Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts

We were invited to stay at a friend's house in Martha's Vineyard for just a few days this summer, but it was enough of a taste to learn that we absolutely love it on the Vineyard and will be back again. With six distinct towns, the island is small enough to be completely manageable, yet large enough to keep us occupied and wanting to see more. Even though it's quite pricey to vacation on Martha's Vineyard, everyone we met was friendly and down-to-earth, and we really enjoyed the vibe there.

The most complicated thing about Martha's Vineyard is getting there. There are several ferry companies that service the island, but slots for ferries that will also carry your car book up fast. Fortunately, the friends who invited us to stay had ferried over their minivan, so we didn't have to bring a car. We had no trouble grabbing seats on a passenger-only Seastreak ferry, leaving from New Bedford, CT, and arriving in the town of Oak Bluffs on the island. You can always opt to rent a car on the island instead of bringing yours over.

Where to Stay

We stayed with our friends, who were renting a house through the Winnetu Oceanside Resort. The resort is absolutely gorgeous and immaculate, but it is also quite expensive. I suppose you get what you pay for. There are pools and tennis courts, plus a huge green space featuring classic lawn games and access to the beach. There's a shuttle into the nearby towns and the concierge service is amazing. I highly recommend staying at the Winnetu — if you can stomach the cost.

What to Do

One of the things I love about Martha's Vineyard is how bike-friendly it is. There are bike trails and bike stands everywhere, and this the preferred mode of transportation for many visitors. We rented our bikes over the phone from Martha's Vineyard Bike Rentals in Edgartown and had them delivered to our rental home (then later picked up) for an extra fee. It was a lovely service!

There are dozens of public beaches in Martha's Vineyard, and we spent a day at beautiful State Beach. Approaching the beach after parking on the side of the road, the waving beachgrass gives way to a narrow strip of sand that stretches on for two miles. Beyond that are calm, clear, shallow waters.

There's a small bridge by State beach that connects the towns of Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. It's dubbed Jaws Bridge, as the movie Jaws was filmed in Martha's Vineyard, and people can be seen jumping from the bridge's wooden railing all day long — it's sort of a Martha's Vineyard tradition. The 11 year olds in our group were able to make the jump into the salty sea, but my 9-year-old backed out at the last minute.

For a very different beach experience, we drove out to Aquinnah beach (formerly known as Gay Head beach) one evening. After parking in the lot or on the side of the road, you can walk up to an overlook to catch the sunset from a platform situated on a cliff, or hike about 10 minutes down to the beach to enjoy the sunset, with the crashing ocean as the soundtrack. We did the latter and really enjoyed the experience. From this beach, you get a prime view of Aquinnah's famously beautiful clay cliffs.

After the sun disappeared from the horizon, we doubled back and additionally walked up to the overlook to admire the views from there. There's a restaurant there called The Aquinnah Shop, which features a deck that would've been perfect for watching the sunset. Maybe next time we'll manage to get reservations!



For a completely different experience, we strolled through the charming Gingerbread House village in Oak Bluffs, where we saw hundreds of tiny Victorian cottages that are exquisitely decorated and painted. The houses resemble dollhouses and can be rented during the summer. Situated in one of the gingerbread houses is the Cottage Museum, which offers a glimpse of the interior and tells about the history of this adorably quaint section of Martha's Vineyard.

Two things we didn't get to do while we were there, but will try to get to next time, are visiting the alpaca farm Island Alpaca and riding the merry-go-round at Flying Horses Carousel.

Where to Eat

There's so much good seafood to enjoy in Martha's Vineyard. We dined al fresco at The Seafood Shanty in Edgartown one evening, where the ambience and local oysters were out of this world. Another evening we bought hot and cold lobster rolls from the no-frills fish market Edgartown Seafood and ate on the deck in our backyard.

There are many cute little ice cream shops to choose from in Martha's Vineyard, but only Ben & Bill's in Oak Bluffs serves lobster ice cream, which I admit to being too intimidated to try. (The ice cream is butter-flavored, with chunks of real lobster mixed in ... yum?) Also popular is the more traditional homemade ice cream flavors of Mad Martha's, which has three locations in Martha's Vineyard: Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, and Vineyard Haven.

In Oak Bluffs, we ate our last meal at Nancy's Restaurant (love the name) before climbing aboard our ferry to return to the real world. Famous for being one of President Obama's favorite places to eat on the Vineyard, Nancy's is a no-frills seafood place with a cute indoor area and picnic tables on the outside. My fried shrimp plate was very tasty!

What's Nearby

Just a ferry-ride away from Martha's Vineyard is Cape Cod, which we also love (and is a lot more affordable!). Here's my itinerary for that area.

