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Want to avoid flying in 2020 but still want to travel with the kids? Pack up the car and hit the road to these fun destinations around the United States instead!
There’s something special about going on a road trip. Playing games in the car, eating snacks on the way, singing songs, simply looking at the world pass by, and it’s especially exciting to arrive at your destination. Roadtrips are more adventurous for kids compared to long airport lines, stuffy airplanes, crowds of people, and perfectly manicured resorts.
Where ever the summer takes you, remember to pack ZizzyBee Bags! Our reusable bags replace 1000+ plastic ziplock style bags a year.
Use for:
$5 BAG SUMMER SALE – NO CODE REQUIRED.
Tip: If any of these are too far to drive to, just search for the same type of activity in your area!
Camping when I grew up meant sleeping in a tent, but nowadays “glamping” definitely has its perks. Glamping is a combination or camping and luxury – aka “glam.”
Strawberry Park is an award-winning 160-acre campground nestled in the heart of southeastern Connecticut, just minutes from Mystic Seaport, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun Casinos. Three huge swimming pool, showers with electricity, RV Trailers, log cabins, themed weekends, tons of fun activities throughout the
Click to view best campground in Connecticut.
Asheville, NC is a magnificent place to visit. It held the title of Beer Capital of America for having the most breweries per capita – remember, most breweries and family-friendly.
“Most glamping sites include the basics: weatherproof shelter, chairs, fire ring and picnic table. Stay in tents on platforms, yurts and more. Inside, find comfortable beds – often with sheets and towels. Not all glampsites are created equal, so amenities vary greatly. While some glamping communities offer resort-like packages, others keep it simple.” (Romanticasheville.com – glamping in Asheville, NC)
Here’s a glamping tent in Asheville that sleeps 8 and even has a slide for kids!
Try a private, luxury log cabin camping in Waterbury, Vermont at the Moose Meadow Lodge. Nestled on 86 secluded acres in the Green Mountains, this glamping site offers four luxury guest rooms and a treehouse for rent. Just minutes from many Vermont attractions including skiing, hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, antiquing, and fine dining. Click for more info – Moose Meadow Lodge in Vermont.
Vermont made the list again with their indoor waterpark resort, the Pump House Indoor Waterpark. With slides, rapids where you float through, Flowrider surfing, indoor and outdoor pools, hot tubs, and even snacks and drinks at the poolside bar, this waterpark has a little something for everyone. Kids will love it!
Check out this amazing blog by Mommy Gearest – Things to Do at Pump House Indoor Waterpark in Jay, Vermont.
Epic Waters Indoor Water Park in Grand Prairie, Texas is the largest indoor water park in Texas – they do say everything is bigger in Texas! This park is 80,000 square feet and has 11 water slides, 300-gallon tipping bucket, lazy river, sprinklers, pools, and much more. They even have a retractable roof to enjoy the real sunshine!
Click for more – biggest indoor water park in Texas and check out this fabulous blog by Little Feet Big Adventures to see a review of Epic Waters Indoor Water Park in Texas.
Swimming holes are one of my favorite memories of a child up at the Kancamangus Highway in North Conway, NH.
Swimming holes are places where water collects in pools deep enough to swim from rivers (usually with waterfalls too). The entire family can have a dip to cool off. Most are free too. I love the ones that you have to hike a little bit to get to. The water is always so clean and refreshing.
Stay at a B&B near the White Mountains in North Conway, NH and spend your days visiting swimming holes. Pack a lunch or enjoy the plenty of local restaurants in the area.
A stay at the Old Red Inn & Cottages are around $150 a night during peak season. They even have a beautiful pool to swim in and each morning breakfast is served B&B style. The owners are so lovely and make you feel instantly at home.
Here are some of the many swimming holes to visit in the area:
The Daily Adventures of Me Blog wrote about some great hiking trails and captured beautiful waterfalls to visit near North Conway, NH.
In the afternoon light, Emerald Cave is gorgeous. A great place to picnic and kayak to the cave. There are Emerald Cave Kayak Tours you can buy tours. Live Like Pete is a great blog – check out his review of kayaking the Black Canyon which includes Emerald Cave.
BONUS: this is only 1.5 hours from downtown Las Vegas, Nevada!
Formed from sulfuric acid erosion of underground limestone deposits, the Carlsbad Caverns are tucked into the Chihuahuan Desert and include 119 known caves. “Carlsbad Cavern includes a large cave chamber, the Big Room, a natural limestone chamber which is almost 4,000 feet (1,220 m) long, 625 feet (191 m) wide, and 255 feet (78 m) high at the highest point. It is the third largest chamber in North America and the seventh largest in the world.” (www.newmexico.org – visitor information New Mexico)Visitors are free to take a self-guided tour or sign up for a guided tour.
