USA Travel Guide

(I just want to say that as part of the research for this article I had to scour the internet for the appropriate plural nomenclature of “Lego”. Obviously we say “Legos”, but is that correct to write? Or should it be “LEGOs” or even “Lego Blocks”. The official word skews towards the latter, but for someone who’s been inadvertently eating the things since I was two, it just didn’t sound right. So I’ve made my choice. See, occasionally we do real work around here :) )

#10 on our list of the Best Amusement Parks in America, Legoland California has a natural appeal to me (and all nerds like me) on the basis of its theme alone: LEGOs! Indeed, the building blocks of any successful childhood have their own theme park in Carlsbad, California about 30 miles north of sunny San Diego.

Legoland California has immense family appeal. The theme is attractive to children (and adults like me who still act like children), and the thrill rides skew a hair younger than most amusement parks, so members of the younger set who are hungry for big boy and girl fun have more opportunity to get it. In fact, visitors are even given a small amount of control over the speed and intensity of some of the rides.

Rides are fun, but for me it’s always been all about the grounds, and there’s no finer example than Miniland USA, the park’s flagship attraction. A LEGO-enthusiast’s dream come true, Miniland is an awe-striking collection of LEGO sculptures with more than 20 million bricks in active use. The featured sculptures are 1/20^th scale landmarks from around the country, accurate to the tiniest detail.

Models include dozens of landmarks throughout D.C., New York City, New Orleans, San Francisco, Southern California, Florida and, appropriately animated, Las Vegas (one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen!)

Finish exploring Miniland and you’ve still got a full park’s worth of coasters, flat rides and interactive adventures to explore.

Legoland California is open daily throughout the summer. Learn more about the park and view ticket prices and packages here.

Unless you’re summer family vacation is only a day long (which is way lame!), we recommend forgoing Carlsbad in lieu of the limitless opportunities of San Diego. From the San Diego Zoo to SeaWorld to the beach, there’s just a lot more to do in San Diego. For hotels in San Diego, we again recommend the Holiday Inn San Diego on the Bay. A fabulous family property, the hotel features kid-friendly amenities as well as zoo and SeaWorld packages.

Learn more about family attractions in San Diego, or offer up some fun summer family vacation ideas of your own in the comments below. Check our Summer Family Travel Guide for more of our suggestions.

(That’s right, three exclamation points!)

I have only one warning: if you take the advice I’m about to give, no local 4^th of July celebration will ever satisfy again.

Do something different for Independence Day 2009 by packing up the family and heading to New York City to see the Macy’s 4^th of July Fireworks Show on the Hudson River. Send your retinas into chromatic overdrive as thousands of vivid, colorful sparks dance across the sky to a soundtrack of sky-piercing drums.

Typically an East River celebration, Macy’s has moved their annual spectacular to the Hudson to celebrate the 400^th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s first cruise down the river, and with such an occasion to honor, the show is expected to be bigger and better than ever. The venue change is all the better, we say, because there’s no better place to see it.

One of our favorite hotels in Manhattan near the Hudson is the Crowne Plaza Times Square Hotel, and they’re currently running a special on their Hudson River-view rooms.

Not only is it an incredible vantage point on the show, but before and after the 4^th of July activities, you’re still in New York City, in Times Square no less. Learn all about it here.

The Macy’s 4^th of July Fireworks Celebration will be held on July 4^th obviously, starting at around 9:00 p.m. While the atmospheric rim shots of a booming display are all the music I’d need, the New York Pops will be on-hand to add a little musical flourish to the evening. You can learn a little more here.

Have fun!

Looking for something a little different for Summer Family Vacation 2009? Tired of Disneyland, Universal Studios, New York, D.C., California and boring same-old cruises, or just don’t want to stomach the cost? It’s time to expand your and your family’s horizons, then, with a family vacation to New Orleans, Louisiana, one of the most exciting places there is!

Fascinating history, unrivaled energy, lively personality, world-renowned attractions, stop-worthy sights and, of course, the food (are you noticing a pattern?), New Orleans has entertainment opportunities on par with anywhere else in the country if you only know where to look!

Where do you look, then? Glad you asked. Here are some of our favorite things to do with family in New Orleans: 

• Audubon Zoo – #10 on our Heisman Trophy-winning article “The Top 10 Zoos in America“, the Audubon Zoo is truly a world-class institution blending impressive animal exhibits with historic grounds that have an effortless charm.
• Aquarium of the Americas – Equally renowned, and rebounding in a big way post-Katrina, the Aquarium of the Americas is a kid-favorite with tanks featuring the aquatic wildlife of North and South America (love the Jellyfish exhibit!)
• Mardi Gras World – Weird, and weirdly awesome! Mardi Gras World is the actual manufacturing facility where Blaine Kern Studios produces around 80% of the floats, costumes and decorations that visitors see during Mardi Gras. Tours offer the chance to see the floats being built as well as learn about the classic Big Easy holiday and the studios.

