No Launch… Plan B

June 17, 2009

Daytona 500 Experience Brian and I got up at 2 am to get ready to drive and see firsthand the STS-127 Endeavor Shuttle launch that was scheduled for 5:40 am at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Telling the kids about it the night before really got us pumped up to see it. I have always wanted to witness a shuttle launch first hand. I remember the exact moment the shuttle Challenger was launched. I was in 6th grade, home sick watching it all on TV. At 2:20 am NASA announced that they scrubbed the launch due to a hydrogen leak. We came so close.

We went back to bed trying to get a couple more hours of sleep knowing in the morning we would have to come up with something special so the kids (especially Brandon) would not be too disappointed. What’s better then rocket launching in a kids mind?… RACING CARS!

We took a 1 ½ hour drive to Daytona to the Daytona 500 Experience. http://www.daytona500experience.com/ One nice thing about staying in the middle of the state is that everything is just a couple hours away. The Daytona 500 complex was perfect for the kids. We got to see all types of racing cars, took a tour of the race track and saw a 3D IMAX show. We all loved it. I definitely recommend this, even if you are not a race fan.

We then went to the Daytona Beach where we were able to drive our car right on the beach (very cool). Daytona Beach is the only public beach that allows you to drive cars on it. After a short drive south of the pier entrance, we parked at a splash park they had for the kids right along the beach. The kids had a blast running through the park water and jumping the waves on the shore.

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Runaway Resort

June 13, 2009

During our stay in Orlando we were at the Mike Ditka Runaway Resort. This really felt like our home away from home. We stayed in a 2 bedroom villa/condo with 2 baths a full kitchen and family room. Anyone traveling with a family, this is the way to go! Forget those hotel rooms. It was spacious and having a full kitchen with appliances let us be flexible with meals. We were a couple miles from the Disney entrance. There was a Super Walmart down the street where we picked up some breakfast items, drinks and snacks. The boys loved the pool and when we weren’t out at the Disney attractions, that is where we spent our time. http://www.runawaybeachhotel.com/

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Magic Kingdom Fireworks

June 12, 2009

This is the video we took of the Walt Disney World fireworks show at the end of our day at the Magic Kingdom. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

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Disney Magic Kingdom

June 11, 2009

Disney vacation The Magic Kingdom with Brandon and Nathan was such a magical experience for all of us. I loved seeing their eyes light up when they saw Cinderella’s Castle for the first time. We arrived at the park just before they opened the gates. Our first ride was the Pirates of the Caribbean that Brandon loved but Nathan was not too sure of. I then took Nathan for a short walk as Brandon and Brian went on the Thunder Mountain roller coaster (Nathan was too short for this one). We spend most of our morning in Fantasyland where Nathan experienced his favorite ride, Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Our original plan was to go back to the hotel for a short break but the kids were doing so well and were so excited to be there. We took a pass on the hotel break and spent a short time sitting for the afternoon parade and taking an afternoon break in a nice air conditioned restaurant. Most of the afternoon we spent on attractions in Tomorrowland. This was Brandon’s favorite area, the Buzz Lightyear ride and the Indy Speedway. The park was crowded but we never had to wait more than 10 mins to get on a ride, except for The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. That was a long 30 min. wait that seemed endless with two young kids. We should have used our FastPass on that one. We took another break and rode the train around the park, relaxing and enjoying the views. We then circled around the park catching some attractions we skipped then realizing we never saw or ran into Mickey Mouse. The last time I was at the park the characters were all walking around. Now they have viewing areas and picture stations. We rushed over to Mickey’s House around 8:45pm which worked out really well. The line was about 20mins. It was then our turn to meet Mickey & Minnie! Brandon gave them both a big huge and Nathan hugged Mickey for about 2 mins. (no exaggeration). It was soooo cute! They both had a long day. Nathan crashed in the stroller as we walked back to the castle and slept right through the fireworks. As we were walking out of the park, we asked them both what they liked best. Brandon said everything and listed off five rides. Nathan said meeting Mickey Mouse. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

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Mammoth Cave Tour

June 10, 2009

mammoth caves boys mammoth caves formations The National Park of Mammoth Caves in Cave City Kentucky. This is a wonderful place to take kids of all ages. We went on the tour of the New Entrance. A bus took us to the top of the cave and we then descended down 280 steps through impressive pits, domes, and a few narrow openings. We then entered a large cave room called Grand central Station (250 feet below ground). This tour was 2 hours, 3/4 miles. Kids under 6 yrs old are free and adults were only $12.00 each. This was a perfect educational trip that gave kids a bit of science and history in a really cool environment. Our tour guide (Park Ranger) was great and entertaining. There are a number of different tours, long and short. http://www.nps.gov/maca