Archive for May, 2010
Affordable Disney Vacation – Vacationing Tips
Is this the first time you are visiting The Walt Disney World? Don’t wait any longer make sure to enjoy the park in its full glory and savor every inch of the place. Plan the best Walt Disney World Resort vacation and spend time with your family and friends to bring back cherished memories. And one thing can be guaranteed this won’t be the first and last trip you take the Disney World you are bound to make it your favorite holiday destination.
The plethora of resorts available for you to stay in make the trip worth the money you spend. There are four theme parks within the Disney World and be prepared to be swept off your feet with the extravagance in the displays and the shows waiting for you. Upon landing in Orlando make sure to grab a copy of the Disney World’s map to help make your way from one park to another. Spend a few minutes taking it all in and once you have zeroed in on where you want to go begin your Walt Disney World adventure.
For those who are not looking forward the long walks between the theme parks you can avail the railroad facility. This will fit in well with your affordable Disney vacation. But the train does not stop at certain entertainment centers so make sure to get off somewhere closeby and walk it down. The Railroad stops at Frontierland Main Street USA and Mickey’s Toontown Fair. All these are part of the biggest theme park called The Magic Kingdom and Cinderella Castle also head straight to the Fantasyland for your child to have some fun with her favorite toon characters.
In case you decide to split into groups and visit different points of the park decide on a common meeting place and make sure at least one member has a mobile phone. Or you can pick up a walkie talkie to use while staying at the Disney World these are cheaper and easier to use by children too.
When you enter the park around 9 to 10am you will be greeted by the parades or some sort of entertainment on the streets. Don’t get caught up in this as crowds would gather near your favorite centers such as Animation Courtyard or the Hollywood Boulevard in DisneyMGM Studios and The Sorcerer’s Hat theme park.
In the morning it is better to look around the park and enjoy the rides and visual treats and in afternoons do your shopping either for souvenirs or designer wear. Each of the theme parks has its own unique shopping arcades where you get products similar to what you see there from autographed photos to T shirts with Mickey or Winnie the pooh. The most interesting is in the Future World where you can get your family’s portrait done on a 3D glass. There is something for everyone in these stores and one can get lost in the variety if they are not careful about how much they are spending.
About the writer: Ian Wilkie is an author of many Affordable Disney Vacation articles related too Disney Family Package Vacation Disney Family Vacation Deal and owner of My Affordable Disney Vacation your onestop online resource for Affordable Walt Disney World Resort Vacation information.
Wild West Lives On At Californias Ghost Towns
The Wild West and the mining of the late 1800s are a rich part of Californias heritage and what better way to experience the past than to visit Californias ghost towns? The Golden States ghost towns are more about history than spooks and youll spend hours exploring every nook and cranny of sometimes dusty old buildings in various states of disrepair or restoration. Here are two distinct examples to get you started.
Calico
Just about the time the drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas gets a little tedious up comes the Interstate 15 exit to Calico Ghost Town a stop worth making that will give you a chance to stretch your legs and learn a little California history at the same time.
This is a true ghost town although not the scary type and really as much an amusement park as a historical dig. Some of the original town has been refurbished some reconstructed and some buildings created just for tourists. The town was carved out of the colorful hills of the Mojave Desert back in 1881 and today offers a fascinating glimpse of what life might have been like for the borax and silver miners of the 19th Century.
If Calico looks in some places a little like parts of Knotts Berry Farm its because Calico was once owned by Walter Knott the popular amusement parks founder. He gave the property to San Bernardino County in 1966 and it has since become a regional park complete with its own historian and many authentic buildings and furnishings. Mixed in with the history is a good deal of commerce from eateries to crafts shops to gift shops that caters to the busloads of tourists who find this a convenient stop half way between L.A. and Vegas.
This ghost town is not dusty and dirty like less developed places that still have dirt roads and sagebrush tumbling through town. The streets are paved the trails are wellmarked and the historical exhibits each have descriptions that help you get a sense of what you are seeing. The surrounding hills provide a scenic backdrop and you begin to realize this place was called Calico for a reason; blue red gray green vermilion brown and yellow can be seen in patches along the craggy hillsides.
