Summer Road Trip To Utah's National Parks

It is not surprising why Utah is among the top summer road trip destinations in the United States. The fact that within the state are five national parks to visit is enough reason. Arches, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Zion and Canyonlands national parks all give you the chance to witness and experience the most mesmerizing and robust landscapes. Plus, they are all filled with amazing summer activities for every traveler.

Arches National Park has a lot of things to do for everyone. For starters, you can get acquainted with the park by joining guided tours or discovering the park on your own with an automobile tour. Arches National Park offers activities that will dare you to get physical. You can go backpacking and camping, climbing and biking. Hikers have so many trails to choose from for an adventurous trek such as the Double Arch Trail, Balanced Rock Trail, Devil’s Garden and Tower Arch Trail. If you wish to just relax and enjoy the beauty of nature that surrounds you, Arches National Park gives you the best scenes and backdrops for photo opportunities.

The incredible list of outdoor activities that Bryce Canyon National Park offers draw thousands of holidaymakers every year. Families are thrilled to join the summer family programs that the park prepares. Information on the different family activities and age requirements are available in the Visitor Center, where you can also sign up for joining. There are lots of guided hiking trips you can join, but there is one, in particular, that stands out – the Full Moon Hike. It is definitely a different kind of nightlife as you trek two miles of the park under the moonlight.

Like Arches and Bryce Canyon national parks, Capitol Reef also offers hiking, biking, camping and backpacking opportunities. You can test your endurance on any of the trails in the park such as the Cohab Canyon, Frying Pan, Navajo Knobs, Old Wagon Trail and Rim Overlook. You can check on the difficulty levels and any other information you might want and need to know on these trails at the Capitol Reef Visitor Center.

A summer road trip to Zion National Park gives you amazing things you can enjoy. Aside from the staple hiking, camping, backpacking and climbing, Zion National Park offers horseback riding rides. Bicycle rides are also offered along the paved Pa’rus Trail. There are, of course, ranger-led programs that the kids can join, and, as an added bonus to the kids, they also have the opportunity to spot over two hundred species of birds while birdwatching. Go to the Zion National Park Visitor Center to get your kids a bird checklist.

The last of this roll call of Utah national parks is the Canyonlands. One of the best ways to go around Canyonlands National Park is to join any of the offered tours of the RIM Tours, Inc. It provides breathtaking backcountry mountain bike adventures to everyone. Or you can always experience the park through its waters. Have an afternoon of Colorado River Rafting where you will find yourself surrounded with Mother Nature’s gifts. Kids will have the best time observing cool rock formations and other activities they can join, particularly those of the Junior Ranger Program.

All the great adventures can be found in Utah’s national parks. Whether you choose to visit just one of them or see them all in one trip, you are guaranteed to have one of the best summer road trips you have ever had.

Exhilarating Summer Road Trip To The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Situated on both sides of Tennessee and North Carolina, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park still remains the most popular national park for every road trip planner. Attracting over nine million adventurers and sightseers every year, it is the most visited national park in the United States. This summer, grab your gear and head off to the massive Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Planning your summer road trip will make you realize that there are so many things to do in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You would most certainly want to experience all of them. The size of the park might pose as overwhelming, but the Smoky Mountain Heritage Driving Tour will surely help you discover the park at your own pace on a self-guided automobile tour. Take your time driving yourself around to seek out landmarks, mountain culture and heritage, the captivating aura of the neighborhoods and, of course, the history of the Smoky Mountains.

If you are looking for a unique way to wander around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, then the English Mountain Llama Trek is perfect for you. The llama treks also allow you to move at your own timetable as you are welcome to arrange them for varying lengths of time. You have the option to choose a trekking trip with a picnic or even an overnight stay at one of the cabins and/or campgrounds affiliated with English Mountain Llama Trek. Children six years of age and older can join the treks as long as they are accompanied by a responsible adult.

You can also spice up your summer road trip with an adventurous biking tour around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Smoky Mountain Bicycle Tour offers both guided and self-guided tours. Mountain bikes and road bikes are offered for touring the mountains, the historical sights and other scenic areas in and around the park.

There are also horseback riding opportunities in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Walden Creek Stables' Mountain Adventure Trail promises nothing but the best time. The four-hour ride will take you through the valley, across the streams and to the top of the mountains where you can enjoy the most breathtaking views.

Note: During the summer months, the horseback rides are scheduled as early as 9 a.m. Arrangements can be made prior to your desired schedule, should you wish to take the tour at an earlier time.

