This year we have big plans to travel a lot more than we have done in the past few years. It is such a passion of ours and we want to explore more often and go to fun places with little mini vacations. I saw on A Beautiful Mess where Elsie and Emma share their goal destinations for the year and I thought – what a fun idea! That would really help me plan out my year and make sure I schedule time for trips and vacations! So here is my top six destination goals for this coming year….
FORT WORTH
This month Jeremy’s brother gets married in Texas and we can’t wait to explore the Fort Worth area! We have heard that we absolutely must see the cattle drive and then visit Steel City Pops and we can’t wait to bounce down to Waco and visit the Magnolia Market….but other than that, we need help knowing what to do, where are the must-eats and what to visit! Any suggestions? Love to hear them.
DISNEY WORLD
Oh Disney is such a special place for me and we haven’t yet introduced it to our kids. With Will getting older and all of them being such huge Mickey Mouse fans, we can not wait to make sure that 2016 is their first visit to the most magical place on earth! They are gonna FREAK. It’s gonna be awesome. We know we want to do Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom and maybe one other park but other than that we are open to suggestions for maybe little fun activities in Orlando? Any disney tips for little ones?
BELIZE
Definitely the most tropical and far away destination for us this year! I would definitely love to visit this gorgeous country that says it has everything from ruins to beaches to caving to horse back riding to snorkeling. I think this might end up being an adult only trip…the first that Jeremy and I have done since we had Will 🙂
TYBEE ISLAND
We really are trying hard this year to focus on visiting more Georgia places – we want to know what’s in our own backyard, right?! So this year I think we are gonna try to steal away Jeremy’s mom and visit Tybee Island. We know that there are some sweet little houses to rent and low key beaches and a great light house. I think this would be the perfect late summer destination before school starts back.
SWEETWATER CREEK STATE PARK
Speaking of backyard destinations, the Sweetwater Creek State Park is literally so close that we could get there and stay at our own house that night….but we figure that it would be more fun to stay in a yurt! It has always been on my bucket list to stay in a yurt and these look perfect for our family of six 🙂 Yup, we are definitely gonna go in the next few months and explore the trails, take the boys fishing, run in the creeks and take selfies in front of the old mill! PHOTO OPS!
PITTSBURGH
My grandparents live right outside Pittsburgh and we definitely want to visit them this year and explore a little more of the Steeler Nation city. I fell in love with this photo of the Phipps Conservatory and I would love to visit the Andy Warhol museum and maybe the Aviary! The kids would freak out….LJ and Weston both are obsessed with birds 🙂
SO that is my list – fingers crossed that we get all six crossed off the list! Any places you guys are looking to go this year? Anyone else thirsty for more traveling and more exploring? It has been relatively impossible for us in the past few years but I really think that since this year I am not pregnant (advantages!) and not planning on being pregnant (you guys can have all those vibes!) and the kids are getting older (someone told us that we should do traveling now before the onslaught of activities happens) that 2016 is our year! I would love to hear suggestions too – especially if you guys went to any of these places with kids!
There’s a GREAT local ice cream place just outside of Ft. Worth in Pantego – Mad Mike’s ice cream. EVERYTHING is handmade, and EVERYTHING is delicious. (Seriously. I’m in love with their coconut ice cream.)
I love this! We are at a similar place and stage. My boys are 4, 2&1/2 and 10 months. And we’re not pregnant, so this will be the year we take a road trip from NJ to Dallas, TX to see my husband’s family. We may be crazy with 3 little guys but we’ll take our time and have fun along the way, which is key to a successful road trip. I would also like to plan a getaway for me and my husband. Not quite sure where… your post will inspire me to dream and think. I may get a getaway just for me to join my sisters and parents in the Florida Keys for the my dad’s 70th. That would be amazing! Katie, I went to Belize before and it was amazing. Cave tubing was incredible!
Two questions – no fear at all to travel internationally away from the kids? That makes me a little nervous myself and I’m not typically a worrier. Second, for your distance trips with the whole family do you prefer to drive or fly? We are at the stage where we prefer to drive, but that’s just us.
Have fun! I hope you get to do all of these!!!!
Sounds like so much fun! Hubby and I took our three (ages 5, 7 and 9) to Disney for the first time this year. We went just a few weeks before Thanksgiving, about the 2nd week of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and it was perfect! This is the slowest time of year and it was amazing!
We left on Sunday, did the Christmas party Sunday night (it’s a separate ticket but only a certain amount are sold), and it was fabulous! The lines were so short…max 25 minute wait. Then, around 9:00 pm, the lines were almost gone. On some rides it took us longer to catch-up to the line than we had to wait in line. The rides are so much better in the dark too! Don’t forget the snow on main street…we all had a blast.
We decided to have a low-key day the next day since we stayed so late on Sunday night, but we were back to the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday. We just spent that day watching the fantastic shows and re-riding all the kids’ favorite rides.
A friend of mine took her three last week to Hollywood Studios and just raved about the whole experience. They have Star Wars Jedi training and each of the kids got to battle Darth himself!! They were beyond thrilled.
Hope you have a blast of a time on all your adventures this year!
Last time we were in Orlando we spent a day playing putt putt, racing go carts, and hanging out by the Condo pool! All much cheaper than a day at the parks but still really fun 🙂 Not sure if all your littles could race cars but you might find a place where Will and Weston could ride with an adult!
I’m from FW and have boys, so the Stockyards and Steel City Pops are hits with us too. I would eat at Taco Diner or Bird Cafe downtown because they both open up to Sundance Square. That way if the kids go wild it’s ok… You can tag team watching them and still enjoy brunch/lunch. The Children’s museum is pretty nice, but our zoo is awesome. Have to go to Joe T’s to eat, of course. If you want to avoid the lines… Don’t go Fri or Sat night. Go Sunday brunch or lunch time during the week. It doesn’t count if you don’t sit outside ;). Bring cash, they don’t take cards.
What a great year of travel & exploring you have planned! My grandparents live just outside of Pittsburgh too, and I’m hoping we can take another trip up to spend some time with them even if we did just go this past July. I love Pittsburgh!
If you end up in Waco, go to Common Grounds and order a frozen Snickers. It’s been 10+ years since I visited Waco (when a good friend of mine was in college there). I don’t remember and particularly great meals (sorry), but I still think of this drink all these years later.
Love your list, and just one quick suggestion on the yurt. I stayed in one during a family reunion – loads of fund, but we picked the hottest weekend of the year (literally 105 degrees in Arkansas) and yurts are not air conditioned, so bring a fan (or 5) if you’re planning on a summer trip. Since you’re so close though, it may be a fun trip in September/early October when the leaves are turning and there’s a nip in the air, because that would mean campfires, s’mores, and age appropriate ghost stories (or not)… 🙂
ah i went to a wedding at that conservatory – it is BEAUTIFUL!!!
Damn, girl! Is Jeremy still working? How does he get all of this vacation time?!
I never thought we’d be able to afford to take our kids to Disney for a few more years but we have booked Disney vacations through DVC Rental Store dot com the past two years and I can’t say enough good things about them. Their website has tons of good info but, basically, you can stay in a Deluxe resort for Value prices. The process is SO simple and their customer service is amazing.
