Located in the southwest corner of the volcanic Long Valley Caldera on the eastern edge of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountain Range; Mammoth Mountain reaches over 3,500 skiable acres and a 3,100ft vertical drop.
The mountain is blessed with over 400 inches of snowfall a year and it’s the highest elevation in California at a neck-bending height of 11,053ft.
The modern resort has world class terrain options, and an ski season that can sometimes last into July.
One of the biggest holidays that you’ll always remember as a kid, besides maybe Christmas of course, is Halloween. Of course, there’s the usual trick or treating and fun hopping from one house to the next. But this year, why not make it a little different. Amp it up a notch. Take off on a road trip or fly for a long weekend to have the biggest adventure weekend your kids can handle. They’ll love you for it and be bragging to their friends for weeks. Here are some great ideas to get started:
Spend Halloween in Transylvania and Dracula’s Castle
No we’re not kidding. It’s really a place. And it happens to be in one of the most ruggedly beautiful areas of Easter Europe. Take the kids for a jaunt and experience the amazing Carpathian mountains. Take a tour of Bran Castle as well as hike along ancient paths. Besides that, the area is steeped in European history. Learn about the real Vlad the Impaler and what his significance was to the area. Go here to find out more about visiting Dracula’s Castle on Halloween.
Have a Colonial Halloween in Williamsburg, Virginia
This was one of my favorite places to go as a kid. It’s a great place to learn about US history and what it was like to live day to day in the colonial times. There’s also something very wonderful about an authentic colonial Halloween, complete with cinnamon doughnuts, apple cider and ye olde Halloween games and activities. Take the family on an adventure to Williamsburg and you won’t be disappointed. Go here to read more about spending Halloween in Colonial Williamsburg
Haunted Happenings in Salem, Massachussetts
Nothing says Halloween than Salem, long known for it’s witch trials in the 1600s and a haven for the occult. Bring the kids here for a bona fide Halloween experience complete with fireworks, spooky fairs, ghost tours, costume parties and more. Go here to read more about spending Halloween in Salem Massachussetts
If you’re like me, you’ve probably gone on at least one whale watch in your life. Maybe it was a big tour boat, while at the Jersey shore. But if you are ready to up your game in some serious adventure-quality whale watching, then you need to take a ride to Les Escoumin in Quebec. It’s about a 12 hour drive due north of New York City so a four day weekend, is definitely doable.
Les Escoumin is a little town of about 2000 people located on the St Lawrence River that offers so much for the adventure seeking parent. It’s one of the oldest “high north country” towns on the river. There’s fishing, hiking, mountain biking, camping, scuba diving, kayaking, and blueberry picking, but today we’ll focus on whale watching. In my opinion, whale watching is particularly awesome in Les Escoumin. For starters you can take a ride in a zodiac, the kind you see GreenPeace zipping around in to get between the whaling ships and whales. They are rubber dinghys with a motor and they allow you to get super up close to whole pods of whales. Here’s a good video I found that shows what you can expect. The boat launched from a nearby town.
For your adventure you’ll don an survival suit (The St Lawrence is super cold with Arctic water). Yes, a survival suit. The next thing you’ll do is zip out with the crew to find the whales. There are minkes, blues, beluga, orca, dolphins, and seals. When I went I didn’t know which way to look first. If you really want to get eyeball to eyeball with a whale this is the place.
At LES ÉCUMEURS DU SAINT-LAURENT, the season is from May 30 to early October. Prices at start at $48 Canadian for adults and $38 for kids under 14.
When you are finished with your amazing whale tour, you’ll be happy to know you are in French Canada. And what are the French known for? Food! There are wonderful restaurants, cafes and bakeries in Les Escoumin.To book a room or find out more about Les Escoumin, click here.
