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Family Summer Things To Do In Atlanta

Atlanta is the state of Georgia's largest city and is filled with fun summer things to do for this season's holidaymakers. People with children of different ages will find themselves with their hands full of all the family-oriented attractions and activities that the city has to offer.

Before you start your summer vacation and wander around with your family, get yourselves the Atlanta CityPass that will give you instant admissions to the most popular attractions in the city. The Atlanta CityPass not only gives you great savings on cash, but also helps you save on time as you no longer need to fall in line for tickets for every attraction. The Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, High Museum of Art, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta History Center and Fernbank Museum of Natural History are just some of the places you can go to with the Atlanta CityPass.

Note: The High Museum of Art currently features the works of professional photographer, Sheila Pree Bright, entitled Young Americans. The exhibit shows photographs of young American adults with captions that state their opinions and sentiments about American culture and society. This display will run until August 10th 2008.

If you have children ages 2 to 8, the Imagine It! Children's Museum of Atlanta is highly recommended. Your kids will be encouraged and excited to learn new things with the museum's colorful hands-on exhibits. There are so many things to see, listen to, touch and explore in this 30,000 square-foot establishment, even older kids and parents are going to find themselves enjoying the place!

The Fabulous Fox Theater presents the Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival. The Fox, as it is more popularly called, has the biggest screen in Atlanta and features blockbuster hits of the past and present. This August, The Fox adds a few more movies that will definitely draw dozens of moviegoers including Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda and Indiana Jones – Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

If you wish to spice your family summer vacation up with a little adventure, then Georgia's Stone Mountain State Park is right for you. Sixteen miles east of Atlanta stands the 3,200 acre-park that centers the world's largest exposed granite mountain. The first thing you should do when you get to the park is to ride the sky-lift gondolas that will take you over 800 feet above ground, giving you the most beautiful views of Georgia's countryside. Within the park are other interesting things to see and do such as a petting zoo, a riverboat, an antique automobile museum and an antebellum plantation. Be sure to settle your family in the park's campgrounds or any of its other lodging options for the laser light show in the evening, which is a regular event in Stone Mountain State Park during the summer.

Atlanta sure is rich of cool surprises for everyone taking a vacation. It has been among the most sought for getaways for families, couples and those who prefer traveling alone. Top the above mentioned attractions and activities with the city's wide selection of dining options, and you are definitely bound to have one of the best family summer vacations.

Great San Diego Family Vacation

One of the top family vacation spots in the world is San Diego, California. It is in San Diego that you will find great spots like Balboa Park. Make the park your family's playground as you wander about and explore all of the attractions while enjoying the beautiful California weather.

When people think of San Diego, the San Diego Zoo immediately comes to mind. A lot of people are not aware, however, that San Diego Zoo is just a part of a cultural complex that is the Balboa Park along with other attractions in the form of museums, theaters, gardens, retail stores and restaurants. Enrich your knowledge of San Diego a little more and discover all of the amazing sights and fun things to do in this family vacation to this complex.

San Diego Zoo still remains irresistible. Besides, a family vacation to San Diego will not be complete without spending time at San Diego Zoo. Just a glimpse at the zoo will make you realize why it is one of, if not the, best and most reputable zoos in the world. The whole family will surely be amazed by the magnificence of the lions, elephants, grizzly and polar bears, and all the other big animals, as well as entertained with the antics of the "smaller" ones like the hyenas and chimpanzees. San Diego Zoo has an ongoing promotional rate where adults get in at kiddie price! Going around San Diego Zoo will definitely wear you out. After your zoo excursion,  check in for the night at any of the affordable and comfortable accommodations in San Diego such as Vagabond Inn Mission Valley, San Diego Howard Johnson Inn, Days Inn Mission Bay or Lucky D's Hostel.

Balboa Park still has more to offer for your family vacation. Most of Balboa Park's go-to attractions are along the stretch of El Prado. Among all of the other Spanish Revival architecture in El Prado are a number of museums - San Diego Museum of Art, Museum of Man, San Diego Model Railroad Museum, Museum of Photographic Arts, Timken Museum of Art and Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. These attractions will have everyone in the family leaving having learned something new.

Family vacations are never complete without pictures. The number of gardens within Balboa Park gives great photo opportunities for everyone in your family. So don your best smile and let the beauty of the gardens do the rest of the work. Some of the gardens in the park are the award-winning Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden, the Alcazar Garden replicated from the gardens of the Alcazar Castle in Spain and the Japanese Friendship Garden, to name some.

Other remarkable attractions in Balboa Park are the Starlight Bowl, the Botanical Garden, the Spreckles Organ Pavilion, which includes the largest outdoor organ pipe, and the Old Globe Theater where you might chance upon a family-friendly production during your family vacation. The biggest attraction in the park is the Balboa Park Golf Complex. Whether or not you are a family of golf enthusiasts, having a day at either the 18-hole or 9-hole golf courses will certainly bring family members closer together.  If you find yourselves still looking for more things to do for this family vacation, head of to one of the many beaches within the area. Swimming and sunbathing are typical activities in San Diego, thanks to the very friendly Southern California sun. Plus, if shopping in San Diego is very satisfying.

The zoo, the museums, the gardens, the golf courses and more makes Balboa Park a complete package. It is a one-stop jaunt for a family escapade. Thus making San Diego one of the top family vacation spots in the world.

Michigan Family Vacation - The Henry Ford

Looking for things to do for your next Michigan family vacation? Head to a city called Dearborn and get ready to have a fun-filled family vacation full of activities!

Dearborn is just 12 miles west of Detroit and is the hometown of the very innovative automobile industrialist, Henry Ford.  Millions of people visit this city every year, heading straight to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.  This attraction, which is shortened to The Henry Ford by both locals and visitors (also known formally as Edison Institute), is a national historic landmark and is the largest and most visited indoor-outdoor complex in the United States.  The museum was conceptualized by Henry Ford himself because of his aim to document ordinary people's lives and/or contributions to society by collecting and preserving objects they used and are known for in the course of their lives.  This collection soon grew to great lengths as evident to number of people visiting place.  Worth mentioning exhibits from the collection are the Rosa Parks bus, John F. Kennedy's limousine, Thomas Edison's laboratory and Abraham Lincoln's chair.  The Henry Ford is not just a museum, it is also a huge entertainment complex catering to children and adults alike.

The Greenfield Village is just beautiful! Take your time to go around its Seven Historic Districts, each full of significant stories to tell its visitors. Here are the Seven Historic Districts in the Greenfield Village and their corresponding sites:

• Henry Ford's Model T - walk from the replicas of Henry Ford's home to the factory where he built his first cars and even take the journey back in time with a restored Model T ride
• Liberty Craftworks - see the products and machinery used back in the day by skilled workers
• Main Street - witness firsthand early 1900s community and commerce and watch live shows by the complex performers
• Working Farms - you'll see wagons pulled by horses, livestock and vegetables and grains
• Edison At Work - walk around the actual workplace where Thomas Edison's genius transformed the world with his lightbulb
• Porches and Parlor - see classic American homes and neighborhood and how it evolved over the years from the 1650s to the 1930s
• Railroad Junction - you and your kids will learn the history of railroading and see an 1800s train depot.

Not only does a family trip to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village offer amusement to your kids, it also gives them the opportunity to learn something about American history. That's what makes this Michigan family vacation just perfect!