Here in Pennsylvania, where my family lives, we’ve been experiencing a heat wave – it’s 65 degrees as I write, with no cool-down in sight.  According to the calendar, it’s still winter, but according to the daffodils, spring is still underway.  While cold region families often flock south for the winter, this year, ski destinations top the list  . . . if there’s snow there, that is.

But that snow scarcity has an upside: ski resorts are offering killer deals to attract the family ski business.  If you’re game for some March skiing (even if your bathing suit), check out these great destinations. Read More >

Spring break and family travel go hand in hand. After all, the benefits of taking your kids on a vacation when school’s on a break far outweigh the benefits of having them miss school for that trip. Of course, that means that the most popular theme parks are at their busiest. Fun, family friendly, and exciting: Disney and Universal Studios are popular for good reasons!

LEGOLAND Florida is a great alternative to all those Mickey ears and sorting hats at Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando. It’s in Winter Haven, around 45 minutes from Orlando, but a world apart in terms of spring break crowds. LEGOLAND has always been great fun for younger children; in Florida, the park is also so beautifully designed that parents enjoy taking in the views, and end up having a more relaxing vacation. At almost 40 acres, LEGOLAND Florida is parklike. It feels like a true escape rather than a stressful hurry-up-and-stand-on-line trip to one of the mega theme parks in Orlando. Read More >

If you like warm weather, good Mexican food, and getting up close and personal with your kids’ baseball heroes, you’re going to love the Cactus League.  Even though March is a very popular time to visit our 48^th state, it’s not too late to get tickets and hotel reservations.  If you’re ready to leave the cold behind and head south, here are some tips for taking kids to Spring Training in Arizona.

Try to catch a mid-week game

Don’t only consider games at your team’s home stadium.  The best access to your favorite players, their autographs, and good seats will be at mid-week games.  Last year, we saw the Giants play the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark with just 4,000 other people.   Even the big stars took the time to chat with fans along the first base fence before the game. For detailed information about the teams, stadiums, and how to get tickets, go to the official Cactus League website.

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My family and I are sitting in the Fiddlin’ Pig, watching the line dancers, eating the gigantic plates of barbecue in front of us, tapping our feet. It’s Saturday night, we’re in Asheville, North Carolina, and we’re in pig heaven. (Get it? PIG heaven?)

And it’s not just because the pork ribs at the Fiddlin’ Pig are super yummy and the fiddlers are fine; Asheville’s a treat for anyone who loves a college town, an artsy town, and a foodie town all rolled into one. Before the weekend’s over, we’ll have eaten enough good food to warrant another notch in our belts, strolled the studios down by the river, and, yes, even danced a bit with the Blue Mountain area cloggers who show up at the Fiddlin’ Pig every weekend night.

But let’s start at the beginning.

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