Month: September 2009

San Francisco offers Great fun for Kids of All Ages

San Francisco offers Great fun for Kids of All Ages

If you are looking for a great place to visit and bring the kids, look no further than San Francisco, California. This city is a wonderful vacation destination not only for grownups for little ones alike. There is so much to see and do that will appeal to young and old alike.

The real beauty of San Francisco to me is the fact that many of the best attractions for kids are also educational as well. Even better is the fact that the educational values are so cleverly disguised as fun, your kids won’t even know what hit them. In fact, mom and dad might find themselves learning a thing or two along the way. You might even find yourselves having just as much fun as your little ones are.

My suggestion though is to be careful not to overdo it. We all want our kids to have fun and enjoy the vacation experience but if you cram too many activities into a small span of time, you will have children who are overloaded, cranky, and tired. This will make your day miserable and will affect their memories of the time they spend here. I will give a brief overview of several great things for kids and families to do in San Francisco, hopefully this will help you choose more selectively the activities you feel are can’t miss activities and those that you can live without. Also remember if you don’t get to do everything this trip, don’t try to force activities in. Consider is a good reason to come back.

The first thing that I want to tell you about is the Exploratorium. This is definitely one of those destinations that disguises education as fun. The great thing about this one is that it will not only appeal to the little ones but also offer education and fun for the grown ups as well. If I were to point out one ‘must do’ thing for your family trip to San Francisco this would be it.

If you’re planning to be around Fisherman’s Wharf (which I highly recommend) you might find Pier 39 to be an excellent destination. The Magic Carpet Ride is sure to please everyone in the family and the little ones will love the San Francisco Carousel. The Pier 39 Marina offers powerboat and sailboat rides that are sure to please the entire family and the Riptide Arcade will delight the little gamers in the family. Perhaps the biggest attraction though, is the Aquarium of the Bay. This is another activity that I highly recommend. There are many more activities available at Pier 39, you’ll just have to check it out and see what you find most appealing to you. I could personally plan a trip to Frisco and never leave the Fisherman’s Wharf.

Fairyland is a great destination if you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive day of fun. With the admission price for everyone over the age of 1 being 6 dollars, it is a really inexpensive way to spend the day. A day at Fairyland will definitely be a highlight of your trip for younger children and will provide parents and other family members with some fond memories as well.

Another fun thing to do for the entire family is to take a Jelly Belly Factory Tour at the Jelly Belly Candy Company. The tour is free and offered daily between the hours of 9 am and 4pm. While it isn’t the height of educational fun, kids will definitely think it’s cool to see how these tasty treats are made.

I saved the best two for last. The San Francisco Zoo and Six Flags Marine World. I cannot say enough about either of these attractions. The magic they hold for children is undeniable and well worth the price of the tickets. The best advice, by far that I can give you about bringing your children to San Francisco, California is to relax and have a good time. Everyone will have a much better vacation experience if you take that advice.

Top

San Francisco Offers Fun in Sun and the Water

If you like water sports and activities that involve the water, then San Francisco should be at the very top of your must visit list. There are so many water activities in San Francisco your head will spin. In fact, bring your suit and prepare to spend a great deal of time enjoying the water and the great recreation that the water has to offer.

If you like the water but have little real experience at manning the wheel of a boat or navigating narrow straights, you will probably be best served by chartering the services of experts rather than attempting a go of it on your own. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to do this. One of the most common ways is to take a ferry out to Alcatraz or Angel Island. You get the benefit of time on the water with no work involved whatsoever. You also get the added benefit of a tour of some sort on the other end of your trip. Many visitors each year enjoy this means of water travel and it is both an economical way to travel by water and a low stress way to do so.