There’s a really interesting blog called Inspired Imperfection that has a blog review of Carlsbad Cave.
Skip renting a house on land, what about sleeping on the water? Houseboats are literally floating houses. Everything you need to live and sleep comfortably is provided except you are floating on the water.
Houseboating.org has 29 houseboating destinations to choose from with a variety of rentals to choose.
Dale Hollow Lake is known for being a party spot where nearly every marina rents out houseboats. “Lined with evergreen trees and sandy beaches, Dale Hollow Lake is a gorgeous body of water in Northern Tennessee.” (Rent a houseboat on Dale Hollow Lake – Houseboating.org). Also famous for their small-mouthed bass if your family likes fishing!
“Lake Billy Chinook is a canyon lake in Oregon, its clear waters flowing between the deep carved banks of the Crooked, Deschutes, and Metolius Rivers. The dam has made this convergence a reservoir instead of a three-in-one river, but the lake is unusually narrow. The unique width of Lake Billy Chinook however makes houseboating that much more interesting. Boating between the intense cliffs in the bright summer or in the cooler spring isn’t quite like boating anywhere else.” (Rent a Houseboat on Lake Billy Chinook)
I was at a conference once and heard the story of the guy who started Airbnb. It started with him meeting a stranger one night at a bar – another guy. The guy was sharing a story on how the hotel he booked did not have a room for him when he arrived. He had no place to stay. The guy invited him to stay on his couch. So the idea popped in his head to book your home to travelers. For four years they tried to get funding and kept hearing, no. Then one day they finally got funding and now it’s a $38 billion dollar business.
It’s fun to look at rentals on Air b n b. For the summer filter your search to include beachfront or a pool so you and the kids can have a way to cool off without having to go far from the rental – or leave at all!
Start searching for summer house rentals in your favorite areas.
Ever want to spend a night in a tiny house? Well now you can and the best ones are emerged in nature like this Tiny House Resort in the Cat Skill Mountains. They have multiple tiny houses to choose from all equipped with everything you need – just like a mini house! With nature all around you, the kids will love playing in the babbling creek and seeing the beautiful waterfall.
Click to see this Tiny House Resort in Nature.
Want to feel like you are in the Caribbean without flying? Florida is a great place to book a hotel and enjoy the sunny days and palms swaying in the wind while you sip a drink and the kids play in the pool. Oh and by the way the turquoise, warm ocean and white sandy beach is only steps away, too! This hotel has the best service and the Blackened Grouper Sandwich is the best I’ve eaten EVER!
This seaside, colonial-style hotel is a block from Duval Street’s boutiques and eateries, a 3-minute walk from the southernmost point in the continental U.S. and an 11-minute walk to the Ernest Hemingway House and Museum. Book today and check prices for Florida Keys hotel resorts here.
Sometimes driving in and of itself is a great trip! There are a ton of famous highways to drive and explore. Map out your trip and make stops along the way to swim, see landmarks, hike, eat, camp, shop, and more.
Driving Rt. 100 in the Florida Keys is GORGEOUS. The National Geographic did a great story on this highway and says, “Embrace the laid-back Keys life on a classic drive down the Florida Keys Overseas Highway (U.S. 1). The roughly 100-mile (one-way) route island-hops along the southern rim of the Everglades and Florida Bay from Key Largo south to Key West. Featured stops celebrate all things Keys: fresh-caught seafood, old-school roadside attractions, and unspoiled state and national parks.” (The Ultimate Florida Keys Roadtrip)
“The amazing thing about the Pacific Coast is that it is still mostly wild, open, and astoundingly beautiful country, where you can drive for miles and miles and have the scenery all to yourself.” (Plan a Pacific Coast Highway Trip – Road Trip USA)
Road Trip USA listed all the great stops on the Pacific Coast Highway:
(Plan a Pacific Coast Highway Trip – Road Trip USA)
Take a look at Big Sur – wow, this is worth it alone!
National Parks are great for family roadtrips. Metalfloss.com gave 15 reasons why to visit a national park this summer – some of which are:
Located in Newhalem, Washington (110 miles north-east of Seattle), the North Cascades National Park has an alpine landscape including jagged peaks, glaciers, waterways, and forested valleys. It even has 300 glaciers! There are a ton of family-friendly hiking trails and things to do in North Cascades National Park.
