Beaches Resorts by Sandals are making every kid’s (and some adults) dream come true by bringing the loveable characters of Sesame Street to the shore for you! As a proud sponsor of Beaches, the Caribbean family beach resort is ensuring that the colorful cast of characters is on site at their resorts to make every kid’s dream come true! Visit http://www.beaches.com/sesame-street/ for additional information and what the entire program entails, but there is something for every child to take part in with Beaches Resorts Sesame Street fun!

As kids all around the world love the Sesame Street gang, this trip is something that your kids will surely remember for a long time! In addition to the regularly scheduled events with the crew, you can also participate in specific themed activities with the members of Sesame Street, such as the Super Science Fair with Super Grover, an age-appropriate journey through the wonders of the scientific process! This includes investigating sand treasures, bubble experiments and floating adventures with water. Another great thing about these themed adventures is that they include other members of the Sesame Street family as well!

One great activity that is both fun and educational is ‘From Trash to Treasure with Oscar the Grouch’!! This eco-friendly adventure allows children to find reusable material in Oscar’s ‘Trashland’ and creatively repurpose the material. It is a wonderful lesson in recycling and reusing resources, and kids will start this necessary process of understanding the environment from a young age!  

Parents can also upgrade many of these packages to include additional items for their luxury vacation: http://www.beaches.com/sesame-street/sesame-packages.cfm#top, such as night-time tuck-ins by favorite characters as well as photo ops, breakfasts with the characters and birthday parties! The prices vary depending on adult or child tickets, as well as the number of individuals involved in the party. Be sure to book ahead for optimal rates!

If your children happen to be a bit too old for Sesame Street, Beaches Resorts also has their famed Kids Camp http://www.beaches.com/activities/kids-camp.cfm! The resort has certified nannies, a program for infants that takes the smallest newborn up to 24 months old, a toddlers program, pre-teen program and teen’s program as well. There is also after-camp care and care for children with special needs.

The program for teens makes sure that the older children are not left out of the fun! There are tennis clinics, pool Olympics, boat cruises water sports, and karaoke. The pre-teen program shares many of the same activities while ensuring that they are protected from the sun with sun screen, beach hats, and the use of swimsuits and beach toys.

As far as the rest of the Sesame Street cast is concerned, children can have a variety of adventures with their favorite character. There is bird-watching with Big Bird where kids can view all of the colorful types of birds that live in the Caribbean, as well as becoming official “Birdketeers” with Big Bird by decorating their own headbands with feathers and learning a special dance!

Story Time with Elmo is a popular interactive experience where Elmo reads a story and then appears in person to the children to complete the experience. Bake with Cookie Monster is also an exciting adventure that is definitely not to be missed. Children can assist staff with baking cookies! Afterwards, the Cookie Monster will drop by to check on the work and sample a bit of the cookies just to make sure they’re up to scratch! There’s also a treasure discovery, a surprise tea time and game time with the Count! This trip definitely has something for every member of the family, so be sure to take advantage of all the fun!

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By Lincoln McElwee

Situated in the postcard-perfect southwest of Utah and only three hours by car from Las Vegas, Nevada (five hours from Utah’s capitol up north, Salt Lake City), Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort offers its guests all the amenities of a top-notch resort while staying true to the beautiful ruggedness of its famous next door neighbor: Zion National Park!

Located on 4,000 acres of pristine land and sitting atop a forested plateau with stunning views into Zion National Park, the resort is the perfect embodiment of family-friendly fun. Zion Ponderosa offers daily activities for every member of the family, from the sedimentary type who may simply want to enjoy a spa treatment, swim or play miniature golf to the completely active types who want more hands-on activities, such as canyoneering, hiking and horseback riding.

One of the most convenient aspects of Zion Ponderosa is that the resort offers a kid’s camp for either half or full day activities. The popular camp is run during the summer season, from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. What’s more, the camp counselors are chosen based on their own interests in child development, thereby ensuring that counselors are vested into the wonderful camp experience! 

