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family travel
Mystic Seaport in Connecticut
ByJennRecord May 1, 2018May 19, 2024
My family has recently been on a nautical kick, with a weekend in New Bedford, Massachusetts and the New Bedford Whaling Museum. During a visit to Mystic, Connecticut a couple of weeks ago, Connecticut we thought we would continue to broaden our sealife knowledge with a visit to the Mystic Seaport.
Mystic Seaport, the largest maritime museum in the United States, was founded in 1929 and now welcomes almost 300,000 visitors and hundreds of school groups each year. It’s conveniently located one mile off Interstate 95, right on the water, in the picturesque town of Mystic, Connecticut. Mystic offers tons of family fun, such as the Mystic Aquarium (check out my post here). Spread out over 19 acres, the Seaport recreates 19th century life in a seafaring village with over 60 different exhibits, buildings, boats and areas to explore.
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candles | family travel | ice cream | Massachusetts | Springfield | Springfield
Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield, Massachusetts
ByJennRecord April 3, 2018September 3, 2023
I’ve been obsessed with Yankee Candles for a long time. Anyone who knows me would probably say I have the most sensitive nose they have seen. It’s true: I need my environment to smell good. So whether it’s fall (Macintosh or Spiced Pumpkin), the holiday season (Christmas Cookies or Homes for the Holidays), or summer (Blueberry or Lush Berries), I always have a Yankee Candle burning in my home (and yes, I have the car jar fresheners for my car- French Vanilla is my favorite).
I made a brief stop at the Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield, Massachusetts years ago (I had a shortage of Macintosh and fall was approaching, if I remember correctly) but could not stay to explore the village. So, it went on my travel list, and this past week my family had the opportunity to visit.
The Massachusetts Yankee Candle Village (there is also a location in Williamsburg, Virginia) is located thirty minutes north of Springfield. The campus opened in 1982 with a 5,000 square foot building; now there’s over 90,000 square feet of fun to explore. The village welcomed over 500,000 visitors from over 50 countries in 2017, and many of them made a visit during the popular fall foliage and holiday season time.
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family travel | farms | Missouri | National Parks | National Parks Passport Program | St. Louis
Six Ways to Explore Grant’s Farm, St. Louis, Missouri
ByJennRecord March 20, 2018September 10, 2023
One of my favorite roads trip our family has taken was a three week trip from Connecticut to Albuquerque, New Mexico. We spent a few days in St Louis, Missouri and one of our highlights was a visit to Grant’s Farm. Note: this post has been fact checked as of March 2018.
Grant’s Farm was originally owned Julia Grant’s family. After the Civil War, it was purchased by Julia’s husband, Ulysses S. Grant, and then by the Busch family, makers of Anheuser-Busch beers, in the early 1900s. Located about twenty minutes southwest of of downtown St Louis, it’s open from April through October, with full time hours during the summer months, and limited hours in April, September, and October. The farm is home to dozens of animals, including elephants, deer, kangaroos, donkeys, goats, buffalo, and the famous Clydesdale horses.
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City Guide | family travel | Marriott | Massachusetts | National Parks | National Parks Passport Program | New Bedford | whaling | Zoo
New Bedford, Massachusetts
ByJennRecord February 26, 2018July 25, 2022
New Bedford, a small city located in the southeastern part of Massachusetts (about an hour from Boston), is known as the whaling capital of the world, due to the protected deep water harbor of Buzzard’s Bay and ideal transportation routes. Indeed, New Bedford has a rich history in whaling, fishing, and commerce. At its peak in the mid 1850s, New Bedford employed over 300 ships and 10,000 fisherman.
My family recently took a weekend trip to visit the New Bedford area and were pleasantly surprised by the variety of family friendly activities, even in the “off” winter season. I started my research at DestinationNewBedford.org and found lots of helpful advice. I printed copies of the Kids Scavenger Hunt for my kids to complete while we were in town, although you can find copies at many local attractions.
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Barnes & Noble | family travel | libraries | National Parks | National Parks Passport Program | Plan B | trampolines | travel tips
Having a Back Up Plan
ByJennRecord February 14, 2018May 9, 2022
If you are one of my regular followers, you know how important I think having an alternate plan is; I hate surprises and always try to anticipate problems ahead of traveling with my family. As much as I try and plan when I pack a suitcase and pack the car for a trip, undoubtedly something unexpected will come up.
While there will always be some things out of my control, and some things I just won’t anticipate, knowing how I will deal with the unexpected when it inevitably comes up takes some of the pressure off of me. Here are my top tips:
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family travel | hockey | Sports Hall of Fame | Toronto
Five Can’t Miss Exhibits at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto
ByJennRecord January 24, 2018February 19, 2026
No trip to Toronto would be complete without paying homage to the national winter sport of Canada: hockey. The original Hockey Hall of Fame opens it’s doors in 1961 and then expanded and moved to the current location at Brookfield Place in downtown Toronto in 1993. Throughout the early 2000s, the museum updated and expanded many of the exhibits. There are a lot of financial offices located inside Brookfield Place, but families might enjoy lunch at one of the quick service spots or local restaurants inside the complex. Be sure to look up and check out the architecture.
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