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Orlando Theme Parks - Sometimes Less is More

Orlando Theme Parks - Sometimes Less is More Tags: Orlando, USA

Although visitors looking for an action packed, theme park family holiday in Orlando are spoilt for choice, depending on your time-frame often less is much much more. It's a simple matter of logistics. Let me explain.

Where the Offbeat Meet Presidents and Royalty

Where the Offbeat Meet Presidents and Royalty Tags: Key West, FL, USA

Key West is America's southernmost city — where the land meets the sea. Long an artist's and writer's haven, it has always attracted the offbeat. It's rich in old-world charm, steeped in the lore of island people, and endowed with an exciting history of rum runners, pirate ships and Civil War intrigue. It's a hip place that has also played host to presidents and royalty.

Offbeat American Treasures

Offbeat American Treasures Tags: Washington D.C., USA

Washington is a capital bountifully supplied with grandiose equestrian statues of long-forgotten Yankee generals who lost Civil War battles to Confederate commanders. It's a city of monuments and museums, well over 100 at last count — more than you could possibly see in one visit.

Penn's Greene Countrie Towne

Penn's Greene Countrie Towne Tags: Philadelphia, USA

After more than 400 years, Philadelphia is still a charmer, with a habit of winking when visitors least expect it. They see it in small ways, like the sudden change from the frown of an old building to the warm smile of a patch of green in a tiny courtyard.

The Treasure of San Francisco

The Treasure of San Francisco Tags: San Francisco, USA

Like a pirate's treasure chest laden with jewels, San Francisco, the City by the Bay, lies waiting to be discovered. Beginning as a Spanish colony in 1776, it wasn't until 1848 when gold was discovered in the American River that the city began to take shape.

A Colonial Christmas

A Colonial Christmas Tags: Williamsburg, USA

Two large torches burn brightly into the night atop 10-foot cressets, or poles, in front of the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia on Christmas Eve. You stand shivering in the crisp night air with a group of visitors anxiously waiting for the start of a special candlelight tour of the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg. Were it not for people in modern dress, the scene could be taking place in 1770, in the Royal Colony of Virginia.

Art Deco Wonderland

Art Deco Wonderland Tags: Miami Beach, USA

Miami's Art Deco District is the only historic district in the United States in which all structures date from the early 20th century. More than 800 buildings in this mile-square area have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Big Easy for Families

The Big Easy for Families Tags: New Orleans, USA

Sophisticated New Orleans, long known for its nightlife and cuisine has always been easy for adults, but now it's easy for families, too. Noted for the ribald clubs and propensity of bars that populate the French Quarter, the Big Easy, as it's more commonly known, was scarcely a place for children, and wholesome things to do were at a minimum. But not anymore.

Texas' Best Kept Secret

Tags: San Antonio, USA

San Antonio, Texas, may not be number one on your list of top vacation destinations, but its numerous and varied attractions make it Texas' best kept secret.

Up, Up and Away

Up, Up and Away Tags: Orlando, USA

Located within an easy drive of Orlando, the NASA Kennedy Space Center offers a fascinating and educational place to spend the day with your family.

Disney's Orlando on the Cheap

Disney's Orlando on the Cheap Tags: Orlando, USA

The prices for tickets to Disney World just went up — again. Yep, that's right. Now for your family to enjoy a vacation there, you may have to take out a loan. But it's possible to experience the Disney theme parks on a budget, if you know how to plan it right.

The Natural Side of Orlando

The Natural Side of Orlando Tags: Orlando, USA

For most people, Orlando is synonymous with theme parks, those man-made attractions created in some cases to resemble wild places from around the world. But, believe it or not, Orlando has a natural side, a side where you can commune with nature Florida style. — and all without taking out a second mortgage on your house.

Hollywood in the Desert

Hollywood in the Desert Tags: Tucson, USA

"Lights! Camera! Action!" The gunslinger, dressed in black and brandishing a shiny Colt 45, swaggers out into the middle of the plaza. The town's sheriff, sporting a large silver star and his own six-gun, slowly enters from the opposite side. They pause. Then Bang! Bang! And the desperado slumps to the ground. The smell of gunsmoke fills the air. "Cut! Print!," yells the director.

Making the Most of a Stateside Holiday

Making the Most of a Stateside Holiday Tags: USA

As the third largest continent in the world, stretching from the Arctic Circle in the North to the Rio Grande and Mexico in the South, Northern America has a lot to offer as a holiday destination.

The World's Center of Fun

The World's Center of Fun Tags: Orlando, USA

Location, location, location. So say real estate brokers about buying and selling houses. The same can be said for the theme parks in Orlando, Florida. Beginning with the original Walt Disney World, the number and variety of parks in the area has grown like topsy. Another saying also applies: "Build them, and they shall come."

Glorious Holmes Beach, Anna Maria Island, Florida

Glorious Holmes Beach, Anna Maria Island, Florida Tags: USA

The town of Holmes Beach is yet another one of my Anna Maria Island favorites, and I never shy away from the opportunity to visit this area of the island. With some of the most luxurious resorts and vacation rentals on the island and an abundance of things to do, see, and explore, Holmes Beach is one of Anna Maria Island's most exciting vacation destinations.