Did you know today is National Piña Colada Day? When I visited San Juan, Puerto Rico my family stayed at the Caribe Hilton hotel. Upon doing my research I realized a bartender at THIS hotel was responsible for creating the infamous Piña Colada. Apparently Ramón ‘Monchito’ Marrero Pérez is said to have made the FIRST…
The immigration officer stood up from his desk, waved us forward yelling, “NEXT!” The Husband handed him our two blue passports, a stack of papers and Princess Two’s red, Russian passport. The two blue passports were opened, checked and set aside. He turned to the red passport, it was opened and held with one hand…
It’s Wine Wednesday! Time for a little wine trivia for you wine lovers – and those traveling to Paso Robles. The Paso Robles wine region is California’s third largest and fastest growing wine region and it’s becoming quite the wine destination for travelers. Here are 20 fun facts, try quizzing your friends on your next…
When I think of the YMCA, I tend to think of Carolina, my spin instructor who likes to push me to my limits every week. I have never thought of the YMCA as a vacation destination, until now… Living in Denver, I’ve made my way to Estes Park on several occasions to hike, fish and…
Twenty five fun and interesting facts about Rocky Mountain National Park. Quiz yourself or your friends the next time you’re in Rocky Mountain National Park.
The few motels I’ve stayed in have not been somewhere I could shower without wearing flip-flops. Think Spring Break, college, $25 and five people sharing a room. I’m past that stage in my life…and prefer to stay in higher-end places. With that said, on a recent press trip to Monterey County in California we stayed…
David Nagengast, Scheid Vineyards winemaker chats with Carpe Travel for its Interview with a Winemaker series to discuss wines in Monterey, CA.
Carpe Travel’s editor shares a full review of the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, a top spot to stay when sipping Monterey wine country.
Caraccioli Cellars is a family owned and operated vineyard with roots deep in Monterey County. More in Carpe Travel’s Interview with a Winemaker series.
Jeffery Blair with Blair Vineyards shares his insights and experiences making wine in Monterey County in Carpe Travel’s Interview with a Winemaker series.
Looking for things to do in Monterey? The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a MUST! Here’s a little preview of the aquarium and its Tentacles exhibit.
Planning to visit Monterey, California soon? Here are a few fun facts you can quiz your friends or kids on the next time you’re visiting Monterey.
I read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck back in high school, have you read it? Seen the movie? It’s a classic tale – and Pulitzer Prize winner – that’s set during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Most of us can probably relate to many of the same challenges people in the book were…
Creekside Cellars is a kid friendly winery in Colorado
No running. No jumping. And keep your hands to yourself. Three rules that don’t usually go well with kids. Or so I thought when we were given a short introduction by staffers at The Wild Animal Sanctuary. I’ve visited countless zoos and driven through different types of animal parks but never have I visited a…
As one of the major markets in Toronto, with the other being Kensington Market it’s seriously a foodies mecca. And for good reason…
There are a lot of things to do in Beaumont, not to mention a lot of history. What you should know…
I don’t like to lie to my kids, and I rarely if ever do. So, when we grabbed a taxi cab during a trip to Florida and had to ask Princess Two to “pretend” to be five-years-old, when she was only four, we were in that gray area. A very gray area that she couldn’t…
Imagine a teacher looking outside the window at the playground before recess to check the weather and instead of seeing cumulonimbus or cirrus clouds she sees an alligator. A REALLY BIG GATOR. Who’s she gonna call? Gator 911. Yes, it’s not a joke, there really is a Gator 911 and this really happened, or so…
Did you know airlines are judged on their inflight wine selections? I didn’t but I do love having wine on a plane. Not only are they “judged” on the wine selections but they’re given an award for their list of wine. The annual Business Traveller’s Cellars in the Sky awards, which recognizes the best business and…
Visiting Castaway Cay on your Disney Cruise? A review on Castaway Cay and things to know before you go.
I’ve been to Cozumel in Mexico a few times, but this past Thanksgiving marked the first time I’d traveled there with with kids. In other words, no Senor Frogs or lazy day at beach with a bucket of Corona – we needed to find things to do in Cozumel with kids. Enter Chankanaab Park. The park…
Welcome to this month’s edition of A Winemakers Tale where I feature interviews with winemakers from different wine regions around the world. Seeing as I’m still feeding (or rather sipping) my mild obsession with Oregon wine country I have discovered yet another AMAZING Pinot Noir to grace my dinner table. It seemed only fitting to try and interview its…
Beale Street is the birthplace of rock and roll, and recently was named one of America’s Favorite Iconic Streets. I recently had the opportunity to explore the Beale Street and it’s definitely iconic.
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are two of my favorite summer wines. This summer I discovered two new favorites from Phelps Creek Vineyards in the Oregon wine country. I recently had the privilege to interview its winemaker, Alexandrine Roy who brings a bit of old world to new world winemaking. Alexandrine is a fourth-generation winemaker at Domaine Marc Roy in the village of…
A New Orleans Cemetery Tour may be a little creepy but is also a great history lesson on the city’s electric past. Take a tour with this photo essay and a few tips for your New Orleans Cemetery Tour.