Dare to challenge yourself physically on this summer road trip by conquering the bubbly and frothy whitewater. Raft yourself away with Rafting In The Smokies, which offers you the chance to experience the waters of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in a very scenic and exhilarating way, even if you have no prior rafting experience. Reservations are highly recommended as it is sure to be packed during the summer.

After the very exhilarating whitewater rafting experience, cool off and relax with the Smoky Mountain Angler, the oldest fly fishing guide and outfitter in Gatlinburg. The Smoky Mountain Angler is authorized to give fly fishing guided services in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and offer these services to both professional fly fishermen and beginners.

The things you can do in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park definitely spells out the words fun and adventure. You can bank it as one of the best summer vacations any road trip planner will have in his or her lifetime!

Ensenada and Oaxaca: Summer Things To Do In Mexico

If you are looking for summer things to do outside the United States, Mexico is just there waiting for you. Mexico is a very lively country with a multi-ethnic society of Spanish, Native American and American traditions. This ethnic diversity is very much reflected on the country's culture and food, and here are two places in Mexico that greatly illustrates the fact:

Ensenada

Ensanada is located in the Mexican state of Baja California and is just 84 miles south of San Diego. From San Diego, you can join an Ensenada Day Tour, which is a great way to start your summer vacation. The tour gives an amazing introduction to the things to do in Ensenada and its Spanish atmosphere with its alluring shops, authentic restaurants and more. Learn more about the people's culture and heritage at the Cultural Center of Ensenada and find out how they are greatly influenced by the Spaniards.

Join Ensenada locals and other visitors at the Ensenada Summer Wine Festival for some wine tasting. The festival is an annual international event that is taking place on the first ten days of August this year! Aside from the regular wine tasting event, the festival also holds a paella cooking contest, a gala dinner and a sunset musical performance. If you wish to experience the wine in Ensenada with a relatively smaller crowd, you can also go to Bodegas De Santo Tomas. It is Baja California's oldest winery, and still conducts demonstrations of wine-making traditions. Bodega De Santo Tomas also offers samples of wines from their vineyard as well as samples of their bread and cheese.

A visit to a new place always includes shopping for souvenirs or memorabilia that you would want to bring home to remember the summer vacation by. Avenida Lopez Mateos is Ensenada's main shopping street lined with retail stores selling everything that shouts a genuine Mexican identity, such as straw hats and wood carvings. If you are looking for something more refined, Avenida Ruiz is the place to go. It is the stretch where you will find the more polished shops and cafes.

There are so many dining options to choose from in Ensenada. One of the most popular ones is the oldest cantina in Baja California, Hussong's Cantina. Dating back to the late 1800's, Hussong's Cantina was the hang out of some of the world's literary geniuses and is said to have been the place where Margaritas originated.

Oaxaca

The province of Oaxaca is located in the southern part of Mexico and is named after its largest city. The best thing to do to get to know the city is to visit Plaza de la Constitucion de Oaxaca, more popularly known as Zocalo. The plaza has been the heart of Oaxaca for over 500 years. Surrounded by stores, the dominating feature of Zocalo is the very grand old Cathedral that dates back to the 18th century.

Seasons Of My Heart offers an extraordinary Culinary Cultural Travels , and Mexican Cuisine Events and Oaxacan Food Holidays. This is great for those who love to cook, want to learn how to cook or those who simply enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine. They have tours available almost the entire year, with recipes and menus appropriate for each season.

Visit the world-renowned archaeological site of Milta, combining both Zapotec and Mixtec structures, the San Pablo Villa de Milta. It is among the constant in every visitor's things to do in Mexico list. The ancient ruins are just so inviting.

Looking for accommodations in Oaxaca is a walk in the park as there are very many lodging options to choose from. The hostels, such as the Casa de Don Pablo Hostel, have very affordable nightly rates, making you enjoy more of the numerous summer things to do in Mexico.

