This giveaway is now closed. We used Random.org to select a winner and number 36 was picked. Congratulations to commenter #36, Jenny, for winning the 4 pack of tickets. Enjoy your time at the Tar Pits!
Project 23. It sounds like some sort of secret government operation taking place in the Nevada desert. Who knew a parking garage excavation in the middle of Los Angeles could lead to the most important ice age fossil discoveries in the world? I suppose the scientists who work at the Page Museum might have had an inkling. After all, the garage was set to be built only couple hundred yards from the famous La Brea Tar Pits, home to one of the largest known concentrations of Late Pleistocene fossils on the planet.
Instead of halting construction to do the excavation work on site, a job which would have taken years, paleontologists agreed that using massive tree boxes to move these giant fossil deposits to an area near Pit 91 would be a better option. In all, 23 boxes (hence the name) were moved and 28,768 hours have been spent excavating 16,097 specimens. So far, 5 boxes are done and 2 are in progress. That means there are 16 giant boxes that have yet to be cracked open!
Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to climb up a ladder and into the two boxes currently being excavated. I stood mere inches from an asphalt melded jumble of dire wolf and saber tooth cat bones which were carefully being excavated using nothing more than common dental tools. Volunteers and staff talked enthusiastically to me about the work being done and the new discoveries being made all the time. Their excitement was definitely contagious.
So what exactly is the big deal about these tree boxes full of dirt, asphalt and bones? Before, Project 23, the museum only had 8 or 9 complete animal skeletons in its collection of over 1 million bones. Since this new excavation has begun, it has produced more individual animals, including a mammoth, camel, weasel, snake, turtle, horse, bison, a juvenile mastadon, 6 saber tooth kittens, than 100 years of excavation at Rancho La Brea!
Asphalt still seeps in Hancock Park which surrounds the Page Museum. Birds, reptiles, and small mammals still fall victim to the black goop, especially on warm sunny days when it is at its stickiest. Visitors can smell the trademark stench of asphalt in the air and discover small seeps coming up in the grassy fields as they wander through the park and visit the Pit 91 or Project 23. Then they can step inside the Page Museum and into a place dedicated to educating both young and old about the animals that roamed Los Angeles during the Ice Age.
Are you ready to take your kids to the tar pits? Then do we have a deal and steal for you!
The Deal: Every first Tuesday of the month, admission to the Page Museum is FREE!
The Steal: One lucky winner will receive a four pack of tickets to visit the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits.
Number of winners: (1)
Details: One winner will receive 4 admissions to the Page Museum in Los Angeles, CA.
HOW TO ENTER TO WIN: Tell us your favorite ice age animal.
For additional entries, feel free to do any or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra entry but be sure to LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ONE or the entry will not be counted.
- Vote for us in the Cribsie’s under the “Smartest Family Travel Tips” section and then leave a comment letting us know you did.
- Tweet a link to this Monday Mad Steal via @Trekaroo .
- Subscribe to the Trekaroo Blog
- Post this giveaway on your Facebook Wall using the Facebook Share link above
- Fan Trekaroo on Facebook
- Follow Trekaroo on Twitter
- Post this giveaway on your blog
- Subscribe to Trekaroo in your reader
Rules and guidelines:
- 18 years of age or older
- US Residents only
Deadline to enter: Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 11:59PM PST
What is Monday Madness?
Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either a fantastic giveaway or an incredible deal. It could be a green water bottle, a hotel stay on Maui or theme park tickets. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog for the details. Want a reminder? Become a Trekaroo member or follow us on facebook or twitter.
Thanks to Contest for Moms, Online Sweepstakes, CashNet Sweepstakes, and Sweepstakes Advantage.
Disclosure: This complimentary product was received from the manufacturer to be reviewed by Trekaroo. The reviewer received no other compensation, and was not required to express any particular point of view.
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Welcome to 
Do you ever sit at home racking your brain, trying to figure out what fun activity or event to attend with the kids? I know I do! Before the “blog age”, I used to wonder the internet aimlessly, looking for things to do, lost in a world of infinite information. Nowadays, I have my go to list of sites to read to keep me up to date with new family friendly activity information. For all things Southern California, I often turn to Daytripping Mom. Aracely, the writer behind Daytrippingmom.com is always sharing discounts, giveaway, free museum days, and endless activity ideas with her readers. Besides being a great site for locals, I think her site is a valuable resource for families planning on visiting Southern California as well. Here are some recent examples of why I think her site is so great:
- After reading her post on where to see the Rose Parade Floats up close after the parade, I have marked in on my calendar for next year.
- She is always putting together these great lists or free museum days or discounted fun attractions like this one about free and cheap things to do around Southern California.
- There always seems to be some sort of giveaway going on like tickets to Elmo’s Birthday Party at the Discovery Science Center or tickets to Sealife Aquarium.
