Boulder City Nevada - A Great Family-Friendly Vacation Destination

Boulder City is located in Clark county, Nevada and is a suburb of Las Vegas. The city was established back in 1931 and is one of only two cities in the entire state where gambling is illegal. For that fact alone, it is a great vacation destination for families who are looking to spend some time together.

There are many different family-friendly activities for you to enjoy and we have compiled our top 8 favorite ones for you below.

1. Black Canyon River Adventures – Looking for a fun family adventure right on the Colorado River? Check out Black Canyon River for boating and river rafting activities!

2. Golfing – The area has several beautifully landscaped golf courses and country clubs where you can take in an afternoon of golf or grab a bite to eat. Got the kids with you? Many of these golf courses also offer miniature golf!

3. Helicopter Rides – If your family loves to fly, there are numerous helicopter companies in the area. Take a ride over the Hoover Dam or down the Colorado River. This area has some of the most beautiful natural scenery in the world!

4. Hiking – This part of the country has some of the best hiking trails in the world! You can hike along the Colorado River, through various wilderness parks or plan a day of hiking in the Mojave Desert. You will find trails for the entire family to enjoy or if you are an experienced hiker, try out one of their challenging trails.

5. Shopping – Just about every family loves to spend some time shopping and Boulder City is a great place to shop! You will find local small businesses, boutiques, national retailers, antique shops and more!

6. Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum – For an educational and fun learning experience, take the family to the very entertaining Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum! The museum is located in downtown Boulder City, right inside the Boulder Dam Hotel.

7. Nevada State Railroad Museum – Looking for something fun and educational to do with the kids? A visit to the Nevada State Railroad Museum is a must-do activity when visiting the area.

8. Biking – The area has several beautiful biking trails and many are family-friendly! Bring along your bikes or rent them in-town. You can pack your own picnic lunch or stop by one of the local cafes and delis to purchase a ready-made picnic lunch for the entire family.

All of these activities are great family-friendly activities for families of all sizes! In addition, vacations to this area of the state are really affordable compared to other areas within the state. The city is rich in history and you will find friendly residents as you explore Boulder City and the surrounding area.

DELSEY Travel Wish Contest - Win Airfare Credit & New Luggage!

If you are visiting the Pennsylvania and Beyond Travel Blog you obviously love to travel since that is what this blog is all about! Well today, I want to tell you all about a great contest that is going on right now.

The iconic French luggage brand DELSEY is now offering its worldwide collection of high-quality luggage direct to US shoppers at DELSEY.com. To mark this special U.S. launch they are hosting a special contest!

Each week, one winner will be selected by their awesome judges (one of them is me!) to win an amazing prize: a $350.00 airline travel credit PLUS any piece of DELSEY luggage that the winner chooses! How cool is that? Totally cool!

The DELSEY Travel Wish Contest runs for four total weeks until December 31st, 2013.

Contest Rules (see official rules here):

1. To Enter: Create a Pinterest board called “DELSEY Travel Wish”
2. Fill the board with pins that represent your travel wishes—anywhere you want to visit. Be creative! Your board will be judged on creativity and enthusiasm for travel. If you pin luggage from shop.delsey.us you will win that piece of luggage in addition to the airline gift card.
3. Complete the entry form at www.DELSEYTravelWish.com. You will be required to submit a link to your board.

Note: I am guest judging this contest starting on December 3rd, 2013 and will be the guest judge for that week. If your board wasn’t chosen as a winner, don’t fret. You’re still in the running to win. 3 more prizes to give away over the next few weeks!

Head on over and read all of the official rules via the link above. Once you have read the rules you will want to head on over to Pinterest and name your board "DELSEY Travel Wish" and do your pinning. Once your board is complete, head to the DELSEY Travel Wish site and enter in your information which will serve as your entry into the contest. Super fun!

I look forward to seeing all of your entries and of course being the guest judge for the week of December 3rd. Good Luck!

Disclosure: I received no monetary compensation for this post. I am a guest judge for the DELSEY Travel Wish Contest and received a free piece of DELSEY luggage for my participation. 