Like most ghost towns Calico was once a bustling place where prospectors came to find their riches in the mines. Both silver and borax were taken from more than 500 local mines. This made it possible for the town to grow to more than 1200 people and sustain many local businesses including 22 saloons. When the price of silver was cut in half the towns hay days were over and the residents eventually moved away.
We spent a couple of hours in Calico where Main Street is a pleasant walk of maybe four city blocks each packed with historical attractions stores and surprises. For example you can visit the Calico Jail where Calicos gunfighters were hauled off to serve time. There is a visitors center that includes vintage photographs historic newspapers and interpretive materials to help you understand the towns history. Theres a place to do some gold panning and another called the Mystery Shack as you might expect from a man named Knotts. Plan to have your lunch at Lils Saloon nothing fancy to eat here but just beyond those swinging saloon doors is a bar that looks like it came out of a Hollywood Western. And yes families are welcome.
There arent any true amusement park rides but there is a coal train you can ride on a short loop while getting a history lesson from the trains engineer. We also enjoyed stepping into a recreated mine shaft where you can get a sense of the darkness and claustrophobia under the mountain and do it safely. Theres a house made of bottles and several other oddities that are fun to come across. Youll see miners homes carved out of the hillsides and a variety of freestanding Old West style buildings.
If you still need a little more help imagining what the Wild West was really like the towns modern day “gunfighters” will oblige with shootouts and demonstrations on Main Street.
The Calico Ghost Town is just northeast of Barstow and because we were visiting in late afternoon we decided to stay over. We were pleasantly surprised by the accommodations available at the new Holiday Inn Express which offered surprisingly upscale rooms and an overall feel that was modern and pleasing with gorgeous desert views right out the window.
If youre traveling by RV Calico offers campsites right on the park property.
For more information on Calico Ghost Town phone 1800TOCALICO or visit www.calicotown.com.
Bodie
If youre looking for a California ghost town that is a little less commercial the state has helped to restore the town of Bodie on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada range. This one will be a little harder to get to and will require a lot more walking. But it will be worth it.
If you thought those underwater photos of the Titanic were at once haunting and mesmerizing Bodie gives you the same feeling. Just as you imagined what life must have been like in those last fateful hours of the Titanics tragic maiden voyage a look inside the many remaining buildings at Bodie will stir you to ponder just how life had been during those years back in the 1880s when Bodie was bustling with 10000 souls.
In 1859 gold was discovered near this town by Waterman S. Body and townspeople paid homage to Body by naming the town after him with one slight variation: The residents were concerned that Body would be pronounced as it is spelled so they changed the spelling to Bodie.
As mining on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada went into decline miners crossed the mountains to search for other sources of gold and soon with the discovery of such deposits as the famed Comstock Lode at Virginia City this whole area east of the mountains began to surge with the influx of miners.
By all accounts it was wild raucous sort of existence during the 1880s as miners and other residents indulged themselves at the 65 saloons that had sprung up all over town. Killings were said to be an almost daily occurrence. According to the park service Bodie was also the scene of many robberies stage holdups and street fights. Along Bonanza Street Maiden Lane and Virgin Alley ladies of the night set up a row of oneroom cabins called “cribs.”
Having read all the stories about Bodie we were primed to see just what was left of this town and its colorful past. The country road to Bodie is clearly marked on US 395 just south of Bridgeport and our anticipation grew with each of the 13 winding miles. Along the way we could see in our rearview mirrors the panoramic views of the Sierra range that became more and more spectacular as we climbed closer to Bodies 8300foot elevation.
Then at the top of the grade and just around a corner there stood Bodie. From a distance it didnt look like a complete town but rather a lot of random outbuildings spread over a few modest hills. Then as we came closer the buildings began to take shape a church and steeple at the edge of town a few remarkably well preserved houses and then a few larger Main Street buildings that looked like they had been built for a Western movie except this was the real thing. This was a real town where real cowboys had real gunfights.
