You hear about things and think, oh how much different will this be than the sand dunes of the Jersey Shore. We were not expecting this! Jockey’s Ridge is the tallest natural sand dunes of the east coast varying from 80-100 ft above sea level. These dunes are naturally from by strong water currents caused by hurricanes and strong storms.
What really took my breath away was the wind at the top of the dunes! You can hear how strong the winds are in this video. It was amazing how close to civilization we were, but at the same time it felt like we were far removed from civilization and just in the middle of nowhere.
Growing up, my parents never let me try thing they considered dangerous or scary. Needless to say, I’ve been a scaredy-cat my entire life and I try to work through it, but fear is something I don’t want my kids to possess. I’ve always wanted to ski, but my fear of height sets me in a panic. We set off to the Poconos and had an Air B&B in Jim Thorpe. The journey took 2 hours. We love exploring new cities so we did the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway. It was a fun train ride, temperature controlled cabin, and the sights were beautiful. Also train was not crowded so my crazy two were free to run around the cabin.
Next day, we had our ski day. It was great weather and it had just recently snowed, so we had some natural snow. I booked my oldest a 90 minute lesson which included rentals and an 8 hour pass. Initially, the sticker shock of $180 made me wonder if it would be worth it. After her 90 minute lesson, my 7 year old went on all the slopes (I would not let her tackle the hard rated ones) and now she loves skiing. My 5 year old and I stayed on the bunny hill, and I’m please to report, I’m still terrified to go down. My 5 year old didn’t come off the lift properly and scraped her knuckles, but the patrol was amazing and took care of the situation.
Growing up in Mumbai, part of the Hindu faith, Christmas time was not a special time of the year. Raising two Catholic children in America, Christmas is a very special time where we do activities with our friends and family! As a teacher, I share the same winter break schedule as my children, so we try to pack in some local fun!
We started out our morning at the Blue Cross River Rink. If you have your own skates, and have Blue Cross insurance card, the admission is free! Skate rental is $10 and there is an extra charge to store shoes in locker. Our cousins had come in from California, so we booked skating for 11am and then a fire pit at 12pm to make s’mores and warm up. The fire pit rental is $38 for 1.5 hours. There is also food and alcoholic beverages available onsite.
After the day at the River Rink, we took a short 20 minute drive down to Wells Fargo Center for Disney on Ice. Disney on Ice can be expensive but I was able to get a group rate through my older daughter’s skate club for $40 a ticket. They wore their princess dresses and my older daughter had her best friend and they had a blast. My oldest’s dream job is to be a Disney on Ice skater so she had bright stars in her eyes! My youngest had way too much fun and didn’t quite make it until the end of the show.
One of my favorite cities in the United States is Washington DC. When picking a hotel, my first preference is one with a pool, gym and centrally located. For this stay, we chose Omi Shorham Hotel in Woodley Park, walking distance from the National Zoo. The grounds were beautiful, the pool area was wonderful with a place to purchase food and drinks, and the gym was ok. Parking in DC is pretty steep, this hotel was 55 per day.
Pool and grounds at Omni Shorham Hotel
After arriving on Day 1, we decided to explore the Navy Yard and have dinner. We ate at All Purpose Pizzeria outdoors with the view of the water, and after dinner, we were lucky to catch the fireworks as well.
Exploring the Navy YardFireworks at Navy Yard
The best thing about DC is how well it is connected by the metro. Day 2 we took the rail to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Most of the museums are free admission, however getting there early is key to avoid lines to enter. As a biology teacher, I love taking my kids to a museum where I can show them different animals from land and sea, along with fossils to help them understand species and extinction. After the museum visit, we stopped by one of the 100s of food trucks parked outside for a bite and ice cream. DC has quite a spread of different types of restaurants and food trucks, so trying different foods is on top of my list!
Day 2 Morning at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
After a fun morning out, we retreated back to the hotel for a nap and a change. DC in the summer can be extremely hot, so rest and hydration is key! We headed back out to see the Lincoln Memorial for the night, however thunderstorm and closures kept us from visiting the Washington Monument. We did not anticipate there would be mass closures of walks to set up for the 4th of July fireworks, so next time we will have keep that in mind if we are in DC during an event.
Day 2 Lincoln Memorial
One of the must visit places is Washington Harbour. It is on the water with many fabulous places to grab a drink and eat. My favorite plan is brunch at Farmers, Fishers and Bakers. It is a flat price per person, all you can eat, drinks can be purchased and all the food is farm to table. After eating, we strolled down along the water to burn off some of the goodies and take in the scenery. Another thing we enjoy is visiting ballparks in different cities. After Washington Harbour stroll, we ubered down to the National Ball Park and the kids even got free bucket hats…at least they are Phillies colors.
Day 3 Washington Harbour and Nationals Ball Park
Day 4 is our final full day in DC. It was the 4th of July, so we wanted to ensure our morning plans did not go too long in efforts to make it to the National Mall to see the fireworks at Washington Monument. The morning trip we walked to the National Zoo, which is also free admission. The walk to the zoo was roughly 20 minutes. The most interesting part of the zoo is the bird sanctuary where you walk amongst the Aves and they have quite a collection fish I have never seen in the wild.
Day 4 National Zoo
To conclude our trip, the night of Day 4, we grabbed a blanket and headed down the metro to see the fireworks. Quick tip is to take the metro to Federal Triangle and walk to the National Mall Lawn, and the same on the way back to avoid massive crowds. One of my children might have ended up in the fountains, but being messy is part of being a kid. We arrived around 30 minutes before the fireworks and found a spot comfortably on the lawn. The fireworks went off on time and it was a spectacular display. Celebrating our nations freedom in the heart of the capital was one of my bucket list items and it did not disappoint!
Day 4: Fireworks from the National Mall
Pros: easy to get around, great places to eat, educational experience for children, swimming every night at pool since it was open late, gym was open early, didn’t need car for the entire trip
Cons: DC heat, not great maneuvering with stroller, parking fees per day, metro line shut downs
Overall, this was one of my favorite trips in my favorite cities! Can’t wait to do it again!
Fishing while traveling is a great way to be out on the water while seeing local marine life. Fin Addict II with Captain Mike was the perfect time on the boat to enjoy fishing, competing to reel in the fish before the dolphins captured them and even a view of the space launch.
NASA Space Launch Dolphins swimming alongside boatTwo species caught Total haul of tripBeautiful day to be on a boat Someone’s trying to steal my catch Dolphin watching Amberjack AmberjackLady fishReady to hit the seasPort Canaveral dock
Adventures With Children 