Travel

If you’re visiting Orlando, Florida, you probably have a trip to Universal Studios on your list, and therefore may decide to skip MGM Studios, however you may find that – especially if you have younger children – MGM is a better alternative as there are less attractions with height restrictions than Universal.  Although there are a few more thrill-seeking rides, most of the MGM Studio park is at a more gentle pace making it a good destination for families, or those who are a little mobility impaired.

Upon entering the park, you’ll be on Hollywood Boulevard.  This is a place to shop merchandise of both a traditional souvenir nature, and also more limited edition collectors pieces, as well as find restaurants and other kinds of retail outlets.  Walk to the bottom of the Boulevard however and you’ll find the Great Movie Ride.  Although the queue for this may be long, it does move quickly and the journey through well known movie scenes is well worth the wait.

Around the rest of the park there are shows such as the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular which shows how stunts are performed and re-enacts scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark, a car and motorcycle stunt show called Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, and Fastasmic! A night-time show in the Holywood Hills Amphitheatre.

For the young, and young at heart, there’s such things as the Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D show, the Little Mermaid show, the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, Beauty and the Beast show, and Playhouse Disney live on stage.  Thrill seekers aren’t forgotten completely however with the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Aerosmith’s indoor Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

With the Journey in Narnia, and the Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour, there’s a great day of entertainment to be had at Disney’s MGM Studios.  If you love Disney, it’s well worth a visit!

Travel in western Canada can be adventurous, romantic, and fun.  All you have to do is take the train. VIA Rail, Canada’s federal Crown corporation railway system, offers several routes to travelers who want to see Canada without having to drive through it.

The Canadian is the western transcontinental train, a three-day journey from Toronto to Vancouver with stops along the way in Winnipeg, Jasper, and Edmonton, among others.  Truly adventurous travelers who want to plan their own vacation can even request special stops anywhere between Sudbury Junction and Winnipeg, a service the rail line touts to outdoor enthusiasts.

The Skeena takes riders for a breathtaking trip along the Canadian Rockies and out to the Pacific, traveling from Jasper to Prince Rupert in British Columbia with an overnight stop in Prince George.  Be warned, though, the Skeena does not have sleeping cars and passengers need to take care of their own accommodation needs in Prince George.

The Malahat is a four and half hour trip up or down Vancouver Island, from Victoria at the south end to Courtenay in the north central part of the island.  Malahat only offers one class of rail travel, the comfort class, but this fare includes the unique privilege of getting on and off the train as many times as you want from one end of the line to the other.  The train departs once daily from each end of the line and, at C$28 is a great bargain for the budget-minded traveler.

In 2007 VIA Rail added the winter-only Snow Train Express from Edmonton to Jasper, departing Friday and returning on Sunday—perfect for a weekend ski getaway.  Since this is a new route, and a seasonal one, check in advance to see if this service is still available before making your plans.

In a city where there’s so much to see, you need to plan your visit carefully to make the most of the time you have available.  If you have any interest in flight and/or space travel, then one of the must do items on your Washington DC itinerary is a visit to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.  Even those with little more than a passing interest will find themselves caught up in the magic of space travel when they come face to face with aircraft that have actually been into space or are able to touch a rock that once belonged on the moon.

Many of the exhibits at this museum, which has no obligatory entry fee, are either the real artefacts that went into the air or space, or are the back-up ones which would have went on the missions had the first equipment failed.  There are two main areas to the museum, the National Mall Building, and the newer  Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

In the National Mall Building you can find exhibits as historically diverse as “The Spirit of St Louis” in which Charles Lindbergh made the first transatlantic solo flight, and the Apollo 11 Command module.  The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is home to items such as the Enola Gay, and the space shuttle “Enterprise” (you can find the original filming model of the starship USS Enterprise in the lower level of the museum gift store!).

With hands on teaching exhibits on such subjects as planetary science, as well as the artefacts, the National Air and Museum is not only interesting to adults who have lived through many of the flight achievement firsts noted at the museum, but it’s also educational and fun for kids, making it a perfect family destination.

Situated about 75 miles west of Orlando is the home of the Busch Gardens.  Located in Tampa, Florida, this theme part is inspired by the sights and sounds of Africa, and provides an aesthetic contrast to the sugar/sweet images of Orland’s Disney parks.

The Busch Gardens are set around 10 different themed areas that include savannahs, jungle and even pyramid features, so there’s something for the whole family to enjoy here.   Although animals are a great focal point in the park, it is home to one of America’s top zoos, there are rollercoasters for those who want a little more excitement in their day, or areas for those who prefer a bit of calm to take a gentle stroll in the afternoon.  For those who aren’t quite up to the daring rollercoaster rides, there’s the Seregenti Express railroad that will take you through some areas of the park, and an 8 minute land rover experience that will leave you exhilarated but not shaking!  If you aren’t afraid of heights, the Sky Ride Cable Car will give you a wonderful overview of the park below you.