If you live, love, or visit Southern California, add Daytripping Mom to your blogroll. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.
Stay tuned for a great Huntington Beach themed Monday Madness which will be co-hosted by the OC expert herself, Daytripping Mom…
Do you have an outing that you would like to spotlight this week?
Perhaps its a post about a vacation you just took or a day trip that you think our readers should know about. Or maybe its a post about the vacation you are currently planning and going to book through Trekaroo! Link up something fresh from your blog using the Mr Linky below.
PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.
Step 1: Pick a recent post (past couple of days)
Step 2: Under “Name” write: “Title of your blog post (blog name)” – blog name in parenthesis
Under “url” paste: the link to your blog post (not your home page)
Step 3: Grab the Spotlight Thursday image and link to this post so your readers can see who else is playing along this week.
We want to be sure that everyone who participates in Spotlight Thursdays gets their moment in the spotlight so blogs that don’t link back will unfortunately have to be removed.
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to Michelle! Random.org selected comment #2! Enjoy your time on the slopes!
Where else but California can you surf in the morning and snow ski in the afternoon? Its both a question and tag line that Southern California tourism bureaus love to use. As a lifelong California resident, I have never had the pleasure of completing this feat, but I have made mountainside snowballs in the morning and had the sand between my toes in time for a beachfront sunset. It truly was a wonderfully unique experience.
So where do people in Southern California go when they are looking for a day filled with snow? Many head to Mountain High. Mt. High is the closest resort to the Los Angeles metropolitan area and visitors staying in LA or Orange County can make it to the slopes in under 2 hours. Since the resort is located only 20 minutes off of Interstate 15, there is the added benefit of not having to deal with treacherous mountain driving.
The Mountain High ski season typically runs from November to April and the resort consists of three separate mountains- Mountain High East, West, and North. The resort also includes two world-class terrain parks and the North Pole Tubing Park, the largest in the region. So whether your family skis, snowboards, or sleds, you are sure to find a hill that fits the bill.
First timers are welcome at Mountain High. There is a children’s academy offering full or half day lessons to children aged 4-9 and adult group lessons for parents and older children. Private and family lessons are also available. For the tiniest little skiers, the resort offers the parent and me “Virtual Snow” simulator. It helps prepare tots (and even older people who are a bit nervous about skiing) for the real event.
If all of this talk of fun on the slopes make you want to head on up the mountain? Well have we got a deal and a steal for you!
The Deal: Head to skiforfree.com and use promo code: SLED1 for 50% off lift tickets at Mt. High! This promo code is good for lift tickets discounts the entire 2011 season so be sure to share it with your friends and family. Update: A reader informed us that the code is only good for 50% Monday through Thursday and 24% off on weekends. We were not given this information when we originally posted the code and apologize for any convenience.
The Steal: Win 2 Lift Tickets to Mountain High Resort!
Details: One lucky winner will receive two lift tickets for the Mountain High Ski Resort in Wrightwood, CA
HOW TO ENTER TO WIN: Leave a comment.
For additional entries, feel free to do any or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra entry but be sure to LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ONE.
- Follow Ski For Free on Twitter
- Follow Ski For Free on Facebook
- Tweet a link to this Monday Mad Steal via @Trekaroo . YOU MAY DO THIS ONCE A DAY. JUST LEAVE A COMMENT EACH TIME YOU TWEET. Sample Tweet: “I just entered to win 2 Mountain High lift tickets via @trekaroo http://bit.ly/hX1aIs “.
- Subscribe to the Trekaroo Blog
- Post this on your Facebook Wall using the Facebook Share link above
- Fan Trekaroo on Facebook
- Follow Trekaroo on Twitter
- Post this giveaway on your blog
- Subscribe to Trekaroo in your reader
Rules and guidelines:
- 18 years of age or older
- US Residents only
Deadline to enter: Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 11:59PM PST
What is Monday Madness?
Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either a fantastic giveaway or an incredible deal. It could be a green water bottle, a hotel stay on Maui or theme park tickets. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog for the details. Want a reminder? Become a Trekaroo member or follow us on facebook or twitter.
Thanks to Contest for Moms, Online Sweepstakes, CashNet Sweepstakes, and Sweepstakes Advantage.
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
The holiday season is officially here and for many of us, the season’s celebrations are not complete without a colorfully trimmed tree in our living room. Artificial trees have become more and more popular in recent years, but Christmas tree purists like myself scoff at the idea of putting our presents under anything but the real thing.
Some of my greatest Christmas memories involved my family walking around the Christmas tree farm for hours, in search of the perfect tree to saw down, only to return to the very first tree that caught our eye. Yes, we could have just as easily gone to Home Depot and picked up a tree from the masses that were stacked inside the garden department, but there was just something about cutting down our own tree that added to the tradition. No, it isn’t quite as authentic as tromping out into the woods, chopping down a tree, and carrying it back to our home through the snow, but for those us living in urban areas, a Christmas tree farm is as close to authenticity as we can get.