You can also elect a sunset or sightseeing cruise around the bay on a chartered sailboat or motor sailor that is fully crewed. Some of the charter companies even offer team-building activities if you are traveling to San Francisco on business. Sailing is a great way to build a team and bond them like nothing else on earth. If you’ve never been sailing before, I highly recommend chartering a boat for an outing even if it’s only for a small period of time. It’s a great way to find out if you have sea legs that’s for sure. In addition to finding out if you have sea legs, a short tour will either leave you knowing this isn’t for you or hungry for more-in which case, you might wish to take sailing lessons and consider purchasing a sailboat of your own someday.

Sailing lessons are a great thing to give yourself while on vacation in San Francisco as well. The bay offers a protected, or at least relatively protected area in which to learn the finer aspects of sailing and there are many schools locally that can offer excellent instruction in the finer points of sailing and navigation. Sailing however requires more than an afternoon of lessons in order to have any degree of competency but a few lessons while on vacation is a great place to begin and an even better excuse to return.

If you have some experience with navigation and sailing, there are some companies that will allow you to rent a boat for a day or even a weekend. This allows you to be your own “Master and Commander” and can make for a great family day for the entire family. I firmly believe there are few things on earth that are better than tasting the salt of the sea while feeling the wind in your face, but I’ve always felt more at home on water than on solid ground so I am more than a little biased towards enjoyment of water based activities.

Which brings me to my next suggestion. Some are not content to merely ride the waves but would rather create waves of their own. For those who prefer a more hands on and muscle powered trek through the water, perhaps a rowboat or paddleboat rental would be in order? There are places in Golden Gate Park where this is easily achieved and the lake is an ideal setting for these kinds of boats. And of course there are kayak rentals that seem to abound in the San Francisco area which offer a whole new level of fun for all involved.

No matter how you look at it, there are some great ways to spend a day on the water in San Francisco. Come found out why so many people have left their hearts here and enjoy the peaceful serenity of a day ‘at sea’.

Top

Renting a Villa for your vacation in Italy

Villas are becoming an important part of planning for a vacation in Italy. In Roman culture a villa used to be a luxurious country house built by a member of the upper class as a second or third residence. It was not the main place of residence and city folks usually had 2 villas. One of the 2 villas could be easily reached from Rome if needed and the other was seasonally used and had servants permanently there to run it. After the nineteenth century, villas came to be used in reference to any type of single detached house that stood on its own with its own compound and unattached to any other homes or buildings.

As with all the architecture in Rome there are some famous villas that you could visit during your Italy vacation. But villas are also now rented by tourists all over Italy. Villas allow the privacy you may want away from the crowds during your Italy vacation and also allow you to cook and enjoy fresh locally grown Italian produce. Most villas are also close enough to shops and restaurants that if you choose to immerse yourself back into the hustle and bustle with everyone else, nothing is still too far away.

Today visitors to the Tuscany region will find a wide selection of villas to choose from if they prefer this option for their accommodations. Salogi Villas offers villas and farmhouses for rent. They have villas in Tuscany but also in Venice and are able to help you locate the perfect villa to suit your needs. Many people traveling in a large group take the villa option simply for the space and flexibility it offers. It can also turn out to be cheaper per person if your group stays in a villa rather than a hotel or even a bed and breakfast during your Italy vacation. Salogi Villas may be contacted through their website at www.salogivillas.com

Another option for your group if you will be traveling in Italy is the Piemonte Villa. It is 2 hours away from Milan and one hour away from Torino. Now this villa has 3 bedrooms and 3 baths so its maximum capacity is 6 people. It is 200 years old and surrounded by over 3 hectares of land. It is close to a small village and is high up in the hills. This house it the perfect place to enjoy the landscape on your vacation to Italy due to its amazing views of the Alps if the weather is clear. There are several vineyards you can visit in the area and great places to see. If you are concerned about having some kind of a modern feel to your stay here you may be happy to know that this villa was completely rehabbed this year.

All bathrooms, electrical and plumbing systems are new and the management here has succeeded in combining modern conveniences such as high speed internet with furnishings true to this villa’s history as an old farmhouse. The kitchen is also fully updated with everything you may need and they even have 2 extra bedrooms available if you must bring a larger group.

Top
%d