During the summer season, the kid’s camp also offers wagon rides around the grounds of the resort. The wagon rides take place in the afternoons and culminate in a Dutch oven dinner around an open camp fire, as well as s’mores and campfire stories. During the day, there are a myriad of activities for kids, including zip lining and ATV tours with miniature ATVs, as well as hiking, swimming, and an entire kid’s room in the recreation barn reserved for children, with TVs, movies, games and other fun activities to keep children occupied and entertained!

By making use of all the amenities the kid’s camp offers for children, adrenaline-loving parents can take part in the daily hikes that begin on the resort’s property and end in the national park itself. That’s right – Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort has about six trail-heads that begin on the property, with many of the trails ending in Zion National Park itself! Guests of the property can even request to be picked up from their lodgings in the morning and dropped off at the trail-head of their choosing. Guest pickup is also available for these hiking excursions. 

In addition to the popularity of the resort’s activities, which are so numerous that guests do not even have to leave the grounds of the resort if they so choose, Zion Ponderosa also prides itself on its accommodations, which truly offer something for everyone! 

One of the more popular types of lodging, especially for backpackers or those who want a camping experience in the safety of a controlled environment, is the campground lodgings where guests can set up their own tents at designated lots on the property. The campground lodgings are probably as “rugged” as the accommodations get, though guests in reality have access to a coin-operated laundry facility and communal showers. In addition to the tent sites, the campground also offers wagon-style accommodations. These very popular Western Wagons are designed with traditional wagon wheels, round, covered roofs and can sleep up to four people. And just like the tent sites, guests here have access to the showers, restrooms and other amenities of the resort itself.

Zion Ponderosa also provides a full-hookup RV camping site, the closest of its kind near the East Entrance to Zion National Park. RV guests also have access to the other amenities of the resort, as well as having grills and picnic tables right at the RV campsite. This intimate setting ensures that RV guests can relax in the pristine setting of nature, surrounded by the beautiful sky, Utah Junipers and Pinion Pines!

Two other types of accommodation are the Cowboy cabins and cabin suites. The cowboy cabins can sleep up to six guests, but do not include interior bathrooms. As a contrast, the cabin suites offer private bedrooms, wet bars, full bathrooms, and front rooms. Guests can even request queen-sized bunk beds in the cabin suites. The suites also sleep up to six people and even come equipped with fireplaces.

One of the most impressive accommodation types that the resort offers is vacation rental homes. These million dollar homes are built and designed by individuals who own property and houses around the world! Due to the sheer beauty of Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort, these homes are built and rented out to guests for a specified amount of time, two nights being the minimum. One of the most popular events for renting the vacation homes happens to be family reunions! Some of these homes, for instance, can sleep from 25 to 35 people, and guests share all the amenities of the resort! 

For those guests who do choose to remain on-site and enjoy all that the resort has to offer, the day can be filled with miniature golf, trampoline activities, rock climbing for beginners, and zip lining. There are also a variety of “open-use” activities on the grounds, including basketball, billiards/foosball, horse shoes, ping pong, tennis, softball, and volleyball. And depending on the season, the resort also stages an evening rodeo!

The activities that are scheduled throughout the day, and where advance reservations are highly recommended (especially during the summer season), are the ATV tours, canyoneering, hiking shuttles, horseback riding, jeep tours, paintball, rafting, shotgun range practice, wagon rides, and the seasonal Dutch oven dinner.

After all of the excursions both inside Zion National Park itself and on the grounds of the resort, the perfect place to unwind is at Zion Ponderosa’s own restaurant, the Blue Belly Grill! The restaurant uses only the freshest ingredients and incredible recipes to create a unique dining experience like none other. Weekly specials, along with the a la carte menu for both breakfast and dinner, ensure that guests have a diverse amount of choices! And the great thing about the grill is that the choices trickle down to a menu just for kids as well. As far as the dinner entrées are concerned, the Cornmeal Crusted Utah Trout is amazingly delicious, as well as the Fish and Chips, a group favorite that is served with English-style chips! Another fun part of the dining experience is that the grill uses paper tablecloths for parties with children. Kids are given crayons to decorate the tablecloths and parents are of course more than welcome to join in on the fun!