If your family is looking to cut down a tree for the first time this year, then I highly suggest you read our top ten tips for a successful trip to a Christmas tree farm. The list contains tips on everything from tree selection tips, to cutting advice, to tips on what to do once you get the tree home. Its a must read for first timers or folks who have been out of the tree cutting game for a while.
For families living in the Bay Area, be sure to check out our list of cut your own (U-cut) Christmas tree farms near San Francisco and Liling’s writeup of her family’s experiences at Christmas tree farms in the Bay Area.
If you live in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, we have a list of Choose and Cut Christmas tree farms in Southern California. Even though we may not exactly live in a winter wonderland, it doesn’t mean we can’t have a good old fashioned tree cutting experience!
For families living in the Pacific Northwest (aka Christmas tree central), be sure to view out list of U-cut Christmas tree farms in Oregon and Washington.
I was surprised to discover that even Florida has some Christmas tree farms! If you live in the Everglades State, be sure to check out our list Christmas tree farms in Florida.
Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about the Northeast. We have lists of Christmas tree farms in New York, U-cut spots in New Jersey, and choose and cut locations in Connecticut as well!
Still don’t see your neck of the woods on our lists? Help out fellow locals and create a list of your favorite choose and cut spots!
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
This contest is now closed. Congrats to Linda, lucky number 13! Enjoy your weekend at the Embassy Suites!
One of the greatest things about vacationing in Southern California is that there is never a bad season to visit. The winters are mild and an 80 degree beach day in January is almost inevitable. The deserts come alive with flashy wild flowers in the spring and the summers are mild and idyllic along the coast. Fall is one of my favorite seasons in the Southland because the crowds are long gone but the weather is perfect for all sorts of outdoor activities.
Because Southern California is such a popular vacation spot, it came as no surprise to me to find out there were 18 different Embassy Suites locations in the region. With hotels in such diverse locals as La Jolla, La Quinta, and LA, its easy to find an Embassy Suites to call home base while your family enjoys sunny Socal.
Embassy Suites has always been one of my favorite hotel chains for families. First of all, the suite-style rooms gives families space to spread out and parents the opportunity to stay up and relax after putting the little ones to bed. Second, they are gorgeous. I love stepping out of my room and into the large open air atriums. It makes me feel like I am truly on vacation. Third, are the complimentary cooked to order breakfasts. I am not talking about pastries and orange juice- this is a real breakfast. My favorite is the omelette bar. Just tell the chef what ingredients you want with your eggs and he will build a tasty, customized breakfast. Finally, let’s not forget the Manager’s Reception every evening. Kids can enjoy juice and a light snack while the adults relax with a cocktail. What’s not to love about that?
If all this isn’t enough to make you want to hop in the car and head to a Southern California Embassy Suites Hotel than maybe this deal will do the trick. From now until January 8, 2011, all AAA members who make their reservations using the rate code: AA3 will enjoy the “Kids Eat Free” deal. Why stop at breakfast when your kids can enjoy free meals at lunch and dinner as well? So whether you spend the day exploring Old Town Pasadena, hanging out with Mickey Mouse, or on a jeep tour of the desert, make sure you get back to the hotel for dinner!
And now for….
The Steal: Win a Weekend Stay at Any One of the 18 Southern California Embassy Suites
Number of Winners: 1 winner
Prize: Two nights at one of the eighteen Embassy Suites located in Southern California
How to enter:
Visit the Embassy Suites Southern California website and tell us which hotel you would like to stay in if you win!
For additional entries, feel free to do any or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra entry but be sure to leave a separate comment for each one. This is how we keep track of extra entries.
- Fan Embassy Suites Southern California on Facebook..
- Write a review on Trekaroo and post a link to it in the comments (include your Trekaroo username) 5 ENTRIES PER REVIEW!
- Subscribe to the Trekaroo Blog
- Tweet a link to this Monday Mad Steal via @Trekaroo
- Post this on your Facebook Wall using the Facebook Share link above
- Fan Trekaroo on Facebook
- Follow Trekaroo on Twitter
- Post this giveaway on your blog
- Subscribe to Trekaroo in your reader
Rules and guidelines:
- 18 years of age or older
- US Residents only
Deadline to enter: Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 11:59PM PST
What is Monday Madness?
Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either a fantastic giveaway or an incredible deal. It could be a green water bottle, a hotel stay on Maui or theme park tickets. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog for the details. Want a reminder? Become a Trekaroo member or follow us on facebook or twitter.
Thanks to Contest for Moms, Online Sweepstakes, CashNet Sweepstakes, and Sweepstakes Advantage.
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
