Just yesterday, at the playground our 3 year old who normally would be clambering across the tree house playground was lethargically sitting on my lap in the shade. With beads of sweat trickling down his little face he sighed, “I’m roasted like a marshmallow!” One of the best things about summer is finding fun places to cool off our kids close to home or a road trip away.

Photo by: www.flickr.com/photos/23826464@N04/3479116232

Beach Bumpkins

Kids and beaches are a winning combination. Tidepooling is a fun and educational way to cool off and explore the beach.
Kid-Friendly Tidepools Along the California Coast

Trekaroo families know which beaches are best for kids. Read their reviews:
Kid-friendly Beaches in Miami & Palm Beach, Florida
Kid-friendly Beaches in Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Kid-friendly Beaches in South Carolina
Kid-friendly Beaches in Oahu, Hawaii
Photo by: Brennan Pang

Fun Escapes into Cool Museums

Not in the mood for getting wet?  Escape to an air-conditioned museum instead!  Get cool and develop new interests.  Lydie Thomas tells us How to Make a Trip to a Museum With a Kid a Pleasant Experience.

Ready?  Start exploring kid-friendly museum exhibits for summer 2009 Across the US | San Francisco Bay Area
Museum Free Days in the San Francisco Bay Area – GrandmaDot
Photo by: www.flickr.com/photos/emeryjl/1317616335

Wonderful Water Parks

River Head, NY: Splish Splash Water Park
Martap112 loves it because it has “a lot of rides to choose from”.
Denver, CO: Water World
One of the largest water parks in the nation with more for young kids than most.
Lydie Thomas reminds us to play hard, but stay safe:
Kid Safety TIps at a Water Park or Public Pool

Water Parks in Florida
Water Parks near San Francisco
Water Park in Washington
Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/papalamour/206475271

Livin’ it up at a Lake

Yosemite, CA: Lake Tanaya
Escape the crowds at this lake with it’s “stunning views, large beach and shallow waters” according to TravelPangs.

Oakland, CA: Lake Temescal
A neighborhood swimming lake that’s a “great place for kids” according to mitchguez.
Jim Thorpe, PA: Mauch Chunk Lake Park
Christine O’Toole recommends it because it “offers more than a vacation’s worth of activities”.
Photo by: Brennan Pang

Splash Pads, Fountains and Pools

Chicago: Splash at Millennium Park
asmpman says, “This whole park is fabulous!”.
San Francisco Bay Area Public Pools
The City | Peninsula | East Bay
San Francisco Bay Area Splash Parks
Peninsula | East Bay
Photo by:www.flickr.com/photos/brian-m/233359192

Unexpected Places to Cool Off

Jacksonville (Florida) Zoo & Gardens:
Splash Ground is a “perfect midday break” from walking around the zoo -  BarnesFam
California: Universal Studios
Yes, there’s a splash park!  Gretchen “took along swimsuits and watershoes and hung out in the splash park” with her kids all summer.

More Lists for Cooling Off By Trekaroo Familes:

• Places to Cool Off in Texas by romar

• Places to Cool Off in the Chi-town Area by asmpman

• Fun Summer Activities in the Tri-State Area by michipo

(This is an excerpt from our July 2009 Trekaroo Newsletter – Don’t miss any issues: SUBSCRIBE to the Trekarooo Newsletter)

Trekaroo is a reviews website dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.

Photo from Flickr/the justified sinner

My mom always taught me to be a bargain shopper and to look for that four letter word… SALE! Travel is just overflowing with so many sales the prices will remind you of when Bill Clinton was President and cell phones were still a novelty. Check out some of our favorites and let us know if we missed one.

Cheap Airfares

Book by 04.08.09 and travel between 04.29.09 and 06.17.09. Here are a couple of one-way routes that are too good to pass up. I just booked a flight to LA this morning.

• Long Beach to/from San Francisco: $39*
• Boston to/from Charlotte: $59*
• Orlando to/from NYC: $79*
• Seattle to/from San Diego: $79*
• Chicago to/from Long Beach: $99*
• San Francisco to/from NYC: $99*

If you can’t book by midnight on the 8th, just add $10 and get flights from $49*-$109 on Southwest or Virgin America.

Wanna take the kids to Europe? Be sure to check out Luthansa‘s one-way fares starting at $268* from New York to London. Boston to Paris for $343*one way. Buy your tickets by Apr. 15, 2009 and depart between May 16 – Jun. 17, 2009.

Hotel Deals

• $29/nt oceanfront resort in Myrtle Beach, now-May : 50% off. Rooms at the Sandcastle Oceanfront Resort at the Pavillion.
• $68/nt at Disney Value Resorts located in Walt Disney World for stays between 4/12/09 and 6/6/09.
• $77/nt – Stay at the Peacock Suites in Anaheim, CA: - Stay 2 nights, save 10%. Stay 3 nights, save 15%. Limited inventory.
• $129/nt – Wynn hotel in Las Vegas: 40% off rackrate for travel before May 4th.
• $149/nt – The Westin Philadelphia – for travel before  04.21.09
• $190/nt – The Argonaut San Francisco – 5th night free with purchase of every 4 nights.

All-Inclusive Steal

• $399/nt – 4 nights at the Atlantis in the Bahamas plus a $200 air-credit. Valid April 1 thru July 1. Kids under 11 stay and play for free!

If there are any good ones that we’re missing, don’t keep it to yourself. Share it in a comment!

Things to do that are off the beaten path can be hard to find.  But when families come together to share, all sorts of interesting things pop up.

Gilroy Bonfante Gardens

Gilroy Bonfante Gardens
Gilroy, CA (1.5 hrs from San Francisco)

Porter Thermometer Museum
Onset, MA (1 hr from Boston)

The Skirball Cultural Center and Museum
Los Angeles, CA (near the Getty Museum)

Mutter Museum
Philadelphia, PA (downtown)

Tips for International Travel

• 17 Tips for Traveling Internationally with Kids
• Passport for the Junior Jetset
• Viva Mexico, with a baby!

From Trekaroo’s 2/25/09 Newsletter.  Read more>