So my husband and I took a vacation to Dallas and Fort Worth last summer specifically to eat BBQ (yes, we are that awesome haha) and the far and away BEST BBQ in the area is Railhead BBQ. It is sooo good I still dream of it!! We also had breakfast and Ol’ South pancake House… Soo good too! Try the German pancakes they will change your life 🙂
Howdy! I’m in Fort Worth! There’s so much to do here. We have one of the best zoos in the country and the best Tex Mex restaurants in Texas. Be sure to check out Woodshed for a fun outdoor rustic setting and delicious food, La Familia for mexican food, be sure to grab Steel City down on seventh then shoot on up to downtown Fort Worth to Sundance Square for excellent shopping, retail, and kid-friendly place spaces.
If you get a chance to swing up to Grapevine they have the cutest downtown area and super close to Grapevine lake with awesome places for hiking and kid play space. Shoot me an email and I’d be happy to recommend more. We are BIG on family fun here in Fort Worth. 😉
We took our two kids to Tybee Island last year for a long weekend. It was wonderful. We stayed in a large rental house just off the beach, and didn’t do much but head down to the beach a few times a day. We saw so many dolphins!
Belize is probably my all time favorite place I’ve vacationed. It was pre-kid and it was great for just the two of us. We went inland to San Ignacio and stayed on Caye Caulker. Great snorkling and everyone was so welcoming.
We are trying to come up with a 5 year plan since there are so many places we want to go. Our daughter is 6 and definitely has the travel bug. I mentioned to her that we plan to go to Oregon and Washington and July and she asks about it every day.
Sounds like an awesome game plan!
I’m originally from the burgh and recommend you add kennywood and the children’s museum to your must see list 🙂
We live just outside of Fort Worth and love going downtown for a night out. Some great food places are Gloria’s (gloriascuisine.com) which has great Latin food, Tillman’s Roadhouse (tillmansroadhouse.com) is great for comfort food, and the quintessential Mexican place is Joe T’s (www.jets.com). They have great food and really strong margaritas. Other things to do in the area are taking a tour of Cowboy’s stadium in Arlington, Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine (an indoor waterpark) and the best shopping is in Dallas at NorthPark Center. Hope this helps and hope you have a great time in Texas!
Oh, and if your brother is in need of a videographer for his wedding, have him check out http://www.lynnfilms.com. It is my husbands company and is the best in the metroplex ! 🙂
I think you should come to Maine! There are direct flights from Atlanta to Portland and I’ll even volunteer to be your tour guide. 🙂 There is so much to do here, and it’s incredibly beautiful and welcoming to young families.
Belize is awesome too, I guess. LOL
Our family LOVES Tybee! My husband and I always say we’re going to retire there and/or open a coffee shop there (since there’s only one) and/or buy a house there if we ever win the lottery. We have a vacation planned there this summer and it will be our third time. I seriously can’t say enough good things about Tybee!
Will you be with or without kids in Ft. Worth? The cattle drive is neat but only lasts 30 seconds. I would also go to the rodeo on Fri or Sat Eve but it probably conflicts with wedding plans. If you do go, you must eat at Joe T’s before and go to Billy Bobs afterwards!!!
Must eat at Chuys and get jalapeño ranch dip. The zoo is awesome for kids and sundance square is worth walking around when eating your Popsicle ;). We also love Mi Cocina and Torchy Tacos with kids. Being out kids check out Eddie V’s (yummy steak), Del Friscos or Reatta (sit outside). Enjoy our beautiful city!!
Katie,
Your list sounds fabulous! Another destination I’d recommend that you try that wouldn’t be too far from you is Gatlinburg, TN. We’ve taken the kids in the fall to see the leaves (Ha! We’re in Louisiana where fall is basically shades of brown ;)) But we also went this past Christmas and had SO much fun.
We also did Disney last May and it was AMAZING. My advice: PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. Not a trip that should be taken on a whim. Everything having to do with Disney must be planned in advance. If you want to do character meals you have to book them 6 months in advance. Fast passes go super fast and you can start booking those a couple months in advance. My advice is to stay on the property so you get to book things earlier and literally book what you want to do the minute it becomes available for you to do so. If you can stay in one of the hotels that the monorail goes through that makes it SO convenient but it’s not cheap. I spent months planning our Disney trip and we were able to do everything we wanted and barely waited in lines. It’s stressful and time consuming during the planning phase but it makes the actual trip a BREEZE and SO MUCH FUN!!! In fairness, I have a just-turned-4 year old princess who, of course, had to do dinner at Cinderella Castle and also at the newer Be Our Guest restaurant so those reservations were exceptionally hard to snag. But basically all the character meals are tricky to get. If your kids are into Mickey then definitely get a reservation at Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary (an amazing place to stay but pricey). Get a subscription to touringplans.com to help you schedule your days- greatest website ever! You put in all the attractions that you want to do that day, plus add whatever breaks you want to take (SCHEDULE BREAK TIMES FOR NAPS or you’ll be miserable) and it will put your list in order of how to spend the least amount of time in line. Also it takes into account whatever fast passes you get. I can’t recommend that site highly enough. Just typing this is getting me ready to start planning our next Disney trip! But DH hasn’t fully recovered from the last one yet. LOL. 🙂
And get this book to help with planning:
http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Walt-Disney-World/dp/1628090383/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455048776&sr=8-1&keywords=disney+world+with+kids
Happy Traveling!
Oh Disney, Disney, Disney. Where do I begin?
Last year, we had the same idea to take our little ones to Disney. I thought 6 months about would be plenty of time to start planning…WRONG! Gone are the days of winging it at WDW. Between picking your hotel, dining reservations and booking FastPasses, you need to have you plan locked down 6 months out.
Since I was playing catch up, I needed some major help. I found a few good resources and then studied them until I got my WDW Ph.D. Here are my best tips for you with 1-4 being the most basic and the rest being a master class.
1. Pick the time of year. We chose September since it is a little cooler, but the crowds are smaller since most kids are back in school. In recent years they have also offered a free dining promotion which worked great for us but each family has to do their own math on meals. If you do get the dining plan, book some character buffets as you can share with all of you boys that are under 3 for free.
2. Stay on property if at all possible. Seriously, the convenience and not breaking out of the magic bubble makes it worth it. Check into DVC rental if you are getting sticker shock from the rooms that accommodates 6.
3. Take some grandparents if you can since yours seem to be fun and supportive on vacation. You are going to need the extra hands! (and a double stroller if not 2)
4. If you opt not to book a package through Disney, get discounted tickets from a third party like undercovertourist.com
….Master Class….
5. The single most important thing I did was I picked which day we went to each park based off of a great crowd calendar. Easywdw.com has the best set and they can be found here: http://www.easywdw.com/easy/category/calendars/ . To us, it never felt crowded. It is all due to that calendar.