Shop SMALL Business This Saturday at Strites' Orchard Farm Market & Bakery

My husband and I love shopping small businesses and supporting them. Matter of fact, we seek out local Pennsylvania businesses all of the time. We are huge fans of Strites' Orchard and shop there all of the time for our fresh produce.

Supporting small family owned businesses like theirs is a wonderful way to help to continue to support small and local businesses. You can read our previous blog post on what we thought about our visit to Strites' Orchard this past September ---> HERE

You can find Strites' Orchard Farm Market & Bakery at the following location:

1000 Strites Road in Harrisburg, PA. 17111

Small Business Saturday Hours: 8AM-5PM EST

Here is a printable coupon that you can use to get $2.00 off your total purchase of $15.00 or more on Small Business Saturday which is on November 30th, 2013. The coupon is ONLY valid on that day! 

You can find additional information about Strites' Orchard Farm Market & Bakery by visiting their online website or by connecting with them on Facebook. 

Shopping at the Tanger Outlets in Hershey

The Tanger Outlets in Hershey Pennsylvania are a great destination for shoppers who are looking to save money. The outlet shopping center is located right in Hershey and only minutes from Hersheypark, Hershey Chocolate World, the Hershey Museum, the Giant Center and other area attractions.

You will find a lot of variety when it comes to clothing stores such as Champion, Reebok, The Dress Barn, Carter's, The Children's Place, OshKosh B'Gosh, Banana Republic Outlet, GAP outlet, Rue 21, Gymboree Outlet, Disney Store, G.H. Bass & Co., the Guess Factory Store, Hanes, J. Crew, Justice, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Tommy Hilfiger, Talbots, PacSun, Motherhood Maternity Outlet, Haggar, Izod, Under Armour and more! 

In addition to the many clothing stores you will find specialty stores like Bath & Body Works, Claire's, the Coach Outlet, Christmas Tree Hill, Vitamin World, GOLDTOE, Zales the Diamond Store Outlet, Kay's Diamond Store Outlet, Yankee Candle, the Kitchen Collection, Skechers, Famous Footwear Outlet, Clarks Bostonian, Easy Spirit Outlet, the Disney Store and more!

Looking for something great to eat? Looking for something hot or cold to drink? How about Starbucks Coffee, Dunkin Donuts, Red Robin, Wendy's or Subway? All of those are located within the Tanger shopping complex. Right outside of the complex within 3 to 10 minutes driving distance you will find Bob Evan's, Fudruckers, Hoss's Steak & Seafood House, McDonald's, Taco Bell and more!

There are two very clean and large public restrooms for you to use while there and if the kids need to burn off any energy there is a small fenced-in playground for them to play in. On most days, the playground isn't crowded and the children really seem to enjoy it.

There is a lot of parking at the outlets but we prefer to park and walk. It's quite a large shopping complex so expect to do quite a bit of walking and shopping! If you are handicap and looking for those types of spaces...you can find them in almost every aisle in the parking lot.

Looking to save even more money? Visit the outlet's visitors and management office and sometimes they have some additional money-saving coupons in the office that they hand out. If you live in this area...you can scour the newspaper and buy one of those local fundraising coupon books which have several retail shop coupons inside them that can be used at the Tanger outlets.

You can visit their web site for hours of operation, driving directions and a current list of all outlet retail stores currently there. Some of them seem to stay for years and others come & go...so always check their site for an updated list. Happy Shopping!

Jackson Hole Wyoming - A Great Winter Vacation Destination

The winter season is just around the corner and now is the perfect time to play a wintertime vacation. If you love to ski, ride snow mobiles, enjoy snowboarding or just about any other wintertime activity, Jackson Hole Wyoming has a lot of fun activities to offer to you!

Here are a few things you can see and do in Jackson Hole while enjoying your winter vacation!

* The area is famous worldwide for having some of the best alpine skiing and snowboarding trails in America. For those who love this wintertime sport, you will find a lot of great options for skiing and snowboarding from the Corbets ski trail to the Mushroom Chute trail (ski runs).

* In addition to Alpine skiing, you will find over 37 miles of cross country skiing trails. If you love cross country skiing, this destination is definitely for you!

