Trekaroo’s goin’ to Carolina
Can’t you see the sunshine,
Can’t you just feel the moonshine,
Ain’t it just like a friend of mine,
To hit me from behind
Yes, we’re goin’ to Carolina with our KIDS!
(To the tune of James Taylor’s “Carolina in my Mind”)
Why North Carolina? Because Trekaroo families have been taken it upon themselves to build a fantastic list of activities and hotel reviews that just had to be released to the public. From the famous sunny beaches of North Carolina to the winter fun in High Country, families love it in North Carolina. Looking for some indoor fun? There’s plenty to enjoy in North Carolina from a world-class zoo in Asheboro to exhibits of fascinating sea life in our three coastal aquariums. We’ve got family-friendly summer fun at minor league baseball games and Nascar races.
Photo by: Flickr/Texas_mustang
So, what have Trekaroo families shared?
- Over 650 activities for kids throughout North Carolina
- Activities and hotel reviews in all 4 regions: Piedmont Triangle, The Coast, Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Great Smokey Mountains.
- A list of kid-friendly hotels in NC waiting to be rated by parents
- Lots of fun lists like:
- Places to Hike with Kids Around Charlotte, North Carolina by PrincessTrioMom
- Cheap Things to Do in Charlotte, NC with kids by JodyMace
- Kid-friendly Hotels in Charlotte, North Carolina by SpencerSpellman
- Fun for Dudes, Both Kids and Bigs Near Charlotte, NC by rjones64
- Snow Tubing and Sledding Hills in North Carolina by thelees3
- Ski Resorts in North Carolina with Kid Programs by thelees3
- Best Activities for Kids in the Piedmont Triangle – voted by Trekaroo families by Stephen Wantas
In celebration of our launch, the Trekaroo KidsMobile Blog Carnival stopped in Charlotte, NC and invited local bloggers on board to share their local tips on kid fun around Charlotte. Check out what they had to share.
Special thanks to christinembyrd, PrincessTrioMom, jamierippy, Grandma Adele, summerbreeze, Olgabow, jrhammlett, allison, frogsandladybugs for their love of North Carolina and sharing more than most about their adventures with kids with the Trekaroo community. And of course, thanks to team Trekaroo who work around the clock to make get all the details in place.
Going to Carolina with my kids,
Esther Lee (thelees3) – CEO
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Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TX | VA | WA
In celebration of Trekaroo’s launch in North Carolina, the Trekaroo KidsMobile is making a stop in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Trekaroo families love visiting Charlotte because there is an abundance of kid-friendly activities. Within a short drive, there are hiking trails galore. If you’re staying in the city, you’ll also find some world class museums that your kids will love. Trekaroo Families who live in Charlotte or have visited with their kids pitched in with their recommendations. Here’s a list of what our community recommended as the Best Activities for Kids in the Piedmont Triangle.
For our KidsMobile’s stop in Charlotte, we welcomed on board some local blogging moms and dads to give us the local scoop on what’s great for kids around Charlotte.
First up, Angela shares with us an excellent list of her family’s favorite Places to Hike with Kids Around Charlotte, North Carolina. Her family loves exploring outdoors. She is the mom behind Roses and Brambles where she shares amusing stories about their family’s adventures and misadventures in the daily life of growing and exploring together.
Jody knows how to make a dollar stretch! Here’s her list of Cheap Things to Do in Charlotte, NC with kids. After living abroad for a few years, she returned to settle in Charlotte with her family. Jody keeps the blog Charlotte on the Cheap where she complies a fantastic list of free or almost free events around Charlotte for children and adults.
Spencer Spellman is a travel journalist base out of Greenville South Carolina. He brings us a list of Kid-friendly Hotels in Charlotte, NC. Spencer is the go-to guy for tips on traveling around North and South Carolina and you can get his in depth travel advice on Carolina Nomad as well as on Uptake and Nile Guide.
