Lake Tahoe in summer is almost ridiculously beautiful. Bright blue water, pine-covered mountains, beaches, hiking trails, and little mountain towns all wrap around one enormous alpine lake. And there’s plenty to do with kids without turning the trip into a kid-centered vacation. We spent a long summer weekend in Lake Tahoe with our 3-year-old and…
Nashville was somewhere I expected to enjoy, but didn’t expect to like quite as much as I did. Neither my husband nor I are big country music fans, yet we had such a fun weekend exploring Music City. There’s an infectious energy downtown, live music spilling out everywhere, plenty of delicious Southern food, and much…
Austin is an awesome destination that works well for a family trip without feeling like the whole trip revolves around kid attractions. You can splash in a spring-fed pool, explore colorful neighborhoods, eat your way through tacos and Texas barbecue, listen to live music, and still find plenty to keep young kids entertained. We’ve visited…
Minneapolis-St. Paul probably isn’t at the top of most family travel bucket lists. It wasn’t at the top of ours either. But sometimes the places you visit without huge expectations end up being surprisingly fun to explore. We spent two nights and two days in the Twin Cities on one of our quick U.S. weekend…
Paris is not a destination that needs to be turned into a “kid trip” to work with kids. You can still see the Eiffel Tower, wander Montmartre, visit museums, eat far too many pastries, walk along the Seine, and spend hours exploring beautiful neighborhoods. The bigger challenge is deciding what to leave out. My husband…
Vancouver is one of those cities where you can pack a surprising amount of variety into a family trip. You can explore a bustling downtown, bike or stroll along the waterfront, wander through a massive forested park, eat your way through a public market, and head into the mountains, all without traveling very far. We’ve…
You don’t have to be a family of hardcore skiers to plan a winter trip to Park City. Yes, skiing and snowboarding are a huge part of the draw, but there’s plenty to do off the slopes too, especially when you’re traveling with young kids. I’ve visited Park City twice during winter, first on a…
Years ago, someone at the front desk would circle the hotel on a paper tourist map and slide it over to us. From there, we would circle additional places of interest and stumble around the city trying to navigate the old school way. Part of me is nostalgic for this unplugged, low effort approach toward…
Dubai might be known for over-the-top hotels, massive shopping malls, skyscrapers, and luxury everything, but it also works surprisingly well as a family destination. We spent 4 nights in Dubai with our 15-month-old, splitting our stay between Downtown Dubai and the Jumeirah area. We rode to the top of the Burj Khalifa, wandered through souks,…
Dubai gets most of the attention, but Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque alone is enough reason to make room for Abu Dhabi on a family trip to the UAE. The gleaming white mosque was easily the highlight of our visit, but Abu Dhabi also gave us beautiful waterfront views, extravagant architecture, and a glimpse of the…