Travel Tips Archives - Page 13 of 21

Hersheypark Tips for First Time Visitors

July 11, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

A while back, I posted a list of must try foods at Hershey. Today, I’m sharing a list of general Hersheypark tips, particularly for first time visitors. So, if you are planning a trip here, then keep reading for my advice.

Hersheypark Tips

While it may be one of the more chill theme parks to visit, I also think these tips were helpful in planning my trip to the chocolate themed park.

Utilize free Preview Hours – There’s a whole page on the website dedicated to getting the most park hours out of a ticket here. However, I wanted to draw attention to the fact that they have preview hours for every ticket holder the day prior to your first day visit! So, a one day ticket to the park is actually more of a 1.5 days ticket! My mom and I planned a day at Chocolate World and then hopped over to the park in the afternoon. Then, we spent all of the next day in the park too! I highly recommend that itinerary.
Get a Sweet Start – Staying at an official resort becomes even more worth it when you realize that you get additional hours in the park! When you have a park ticket and stay at either Hershey Lodge or The Hotel Hershey, then you can enter the park 1 hour early!
See the zoo – This is the only theme park that I’ve been to that has an attached zoo! Your ticket to the park includes entry to Zoo America too. In fact, there is a separate entrance from the park over to the zoo you can use. My mom and I enjoyed slowing down during the warmer part of the day and looking at the animals. It’s a smaller zoo, but still fun to look at.
Visit the water park – The Boardwalk at Hersheypark is the water park inside of the park! During the summer months, you can come and go to the water park with admission to the theme park! I didn’t go inside the water park, but I saw lots of people having fun there. I think it’s great for a longer trip and makes for a more affordable vacation to have an all-in-one destination.
Check the park calendar – While the park is open every day during the summer months, its hours are drastically reduced during the off seasons. It closes during the winter months and is open on the weekends in spring/fall/Christmas. So, consult the website for special events and operating hours before planning a trip here.

Other Hersheypark Suggestions

While there aren’t as many Hersheypark tips or tricks as there are for other parks, these are the few important ones I recommend keeping in mind. Also, I would like to point out that the elevation of the park varies from area to area. It’s not a flat park, so wear comfortable shoes and watch where you are walking. Also, keep an eye out for some adorable Hershey characters! Do you have any other suggestions I missed?

Tips for Visiting Colonial Williamsburg Virginia

June 15, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Since it’s been a few months since my trip, I thought I would do a tips for visiting Colonial Williamsburg post. As a reminder, I visited during a slower time of the year (March). So, my experience may be different than yours.

Tips for Visiting Colonial Williamsburg

My husband and I spent the better part of a weekend exploring this living history museum. So, here are the things I think you should know before visiting.

Visit for at least one full day. My husband and I visited Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. Even then, we didn’t see everything. Of course, we are two childfree adults who enjoy history. Nonetheless, I think you can plan a full day here or more, depending on your group’s interests.

Stay close by. I can’t stress how nice it was to stay in a Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Room where we could come and go as we pleased during our stay. It was so convenient to just walk to breakfast or dinner!
Make dinner reservations in advance. Even though it was a less busy time, the dinner reservations were booked up. Thankfully, there were reservations the week of our arrival. However, I’m not sure if that’s normal or not. So, I would recommend booking dinner reservations as soon as you know where you want to eat and when. You can see my Colonial Williamsburg Food Guide for help in choosing where to eat! You couldn’t make breakfast or lunch reservations when we went, fyi.
Wear comfortable shoes. There’s a fair bit of walking here as you walk everywhere. Also, check the weather before you go. It was colder than I thought it would be. I ended up packing warmer clothes at the last minute and was very happy that I did so.

Stop and ask questions. There are tons of people practicing various skills around the town. Stop and watch them work. You are also free to ask questions. My husband really enjoyed watching the craftsmen and hearing about their work during the colonial times.

Have a rough idea of what you want to see. We consulted the events calendar in advance and had a list of things we wanted to see when we arrived. We managed to see the things most important to us. Then, we spent the rest of the time just walking around and entering buildings with a flag outside (which signals you can enter). Note: not every place is open every day.

Other Trip Ideas

I wish we had planned a longer trip to the area to explore Jamestown or Yorktown. Beyond that, I think visiting Colonial Williamsburg is a fun, interesting, and unique experience! Do you have any tips for visiting?

