Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Fun Things to Do in Nashville With Kids

Nashville is a fun city for both kids and adults. There are several Nashville parks, playgrounds and museums that kids will love visiting. Kids are very active most of the time so they need to be able to burn some of their energy off. There are some great places for kids in Nashville to do that. Here are a few things for you to consider when visiting Nashville.
Feed the ducks at Centennial Park. The Nashville Parthenon is located in Centennial Park so you get a to see one of the famous Nashville tourist attractions as well. There is also a playground in the park. Be sure to take some bread or crackers for the ducks.
Take a scenic train ride on an old train. The Tennessee Central Railway Museum has train rides with themes. Sometimes they have a mystery or a train robbery. The Easter Bunny, Thomas the Train and Santa also visit the museum from time to time. It is important to plan this well in advanced because they only make about 20 train trips a year.
Visit one of the outdoor water parks in Nashville. It is a great way to cool down during the summer. Wave Country is a smaller water park and it is usually not as crowded as Nashville shores. Both water parks are a lot of fun.
Go to a Nashville Sounds baseball game. Baseball is always fun and kids can usually meet the team mascot, Ozzie after the game. Here is a tip for you. Plan an extra hour into the schedule. Greer Stadium is right next door to Fort Negley Park, a civil war battlefield and it is free to see. It will take about an hour unless you decide to watch the films about it then you better plan for two hours.
Kids and adults both will enjoy a trip to the Nashville Zoo. There is a petting zoo and a portion of the zoo that has farm animals. There is also a large playground. you can spend the whole day there and have a wonderful time.
During the fall months take the kids to a corn maze. These are seasonal events but they are lots of fun. Most of them have several activities for the kids. Usually there are hay mazes for the little ones and they get to pick out and paint a pumpkin at most of the cor mazes.
As you can see there plenty of fun things for kids and adults when you visit Nashville. Most of this is budget friendly as well. Plan your day out with the kids soon and have fun.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6092605

Monday, March 28, 2011

The Best Family Holidays in South Africa

The best option for most families usually involves a combination of everything to keep your senses excited and your kids happy. The top place in the country for a family South Africa holiday would be the Cape and the famous Garden Route. If you want to spend some quality time relaxing on some of the areas many fantastic beaches, the ideal time to travel would be in South African summer (from mid-November to early March). Of course it's also worth bearing in mind December and January are the peak months of travel in South Africa, so book your holiday early to guarantee the best availability, or if you can delay till February, that's even better.
Most travellers will start their South Africa adventure in Cape Town, which is one of the world's most spectacular and accessible cities. Spend at least three nights here to take advantage of the many local attractions, the pick of the bunch being taking the cable-car up Table Mountain (choose a clear day), visiting Boulders Beach where you can swim with penguins, taking a drive to scenic Cape Point, or hitting the shops on the Victoria and Alfred waterfront.
Just outside the city limits lie the lush wine valleys where most of South Africa's famous vintages are grown and bottled. This may not be the most exciting stop for the children, so you could just make it a day trip on your way to towards the garden route and the rest of your South Africa holiday. As you move east you can choose to visit Hermanus for a chance to spot some of the whales that visit the coast year round (peak season is June to October). Moving further inland the quirky town of Oudtshoorn is definitely worth a stop, with the nearby Cango Caves and Cango wildlife ranch a great place to pet cheetahs and feed ostriches.
Knysna and Plettenberg will be next on most visitors' maps, which one you choose is up to you. If you prefer a more lively town with plentiful restaurant options and things going on, Knysna is the place for you. If you would like somewhere a little quieter with a great beach on your doorstep, Plett needs to be on your list. In the local area Tsitsikamma National Park is a rugged coastline wilderness with great walks and nearby Nature's Valley provides a spectacular lagoon and sandy beach.
On from there, Jeffrey's Bay makes a good stop for any budding surfers or body-boarders before you reach one of South Africa's top wildlife reserves in the Eastern Cape. The Addo Elephant National Park is the second biggest park in South Africa behind the Kruger, and gets its name from the huge herds of elephants that roam the area. The park is worth a visit on your South Africa holiday because it provides you with the opportunity to take safari drives in your own rental vehicle which can be a very exciting and rewarding experience.
To the north east of Port Elizabeth lie a number of smaller private parks that provide more luxurious safari options, if you are willing to fork out a little more of course. In the case of a South Africa safari however, you do get what you pay for, and it may be worth stretching your budget a little further to make it a trip of lifetime. What you will get is game drives with trained and experienced rangers, spectacular lodges and accommodation, and gourmet meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This will highly increase your chance of spotting some or all of the Big 5 while also learning all about the African bush. A great way to end a memorable family adventure holiday to South Africa.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6081030