6. Then I read easywdw’s recommended touring plans. He tells you the order to hit all the rides and when to use fastpasses so that you are the most efficient. He and other pro’s insist on being at the park 30 minutes before it opens. You can get so much done while everyone else is sleeping in! This was the basis of our touring strategy, however, only so much applied to us as we skipped some big rides since the kids weren’t big enough. His plans also only take you through about mid-day. Once I had those concepts in mind I went to another planning website that sucked away hours of my life. 🙂
7. I made my essential schedules and maps using Touringplans.com. It is a paid subscription but worth every penny. There is always a coupon code floating around so you can get a 6 month subscription for under $10. I simply picked the day we were going. Put in the attractions we wanted to do. Placed them in an order based off of what Easywdw said to do and then hit “evaluate”. Their program would create estimated wait and walk time for each ride. I could schedule breaks for when I knew we would be near a decent bathroom or near a great snack stop. Most importantly, it kept us from EVER back tracking.
8. If you learning more about the food options at wdw I would suggest looking around at disneyfoodblog.com although easywdw has some good reviews as well.
9. Note where the baby centers are! They are in each park and are a hidden gem.
10. Make a photography list of what you want capture but sign up for Memory Maker in advance. You are going to want it and no, the pics aren’t as great as what you will take but you can get some great shots with you whole family and not have to worry about handing your DSLR to a stranger.
11. Check out Disneytouristblog.com for some great photo inspiration. He is a Disney nut who does travel photography for a living. A ton of photography info on there.
12. Here is the real top secret information…ok actually, the worst kept secret. You can save 15% on your vacation (or Southwest flights) with a little trick and a target RedCard. I did it. It worked and it was glorious. Here is an article giving you the step by step instructions but there are a bunch of articles out there on the topic if you just google around. http://getdowntodisness.com/how-to-save-more-than-5-on-disney-gift-cards-from-target-get-cash-back/
13. I could also give you a packing list and tips on how to effectively pack for the park but that might be overkill for you question 🙂 I do however, suggest packing outfits for the whole family by days. Then when you get to your room, use one of those closet sweater organizers and set each day’s clothes in one cubby. I also suggest those huge ziploc bags for the “just in case items” you would want to keep under your stroller. Then a good book bag, soft-sided cooler and stroller hooks for the items you know you will need frequently or while you are in line for a ride.
Hope this has been helpful and good luck!
THANK YOU!!!!
Everyone we know has been telling us that our traveling days are over with two kids!!!
Fort Worth is wonderful!! One of our favorite places to have a date night 🙂 In addition to the Stock Yards, I recommend Sundance Square- they always have fun, outdoor events and exhibits going on. Also, the Fort Worth Zoo is amazing. It is ranked as one of the top zoos in the Nation!
Hi! I live less than an hour from Ft Worth so I can give you plenty of great places to visit!
Burgers – Rodeo Goat.
Fine dining -Lonesome Dove or Reata
Kids – Ft Worth Childrens Museum or Ft Worth Zoo
Good Luck!
He works from home and we have a flexible schedule when it comes to work (if we both have internet we are good to go!). It helps too when you have a free place to stay or only stay a couple nights 🙂
xo – kb
Great places! We are (hopefully) going to South Carolina this summer to hit up their beaches. I’ve never been so we thought it would be fun.
Other places I’d like to visit with my kids – Colorado Rockies (I’ve been many times, but I want my kids to experience the mountains), NYC, and some great National parks. Turks and Caicos is on the radar for two years from now, hopefully, so I better get working on that bikini body (hahahahah… two giant kids messed that up for me!!!).
Hi Katie-
We love DisneyWorld too and I have been there at least 1x per year since 1976 and we live in Minnesota! My husband and I even got married at the Wedding Pavillion there and had our reception at the Grand Floridian. If you haven’t checked out the Mouseowners.com site, it is a great site for all things Disney in their forums. There is also a rental site there where you can rent DVC member points to stay in one of the DVC resorts. With your little ones it might be nice to have more room, a kitchen and LAUNDRY in your room. The last few years we have stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and I have to say it is awesome. It’s on Disney property but its not an “official” Disney resort so doesn’t have the extra magic hours. We always rent points from an owner and stay in a 1600 sq. ft 3 bedroom fully furnished condo with in room laundry. It is set on a lake and there are a bunch of pools. Building 6 has a zero entry pool with a pirate ship/slide that the little Bower Boys would love. It is sooo much less expensive than the Disney resorts and my kids like it tons better. If you have questions, send me an email. Love, love, love reading your blog. Thanks for all the GREAT ideas! Laurie
The Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon are on our list this year. We moved to Arizona two years ago and have yet to make the trip. The kiddos are 5 and 3 now, so we finally planned the trip for March. I can’t wait, although the kids will probably suffer broken arms from the vice grips I’ll have on them the entire time we’re there.
Hope you hit all the places on your list!!
I love your list! It’s inspiring me to create one of my own. Belize is on my bucket list for sure! We’d talked about taking a cruise, but with the Zika virus & plans for another baby soon, I’m not sure anymore. We’ll go somewhere though! Definitely go to the Stock Yards! Your boys will love that!
I would love to know how you plan/budget/afford your trips/vacations. Vacations have been so unattainable for us since we’ve had kids and there are so many places we would love to take them. I would love to know your tips and tricks.
Fort Worth is a good time. The only BBQ you’ll ever need in the Fort Worth Stockyards is Cooper’s. You’ll probably be underwhelmed by the cattle drive but if you have time one evening you should hit up the rodeo, it is pretty fun. In downtown there is the Children’s Science Museum if it is too rainy or cold to be outside.
Of all the places I’ve visited, Belize is my favorite. The village of Placencia is amazing. Very small (you can walk everywhere) and great food. It’s out of the way to get to (we rented a car), but it’s definitely worth it. Make sure to eat at Rumfish y Vino and Tutti Frutti (incredible gelato!). Yoli’s is a beautiful open bar on the water and Brenda’s BBQ is local food served out of a small shack on the beach.
The one must-do in Belize is the ATM cave tour near San Ignacio. After a short hike into the jungle, you swim into a cave and then spend a couple of hours climbing, swimming, and squeezing through cave formations. You’ll see artifacts left by the Mayans, mostly pottery but also some human remains. It’s an amazing experience. Seriously, one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.
We also traveled over the border (with a guide) into Guatemala and toured Tikal (the ruins of an ancient city). Again, one of the most amazing things I’ve done. I believe your family is fans of Star Wars, right? At the top of one of the pyramids you can climb, they filmed a scene from Episode IV.
I’m so excited for you (and jealous); hopefully you can make it to Belize this year!
You MUST eat at Joe T Garcia’s in Ft Worth. Best food, yummy margaritas, and great patio. Hope the weather is nice when you visit so you can enjoy their outdoor space!
I visited Disney with a toddler, and I highly recommend staying on the Disney property somewhere (we did the Contemporary Hotel). It was so convenient to go to the park in the morning and head back to the hotel for nap time later without having to figure out transportation or feel like we HAD to stay to get our money’s worth. So excited for you guys – you’ll have a blast!
And I forgot to say, they only take cash so make sure you bring cash!
Ahoy from a Pittsburgher! The city is a great place to explore with kids (we have a 6 & 4 y.o.)! I would also recommend the Toonseum – http://www.toonseum.org – a museum for cartoons, the Science Center and north shore water steps in the summer, the Zoo, a Just Ducky tour, or just bopping around town. Happy travels!
When you head down to Waco, make sure you stop at the following…
-Harp Design Company, way less lines and similar items
-Collin Street Bakery, my absolute favorite place for baked yummies. My favorite is the chicken salad sandwich on pecan bread, and they have samples for the kiddos of their magnificent cookies!
