Making Your Stay at the Kalahari Educational

August 10, 2007

I spent a good deal of time telling you about some of the attractions you will encounter when you visit Wisconsin Dells, but I have yet to tell you about ways to make this trip more educational.

Some of the sites are inherently educational, such as the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory.  Other sites may not seem so obvious when it comes to education – and, even those that are obvious, can be expanded upon further.

Let’s start with the Kalahari Resort.  That’s right, even a resort can present many different educational experiences.

You can kick off the educational aspect of staying in a resort by doing a little math.  For example, you can tell your child how much it costs each night to stay at the Kalahari and ask him or her to determine what the final bill will be.  Don’t forget to add sales tax.  In addition, if you are charging expenses to your room, let your little accountant keep track.  Not only will this help hone math skills, it will also make your child feel like he or she is performing an important duty for the family.

The Kalahari also has an indoor and an outdoor waterpark. The water aspect opens up a whole bunch of different educational opportunities.  When you get back in the hotel room, for example, you can give your child a lump of clay and challenge him or her to find a way to make it float in the bathtub.  Your child will have a great time forming the clay into different shapes and trying to make it float in the water.  Next, challenge your child to put pennies on the clay and see how many pennies can be placed there before the clay sinks.  If you want to make it even more fun, tell your child that he or she can keep all of the pennies that the clay can hold before sinking.

Since there is an outdoor waterpark as well as an indoor waterpark, you can discuss the differences in temperature in the water.  When we were there, the water of the outdoor waterpark was quite cold since it is no in a climate controlled atmosphere.  This can lead to further discussions about oceans and the effects of outside temperature on the water temperature.

With an elephant being the symbol of the Kalahari, you might also explore learning more about elephants.  What does an elephant have to do with the word “Kalahari” anyway?  Try to learn more about the Kalahari desert and the creatures that inhabit it before going to the Dells.  That way, your child will have a much greater appreciation of the decorations at the resort.

More info: Massage degree

By admin | Posted in Educational Family Travel, a, an, and, aspect, atmosphere  , child, clay, climate, cold, controlled, elephant, forming, great, hone, indoor, math, no in, opens, outdoor, pennies, sinks  , skills, temperature, temperature  with, the, the water, the water  , time, track  , water, waterpark | Comments (0)

Wisconsin Dells – The Tommy Bartlett Exploratory

July 27, 2007

The Tommy Bartlett Expository offers a number of fun attractions that will test your mind.  Making your family vacation an eductional experience is not difficult at all at this attraction, as you will explore a variety of different scientific concepts with the hands on activities the Exploratory provides.

When you visit the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory on  your family vacation, you will find that there is a kiosk outside.  I highly recommend stopping off at this kiosk before you visit any of the attractions in Wisconsin Dells.  Here, you can buy packages that will save you quite a bit on your Wisconsin Dells trip.  Even better, you can select the tickets you want and how many different attractions you want to add to your package.  Therefore, you are not tied down to attractions you may not really be interested in.

Many of the attractions at the Tommy Bartlette Exploratory actually seem like magic tricks as they trick your eye and your mind.  Others challenge you to perform certain tasks, such as remaining balanced on a tricky rolly-polly device or trying to put puzzles together and solve mysteries.

When you visit the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory, be sure to spend time with your kids at each exhibit so they will get the most fun and educational value the exhibit has to offer.

By admin | Posted in Educational Family Travel, Great Cities for Family Vacations, Museums for Family Vacations, a, activities, an, attractions, bartlett, concepts, dells, eductional, experience, exploratory, expository, family, highly, number, offers, on , provides when, recommend, scientific, stopping, the, tied, tommy, trip  , vacation, visit, wisconsin | Comments (0)

Wisconsin Dells – The Kalahari Resort

July 19, 2007

The most recent family vacation that my family and I went on was a trip to Wisconsin Dells.  After having already gone to Disney World earlier this year, we decided to go on a sort of mini-trip to a location that was nearby (unfortunately, my husband doesn’t get much vacation time and I am always using it up with vacations!).  So, since we reside in Indiana, a trip to Wisconsin Dells was only about 5 or 6 hours away.