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While Wyoming’s Yellowstone was arguably the first true national park in the U.S., it has been posited by some that it was actually the 1890-established Yosemite National Park of Central California that spurred the turn-of-the-century flurry of park and protected reserve grants throughout the country. While that might amount to little more than speculation, what I do know is that Yosemite National Park is a fantastic option for summer family vacations that are healthful, enthralling and completely unforgettable.

Make no mistake, this trip is all about outdoor adventure! Yosemite National Park sits on nearly 1,200 square miles of vibrant fields, lush forestry, awe-striking cliff faces, cascading waterfalls, snaking trails, stoic wildlife and humbling sights like the ancient giant sequoia. Over 95% of the park is designated wilderness; the sheer scale of it is mesmerizing.

Obviously, there’s more than you could possibly do in a day (or two (or three)), so plan ahead to get the most of your time. Start by asking your kids what interests them most, be it animals, hiking trails, swimming, seeing the most famous sights, picnicking or whatever, and then plan your day around that. Understand that no matter what you choose to do, strenuous physical activity is a possibility, so be mindful of both your and your children’s abilities and never over exert. (As Blue Öyster Cult says, “History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men.” So don’t push it!)

Here are some favorite activities at Yosemite National Park: 

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Like the rest of the nation, USA Travel Guide is taking a break today!

So play us off, Keyboard Cat!

Just a couple weeks ago we featured a Living Desert, and today we’re back with a Living Museum which, for better or worse, is nothing like the latest Ben Stiller paycheck.

The Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum is a great opportunity for us not only to get the word out on a top-notch family attraction, but also to finally bring a little love to Oklahoma, long neglected by USA Travel Guide and for that we apologize.

Opened in 1927 in Tulsa, Oklahoma’s humongous Mohawk Park, the Tulsa Zoo was a global endeavor from day one featuring a collection of 35 animals spanning the Earth, including an American black bear and an Indian rhesus monkey. This collection has since grown tremendously to more than 1500 animals across 436 species, many of them endangered, rare or at risk, but the curators have never abandoned the global focus.

Arranged by continent or geographic designation, the zoo features robust habitats housing the animals of Asia, Africa, North America, tropical America and the oceans and islands of the world. The amazing menagerie features reticulated giraffes, lions, zebras, meerkats, chimpanzees, white rhinos, siamangs, Siberian tigers, Asian elephants, African penguins, lemurs and spectacled bears, just to name a few.

One consistently popular attraction (and half of the name) is the North American Living Museum, an unusual four-building complex that features educational museum-style exhibits, some interactive even, to round out an afternoon of animal encounters. Divided among four abundant North American ecological regions – arctic, desert, forest and lowlands – the Living Museum is a chance to learn as much about the habitats as about the animals that call them home. Popular stops include the earthquake simulation, natural walk-through cave and 20,000-gallon shark tank.

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Let’s change directions a little. I’ve been so busy blabbing away about country music, pirates and, well, Alaska, that I’ve lost sight of what’s really important at this time of year: summer beach vacations!

But no more! Spring Break is only two months in the past, and we hear the beach call our names once again. Rather than return to one of our old haunts, I thought I’d give you something new: Maui, or more specifically, Keawakapu Beach in Maui.

Pack your suit, buy some fresh sunscreen and for heaven’s sake don’t forget your camera, it’s time for a fabulous summer beach vacation in Maui. The second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands, Maui is a year-round destination for beachfront vacations, especially for U.S. travelers (Oahu and the Big Island attract a more international clientele, don’t you know). Leisure entertainment is unlimited, of course, but the best known Maui attractions are the black sand beaches, Haleakal­ā National Park, whale watching, island cruises and shopping at Lāhainā.

Let’s learn a little about the popular things to do in Maui:

• Beachfront Activities: The largest category by far, the beaches of Maui offer days of entertainment – swimming, tanning, volleyball, snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, body boarding, kayaking, fishing – the list could go on. Oh yeah, the water is around 75-80 degrees all the time. It’s, like, not even fair.
• Maui Golfing: Until you’ve been golfing on a volcanic island with the sound of the coast crashing in the background, it’s debatable whether you’ve ever truly been golfing at all. Famous designer Robert Trent Jones has three championship courses on the island.
• Iao State Park: Incredible walking trails define this inner-island park, best known for the impressive 1200-foot “Iao Needle”, a sharp rock pinnacle. (more)
• Atlantis Submarine Tours: The terrestrial beauty of Hawaii is nothing compared to the aquatic paradise beneath. Travel 100 feet below the surface in a very real submarine for this unforgettable tour. (more)
• Feast of Lele: Even professional curmudgeon Anthony Bourdain couldn’t resist the charm of this tourist-friendly Luau, basically a Maui-must. (more)
• Lāhainā: This sort-of-city offers plenty, but is most popular among tourists for the shops and activities along the wharf.