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Sedona, Arizona

We absolutely loved Sedona during the four days that we spent there with our friends, another family with two kids. Altogether we had four kids with us, ranging in age from 6 to 10. The locals are friendly, the food is excellent, the hikes are amazing, and the views just can't be beat. Everywhere you go, you get the insane views of the red rock — it was literally non-stop!

Where to Stay

We absolutely loved staying at the Orchards Inn in Sedona. It's an upscale motel located right in the middle of everything. Every room features a balcony with spectacular views, and the included hot breakfast at the on-premise Mexican restaurant is delicious. The pool is a bit small, but my kids liked it just fine. Below is the view from every room at the inn.

What to Do

The No. 1 thing to do with kids in Sedona is Slide Rock State Park. It's a natural water park along the Oak Creek, where the smooth rocks serve as slides into crystal clear pools of water. The creek was super cold during our visit in late August, so be prepared with towels and dry clothes. And water shoes or strappy sandals are a must, as the rocks are very slippery and can be pretty dangerous to walk on. To be honest, I'm surprised this place doesn't require life vests and helmets ... but the kids weren't complaining!

We also went on a Pink Jeep Tour while we were there, and while it's an expensive excursion, we found it to be worth every penny. Our two-hour tour took us along the Broken Arrow trail and included several impossible-looking climbs up and down the mountain, plus time out of the vehicle to  enjoy the beautiful views and take photos. Our guide was the best — knowledgeable about the geology in the area, and patient with our kids who let out ear-piercing shrieks with every bump and turn.

About half an hour from downtown Sedona is the Blazin' M Ranch, which is a must for families. The experience includes all sorts of neat western-themed activities set up in a frontier town for the kids, plus a chuckwagon dinner and stage show. Some of the activities we enjoyed were the cow roping (where you learn how to throw a lasso), the shooting gallery (where everyone, even children, can shoot a real Colt .45 loaded with wax bullets), and the wooden puppet gallery (where adorable hand-carved puppets come to life in exchange for a few cents).

Other activities at the Blazin' M Ranch include a vintage tractor pull, a petting zoo, and games like horseshoes and corn hole. At a certain point in the evening, the dinner bell goes off and everyone files into the main barn to eat their meal (barbecued meats, cole slaw, biscuits, baked beans, and a baked potato), served on tin plates. The show starts as dessert is being served, featuring a three-person band singing popular country tunes. Their gags are a bit hokey, but the kids seemed entertained!

A surprisingly fun activity that we came across while we were there was the fishing experience at the Rainbow Trout Farm. Anyone who wants to fish can do so for a dollar, but you have to buy what you catch (each fish is $10 to $13, depending on size). There are two ponds swarming with rainbow trout and they give you the poles, bait, and a bucket for holding the fish. We ended up catching four fish (one for each kid) in under 20 minutes. The people who work at the farm will clean and gut the fish right in front of you and provide you with a grill kit to cook it up on-premise. There's a shaded picnic area for eating your catch of the day.

If shopping is your thing, a must-visit area is the Tlaquepaque Arts and Shopping Village. Even if you're not a big shopper, the village is worth a visit for its beautiful design, modeled after a traditional Mexican village. In addition to the many shops in the village (including an old-fashioned toy store), there are tons of cute little eateries. We ended up spending most of our time at The Chai Spot, enjoying iced teas and Indian snacks. The seating areas were so inviting and comfortable.

When in Sedona you have to do a few hikes, and we prioritized the adventurous yet safe West Fork Trail. It's three miles out and the same distance back, but we decided to just hike for about an hour and turn around. The majority of the trail is shaded, and it crosses Oak Creek several times, so there's many opportunities to clamber across rocks and logs. The kids all had a blast with this one.

The Doe Mountain Trail is slightly more challenging, but also really fun and doable with children. It's a one-mile uphill climb to the top of a mesa offering panoramic vistas. There are many rock scrambles as you wind your way up and the views are breathtaking. There's no danger in falling off as you climb (despite how it looks), but watch out for the many prickly pears growing along the trail!

And when in Sedona, you have to visit at least one of the four vortexes, just to see what they're all about. I didn't know anything about Sedona's famed vortexes until we arrived, but quickly learned that they're centers of energy, credited with healing people and lifting up their spirits. Of course, we wanted to feel this spiritual energy for ourselves, so we set out for Airport Mesa, the vortex that requires the shortest hike to be reached. It took only about five minutes of climbing from the parking lot to reach the top of the mesa. And while no one actually felt the power of a vortex, we were all awed by the panoramic view at the top.

So here's the takeaway: You may have to be more open-minded than we were to feel the power of the Airport Mesa vortex, but what's definitely real are the incredible views.

