Category Archives: Caves

More Favorite Places in Florida

Further away from our home there are some other places I will miss in Florida. The most unique and incredible are the natural springs. There are dozens of these, probably hundreds, but my two favorite are Blue Spring State Park, not too far from Orlando:

And Madison Blue Spring, where the river is crystal clear, which just feels magical.

Another magical place, surely inhabited by fairies, is Blue Hole at Florida Caverns State Park. The joy you feel here from the sheer beauty is top:

Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando is another place that has brought me incredible joy! The water is blue as can be, and it’s just amazing to see all the different large birds and swans. You really can’t believe how nice it is! And it is fun to be in a scene where there are people jogging and walking and laying out in the sun on the grass or eating at one of the cafes or playing at the playground:

One of the nicest main strips in Florida is Park Avenue in Winter Park. Here you can eat at a French sidewalk cafe while students bask in the sun at the park across the street. Then you can stroll around the rose garden or visit a museum. It is like being in Europe! Best of all, you can walk around the campus of Rollins College at night when all the Spanish buildings are lit up like in Europe and the Spanish moss catches the moonlight in the oak trees.

Another place I won’t forget is Miami Beach with its water the most vibrant shade of turquoise and its fun scene with all kinds of interesting people walking by and colorful lifeguard shacks (why don’t they make lifeguard shacks colorful at all beaches?)

There are many fantastic places in Miami that I’ll miss, including the Venetian Pool, a historic spot at a natural spring, and the swinging chairs on the bay outside the Perez Art Museum. The empanadas at Charlotte Bakery on Washington Ave are mouth-watering. And it’s always fun to just walk on Washington Ave, Collins Ave, and Ocean Drive absorbing the atmosphere.

South Pointe Park in Miami is also fantastic, with its walkway by the water, pier, modern highrises, and playground. Water everywhere!

And there are some very unique places in Florida, where sort of crazy types have created things. One is Coral Castle, a delight at sundown.

Beautiful Places in the World!

Here are some of the beautiful places in the world:

Warriewood Beach, north of Sydney, where the water is turquoise, the sand is yellow, and lovely headlands frame the beach.

Central Park in New York City, an absolute paradise with beautiful spots around every corner.

Chastain Beach in Stuart FL, after a storm when piles of shells delight you.

Dubois Lagoon, in Jupiter FL, where the water is so clear and the lagoon wraps around the land in pretty shapes.

Oak Creek Canyon, in Sedona, a town with the most incredible red rocks that tower above you.

City Park in New Orleans, where the huge oak trees strung with moss will wow you.

Stone Mountain, in Atlanta, where a huge granite rock pops up out of nowhere!

Laguna Beach, near LA, where the color of the water is blue-green as you look down from the high cliffs.

China Cove, near Monterey CA, the most adorable-looking little cove you’ll see anywhere!

Lake Eola Park, in Orlando, where there are so many different birds it will surprise you over and over!

Cabrillo National Monument, in San Diego, where you are way way high above the sea!

Blue Hole Spring, at Florida Caverns State Park, an otherworldly place where mist gathers around little stumps of cypress trees and surely fairies live!

Fairies also live in Ferndell, in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, where gnarled wooden railings lead you along a path through a tropical forest.

Glacier Point, in Yosemite National Park, in California, where the rock formations created by ancient glaciers are like none in the world.

Zermatt, Switzerland, where you can walk on trails high above the town, feeling like you’re up in the sky! You see the Matterhorn above, and little wildflowers below!

St Ann’s Square, Rennes, France- have a crepe while looking at the cutest architecture all around you!

Versailles, near Paris, France, where the gardens lead from one lovely scene to another- find the secret grotto!

Eze, near Nice, France, a medieval walled town with adorable red tiled roofs, incredibly high up above the Mediterranean sea!

Haarlem, near Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where gingerbread-style houses greet you, and you can visit the Corey Ten Boom house where she hid Jewish people during the war.

