Editor Reviews

Last month we celebrated my daughter’s 10th birthday with a trip to Galveston, the island city less than two hours south of The Woodlands. We booked a beautiful two-bedroom suite at the Moody Gardens Hotel, Spa, and Convention Center, and our visit was the perfect marriage of luxury and comfort! I’ve lodged at the Moody Gardens Hotel many times over the past decade, and just when I think things can’t possibly get better, I’m pleasantly surprised! The online reviews you see on TripAdvisor and other sites seem to portray Moody Gardens as superior to the other island hotels for good reason – this Four Diamond Resort really does shine and is the best in Galveston!

Our Luxurious, Two-Room Suite


 

The Crayola Experience is an exuberant, color-crazy adventure! It wasn't too long ago that Keri gave us a look at Crayola Orlando, and now it's Karen here - checking out the newest (much closer) Crayola, the fourth location for this popular attraction. Crayola Experience Plano, Texas' most colorful family destination, opened at The Shops at Willow Bend (6121 W. Park Blvd.) last month, and this place is rocking! If your family enjoys making the occasional drive to the Dallas Metroplex, you'll be happy to have one more family-friendly attraction to add to your list when visiting the area. 

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is a smooth four hour drive north of The Woodlands and offers plenty of options for family fun, perfect for an extended weekend getaway.

One of my absolute favorite attractions is contained within the grounds of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. The expansive Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden  is a beautifully designed garden with interactive exhibits for kids.

Our Orlando trip was quite flexible and I was eager to visit Orlando Science Center, a favorite of our friends that live nearby. I knew the museum had exhibits for preschoolers but I wasn't so sure what to expect. Boy was I ever surprised! Imagine a science museum virtually ENTIRELY for kids! It was just our luck that we visited on the first day back to school from winter break for Orange County schools, so we had a lot of the museum to ourselves with mainly preschoolers, no tourist hordes and no field trips.

I have a few friends that live in Orlando and an attraction I constantly see them visiting is Crayola Experience Orlando, located at The Florida Mall. I was excited to visit during our trip and little did I know that we'd spend over 4 hours exploring and creating (and that we could have easily spent a few hours more!).

On a day of rest during our week-long Orlando trip, I mentioned to my oldest son that we had a special dinner planned. "Donuts?! I really hope it's donuts," was his response. Imagine his surprise when we approached a medieval castle! Our family was about to enter the Middle Ages to dine like kings and queens while cheering on knights at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament.

For the second time in 12 months, I was faced with the fun, yet terrifying task of planning a trip to Walt Disney World. We strategically planned a visit in 2017 before my twins turned 3 to maximize their free tickets and free character meals (details here). When my husband signed up for the 2018 Dopey Challenge as part of the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, I knew I would need to plan this year a bit differently. There are a few ways to prep for Disney - you can put yourself in the hands of a Disney Vacation Planner and let them take care of your hotel, meals and in-park plans (and checkbook), or you can grab a tour book and start a spreadsheet for a bit of number crunching and itinerary planning. I planned day-by-day Disney itineraries as a young girl, so scheduling our days and maximizing our savings was definitely more my speed. Having gone through the motions twice now, I have a few tips for a smooth and affordable trip.