Titanic Museum, Pigeon Forge TN

The Titanic Museum

The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee had me a little worried that it would be one big tourist trap.  It turned out to be amazing and is definitely great for teens and tweens. You don't have to be interested in the Titanic to fall in love with this museum. When you enter the museum you are handed a card with the name and biography of a real passenger on the Titanic.  You later find out if your person survived or not in the Memorial Room, mine survived. This museum has a lot of real artifacts found floating near the wreckage, real photos of the Titanic, and re-creates some parts of the ship. The photos were taken by a priest who visited the ship in England and the photos were not discovered until many years later. The recreated scenes in the museum are the 1st and 3rd class cabins, the ship's control room, The Grand Staircase, a lifeboat, and Titanic's deck at night which is kept at the same temperature as the night of the disaster.  The deck is where you can touch an iceberg and stick your hand in 28 degrees water, Brr! Some special features included walking up a version of the deck while it was diagonal, seeing the limited-time only Titanic movie exhibit with costumes from the movie, and a 3rd class staircase being flooded. I would give this museum 1,000,000 stars.

Wilderness at the Smokies

Wilderness at Smokies is definitely a fun place for teens and tweens. It is located right outside of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The pools are great and have a lot of cool water slides like Storm Chaser which is a tube slide where you go in a slide that dumps you into a funnel. Another cool slide is the Vortex which is a body slide where you stand on a trap door which opens and drops you into a clear tube that even has a loop. Watch out though, a lot of people get stuck in the slide; read the warnings and directions carefully before you go!  The regular pools and the wave pool are fun too. The new attractions at Wilderness at the Smokies are perfect for teens and tweens. The new attraction is called the Adventure which is amazing. The forest has a great arcade, a mini golf course which is in the dark and the course glows and they also have a rope course on the ceiling which is amazing. There's a laser tag course which is also glow in the dark, and finally the Vault, a laser maze which I did 1,000 times. Though the activities are fun at the Wilderness the rooms aren't. The rooms are very dark and a little worn. There was a mysterious wet spot on one of the beds and my room's location was right near the entrance to the water park, so it was very noisy all day. I would give it 3 1/2 stars.

Antietam

Monument in Antietam

Antietam is definetly not for tweens and teens who are not into history.  For those of you who don't know, Antietam was the bloodiest battle in the Civil War. It's located in Maryland near Sharpsburg. There's even an old farm lane that is called "Boody Lane" because of all the soldiers that died on that lane. The cornfield where a lot of fighting occurred was pretty spooky too. I really liked Burnside Bridge. It was a bridge that the Confederates and the Union fought over and on. There is a big tree next to it that "witnessed" the battle. I have to say I thought the rest was boring because you were just looking at fields, Wow. Parents I would advise you not to take your kids there if they're not history fans. If you do, bring a hat and some bug spray because it is very buggy. I give it 2 stars.

Epcot

Epcot by far is my favorite Disney Park with rides from the future to rides from all around the world. I don't think all teens and tweens will like this park. Some people find the World Showcase boring because there are few rides, but I don't.  Mostly, the countries have movies that take you on a tour of the country and have a lot of gift shops.  If you want to go to the real Great Britain and you don't have the money, just go to Epcot!  France doesn't have a movie, but has outstanding food.

The Innovations area is Walt Disney's idea of the future. You also learn about Earth's past in Spaceship Earth and Ellen's Energy Adventure.  Innovations has my favorite area in Disney World...The Seas with Nemo and Friends. The Seas is a ride, then there's a restaurant, and an aquarium that features dolphins. The aquarium can be viewed from the restaurant, which makes it a great place for dinner.
Any time is a good time to visit Epcot, but I have been there a few times in the Spring during the garden festival and it is beautiful.
I give Epcot 1,000 stars.

Favorite Ride: Living with The Land
Show: The movie at the China exhibt
Area: The Seas with Nemo and Friends

Secrets I picked up on my travels to Epcot:  There are 28 little trolls hiding in the Norway Pavilion through Mid-March to the beginning of June. In the Canadian Pavilion there is only one real totem pole.