Detroit Summer Road Trip

Detroit's long list of things to do and its organized freeway system make it one of the best destinations for a holiday vacation. Grab your keys and head out to have one great summer road trip to this beautiful Michigan city!
Joining tours is still the best way to start a trip to get acquainted with a new place. It is also a good opportunity for you to take a break from the wheel as soon as you get to Detroit. The Detroit People Mover is a good start for you to discover the city's downtown area. The ride takes you to thirteen stops, including some of the most popular attractions located downtown. Make the most of this short driving hiatus by stopping at the Greektown, the Renaissance Center and the Joe Louis Arena, which are all accessible via the Detroit People Mover.
Music enthusiasts have a specific Detroit attraction in their itinerary for this summer road trip: the Motown Historical Museum. Motown Records is largest independent music label in the world that has produced big stars such as Stevie Wonder, the Jackson Five, Rare Earth and many more. Go back in history as you browse through the galleries of musical legends and visit the world-famous Studio A where numerous hits were recorded.
For those who are traveling with kids, there are lots of great attractions and activities in Detroit that you can check out. Drive yourselves just a few minutes from Detroit to Royal Oak and head to the Detroit Zoo, which offers kids (and adults) the chance to be face to face with both backyard and wild animals. The highlights of the zoo are the Penguin Aquarium and the Polar Bear Exhibit. Next, drive to East Grand River Avenue to have a little down time with the kids and enjoy an incredible and creative puppet show at the Detroit Puppet Theater (also known as PuppetART). For the months of July and August, the theater features the classic Sleeping Beauty “on stage”. The Detroit Puppet Theater also hosts puppet-making workshops to Detroit residents and visitors, and has exhibits of the most unique puppets they have created. The New Detroit Science Center is always a hit to the curious minds. It has an interesting way of introducing and/or educating science to children. The center's interactive exhibits, the theater and the planetarium will definitely make them ask questions with answers they will be eager to learn. Summer is also Major League Baseball season, and there is no doubt that a trip to the Commerica Park is included in the list of things to do for this Detroit road trip. Join the Detroit crowd as they cheer on their very own team, Tigers. If there is no game scheduled during your visit, let the kids enjoy themselves with a carousel or a ferris wheel ride, or by running around the bases.
The Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival happens every summer on Labor Day weekend. Celebrate it this year with thousands of other jazz fanatics at the Hart Plaza on August 29th until September 1st. Hundreds of artists perform during this four day-music filled event, which is certainly one of the best ways to conclude your Detroit summer road trip.

Family Summer Things To Do In Atlanta

Atlanta is the state of Georgia's largest city and is filled with fun summer things to do for this season's holidaymakers. People with children of different ages will find themselves with their hands full of all the family-oriented attractions and activities that the city has to offer.

Before you start your summer vacation and wander around with your family, get yourselves the Atlanta CityPassGeorgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, High Museum of Art, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta History Center and Fernbank Museum of Natural History are just some of the places you can go to with the Atlanta CityPass. that will give you instant admissions to the most popular attractions in the city. The Atlanta CityPass not only gives you great savings on cash, but also helps you save on time as you no longer need to fall in line for tickets for every attraction. The

Note: The High Museum of Art currently features the works of professional photographer, Sheila Pree Bright, entitled Young Americans. The exhibit shows photographs of young American adults with captions that state their opinions and sentiments about American culture and society. This display will run until August 10th 2008.

If you have children ages 2 to 8, the Imagine It! Children's Museum of Atlanta is highly recommended. Your kids will be encouraged and excited to learn new things with the museum's colorful hands-on exhibits. There are so many things to see, listen to, touch and explore in this 30,000 square-foot establishment, even older kids and parents are going to find themselves enjoying the place!

The Fabulous Fox Theater presents the Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival. The Fox, as it is more popularly called, has the biggest screen in Atlanta and features blockbuster hits of the past and present. This August, The Fox adds a few more movies that will definitely draw dozens of moviegoers including Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda and Indiana Jones – Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

If you wish to spice your family summer vacation up with a little adventure, then Georgia's Stone Mountain State Park is right for you. Sixteen miles east of Atlanta stands the 3,200 acre-park that centers the world's largest exposed granite mountain. The first thing you should do when you get to the park is to ride the sky-lift gondolas that will take you over 800 feet above ground, giving you the most beautiful views of Georgia's countryside. Within the park are other interesting things to see and do such as a petting zoo, a riverboat, an antique automobile museum and an antebellum plantation. Be sure to settle your family in the park's campgrounds or any of its other lodging options for the laser light show in the evening, which is a regular event in Stone Mountain State Park during the summer.

Atlanta sure is rich of cool surprises for everyone taking a vacation. It has been among the most sought for getaways for families, couples and those who prefer traveling alone. Top the above mentioned attractions and activities with the city's wide selection of dining options, and you are definitely bound to have one of the best family summer vacations.

Adventurous Canadian Rockies Summer Road Trip

It is no wonder that a road trip through the Canadian Rockies is one of the best things to do for a summer vacation. Located at the easternmost part of the mountains of Western Canada called the Canadian Cordillera, the Rockies promise amazing sceneries of glaciated mountains, rivers, waterfalls, gorges and lakes.