-LaSalle Shops – one of the places Chip and JoJo shop, I found a ton of excellent bargains there and stop there everytime I’m in Waco. They often have many of the same things you’ll find at Magnolia but for a heckofalot cheaper
-Spice Village. http://www.spicewaco.com/
Magnolia is nice to be able to say you’ve been there, but it’s always ridiculously crowded and pretty pricey when you can walk down the street and buy almost the same thing for 1/4 of the price. 😉
Fort Worth Native here. Our zoo is in the top ten in the nation. Museum of Science and History. Kimbell Art Museum. Modern Art Museum of Fort WOrth. Sundance Square Downtown…if it’s hot, the boys can run through the fountains and there are tons of fantastic restaurants. Definitely Joe T’s if you want a very “Fort Worth” experience, but there are better restaurants (this is a borderline sacrilegious statement). I like Uncle Julio’s but it’s a chain. You could also go the Original for Mexican. If you want authentic tacos, Melis Taqueria. Other taco places: Torchy’s, Velvet Taco, Taco Diner, Taco Heads, Salsa Limon. Railhead or Angelo’s for BBQ. Waters or Flying Fish for seafood. Bonnell’s or Reata for Southwestern.
Howdy! Another Fort Worthian here. Laurie gave you good advice. The zoo here is amazing and lunch or dinner at Joe T’s will be a hit (very kid friendly). Joe T’s is near the stockyards if you do go to the cattle drive.
If you do go to Sundance Square (and you should) take extra clothes for your boys. There is a fountain in the square that kiddos can’t resist running into. It’s been unseasonably warm this year, so you might get good fountain weather.
I was going to mention Joe T. Garcia’s to eat, but I see someone else already did! I don’t know if it’s too cold to eat on the patio at this time of year though, and for me, the patio is the only reason to go. It’s gorgeous, like walking into the botanic gardens. The food is fine, but it’s the atmosphere that makes it for me, sitting outside on a warm summer night is so wonderful, but I’m not sure it would be as much fun in February. I think the stockyards are kind of boring, but probably because I live here and have been so many times, I’m sure it would be interesting as a new thing. My kids love the Fort Worth Museum of Science and Nature, they have a great children’s area and lots to do, planetarium and imax shows too.
A nice list. We will not be traveling this year or anytime soon 🙁 Not in the cards or budget for us.
But we live in Pittsburgh, a few places I suggest eating at are Primanti Bros, and the Original O. And depending where your grandparents live, look and see if one of the splash parks are nearby. It’s a great free outdoor water/playground. The boys will have a blast.
Thank you for sharing all this info! It will be very helpful as I plan our trip to Disney & Universal Studios!
Katie, I grew up in Belize! 🙂 I still have family there and visit often. I’d be happy to answer any questions – you can email me.
While there make sure to eat Salbutes and Escabeche, as well as the rice & beans with stew chicken, salad and plantain dish. I really think you will enjoy those dishes.
Yay for Pittsburgh ! I grew up right outside of PGH and went to school at Pitt. Lots of great things to do there ! There is a children’s museum in the North Shore…your boys will love it !
~Stephanie
Hi! I live in Pittsburgh (born and raised!) with my husband and 2 girls (ages 2.5 and 15 months) and absolutely love it here! There are so many awesome things to do, with or without kiddos. We love the Pittsburgh zoo…not too big, not too small, perfect for a morning adventure. The Carnegie Science Center is a blast for kids – it’s incredibly hands-on and has an awesome sports area attached! The dinosaurs at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History are incredible and a must see for any dinosaur fans 🙂 You already mentioned Phipps Conservatory which is gorgeous.
My husband and I love to walk around downtown with our girls – we love the fountain at Point State Park (where the rivers merge!), the water steps outside of PNC Park on the North Shore (a totally free and awesome way to cool off in the summer!), and the Strip District (a great Pgh tradition of shopping and incredible restaurants). You also can’t beat riding the incline up Mt Washington to view the skyline!
There are so many hidden gems in the ‘burgh! If you have any questions about it or want to meet up while you are here, we’d love to show you around, or go to a Pirates game together (our favorite summer activity – relatively cheap tickets and there is even a playground for kiddos inside the park!). We love it here!
Wowza…. I have to copy all these tips for when we decide to make the trip with the littles. Thank you!
We went to Disney with my then 4 and 2 year old. Take advantage of their family rest areas! One of the best things I did was go to the Disney store website and ordered pajama’s, a special toy, and shirt. They always have great sales and clearance! It was a lot cheaper over buying anything in the park! Bring a light sweater. We were freezing in the morning taking the boat over, and that was in June!
I read “Places I want to visit this year” and then “Elsie and Emma” in the tag, and I thought “ooh! She’s coming to Springfield!” and got so excited! (Never mind that Elsie moved; Springfield is still a happenin’ place! Haha.) Looks like you’ve got a great list and a wonderfully fun year ahead…but, as far as suggestions for the future go, I DO think a trip to Southwest Missouri would be a fun little getaway sometime. The Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson (which is an hour south of Springfield) just seems like somewhere your family needs to visit at some point. It’s no Disney, to be sure, but I think you’d totally appreciate it for the family-friendly attraction that it is. Come visit! I mean, Emma IS about to open her new bar…. 😉
I’m with you on visiting GA places. So many little gems right here.
I want to go to Tybee too!
If you’re going to drive down to Waco (1.5 hour drive from Ft Worth) you might as well drive another hour and come down to Austin! Fun city with tons of outdoor stuff, best BBQ in the world (hello Franklin’s) and music and art!
Also, have you thought about heading to Europe with you and the hubs? I love central and south America but Europe is seriously amazing and one of my favorite places to travel!
Spice Village is a super fun collection of shops in Waco!
Love all your ideas!! As far as your Disney trip goes. If it’s just you guy and your kids I’d skip Epcot, but if you have grandparents going with you then make sure to spend some time at epcots world showcase. It’s incredible! Lots of great food and drinks. Also make sure to plan plan plan ahead! It will make such a difference in the long run. I highly suggest you stay at a Disney hotel, not one off-sight. It makes getting to and from the park so so so much easier and faster. We stayed at the art of animation hotel, one of their cheaper options and it was so great! It’s incredibly kid friendly with a huge finding nemo themed pool, a play structure, and all sorts of fun theming between the building, specifically lion king, cars, nemo and the little mermaid. Plus the buses to the parks were very easy to use and came often. I had family stay at a different resort that was more expensive and the buses did run as quickly there.
If you pass through Dallas at all while you’re in DFW, Klyde Warren Park would be a great place to stop with the family. It’s a great family friendly park built on top of the highway in the middle of the city with tons of food trucks, and it’s right next to the Dallas Museum of Art which is free and has stuff to interest all ages.
Fort Worth: Lived there for 3 years and my parents still do. The zoo is fantastic, downtown/Sundance Square is very family friendly. Food: Fred’s Texas, Rodeo Goat (amazing burgers), Esperanza’s, Kincaid’s (burgers), Chuy’s (national now but still amazing Tex-Mex). Joe T Garcia’s is a great atmosphere, but I think the food is a bit overrated.
