Virginia Resort Debut

Set on 340 acres in the picturesque countryside of Virginia’s Loudoun County just an hour from Washington, D.C., the Salamander Resort & Spa is slated to open in August. The sprawling resort will include 168 rooms and suites, spa with treehouse treatment rooms overlooking the woods and nearby stream, pool, state-of-the-art Cooking Studio with daily culinary classes, pool, tennis, miles of walking and biking trails and nature-based activities such as a Challenge Course.  The resort will also feature an equestrian center and 22-stall stable (for those who want to bring along their horses!) with practice ring, riding trails and instructional classes.  The equestrian-themed restaurant boasts views of Virginia’s wine country and will serve Virginia Piedmont-influenced cuisine.

High Tech Disney

Within the next few months, guests to Walt Disney World will be able to enter the parks, purchase food and merchandise, enter their hotel room and access certain rides using MagicBand bracelet, which will serve as an optional payment account. The MagicBand bracelet is part of a larger, technological initiative called MyMagic+ that Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is rolling out over the next several months in an attempt to improve your overall experience. The technology includes the MagicBand as well as a new website and mobile app called My Disney Experience. A FastPass+ system will allow us to book dining, viewing areas for fireworks/parades, character meetings and other activities and reserve times for certain attractions and shows.  You will then be able to use your smartphones to change your plans while at the park. The MagicBand will provide access to all the FastPass+ experiences selected and will serve as a connection to Disney’s PhotoPass program (PhotoPass is a photo taking, storing and sharing service). The MagicBand will initially be made available to select Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests and guests. Other guests will be able to use their standard ticket to access the benefits of MyMagic+, such as making FastPass+ selections on My Disney Experience. Guests are not required to participate in the MyMagic+ program or use the MagicBands, which can be disabled if lost. There is no additional charge for the MyMagic+ program.

Broadway for Boys

Broadway Across America is excited to announce their third annual trip package geared toward that special young man – perhaps a son, a grandson or a nephew – who would love nothing more than to experience a weekend in New York City designed with him in mind.  Limited to just 24 guests, this trip is loaded with fun stuff that your family will enjoy. In addition to top category seats to Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark and Newsies, your trip features Broadway’s much anticipated new musical, Hands on a Hard Body, based upon the 1997 documentary of the same name.  Your package includes round-trip airfare, hotel transfers via luxury town car, three night’s accommodation at the deluxe and boutique Muse Hotel near Times Square, welcome reception and dinner, group lunch at Sardi’s with Q&A sessions with a Broadway performer, tickets to  Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium and a post show chat with members of one of the shows you will see.

Keystone’s Kids Ski Free

This winter Colorado’s Keystone Resort is offering the Keystone’s Kids Ski Free package for children age 12 and under.  Children can ski and snowboard free every day with no cap on the number of children per family.  Plus no blackout dates, even on week-ends and holidays.  Just stay a minimum stay of two nights.  Ski more than 135 trails accessed by 20 lifts across this 3,000 acre resort just 1 1/2 hours from the Denver airport.  Ski school is available for ages 3-14 along with a Mom Dad and Me program that is a  fabulous opportunity for you, your child and your child’s class lesson instructor to review the day’s activities. Your involvement in your children’s education is key in helping them reach their potential, whether it’s in the classroom or on the snow. The pros will not only review what your child is working on in Ski & Ride School, but will also give you tips on how you can continue to develop your child’s skills on your own.  Other outdoor adventures abound including Nordic skiing, snow biking, tubing, cat skiing (heated all-terrain vehicles), sleigh rides, ice skating/ice hockey and GPS Geocaching.

Omni’s Teen Connection

 Omni Hotels & Resorts is offering teens a travel experience just for them through its one-of-a-kind, socially-centered Teen Connection program. Guests who stay at select locations can engage with the property’s Teen Concierge for their insider’s perspective of activities, restaurants and attractions. They can also text or email with the teen, a local market expert, or chat via Twitter and Facebook.  Omni is committed to making teens feel important instead of stuck between kid-friendly and adult activities.  The program began at the Omni Berkshire Place in New York City and is now available at The Omni Chicago Hotel, Omni Shoreham Hotel (Washington, DC), Omni Parker House (Boston), Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort and Omni Hilton Head Oceanside Resort.  This is Omni’s first teen-targeted initiative created in concert with its newly formed Omni Teen Advisory Board (OTAB), a select group of well-traveled teenagers who provide ideas and feedback to help create memorable experiences for teens. The OTAB is currently helping with the implementation of the Teen Connection program, with plans to include coffee meet-ups and amenity baskets with snacks and discount cards at local attractions.

