Your Best Vacation May Be As Close As Your Backyard

Your best vacation may be a “staycation” in your backyard. As the days grow longer, it’s only natural that you will want to spend time outside. Enjoying nature has an element of relaxation and peacefulness to it. Before you can enjoy the beauty of your backyard you may need to do a little improvement to the space. Turn your backyard into a garden paradise for the entire family in several easy steps.

Create a Family Plan. The first important step is to create a family plan. The design for your backyard should be personal and unique to the personality of your family. This is to be your private escape place. Be sure to include every member of the family in your plan even your furry members. Children can learn from working together with their parents to create a place for family fun and relaxation. Even young small children can help with teaching moments from Mom and Dad.

Next, define the space. It may be too much to improve the entire backyard this summer but outline the design to avoid reworking the same area next year. Fences or hedges can define boundaries and create order in the yard. If children need a play area be sure to define the “children’s space.” Get their input about how large it should be and what they want to do in their area.

Organize the area with paths and clean the area with Orlando Pest Control. How to get from one area to another is easy with a garden path. The path selection material available is varied; select the material that matches your garden design; brick, gravel, mulch, or simply a dirt path. You may not want to complete all paths this year but again your plan should include future additions.

Analyze the soil. Nothing can spoil your garden faster and discourage the family than dead grass and dead plants. Take the time to review the products that improve the soil at your local garden center. This can save time and money and avoid disappointed gardeners.

Choose your plants wisely. Have a planting scheme that includes trees, scrubs, and flowers. Determine how much time you want to devote to the maintenance of the plants when selecting annuals or perennials. It is also important to carefully read the plant labels for sun and water requirements. Your watering system may be simply holding a garden hose spraying at the end of the day or an automated installed drip irrigation system. If watering requires your attention, allow time for recommended watering or use the set-it and forget-it irrigation system. Review the label features on the plants for attracting birds and butterflies.

Consider a water feature. Enjoy the peaceful sounds of bubbling water. A simple urn fountain or an elegant stone fountain adds beauty and peace that only the sounds of water can bring. The soothing sound of water cascading not only attracts birds to your backyard but calms the soul after a busy day. A pond may be too much work in the first year plan but a fountain is an easy addition. Solar-powered fountains are available without the hassle of extension cords or installing new electrical wiring. Fountain designs are available from classic and traditional to whimsical at a wide range of prices. The wonder that a water feature brings to the garden is well worth the cost. There is little maintenance to keep the fountain feature a beautiful addition to the garden.

Invite feathered friends. The addition of a birdhouse or birdfeeder will encourage birds to visit your yard. There are many different birdhouses, some designed for specific types of birds. Your library has books that identify local birds and the type of nesting they prefer. A birdhouse is not only an attractive addition but an educational one as well.

Visit the Library. Now with the backyard turned into a garden paradise it is time to grab a couple of local bird books at the library and help the children to identify feathered visitors to their yard. A great time to enjoy the beauty of nature, and tell the children about catching fireflies when you were their age and maybe catching a few fireflies with them.
Invite some friends over to enjoy your outdoor paradise and have a great summer.

Best Vacation Places For Families With Kids

Family vacations are not that difficult to plan, but the one priority is that it needs to be fun for all involved. There needs to be a bit of something for everyone. The type of family vacation you choose will depend on the things that interest your children. Some children are sports oriented and their idea of a fun vacation may be very different than more scholarly children. Both of these vacation ideas leave a lot of options for parents to consider as they try to decide on what will be the best vacation places for them and their kids.

Whether your children are young or teenage, one place that both age groups will love is Disney World. For parents, numerous golf courses are award-winning designs and these provide a calm and relaxed atmosphere where you can de-stress. For the kids, there is the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. This is a fascinating place with over 50 sports available all in one area.

One of the most popular attractions for kids as well as parents is the Walt Disney World Speedway. Whether you are a driver or you want to be in the passenger seat, this ride is a thrill of a lifetime. There are several different driving options to choose from and both kids and parents will have a blast driving the speedway just like Richard Petty.

Needless to say, Walt Disney World is one of the best vacation places for families with active kids, but for those who are more scholastically inclined, and love the learning experience a vacation can provide, then nothing is better than visiting Washington, DC. This is a town filled with learning experiences for kids and one that many parents enjoy as well.

One of the best times of the year to be in DC is during the springtime when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. For adults, this is a wonderful and relaxing walk that many love to take during the morning hours. Some of the most sought-after tickets are ones for the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit. This is a glance back into history that will fascinate both young and old. Included with your tickets to this amazing exhibit is a fascinating 60-minute film showing research done inside the tomb of the first emperor of China.

If you and the kids are still thirsting for knowledge, then head over to the Smithsonian Institute where there is something for everyone. A favorite exhibit for kids is the Air and Space Museum. Children will be amazed at the massive exhibits of everything to do with flying. Follow that with a visit to the planetarium show, which gives children and parents an amazing show that is a tour of the universe.

These are just a few of the things you and your children can do when you’re looking for the best family vacation for you and your children. There is a world of possibilities out there for any family to discover while relaxing and having fun. It’s even possible to combine both learning and high-intensity activities if your children are so inclined. America offers a vast range of experiences for any family to enjoy, and ones that will be satisfying to everyone.