*Make sure when you drive down to Waco that you stop and take exit 353 in West to get you some Czech Bakery kolaches! Best in the state. Make sure you get cream cheese and then jalapeño sausage with cheese. Best road trip food ever.
Belize: We rented a house on Caye Caulker with a pool and loved it! Much more laid back than the larger tourist area of San Pedro. We also took a day trip to the mainland to go cave tubing and zip lining in the jungle which was really awesome!
Check out the Children’s Museum in Pittsburgh. It. Is. Awesome!!!!
Being from Miami we go to Disney A LOT! And even though we go so often it still remains my kids absolute favorite place to go (and they’re 11 and 14 so you would think they would be over it by now!) My absolute number one recommendation is don’t go in the summer…the heat is unbearable and you will be cranky and won’t be able to really enjoy all the wonder and magic that is Disney cause you’ll be too busy trying to figure out how to wipe sweat from your nether regions!!
Disney lines have gotten a lot longer so bring a little extra patience and be willing to just sit and enjoy the surroundings and be it will be ok if you don’t get to ride everything.
The food at Disney is getting so pricey so I recommend a good breakfast and bring snacks so you don’t have to spend as much during the day. One of our favorite things to do is a character breakfast. You get to see the characters without having to wait in long lines! Most character breakfasts are buffets so you get a nice big meal and that holds you over for a while.
Have a great time traveling this year! I can’t wait to see all the pictures!!!!
My parents took my siblings and I to Disney World when I was 5, my sister was 8, and my brother was 11. I can tell you I don’t remember a single thing about that trip now. Seeing as how your kids are all under 5 yrs old I would really suggest putting Disney off for a few years.
I was just in Waco today, check out Spice Village – it’s an old warehouse with tons of awesome shopping and food!
Belize and Pittsburgh two places close to my heart! Honeymooned in Belize and family lives in the Pitts.
Take the boys to PNC park for a baseball game, preferably on a firework night. I contend it’s the most beautiful park in the USA, the Pirates are pretty darn fun to watch and who doesn’t love fireworks?
Belize… Ah Belize. We stayed on Amergris Caye at Portofinos and I recommend it to everyone. Very small resort, very personable service. If you have any desire to scuba dive, this is the place to do it. 2nd largest barrier reef in the world and they have dive spot galore for the novice yo expert diver. I recommend a sunset cruise to a aye Caulker, and a trip inland to the ruins/jungle. We stopped at a spa on our jungle trip for a Marubian mud massage which was a once in a lifetime experience. I LOVE BELIZE!
Oh geesh…that makes me nervous just thinking about it!
xo – kb
I typically am not a big worrier…and being six years since our last kid-less vacation, we are pretty starved for it 🙂 We typically drive for our vacations because it gives us more freedom but for Ft Worth, we are flying.
xo – kb
Come to Maldives 🙂
My kids loved the Fort Worth Water Gardens. We went to Magnolia in December and it was packed. You literally could not move. It was “get in line and shuffle” all over the store. Be prepared for the possibility of that. If so, you’ll want to leave the kiddos outside. There’s lots to explore outside. Of course, there are amazing photo ops at the Water Gardens and at the silos in Waco. Have fun!
Love Ft. Worth – so family friendly! You should definitely check out one of Tim Love’s restaurants (love shack or lonesome dove). Joe T’s is an iconic Mexican spot. If you venture outside of Ft Worth, Hop Doddy has the best burgers and Smoke has a fabulous brunch.
I went to Belize a few years ago on a cruise and we went to the Xunantunich ruins. Breathtaking. Seriously.
Also we are Disney nuts. Go at least once if not twice a year.
When you go to Ft. Worth, you MUST eat at Joe T’s. Also called Joe T Garcia. It’s been a family owned restaurant since the early 1980’s when I first started going there. BEST MEX EVER !!
Safe travels !! 🙂
TEXAS!!! I’m originally from Dallas. Moved to Houston. Went to college in Waco and now my sister in law and her family live there. I LOVE Texas. While visiting The Silos hit up Ninfa’s, Dichotomy or Common Grounds, Spice, Pokey O’s, and of course the Baylor Campus (they have two live bears that live on campus). It’s a gorgeous school! Have fun 🙂
Omg! I live in Pittsburgh and have been following you since before you had kids and were in your first house….you should totally do a meet up! I would love to meet you!!
We’re taking a BIG vacation this year. My husbands parents are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. So we’re all traveling to England to celebrate. (She’s from England) I get to meet a ton of his family, finally. We’re spending time in England, Wales & a few days in Iceland. Some people in our group are going to Paris for a few days. Everyone says this is going to be SO MUCH FUN!!!! Except for my phobia’s & medical conditions which will make it a complete & utter nightmare. I get the sweats just thinking about going & I feel sick to my stomach. I haven’t mentioned that I LOATHE traveling. Like there’s absolutely nothing worse that I can imagine doing voluntarily. I’ve been thinking of ways to get out of it, but there isn’t any & that devastates me.
We just stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek this past September and LOVED it. It felt like we were staying at a tropical resort. We loved having our own fully stocked kitchen. We were able to save so much money by doing our own grocery shopping, eating breakfast and dinner at the condo and packing lunches/snacks for the park. It is only a 20 minute drive to Magic Kingdom so it was very easy to leave the parks and come back midafternoon for much needed naps/swim breaks. Not to mention the 2 bedroom condo was WAY cheaper than Value Disney hotels and felt like we were staying at a Deluxe Disney hotel. We went the week after Labor Day which is historically the least busy time of year. We also used Touring Plans – highly recommend purchasing the book and subscription. I really feel like we hardly waited in lines at all. September is also when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party beings. It is a separate ticket purchase, but you get access to the park at night for Halloween activities. It was really worth the money because while most people spent their time waiting in line trick or treating for candy, we went on the big rides (Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, etc.) over and over with no lines! Plus, everyone dresses up in their Halloween costumes which makes it extra fun. This vacation was a top 5 memory for me and I am an official Disney lover! I would be happy to help with any questions you have! 🙂
Hey Katie! We did Disney last year all 4 parks in 4 days (i do not recommend this). I would recommend doing Magic Kingdom and Hollywood studios for sure. I would actually skip Animal Kingdom if I had to chose between that and Hollywood studios. Hollywood studios (i still call it MGM to be honest. LOL), has all the Disney Junior stuff, Monster’s Inc, Cars, and the new Star Wars world, plus all the street performers. Animal Kingdom is cool, but limited for the little ones. (my Kids were 6 & 3 when we went). I did a few posts on my trip you might find helpful when planning 🙂
http://drivethirty3.wix.com/drivethirtythree#!Doing-Disneywho-what-when-where/c1sbz/6044C903-32B2-4E55-983A-ECB7AFB412C9
Ft. Worth – with young kids here are some options-many already listed but a few aren’t but I think would be right up your alley.
-Ft. Worth Zoo- must go – it is wonderful and tops in the nation. Right outside is a train that takes you across the trinity to a park just down the road and back.
