Girl About the World

Kids gather around a touchpool at Georgia Aquarium.

I’ve written quite a bit about Atlanta before — like my search for the adorable newsman Anderson Cooper and my obsession with a fish that looks exactly like a grandpa — and this time, I’ve tackled the family-friendly attractions in the city for The Family Groove.

There’s tons to do in Atlanta with kids of all ages. You might want to start downtown, where the Georgia Aquarium (the world’s largest) and the World of Coca-Cola sit as two behemoth attractions within sight of each other. But that’s just the beginning of this friendly Southern city’s sights for small fries. For more suggestions on where to eat, play, and sleep in the area, check out the story here.

My sister wasted no time turning the backseat of the rental car into her own personal garbage can.

A few years ago, my family decided to resurrect the family vacation, even though we’re all grown up now. Once a year, the four of us — my mom, dad, sister, and I — set off somewhere together, which is always a good recipe for hijinks ensuing. This was the first year, however, that we really threw it back to old times and did a classic road trip, our vacation of choice when I was growing up.

Quickly, the joys of car traveling with my whole family returned to me — my mom’s sense of direction failed at nearly every turn; my dad pushed his seat all the way back to ensure I had no leg room; and in no time, my sister had turned the backseat we shared into a veritable garbage dump. She also thought it was funny to stick a Goldfish cracker in my mouth while I was sleeping, which made for a confusing and unpleasant sensation in my mouth when I woke up. When I tried to return the favor, my mom threw a fit, claiming that my sister would choke to death and forbidding me from doing it (she had, my sister confirmed when she woke up, wholeheartedly supported her attempts to mess with me).

Ahh, the memories. It’s all those little annoyances that help make road trips what they are. (At least, that’s what I told myself when my parents insisted on taking a route that was clearly marked as closed, then became shocked 20 minutes later when the road was blocked off and we had to turn around.)

If you’re road-tripping it with a car full of adults like we were, well, you’re on your own, but if you’ve got young’uns in tow, check out my story for The Family Groove on the top tips from parents for family road adventures. It’ll help make your vacation as smooth as possible. But don’t worry — there will still be spilled crayons, inconveniently needed bathroom breaks, and a chorus of “are we there yets?” No road trip would be complete without a few bumps, and that’s half the fun.

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park

Today’s post is brought to you by fellow freelancer Heather Larson, a Tacoma-based writer who also runs a travel blog. Discover Washington State covers all the best of the Evergreen State, from ferries and family fun to restaurants and roadside attractions to lodging and lighthouses. Whether you live in Washington or just want to visit (and trust me, you want to visit!), it’s a great read for learning about the area’s best attractions. Here, Heather heads southwest and writes about a wonderful all-ages, all-budgets gem in Scottsdale, Arizona.

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park
With no entrance fee, the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is a must-see experience for family visitors on a budget. No park in the country is quite like this one. Operated by the City of Scottsdale, it has displays on everything from the Pullman Car President Eisenhower rode in to an entire new building devoted to model train buffs. You can watch the model railroaders create their landscaping, which is fascinating.

The park’s playground won the Nickelodeon award for best playground. Enjoy free concerts, celebrate your birthday in a private train car, and check out the “Family Circus” cartoon Bill Keane drew, which is on the wall of the general store. Take a carousel ride, visit exhibits, and enjoy hand-dipped ice cream as you stroll through this unique theme park.

Climb aboard the Paradise and Pacific Railroad, which circles the park on a one-mile track. This railroad was built as an exact 5/12 (five inches equals one foot) reproduction of a Colorado narrow-gauge railroad and features three steam locomotives, two diesel engines, a turntable, and trestles.

The Snackstop Caboose offers eats and treats or you can head on over to the shopping center across the street and bring back a picnic to enjoy. You can easily stay the day without the kids lamenting, “I’m bored.”

I admit it: When I get on a plane and see that I’m seated near a small child, I worry a little. Air travel is tough for some kids, and it’s easy to see why — it’s long, boring, confining, and the change in air pressure can be a strange, painful sensation. When a little one is unhappy, well, everyone in the immediate vicinity is likely to be unhappy, too.

The job of the parent in this situation isn’t an enviable one, especially if you’re by yourself and/or on a long trip. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to help keep the kids calm and happy in-flight. For my latest TheFamilyGroove.com column, I talked to parents who’ve been there before, collecting the best tried-and-true tidbits for traveling with tots in tow. Read it here, and if you’ve got others, please share in the comments.

Pixie Hollow in the Oceaneer Club on Disney Dream. Photo by Diana Zalucky.

For a trip that offers something for the whole family, cruising may be where it’s at. In this article for TheFamilyGroove.com, I look at four new cruise ships (Disney Dream, Celebrity Eclipse, Carnival Magic, and Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas) and what amenities the kiddos will dig — along with what will make parents happy. With artwork that moves, waterslides, dancing fountains, gelato cafes, mini golf, ice-skating shows, parades, video arcades, and much more, these ships ensure that the tiny tots in your midst will never run out of things to do. And with dance clubs, pubs, pools, spas, shopping, shows, casinos, and culinary treats on the cruises, neither will you.

Read the story here.

Mural Arts Tour (photo by R. Kennedy for GPTMC)

I’d never stepped foot in Philadelphia before I arrived there as a college freshman, but I know if I’d gone as a child, I would’ve been mesmerized by the city — I was always a sucker for history as a young’un, and Philly’s got that in spades. But even if your kids aren’t old enough to know who the founding fathers are (or just, *gasp*, don’t care), they’ll still find plenty to keep them entertained. Check out some great places to play, eat, and have a treat in my guide to the City of Brotherly Love, kid-style, written for TheFamilyGroove.com.

Photo courtesy of Mid-Continent Railway Museum

Drumroll, please … I’m very excited to announce my new monthly column for TheFamilyGroove.com, which will cover family travel. I’ve been working as a copy editor with the super-groovy folks at TFG since 2008 and love the online magazine, so I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute travel stories on a regular basis.

First up, a roundup of winter getaways great for snowboarding, tubing, train rides, snowmobiling, and more. Check it out here.

I’m always looking for great story ideas, so if you’ve got experience traveling with the kiddos in tow, I’d love to hear recommendations!