Rob Taylor's Blog, page 28

Hells Canyon National Recreation Area – Awesome Things to Do Year Round

Visiting Hells Canyon National Recreation area is a remarkable experience. Being the deepest river gorge in the USA, Hells Canyon is jaw-dropping and such a unique place to explore. We’ve got all the info for planning a trip to Hells Canyon, including jet boats, rafting, hiking and more.

If you’re looking specifically for information about doing a jet boat at Hells Canyon, we’ve got you covered, but don’t limit yourself to this one activity. From Lewiston or Clarkstone there are plenty of way...

10 Best Family Friendly Willamette Valley Wineries Close to Portland

Family friendly Willamette Valley wineries abound and make for a great day trip or weekend getaway from Portland. Add a few before or after your Oregon Coast Road Trip or before you do the Oregon Adventure loop and you’ll get a full Pacific Northwest wine experience.

If you’re looking for a fun day out with the family within an hour or two of Portland, look no further than the Willamette Valley wineries. Not only are the wines some of the best in the world, but some wineries also offer kid-fr...

Utah National Parks road trip: Southwest travel from Las Vegas to Bryce Canyon

We’ve been looking forward to this road trip for a LONG TIME. Like, I can’t even tell you how long. We are finally exploring more of the Southwest with the kids: Las Vegas and the Utah National Parks.  Being from the Pacific Northwest, we’re used to cold, wet climates with lush rainforests and snow capped mountains. And saltwater on all sides of us. Our road trip from Las Vegas to Bryce Canyon National Park is going to be such a contrast to our daily life.

Starting in Las Vegas, a Utah Nation...

Washington / Oregon Road Trip: West Coast Itinerary from Seattle Southward

Doing a Washington / Oregon road trip is so much fun, and it’s so easy to plan! Our itinerary from Seattle to the Oregon/California border is ideal for anyone looking to experience the best of the Pacific Northwest. Stops in Mount Rainier National Park, the famous Columbia River Gorge, Willamette Valley wine country and the Oregon Coast make this a bucket list road trip.

There’s no doubt that the West Coast of the USA is an awesome place full of diverse people, sights and nature.  The cities ...

Coconut Beach Resort: Quiet Waterfront Key West Hotel

Staying at the Coconut Beach Resort in Key West is the relaxing Florida Keys trip we all need at some point. We’ve stayed many places in the Keys and having a week at the Coconut Beach Resort has been a favorite, and to date, the most chill accommodations we’ve had in the Keys. They hosted us and ensured we had a memorable stay, despite having been to Key West so many times.

By now you know that we love doing the road trip through the Florida Keys and that it’s becoming a twice yearly habit f...

Daytona Beach Access Points: getting onto the sand in Volusia County

So how do you get to enjoy the beautiful, sandy beaches of Daytona Beach? Easy! Volusia County and the respective towns do a great job of making sure that the public has access to the beach any time of year. Whether you want to walk across a boardwalk, drive on with your car, or just park and bring your cooler and umbrella, there are lots of options.

If you’re doing a North Florida road trip or adding a trip to Daytona Beach to your Disney World or Universal Orlando vacation, you’ll need to k...

Best Things to do in Daytona Beach: Exploring Beyond the Beach and Into Nature

We always love to visit places we’ve heard about but never been before.  We especially love finding the unknown side of a city or area…. like Daytona Beach.  The first thing that comes to mind when you hear Daytona is either NASCAR racing or spring break, but there’s much more when you’re exploring the area and there are all kinds of family friendly activities in Daytona Beach.

We’re all about exploring the smaller towns and getting into nature, so the things to do in Daytona Beach and the su...

Rainbow Springs State Park: Florida’s magical back-country getaway

Rainbow Springs State Park is just like it sounds: rainbowy and beautiful. One of the lesser known state parks due to its off-the-beaten-path location, it’s worth planning an adventure to visit. We love hitting up our favorite Florida springs for manatees and swimming in the summer, and Rainbow Springs is at the top of that list.

So much of what we share is National Park-centric, but we’ve really come to love Florida’s state parks, and some, like this, contain some of the most beautiful sight...

Big Cypress National Preserve: Awesome Exploring with Kids

Have you heard of Big Cypress National Preserve? No? On the northern border of Everglades National Park there’s a pretty cool Florida landmark.  No, we’re not talking about the Tamiami Trail, even though Highway 41 is fun to drive, but we’re talking about this awesome National Park site: Big Cypress National Preserve.  Big Cypress is a part of the National Parks Service and it’s really cool with its swamps and trees, boardwalks and alligators.

Being a part of the larger Everglades swamp syste...

Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser: the Truth About the Experience from Somebody Who’s Actually Been

I’m going to dispel all the confusion or misunderstanding about the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World. Everyone asks “What’s the Star Wars hotel like?!” and I will absolutely tell you, but I won’t give any big spoilers.

If you read no further, let me just say this: the Star Wars Galactic Starcruise is NOT a hotel, but an actual immersive theater experience. If you go into thinking that it’s a hotel for visiting DIsney World, you’ll be so confused and potentially upset. If yo...