So if your family is in the mood for an adventurous vacation filled with the natural beauty of Utah, from the red and white sandstone formations of Zion National Park to the breathtaking beauty of the evening sky during your sunset jeep tour at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort, Michael Kane, the General Manager, and Julie Millard, the resort’s Reservations Manager, will be sure to make you feel more than welcome! The dedication of the resort’s staff is unparalleled, from the remarkable head chef, Francesca P. Van der Stappen, to the waiters and waitresses serving each meal with a smile. Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort is truly a destination par excellence!

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Booking this year’s vacation spot in Pigeon Forge, TN made for an incredible family getaway and a much-needed break from our hectic lives.  My husband and I did some research beforehand to find an affordable, family-friendly place to stay that was situated right in the heart of the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains.  We decided on the RiverStone Resort & Spa as our choice of stay because of its ideal location and unique features for both children and adults. As we hoped, it turned out to be the perfect rustic vacation spot for a tranquil, family-friendly vacation.

We pulled up to RiverStone and were warmly greeted by a majestic view of acres of rolling hills and the hazy contour of the Smoky Mountains.  A landscape of green enraptured my senses and I could hear the trickling waters of the nearby Little Pigeon Forge River.  The experience was very relaxing from the start, and I was especially eager to check out RiverStone’s luxurious spa.

Nature is healing and is sometimes just what we need to distress and regain our sense of inner harmony and peace.  My first impression of the lobby space was a warm and inviting atmosphere with its grand stone fireplace and vibrant, earthy colors.  My family and I opted for a 3-bedroom condominium with three plush king-sized beds and two bathrooms…one with a 6ft Jacuzzi tub, with full amenities including a washer and dryer, a widescreen flat panel TV, sleeper sofa and gas fireplace.  It was such a delight reading in the morning while peeking over the horizon from our private balcony.  The fully equipped kitchen with its granite countertop bar area and stainless steel appliances was perfect after a fun-filled day when we wanted to cook a meal and enjoy a restful night in with the kids.  The interior design scheme was also very refreshing and elegant with ambient lighting to provide a comfortable living space for the week.  The condo turned out to be the perfect home away from home for my family, but RiverStone’s log cabin rentals are also worth mentioning for those wanting a cozy cabin space nestled in the heart of the Smokies.  The wooden, ranch-style cabin is situated right along the river and offers a spacious wrap-around porch, lofted space, and stone gas log fireplace.  The online photos depict a charming, woodsy bungalow sited behind a log fence and shaded by beautiful maple trees.

Another major highlight of my stay at RiverStone was its full service day spa!  My husband and I treated ourselves to the couples Signature Massage with hot stone and Swedish massage techniques, aromatherapy, and detoxifying herbal mud treatments for the ultimate relaxation experience. Our massage therapists, Jason and Jami, were extremely friendly and left us both feeling rejuvenated and refreshed in body and mind.  RiverStone also offers a variety of services that are sure to satisfy your desires.  I was really impressed to find that RiverStone offers spa options for children as well, and they did a fantastic job pampering my daughter with their Princess Manicure.  I think my daughter felt really special and enjoyed feeling like a fairytale princess while we enjoyed quality mommy-daughter time together.  While we were getting pampered, my husband and son enjoyed a round of golf at the nearby Gatlinburg Golf Course.

Another great feature of the RiverStone was its huge indoor pool.  While the kids splashed in the pool, my husband and I enjoyed a dip in the steamy Jacuzzi hot tub.  My teenage son especially loved the on-site game room with its fully loaded arcade, including pinball, air hockey, and pool table.  It was a shame the lazy river was closed for cold weather because my kids would have had a blast coasting past the overhead waterfalls and winding curves on tubes.  The lazy river is conveniently situated alongside the patio area so it would have been very easy to keep an eye on the kids from one of the lounge chairs.  We will definitely be taking advantage of that on our next visit, as well as the playground and picnic/grilling area they offer. RiverStone’s extensive Fitness Center was equally impressive.  Needless to say, I was very pleased with the full range of activities and balance of indoor/outdoor spaces at RiverStone.