Where to stay? Options abound, of course, but we’ve fallen in love with Keawakapu Beach. The views are breathtaking, the beach is wide and clean, the water is luxurious and because it’s a few miles out from Lāhainā, it’s not as crowded as the major beaches.

And let’s face it, if you’re doing this right, you shouldn’t be spending a whole lot of time in the room, so while we encourage you to stay comfortably, we also suggest doing so affordably. We like the Best Western Maui Oceanfront Inn, featuring villa-style accommodations and oceanfront suites that sleep up to four, so you can bring the kids (or not). Many rooms are located only 100 feet from the water, and if you keep an eye on the Maui vacation deals, you can score a surprisingly reasonable price.

What more can I say? It’s freakin’ Maui! Get out there and have a great summer beach vacation in Maui.

The #9 finisher in our blockbuster feature The 10 Best Amusement Parks in America, Six Flags Great America is no small contender on the world stage of top-notch theme park entertainment. With schools letting out all over the country, it’s time to start thinking about those summer family vacations. Head over to our Summer Family Vacation Guide for our latest stories featuring fun suggestions for where to go with the kids this year.

But back to business…

Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, just north of Chicago, has the thrills to satisfy even the most diehard amusement park fan, plus a full complement of kindlier exploits for everyone else. We love it for the same reason we always tend to love Six Flags parks: variety. Coasters, flat rides, numerous kiddie rides, shows, an adjacent admission-included water park, creative “zones” and fine concessions – it’s surprising for anyone in your group to be left wanting.

While I’m not the coaster enthusiast myself, there are plenty who can’t stop going on about them. The new Dark Knight, an indoor coaster opened just last year, has turned plenty of heads with its partial-dark track and moderate thrill level that’s appropriate for younger folk (42″ minimum, of course). Meanwhile, on the more insane end of the dial you’ve got the Raging Bull, the United States’ first “hyper-twister”, meaning not only is it fast and aggressive, but it also twists and turns about on itself so that you always feel like you’re about to have your head chopped off!

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The summer season is fast upon us, and you can bet that festival season is right behind it.

As I mentioned previously, food festivals are one of my favorite things in the world. In fact, I just attended the Taste of Addison festival here in Dallas a couple weeks ago (even met Ted Allen). While I’ve been to my fair share, I’m ashamed to say I have yet to experience the pleasure of Taste of Chicago, the world’s largest food festival.

Imagine it: scores of restaurants, hundreds of dishes, dozens of concerts, millions of people and the awesome beauty of the Windy City as a backdrop – what could be better, especially in a food town like Chicago?

Like most modern “Taste of…” festivals, the Taste of Chicago is free to attend, with individual items offered at restaurant-sponsored booths for arguably reasonable prices, $1-3 for smaller items and non-alcoholic beverages, $4-8 for large items and the hard stuff. Taking a play from county fairs everywhere, at Taste of Chicago you must purchase food tickets or coupons, which will run you 12 for $8 at the festival, or 12 for $6 at participating Dominick’s Grocery Stores (limited supply).

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I am not what you would call a country music fan. My dream concert would be back-to-back performances by Tool, The Mars Volta, AC/DC and Mastodon, but I’m ready to admit that the folks that are country music fans know how to do a few things well, and one of them is throw a festival.

With four days, hundreds of artists, numerous venues and tons of auxiliary events, the 2009 CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee is quite a shindig. But it’s not the size or even the variety that I like; it’s the access. Earning its original 1972 moniker, “Fan Fair”, the CMA Music Festival avoids the all-business attitude of most music festivals and allows the fans to get up close and personal with their favorite stars, whether it’s at an autograph signing, a meet and greet, or a fan club sponsored event. This is really what is should be all about!

This year the Country Music Association is promising its biggest event yet with an act list of hundreds including some of the very biggest: Taylor Swift, Trace Adkins, Brooks & Dunn, Jack Ingram, Reba McEntire, John Rich, Lee Ann Womack, Wynonna and my personal favorite, Brad Paisley (truly the Eddie Van Halen of country).

You can purchase tickets for individual performances at LP Field, but really what you want is the 4-day pass. It’s not exactly cheap, but you really get your money’s worth:

• Four nights’ access to the VAULT^TM Stage at LP Field
• Daily concerts at Riverfront Park w/ early admittance
• Live music at the Chevy^TM Stage at Sommet Center plaza
• Autograph sessions and meet-and-greets at the Fan Fair® Hall
• Festival launch block party
• After-hours concerts and events
• Free shuttle services
• Program book with gifts

The Web site is one of the most complete and thorough festival sites I’ve seen, so by all means utilize it to plan your trip.

The 2009 CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee will be held June 11-14, 2009 at several venues around Nashville with the headline stage at LP Field. Four-day passes are going crazy fast, so be sure to jump on one soon lest you be forced to go without.

The Holiday Inn Nashville Hotel / Opryland Airport is always an easy choice for us. Affordable, well-located and we’ve never had a bad stay. We recommend it.