I had never been to the Dells before and I really didn’t expect much from it.  In fact, I kind of thought that it would be pretty lame – especially after having gone to Disney.  But, we really did enjoy our time there.

Wisconsin Dells is known for its many waterparks.  After having watched a travel channel special and finding that two of its water parks were listed as the top ten in the nation, Noahs Ark and the Kalahari resort, I decided to book a stay at the Kalahari.  The Kahlahari has both an indoor and outdoor water park.  Since we went in early June, it was actually a bit cold to enjoy the outdoor water park.  The indoor water park was a whole lot of fun, though, and there were some great play areas that my five-year-old twins could enjoy without concern for their safety.

Althouogh the rooms at the Kalahari were really nice and the water park was great, my family and I likely won’t stay there again.  The luxury of staying at a resort with a waterpark is quite costly and turned out not to be worth it for us because we only spent time there on two days of our trip – and, the second day was really more because we wanted to feel like we were getting our money’s worth.  If you are planning a trip to the Dells, it might be better to simply plan a stay at a less expensive hotel and save your money for visiting the many sites the Dells has to offer. 

By admin | Posted in Great Cities for Family Vacations, Lodging Tips for Family Travel, a, an, and, ark, book, channel, decided, dells, dells  , enjoy, finding, indoor, kalahari, noahs, outdoor, park, park  , resort, special, stay, the, there wisconsin, time, travel, watched, water, waterparks  , wisconsin | Comments (5)

A Friendly Reminder For Keeping Your Finances Safe When On Vacation

July 10, 2007

When on vacation, you are at an even greater risk than usual of having your credit card information lifted from a thief.  This is particular true when on a family vacation since you will be so distracted by the kids.  With all of their excitement and your concern about keeping an eye on them, it is easy to accidentally misplace your card, to have it stolen, or to simply drop it.   So, in this installment, I am going to focus more on educating YOU while on vacation rather than educating your kids.

First of all, never leave your credit card in your hotel room.  It is unfortunate, but cleaning service personnel have been known to steal credit cards or just credit card information when left in the room.  If you do need to leave your card behind, be sure it is kept in the safe if your room has one.

Next, make sure to copy down your credit information before you head out on vacation and keep it seperate from your actual credit card.  This includes the account number and the toll free customer service number.  This way, if your card is misplaced or if you lose it, you can call the credit card company right away and close the account. 

Since there is the possiblity that your card will be lost or stolen, you should also bring along an extra credit card just in case.  I am embarrassed to admit that I have lost cards on two different vacations, one when I went to Shenandoah National Park and one time when I went to Wisconsin Dells.  The fact that I had a back up card was a lifesaver when it came to enjoying the rest of the vacation.

Finally, if you are going out of the country, be sure to contact your credit card company ahead of time.  With all of their anit-fraud software, your unusual spending in a foreign land may set off some alarms.  So, to prevent hassles while on vacation (which is even more of a problem when you have antsy children waiting to move on to the next activity), call the 800 number ahead of time and have a great vacation!

By admin | Posted in Educational Family Travel, General Family Travel Tips, a, accidentally, an, card, concern, credit, distracted, drop, easy, eye, greater, it   , keeping, kids  , lifted, misplace, risk, simply, stolen, the, thief  , usual | Comments (0)

Great Smoky Mountains – Part 2 – Townsend, Tennessee

June 28, 2007

To make things a bit easier, I am going to divide these posts into the different towns and sites that you can enjoy while visiting the Great Smoky Mountains.  As I said before, I recommend staying in Townsend, Tennessee while visiting this park.  The people of Townsend are friendly and the town is easy to navigate through.  On the other hand, when you visit Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, you will find that the streets are crammed and it can take over half an hour to get down the street. 