Green Island, Queensland, Australia, where you can snorkel in clear water seeing coral of all colors, fish, and funny sea cucumbers!

Lord Howe Island, NSW, Australia- stand in the water at Ned’s Beach as fish swarm around your legs! See the incredible mountains that tower above the island.

It’s a beautiful world we live in!

Grand road trip around the south!

Jackson Square in New Orleans.

We recently went on a summer road trip covering 3,000 miles in the south! The unanimous favorite place was Memphis!

We started in Florida, having our favorite Jamaican food for dinner (palm hearts curry-amazing!) at Reggae Shack in Gainesville. It was incredibly hot, 98 degrees everywhere for the first few days of the trip. Our first attraction was a dud, Haile House, which is not air-conditioned (yikes!) and not pretty either. To cool off, we went to Ginnie Springs, gorgeous nature but loaded with drunk people. The next day we had another miss- the Challenger Science Center in Tallahassee, which is no longer a science center but solely an Imax theater- what bad marketing! We were finding there’s not much to do in this kind of heat. We went to a mall- not much fun- but then had a good idea to go to the Florida Caverns which are always cool since underground! It was our second time there and we loved it. Next we visited Falling Waters State Park just nearby, and it was so interesting to look into the deep chasm where a waterfall usually falls (it was dry on the day we came but still so gorgeous). We walked the boardwalk peering down into sinkholes which was a little unsettling!

The next morning we hopped out of bed early and beat the traffic to Seaside! What a cute town! This is where The Truman Show was filmed. The town has tall architecture providing lots of shade, and the ocean breeze cools you as you walk around. Even more cooling is a dip in the ocean, which is paradise because of the white sand and cute views of the beach tower.

At night we ate dinner at 5 Sisters Blues Cafe in Pensacola.This was our best meal of the trip. Yum! Who knew that southern comfort food is SO good! The best part was the sweet potatoes, which had a taste like apple pie. The recorded Jazz music was great too!

We were ready the next morning to explore the military base at Pensacola! We walked around Fort Barrancas which was really fun. There are long tunnels, plenty of views from high up, and a drawbridge. The heat was pretty unbearable, but nothing compared to the heat when we watched the Blue Angels practice at 11am. Still, that was worth it! What an incredible sight! It’s amazing how close the planes fly to each other and at such speed!

Next we drove to Mobile AL for an icecream on their main street, Dauphin Street. What a cute place with a beautiful basilica and wonderful architecture. For sure check out the History Museum of Mobile if you ever go- a lovely museum with interesting exhibits, and free!

New Orleans was to be our base for the next three nights! We visited Jackson Square, which is just as pretty as you’ve seen it in all the photos, though even more tropical. The need for a clean restroom led us to have pecan pie at a restaurant in the middle of the morning- isn’t that just what traveling is all about? The voodoo museum was closed, even during its advertised open times so my daughter and husband headed to the Louisiana Children’s Museum while my son and I explored the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. This is one of the nicest art museums I’ve been to and highly recommended! Its building is inspirational and the art is colorful.

We had lunch at a favorite spot from our last trip to New Orleans, La Madeleine Cafe on St Charles Ave, and though it was more crowded and quite loud, we enjoyed it. The heat was unbearable but we bravely tried and tried to venture over the potholes to find The Fly in Audobon Park. There are so many potholes in New Orleans, it’s surprising! This spot was not worth the effort. I soon realized that we hit up the very best spots in New Orleans on our last trip without even realizing how lucky we were! So I decided to stick with some old favorites, and we had dinner at Little Gem Saloon, where we ate three times on our last trip! The interior is so pretty, the gumbo with a side of sweet potatoes was delicious, and there was live piano music.

