engineering feat and the fact that the wooden poles have become almost rock solid and have not rotted due to not being exposed to oxygen underneath the water is marvelous. https://sites.google.com/site/engineeringvenice/

Venice is sadly sinking though. High tides and artisan wells drilling damage have caused more flooding in the area usually between October and March.

Wish list of more places to visit in Italy

I got to visit quite a few wonderful places in Italy, but it did not seem enough. I felt like I missed visiting many other popular places like the ones below. They are on my bucket list for the future!

1. Pompeii and Herculaneum https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/pompeii-pompei-i-cm-pp.htm
2. Mount vesuvius and pompeii: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livescience.com/amp/27871-mount-vesuvius-pompeii.html
3. Naples
4. Sicily
5. Pisa

Expense for 2 people

Below is a list of expenses for two people, if you would like to know to plan a trip to Spain and Italy.

JFK to Barcelona flight tickets = US$ 1722

Barcelona to Rome flight tickets=US$ 372.78

Rome hostel = US$ 210.80

Venice hostel= US$ 100.86\

In Barcelona

Lunch on beach = 26 Euro

Lunch + juice = 12.3 Euro

Sagrada Familia church ticket= 8 Euro

Dinner at Daps restaurant = 25 Euro

Taxi back to Maria’s home = – 4 Euro

In Barcelona/Roma:

Taxi to Barcelona airport = 11 Euro

Termini station tickets from airport = 9.5Euro

Lunch Pastirito restaurant = 8 Euro

Sweet snack & coffee = 9.5Euro 

Dinner = 11 Euro

In Roma (Rome) & Vatican city:

Lunch = 11 Euro

Train tickets to Firenze and Venice = 54 Euro

Dinner (Chinese) = 8 Euro 

In Firenze (Florence):

Breakfast and sandwich in line = 12 Euro

Luggage locker = 21 Euro

Lunch = 8 Euro (first good Italian food I had – a pizza and roast potatoes)

in Venezia (Venice):

Train ticket back to Roma = 30 Euro 

Lunch = 13 Euro (pretty good lunch of spaghetti)

Dinner (spaghetti and sides and wine) = 28 Euro

If you are interested in visiting other European destinations, check out my post here where I visited Norway and London, UK.

The post Spring Trip to Spain and Italy first appeared on Travel Life Stories.