Younger members of the family will love the Animal Nursery located in the Nairobi sector of the Busch Gardens.  Here they’ll find baby birds, and other animals plus a petting zoo - there are primates in this area also with apes and chimps vying for visitor attention.  For anyone who wants a closer experience with the animals, check out the daily schedule for visitor participation feeding and training encounters.  Another must do for those who like to get off the main beaten track is a behind the scenes tour – these take approximately 4-5 hours and you’ll find information about times and locations in the park, or ring the park in advance for more details.

As with all theme parks, entrance isn’t cheap, nor is refreshment once you get inside, but it’s a great day out with a very authentic feel and if you intend going to other parks such as SeaWorld and/or Universal in Orlando, then you could considering buying a pass that will allow you multi-park entry at a reduced cost then paying for all entrance fees separately.

The weather is a harsh mistress in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  The natives have fought back by establishing a modern wonder, Montreal’s Underground City.  The underground, as the locals call it, is a remarkable pedestrian network of train stations, shops, hotels, restaurants, museums, and more, under downtown Montreal.

The underground city got its start in 1962 with the building of the Place Ville-Marie office tower and underground shopping mall.  That first mall connected to Central Station (subway) and the Queen Elizabeth Hotel via tunnels.  Since then the underground has grown to more than twenty-two miles of pedestrian walkways.

Residents of Montreal are extremely proud of their “inside city” (not all of it is underground), the largest underground complex in the world.  There are more than 150 access points to the subterranean city and more than 60% of the businesses in downtown connect to the underground.  Over 500,000 people traverse the belowground pedestrian walkways and subways of Montreal each day.  Several residential towers connect to the underground as well, allowing some locals to go from home to work to play without ever going outside.

Some of the most stunning features of the underground complex are the subway stations.  Each station is, literally, a work of art.  When the subway was built 1% of the budget for each station was devoted to procuring and displaying art in the underground.  A different architect designed each station in a different style and no two stations are the same.

A number of well-known tourist spots in Montreal are accessible from the underground city.  Things to check out without going out include Olympic Park and the Olympic Centre (built for the 1976 Olympics);  the Place des Artes, home to the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art (Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal);  and Molson Centre, home of Montreal’s hockey team, the Canadiens.

What does Santa do all summer?  If you have been asked this question one too many times, this year travel to Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada and find the answer.

Bracebridge, just north of Toronto, sits on the 45th parallel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole.  Since 1955, Bracebridge has been home to Santa’s Village Family Entertainment Park, Santa Claus’ preferred summer vacation spot.

Not sure what to do first?  After being greeted by Santa himself in Santa Square guests can catch a ride around the 50-acre park on the Candy Cane Express miniature train and use it to get your bearings.

Santa is not the only one on vacation over the summer; the elves are too.  The park is full of ways to amuse elves (and children).

Enjoy net climbing excitement in the Elves Island Play Area.  Ride Rudolph’s Sleigh Ride Roller Coaster, the Christmas Ball Ferris Wheel, the Merry-Go-Round, and more.

Children can create customized souvenir crafts in the Elves Workshop and Candy Cane Lane features a variety of skill games to hone hand-eye coordination.  Live entertainers perform at the park throughout the season.

Santa’s Village also features a petting zoo complete with goats, sheep, and deer, though not reindeer since Bracebridge is too warm for those hardy animals.

One of the attractions of this summer home away from the North Pole is warm weather and the chance to cool off in Santa’s Splash Zone.  Work up a sweat paddling around lemonade lagoon in one of Santa’s Paddleboats or relax and let someone else do the work when you take Santa’s Summer Sleigh Jetboat Cruise.

Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada is aptly named.  Its name derives from the Mi’kmaq Indian word gespeg, meaning “end of land”.  It is the end of an eastern Canadian peninsula, and, more interestingly, just off the coast lies Percé Rock, the far northern end of the Appalachian mountains.

Percé Rock is one of nature’s true wonders, and one of the most photographed places in Quebec, possibly in all of Canada.  The 375 million year-old rock is an enormous limestone slab, 295 feet (90 m) wide, 279 feet (85 m) high at its highest point, and an awe-inspiring 1476 feet (450 m) long.  The rock’s name comes from the French word percé, “pierce”, so-called for the large opening that pierces the slab near the seaward end.

Legend maintains that at one point the rock was pierced in as many as four locations, but historical records only mention two holes.  The second cave, to the east of the one visible today, collapsed in 1845.  The sea stack L’Obelisque at the end of the monolith is an artifact of this cave-in.

For four hours each day the tide recedes enough to allow people to walk across to the rock.  Tourists can walk to the cave, but it is an arduous trek.  A better way to see the majesty of Percé Rock is to take one of the many boat tours that go around the rock.

