Matt Heron Fly Fishing is a full service fly fishing education program (or fly fishing school), geared for everyone … kids, adults, beginners and experts. He offers nine different classes on property at the Resort at Squaw Creek ranging from a simple hour and a half casting, or fly tying class, to the “Sundowner”, a half day fly fishing class that covers everything from A-Z.

Some news! We just launched a new partnership with LocalGetaways.com. We’re writing tips and advice for their Kid-Friendly Great Getaways section. The first edition covers the California wine country vacations with kids. Napa and Sonoma are right outside of Dana’s front door and she’s provided an array of fantastic suggestions of things to do with kids other than dragging them to wineries.

Local Getaways is a great resource to bookmark for boutique hotel stays in California.

We were hiking in Lake Tahoe a few weeks ago on the Rubicon Train (DL Bliss State Park) and came across these teen-agers jumping off big rocks into the lake. The joy of being young and fearless!

I love how the deep blue color of the lake comes through in these photos. What you can’t tell, however, is how cold the water is (hint: very).

Hiking is a wonderful all-family activity. When kids are very young and can fit in a backpack, any hike is fair game as long as you pack food and don’t overestimate your endurance to carry the extra pounds. When kids start walking, selecting kid-friendly hikes is essential, although it’s amazing how far motivated school-age kids can go.

I’ll never forget the Dutch family we ran into in Banff National Park a few years ago with 5-year-old twin boys who were hiking the same 6-mile-loop we were with some serious vertical.

One of the best aspects of living in the San Francisco Bay Area is the abundance of weekend getaways within a 1-2 hour drive. A favorite option that is easy to access yet a world away is Half Moon Bay, a seaside town in San Mateo County.

The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay is new to our luxury hotel portfolio. It’s not one of those properties that scream family with an endless list of onsite activities for kids; however, there are just enough things to do that parents and kids alike love spending time here.

It’s amazing to me how easy it is to miss great travel opportunities in your own backyard. Last year, I spent a fair amount of time researching and preparing for a family trip to New York to climb the Statue of Liberty and visit Ellis Island. It was a fabulous trip. This summer, I discovered the “Ellis Island of the West” is about an hour from my front door.

Who knew? The results, another fabulous trip, no plane tickets needed.

The San Diego Zoo is one of the area’s best-known attractions. The zoo also operates a Wild Animal Park offering an array of fantastic safari-style experiences.

One of the amusing moments during our recent visit to the park was this vision of a lion sleeping on this range rover. OK, so that’s not really what happens in Africa, but nonetheless, it’s nice to see these animals so relaxed and comfortable in their environment.

I never stop appreciating the rugged beauty of the California Coast. We’ve had a few excursions over the past few months that were pure magic. Spring is a wonderful time of year for a California beach vacation—days can be warm with crisp with bright blue skies versus the summer months when fog may be an issue.

We spent spring break at Montage Laguna Beach and Terranea Resort in Southern California. Both properties are oceanfront with mesmerizing views.

I’m always happy to write about San Diego because it’s simply the perfect family vacation spot. I just wrote an article for Shermans Travel with an updated list of the top kid-friendly activities in and around the San Diego area, including a few of my favorite kid-friendly restaurants (I grew up in Del Mar).

The beauty of San Diego is the ability to balance swimming time with structured activities that are both fun and educational.

You’re traveling to San Francisco with kids, and ready to see the sites and maybe have a few museum day or two. You have an itinerary you know that you (and maybe your spouse) will love. But the kids…they are ready to the Golden Gate, but not so anxious to spend the day at the de Young.

Local area summer camps can be just the trick to give your child a kid-oriented introduction to San Francisco while you savor more grown up activities.