* Visit Yellowstone National Park during the wintertime to see all of it’s winter beauty! You can see Old Faithful in all of it’s glory and then go see the buffalo, wolves, deer and/or elk grazing in the park. The park is open year-round, weather permitting.

* For those of you who love being outside in the winter elements, you can go snowmobiling, sledding, take a ride on a sleigh, dogsled or snow coach. All of these wintertime activities are readily available during this time of the year and are affordable for couples and/or families to enjoy.

* You can find several different companies offering wildlife and nature tours throughout the area during the winter season. Some of these tours are offered on-foot, via sleds or snow mobiles or by car.

* You will find fine dining, casual dining and dining on-the-go that will make your mouth water! Love to eat and enjoy great food? This area is rich in delicious cuisine!

When thinking about a wintertime vacation, Jackson Hole is one destination that should be near the top of your list. You can book a trip for the entire family to enjoy or book a cozy romantic trip for two. Whatever your pleasure is...this city has a lot to offer to you!

Musselman's Family Skating Tribute in State College Pennsylvania

Professional Skater John Zimmerman

Earlier this month my hubby and I took a road trip up to State College in Pennsylvania. If you are unfamiliar with that area, it is the same State College where Penn State plays their home football games. You will also find the Bryce Jordan Center, Beaver Stadium, the University of Pennsylvania and other local attractions and destinations.

Just this year Penn Stated opened up the brand new Pegula Ice Arena where Penn State plays their hockey home games, home of the Penn State Figure Skating Team, etc. The Pegula Ice Arena was host to the Musselman's Apple Sauce Family Skating Tribute back on November 3rd, 2013.

John Zimmerman

This Family Skating Tribute will air nationally on TV on your NBC channels on November 24th, 2013 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm EST. Please check your local listings for channel and times. It will also be rebroadcast on AXS TV (dates & times to be determined). You can find additional information about this event by visiting the Disson Skating web site.

We decided to make our little road trip into a "date night" and reserved a night at the Sleep Inn in State College. You can find our lodging review on the Sleep Inn right here on our blog under the Pennsylvania section. Briefly I will say that we were very pleased with our accommodations!

Hosts - Kristi Yamaguchi and Michael Weiss

The hosts for the Family Skating Event were Kristi Yamaguchi and Michael Weiss. I had been a fan of their's for years and I absolutely love professional figure skating, so I was pretty excited to see both of them up close and personal. Our seats were in the 5th row and at center ice. Fabulous seating!

The musical guests for the skating event was country music star Sara Evans. I will admit, I am not a huge country music fan but hubby & I both enjoy listening to Sara Evans and her beautiful voice. Hubby was really in his "glory" every time she came out on-stage to sing. He adores her!

Country Music Star - Sara Evans

The event featured several professional national and Olympic skating champions! We got to see Michael Weiss, Kristi Yamaguchi, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Paul Wylie, Kurt Browning, Ilia Kulik, Irina Slutskaya, Naomi Lang, Isabelle Brasseur, Rocky Marvel, Silvia Fontana and John Zimmerman. 

The professional skaters incorporated some of their children into their skating routines which was really fun to see. I really enjoyed seeing Kurt Browning's two boys which were hilarious out on the ice. You can tell those two boys really take after their father with their humor and ability to clown around and entertain.

Ekaterina Gordeeva 

My favorite performance of the evening was when Ekaterina Gordeeva hit the ice. Oh my gosh, she is so beautiful and elegant when she skates. I could hardly take my eyes off her as she danced and floated around on the ice. I have always enjoyed watching her but she is even more beautiful when you see her skate live. 

Hubby has always enjoyed seeing Rocky Marvel skate and wow...did he put on a beautiful performance! Super entertaining to watch and he is a lot taller than what he appears on TV. It was great to see Isabelle Brasseur & Rocky Marvel skate together and was one of our favorite moments at the family skating event.