At the same time, staying inTownsend doesn’t mean giving up a great vacation or missing out on anything.  In fact, Townsend is the gateway to Cades Cove.  Cades cove is a wonderful family travel destination as it is rich in natural beauty and history.  As you cruise down the 11 mile road, you will be enchanted by the mountains that surround you.  In addition, wildlife abounds.  On my first family vacation to the Smoky Mountains, we spotted over a dozen deer while driving through Cades Cove.  On our second family vacation to the Smokies, we actually saw a mama black bear and her cubs.  Some unwise travelers were getting out of there vehicles to try to get a closer look.  While it should go without saying, be sure to never approach a bear - particularly a mama and her babies as they can be quite violent as they try to protect their cubs.

Cades Cove also has several trailheads.  One of my favorites is Abrams Falls.  The trail is listed as being moderately difficult, but my husband and I walked it with little problem with our 6 and 4 year old boys.  When we returned three years later with our two year old twins, my husband ended up walking the trail with the two older boys (who were 9 and 7 at the time) because the twins were getting a bit cranky.  At any rate, this trail offers a magnificent waterfall at the end that is well worth the trek.

In addition to the many scenic overlooks and the Abram Falls trail, there are several historical excursions you can take in Cades Cove as well.   Many of the homes and buildings that were built in the 1800s still exist in the area.   You will find several old churches that are still standing at Cades Cove, each of which has its own graveyard.  If you look at the tombstones, you will find that some of the graves are relatively new as the decendents of those that once lived in the Cove are still permitted to be buried there.  Your children will marvel at the Cable Mill Barn, which has an overhanging loft that looks like it will fall off at any time.  The Cantilever barn is also a site to behold with its oversized top.  You will even have the opportunity to see an old Cable Mill and Mill Flume.  Take the time to discuss the mill with your children and explain how it helped supply energy to the mill.

 If you find yourself entering Cades Cove and realize that you are not ready to start the 11 mile trip, which can take around an hour even if you don’t stop off to view the sites because of the traffic in front of you, you can take a quick exit on Sparks Lane.  Sparks Lane is very near to the beginning of the loop and it allows you to cut straight through to the end of the loop.  Just be sure to return later so you can enjoy this magnificent site.

In Townsend, you will also find Tuckaleechee Caverns.  This cavern system offers stalagmites, stalactites, draperies, and more.  The tour is a pleasant one that only takes about an hour to complete.   The Big Room inside Tuckalechee Caverns is amazing and is the largest cavern room open to visitors in the Eastern United States.  In addition, you will get to see a 200 foot waterfall in the caverns, a site that is not very common in cavern tours.  We took this tour both times we went to the Smokies for a family vacation and we easily completed the tour, even when we had the twin two-year-olds in tow.

Foothills Parkway can also be accessed just outside of Townsend, Tennessee.  Although the views are not as magnificent as what you will find in Cades Cove, it does offer some great overlooks that are made even more spectacular by the towns nestled in the valleys.  In addition, this is not as popular of a tourist attraction, which means you won’t have to fight the traffic as much as you might in other areas of the park.

If you do decide to get a cabin or other accommodations in Townsend, you will find that there are several restaurants to select from.  You will, however, find more choices in nearby Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge.  Nonetheless, you can actually park at the restaurant of your choosing in Townsend and won’t have to pay for the luxury or walk a great distance just to get to the door.  The town also offers a grocery store with prices that are not bloated, so you can stock up on cereal, snacks, or even steaks to cook on the grill if you get a cabin.

We’ll be staying in Townsend again when we visit the Smokies this October.  If the town has lost its charm, I will be sure to let you know.  But, somehow I doubt that it has!

By admin | Posted in National Parks to Visit with Kids, an, and, divide, easy, enjoy, friendly, great, half, hour, mountains  , navigate, park  , people, posts, sites, smoky, tennessee, the, through  , town, towns, townsend, visiting | Comments (0)