VisitAdirondack.com says it best, “The Adirondack Regions feature over 100 welcoming communities, mountains, lakes, verdant valleys and steep cliffs. Spanning more than six million acres, the Adirondack Mountains are home to the largest protected natural area in the lower 48 of the United States. Like a patchwork quilt, the Adirondacks are made up of twelve distinct regional destinations, each offering their own brand of Adirondack adventure. From the endless canoeing and kayaking in the Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake regions, to the extensive hiking trails of the High Peaks Wilderness in the Lake Placid Region – discover an area as diverse in geography as it is in activities and events. Bicycle between wineries on the Adirondack Coast, or dive to sunken shipwrecks in the Adirondack Seaway near the Canadian Border. You’re invited to explore the Lake George Region’s family-friendly attractions and discover the Adirondack Tug Hill Plateau’s one-of-a-kind recreation opportunities…
Discover why the Adirondack Mountains are like no other place on earth. There are no park fees to enter, no gates that close at night, just a boundless natural preserve and the promise of adventure. Explore the hiking trails of the famed Adirondack High Peaks. Choose your own camping adventure under the stars. Unwind on the pristine lakes of an Adirondack paradise.
To make planning your visit to the Adirondacks easier, we offer a variety of FREE brochures available for download, with information about hiking across the region, scenic drives that include easy access to shopping and restaurants, as well as information about the best fishing spots and paddling.”
How fun!
Just because we are not hopping on a plane to visit the Bahamas or Aruba, doesn’t mean we cannot do a roadtrip to an island in the United States! You may have to take a ferry, but that’s all part of the fun.
Block Island is special in so many ways. They say it’s unlike anywhere you have ever visited. Enjoy a beach day, bike ride around the island, kayak adventure, paddleboarding, or exploring the island, Block Island should make your list of summer destinations.
It’s actually pretty easy to get on the island. The island is only 12 miles off the Rhode Island coast so you can take a 15-minute plane ride from Westerly, Rhode Island; a half hour on the high speed ferry from Point Judith, Rhode Island; or just over an hour on the ferry from New London, Connecticut. There’s even a ferry from Montauk that brings visitors from Long Island and New York to this unique island. There’s also a new high speed ferry too that comes from Newport, RI.
On the island there is no traffic lights or big chain businesses. The landscape is breathtaking with pristine beaches. There are a ton of restaurants, music, art, and much more fun to enjoy on Block Island. Make it a day trip or overnight – there are a ton of B&B inns and air b n b rentals.
Click to get more information about visiting Block Island and where to stay / what to do.
This is not technically an island, but is on a strip of land off the coast of North Carolina so it feel like an island. They call it the Outer Banks (there’s a great Netflix show too called The Outer Banks!).
According to the Town of Duck website, “The Town of Duck, North Carolina, is a thriving coastal community. We respect and value our delicate yet dynamic barrier island environment – clean waters and beaches, maritime forests, wetlands, and dunescapes. With an eclectic mix of independent businesses and the Duck Town Park and Boardwalk, Duck Village is a source of pride and the heart of Duck. Whether you are a resident, a first-time visitor, or someone who feels that Duck is your home away from home, we welcome you to explore the Town of Duck.”
DuckNCguide.com says: “Visitors and locals can roam 7 miles of beaches that are wide and uncrowded. A soundfront boardwalk makes getting around to Duck’s many shops and restaurants very pleasant, not to mention safe. Duck is one of those places where you can ditch the car and get around on bike or foot. Duck consistently ranks high on the Travel Channel’s annual America’s Best Beaches list and has been somewhere on the best beaches list since 2000. This is what the Travel Channel has to say about Duck. ‘Duck’s relative solitude and its vast array of neatly constructed rental homes make it ideal for families. That is, unless your family likes to go bar hopping until the wee hours, in which case you may be out of luck. … Still, while we admit Duck would never make the list for top spring break party spots, boredom is hardly a threat here.’
Duck may be our next stop this summer – sounds like a little slice of heaven if you ask me!
Growing up in the country riding dirtbikes and fourwheelers (not called quads by the kids) was the thing to do and SO FUN. I love to give my kids a chance to experience the same things I did as a kid so renting ATVs is a great way to do this if you don’t own any or have the land to ride on.
The Poconos Mountains – often referred to as “the Poconos” are a beautiful place to visit. There are a ton of ATV rental places in the Poconos.
