Family travel five: Plan to stay active while exploring with your family
Rothenburg’s Night Watchman walking tours offer the most compelling hour of medieval wonder anywhere in Germany.
Why not make activity and a focus on health part of your family’s travel plans? Here are five ideas to consider.
1. Eat local. For fresh-tasting and nutrient-rich meals, choose restaurants, diners and food trucks that feature local fruits, vegetables and other homegrown specialties. Visit a farmers market to support local growers and sample regional favorites. Shop for a picnic to enjoy in a nearby park. Some markets, including the one in Bellingham, Wash., feature special sections offering goods nurtured by children 18 and younger.
Contact: bellinghamfarmers.org; localharvest.org
2. Explore on foot. Slip into your most comfortable shoes and take a walking tour of your next destination’s historic district. Tiptoe past haunted houses, stroll through flower-filled parks or seek urban blocks used in famous movie scenes. Head to the country for hikes through one-of-a-kind arches, around sandstone formations or along curving canyon walls in a scenic national park.
Contact: nps.gov
3. Learn a new sport. Inspire enthusiasm within your family by learning a new skill together. Consider fat biking, a new way to roll on many types of terrain, including snow, using large, low-pressure tires. Curt Gowdy State Park, near Cheyenne, Wyo., has been grooming trails that will beckon adventuresome riders this winter.
Water sports more your style? Consider stand-up paddleboarding for a core-strengthening, sun-drenched experience.
Contact: cheyenneoutdoors.org; beaches.com
4. Get off the grid. Put the devices away and immerse yourselves in natural beauty. Spend a night or two stargazing and camping in a nearby state or regional park.
Better yet, plan a grand adventure, where you’ll swim with sea lions and snorkel with turtles in the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. Stroll amid blue-footed boobies and marine iguanas before joining the Natural Habitat family guide on an overnight camping adventure.
Contact: nathab.com
5. Explore on two wheels. Spin beside the crystal-clear waters of New York’s Finger Lakes region for fresh air and breathtaking views. Named for the 11 pristine lakes that spread like fingers across central New York, the area offers 9,000 square miles of outdoor adventure with plenty of bike paths.
For more far-flung adventures, choose from more than 400 local tours in 70 countries with Bike Tours Direct. Pick the degree of difficulty and destination that suits your clan. Family-focused guided and self-guided outings are offered.
Contact: fingerlakes.org; biketours.com
(Lynn O’Rourke Hayes is the editor of FamilyTravel.com. Email her at lohayes@FamilyTravel.com.)
(c)2015 The Dallas Morning News
Visit The Dallas Morning News at www.miamiherald.com
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