Richard is a dad to 3 teens. Check out what he recommends as Fun for Dudes, Both Kids and Bigs Near Charlotte, NC. Richard is one of the dads behind A Dude’s Guide where he shares parenting tips from a Dad’s perspective. As a stay-at-home dad, he provides tips on fatherhood with a dose of humor in hopes of sparing other dudes the bewilderment he experienced as a first time dad.
Other Resources for the Piedmont Triangle, North Carolina
- All 273 Activities for Kids in and around the Piedmont Triangle (Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh)
- Kid-friendly hotels in and around the Piedmont Triangle (Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh)
- Snow Tubing and Sledding Hills in North Carolina by thelees3
Next stop, Orlando, Florida – Disney Fans and Non-Disney Fans, jump on board the KidsMobile!
The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist. It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while
1) expressing their unique point of view
2) getting a web of link exchanges.
Join us for one of our next stopovers.
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LiLing Pang is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TX | VA | WA
The Trekaroo KidsMobile just climbed from sea level to the mile high city of:
Denver, Colorado
Who would have known that Denver is a city that is full of indoor water parks? Who would have thought that local families love having a fiesta good time at one local Mexican restaurant called Casa Bonita? These were some of my favorite surprises found in the recommendations that local travel savvy Colorado moms are sharing with the rest of us on Trekaroo. Jump on board the KidsMobile – the locals are taking our families on a tour of Denver. They’ll even tell you where the locals frequent on the weekends when they head up to the mountains.
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Trekaroo families have been voting for their favorite kid-friendly activities in and around San Diego for a couple of months. We’ve tallied their votes for 2009 and here’s the line up!
Top Activities for Kids in Denver, CO – voted by Trekaroo parents
First up, Kara gives her stamp of approval to what she considers the Top 5 Museums for Kids in Denver. When Kara gives her thumbs up, we all take note because she is one of three founders and travel writers for The Vacation Gals. Their site is chock full of great tips on favorite destinations for family trips, girlfriend getaways and romantic escapes. Kara is a wonderful story-teller and she’ll get you ready to jump on the next plane and head to whatever destination she’s writing about.
Fiona, better known as the witty mom behind her blog Bantering Blonde, brings us her Five Favorite Indoor Water Parks In the Denver Area. Only a local mom would know that Denver is a city that abounds in indoor water parks. Fiona is an active mom of 3 who is also the founder of Mom Active. A site that inspires women to be positive role models in their family. If you’re having one of those days, hop on over to Bantering Blonde and you’ll be sure that Fiona will have you chuckling about your life as a mom in no time at all.
Suzanne has the local scoop on the Top 5 Places to eat with your Kids in Denver. She is the mom extraordinaire to 7 kids (yes! That’s right – 7.) She tells her tales of life as a mom of a blended family on her blog Crunchy Green Mom. She is your go-to mom for what’s fun to do on a budget or for free in Denver.
If you’re visiting Denver with your kids for a weekend, kick start your itinerary with Lori’s recommendations of How to spend a day or weekend with kids in Denver. Lori is the mom behind WeeblesWobblog where she blogs about open adoption, parenting, mindful living, politics, 1970s trivia and much more. She’s lived in Japan and Syria and having kids has not stopped them from traveling. With their kids, they’ve traveled all across the US and to Costa Rica.
Our Family’s Staycation Experiences in Colorado is brought to you by Jillian, the mom of 3 who authors the blog Is dis normal or dysfunctional, She’s got a wonderful collection of stories that any mom can relate to. Her casual and open writing is a pleasure to read. Jillian has been writing offline for many years and started writing online in 2009. Since then she’s been featured in both travel and parenting online websites like Parenting.com, Blogher.com and many many more.