Yosemite Winter Fun

Explore Yosemite this winter!  The park’s Badger Pass Stay ‘N Play Package includes passes for a variety of recreational winter activities such as lift tickets, rentals, ski lessons, skating and tubing as well as a Valley Floor tour for each mid-week night that you stay at one of its in-park properties. Choose from The Ahwahnee, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, Curry Village and Wawona Hotel.   Each component of the pass may be used once each day and the offer can be combined with any other in-park lodging offer or package.  Prices vary depending on your accommodations and the package is valid Monday through Friday, but not on holidays or holiday weekends.  You can pre-book the Stay ‘N Play Passes for $50 per adult (13 and older) and $30 per child (7-12) per day. If not purchased in advance, Stay ‘N Play passes are $70 per adult and $40 per child per day.  Other winter activities include ranger programs, storytelling, stargazing, evening programs and guided bus tours.  This offer is valid for stays from December 14, 2012 through March 29, 2013.

Well-come to EVEN

Ski Free at Bretton Woods

Stay at the Omni Mount Washington Resort and enjoy luxurious accommodations and two free ski lift tickets for Bretton Woods, New Hampshire’s largest ski area!  Your package includes a newly renovated accommoation and two complimentary Alpine lift tickets or Nordic Trail passes (or one of each) per night, per room.  Additional lift tickets and trail passes can be purchased upon arrival at a discounted price.  Packages with full breakfast or full breakfast plus four course dinner are also available and some black out dates apply.  The resort recently completed a $60 million renovation of this National Historic Landmark, a favorite New England retreat of presidents, poets and celebrities since it opened in 1902.  Included in the renovation is a new spa and a year-round canopy tour.  Yes, a zip line in winter and one of the longest in the United States!!  The tour descends over 1000 feet in elevation, crosses high-flying suspension bridges and concludes with the Williwaw Racing Zip which leads right into the Bretton Woods base area.  Located 2 1/2 hours from Boston, the year-round resort offers a wide array of winter activities including skiing, skating, tubing, sleigh rides, skimobiles (kid sized too),  slopeside rock climbing wall, dog sledding, snow shoeing, ski school (ages 3 and up),  nursery care and an array of guided winter activities.  The resort also offers a ski program for those with disabilities.

Family Tours in NYC

Context Travel is now offering two new walking seminars in its Family Program in New York City. Building the City, from Skyscrapers to Trains explores 42nd Street and some of its iconic structures using them as a textbook for an interactive three-hour walk focusing on how New York works. Led by an educator, practicing architect, or historian who uses such techniques as “learning to look” games and sketching, this walking tour is designed for children and their parents to participate together while learning.  Adventures in Modern Art, which also launches this fall, focuses on the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Families taking the walk will be guided on an exploration of the ways artists like Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol have responded to the changing world around them through their creations. The tour is specifically designed for families with children from primary through middle school, and aims at stimulating an interactive discussion on art in its many and varied forms using activities such as treasure hunts or drawing exercises.  As with all Context Family walks, Building the City, the tours will be led by experts in modern art and architecture, trained in Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) and Inquiry-Based Learning. Tours are entirely customizable and offered only on a private basis at $250 per party.

Houseboat Party

Lake Powell is graced with majestic canyons and nearly 2,000 miles of shoreline. Enjoy it all on a spacious, easy to drive and comfortable houseboat! Fast, friendly help is just a phone call away. Take advantage of the 2013 houseboat promotion, and save 40% or 50% on a houseboat rental. Your family can get 40 percent off for rentals from July 11-August 26 and 50 percent for January 1-July 10 and again from August 27-December31. Boats range from 46′-75′ and can sleep 6-20 people!  Additional water sports equipment is also available to rent.  Lake Powell is a actually a reservoir on the Colorado River, straddling the border between Utah and Arizona (most of it, along with Rainbow Bridge, is in Utah).