Summer is over and families everywhere are settling into the usual daily routine. Many parents are relieved to have structure again, although they are sad to say goodbye to summer freedom. September/October is a wonderful time to travel with less crowds and better prices, although it is challenging to go far from home with school-age kids.

If you are looking for regional activity ideas, Cookie Magazine has city guides for favorite US and European cities including Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. Highlights in the guide include neighborhoods, restaurants, shops, and museums. TravelMuse also publishes comprehensive city guides, articles, and activity suggestions.

One creative resource with ideas you can do from almost anywhere is Kids off the Couch, a website that reviews family-oriented films, books, and music. Many of the recommendations are comprised of a movie or book plus an activity. For example, they review the movie Babe and suggest watching the movie then visiting an animal farm. They also provide specific resource suggestions within big cities including Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Washington DC.

Do you have other favorite activity-focused guides? If so, add a comment or email info@ciaobambino.com.

Welcome to Ciao Bambino’s entry into the world of blogging. We’re excited to share entertaining and information tidbits with you. Of course, we’ll talk about family-friendly accommodations since that is our mission in life, but we’ll also use our blog to help with topics we don’t cover in our guide that are important to families everywhere including observations, tips, and advice related to successful and extraordinary family excursions and adventures. If you have any topics or questions you’d like to see addressed either add a comment here or email info@ciaobambino.com.