If you’re in Memphis, visiting Graceland is a must. Haven’t gone yet? Take a little tour with this photo essay, including things to know before visiting Graceland.
We weren’t lost according to The Husband (then boyfriend) but we had no idea where we were. And that blue dot on the map on my iPhone that now saves the day had yet to be invented. To top it off the air conditioner in the rental car was broken. We were hot. Mad. And…
Carpe Travels sits down with Austin Hope, the winemaker and president at Hope Family Wines to learn more about his wines and background.
It wasn’t just any courtroom. It was a Russian courtroom, in Chita, Siberia – The City of Exiles. The famed city in Russia where prominent intellectuals, including the Decembrist and many more were exiled. A “closed city” that foreigners and many Russian citizens weren’t allowed to visit until the collapse of the Soviet Union. I…
Ten years ago the Paso Robles wine region was home to only 35 wineries, that number has since grown to more than 200. As Matthew Liberty noted in a guest post for Carpe Travel, Paso Robles is not so much an up and coming region since its already up there, but that seems to be…
My kids teach me a lot. Sometimes I think they teach me more than I will ever be able to teach them…especially when it comes to life. Children don’t filter themselves, their thoughts or what they loudly blurt out in a crowded airplane or elevator. They live life without filters and have this built-in tolerance…
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” If you’re one of the ‘50% of U.S. travelers expected to leave unused vacation days on the table this year’ I’m talking to you. When I was working in an office for someone else and had two weeks of vacation to use, I used it….
I was recently asked what my proudest accomplishment was that I achieved while traveling. I had never really thought about that. My first thought, getting over my fears and just traveling. I mean, that’s pretty big, right? But when I stopped to really think about it there is one instance that has given me the…
Wine tasting in Tuscany? How Montalcino wine tasting at Caparzo turned out to be the best day of the Tuscan wine experience.
There are so many things to do in New Orleans. Our editor has some recommendations on how to eat and drink like a local in New Orleans.
Sometimes the worst decisions make for the best stories…like driving 11 miles from Telluride to Ouray via Imogene Pass.
A lot of the basic safety rules we teach kids apply when traveling but I sat down with a child safety expert to get a few more Travel Safety Tips For Kids.
According to the FBI the summer months of July and August have the highest rates of burglaries, usually about a 10 percent increase over other times of the year. Why? Simple, summer vacation. However, with the increased usage of social medi and sharing our whereabouts all day, every day – including our travel schedules – we…
Per our adventures in Carlsbad, CA I wanted to share a few recommendations on places to stay in Carlsbad. I did include the one we stayed at and a few we checked out for our next trip since there will be more. Many more. I told The Husband I could live in Carlsbad. And for…
So are airport x-ray scanners safe for laptops? The answer is no. At least according to me they aren’t. On my first jaunt to Russia I chose only to take my laptop and iPhone, forgoing the iPad. I mean really, that should be enough, right? But no. It happened to me. What everyone says isn’t…
We’ve made three trips to Russia since November and really have only been able to experience a little taste of what Moscow has to offer. On the list of things to do in Moscow – Red Square, The Kremlin…and shopping. Things to do in Moscow It was a Sunday when we first went exploring in Moscow and…
The last of my Mondavi visits this trip to the Napa Valley was to Charles Krug Wineryin St. Helena. There are still more Mondavi family wineries to visit next time though…I had not realized how excited I was to visit Charles Krug Winery until we were driving down the long, olive tree lined driveway to…
A visit to Newton Winery was a must on our visit to Napa Valley. They produce wines we’ve only enjoyed out and about, but never at their winery so this trip we made it priority. I had not realized just how far up Spring Mountain Newton was when I booked the 11am Newton Winery tour,…
I don’t believe in coincidences. When people say something to me it feel like there’s a reason. So, when TWO different groups of people recommended I visit Regusci Winery when were in Napa Valley it was a clear sign we needed to head that way. Regusci Winery in Napa Valley Now, to be honest, both groups of…
After having read The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty, I became a little obsessed with the Mondavi family, it helped that I loved their wines. So, during one of our Napa Valley wine vacations, I made it a point to sip in a little more Mondavi than I…
I’m mildly obsessed with Robert Mondavi and his family’s story in the Napa Valley. The Mondavi family really helped shape what the Napa Valley wine industry is today by introducing higher quality wine making equipment and techniques to the area. They also put the Napa Valley on the wine map for the rest of the wine world through strategic…
Today officially marks the first day of Fall. For many of you it still feels like summer but for those of us in Colorado Fall is right outside our windows. The leaves are just starting to change in the Front Range and are starting to peak in mountains. There are only a few weeks left…
There are so many things to do with kids in New York City with a visit to Central Park being just one of them. You could spend a week exploring all of the things to do in Central Park with kids, but I wanted to save you some time in case you don’t have a week. Here…
Elaine and Princess One in New York with Elmo New York City has always meant shows and/or work for me. That was until this summer when we took Princess One into the city before heading into New Jersey for a family reunion. I now had somewhat of an adventure on hand; how to do New…