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Online Hotel Price Comparison Sites

Travelling is usually very expensive and the largest expense is almost always the cost of accommodation. Hotels can range from quite cheap to very expensive but you usually get what you pay for. The best way to reduce the cost of a hotel is by doing a hotel price comparison. This used to be a difficult and time consuming task but the internet has changed all of that.
The internet has been a great benefit for people looking to save money when they are booking hotel rooms. Websites like Travelocity and Expedia can offer rates that are much lower than you could get by contacting the hotels on your own. Not only are they a great way to do a hotel price comparison by allowing you to see the rates for several different hotels at once, but they can also get better rates than would otherwise be available. They can do this because they have a lot of leverage with which to negotiate with the hotels. The last thing that any hotel wants is empty rooms and sites that can provide them with a lot of customers will be able to get better deals. Far and away the best way to get the cheapest room rate is to book through an online booking website.
Websites like Travelocity and Expedia are a great way to get a deal on a hotel because they are able to negotiate a lower price on your behalf. The problem is that there are now so many sites that offer this service it is hard to know which can get you the best deal. It used to be that you had to make a hotel price comparison between hotels, now you have to make the comparison between hotel booking websites. Fortunately the internet has come to the rescue again. There are now websites that will allow you to compare the rates that are being offered by all of the online booking sites. This is the best way to make sure that you get the best deal possible.
There is no secret to getting a good rate on a hotel room, it is simply a matter of making a comparison of hotel prices. The internet has greatly simplified this process but has also created new problems. There are now so many websites that promise the best hotel rates that it can be hard to know which one to choose. Fortunately a number of new websites have started appearing that can allow you to compare the rates of all the online booking sites and see who really does have the best rates.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Magnificent Memphis

The fun's always fresh and funky out here. Memphis is where you can expect to get thrilled at any time of the day. The birthplace of Rock n' Roll and home to the Blues, the city is an eclectic mix of many happy experiences and incredible moments. A thoroughly charming city located on the water, you are bound to run into something novel around every corner. A chosen vacation destination for many across the country as well as around the world, the city is ever evolving and you happen to see new things and make fresh memories every time you land in here. Look at any nook and cranny of the city, something new and something intriguing awaits you.
There are world-famous attractions, downtown sights and a quirky nightlife. Being a popular holiday city, coming to Memphis is no problem at all. The city is a perfect blend of everything that you can possibly desire. Inundating you with airfares galore, you can find your cheap flight to Memphis in a jiffy through online air travel portals. A colorful city whose heart beats in a thousand sounds and sights, Memphis' verve and vigor is quite unparalleled. You'll simply fall in love with its natural beauty, one that inspires much awe and amazement in one and all as well the urban scenery that'll have you mesmerized in no time.
Explore the city's past, go on a cultural expedition, taste the local foods and experience an authentic culinary, or take a walking tour of Memphis. Everything that you do and see out here is not short of pure excitement. Enjoy fully staged musicals like the Vienna Choir Boys, the U.S. Marine Band, the Canadian Brass and others, know about the city's regional cotton history through museums, book yourself an inexpensive yet completely fun-filled Mississippi riverboat tours, see goose bumps appearing on your skin at the voodoo shops, try astrology at a palm reader's place or have a great time at the Shelby Farms, the largest urban park in America. There's a lot to love about this city, courtesy the fact that it covered with attractions from head to toe. With a sea of interesting moments to be explored and wonderful encounters to be had.
Many pro-sport arenas, state-of-the-art stadiums and facilities, sporting events, film festivals, theatrical productions and opera nights, public and private art exhibits,varied attractions of the city. Add to this, the rather long list of intriguing things to do and you know it is wise to spend time here.and many more cultural celebrations, they all form part of the Memphis magnetism. The other part happens to be the fact that it is an ideal haven for all budget travelers alike. Cheap hotels are spread all over, happy hours are extended in restaurants. There are ethnic eateries and discounted group excursions of surrounding areas, sales that last the whole year round and much more; happy vacations don't cost much out here. And, given the live performances, musical concerts and many more entertainment avenues, you'll be spending most of your after-the-sunset-time in the city staying up through the night.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Facebook Into Your Travel Marketing Plan