The next day we tried to beat the heat early but we arrived an hour before opening time at Storyland so we walked around the Besthoff Sculpture Garden which is free to enter. It was a pleasant stroll. Next my daughter and I had a blast walking into all the fairytale sculptures in Storyland. For the afternoon, we escaped the heat at National World War II Museum, which my husband and son really liked, and my daughter was interested in too. The price was a bit steep, I thought. Escaping the heat can be really expensive!

We finished our time in New Orleans in the best possible way, with a stroll down Frenchmen Street listening to the sounds of Jazz wafting out the clubs and restaurants, and with a meal at Bamboula’s. Of course, a stroll always involves a lot of whining from the kids- just thought I’d throw in a little realism there! But overall we still enjoyed ourselves.

The last day of the first week involved a lot of driving, with a stop at Jackson, Mississippi for some time at the Mississippi Children’s Museum and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum then we headed to Memphis!

See the next post for Week 2 of our Grand Road Trip!

Ten Best Playgrounds in California

Howarth Memorial Park, Santa Rosa

Kids enjoy a summer splash at Howarth Memorial Park in Santa Rosa.

A visit to Howarth Memorial Park is magical because there is so much to do and you are surrounded by beauty. Tall pines tower above as your kids leap around in the splash park, visit the petting zoo, be a cowboy in the Old-West town, swing from curvy monkey bars, ride a pony, climb the rock wall, stand at the top of the space net, visit the lake, push their mini cars around the finger park, and take a train ride. What more could you ask for?

Dennis the Menace Park, Monterey

Dennis the Menace Park takes you back to your own childhood, with its retro play equipment.

Dennis the Menace Park is the most visited site on my website out of over 500 sites! That’s because this playground takes parents back to their own childhood with its retro climbing structures, swinging rope bridge, curvy slides, cement tunnels, and yellow arches. Kids adore the high roller slide. There is a skate park on the other side, plus paddle boats on the lake. But mostly it’s perfection to sit on the grassy hills while your child climbs the rock wall or runs about on the huge playground.

Dinosaur Caves Playground, Pismo

Speckled dinosaur eggs to climb inside at Dinosaur Caves Park.

Situated on a cliff high above Pismo Beach and its white caves is Dinosaur Caves Playground. Your soul lifts as you stand on the expansive lawn, with green green hills above, and listen to the ocean crash below. Sea stacks, a sea arch, and purple wildflowers add to the atmosphere. Kids delight in the playground, where sculptures of seals, a whale, dolphins, and a boat inspire their imagination. There’s a tire swing, baby swings, and best of all, speckled dinosaur eggs to climb inside. Big kids can skateboard around on the sidewalks. Sheltered by the hills, this park is warmer than most parks in Pismo.

Tidelands Park, Morro Bay

Take control as captain of the ship at Tidelands Park!

Another park full of atmosphere is Tidelands Park, at the end of the Embarcadero in Morro Bay. After eating seafood at one of the waterfront restaurants, stroll down to this chilly park where your kids can take charge as captain of the giant ship. They can climb on seals and a whale’s tail, tight rope along wavy walls, step on logs of all different heights, and bounce on a dolphin and whale bouncy. Best of all is the view of the estuary right beside you.

Avila Beach Playground

Colorful pirate ship at Avila Beach Playground.

If you have young kids you really need to get to know the San Luis Obispo area because it has so many nice spots for kids, including the Avila Beach Playground! After a play in the sand at the ocean’s edge, walk to the playground to extend the fun! There are usually plenty of new friends for your kids here and friendly parents too. Kids can climb the dolphin sculptures, run across the wooden bridge, stand beside the pirate with telescope at the top of the ship, swing, bounce on horse bouncies, and jump from boulder to boulder. After, visit the Sea Life Center for a jam-packed day!

Kidsworld Playground, Santa Barbara

Two-storey wooden castle playground in Santa Barbara.

