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California: Santa Monica Pier
January 29th, 2012
With the weather being so nice in California, it’s no surprise that little carnivals are around the area. My family decided to take a step back from the big amusement parks, and stroll over to the Santa Monica Pier for some food and fun. It’s the coolest thing to see all of the activities that are on the pier.
There’s something to do for everyone on this pier. You can take a little thrill ride on the roller coast, or check out the sights from the top of the Ferris wheel. They have shops all along the pier so you can get a souvenir for yourself or a friend. There is parking and beach access, and even an aquarium! After my family and I took a ride on the roller coaster, we had a nice dinner at the end of the pier. At the beginning of the pier was the famous Joe’s Crab Shack. It was definitely a place like I haven’t experienced before.
California: Knott’s Berry Farm
January 28th, 2012
There’s nothing better to do in January when you live in Ohio and might have a case of the “winter blahs” than to go on a vacation to somewhere warm. My family decided to go far west and visit California. We put our shovels away and flew into the beautiful sunny weather of Los Angeles. We stayed at a hotel that was just down the street from Knott’s Berry Farm.
Knott’s Berry Farm is an amusement park that is owned by Cedar Fair, which is the same owner of Cedar Point, so we knew it had to be good. We were able to use our Cedar Point passes to get into the park. I could tell right as we walked into the park I liked the way it was set up. There are different themed sections to the park and visitors are able to take as many pictures as they want.
Not only does it have a fun theme to it, but there are so many great rides as well. Rides including: GhostRider- a wooden ride that goes underground, and round and round, the Sierra Sidewinder- that not only has a twisty track, but the cars itself spin around for extra fun, the Silver Bullet- a suspended coaster, the Xcelerator- that blasts it’s riders at 82 mph up a 205ft hill at a 90 degree angle, and my, favorite was the unique Pony Express. The Pony Express is a mock of the famous Pony Express that delivered mail on the North American continent. It launches riders sitting on fake horses at 38mph on a 1,300 ft long track.
This park had rides for people of all ages. It was very kid friendly, but had a number of thrilling rides for the adults. There were also a number of shows that guests could enjoy too. I would definitely recommend this park to families who want to have some fun in the nice weather of California.
The Enchanted Castle: Neuschwanstein
January 27th, 2012
Possibly the greatest tourist attraction in Germany is Neuschwanstein castle. Its construction was started in 1869 by King Louis II of Bavaria, commonly referred to as Mad King Ludwig. Across the valley is Hohenschwangau castle, where he grew up with his parents. Neuschwanstein is styled after castles that you would find in fairytales.
Ludwig was obsessed with the stories told in the operas by composer Richard Wagner, and built rooms in the castle to appear like different settings from the plays, including one incredible room replicating a cave or grotto. This was one of several castles built by Ludwig in similar fashion, at the expense of the depletion of the country’s treasury. Ludwig was found dead, drowned in the shallows of a lake. It remains a mystery whether he was murdered, or committed suicide. Neuschwanstein in itself is a magnificent piece of architecture. Huge towers and spires lift up into the air.
When you park, it is a short walk into the town. There, a building for getting tickets, both for Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, is not hard to find. After this, you can either hitch a ride on a horse-drawn carriage, or walk up to your destination. Up at the top, you may have to wait for a short while until it is time for your tour, available in many languages. Tour numbers are shown in red on a sign. Remember, this is a large tourist attraction, so be prepared for huge crowds of people.
Inside the castle, the design and splendor displayed are staggering. The ceilings and most of the walls are painted elaborately, most often relating to Richard Wagner’s plays; and everything, down to the smallest object, is the very picture of expensive craftsmanship. His wooden bed took thirteen carpenters seven years to make! Look out for the symbol of the swan… you’ll see it everywhere you look. This is because the swan was part of the royal crest of Ludwig’s family, and also a key figure in a Wagner play. There are many carvings and designs all around.
There is an interesting room with the walls covered in mirrors, arranged at peculiar angles. As the guide will tell you, this was the room where the King might play cards with other guests. The king’s place was arranged so that he could look in a specfic mirror to see the cards his opponent had in his hand. In the large room where the tour ends, you may want to spend a couple minutes studying the beautifully painted stage. There are many small forest animals and creatures hiding in the picture. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures inside of the castle. However, at the gift shop they sell a disc of pictures of Neuschwanstein’s interior.