Poconomountains.com says, “The four-county region is famous for its resorts, natural scenic beauty, 150 lakes including Lake Wallenpaupack, and quaint, historic towns. The varied landscape inspires a range of experiences, from the private and peaceful to the bold and exhilarating. Cottages & condos and hotels promote restful mountain moments while waterparks and adventure courses, offer excitement around every turn.” Click to learn more about what to do and where to stay in the Poconos.
FAT DADDY’S ATV PARK is 500 acres in Waycross, Georgia on the beautiful Satilla River. With miles of ATV trails and UTV trails, both sand and mud for riding, this park is fun for the whole family. There are even some sand hills for those who like more of an adrenaline rush. ATVs not your thing? Instead you can enjoy a relaxing day on the Satilla River. There is private camping available with bathroom and shower facilities. Now this may not be glamping, but a day of down and dirty muddin’ will keep a smile on everyone’s face. Learn more about this ATV rental park in Georgia.
What would you to add to this ultimate list of summer roadtrip ideas with kids?
August / September 2019
The latest baby gear for posh and frugal moms. “I’ll also throw in a ZizzyBee Bag or two in my diaper bag. These washable storage bags are a better alternative to plastic bags and perfect for a mom on the go who wants to contain clutter. I’m already using one in my pool bag for wet bathing suits and another one for my make-up.
Happy July! Summer is well underway — the kids are out of school, travel plans are on the calendar, and trips to the beach or pool are frequent. Here’s our top 10 all-time summer essentials round-up:
Remember the days of putting baby oil on to tan – I remember my mom doing this?! I’m relieved that we are being more careful when out in the sun by wearing good sunscreen, but think twice before putting your favorite sunscreen on your kids! Many sunscreens have toxic chemicals that leach right into your kids skin and bloodstream. TheEveryGirl just released a great article of the best non-toxic sunscreens of 2019.
All three of my go-to sunscreens I put on my 3 year old made the list!
#1 Goddess Garden Baby Sunscreen – SPF 50
This makes it SUPER easy to apply to my kid’s face, neck, ears and I even use it on his body if I’m out and about and need to apply sunscreen quickly without any mess on my hands.
I use Babo Botanicals Daily Sheet Tinted Sunscreen on my face and I love it!
It’s annoying to always be asking, “Where’s the sunscreen?” or digging in the beach bag trying to find it every time.
ZizzyBee Bags are the perfect solution to hold all your swim gear – sunscreen, goggles, arm swimmies, change of dry clothes, and I even put my son’s wet bathing suit in a ZizzyBee Bag when I leave the beach.
ZizzyBee Bags are awesome to use year-round:
And there’s one more thing you can do and is another reason why I love ZizzyBee Bags because they launched this amazing initiative. You can Take The Plastic Pledge here to help save our oceans.
#3 Protective SwimwearSnapperrock UPF 50+ Protection Swimwear for kids and adults are my all-time favorite.
I love the designs plus they are fast drying, lightweight, and blocks 98% of the suns harmful rays.
Starting at $46 at Snapperrock.com
I also came across another company called Otterwings and they have UPF50+ swim shirts made of soft material that have a pair of connectable, fabric covered water wings.
Regular $49.95 – SALE $29.95 at otterwings.com
This is awesome! How many times do you lay on a beach towel and grab for your clothes, bunch them up and use as a pillow?
This beach towel has a built in pillow – hence the name Tillow (towel + pillow).
• Large Towel
• Removable Beach Chair Strap so towel does not fly off.
• Removable Orthopedic Foam Pillow
• Touchscreen Pocket and Headphone Hole
• Turns into a Bag to carry
• Water-resistant storage pocket
Starting at $19.95 at TheTillow.com.
Lack of beach bags that could suit a family’s needs sparked the creation of the Bogg Bag. Needs were simple: a bag large enough to carry everything, that wouldn’t fall over and spill, and that could be rinsed at the end of the day. After coming up short, the founders decided to make their own.
#6 Piggy PaintSummer is the perfect time to paint those little piggies! But did you know regular nail polish eats a hole right through a Styrofoam plate within minutes? Say bye-bye to toxic nail polish and use Piggy Paint this summer instead!
My mom LOVES QVC so I often get surprise packages in the mail and the most recent one was this awesome cooler! We bought a couple soft coolers at the grocery store and one was too small and the other one leaks when ice melted, but this one is AWESOME!
It’s very roomy, yet still lightweight and compact enough to lug to the beach, pool, or on the boat. Fits a whole bag of ice in there easily and can fit a ton of foods and drinks too.
Here’s my husband holding it in the boat marina over the 4th of July:
Wouldn’t it be so much more relaxing to not have to worry about valuables getting taken or wet/sandy when at the beach?