-Log Cabin Village – it is directly across University Drive from the zoo – just like it sounds – it represents Frontier life in Texas and the kids can explore the grounds, see employees in frontier attire, watch a blacksmith, see how a grist mill works, how they lived, farmed and there is a one room school house. It is in a nice shady tree area and the boys can run around. http://www.logcabinvillage.org/
-Cattle Drive – it is super short but the boys can also sit on a harnessed longhorn for photo ops
-Tarantula train- it goes from Grapevine to Stockyards so may be a fun thing to add on while you are there. http://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/grapevine-vintage-railroad/
-Children’s Museum of Science – lots of fun and interactive activities. They also have an Omni Imax theater dome and do special event nights. We have gone in the evening for a character scavenger hunt and then watched a film after – Night at the Musuem. But they have shown Harry Potter ones. The kids run around and get “autographs” from TONS of characters…lots of fun photo ops. They can dig for dinosaur bones, etc. http://www.fwmuseum.org/
-Sundance Square- has lots of dining around it but for kids, there is the splash fountain. No swimsuits allowed but bring a change of clothes.
-Joe T’s- its the atmosphere- food is fine, margaritas great. Evening dinner options are only two-fajitas or enchiladas. The lunch menu is much more broad. Cash only.
-Railhead – great bbq
Don’t know when you are coming but there is a Six Flags theme park that opens in summer.
Texas Rangers baseball. TCU baseball-home games are fun and kids love them.
Botanic Gardens-wonderful.
Enjoy your time.
Hi there! I live in FW and I definitely think you should have a nice dinner at either Lonesome Dove in the Stockyards or Reata downtown. Both are very “Fort Worth-y”. 🙂 If the weather is nice you should grab a drink on the rooftop at Reata and walk around Sundance Square. Another fun neighborhood is Magnolia Ave. in the Hospital District…great lunch or dinner spots! I hope you have the best time!!
As an Orlando resident and Disney passholder, I know there are thousand ways to do Disney. Bur for young ones, the best advice I can give is: Baby care centers- there is one is each park. They have nursing rooms with rocking chairs! and full blown changing tables! and high chairs! and baby supplies (for purchase). It is an oasis when you need one.
Also- if you can stay at a hotel that has shuttle service to a park (via bus or monorail), go back to the hotel mid-afternoon for a pool/nap/dinner- then return to the park for the fireworks and night parade. The afternoon break does wonders to revive tired bodies and heads and lets you really enjoy the nighttime stuff.
Dang, those pictures make me want to come visit Georgia and go to Sweetwater Creek! Even though there are a million and one places in my own state of Colorado that I haven’t visited yet!
No trips planned for me this year. I’ll take some day trips and short camping trips within the state up in the mountains, but nothing big. I’m busy saving up for my trip to Africa next year! Lots of hiking this year to get ready for Kili next year!
I second the zoo, the Fort Worth Zoo is great. And, the mini train outside of the zoo is always fun (but bring cash, no cards). http://www.fpmt.us/ Science Museum has a good kid’s area too.
Belize is very much a third world country – unless you are at a resort, many of the amenities that are normal in the U.S. are rare there. I.e. Air conditioning, hot water in showers, public bathrooms, good roads, a wide variety of food options etc. The bright side is that diving/snorkeling are gorgeous and so are the rainforests. Everything is super cheap so that’s a plus too.
Yeah Salbutes are AWESOME!
We went to Belize on our honeymoon. Coco Plum Island is the most magical place. I highly recommend it! It was just rated one of the top resorts. Beautiful weather and island, small and quiet. I dream about it! Adults only 🙂
If you go to Pittsburgh and visit Phipps, make sure you stop and see Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning too! I went to school there and the inside always makes me feel like I’ve stepped into Hogwarts.
Also, since I live 10 mins from Tybee… If (and when) you’re here you have to go to downtown Savannah and try Leopold’s Ice Cream. The boys will LOVE it for both atmosphere and ice cream. The line moves quickly so don’t let that scare you off.
Belize is wonderful! Definitely rent a car, it’s so small we saw the whole country almost in two weeks, very easy to get around. Must sees are Caye Caulker (an island), caving, and Placencia (beautiful beaches). Do a day trip into Guatemala to see the ruins at Tikal you won’t be disappointed! Happy Holidaying!
I went to college in Fort Worth and it is the most fantastic place! Sundance Square (the downtown area) is fantastic, the zoo is amazing, the Stockyards and Billy Bob’s are so fun, and you must eat outside at Joe T Garcia’s. There are some great museums in FW, too. I’m a little jealous that you get to visit FW – that’s how much I love it!
We just returned from Belize…skip it. It feels unsafe and super shady. A nearby and much cleaner, friendlier spot is Honduras. Check out West Bay Beach.
Wow…who knew you’d need NASA engineer level organizational skills to plan a vacation! Great info, but I’ll be on beach instead…
When you head to Pittsburgh check out Idlewild! It is a smaller theme park with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood! I went as a kid (when it was still Mister Roger’s Neighborhood) and thought it was great! Got to ride the trolley and visit all the neighborhood spots! It is on our to-do list this year for our 4 littles!
So glad to hear you are going to visit Pittsburgh! There are so many wonderful places to visit here! I would say that Phipps is beautiful and worth the visit ( great place to grab some family pictures too). Also the children’s museum (which is right next to the aviary) , the science center, the zoo are all great! If you are in to touring homes, the Frick Historical Center and Falling Water are amazing and you would love them! …but as a native Pittsburger, let me warn you about the Andy Warhol museum. ( First let me say, I am not trying to be unkind or offend anyone; I just want to give you my honest opinion.) It truly is a waste of your time and money to go there. Not only are there several vulgar exhibits (probably don’t want to take your kids in there), but there really isn’t much to see that can’t be seen on the Internet. Believe me, seeing them in person adds nothing to their charm. I was very disappointed with it and left feeling like I had wasted my time and money. Again, there are so many beautiful and wonderful places to go in Pittsburgh… like the point, and the strip district (not what it sounds like) …. so don’t waste time at the Warhol. Hope you have fun On your adventures! These trips sound amazing!
I live in Orlando and we bring our 13 month old to Disney Springs (formerly called Downtown Disney) frequently. It’s free to get in and parking is free and the restaurants are great. Our favorite is Raglan Road (great food and they have Irish dancers which entertains our boy!). They have a lot of shops to walk through (the toy store has a cute build-your-own lightsaber, etc section) and there’s a Lego store with a building section. There’s usually entertainment in the evenings so you can listen to live music and watch the kids dance in front of the stage. Sometimes you can’t beat free!