Where to Eat

The food in Sedona is ridiculously good (and accordingly priced). We didn't have a single bad meal during our entire stay. Some of the highlights included The Hudson for its upscale comfort food, Creekside Bistro for its New American fare, Hideaway House's amazing pizzas, and the hugely portioned Mexican dishes at 89Agave. Just about anywhere you dine will feature amazing views of the red rock.

What's Nearby

Sedona's location is great. It's within two hours of the Grand Canyon (where we stayed for three days) and three hours of Antelope Canyon (which we've visited on a past trip), so it's easy to make it a part of a larger trip to the American West.

It's also just an hour from Williams, Arizona, of historic Route 66 fame. The town appears to be stuck in time and is really kitschy but fun. It's also home to two animal attraction: Bearizona and the Grand Canyon Deer Farm. Both are worth a visit if your kids are into animals. I describe them in more detail in my post on the Grand Canyon.

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Burlington and Colchester, Vermont

A recent long weekend found my family and some friends of ours in the state of Vermont, to check out the towns of Burlington, Colchester, Stowe, and Waterbury. We've been to Vermont to ski before, but this our first time visiting in the late spring to witness the green mountains touted in Vermont's state nickname.

Our first stop was the neighboring towns of Burlington and Colchester, where we found the most scenic bike path I've ever experienced, a super cute downtown, more rolling, green pastures than I could count, and fun, family-friendly attractions unique to the area.

Where to Stay

We decided to stay at Green Mountain Suites Hotel in Burlington based on its stellar reviews. And it lived up to the hype, from the rustic-chic decor to the fireside buffet breakfast to the immaculate, spacious rooms. The kids' favorite part was, of course, the indoor pool, which came in really handy when some of our outdoor plans got rained out. I highly recommend this hotel and would return again!

What to Do

My main reason for wanting to visit this area was to bike the Island Line Trail in Colchester. In its entirety, the trail is 13.4 miles long, but the best part of it is the 3-mile causeway that juts into Lake Champlain. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking, and you feel like you're riding on water. Here's how to experience that part of the bike trail with your kids.

First, park at the Causeway Bike Path Parking Lot, off Mills Point Road. This is the closest you can park to the causeway, and the trail picks up right across the street from the lot. The causeway is a narrow, level, packed gravel road that goes on for about 3 miles. The biking is easy-peasy and terribly scenic, with water lapping at the edges on either side of you. We were able to do it with a group of four kids, ages 7 to 10, with no problem.

After 3 miles, the trail is abruptly cut off by the water. At this point, you can turn around and enjoy the same experience back, or you can hop on the Local Motion bike ferry, which takes you and your bikes on the world's shortest boat ride to where the trail picks up again on an island across the way. At just under five minutes long, the ferry ride is the perfect time to catch your breath before you tackle the next leg of the bike ride.

On the island, called South Hero, is where you'll find a small petting zoo and bakery called Allenholm Farm and a food stand called The Accidental Farmer, about 3 miles down a wide road. The two are conveniently located next door to each other, and your kids can play on the swing set or pet the animals on the farm while you wait for your locally made cheeseburgers and hot dogs to be grilled up.

Then, after everyone's rested, fed, and ready to ride again, just turn around and head back the way you came!

While the weather cooperated for our bike ride, the rest of our time in this area was very rainy, so unfortunately we had to hunker down at the hotel pool instead of doing some of the other things I had planned. One of them was a walk around the Church Street Marketplace, a totally cute stretch of shops and restaurants that's completely lit up at night. We did, however, break out the umbrellas and walk around a little bit on our way to dinner.

The other thing I really wanted us to do was watch a movie at the Sunset Drive-In in Colchester. It's an old-fashioned drive-in theater that looks like so much fun. Next time!

Where to Eat

We had dinner one night at the Istanbul Kebab House on Church Street. The Mediterranean fare totally hit the spot after a long day of biking!

After dinner, we grabbed some ice cream at the bustling Ben & Jerry's on Church Street. It was a really fun outpost, with some seating in a VW bus!

What's Nearby

About 15 minutes from this area is the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, located in Shelburne. We really enjoyed the factory tour here, but be forewarned: your kids will definitely be begging for a bear from the gift shop afterwards, and they're pricey. On the tour, a "bear ambassador" walks you around the workstations of the factory, where you get to see craftspeople hand-making bears on weekdays (or their unmanned sewing machines on the weekends). The tour is hands on, with opportunities to touch the fur and stuffing, and you leave with a souvenir bear button.

And less than an hour from Burlington and Colchester are the towns of Stowe and Waterbury, where we stayed in a treehouse, checked out another scenic Vermont bike path, and visited the Ben & Jerry's factory! Here's the itinerary for that part of the trip.

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