Maine’s Acadia National Park – 2TravelDads

Acadia National Park

Have you ever been to Acadia National Park? If the answer is no, then you’re among the majority of Americans. Located Down East in Maine, This gorgeous outdoor area is pretty big and complicated to plan for. From where to stay near Acadia to hiking and water activities, there’s a lot to consider before your visit.

The 2TravelDads’ Guide to
Visiting Maine’s Acadia National Park

Don’t worry! We’ve got you covered! If you have questions about Acadia National Park that we don’t answer, please let us know so we can help you. Leave a comment or send us a note and we’ll get back to you ASAP so you can plan your Acadia trip!

Located in coastal Maine, the park is very different from other NPS sites you might visit. Unlike Yellowstone National Park, Acadia is broken into sections with roads, towns and harbors between them. It’s more similar to Olympic National Park or John Day Fossil Beds (the Painted Hills) in that there are multiple park units.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Downeast Maine Gay Travel Resources

Exploring Big Cypress With Kids – 2TravelDads

Exploring Big Cypress With Kids - 2TravelDads

Exploring Big Cypress 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. It’s 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 ecological system, is it worth planning time JUST in Big Cypress National Preserve? Absolutely! Exploring Big Cypress with kids is very different from what you’ll experience in river of grass in Everglades National Park and is a great day trip from Miami or Naples, Florida. You’ll love it!

Located smack dab in the middle of the southern tip of the state, between Miami and Naples, Florida, is Big Cypress National Preserve. You’ll have to drive through the preserve if you’re going between the two, so you might as well stop. On the north end, the park is bordered by I-75, aka Alligator Alley, and to the south Florida Highway 41, the Tamiami Trail.

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Central Florida Gay Travel Resources

Visiting the Gay Olympic Peninsula With Kids – 2TravelDads

Visiting the Gay Olympic Peninsula With Kids - 2TravelDads

Doing an Olympic Peninsula Road Trip is one of the best ways to explore the beautiful towns and Olympic National Park near Seattle. Four days on the gay Olympic Peninsula should be perfect for getting in some good hiking, waterfalls, some beautiful towns and quiet relaxation. Adventures in Northwestern Washington state are an easy long weekend getaway in Washington or a series of awesome road trip stops along the way.

Exploring the Gay Olympic Peninsula

The Olympic Peninsula is known around the world for its beautiful mountains, its beaches and the Twilight Saga. Well, there’s more to it than that. We’ve spent countless days exploring the OP and not just visiting our old favorite haunts we’ve known all our lives, but also exploring places that are new to all of us. That’s the joy of the Olympic Peninsula and why we’ve got a handy guide to get you familiar with our favorite region of the Pacific Northwest.

So, why visit this beautiful natural region over the Oregon Coast or the Eastern Seaboard? Well, quite simply there are fewer tourists here and more opportunities to be in the middle of nature with nobody around. The quietest place in the on earth (in nature) is here. The original metropolitan center of the Puget Sound area is on the OP. The largest successful dam removal project in the USA is on the Peninsula. So many reasons to visit and enjoy a road trip!

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Olympic Peninsula Gay Travel Resources

Visiting the Oregon Cascades With Kids – 2TravelDads

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.

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Oregon Gay Travel Resources

Visiting Estes Park With Kids – 2TravelDads

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.

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Estes Park Gay Travel Resources

Big Sky for Gay Families – 2Travel Dads

Big Sky for Gay Families - 2Travel Dads

Big Sky, Montana brings to mind epic ski trips and exclusive mountain getaways in the snow, but did you know that it’s much more than that and it’s actually an incredible summer destination? There are remarkable, fun things to do in Big Sky, MT in summer months. Although it may be considered the off-season there, summertime is just another cycle of fun.

Big Sky for Gay Families

While there are some great guest ranches and small hotels, the Big Sky Resort is the ideal home base for fun things to do, and visiting off-season is perfect for getting the best deals and having the most diverse experiences. Here’s a complete plan for spending 4+ days here and it’s all the best things to do in Big Sky for gay families.

We actually went twice in one summer, so we know this town well. Whether it’s a part of your Montana road trip or you’re adding onto a trip to Yellowstone National Park, the resort is easy to work into your Montana travel plan. Check it out!

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Montana Gay Travel Resources

Olympic National Park’s Ruby Beach – 2TravelDads

Olympic National Park's Ruby Beach - 2TravelDads

Does anybody think of Washington State as a beach destination? Not hardly, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have the most beautiful ones around. True, Olympic National Park is missing the palm trees, but we make up for it in other ways. Of all of the sandy shorelines in the Pacific Northwest, the most beautiful one in Washington is without a doubt Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park.

What makes Ruby Beach so beautiful and dramatic? It’s the sea stacks, the weathered wood, the wildlife, the perfection of it all. We’ve got the scoop for how and when to visit to have an unforgettable time at the most beautiful beach in Washington. And if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll find some of the red rocks and garnets that give Ruby Beach its name.

How to Get to Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park

One of the things that makes the most beautiful in Washington is its remote location. Located just over three hours from Seattle and a little more than 2 hours from Olympia, it’s not exactly an impromptu day trip, which keeps the crowds down. If you’re making the trek that far you should plan on spending a few days both on the sand and in the Hoh Rainforest nearby.

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Olympic Peninsula Gay Travel Resources

Manatee Encounters at Blue Spring State Park – 2TravelDads

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

Vacationing In Cabo for Gay Families – 2TravelDads

Cabo for Gay Families -2TravelDads

We’ve been to Cabo San Lucas with our kids load of times, like, we’ve spent the equivalent of three months there as a family. You could say it’s our favorite family destination in Mexico. Since we’ve done it so much, we’ve decided it’s time we share our best tips for visiting this beachside resort town with kids.

I’ll say this right away, Cabo with kids is mostly about relaxation and swimming vs digging into Mexican culture and nature. There are lots of opportunities for that, but Cabo for gay families is more about a luxury destination than adventure.

How to Get to Cabo San Lucas

For those traveling from the west coast, getting there is pretty easy. There are direct flights from Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Diego. Denver and Dallas also offer direct flights, so know that even east coasters should be able to find a good flight. When flying in, the airport is SJD (San Jose del Cabo), Los Cabos International Airport.

The airport is actually quite nice now (thanks Hurricane O’dele) and as long as you arrive early in the day or in the early evening, customs is pretty fast and smooth.

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Baja Sur Gay Travel Resources

Chicago for Gay Families – 2TravelDads

Chicago for Gay Families - 2TravelDads

The USA has several cities that are known around the world as being iconic or embodiment of America. We think of New YorkSan FranciscoSeattle and Chicago. Traveling to Chicago is really awesome and totally easy to do in two or three days; you could even have an unforgettable Chicago experience in one day if you were really in a pinch and wanted to. It’s an easy, walk-able city with unlimited potential and plenty of things to do.

There are so many things to do in Chicago, and you really can’t do them all on one trip. For your first trip, or if you’re traveling to Chicago on a tight schedule, these are the best ideas to make sure you explore the city and really get a feel for this incredible town.

To get familiar with the layout of the city, take a look at the map below. You’ll see that Chicago is on the shore of Lake Michigan, so there are several activities and sights very near each other since they’re all in that Magnificent Mile neighborhood, between Michigan Ave and the Lakefront Trail. We don’t include the Shedd Aquarium or Field Museum on our things not to miss in Chicago, but they’re close by too, so easy to add to your list.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Chicago Gay Travel Resources