Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.

Category: North America

Chandler, Arizona: A Fun Family Adventure

Welcome to Chandler, Arizona!  Chandler is a thriving city in the tech industry located minutes away from the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.  While business may take you to Chandler, we recommend bringing the entire family!  There are many fun family activities just waiting for you.  Here are our family’s favorite things to do, see and eat in Chandler.

Family-Friendly Activities:

Chandler puts a huge emphasis on public parks.  Their goal is to have a city park within 1 mile of every house, and they have come close to achieving that goal!  The city is 70 square miles, and they currently operate 63 parks.  Perhaps one of the most popular parks is Playtopia! at Tumbleweed Park.  Check out the gigantic covered playground, and don’t miss the kid’s zipline!  The inner child in you will love Playtopia! too!

Family Fun at Playtopia! at Tumbleweed Park

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Mackinac Island: Simpler Times & Family Fun

Have you ever imagined a place where life was a little more simple? An escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, the traffic, the noise? A place where you can wander through miles of beautiful walking trails and stroll pristine beaches? Well, we found it:  Mackinac Island, Michigan!

Squeezed between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan, Mackinac Island is a step back in time. There are no cars on the Island (save for a few emergency vehicles). Your travel choices include walking, bike or horse. Within a few minutes of stepping out of your hotel room, you are walking on the beach, or several beautiful trails meandering through the woods. But wait, there’s more!

Here is a rundown of some of the things we loved the most about Mackinac Island.

Mackinaw Bridge at Sunset

Mackinaw Bridge at Sunset

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Grand Rapids: Outdoor Adventures in Beer City

For the last couple of years, my travels have predominantly taken me international – which is great, don’t get me wrong. However, I always feel a bit guilty missing out on locations in the States. I recently had the opportunity to visit Grand Rapids, Michigan – a city and a state I had never visited. Simply put, I loved this trip. The only possible downside was that the trip was too short. Cliche I know, but really, I could definitely imagine spending weeks in Michigan and still only scratching the surface of fun things to experience.

Grand Rapids, the second largest city in Michigan and nicknamed “Beer City,” quickly won over my heart. And not just because of the beer; there are endless things to do in Grand Rapids to suit all tastes. What might one do in Grand Rapids? I’m glad you asked!

The Great Outdoors

One of the most pleasant surprises of visiting Grand Rapids was the number of outdoor activities. Here are a few:

Rosy Mounds Natural Area overlooking Lake Michigan

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Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream

Over Valentine’s Day, David and I decided to celebrate with a shared experience together as opposed to the traditional flowers for me and chocolate for David.  We spent the day in Denton, TX. To read more about how we ended up there, check out our Denton Overview post.

After a day of hiking at Ray Roberts Lake State Park, I think I had earned at least one scoop of ice cream.  Ice cream is a sign of love and affection.  I had remembered that on the Denton County Courthouse Square, there was an ice cream shop, Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream.  I couldn’t quite recall the name at the time, but I knew if we went, we would find it.  David and I had actually visited once before several months prior; we met some friends who were staying with family in Pilot Point, TX.

Beth Marie's Ice Cream 2 Continue reading