Cultural Travel Archives - The Culture Mom

30Apr

A Taste of Wine & Hollywood at Carmel Valley’s Holman Ranch

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This is a cross-post from Go Girlfriend, a site I contribute to that focuses on girlfriend getaways. Alaina Yoakum is a Marketing, Communications, Social Media and Event Planning expert with over 20 years’ experience. When she’s not traveling the world or spoiling her two children at home in Northern California, she loves to help clients promote their brands more effectively through winning strategies, catchy copy, dynamic designs, and unforgettable events. If you’re anything like me, sometimes you just need to grab your favorite gals and Read More

05Apr

Our NYC Staycation

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This past spring break was an interesting one. After living in and near NYC for a lot of years, I decided it was time for my kids to have a NYC staycation. We stayed in hotels, went to museums on 42nd Street like Madame Tussaud's, took a bus tour, ate in Chinatown and Korea Town, went to the top of the Empire State Building, visited the Statue of Liberty and toured Ellis Island, went to the 9/11 Memorial, explored the orchids at the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx and had pizza on Arthur Avenue, indulged in cupcakes at Carlos Bakery, strolled through Read More

11Mar

Explore India with Insight Vacations

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We recently attended a media event in New York City hosted by Insight Vacations®. That particular night they were promoting their journeys to India, Bhutan and Nepal. We were joined by Insight Vacations President Phil Cappelli and Global Brand Ambassador and Bollywood actress, Lisa Ray, and an exclusive group of media for an evening of authentic Indian food and inspirational travel conversations. The results were tantalizing and we can easily see the attraction of visiting India in 2015, and it's now on our bucketlist even more than it was Read More

26Nov

Why Take the Kids to Long Beach, California

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If you're looking for a vacation with the kids in 2015 that has good hotels, restaurants, a variety of activities for all ages, good weather (all year long), art, culture, shopping, and more, I have an idea for you. I just got back from a few days in Long Beach, California, and I have to say it was the ultimate getaway with my tween. Located along five and a half miles of beach, half way between Los Angeles and Orange County, Long Beach offers great food, cultural diversity, waterfront dining and a slew of options for families of all shapes and sizes. In Read More

30Jul

A Visit to the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

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On a recent visit to Hyde Park in the Hudson Valley, we took our son for a tour of Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site. It’s a remarkable property was built over a hundred years ago in 1898 by Frederick Vanderbilt, grandson of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt. The tour took us to see about 15-20 rooms of the 50-room Classical style mansion. One of eight heirs to his family’s fortune, Frederick purchased the property in 1895 and hired architect Charles McKim to decorate a “country house” in which the family could entertain guests during the Read More

04Aug

A Night at the Vail International Dance Festival

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Disclosure: I was a guest of Vail Local Marketing District, who hosted my experience at the Vail International Dance Festival. Last Saturday night I experienced something very special: a night at the Vail International Dance Festival. I was in town for a few days which happened to coincide with opening night, which celebrated its 25th anniversary. In celebration of that, the festival featured a bill of repertory highlights at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater stage. We were privy to some of the finest dancers in the world, including Charles "Lil Read More

12Nov

The Heard Museum in Phoenix: Colorful, Illuminating and Historical

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Yesterday I went to the Heard Museum, a museum dedicated to the myriad cultures and art of Native Americans of the Southwest. I have to admit that my knowledge of this diverse and large group of people is narrow and I was eager to explore the museum and take it all in. Open since 1929 and located right downtown, the Heard is not only a history lesson but it's a salute and homage to Native Americans. It also gives Indian artists a place to display their work. We happened to be there during an outdoors Spanish Market, a large festival displaying work Read More

15Aug

A Day at the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC with Kids

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We recently spent a day exploring the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. I had visited as a young girl and was eager to take my family. Home to one of the most famous and wealthy families in the world, the Vanderbilts, it's truly a glimpse into how they lived in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take photos inside, but I can tell you that my kids were just as impressed by the architecture and art as we were. I was worried that the tour would bore them, but I was wrong. The Biltmore Estate is the realization of George Read More

13Apr

Exploring London with the Kids

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We just finished a week in London. We actually come here every year to visit family, but we always look forward to the trip. One year we spent time seeing the major tourist sites, like the Changing of the Guard, the London Eye, another year we visited the Science Museum and took a bike ride in Camden Lock. I've posted a about prior trips to London on Traveling Mom: Where to Eat with Kids in London A Day at London’s Science Museum Exploring the London Museum of Jewish Life with Kids London’s Restaurants for Traveling Moms London on a Read More

07Apr

Going Back in Time at the Bolsover Castle

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On our recent visit to Chesterfield in Derbyshire, we visited my children's first real castle called Bolsover. Built in 1612 by Charles Cavendish as a mansion modeled on a medieval castle, it is now a tourist site that proudly displays the castle's remains. It has withheld the test of time, and there is a lot of history to be learned from a walk around. Some of the castle is in the open air, so do bundle your kids up. The castle is now in the care of English Heritage and has been since the death of William Cavendish's (the son of Charles) wife in Read More