With a new school year underway for most children, and with your work and/or daily life back to its status quo, you might be thinking that this is perhaps the worst time to think about change. Altering things is just too … too messy! And besides, the change inherent in your New Year’s resolutions is enough, right? WRONG!

Along with a new year and a new you, a host of new possibilities are entirely plausible. So take this time to reassess your travel plans for the year. Maybe even take time to revamp that master travel list – the travel Bucket List you might be keeping!

It’s never too late to add new destinations onto your list of places to visit.

The following list, comprised of theme parks and family-fun destinations around the United States, is sure to put a bit of fire under your desire to travel this year.

So shake things up – have fun! Peruse this family-fun list and be inspired!

More importantly, however, be sure to keep an open mind. Remember that projected opening dates for both rides and park attractions are tentative. Regardless of park estimates, the opening dates can change. Many of these parks announced plans last year while some of them are only rumored to be working on new attractions.

In any case, keep a watchful eye on theme park websites for the most up-to-date news. And while you’re waiting, add a few of these gems to your list and watch your family’s travel bug dance and shout with joy!

Knott’s Berry Farm – The Voyage to the Iron Reef / Buena Park, California

Looking to set sail on a steampunk-inspired underwater adventure? The Voyage to the Iron Reef, scheduled to open to visitors this year, will allow adventure-seeking families to interact with sea creatures and other nautical elements in the midst of an underwater battle.

• Knott’s Berry Farm: https://www.knotts.com/

Six Flags over Texas and Six Flags St. Louis – Battle for Metropolis 

Both parks are slated to unveil new rides this year that are DC Comics Justice League-inspired and 3-D as well. Battle for Metropolis will allow park visitors to follow in the footsteps of the popular franchise, helping Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman and others defeat the Joker, Lex Luthor and other fiends in this topsy-turvy battle between good and evil.

• Six Flags National Home Website: https://www.sixflags.com/
• Six Flags Over Texas: https://www.sixflags.com/overtexas
• Six Flags St. Louis: https://www.sixflags.com/stlouis

Hersheypark – LaffTrakk / Hershey, Pennsylvania

Looking for a funhouse experience like none other? Try visiting Hersheypark! The park has been providing funhouse entertainment to the public since the 1930s and with its new plan to combine a glow-in-the-dark funhouse experience with an indoor roller coaster – the first of its kind in the United States – this iconic park will be, once again, making history.

• Hersheypark: http://www.hersheypark.com/

Kentucky Kingdom – Terror to the Third Power / Louisville, Kentucky

Once the top tourist destination in Kentucky before its doors closed back in 2009, this recently refurbished theme park that reopened just last summer will go one step further by reintroducing an old ride (the T2) as the impressive T3, the Terror to the Third Power.

• Kentucky Kingdom: http://www.kentuckykingdom.com/

Universal Studios Florida – Universal’s Islands of Adventure / Orlando, Florida

If you haven’t already, be sure to make 2015 the year that you treat your family to the magical world of Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Whether visitors are in the mood for a Harry Potter-themed adventure, an epic fight for good alongside their favorite Marvel superheroes or want to spend time with dinosaurs and all things related to Jurassic Park, the rides, shows and attractions at Universal Orlando certainly ensure that there’s something for everyone.

• Universal Orlando: https://www.universalorlando.com/Theme-Parks/Islands-of-Adventure.aspx

For up-to-date information on theme parks and opening dates, feel free to visit:

Theme Park Tourist: http://www.themeparktourist.com/new-attraction-watch

The post Reboot Your Family’s Travel Plans with a Few of these WOW Destinations! appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

By Lincoln McElwee

Barbecue may not be for every member of the family, but in Kansas City, Missouri, there is more than enough of it to please even the most discerning of meat-eaters! Establishments, such as Arthur Bryant’s, Oklahoma Joe’s, Gates BBQ, and Fiorella’s Jack Stack, all have amazingly delicious variations on the barbeque theme. And that’s what it’s all about, right? There is almost nothing more American than BBQ in the summer, and all the various flavors truly speak to the American spirit of choice and enterprise. And in Kansas City, both enterprise and freedom of choice are taken seriously!

Indeed, one of the most iconic ticks about the city aside from barbecue itself is…well, the debate as to which BBQ is in fact the best BBQ in town! The debate is an ongoing saga that, quite honestly, is just as fun testing out as reading the reviews of both old and new BBQ joints.

I personally sampled Gates BBQ when I spent some time in the city. Gates has been getting a lot of negative reviews lately, which may indicate that this warm-hearted establishment is not the bastion of barbeque that it once was, but with the sheer amount of barbecue in the city, I would definitely put not only Gates but many of the other barbecue joints to the test…to the taste test, that is! Websites, such as the one that the Kansas City Barbecue Society hosts, are remarkably sufficient in providing all of the seasonal entertainment of Kansas City, as well as countless other cities, that revolves around all things barbecue: http://www.kcbs.us/ 

One of the most engaging and unforgettable attractions in Kansas City is the Hallmark Visitors Center. The center is home to a variety of exhibits that focus on the creative products of the Hallmark brand. It offers a free, fun and friendly learning environment for visitors interested in the remarkable and heartwarming Hallmark story. The company has called Kansas City home for more than 100 years, and began when an 18-year-old, Joyce C. Hall, started the company in 1910 with a shoebox full of postcards!

The Hallmark Visitors Center has also added an exciting new feature – Hallmark Live! –where a different designer, photographer, sculptor, illustrator or writer will be available to talk to visitors about their creations on a daily basis! The center is open from 10AM to 4:30PM from Monday through Friday, as well as 9:30AM to 4:30PM on Saturdays. For more information, visit: http://www.hallmarkvisitorscenter.com/

Another thrilling experience for the entire family are the Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun theme parks, where visitors can pay one price for the experience of two separate parks and all of the attractions that both parks offer! Whether it’s getting to learn more about the Mesozoic era with the Dinosaurs Alive! experience, submerging the family in the watery fun of the Oceans of Fun Waterpark, or live entertainment at Worlds of Fun with brand-new shows beginning this summer, there is truly something for every child and every member of the family! There are even places to dine within the park for those with a sweet tooth or with a hungry hankering for those Kansas City ribs!

The park also has a Planet Snoopy Kids Area, where families can spend the day with their children with more than 20 PEANUTS-themed attractions! https://www.worldsoffun.com/

The summer will also be jam-packed with family-friendly attractions at the Kansas City Zoo! One of the events at the Zoo, the Kansas City Jazzoo 2013, was an exciting celebration of animals and jazz. Based on its success, the zoo has created the Kids’ Jazzoo, which will take place this summer on August 23, 2013. The fundraiser helps to provide for the Zoo’s Learning Fund, and is an interactive adventure for children 12-years-old and under. Children will be able to see animals up close, play interactive games, and learn about birds, elephants and polar bears! There will also be food, kid-friendly music, crafts and face-painting. Tickets are $35 for children and adults. For more information about the zoo, visit: http://www.kansascityzoo.org/

The zoo also offers an Adopt a Wild Child program where families can help to care for their favorite animals by donating money to the zoo for the upkeep of specific animals! For more information, call 816-513-5804 or e-mail Carrie Bryan at carriebryan@fotzkc.org.

There are also various museums around Kansas City that families can visit and enjoy learning about everything from Jazz to presidential history, such as the Truman Library & Museum, the Toy & Miniature Museum of Kansas City, the American Jazz Museum, the Kansas City Museum, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. For more information, as well as other great family-fun attractions, visit: http://www.kcmo.org/CKCMO/Visitors.

The post The Flavors of Kansas City, Missouri Make for an Unforgettable appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.