Cave Exploring for a Unique Vacation

In caving you will discover the beauty of nature and marvel at rock formations and crystals that took thousands, and even millions, of years to shape and develop. Caves come in different shapes and sizes. There are caves that are horizontal, dry, hot, humid and sandy, while others are vertical, cold, flooded and muddy. There are even caves that are located under rivers and seas.

Another great thing about visiting a cave is that you are able to step back in time a bit, as many caves have served as dwellings for early humans, offering shelter from the outside elements. Another interesting thing about caves – when you’ve toured one, you’re going to want to tour another. Luckily there are numerous caves to explore in America that can keep you busy year after year. Let’s take a look at several which offer guided and self-guided tours perfect for the whole family:

Mammoth Cave National Park – Kentucky

Since 1816, visitors have toured Mammoth Cave, one of the world’s longest and most famous cave systems. The name Mammoth was coined not from the prehistoric wooly mammoth, but because the cave system is so huge – more than 365 miles of it has been explored so far.

Cave tour prices range from $4 to $45 and include tours for all levels of experience, from a 30-minute, self-guided discovery tour to a 6-1/2 hour “Wild Cave Tour” for more advanced cavers which involve free-climbing cave walls and crawling through areas as low as 9 inches high. The temperature inside the cave usually stays around 54° Fahrenheit year-round.

Jewel Cave National Monument – South Dakota

Located just east of the Wyoming border, Jewel Cave is considered one of the best caves in the National Park system, and number three on the list of longest caves in the world! Much of the cave remains unexplored today. But tours inside the cave offer breathtaking walks and intense caving adventure. Aside from stalactites and stalagmites, several varieties of bats reside inside the cave, especially during winter.

Jewel Cave offers three different tour packages, each requiring a different level of experience. The easiest tour is the Basic Tour, which most people should be able to manage. Of course, you have to remember this is a cave, so there will be some steps to climb. On the Basic Tour, there are 723 steps to manage, but you don’t have to climb them all at once, they are interspersed throughout the 1/2 mile tour. The next tour in difficulty is the Historic Tour which enters and leaves the cave through a historic entrance and views the cave from an unpaved trail. You will carry lanterns on this tour, which is considered strenuous. Children under 6 are not allowed on the Historic Tour. For the experienced cavers, Jewel Caves offers a Spelunking Tour, a 4 to 5-hour tour which snakes through 2/3 of a mile of the Cave. You are provided a headlamp by the park service, but you must provide all your other equipment. In addition, you must be over 16 and pass a number of tests before being allowed on the Spelunking Tour, including proving the ability to wriggle through an 18″ X 24″ passageway. Needless to say, people with a fear of heights or claustrophobia definitely won’t be comfortable on this tour. Reservations are required for the Spelunking tour.

Kartchner Caverns State Park – Benson, Arizona

Located in the southern part of Arizona, Kartchner Caverns was discovered in 1974 by cavers and purchased as an Arizona State Park in 1988. What’s cool about Kartchner is that it’s a “living cave,” in that the formations inside are still growing. It also contains 13,000 feet of passages, boasts one of the world’s longest soda straw stalactites – 21 feet 2 inches, and is in near-pristine condition. Typical of most caves, Kartchner Caverns has its share of bats. In fact, during the summer the Cave’s Big Room becomes a nursery roost with over 1,000 female bats.

Meramec Caverns – Stanton, Missouri

Like your caves on the commercial side? Then you’ll love Meramec Caverns, which has a gift shop inside the entrance of the cave. In fact, Meramec Caverns is the largest commercial cave in Missouri, which is known as the “Cave State” due to it containing over 6,000 surveyed caves. In addition to its natural history, Meramec Caverns has some interesting recent history, as legend has it that the cave was used as a part of the “Underground Railroad” to aid escaping slaves. Legend also has it that Jesse James and his gang hid out in the caves after committing train and bank robberies.

Meramec Caverns also has the distinction of having a ballroom inside the caves which hosts many private and public events, such as an Easter Sunrise Service. The ballroom is an interesting combination of chairs, sound system, lighting and, yes, limestone and stalagmites.

Other Missouri Caves and Caverns

As long as you’re visiting Meramec Caverns, why not check out some of the other caves in Missouri? Some notable ones include:

Fantastic Caverns – Springfield, Missouri

Fantastic Caverns is considered “America’s Ride-Through Cave” and is great for seniors, physically-challenged individuals and people with small children because you don’t walk through the cave, but, rather you take a jeep-drawn tram through the cave.

Marvel Cave – Branson, Missouri

Again, if you like your caves on the commercial side, then Marvel Cave is for you. Marvel Cave is another “living cave” with formations that are still growing and is now part of Silver Dollar City, an amusement park with over 30 rides and attractions, the cave being one of them.

Mark Twain Cave – Hannibal, Missouri

The Mark Twain Cave was discovered in 1819 and is Missouri’s oldest show cave, providing tours to the public for over 114 years. The cave is named after “Mark Twain,” the pen name of Samuel Clemens, who explored the cave quite frequently and wrote about its wonders. Again, legend has it that Jesse James and his gang hid out in the caves.

If you’re looking for something interesting and unusual to do with your family on your next vacation, do consider visiting one of the many fascinating caves that America has to offer. You may discover a passion you never knew existed.