The Beach Vault by Two Elephants is an amazing gadget that is a must for summer. This unique, cork-screw safe holds your phone, wallet, keys and other valuables with an air-tight, water proof lid. Once closed, just screw into the sand and cover with your towel!
These are genius! Turtlebacks all-terrain drink holders prevent drink spills and dirty drink bottoms at the beach, picnics, camping, tailgating, backyards and everywhere else.
They speak for themselves and are so awesome.
Ditch the plastic whenever you go to the beach so make sure to bring eco water bottles for all.
For kids we LOVE Pacific Baby eco water bottles.
This water bottle is produced from food-grade stainless steel and reduces by 98% the amount of plastic in your child’s drinking bottle.
For adults we love Hydroflask eco water bottles.
32 oz Tumbler – Hydroflask is $39.95.
22 oz Tumbler – Hydroflask is $29.95.
We love Life Factory bottles because they are reusable glass instead of plastic.
Starting at $14.99 at Lifefactory.com
What are your favorite summer essentials?
While ZizzyBee bags actually started out as toy organization bags, it quickly became apparent that these multi-use, eco-friendly storage bags had a virtually limitless number of uses. They are perfect for purse clutter, crayons and art supplies, sunscreen and other swim gear, toys, toiletries while traveling, snack/lunch bag, and so much more.
But while home organization is exciting, ZizzyBee Bags has even bigger goals in mind. Lisa aims to be a business at the forefront of the war on plastic.
Plastic waste is such a problem that floating islands of waste have accumulated in the Pacific ocean. The biggest garbage-island is twice the size of the state of Texas and weighs as much as 500 jumbo jets.
A 3-pack of ZizzyBee Bags replaces 1000+ large, single-use plastic ziplock bags per year. For every family that makes this choice, we can significantly cut down on plastic waste in the US.
To further this vision, Lisa is launching the Plastic Pledge to partner with brands that have created products that replace plastic alternatives or use recycled ocean plastic. Ten percent of proceeds will be donated to plastic clean-up projects in our oceans.
“Together, we can create change,” Lisa says, “and it starts with education.”
READ ENTIRE ARTICLE and learn more about the best eco travel storage bags here.
ZizzyBee Bags are a perfect fit for all your home storage and travel needs. It’s time to stop using plastic bags and switch to ZizzyBee Bags which are washable, reusable and eco-friendly.Check us out- the uses are endless.
ZizzyBee Bags – From carrying and storing Mom’s makeup and Dad’s toiletries, to carting around the kid’s toys and sports gear, ZizzyBee Bags are a sustainable alternative to plastic bags. Perfect for travel, these durable and light-weight mesh bags are see-through and breathable, washable and re-usable. Available in a variety of colorful designs, prices start at $15.99 for a set of 3 small bags. www.ZizzyBeeBags.com.
CLICK TO READ FULL FEATURE of the best eco travel bags.
The kids and I tote clothes, treats, and toys about with ZizzyBee Bags. These convenient, eco-friendly, colorful mesh bags are conveniently available in three different sizes are a durable, green alternative for packing up important items in see-through, washable, reusable bags for home and travel activities.
“ZizzyBee bags are an alternative to the plastic bags, bins and boxes you are constantly going through trying to keep organized. These eco-friendly, mesh bags are washable making them perfect for activities of all kinds!”
Lisa
Founder of ZizzyBee Bags & Mom of 2 Amazing Kids
CLICK TO READ feature on best travel toy bags for kids.
Moms can stay organized all year round with ZizzyBee Bags! These eco-friendly, mesh storage bags are the ideal alternative instead of plastic bags. ZizzyBee bags replace 1000+ single use plastic bags a year! CLICK TO READ FULL MAGAZINE FEATURE of these amazing eco storage bags for moms.
If you don’t have a half dozen of the ZizzyBee Bags in your life then you are definitely missing out. These reusable and washable bags are perfect for toy organization, but we love to bring them camping for all sorts of reasons. Keep your toiletries in them for when you head to the showers or use them as dunk bags at your dishwashing station. Use them to bring along some art supplies or LEGO bricks, and throw them in the wash when you get home.
Buy them here: zizzybeebags.com, three large bags for $22.95.
CLICK TO READ FULL FEATURE about the best eco travel bags for camping.
Choose something trendy and useful for your Mother’s Day gift this year. For example, ZizzyBee Bags are amazing! They replace 1000+ single-use, plastic zip-style bags a year. By the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish so by making smart swaps, we can win the war on plastic. CLICK TO LISTEN TO PODCAST about these eco storage bags.