Isabelle Brasseur and Rocky Marvel

The event started at 5:00 pm and we didn't get out of the Pegula Ice Arena until around 9:00 pm. About halfway through the event they had a 20 minute intermission and we were able to grab a quick bite to eat and something to drink. Just be forewarned, food and beverages at the Pegula Ice Arena are pretty pricey!

We had a great time on our "date night" to see the Musselman's Family Skating Tribute at the Pegula Ice Arena in State College, Pennsylvania and we hope to go up to see the event again next Fall when they are back in the area. If you ever get the chance to see one of these professional skating events, we highly recommend that you jump on the opportunity!

Disclosure: We were provided with 2 complimentary tickets to the Musselman's Family Skating Tribute at the Pegula Ice Arena by the sponsor Musselman's Apple Sauce. We did not receive monetary compensation. Our thoughts & opinions about the skating venue are 100% our own and your thoughts and opinions may differ. 

Mountains, Valleys and Late Fall Foliage in Central Pennsylvania

Two weeks ago my husband and I took a little road trip from Harrisburg up to State College in Pennsylvania. We decided to take the scenic route and went up to State College via route 322/22 so that we could take a look at all of the pretty mountains, valleys and fall foliage that the area has to offer.

You can click on all photos in this blog post to enlarge them to see the details better. The photo up above is one we took looking from the Dauphin area across the Susquehanna River towards the Duncannon area. During this time of the year the fall foliage is gorgeous in this area of the state as we peak a little later than our northern counterparts.

The photo above is one we took about one hour into our trip as we headed up the road towards State College. This one was shot looking across the Juniata River and I really loved looking at the ridge line and all of the little towns that dot the river banks and sit within the valleys. Yup, this is small town America at its best!

On our trip home we came back the same way we went up. Once we hit the Daulphin area and looked out our car windows towards the Susquehanna River we could see the "State of Liberty" that sits out on an old abandoned stone bridge column.

She stands 25 feet high and was designed by a local artist in the area. The original one was destroyed and from what I understand the community came together and donated money for the artist to design a new one which current stands out there. You really can't see all of her details in this photo but I hear she is quite beautiful and you need a boat to go out on the Susquehanna to see her up close and personal.

The colors of the trees this time of year are so beautiful and taking road trips throughout Pennsylvania during the Fall months is a great way to see it. Although the states to the north of us boast about their fall foliage...I think that Pennsylvania is right up there with them on having gorgeous scenery during this time of the year.

The Sleep Inn in State College Pennsylvania

Earlier this month my husband and I took a short road trip up to State College in Pennsylvania. If you are familiar with that area, it is home to the University of Penn State. We love that area of the state and hadn't been up for a visit in a few years.

The drive up to State College from Harrisburg Pennsylvania was absolutely beautiful since the Fall foliage was at it's peak! If you want to see some beautiful Fall foliage then take route 322/22 up to State College but be forewarned, during Penn State home football games that route gets pretty congested with traffic.

We spent the night at the Sleep Inn which is located right off the 322 business route in State College on Village Drive. The Sleep Inn is one of the most affordable hotels in the State College area and our reservations were made online, so we really breezed through the hotel check-in process. Check in is 3:00 pm and check out is 11:00 am on the day you will be leaving.

The hotel front desk area and lobby are beautifully decorated and you felt very welcomed when you walked into the hotel via the front doors in the lobby. Our room was on the third floor and right past the front desk to the right are the elevators which took us right up to our room. Every floor has their own ice vending machine (ice is free) and soda machines (you have to pay for those). Every morning there is a free complimentary breakfast downstairs near the lobby. Also in the lobby you will find freshly made hot coffee 24 hours a day which is free.

The hotel uses electronic keys to get into the room which are scrapped after each stay/visitor for security purposes. Our room had 2 double beds, a desk/dresser combo, a large flat panel TV, a place to hang up our clothing, a small personal safe, a night stand between the beds and the lighting in the room was plentiful. We had a complimentary coffee maker in our room with several bags of coffee & coffee condiments along with free toiletries ie. shampoo, lotion and soap.

We felt the bathroom was on the small side and only contained a toilet and a shower. There was no bath tub in the room we stayed in and the sink was in the dressing/vanity area where the coffee maker was housed. The bathroom was extremely clean with no dirt, dust or hair from past guests and that was pleasing to see!

