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Visiting Kings Canyon In Any Season – 2TravelDads

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Visiting Kings Canyon In Any Season - 2TravelDads
You know when you’re excited for sweeping views, spring flowers, newborn baby animals and getting your first tan of the year? That’s where we were at prior to driving into Kings Canyon National Park. As we drove up into the hills from Fresno, California on our Mountain National Parks road trip we felt the temperature drop, but it was still sunny. We watched the darkest gray front move over the mountain tops…

And then we got into Kings Canyon National Park and it was freezing. As we wound up the mountain on our way to Sequoia National Park we went through fog, hail, rain and dead still air. It was eerie.

We expected this to all be cleared up by the time we returned to Kings Canyon National Park but it wasn’t, hence our plans were a bit foiled. We still had fun though! We’ve got some great tips for what’s fun, fascinating and different than what we encountered in Sequoia National Park. So, here’s what you can bet on for a great experience when visiting Kings Canyon National Park in any season.

Visiting Kings Canyon National Park Visitors Center

We got our National Parks Passport stamps here in Grant Village and had the best talk with the Park Ranger about all of the things we could do… if we stuck around for a few days and allowed the 80 degree weather to roll back in. Since that wasn’t going to happen, we explored more of the exhibits. The Grant Grove Visitors Center had some of the best wildlife informational displays we’ve seen in any National Park, including really beautiful bronze casts of some of the creatures you’ll see in the park.

Full Story at sTravelDads

Visiting Disney’s California Adventure for Gay Families – 2TravelDads

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Disney’s California Adventure for Gay Families - 2TravelDads

In this podcast episode, Disney’s California Adventure for gay families is our hot topic. Truth be told, we tend to spend more time in DCA than in Disneyland. Maybe it’s the smaller crowds; maybe we like the big attractions more… maybe it’s the food… Either way, this is our complete run-down of all the rides in this fiun theme park and what YOU just can’t miss!

Tips for Disney’s California Adventure for Gay Families

Everyone asks us if California Adventure (DCA) is worth adding to their Disneyland trip. The answer is YES! OMG, yes! Over the years it’s actually become our favorite theme park, and not just favorite of the Disney Parks. To follow along or just get familiar with DCA, download the park map first.

These are our top tips for beating the lines, what’s really worth waiting for, and even some insider info about what’s coming to this amusement park (hint: it’s MARVELous).

Full Story at 2TravelDads

Greater L.A. Gay Travel Resources

Visiting the Oregon Cascades With Kids – 2TravelDads

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Oregon Cascades With Kids - 2TravelDads

We love our road trips, you know that, and living in the Pacific Northwest, we’re at the gateway to some of the best road trips in the United States. Oregon is our neighbor and we visit it a lot, but it’s rare that we really explore the south part of the state. This is our Oregon Cascades with kids road trip that takes the best of the Cascades and pairs it with the coast. This road trip itinerary is ideal in Spring and Summer and is great with kids!

Visiting the Oregon Cascades With Kids

When we found out we were heading to the southern part of the state, we knew two things: the Umpqua National Forest and the southern coast are going to be fun and drastically different. The Cascade Mountains run from British Columbia to Northern California. They’re dotted by snowy peaks and dense forests, which when put together make for an epic collection of waterfalls. Doing a road trip with kids, we knew that we needed to pack in some big wow items, and beautiful waterfalls always do the trick.

Full Story at 2TravelDads

Oregon Gay Travel Resources

Gay Halifax, Nova Scotia – 2TravelDads

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Gay Halifax, Nova Scotia - 2TravelDads

Visiting Gay Halifax

Halifax, Nova Scotia is such a beautiful city! Even though we loved exploring the Bay of Fundy and the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Route, our time enjoying gay Halifax was wonderful. There are so many things to do in town, particularly if you love history. A great city to explore on foot, this is our guide to visiting this seaside city with kids.

Give the podcast a listen and follow along with our article below. You’ll find that many of the best things to do in town are very close by, and if the weather is nice you won’t even need a car. Once you start exploring beyond downtown, you will need your own vehicle, especially for going out to the picturesque eastern shore of Halifax Harbour.

Being a historic city with a solid urban core, there are lost of hotels directly in Downtown. You’ll be able to find most of your mainstream travel brands as well as some boutique options. We stayed in the area of Dartmouth for our time there. Dartmouth is just across the Harbour, accessible by the ferry or bridge. Dartmouth is quiet and beautiful, and very near the airport and routes out of the city, so it’s an easy home base.

Full Story at 2TravelDads

Gay Halifax Travel Resources

Gay Montana for Families – 2TravelDads

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Gay Montana for Families - 2TravelDads

A Montana road trip is such an adventure. I’d call it one of the great American road trips. The roads and sights are amazing, even just along I-90, the main highway. This gay Montana road trip itinerary takes you from west to east (we do this as a WA to MO road trip) stopping in mining towns, National Parks and even antique candy stores. You’ll love it!

Gay Montana Road Trip

Our love of road trips is clear. Our most common that we do nearly every year is an Oregon Coast road trip, but our other most frequent road trip itinerary is through Montana and the Yellowstone National Park area. Whether you want to make this a 5 day itinerary or a 10 day itinerary, there are plenty of great things to do and road trip stops.

Some of the best places to visit in the state are found in the southwestern part of the state, called Yellowstone Country, so that’s where we’ll focus. Ghost towns, hikes, craft distilling and more attractions lie ahead, so buckle up and take notes!

