The animals in the Galapagos Islands come right up to you. A blue-footed booby perches calmly on a ledge as you walk past. A sea lion lies down for a nap near your towel. An iguana doesn’t move out of the way when you step closer. The experience is startling—birds, reptiles, and sea mammals, unafraid of people, tilt their heads curiously and pose for photographs. The Galapagos archipelago, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, was isolated from external influences {Read More}
Little St Simons Island – Nature and Beauty on Georgia’s Golden Coast
October 6, 2015 by Leave a Comment
“Are there going to be snakes? I don’t want to see any snakes.” Such was the refrain from my 13-year old daughter in the weeks and days leading up to our visit to the Lodge at Little St. Simons Island, a private island retreat off Georgia’s coast. This is a child who has an Indiana Jones-like fear of serpents of all kinds. A child who once emitted a blood curdling shriek at sight of the tiniest of garter snakes in {Read More}
A Bygone Era Comes to Life at the Jekyll Island Club
August 10, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Had we tethered our yacht in the wharf, I imagine our view would have been the same as it was 100 years ago when the 19th century captains of industry sailed down the coast to their private retreat. We arrived on Jekyll Island in far less style, however, having driven south on Interstate-95 in our minivan. Still, we felt transported to days gone by as we drove along the causeway and turned onto the wide lane lined with the gracious {Read More}
Where to Bike on Jekyll Island, Georgia
August 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment
There’s just something special about seeing a place from the seat of a bicycle—and it isn’t very often that you discover a place that can be explored almost entirely on two wheels. Yet Jekyll Island, the smallest of Georgia’s Golden Isles, is made for biking. At just 7-miles long and not even 2-miles wide, with a flat grade and a series of smooth, traffic-free paths, Jekyll is home to a perfect trifecta of cycling conditions allowing even the youngest members {Read More}
Mom Unplugged – The Spa at Longboat Key Club
September 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Like most parents, I expend far more energy caring for my family than I do for myself. My laundry is always the last to get done and is usually ignored until I’m down to the dregs. I make the lunches every morning yet barely manage to scrape a sandwich together for myself. I get my girls to bed at a reasonable hour each night to ensure they get enough sleep and then stay up way too late finishing a work {Read More}
5 Reasons the Resort at Longboat Key Club is Ideal for Families
September 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Our family, especially my dad, has always loved Sarasota, Florida. In 1973, long before St. Armand’s key became a hub of sophistication and the county became the mecca of art and culture it is today, my Great Aunt Ann and Uncle Eddie relocated there from Connecticut with their four sons. Their move gave the lot of us a built-in vacation destination and their home, just a short walk from the now-chic St. Armand’s Circle and beautiful Lido Beach, serves as {Read More}
Kiawah Island Resort – Unplugged Luxury at its Best
September 9, 2014 by 1 Comment
The goal of Kids Unplugged is to feature the best in off-the-grid family destinations–destinations that entice us to abandon our electronic devices, keep our heads up, and truly connect with one another and the world around us. I recently visited a spot that fits that description perfectly–and luxuriously. The Kiawah Island Golf Resort near Charleston, South Carolina. Families for whom golf is not a defining, or even a partial factor in deciding upon a vacation spot, are probably unfamiliar with {Read More}
Beach Walk and Turtle Talk – A Morning with Camp Loggerhead at the Longboat Key Club
September 5, 2014 by 2 Comments
As with many of the beaches along the Florida coasts, the stretch of white sand at the glorious Longboat Key Club is a seasonal nesting spot for endangered loggerhead sea turtles. It seems that we’re having a week of sea turtle education as before our arrival at Longboat Key we spent a few days at the Kiawah Island Resort in South Carolina whose 10-miles of beach was dotted with about 100 turtle nests. Our sea turtle experience would continue on {Read More}
Going Native – Kiawah Island’s Junior Naturalist Program
August 27, 2014 by 1 Comment
During our recent stay on Kiawah Island, my girls spent an engaging couple of hours at the Night Heron Nature Center participating in one of their Junior Naturalist classes. Kids ages 7 through 12 who are visiting the island can participate in any of the center’s five classes on an individual basis. Those who complete all of them earn the title of Kiawah Island Nature Program Jr. Naturalist. Either way, the classes are a great way for kids to immerse {Read More}
Up to Our Knees in Pluff Mud! A Paddling Adventure at Kiawah Island Resort
August 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment
“Look! I’m stuck! I need to be rescued!” called my 8-year old daughter from where she was standing in a nearby tide pool. With a net in her hand and a grin on her face, she tried to pull her feet free from where they’d been sucked into the glue-like mud that lived below the surface. She was very pleased with herself. It was August and we were taking a road trip to Florida to visit my maternal grandmother, who {Read More}