In an oasis of palms, eucalyptus trees, and large old trees sits Kidsworld, your ultimate wooden playground. Kids can climb to the second storey and look out over Alameda Park (you should too because it’s beautiful!) Little monkeys adore the course of three monkey bars in a row, the tire bridge, tight ropes, cable slider, and tarzan ropes. There’s a giant whale and shark to climb, and little things to explore too like a marble maze. Walk across the street to see the turtles and ducks in glorious Alice Keck Park.

Chase Palm Park, Santa Barbara

Whales that spurt at Chase Palm Park.

Across the street from East Beach in Santa Barbara is a unique playground called Chase Palm Park. Here kids can climb on whales that spurt water, dig in the sand in a giant shell, jump on a huge spongy starfish, climb to the top of a ship, surf in socks down a wide slippery slide, duck under archways in a Spanish adobe village, and ride the carousel. There is also a little stream with ducks and grassy hills galore to run around.

Pirate Playground, Oxnard Beach

Head of the giant sea monster at Pirate Playground!

What an imaginative and beautiful playground! Oxnard Beach’s Pirate Playground gives kids the chance to run around a giant sea monster, spin on solo spinners, balance on the skull-and-crossbones see saw, swing from monkey bars, look through a telescope, make music, rock climb, and slide many a slide. Hundreds of palms fill the sky all around them! Bring a jacket because the air off the ocean is cold!

Lake Balboa Park, Los Angeles

Gemstone wall with frogs at Lake Balboa Playground!

Under huge shade canopies, Lake Balboa Playground has everything a child could dream of! Spinning wheels that make rain sounds, drum sets, wild bouncy things for four, swings galore, activity stations, slides, bridges, and even a space net keep your kids busy. Toddlers enjoy an imagination town with a Bait and Tackle Shop! After, you can steer paddle boats on the lake, fish, catch the ice cream truck, or have a picnic on the endless lawns under tall pine trees.

Polliwog Park, Manhattan Beach

Just one of many imaginative sections of Polliwog Park.

Polliwog Park in the town of Manhattan Beach has so many play areas you could never run out of things to do! There is an area with a stripey lighthouse, sand pit, and frog and turtle sculptures to climb. Kids can ride a modern see saw, play in a boat, bounce a seal bouncy, walk by the lake and ducks, roll down the sloped lawn, jump across stepping stones at the blue playground, and try out the workout area. This playground is not next to the beach but it’s a blast to explore.

Top Ten Beaches in California!

Coronado Beach, San Diego

The sand castle turrets of Hotel del Coronado.

Hotel del Coronado, or “The Del,” is like a real sandcastle on the fine, white sand of Coronado Beach. Walk the boardwalk then stroll around the hotel looking at the 1920s photos and imagine you were there with those carefree souls. Coronado Beach is on an island. The ride over on Coronado Bridge is a blast. Walk around the island enjoying the little gingerbread houses, mansions, and tropical flowers.

Laguna Beach, Orange County

Looking down on Laguna Beach.

Laguna Beach in Orange County is probably the loveliest beach of all! It has a tropical look with its vibrant blue-green water and abundance of palms. The steep cliffs that lead down to the beach are stunning. Make sure to walk along adjacent Heisler Park to look down the vertical cliffs at the water below. Have lunch at Las Brisas Restaurant, dipping corn chips in delicious salsa while you look down at the beach below!

Descanso Beach, Santa Catalina Island

View of the casino from Descanso Beach on Santa Catalina Island.

Check out the view of the graceful 1920s art deco casino from your pebbly spot on Descanso Beach. Here the water is crystal clear, unlike the water at any other beach in California. From out of the water you can see the orange fish swimming below the surface. Stroll under countless palm trees planted by the chewing gum magnate Wrigley’s son, beside the serpentine rock wall and past fountains. Walk through the white archway decorated with colorful Spanish tiles. This is the life! You must take a ferry from Long Beach to get to unique and yes, touristy, Santa Catalina Island.

Hermosa Beach, Los Angeles

Sand, sea, and pier at Hermosa Beach.