Paranormal Books and Curiosities

This is a card from the book/gift store - check it out

You don't necessarily have to believe in ghosts to love this place in Asbury Park NJ!  It is a such a treasure with historical facts about New Jersey and related ghost stories that teens, tweens and adults will be amazed!  The museum consists of unique artifacts, chilling stories and is even haunted by a real ghost named Jeremy.  The owner of the store has been collecting all of these cool "curiousities" for years and is always adding something new to the exhibit. If you want even more info on Jeremy you can do the Asbury Parks Ghost and Legends Downtown Tour, which I highly recommend (for mature tweens/teens and their parents).  I went on it the other night while visiting friends in NJ.  Our tour guide was outstanding and actually works on the investigative team that searches haunted places -  Make the time to eat before the tour which was 90 minutes long.  There are a lot of places to choose from. We got great pizza from Crust and Crumble.  Also, make sure to hit the gift shop which has a lot of things that you cannot get anywhere else.  Who knew they made werewolf mints!!  There was a guy in front of us who was buying a ton of Asbury Park - back from the Dead t-shirts, they will have to order more.  The Paranormal Books and Curiosities Museum and Ghost Tour get a solid 5 stars.

Kiawah Island

Golf Course

In honor of the PGA championship going on this weekend, I figured I should post a quick review. I love Kiawah!!  It is one of those places I can go back to every year, like Disney.  You can stay at the one hotel on the island or any of their condos.  Kiawah has bike trails throughout the island.  The activities for tweens and teens are never-ending.  They have all day or half day events for our age groups that involve canoeing, fishing, kayaking, golf and tennis to name a few.  You have to watch out for the alligators though when playing golf or just walking on the many trails!  We had to avoid a few when I golfed in the late afternoon.  My favorite activity was ocean seining.  The resort also has great pool areas, one for the condos and one for the hotel.  It doesn't look like today is the best day for ocean sceining though. I would give it 5 stars.

Magic Kingdom, Disney World, Orlando Florida

Cinderella's Castle

Magic Kingdom also known as MK is the main Disney World park. It consists of 5 lands: Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland,  and Tommorowland. Magic Kingdom is great because it's magical for all ages. Teens would love the roller coasters especially Space Mountain, a roller coaster in space. Though the MK is one of the smallest out of the 4 Disney World parks it certainly is the one with the best shows like Mickey's PhilharMagic, and Wishes Nighttime Spectacular the renowned firework show. The dining there is great, but my favorite restaurant is Pinocchio's Village Haus which serves great food like their amazing pizza and even has a view of It's a Small World ride's beginning. I would give it 5 stars.

Favorite Ride/s: Space Mountain, and It's a Small World

Show: Mickey's PhilharMagic

MK Secrets: Having been to MK many times, I've learned a few tricks, usually by accident! While waiting on line for the Haunted Mansion, I heard another visitor ask a cast member about Madame Leota's ring- the story is really cool!  One time I picked up one of the pay phones in Main Street and was astounded to hear a message from a famous Disney character - you'll have to try it yourself to find out who.  Did you know that below the park is a tunnel system called the Ultidors. This is where cast members control the park and take breaks.

The Inn at Furnace Creek, Death Valley

The Inn at Furnace Creek

The Inn at Furnace Creek in Death Valley is historic and pretty with its amazing garden, but like Death Valley itself, it’s definitely not for teens or tweens. The problem I had about the inn was the lack of activities. Sure, there was a really good Easter Egg Hunt but that’s for kids 9 and under, nothing for teens or tweens. The Inn’s restaurant is definitely geared to parents who remembered to bring dress clothes. If you’re an outdoor type of person, then this would be the place for you since really the only activities involve exploring the outdoors. I would advise parents to go without your kids unless they’re junior explorers. I would give it 3 stars.

Death Valley

Death Valley

Death Valley has flora and fauna, but not many teens or tweens. If you are an adventurous family who likes being out in sweltering heat, this place is perfect, but probably not. This is more of an adult destination or if you own a dune buggy, you’re set. In Death Valley, there are maybe three restaurants, two motels and one hotel. They’re all OK. The motels and hotels have a swimming pool. The ranch motel also has a basketball court and a golf course (the lowest elevation golf course in the world!). I have to admit, the hike along the one and only creek was cool since it has pupfish which are extremely rare and super old. The hike through canyons so narrow you have to half climb on one wall was also worth it. I give it 4 stars.