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Montana Gay Travel Resources

Six Great Cities for Visiting Canada in Winter – 2TravelDads

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Visiting Canada in Winter - 2TravelDads

Visiting Canada in winter is not for the faint of heart, but if you know how to do it right and where you can find charming warmth, it’s not so bad. Canada from coast to coast is a treasure trove of mountain getaways and historic cities. Here are six beautiful places to embrace the Canadian winter (and they’re pretty great in summer too!).

Visiting Canada in Winter: Banff

I could just say “the Rockies” as the whole mountain range between Alberta and British Columbia is an outdoors-man’s paradise in the winter, but Banff has a special place in my heart so I’ll focus on that location.

Banff National Park is home to the stunningly beautiful Banff Springs Hotel – one of Canada’s most iconic buildings. This luxury hotel was built during the 19th Century in a cross-country effort to make the vastness of Canada more appealing to tourists, and it worked. The hotel offers suites anywhere from $300 to $1,000 a night, but with over 300 rooms available, there’s always a place for you! There are also many cabins in Alberta around Banff these days, so finding a more affordable option is easier than ever.

Full Story at 2TravelDads

Canada Gay Travel Resources

Visiting Estes Park With Kids – 2TravelDads

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Estes Park with kids - 2TravelDads

Colorado is full of all kinds of wonderful small towns, from old mining towns to ski villages, the prairie and the mountains. Our favorite Colorado mountain town is Estes Park. It’s cute, surrounded by epic landscapes and is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. We escaped the bustle of Denver for four days and have come up with our best activities for families planning to do in Estes Park with kids.

If you aren’t into lounging by the pool, this mountain town is going to be your new favorite getaway (and I know there are a few pools to lounge by there too). Check out our top things to do in this Colorado village.

Exploring Downtown Estes Park with Kids

In Washington State we have a great town called Leavenworth that’s really great to wander through and explore, and it’s done up in a Bavarian style which just adds to the fun. This place is a little like that in that it’s been built and designed to echo some of the picturesque mountain villages of Europe while still being characteristically Colorado.

Full Story at 2TravelDads

Estes Park Gay Travel Resources

Manatee Encounters at Blue Spring State Park – 2TravelDads

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Blue Spring State Park - 2TravelDads

Blue Spring State Park is our most common activity with friends visiting Florida, and it’s the best place to see manatees near Orlando or Daytona Beach. Florida has over 1000 natural springs and they’re all a little different. Some are in high traffic areas like on the Crystal River and others are so strange to pronounce that you might not have ever heard of them… like Ichetucknee Springs. This is everything you need to know about visiting Blue Spring State Park, including the best time for manatees, handicap accessible wildlife viewing, and kayaking / standup paddleboarding information.

Where is Blue Spring State Park?

Blue Spring State Park is a little over a half hour away from Daytona Beach in Orange City, Florida. It’s actually really easy to get to and quite simple to make a day trip out of. Blue Spring State Park is easy to pair with the trip to De Leon Springs State Park or Gemini Springs. It’s a bit further from Cocoa Beach if you’re heading to that part of the Florida coast, but it’s still worth the visit.

If you are visiting Orlando this is also an easy trip to add on (45 minutes drive) and is a nice alternative to theme parks or crowded hotel pools. After a whole bunch of time at Disney World or Universal Orlando no doubt you’ll be ready for some nature and Blue Spring State Park is just perfect for that. Also, the manatees and alligators are real, actual wildlife vs being animatronics, so they’re more exciting!

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

East Central Florida Gay Travel Resources

Should You Visit Cabo or Cancun? – 2TravelDads

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Cabo or Cancun - 2TravelDads

Quite often people ask us if we prefer Cancun over Cabo San Lucas. That’s a tough question and depending on what the goal is with a Mexico vacation, we might answer with either one. We’re going to help you decide if a trip to Cabo or Cancun is the better option for you and your family.

I think you will see that the two areas are extremely different and in many ways are not comparable. But since people ask us, clearly there is either some confusion or people just want to take a trip to tropical Mexico and don’t understand their options. You can decide for yourself after this which you would prefer.

Cabo or Cancun for your Mexican Vacation?

When you compare Cancun and Cabo San Lucas you will find that both have tons of both small independent and major resort hotels, there are lots of beaches, and both tend to be popular spring break destinations. But truly they have more that is different than the same. In both Cabo San Lucas and Cancun you will find tourism and hospitality that is catered to Americans looking for a cheap Mexican vacation, but then you will also find five star resort experiences and fine dining that exemplifies the best of Mexican cuisine.

Full Story at 2TravelDads

Mexico Gay Travel Resources

Florida Keys Kayaking Adventure – 2TravelDads

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Florida Keys Kayaking - The Globetrotter Guys

Florida Keys Kayaking was one of our favorite parts of our road trip from Miami to Key West (mmm, key lime pie!). The best places to kayak in Southern Florida are spread out between the many islands, and they aren’t all where you’d expect. This is our guide to kayaking with kids in the Florida Keys, and any of these spots are great as an adult too.

As we go through the many kayaking spots in the Keys, you’ll see that some of the launch sites are in state parks and others are public access via beaches or boat ramps. Wherever you’re putting in, and whether it’s a kayak, canoe, or standup paddleboard, always be aware of wildlife, underwater obstacles, and other boats. Remember, safety first in all things if you want to have an amazing Caribbean vacation!

Best Places for Florida Keys Kayaking

Kayaking through the backcountry waters of the Keys, and you’ll see one of the world’s most diverse marine life ecosystems. The quiet, shallow backwater region of flats and mangrove islands has inspired many naturalists and outdoor enthusiasts to combine environmental tourism with the sport of sea kayaking. The opportunity to explore such serene, untouched areas is very special.

Full Story at 2TravelDads

Florida Keys Gay Travel Resources