On a recent trip to Vermont, we were able to spend time at Shelburne Farms. Somehow, I was not expecting much from this stop and planned it as a quick break on our way to Burlington. I was pleasantly surprised!

I knew there would be cute farm animals, but what I didn’t anticipate was the stunning grounds, impressive barn structure and eager staff ready to educate the kids on everything farm related.

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.

“We’re going to see an elephant.” That’s all I told my girls. They were confused and that was the way I wanted it.

We were on family vacation in Atlantic City on the Jersey Shore. They wanted to go to the beach, and so the questions began. But I refused to provide any details. I wanted Lucy to be a surprise.

Are you feeling like summer is coming to a fast close and you need more holiday time? I do! Fortunately, fall is a wonderful season to plan short getaways while the weather is still nice and in many cases, prices are lower than peak travel periods.

Here are 10 great fall travel ideas. I’ve included venues that are great for parents-only getaways as well as family breaks. Given all there is to do to prepare for back-to-school, we’re all exhausted and need some downtime.

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.

Lexus Magazine invited us to co-author a piece recommending kid-friendly luxury vacation venues. The format is compelling for everyone with adults-only and kid-friendly getaways featured side-by-side. The result? You can’t escape feeling inspired for whatever flavor of vacation you need right now.

Me? After a month of no school or camp paired with a move to Europe, the adults-only getaways are calling my name.

Something about summer, possibly the 95-degree weather, inspires us to run to the beaches and woods. Given that we live in Boston, we are lucky that the Northeast is full of lovely escapes.

The past few weekends have been spent in New Hampshire where ski areas are an ideal playground for summer pursuits. During our drives, I’m always shocked to see the vast expanse of towering pines—these northern woods have been a favorite destination for generations of families. It feels like summer camp and there are activities for all ages.

With temperate weather and year-round activities, Los Angeles is a perfect vacation destination. Families should know that the LA area is sprawling and the best way to approach sightseeing is to divide and conquer. Rent a car, figure out what you want to do, and plan accordingly. Do you want beach, museums, or nature?

The beauty of Los Angeles is that …

Now that I have children, I’m becoming a bit of a Disney freak. Last year my family bought annual passes and visited Disneyland at least once every other month. We live in San Diego, about an hour and a half hour away, so it’s a pretty easy day trip for us. However, it’s more fun and relaxing to sleep in Anaheim so we can spend the whole day at the park.

I have stayed in all three Disneyland-owned hotels.

I was just reading about The Q Family Adventures Legoland experience and it reminded me of our trip to check out the best kid-friendly San Diego hotels last August. For us, the stand out feature at Legoland vs. other amusement parks is that there are so many age-appropriate activities for toddlers and young children.

Although I wasn’t wowed by many of the lego sculptures (I thought this would be the highlight), the lego cities were amazingly intricate replicas of my USA favorites—New York and San Francisco.