The royal kitchen is on the way out.
Neuschwanstein is a fantastic place to visit, and it is little wonder that this castle draws so many visitors from around the world. If you are ever in Bavaria, this place is a must-see. Also, the best view of the castle is from the Marienbrucke bridge, which is a small hike away from the castle.
Winter Fun at Rocking Horse Ranch, N.Y.
January 21st, 2012
I recently wrote about my family’s summer visit to Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland, NY. In this article I will be instead discussing my wintertime experience at the all-inclusive family resort, Rocking Horse Ranch, which is about 1 ½ hours from New York City. Of course, the true summertime activities (waterskiing, banana boat rides, kayaks, etc) are shut down at this time but the resort offers snow skiing and snowtubing in their place. Horseback riding still takes place during the winter with the same riding schedule (6 times per day with beginner, intermediate and advanced levels). Be prepared to bundle up because it gets really cold on the hour long trail ride in the mountains!
If you have never skied before, this is definitely the place to learn. Your ski lift ticket and ski rentals are included with your stay at the resort. All you have to do is walk a short distance from the main lobby to the rental shop, have your boots and skis fitted and walk right onto the slope. It really is that simple! There is a bunny hill for beginners with ski instructors ready to assist you in addition to a bigger hill for the more experienced skier. If skiing is not your thing, you can move on over to the other half of the bigger mountain to snowtube. There is one lane for single riders and one lane for a group/family of 4 riders. There is something for everyone at the Rocking Horse Ranch.
But if skiing or snowtubing have you wiped out or made you cold, you can go swimming in the indoor pool. Other indoor activities include minute-to win-it and trivia games that everyone can participate in. Your family can challenge another family to games in the Wii room or the arcade.
One of our favorite things to do at the ranch, which occurs all year round, is to watch the horses complete their work day and head home to their stables across the street from the ranch. The wranglers rope off a section of the road so the horses can cross safely. Since there are more than 100 horses, they divide them into groups of 20 and do this crossing task 5 times. It is really cool to watch the horses run freely across the street after a hard day’s work. I have so many wonderful memories from the Rocking Horse Ranch with my family and hope there will be more to come!
Check out their year-round activities for families at: http://www.rockinghorseranch.com/
Rocking Horse Ranch, NY: Summer Fun
January 17th, 2012
My family has been going to the all-inclusive family resort called The Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland, NY for the last 5 years. It is located about 1 ½ hours from New York City.
The resort is located on 150 acres and is easy to find your way around. My parents feel comfortable letting my sisters and me walk to and from activities by ourselves. We have vacationed with a different family each time we have gone to the ranch, which makes it feel like a different experience every time. We have visited the resort mostly in the summertime but one of our visits was in the wintertime. I will be telling you about my summer experience in this article.
From the moment you arrive at the ranch, your vacation begins. You can start off (and we always do) with one of the resort’s one hour long horseback ride on a trail in the mountains. There are 3 different levels that you can ride (beginner, intermediate and advanced) with 6 different time slots during the day to ride. They are basically every hour from 8 am to 3 pm with a break for lunch. During our 3 day vacation, we usually ride between 8 and 10 times because we love it so much! There is also an indoor and outdoor pool with a waterslide. They have many scheduled daily events such as a morning bingo game, an afternoon family softball game and nightly family entertainment.
Other activities that you can do are waterskiing, banana boat rides, kayaks, mini golf, rock climbing and bungee jumping. If you have never waterskied before, this is the place to learn! You can try it the traditional way with a long rope to pull you up or they have a learning bar. This metal bar is attached to the side of the boat (no rope) that you hold on to so you can get the idea of how it feels to waterski. In the event of rain, they have an indoor “fun barn” to play ping-pong, volleyball and rock climbing. The bungee jumping was new this year and of course, very popular. You bounce on a trampoline while harnessed in around your waist and do flips in the air. This was a thrilling experience!
All of the meals are included during your stay and they are awesome! You can order and eat as much as you want. They seat you with other families so you get a chance to meet new people. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style while dinner is a sit-down waiter service. The desserts are the best part of every meal! We hope to go back this summer and I wonder who will be joining us this year?!
You and your parents can find out more about Rocking Horse Ranch by going to: http://www.rockinghorseranch.com/