Other Resources for Denver, CO
- All 104 Activities for Kids in and around Denver, CO
- Kid-friendly hotels in and around Denver, CO
- Ski Resorts in Colorado with Daycare and Kid Programs – TravelPangs
- Sledding and Tubing Hills in Colorado – TravelPangs
- Wintertime Day Trips from Colorado Springs – Gretchen
Next stop, Charlotte, North Carolina (that’s right, the launch of North Carolina is coming soon)
The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist. It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while
1) expressing their unique point of view
2) getting a web of link exchanges.
Join us for one of our next stopovers.
*****
LiLing Pang is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA | WA
Over the mountains and through the hills, over the plains and through the desserts….the KidsMobile pulls into
San Diego, CA
Whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall, San Diego is a wonderful destination in any season! Home to Legoland, the world famous San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and a good many warm sandy beaches, San Diego is definitely one of my favorite vacation spots in the US. Why? Well, the weather is gorgeous, the people are laid back, the outdoor recreation is wonderful, the town is manageable, traffic is tolerable, and it’s situated close enough to Disneyland to the north and Mexico to the south. Alone or combined with a side trip in either direction makes for a spectacular family vacation.
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Trekaroo families have been voting for their favorite kid-friendly activities and hotels in and around San Diego. We’ve tallied their votes for 2009 and here’s the line up!
Top Activities for Kids in San Diego, CA – voted by parents
Top Kid-friendly Hotels in San Diego, CA – voted by parents
Living in San Diego leaves local families little excuse to stay home. These moms bring you their personal recommendations of the best places to take kids in their hometown. Want the local scoop? Here it is!
Bridget Smith, the author of The Unauthorized Legoland Guidebook not only shared with us her Top Tips for a Legoland Adventure with Toddler and Preschoolers, but now gives us some great ideas about Fun Things to Do After Visiting Legoland, California. Bridget spent countless hours in Legoland one year and made more than full use of their family’s season pass to bring us the blow-by-blow of making the most of your visit to Legoland. Follow their family’s other adventures on her blog: Family Adventure Guidebooks
The Q Family isn’t local but lives to travel. If you have 5 days to spend in San Diego, here’s their list of the Must See Attractions with Kids in San Diego. This is a family who’s constantly on the go! The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog chronicles their adventures with wonderful photos, fun stories and helpful tips.
Balboa Park is a wonderful urban park that families love. But when hunger strikes, Carolina has a list of Kid-friendly Dining in Balboa Park. She is the mom behind the blog Kids Go West. As a public school teacher, mom and freelance travel writer, she shares her insider tips on all the totally awesome places to go with kids in her home state of California. Bookmark her blog if you’re heading to California.
Rockinmama loves to mix fun and learning. She recommends these 5 Fun and Educational Kid Activities in San Diego. On her blog Rockin Mama, she writes with great humor about pregnancy. She also write prolifically about parent-friendly products. If you’re looking for the inside scoop on new products for parents out there, this rockin mama’s got it.
Ciao Bambino brings us San Diego: Favorite Family Hotels . Ciao Bambino is a one of Trekaroo’s favorite partners because we share a common passion – inspiring families to travel. Ciao Bambino provides tips and advice around all things related to traveling with kids and is a guide to the best kid-friendly hotels.
Sarah Wyles runs Toddler’s Travels – a local baby equipment rental company for visiting families. Naturally, she’s a guru on Fun Activities for Toddlers in San Diego. Instead of lugging all those bulky items on the plane, rent it when you arrive from Toddler’s Travels.
Colleen of TravelMamas has the scoop on the 5 Best Family-friendly Restaurants in San Diego County. Her blog, Travelmamas, gives tell-it-like-it-is tips about traveling with kids. Relying on her own family’s experience as well as the advice from other traveling parents and experts, she gives loads of practical advice on traveling well with kids.
La Jolla is one of the most beautiful suburbs of San Diego and La Jolla Mom shares with us her list of Things to Do in La Jolla With Kids. Her blog La Jolla Mom has become a meeting place of sorts for local moms looking to connect. Her Family Fun section is full of popular and off the beaten path places to go with kids. Hop on over and see why La Jolla is a town you must stop at when visiting San Diego.