Disney hotels have GREAT restaurants. One thing that took us awhile to figure out is that you don’t need to be staying at the hotel to eat there, and parking is free. You just tell the guard at the gate that you’re going wherever for lunch and you’re good. we looove the restaurants at the Polynesian. If you go to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, you can go check out all the animals (flamingos, giraffes, zebras, etc) and their pool is not in a locked are so we may or may not have spent the day at the pool and checking out the animals for free. Yes, I”m a horrible person. 🙂
If you’re looking for some non-Disney things to do, there’s a wildlife place that offers airboat rides (and the littles could go on the buggy ride) and it’s awesome to show the native side of Florida: http://wildfloridairboats.com/
To burn off some energy Artegon Marketplace (a mall converted into a hip open marketplace of sorts) is pretty cool. It is usually pretty empty honestly, so it’s no big deal if the kids are running around. They have a new trampoline park and indoor rope course. It’s not too far from Disney, it’s air conditioned, it’s free, and would be great for a rainy day. http://www.artegonmarketplace.com/food-entertainment//all/page/1
If you’re planning on going to the beach, Cocoa Beach is maybe an hour away. The Brevard Zoo is nearby and it’s AWESOME. It’s the cheapest zoo I have ever been to (parking is free…hey, I’m a Chicago native and you practically pay to stop at a red light, ok?). You get really close to the animals, can feed birds who looove people, feed giraffes, and they have a bunch of kid-friendly areas plus a small pool/water area. We spend ALL day there. https://brevardzoo.org/
Besides Disney, I hear kids have an amazing experienc at Aquatica: https://aquaticabyseaworld.com/
If you’re looking to go any sooner than October, I would book your Disney World restaurant reservations now! I booked reservations for the end of April at Ohana back in October! Besides Disney Springs restaurants, you probably won’t be able to just walk-in to any of their restaurants and expect to be seated. It’s no joke! You can cancel your reservations within 24 hours at no charge, so I would just make them and cancel as needed.
Hi Katie! These all sound like such wonderful places to visit! I noticed that you wanted to visit Steel City Pops in Fort Worth, but if you wanted to try them before you go, you could pop 2 hours over into Birmingham, AL and visit the original Steel City Pops store. I just moved away from Birmingham, and it makes me sad that I can no longer just pop around to the store to get me some pops! I hope you have a wonderful time travelling this year!
Tybee is the BEST! It’s so laid back and the people are great.
If Disney ends up being your splurge trip I would recommend these things; stay at a resort that has transportation to and from the parks. It’s so much easier to get around when you don’t have to think about where you are going. (*TIP – you can eat at any of the resorts even if you are not staying at them. I like going to the Polynesian resort for their luau.) Do a Character Breakfast instead of waiting in lines to see the characters at the park. The lines are REALLY long in the park (at least you don’t have little girls obsessed with the princesses). If it is possible to not go in July or August then I would avoid those months. It is SO HOT and lines are worse. Best months to go IMO are October (Halloween), November, January and February. If you do go in summer it may be fun to go to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon for a day.
I used to work at a Disney resort, and while at the time I didn’t have children I do have a lot of other great tips. Feel free to email or message me on FB. 🙂 Have fun!!! It really is a magical place. I can’t wait to take my daughter!
A few hours outside of Pittsburgh are 2 frank Lloyd Wright houses that are cool to check out. Falling water is the more famous and Kentuck knob is just down the road.
Went to Tybee last spring, it was fantastic! Stayed in a darling Mermaid Cottage (“Blues Away”)- would go back in a heartbeat. We were there off season, I think it gets a little busy in the summer months. Enjoy!
We went Belize on our honeymoon 10 years ago and had a wonderful time. People go to Belize for adventure and you will not be disappointed. Each day we did something different. We went cave tubing and zip lining, snorkeling, fishing, horseback riding, ventured into town (we stayed on Ambergris Caye, the town is San Pedro). Also, it’s unique because of the reef. Can’t wait to see the photos that you take!
Fort Worth is so fun, we love living here! You’ll be in two great areas when you go to the cattle drive in the stockyards and steel city pops in west 7th. You should also look into the magnolia area, which has many awesome places to eat and drink. A fun activity for the kids might be the miniature train ride, which is a train that goes from the zoo, across the trinity River, and through university park with a stop halfway for popcorn. It’s about 50mins round trip and super affordable. For burgers, check out Dutches by TCU or Rodeo Goat. For Mexican (a must in Texas), go to Joe T’s or The Original! I
TORCHYS TACOS. Trust me, if you miss this, you’re doing Texas wrong. Fried avocado taco is SO GOOD. Also try the tacos “trashy.” (Fuzzy’s Tacos are also fantastic.)
I’m from the Ft Worth area, and I second a lot of what was already mentioned. Joe T’s, Esperanza’s, Rodeo Goat, Velvet Taco, Railhead BBQ, the zoo, and the museum of science and history. I would also mention J&J Oyster bar (it’s a total dive, but the seafood is great) and Thirteen Pies for amazing brick oven pizza. The Czech stop in West is a must on your way to Waco!
Africa sounds amazing. My mom has been there twice or three times and every time she comes back she is more in love with it!
xo – kb
Thanks Amy! I will check out that post for sure!
xo – kb
Really? Because I went when I was three and remember a lot! Thats funny!
xo – kb
Oh no! I hate that for you! England does sound amazing.
xo – kb
I live 1 1/2 hours outside of Pittsburgh. I have traveled to lots of cities throughout my life, but Pittsburgh remains one of the prettiest cities I have seen. It has so much character! When you drive through those tunnels and they open to the beautiful view of the city, I am always amazed. You must take the Duquesne incline up to the top of the city- Mt. Washington. Such beautiful views, you can’t miss that. And there are lots of good restaurants up there too. The Omni William Penn Hotel is right in the heart of the city, and gorgeous and historical. It has the best Starbucks I have ever seen in the hotel. while you are visiting, do not miss out on eating at one of the several Primanti Brothers Restaurants. They are kind of dives, but that is what makes them special. Pittsburgh is famous for this restaurant that serves sandwiches with french fries and coleslaw on them, and I love them!! anyway, I thought I would give you a few tips in case you get to visit, I hope you do!!
Absolutely, Falling Waters is so amazing, and totally worth it!
But the fun part of taking young ones is you don’t have to do the long lines for the big rides and you get to see the magic through their eyes. It’s the only time when they are full of wonder. We took our daughter when she was 4 and loved it! We expected the meltdowns – we had plenty (she did too – ha!) but we took it slow, allowed plenty of time, didn’t rush the parks, and had a blast! We went in January – the weather of course is very unpredictable then but it was great not worrying about being sweltering hot! To this day (she’s 12) she just loves looking at her scrapbook I made for her about the trip. She remembers a few things – some because we talk about it a lot and some because she just remembers key parts. But that’s ok!
Yes! This! My friend has a video of her son who tends to be very stoic seeing Disney for the first time and she said it’s one of her all time favorite moments because it was that magic moment!
xo – kb
My husband and I went to Belize and we LOVED it. The people are so nice, they speak English which makes traveling there so easy, and the country is absolutely gorgeous. If you’re looking for a place to stay, I highly recommend Belizean Dreams – http://www.belizeandreams.com/. It’s a small all-inclusive resort right on the beach. You stay in these gorgeous villas with amazing views. GREAT food too. Plus they’ll organize all the excursions you want to do too.
My now 5 year old STILL remembers things from her first Disney trip and she was only two. Besides, it’s not all about what the kids will remember when they are grown. Who remembers much before the age of 5 anyway? I sure don’t. It’s about making memories with your kids that YOU will cherish for a lifetime. That is why we are a crazy Disney family!
We just went back to Disney in November with our two girls (4 and 15 months at the time) and we had a wonderful time. I would love to plan another trip for later this year or early next year. You’re never too young for a little Disney magic! 😉
We also went to the ruins. Very cool. Someone mentioned that it feels unsafe. The mainland was a bit of culture shock. Our resort was surrounded by a lot of contruction, which created a lot pollution (litter) and so we didn’t swim in our part of the ocean or play in the sand. I’m told there has been a lot of growth and I would hope for the better. Even with the few downers, we still had an exciting time.