Within the Canadian Rockies lie five national parks that each offer incredible sights and activities for everyone taking the road trip this summer. Four of the five national parks interlock with each other, forming the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site. These are Jasper, Banff, Kootenay and Yoho. Waterton, the national park that does not interlock with the other four, is located along the international USA border.

Wherever you are coming from, it is best make your way through your Rockies summer road trip with Jasper as the starting point. Being the largest among the five national parks in the Canadian Rockies, Jasper National Park is abundant of things to see and do. The Maligne Canyon, the Pyramid and Patricia Lakes, and the Athabasca Falls are some of Jasper's most spectacular gifts. Guided sightseeing tours are available. Between May and October, Pyramid Lake offers an extraordinary Canoe Experience that will give you a chance to witness the mesmerizing beauty of nature. There are lots of lodging options in Jasper such as the Lobstick Lodge, that have kid-friendly facilities which is perfect if you have children in tow.

Continue your summer road trip to Banff where you will find the large, highly popular Jewel of the Canadian Rockies, Lake Louise, known for its natural beauty. Discover Lake Louise and the world renowned Moraine Lake with the Lake Louise and Moraine Lake Summer Tour that will not only allow you to explore the two lakes' shorelines and take photographs, but also educated you about the mountaineering history in the area and the events that helped shape Canadian mountaineering culture. Other attractions in Banff are the Bow Falls, the Cave and Basin Center, and the Banff Gondola. Banff National Park offers a lot of recreational activities such as soaking yourself up in the pool at Upper Hot Springs, nature hiking on mountain trails, cruising on Lake Minnewanka and swinging your clubs on a golf game.

Yoho National Park sits between Banff and Kootenay National Parks. Maximize your Yoho experience by visiting the Spiral Tunnel Viewpoints, the Emerald Lake and the Kicking Horse Pass. Yoho Valley offers a day hike that will definitely test your endurance. Visit the last of the interlocking national parks, the Kootenay National Park, next. Explore the park's Radium Hot Springs, Marble Canyon, Redwall Fault and more!

Carry on with your road trip by driving yourself to the only park that does not interlock with the first four: Waterton National Park. It is located in the farther south that borders Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. The park offers lots of fun summer activities that you can do during your vacation. You can go horseback riding, boating or canoing over the Cameron Lake, and hiking to one of Canada's top rated hiking trail, the Crypt Lake.

Driving through the Canadian Rockies brings you close to nature. With all the bodies of water you get to encounter along the way, and the numerous opportunities for wildlife sighting, this summer road trip will definitely be etched in your memory for a very long time.

Things To Do In London: Kew Gardens and More!

Among the most refreshing things to do in London this summer is a visit the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. Located in west London, the Kew Gardens, as it is commonly referred to, offers you the opportunity to neutralize the heat of the season by cooling off in a vast green environment.

The Kew Gardens is primarily a botanical research center and a training ground for professional gardeners. There are tens of thousands of different collection of orchids, ferns, cacti, mountain plants, tropical lilies and other plants. Since its establishment, it has attracted millions of visitors from all over the world, making it one of the most popular things to see and do in London. The 326-acre site consists of greenhouses, walks, pavilions, lakes, museums, tropical lilies, a forest and some of the architectural crafts of Sir William Chambers. The newly-constructed XStrata Treetop Walkway makes a visit to the Kew Gardens even better. With no additional charge to the gardens' entrance fee of $25.50, (children 16 and under enter for free with every accompanying adult), visitors now have the chance to experience the trees and wildlife at 18 meters high. The walkway also allows you to have a bird's eye view of the entire Kew Gardens as well as the London skyline.

The best thing about the Kew Gardens is that it has its very own London Underground Tube station making it easily accessible for everyone who wishes to visit the arboretum and all the other attractions and activities within the area. If you wish to catch live musical performances, you can check out either Carling Apollo Hammersmith or the Sheperds Bush Empire just about three miles from the Kew Gardens. The two serve as concert venues for both local and international artists, and over the years have hosted some of the world's finest musical acts like the Beatles, Bob Marley, the Rolling Stones, Incubus, the Black Eyed Peas and more. The Museum of Rugby is also located near the Kew Gardens. In the museum, you will find a huge collection of books, balls and programs related to the sport and its history. Displays of shirts, photographs of former Rugby legends are spread throughout the museum.

There are a lot of restaurants, bars and pubs near the Kew Gardens. You might even find it difficult to choose where to go for a meal or a drink. The Pizza Express serves authentic Italian dishes at a very reasonable cost. The Travelodge Kew London is just around the corner to take care of your accommodation needs while you enjoy your Kew Gardens visit and all the other things to do in London during your summer vacation.