There are plenty of fun beaches to choose from in Los Angeles but Hermosa Beach is my favorite. When writers speak of a “summer playground,” this is what they mean! Year-round you find happy, young people playing beach volleyball, roller blading, bike riding, and pushing jogging strollers in this cheerful spot. The bike path on the sand runs south to Torrance Beach and north to Venice Beach and Santa Monica pier! In the pedestrian-only square that fronts the pier, there are cafes, some with balcony views of the beach! The sand at this beach is clean as can be and the water a luminous blue.

Paradise Cove Beach, Malibu

Looking down on Paradise Cove Beach Cafe and pier.

Tucked between cliffs is the secluded and magical Paradise Cove Beach, a private beach in Malibu. Here they have designed a cafe that is perfect for the chilly California beach air (cooled by the Alaska current). You sit behind sheets of plastic, under a roof of slats and tall, gas heaters that spread the heat around you rather than just on your head! Barrels full of colorful flowers surround you. After your meal, walk up the stairs by the parking lot for a great view of the crescent-shaped beach.

Santa Claus Lane Beach, Santa Barbara

Summer sandcastle at Santa Claus Lane Beach.

Beaches in California aren’t that great for swimming. The water never gets any warmer than 68 degrees. Even freshwater springs or mountain rivers are warmer than this! But if you must have a swim, Santa Claus Lane Beach near Santa Barbara is the place! Here the water is cleaner than at most beaches (there are no storm drains nearby) and the shallow, long entry to the sea warms the water a little. It’s fun to take a mid-summer dip here while looking up at the stunning mountains and the magical middle-eastern Isham poolhouse at the end of the beach. If you’re here from December to May, check out also Carpinteria Bluffs Beach where you can see pregnant mother seals and then later baby seals at the Carpinteria Seal Rookery.

Campus Point Beach, UC Santa Barbara

A starfish at Campus Point Beach.

Not all university campuses are on the beach, but University of California Santa Barbara is! Just a short walk from the eateries in Campus Center is Campus Point Beach, a fun spot for surfing and body boarding. Summer camps teach little ones to surf on the manageable waves. And when the tide is low you can see pink, orange, and purple starfish clinging to the rocks. There are always a few students at the beach, making for a lively atmosphere. Stroll atop the cliffs for gorgeous views galore!

Shell Beach, Pismo

View from the panoramic walk in front of Best Western Shore Cliff Lodge.

Things are starting to look more stormy and rugged as you head past Santa Barbara up the Central Coast. Shell Beach is your absolute dream as far as a beach with wild cliffs, rocks jutting up from the sea, and white and yellow cliffs below. Pelicans stand on rock ledges as the ocean swirls and crashes below. Brace yourself for the cold air and take a brisk panoramic walk along the edge of the cliffs. Then walk down to the beach below and enjoy the Pismo Dinosaur Caves.

China Cove, Monterey

China Cove in Point Lobos State Reserve.

China Cove, in Point Lobos State Reserve near Monterey, is about as pretty as a beach can get. Nothing is more adorable than a cove tucked between cliffs hung with flowers. The sand is white. The water is a shock of azure. The air, however, is biting! Monterey has an abundance of pretty beaches to explore- of all the towns in California it is the most unique and beautiful in its scenery. It looks like no other place I’ve seen. Come between August and December for the greatest chance of blue skies without fog.

Point Montara Lighthouse Beach, near San Francisco

Green headlands and pristine beach at Point Montara Lighthouse.

The beach at Point Montara Lighthouse Youth Hostel is heaven! This is a northern California beach at its most idyllic, with green headlands jutting out into the sea, golden sand, crashing surf, and salt in the air. Come here to feel alive again! It’s a 30 minute drive south from Ocean Beach in San Francisco to Point Montara. Continue south afterward to see more dreamy beaches like San Gregorio Beach and Poplar Beach in Half Moon Bay.

Geological road trip through Florida!

Lotsa Fun Maps