While in Pigeon Forge, we headed over for great food and entertainment with a Southern twist to the Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede dinner show.  It was a treat for all of us and left us reeling in laughter as we munched “with our fingers – no utensils needed” on a good-ole-fashioned four course Southern feast of rotisserie chicken, pork loin, potato, corn, biscuit and the best creamy vegetable soup you ever tasted. Dessert too! Vegetarian options are also available and kids under three eat free when sitting in a parents lap and eating from their plate!  My kids loved seeing the open-air stables with show horses inside as we walked up and the surprise meet-and-greet with the stars of the show while we picked up our tickets heading into the lobby.  We thoroughly enjoyed the world famous saloon with hilarious entertainment put on by some wonderful banjo players with a sense of humor to boot. After the opening show, fully costumed Belles lead us into Dixie’s grand arena where we enjoyed thrilling horse stunts, comedy acts, and an incredible Bluegrass-style musical production. While my kids loved the special effects and rings of fire, I especially enjoyed the twangy banjo and guitar sounds of the Bluegrass and Country band, Mountain Rukus, in the opening act and the barrel races. We all could hardly stop laughing at Skeeter doing his chicken dance and other comical antics. My kids were energized the whole show and learned about Northern-Southern rivalry first hand as the performers sparred in competitive fun.  Overall, I thought the meal and show was perfectly choreographed for an easy flow throughout the evening and I would definitely recommend Dixie Stampede for a fun-filled dinner adventure.

The Lumberjack Feud was another great dinner show we visited and offered a little more action and excitement.  Lumberjack stepped things up a notch featuring the rough competition of flannel-clad lumberjacks over ten different logging events.  The seating is split up into two sections, the McGraws and the Dawsons sides.  We were proud to be a Dawson! My kids were on edge the whole time as we watched this rough and wild bunch compete in chainsaw carving, tree climbing, log rolling, and axe-swinging among other fierce events.  This was no ordinary theatre show!  We really were caught up in the action between the booing and cheering of this enthusiastic crowd.  My daughter even won a “cookie,” or piece of wood stamped with the Lumberjack Feud logo (which was later signed by cast members) for cheering loudly. Lumberjack kept to a family-friendly atmosphere by showcasing a variety of different events.  It was really neat to watch the Timber Dogs fly through the air to retrieve objects and watch these world athletes climb their way up vertical timber posts.  The show came with a flavor-blasting meal to boot.  My family enjoyed chowing down on slow-roasted pork loin, green beans, old-fashioned cornbread dressing, and creamy baked mac-n-cheese.  The homemade Smoky Mountain Berry Cobbler was an equally delicious dessert!  Beneath all the action, the show told an exciting and unique story as we enjoyed a great meal.  I think we all left satisfied and with a new appreciation for the American legend of the lumberjacks.

For a special dinner with the family, you might want to check out the Old Mill Pottery House Café & Grille, located in the heart of Pigeon Forge’s charming Old Mill Square.  This was a favorite spot on our trip with its delicious family-style meal and Old World character. My husband is a meat-lover and greatly enjoyed the delicious hand-cut Black Angus ribeye steak and I was raving over the Praline Grilled pork chops.  Gazing over the menu, there were a lot of options including hearty soups, southern catfish and fresh seafood, signature sandwiches, and quality steaks.  This venue epitomized Southern charm and comfort, offering homemade cakes, brownies, cheesecake, and other delicious desert options.  We felt right at home eating from handcrafted dinnerware, which was beautifully crafted by artisans next door at Pigeon River Pottery.  The kids menu for kids 12 & under was also fantastic and offered yummy choices of a drink, chicken tenders, mac-n-cheese or a hamburger, along with fries or a fresh fruit cup.  Afterwards, my family enjoyed a pleasurable stroll through the Old Mill Square.  It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle and tour this traditional place. 

I’d say our stay in Pigeon Forge was a major success with unforgettable memories.  There’s such a diverse range of activities and places to visit here, which was nice because I think everyone in my family took away something special.  It was refreshing to have some down time alongside our lively dinner shows at night.  I would highly recommend visiting this scenic spot if you’re planning your next vacation getaway!  Our trip turned out to be a fun-filled adventure that my family will always remember.

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