Maybe its because were more accustomed to visiting movie lots and fake western towns but somehow we werent quite prepared for our first glimpse into one of these buildings which happened to be the old Methodist Church. There covered in a thick layer of dust were the handcarved pews the pulpit and an ornate pipe organ. It seemed that with just a bit of a scrub down this church could be ready to host a congregation this coming Sunday.
And thats when the Titanic effect started to kick in. We had come to see the buildings of a town that had its hay day more than a hundred years ago but somehow we had not realized that this historic park was much more than a set of buildings many of those buildings are in fact minimuseums still housing the artifacts of the day. In some cases it looks like the residents just got up and left one day but didnt take anything with them.
To learn more about Bodie State Historic Park call 7606476445 or visit www.parks.ca.gov. Online you can also visit www.bodie.com where the Friends of Bodie offer many more details about the town.
exit to Calico Ghost Town
About the writer: Cary Ordway is a syndicated travel writer focusing on regional travel. Visit his websites if you need information on California travel or Pacific Northwest travel.
Why You Should Consider A Summer Vacation In The Caribbean
Many people only consider a Caribbean vacation during the months of November to April. This period known as the winter season is traditionally the peak period for Caribbean vacations. For many individuals it is a chance to escape the snow and ice of the northern hemisphere with a holiday in sunny climates. The other months are often called the summer season or as known in Caribbean vacation circles the low season because of the low occupancy at vacation properties. Yet the summer and fall months are a great time for a Caribbean vacation with several activities that are only available during the summer.
One of the reasons some persons do not consider a vacation in the Caribbean during the summer months is a fear of hurricanes. This concern over hurricanes is however somewhat misplaced. In fact only a few islands are ever affected by hurricanes in any one year. Some islands because of their geographic position such as Trinidad Aruba Tobago Curacao are considered below the hurricane belt and so are not hit by any hurricanes.
The summer months in the Caribbean are filled with music festivals. You can listen to world renown international artists under sunny skies with an ocean view or against a backdrop of star filled skies with balmy breezes. Among the more popular music festivals are the St Lucia Jazz Festival Barbados Gospelfest and the Aruba Music Festival in May the Ocho Rios Jazz Festival the Bonaire Jazz Festival St Kitts Music Festival and Grenada’s Spice Jazz Festival in June. If you are looking for music a little later in the year there is Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica in July and Dominica’s World Creole Music Festival in October.
Summer is also the time for the pulsating rhythms and colorful costumes of Carnival on many islands. In July it is Carnival time on St Vincent St Lucia and Barbados while Antigua’s carnival is in August. A summer holiday on any of these Caribbean islands gives you the chance to experience the splendor of the carnival costumes with the relaxation of a beautiful Caribbean beach.
The summer months are also ideal for Caribbean outdoor recreation adventure and each island offers a range of outdoor vacation adventure. Hiking is one of those outdoor adventures and in the Caribbean you can on the same hike alternate from untouched beaches to unspoiled forest. Within those lush untouched natural forests are tall cascading waterfalls hidden fern grottoes mountain lakes boiling lakes hot springs and mysterious regions of volcanic activity.
Summer is also the time of turtle nesting with May to September being the prime months. During these months thousands of giant marine turtles heave themselves out of the ocean and on to the sandy beaches to lay their eggs. Giant Leatherback turtles some weighing as much as 1000 pounds along with Hawksbill and Green turtles visit these sandy shores. Viewing this rite of nature while on a summer vacation is an experience of a lifetime.
The waters of the Caribbean Sea are wonderful all year round but the warmest water temperature is during the summer making it ideal for snorkeling. The sparkling blue water provides a world of adventure below its surface. The Caribbean is one of the top regions for scuba diving and snorkeling with breathtaking marine life shallow coral reefs new and old wrecks.
Probably the best reason of all for visiting the Caribbean during the summer months is that this is the time of the lowest prices at hotels and airlines have special reduced airfares so you can have a vacation on a budget.
So if you are thinking of where to go for your summer vacation consider the Caribbean it’s great in the summer.
About the writer: Brian Ramsey is the author of Discovering the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago and operates the web site Outdoors Trinidad. His other web site Caribbean Outdoor Life features outdoor activities in the Caribbean.