Summer in Orlando Theme Parks

June 7, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Now that school is out in most places, lots of people are going to be spending the summer in Orlando theme parks. Since I did my spring in the theme parks post three months ago, I thought I would do another one for this season! Here’s a look at what you can expect to experience during the hottest months of the year in the Florida theme parks!

Summer in Orlando

Summer in Orlando is hot. So, be sure to plan breaks indoors and stay hydrated if you are heading there during this season. It may also be crowded during your visit, so pack lots of patience and understanding! Aside from those things, it can also be a fun time to visit with lots of special activities to participate in!

Walt Disney World

For the past couple of yeas, Epcot was pretty much a year round festival theme park. However, the Flower and Garden Festival ends on May 27, 2024 and the Food and Wine Festival doesn’t begin until August 29th (goes to November 23, 2024). So, for the first time in several years, there will be a regular festival less Epcot to enjoy this summer.

There will be several After Hours events to enjoy when the sun goes down. You can read my review of the Magic Kingdom After Hours event here. Additionally, there’s a new drone show at Disney Springs this summer! Plus, the newly re-themed Tiana ride will open in June at Magic Kingdom. So, there’s still plenty to do here.

SeaWorld Summer Spectacular

SeaWorld Orlando seems to have cancelled their regular summer event this year. They are celebrating their 60th Anniversary for the rest of the year. Additionally, they will have some special weekend events this summer including Viva la Musica in June and Bands, Brew & BBQ in July and August. So, it should be a good place for food and music this summer.

Universal Orlando Tribute Store

Universal Orlando has announced several special things coming this summer. First up, DreamWorks Land will open on June 14th! Then, a new nighttime spectacular begins the same day. It’s called Cinesational and it should be awesome! Next, there will be a new Hogwarts castle light show premiering on the same night! Then, on July 3rd, a new parade called the Universal Mega Movie Parade will begin!

Lastly, there will be a special seasonal tribute store this summer. If you don’t know, a tribute store is a highly themed limited time pop up merch store that is typically a can’t miss experience. This year’s store has an 80’s mall theme! You can see a preview of last year’s store in UO’s Instagram post below.

Water Parks

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that each of these three parks also has a water park that you can visit to cool off at! Disney actually has two water parks. However, one of them, Blizzard Beach, is currently closed. Disney’s open water park is Typhoon Lagoon. I visited it for a special night time event at Disney’s Social Media Moms event way back in 2016 and it seemed like a nice place. I think the special ticketed nighttime event, H20 Glow After Hours at Typhoon Lagoon looks fun!

Universal has a water park that is highly regarded online. Volcano Bay can be seen from the Cabana Bay and Aventura resorts. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet visited this park. However, I hope to someday.

SeaWorld’s water park is called Aquatica. They will have special daytime entertainment and food for summer. Plus, they are having a new after hours event called AquaGlow that looks fun. Once again, I’ve never visited this one, but I’m sure it’s fun. Technically, SeaWorld also owns Discovery Cove as well. That is an all-inclusive day resort where you can swim with dolphins! I was lucky enough to visit it last year and wrote a Discovery Cove review.

Summer in Orlando Theme Parks

As you can see, there are lots of fun things to do during a summer in Orlando vacation! Did I miss anything your family likes doing?

You can view my other seasonal theme park guides here:

Summer in the Great Smoky Mountains

May 30, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Memorial Day is typically seen as the end of spring. So, if you are planning to spend summer in the Great Smoky Mountains, then here are some fun things you can add to your to-do list!

Summer in the Great Smoky Mountains

Some people prefer to spend the warmer months outdoors. Some of us prefer to cool off in the water or indoors. Ha! So, I will try to highlight a few options to suit everyone for their summer in the Great Smoky Mountains vacation in this post.

Summer at Dollywood

My return to blogging last year was all about summer at Dollywood. While that’s a review of last year’s event, I fully expect this year’s event to be roughly the same. This year, the festival kicks-off on June 17th and ends on August 6th. So, you have about 2 months to experience it this year! You can check out the event page on Dollywood’s website for the latest info. However, suffice it to say that my husband and I really enjoyed this festival, particularly the drone show! Plus, this year you can ride the new Big Bear Mountain ride!

Visit a Smoky Mountain Waterpark

What better way to cool off on a hot day then with a water park? Technically, you have two options for a waterpark in the Smokies. First up, you have Dollywood’s Splash Country. I’ve never been there, but I know people on social media seem to like it. If you are staying at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort, it’s especially convenient to visit (although, the resort has its own pool too).