Other Resources for San Diego, CA
- All 104 Activities for kids in the San Diego County
- Kid-friendly hotels in and around San Diego County
Which Hotels came up at the top?
Top Activities for Kids in San Diego, CA – voted by parents
Next stop, Denver, CO (that’s right, the launch of Colorado is coming soon)
The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist. It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while
1) expressing their unique point of view
2) getting a web of link exchanges.
Join us for one of our next stopovers.
*****
LiLing Pang is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | FL | HI | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA and now IL WA, and DC
San Diego is one city not lacking in natural beauty. With that comes some world class hotels and resorts where families are simply in heaven. Here are some of the best of the best that Trekaroo families love.
# 1 Top Luxury Family-Friendly Hotel with Great Kid Perks: Hotel Del Coronado
This KSL Luxury property is getting rave 5 star reviews from families on Trekaroo. Not only is this hotel rich in history and Victorian charm, it is rich in family-friendly amenities. Michipo says the “grounds are immaculate and the beach is beautiful”. Kids will enjoy it’s beach front location while mom and dad won’t be able to get enough of the splendid views and their extensive spa services. Their kids program caters to children of all ages with biking, kayaking, sailing, surfing, and all manner of water sports to entertain and amuse. Babysitting is can also be arranged through the hotel. Choose from a variety of accommodations, including beachfront cottages and villas. Until Dec 31, 2009, Hotel Del Coronado is offering family packages that include free meals for kids under 12. Rates start from $315/night
Read the full reviews from families on the Hotel Del Coronado| Check for Deals and Availability
Best Value Without Compromise Hotel: Catamaran Resort and Spa
The Catamaran Resort is located a short drive from SeaWorld (9 minutes) and the San Diego Zoo (15 minutes) on the north end of Mission Bay. Mission Bay itself is a treasure trove of water sports and outdoor fun. Catamaran Resort also offers accommodation and facilities that your kids will love at affordable prices. With a beachfront location, this resort also offers all sorts of water sports like sailing, surfing, water-skiing and more. They also offer babysitting services and a Kid’s Camp where parents can drop kids off for a fun filled day. In the evenings, enjoy a cruise on Bahai Belle on the house. Believe it or now, rates start at $109/night.
Read the full reviews from families on Sheraton Carlsbad | Check for Availability
Best Hotel Near Legoland: Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa
The Sheraton Carlsbad has direct access to Legoland reserved for Sheraton guests. With a number of generously sized suite room that offer a separate room for mom and dad, plus a large family-friendly pool stocked with floaties, beach balls, this hotel gets top marks from Trekaroo families. Consider upgrading to the Club Level for an additional $20-40, so you can enjoy th breakfast buffet and after/evenign snacks which allows you to avoid a visit to the grocery stores for milk and kid-friendly food on the go. There are a few additional charges to beware for WIFI and parking. Rates start from $159/night
Read the full reviews from families on Sheraton Carlsbad | Check for Availability
Which Activities came up at the top?
Top Activities for Kids in San Diego, CA – voted by parents
Other Resources for San Diego, CA
- All 104 Activities for kids in the San Diego County
- Kid-friendly hotels in and around San Diego County
- Top Tips for a Legoland Adventure with Toddler and Preschoolers – familyadventuremom
- Fun Things to Do After Visiting Legoland, California - familyadventuremom
- Must See Attractions with Kids in San Diego – theqfamily
- Kid-friendly Dining in Balboa Park – kidsgowest
- San Diego: Favorite Family Hotels – ciaobambino
- Fun Activities for Toddlers in San Diego – Toddler’s Travel
- 5 Best Family-friendly Restaurants in San Diego County – Travelmamas
- Things to Do in La Jolla With Kids – LaJollaMom
LiLing Pang is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | FL | HI | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA and now IL and WA