Our beds were very comfortable and we had requested extra pillows before our arrival and they granted that request with each of the beds having 4 fluffy pillows for us. The room is beautifully decorated with a modern and upscale feel to it. We had a great night's sleep and the hotel was very quiet with no disturbances.

The hotel staff that we came into contact with was warm, friendly and very helpful when we had some questions about area attractions. Every time we walked through the front door in the lobby we were greeted with a hello and a smile. That is always very welcoming to see. 

We enjoyed our stay at the Sleep Inn and would not hesitate in staying there again. Matter of fact, we plan on visiting State College Pennsylvania again next Fall and will be making our lodging arrangements with the Sleep Inn. For the price...you really can't beat this place! 

Popular Things to See When Visiting San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the most popular cities to visit on the west coast due to its wealth of history and beauty. Many people that visit the city find it to be their favorite city overall. There are so many things to see and do in San Francisco that planning to stay for at least 3 days at a minimum is needed so you can see and do everything you want to.

Here are several main attractions in San Francisco that you will want to check out when visiting the city.

* One of the main areas in San Francisco that visitors love is Fisherman's Wharf. The Pacific Ocean is rich with crab and fresh fish so visiting the wharf early in the morning is when you can catch the fishermen coming in with the fresh catch of the day, supplying all of the restaurants in town with amazing seafood.

* Pier 39 - A lot of fun things to see and do including watching the sea lions, nice restaurants on the water, watching street performers and live music, plenty of unique stores for shopping

* Ghirardelli Square - Amazing Chocolate plus shopping, waterfront dining, family events and walking tours

* Alcatraz - Take a boat and visit the famed prison. This is a walking tour but they do have access for handicap

* Take a Bay Cruise and see the city via the water

* Visit Union Square - Fabulous high end shopping district, this is a must see for shoppers

* Chinatown - Authentic shops and restaurants for a quick trip to China

* Japan Center - Beautiful area of the City that is rich with Japanese culture. Kabuki Theater, amazing restaurants, spas and more

* Cable Cars- catch a cable car and see the city sights

* Golden Gate Park and Golden Gate Bridge - a must see activity. The famed bridge is often in fog in the mornings, but it is a beauty

* San Francisco Zoo - If you love zoo's, this family friendly park is one to put on your list

This is only the beginning of wonderful things to do and see in San Francisco. You can easily spend a week and not see everything there is to see and do in and around the city. It is a wealth of culture and history and definitely one place to put on your must see travel destinations.

World War II Bunker on Beach in Cape May New Jersey

Back in early September of this year my family and I took a vacation down to Wildwood and Cape May, New Jersey. We spent a wonderful 11 days seeing all the attractions and sites that south Jersey has to offer. Luckily for us, we travel down there a few times every year and are always looking for new family-friendly things to see & do.

While on this last trip down to the Jersey Shore...we went down to Cape May and Sunset Beach. We decided to walk the trails at the Nature Conservancy and from one of the trails we spotted the old World War II Army Bunker that sits on the beach. Officially, it's Battery 223 and located in Cape May.

This battery (bunker) was built in 1942 as part of the 1940 Harbor Defense Program. It was originally built by the Army and then years later turned over to the Navy. Originally this bunker sat an additional 900 feet inland but as you can see, it's definitely on the beach now and very close to the water.

The World War II Bunker is within walking distance of the Cape May Lighthouse, the World War II Lookout Tower at Sunset Beach, the Sunset Beach Mini Golf and other local area attractions. Parking is FREE in this area and you can find several nice areas to park your car and get out and walk.

On the day that this photo was taken...we were on one of the trails that go through the Nature Conservancy and highly recommend that as a free family-friendly activity to do. You can find an entire blog post here on my blog all about that, complete with photos!

You can click on the photo in this blog post to enlarge the photo to see all of the details. Next time we are down to the south Jersey Shore...I plan on getting up close & personal with this bunker so I can get better photographs and take a tour of it. I think it was pretty cool and a great way to teach your kids some information about our country's history.