Additionally, there is the Soaky Mountain Waterpark in Sevierville. I haven’t been there in years, but I did visit their indoor slides when I stayed at the Wilderness at the Smokies for a review about a decade ago. If you stay at Wilderness at the Smokies, then admission to the waterpark is included. However, I add caution because I haven’t visited in 10 years and some recent online reviews claim the rooms need some updating. This does look like an economical vacation though.

Head to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Summer

I have to admit, I’m not much of an outdoor activity type of girl. However, I know that the National Park draws lots of visitors every year, particularly during the warmer months. That link will take you to a page listing various things you can do in the park, including fishing, hiking, looking at flowers, and camping!

Be a Pirate

Technically, you can act like a pirate anytime of the year when you visit the Pirates Voyage dinner show. However, I think it’s more fun to act like a pirate during the warmer months! You can read my review of the Pirates dinner show to see what to expect.

Celebrate the 4th of July

If you are looking to spend the holiday weekend in the Smokies, you should know that the area has some exciting annual events. Gatlinburg has the first Independence Day Parade in the country, with it starting at midnight every year! Not to be outdone, Pigeon Forge hosts the Patriot Festival every year with music and fireworks!

Celebrate Christmas in July

If, like me, you prefer the chill of Christmas to the heat of summer, might I suggest celebrating Christmas in July with a stay at the Inn at Christmas Place? They have special activities all month long to celebrate Christmas in July! You can read my The Inn at Christmas Place Review to see what it’s like to stay here. I’ve been fortunate enough to stay here twice and loved it both times! According to their social media, they did some updating at the beginning of 2023, so it should be even nicer there now!

So Much to See and Do in the Great Smoky Mountains

As you can see, there’s lots to do during summer in the Great Smoky Mountains. Did I miss your favorite thing? This concludes my seasonal look at the area series. You can view my other posts with seasonal suggestions here:

Disney100 at Disneyland Resort Review

May 24, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Just last week I was lucky enough to experience the Disney100 at Disneyland Resort. That’s the limited time celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company taking place at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California! Take a look at all of the things I was able to experience during this celebration!

Disney100 at Disneyland

If you have plans to visit the Disneyland Resort anytime soon, you can witness a few special limited time entertainment and food options celebrating 100 years of the Walt Disney Company. Here’s a look at what I experienced and my thoughts on the offerings.

Special Decor

Around the resort, you can find several platinum medallions, statues, and banners celebrating Disney100 at Disneyland. The medallions and statues interact with a MagicBand+! The beautiful banners make for unique photos in front of the castle. I also enjoyed seeing the Fab Five in their special outfits with the Disneyland Band on Main Street, U.S.A. Personally, I could have gone for more decor around the parks, but maybe that’s me. I loved seeing the special decor at the Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian.

Disney100 Fireworks

At the Disneyland park, you can catch the special Disney100 fireworks show on weekends or the special projection show during the week! It’s called Wondrous Journeys and it showcases the past 100 years of films from the Walt Disney Company. I knew I had to see this show when I learned (spoiler alert!) that it featured Baymax flying through the air! He’s faster than you think! My pictures of him are a little blurry, but you can tell what’s happening. I really enjoyed this show. Seeing Baymax along with the blue fairy was the highlight of this day.

World of Color – One

World of Color – One is the special nighttime entertainment at Disney California Adventure park for the 100th. The park’s standard show is World of Color and this has a special twist to celebrate. I booked the World of Color – One dessert party and posted my review of the pricey ($89) experience last week. Click that link to see if I think it’s worth it.

Magic Happens Parade

Technically, the Magic Happens parade premiered right before the pandemic. However, they brought it back to celebrate! I loved this parade! There are so many amazing small details on the floats and on the characters’ costumes! If you have a trip planned, you must catch the parade!

Special Food

A good amount of restaurants have a special dessert or treat just for the celebration. The only one I had the time and stomach space to sample was the lemon chiffon pie from Plaza Inn. I really enjoyed it and would eat it again! It was tart and tasty! It was great for a warm day dessert after the somewhat heavy chicken they serve.

Is It Worth Visiting?

I think it’s a great time to visit the Disneyland Resort. The addition of the decor, entertainment, and food makes for a memorable trip. Plus, you will always know how you celebrated 100 years of the company!