The village of Percé was once the largest fishing port on the Gaspe Peninsula.  It is now devoted to catering to the tourists who come to see the rock and visit the bird sanctuary on Bonaventure Island.  It is also a haven for outdoor enthusiasts with hike and bike trails, camping nearby, and even scuba opportunities for those willing to brave the cold waters of Gaspe bay.

Drumheller, Alberta, in the heart of Canada’s prairies, proclaims itself“The Dinosaur Capital of North America”, and has the fossils to back it up.

Just northwest of Drumheller is the Dinosaur Trail, a 32-mile (50km) circular drive along Highway 838 that will lead visitors to, among other things, the Royal Tyrell Museum of Palaeontology, and the World’s Largest Dinosaur.

The Royal Tyrell Museum has a wide array of exhibits.  The Hexen Science Hall features an interactive display to demonstrate basic scientific concepts.  In the Preparation Lab, visitors can watch scientists prepare fossils for study or display.  The Burgess Shale and Devonian Reef exhibits offer a look at life under the waters of Canada’s prehistoric oceans.  In the Cretaceous Garden, Museum guests can walk through living history, a garden filled with the same plants the dinosaurs ate.

The main attraction at the Royal Tyrell is Dinosaur Hall.  The Hall is full of mounted dinosaur skeletons, and is the largest exhibit of its kind in the world.  Walking, swimming, and flying reptiles are all present, including the Albertosaurus, first discovered by Joseph B. Tyrell.

Farther down the Dinosaur Trail visitors will find themselves confronted by the World’s Largest Dinosaur.  The Dinosaur is an 86-foot (26.2 m) concrete and steel Tyrannosaurus Rex.  He stands four times taller than the real thing did and visitors who climb the 106 steps to the viewing platform in his mouth will enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of the badlands.

For dinosaur lovers, the two-hour trip to the Tyrell Museum’s Field Station at Dinosaur Provincial Park is a must-see. It functions as a base for continuing scientific study in the area and has skeletons on display in an exhibit building.  Visitors can also make reservations for a bus tour to areas of the park being excavated, areas not available to the public any other way.

Denver, Colorado, is one of America’s most beautiful cities.  It’s also a city where within minutes you aren’t just out in the suburbs, you are out in the mountains in the middle of nowhere!  This city of strong contrasts is a great place to spend a vacation as it has something to offer everyone from the very young to the not so young.

The fact that gold is the foundation on which Denver was built is very much in evidence around the city with various landmarks being the product of the gold boom era – from the house in which Molly Brown lived (now a museum that recounts her rags to riches story through narration and artifacts), to the cathedral that she helped finance with the money made from the gold her husband discovered in his mine.

The capitol building is a beautiful piece of architecture but if you have enough energy to walk up to the top of it’s dome, you’ll be rewarded by being able to stand on the spot where Denver’s “mile high” city nickname originates – you’ll be standing one mile above sea level.  The view from the top is well worth the climb!

Most cities have malls; Denver takes it that one step further.  The 16th Street Mall is a mile long, and even has its own shuttle bus to transport you up and down as you shop.  The mall isn’t closed in as most malls are, and with cafes and fountains it’s a great place to sit outside and people watch in the afternoon.

Home to the Denver mint (no samples given), Denver museum has a dinosaur skeleton as one of it’s major exhibits and if the weather isn’t playing nice, the Children’s Museum of Denver is a fun place to take the kids until the sun comes out again.   When the weather changes, the Denver zoo and Six Flags Amusement Park will help keep boredom at bay!

Whether you’re interested in architecture, history, thrills or the natural environment, you’ll be sure to find it in Denver.

Bents Old Fort is a reconstruction of a 1840s trading post.   Now under the watchful eye of the National Parks Service, the original adobe fort was one of the few white settlements on the Sante Fe trail west of Missouri.

Although the Fort may not be worth a detour to many people, if you are in the area, and have any interest in 19th century US frontier history, Bents Old Fort not only shows the physical layout of how such an establishment was run, but also gives a good indication of the kind of natural elements the people who managed and traded at the fort lived with.  With summer temperatures that can go above 100 F, and winter ones that can drop to 0 F during the day, the very brief quarter of a mile walk down the path from the arrivals area, to the fort gates, is a good indicator of how tough people had to be to cope with weather extremes.

At the fort today there’s a 20 minute video presentation that tells the fort’s story, and there are demonstrations and exhibits.  You can take either a self-guided tour, or alternatively join a guided tour which in the summer are lead by living history interpreters.  There are a number of special events that happen throughout the summer, some of which are specifically aimed at kids, and a visit to the national park website will identify when these take place.

Whether you have an interest in military life of the time, the wagon trains, the explorers who opened up the west, or just want to give your kids some kind of “live” history experience to help their school studies – look around the store to see what kind of diet those who lived in, or travelled through the area lived on - a trip to Bents Old Fort will have something to interest you.