Coming Soon

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The 4 Seasons at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas Nevada

Oasis

The Four Seasons at Mandalay Bay was amazing and totally tween and teen friendly. The hotel itself is connected to Mandalay Bay, so you have the benefits of Mandalay but not the noise and crowds. The room was amazing as was the hotel with its chic modern style. Plus, they had a bowl of free candy waiting for us in the room, Score! The hotel has a separate pool area which was beautiful with it’s sculptures and hot tubs. You also have access to the Mandalay Bay pool which has cool pools like a giant wave pool and lazy river. Your parents may think Four Seasons is expensive, but it was cheaper than others on the strip. I would give it a pure 5 stars.

Las Vegas

Pawn Shop

Las Vegas is ok for teens. I know a lot of teens and tweens would like the Sugar Factory (A candy shop and restaurant with giant chocolate bars.) They would also like the Circus, Circus theme park and arcade with an indoor coaster with two loops. Teens and tweens would be interested in the Mandalay Bay Aquarium. If you like the outdoors, Red Rock Canyon is pretty cool. For Percy Jackson fans, you can visit one of the locations in his books, the Hoover Dam. The only problem with Vegas is its lack of tween and teen friendliness. Let’s face it, we’re not old enough to gamble and make them money. I would give it 4 stars.

Westin Keirland, Scottsdale Arizona

Javelina

The Westin Keirland in Scottsdale, Arizona looks beautiful and sounds like a lot of fun from the pics on the website and the look of the lobby, but it has hidden secrets waiting and they are not good. We get to our room and it looks kinda sloppy, but we didn’t care about the room, we cared about the pool. The pool was a disaster! 

    There was a mysterious brown object at the bottom of the lazy river that my mom stepped on. The water slide was really lame. There was no excitement. I passed some fellow teens and tweens and they looked unhappy and disgusted (I wonder why). While the place may advertise itself as being great for teens and tweens, it is not. I give it 1 star for the cool lobby.

Universal Studios, Portofino Bay Hotel

Poseidon's Fury

The Portofino at Universal Studios is a great hotel especially if you’re a tween or teen. There is an arcade and 3 amazing pools, one has a really cool pirate fort theme with a water slide. The rooms are nice and have great views of the theme-park and the man-made lake. The restaurants Trattoria del Porto and Mama Della’s were really good. The only thing that was a problem was that the key card for our room didn’t work all the time. Other than that, the hotel was great or “brilliant” as Harry Potter would say, especially since as a Portifino guest you get an Express Pass which lets you cut the the line at any time and early entry into Harry Potter World. I would give it 4 1/2 stars.

Universal Studios, Orlando

Hogwarts

Universal Studios is a perfect place for teens and tweens with their amazing selection of roller coasters and other thrill rides like Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey which by the way is awesome. The better park is Islands of Adventure because they have more themes rides based on movies and shows of today like Spiderman and Harry Potter. The  Universal Studios park though,has many classics such as Jaws and The Simpsons which was my personal favorite. The only downfall was the lack of good eating choices. I give it 4 1/2 stars.

Universal Studios favorite ride: The Simpsons

Show:None

Islands of Adventure:Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey

Show: Poseidon’s Fury

Anaheim, Portofino

Jasmine's Castle

The Anaheim Portofino is a kid friendly and a reasonably priced hotel. The cost will make your parents happy! While it is a little rundown, dents in the furniture, some stains on the rugs, it is not far from Disneyland (4 blocks away). The family suites are cool since kids get their own space to themselves. You do not hear that much noise from neighbors (Thank goodness) and the service is friendly. I would give it 3 1/2 stars.

Disneyland, California

Mickey's Ferris Wheel at Night

Disneyland is a place for everybody from babies to grandparents! The rides are really cool like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland Park and they have a lot of cool rides too at Disney’s California Adventure like the new Radiator Springs Racers. The resort rooms are deluxe, but overpriced. If your parents don’t want to spend a lot of cash, stay at the Anaheim Portifino. That way, there’s more money to spend in the parks! The food choices at Disney are very good like the Mendocino Terrace. I give Disneyland 5 stars.

Disneyland Park favorite ride: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Show: Fireworks

Disneyland California Adventure favorite ride: Radiator Springs Racers

Show: World of Colors