In addition to your marketing Web site, your CVB or tourism bureau has the opportunity to be seen by more than 250 million people all over the world at any given time. This idea of increasing your Web traffic may seem complicated and time-consuming, but it is much easier than you may think.
According to Facebook's statistics, more than 120 million users log in each day, contributing to more than 5 billion minutes being spent each day worldwide on the site. Despite what you may think about Facebook being targeted for teens and young adults, the current fastest growing demographic is people ages 35 and older. Combine that with the Domestic Travel Market Report statistics that the average age of a domestic traveler is 46 (and that 75% of Americans travel for leisure) and you don't need another reason to join Facebook.
Other than the statistics, Facebook brings a lot to the table:
  • A plethora of media devices at your fingertips. Uploading video, pictures, slideshows and easy posting makes sharing multimedia easy.
  • The ability to generate discussions easily. Direct messaging capabilities, wall postings, group networking and creating fan pages give your CVB or tourism bureau a broad range of tourism and destination marketing tools at your fingertips.
  • High SEO capabilities. Facebook can be placed high on Google results, especially if you customize your Facebook address (i.e. http://www.facebook.com/yourbusinesshere).
  • High reachability. You have the ability to not only keep up with your clients, but give potential clients a taste of what they are missing. You have the ability to search for people who are interested in traveling, as well as the individual assets your destination has to offer, and you reach out to them directly.
  • Networking. Become a fan of similar pages to gather a bigger following. In turn, they have the ability to link back to your site.
All of these capabilities for tourism advertising and destination branding are not just limited to your company's Web site. These services are available in addition to what you may already have in terms of Internet marketing.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Vacation Home Vs Hotel Room

If you are currently planning to go on a vacation right now and you are wondering where is the best place that you can stay at while you are out of town or out of the country, you might be debating by yourself on whether it is better to go to a vacation home instead of renting a room in a particular hotel. This article will try to convince you that choosing a particular home as the place where you can stay while away from hometown is the better option that you can take.
First of all, you must know that if you will decide to stay in a specific hotel room, you will not be able to control the things that you will eat. Yes, you will be able to order them from the room service, but you will not have the liberty to control how your food will be cooked or you will not even be assured if it will suit your taste buds. In addition to this concern, you must also know that this will just increase the amount of money that you need to spend while on vacation; ordering is definitely more expensive than cooking your own food. Aside from the limitations from the kitchen, you will also not feel convenient and comfortable enough with hotel rooms since you will only be given a single room with a couple of beds only. Compared to when you stay in a vacation home, you will surely be allowed to use as many rooms as you need; not to mention as many beds that you need to use for your entire family.
These homes will also allow each family member to feel more at home because they will be able to have their own privacy even though they are on the other side of the planet. Hotel rooms are definitely not convenient most especially for large families because you will have a hard time fitting all your luggage inside a single room while trying to get comfortable sleeping in together. One of the most common reasons why a lot of people are hesitating to just rent out a specific home for their vacation is because of the fact that they feel that this will cost them a lot of money. It would actually be a good idea for you to just rent a hotel room if you will be staying in a particular location for one or two days only; this will be more economical for you. However, if you are planning to stay in a particular location for a month or longer, it will be more economical if you find a home where you can bring your family along with you. In addition, you will also be able to ask the owner of the home to let you pay for a smaller amount most especially if you have already gained the trust of the owner; when you stay in a hotel, you will not be able to do this since their rates are always fixed.