Waco has a great zoo – perfect size for little ones. Waco is also the birthplace of Dr. Pepper! It’s a cool little town. I want to go back just to go to Magnolia Market! About 45 minutes south there is a little town called Salado – great shops and restaurants.
Disney will be SO SO SO fun! We’ve taken our 3 year old 2 times, going for a 3rd in September, and it’s more magical every time. My #1 tip… BE FLEXIBLE. Just because you’re at Disney doesn’t mean kids will be angels. Kids will be kids, even if they’re at the happiest place on earth. No one is happy when multiple naps have been missed. 😉
I know you don’t know me from Adam, but I’d love to help you plan your trip if you want some help. It’s totally free. I’m just a total Disney nerd and get so much joy making people’s trips there easy, magical, and a memory that’ll last a lifetime!
Hi Katie!
Long time reader (since before the “I’m going to be a Mummy!” post!) who has loved watching your family grow, grow, grow (4 times!).
I know you likely have a lot of wonderful advice and tips for visiting Walt Disney World with your family, but if there is ever anything I can answer for you, I would love to help! I’m a Disney travel specialist and actually just returned from 4 days at Disney for additional training (yes, they send us and continually update/train us!! best job ever!).
My services are 100% free, and there is no obligation for you to book with me (you might already have friends who are Disney agents). My desire is just that you have the best trip you can have! My boss always says that trying to plan for Disney by reading everything on the internet is like “trying to drink from a fire hose” so if I can help filter some of that for you, please let me know! 🙂
Thank you!
Lori
[email protected]
Great ideas!
Belize is one of my favorite places, and I’ve traveled quite a bit in South and Central America. If you are planning to go there this year, be careful… zika virus ..
Hi Katie! I’m one of the girls on Insta who said we should do a meet-up when you’re in Fort Worth. 🙂 Here are my Funkytown recommendations:
-Joe T. Garcia’s. (Which everyone has also recommended!)
-Sundance Square: Lots of great restaurants, pedestrian friendly, has a water feature that kids can run and play in.
-Pretty much any restaurant on Magnolia Ave., but my favorites are Brewed and Cane Rosso. You would *LOVE* the interior of Brewed. They call it the “locals living room” and it’s just gorgeous and cozy.
-MELT. It’s a “farm-to-cone” ice cream shop on Rosedale (close to Magnolia Ave.) Delicious. They make all their ice creams in-house using local ingredients.
The stockyards were really nice. I went to fort worth on a business trip. So no kids…but i did have my first taste of alligator there. Yuck! Wish i could remember the name of the restaurants…
Disneyworld took my little guy back when he was 5. We stayed at pop century because of the perks of staying on property. the bus system was awesome. used a mousesavers.com to help me plan. Great website.
Savannah and tybee, went this past july. Sooo beautiful. You have to go to wilkes house. They are not open on the weekends. It is awesome food. LINE IS LONG!!!!! Only open for 5 hours. Went to the spot where forest gump was taped. Nourish soap and Savannah bee company awesome. Wormsloe has the most beautiful oak trees EVER!!! I took so many pictures my son thought we would NEVER LEAVE!! Because Charleston was so close i took him to magnolia plantation. anytime i can impart black history i do… Finally I went to savannah’s super secret speakeasy…called Mata Hari’s to get some absinthe. I didnt find a key but because i am from chicago i got in. Used bucketlistjourney.net to help me navigate the city.
In 8 weeks i will be leaving for CUBA!!!! I am super excited.
Forgot about Pennsylvania…Never been to pittsburgh but I did go to cannonsburg pa and washington pa because all clad is made there and their second sale is awesome!!! They have a train museum that your boys would probably really like!!!
LOVE this list! I can’t wait to start travelling again. We haven’t gone on any big trips since my 3 year old was born. I’m looking forward to hearing about your experiences so we can try them out in the future!
I grew up in the DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) area. Y’all should try to make the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. It’s kid friendly and there will be cool special exhibit celebrating their 75th anniversary this year. http://www.fwmuseum.org/
I’ve been to Belize and it was so fun! I’d say it’s more of an “adult” trip. To stay on the main tourist island of Ambergris Caye, we had to take a 12 seater plane (alternative was an hour long boat ride). We also went snorkeling, swimming with sharks, hiking and visiting Mayan ruins.
Hahaha…I love all that info about Charleston & Savannah – I want to go there with Jeremy!
xo – kb
I love traveling 🙂 three quick tips about Disney – look into booking your Fast passes early! You can avoid long lines and get on the rides you want much quicker. You can do it well in advance from home which is way less hectic than on the way to the park or at the park.
Each park has child care centers where you can nurse your baby, change and just rest with your kids! I’ve had a lot of moms tell me what a life saver it is to have a cool place for their kids to nap or just be out of the crowds.
Definitely stay at a hotel with transportation! We live in Orlando, have annual passes and every time we drive home after a day at one of the parks, I long to be staying close to the parks! Haha 🙂 there are non Disney resorts that have buses that’ll take you to the parks!
Disney World tips? I got those! I currently work for the Mouse!
The best time of year to go is in September after Labor Day. Everyone is back in school so lines are minimal and the temperature is quite nice.
With small kids, for sure go to Magic Kingdom. They just finished expanding Fantasyland and did a lovely job. Tons of characters to meet and rides for kids of all ages.
I personally love EPCOT, and it is where I work, so maybe I am just partial. Definitely check out The Seas with Nemo and Friends, I make sure all the water is nice and happy and clean for our fish and marine mammals. 🙂 But honestly, it is more of an adult destination. Kids don’t appreciate tasty food and fun shopping like us adult folks do!
Animal Kingdom is a very fun park, and if you come later in the year some more attractions will be open. A nighttime safari experience will be opening up as well as a water/lights show on the lagoon in front of Everest. If your kids love animals, for sure go.
I would skip Hollywood Studios. They have closed many of the attractions this past season to make room for Toy Story and Star Wars lands, which have just started construction. It honestly is not worth going there unless you really want to ride Tower of Terror or Star Tours.
If you do plan to make it down, keep my email handy. I can tell you all the secrets! 😉
Not sure when you’re planning to go to Waco but if you need an awesome indoor place for the kids (rain?) then the Mayborn Museum on the Baylor campus is amazing!! It’s a huge, not very crowded, children’s museum and they have a great Mr. Potato Head exhibit right now. We live in Waco and love going there!!
We did Disney when my daughter was 3 and son was 1. The two best tips for the trip were to be there at opening in the morning and go back to resort for lunch, naps and afternoon pool play. Then return to parks for fireworks/ parades in evening. Second thing was to have a special memory via photos for the 1 year old. We had his first haircut done at the barber shop on Main St USA in Magic Kingdom. They do a fabulous job with stickers, bubbles and glitter distraction techniquesas well as a certificate for the scrapbook! There is a special Mickey ear hat that is gifted that has “My First Haircut” embroidered on it. Great photos and a great memory for him as he really doesn’t recall anything from that trip. Enjoy!