When several generations vacation together

Multi-generational travel—often to celebrate a special anniversary or family reunion-- is one of the fastest growing segments of the vacation industry. But if cruising on a mega-ship or visiting large theme parks with thousands of other people doesn’t meet your idea of quality togetherness, there are other options.

You can quickly replace technological connectivity with personal connectivity when family members bond over shared experiences—and everyone benefits. While travel companies have developed new offerings to appeal to multiple generations traveling together, you can also plan your own fun vacation around excursions such as these:

SPLASH AROUND

Cumberland Lake is the houseboating capital of the U.S.

 Love water activities—but hate sticky saltwater at the beach?  Rent a houseboat on Cumberland Lake in southeastern Kentucky.  Cruise on your private resort, and park in a secluded cove.  Large, luxurious houseboats can easily sleep 12, and several boats can be moored together to accommodate larger groups.

With a little instruction, driving a house boat is easy to learn.

Surprisingly simple to operate, rented boats come with hands-on learning time and two-way radios for help if you have questions.  With fully equipped kitchens, TVs, back-end slides, and gas grills, houseboats offer ready-made entertainment literally right outside the door.  Kids, parents, and grandparents enjoy whiling away the hours with swimming, fishing, and relaxing—then cooking up the day’s catch.

Advantages include only unpacking once (bedrooms have more storage than a typical cruise ship cabin), water and sunshine all day, and clear, star-lit skies at night.  Beautiful scenery is unspoiled by development, since land surrounding Cumberland Lake is owned by the U. S.  Corps of Engineers.  There is no better place to build or maintain family relationships than in your own aquatic paradise.

TREK THE WOODS

Llamas follow a lead without threatening
hikers and carry supplies.

If you love the outdoors but not water wings, try a llama trek. Learn how to lead a llama and how not to invades his personal space. One of the oldest domesticated animals on the planet, llamas are more docile and compliant than horses and make wonderful pack animals.  They are agile, social, and non-threatening for inexperienced trekkers, including children.

Llama treks in Carson National Forest near Red River and throughout northern New Mexico are a terrific multi-generational adventure, with half-day to multi-day excursions (including gourmet organic meals) designed according to weather conditions and needs of the hikers. Enjoy the sights and sounds and feel the peacefulness of the woods while gaining affinity for llamas, knowledge about ecology and the environment, and an appreciation for nature to apply later at home.

GO DUTCH

Holland, Michigan is a town for all seasons and all reasons, especially if windmills, wooden shoes, and Dutch treats are on the agenda.  An unmistakable Dutch influence permeates the town, and Main Street has a decidedly European flavor even though it’s near the shore of Lake Michigan.

Sure, there are windmills in Holland, MI.

Named an All American City, Holland makes a delightful weekend getaway or vacation destination.  Whether you’re looking for beaches and parks in summer, fun festivals and special events such as the weeklong Tulip Festival in spring, farmer’s markets overflowing with produce and flowers in fall, or cross-country skiing in the winter, Holland has it all.  Abundant biking and hiking trails, an active arts community, museums, and shopping in the revitalized downtown area (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) are some of the activities appealing to various family members. 

Take in unique Dutch attractions such as Windmill Island, where you can climb up the last authentic windmill to leave the Netherlands—a working structure built in 1625.  Visit the Dutch Village Theme Park, and listen to the beautifully carved street organ play melodies derived from authentic brown punched paper.  

Houses proudly reflect the Dutch influence in Holland, Michigan.

Watch wooden shoe carving or purchase a traditional blue and white souvenir at DeKlomp Wooden Shoe and Delft Factory.  Then head to Lake Michigan’s shoreline to see Big Red, Michigan’s most photographed lighthouse, and stop to savor bayside cuisine and a harbor view at nearby Piper Restaurant.

PARK IT HERE

Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides many family activities
and beautiful scenery 

Another destination full of family fun is Gatlinburg,Tennessee, a gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Waterfalls are abundant, with some right on the highway’s edge for easy viewing and others a leisurely walk away. Summer programs and camps provide hands-on discovery activities for all ages.

Check out the aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN.

Scenic drives throughout the region, nearby white water rafting in summer and zip lining year round, old fashioned hay rides and harvest festivals in fall, and celebrations marking the extensive arts and crafts community throughout the year (especially around Christmas) mean there’s something for everyone. 

Gatlinburg is also known as the nation’s wedding capital after Las Vegas, so there’s another reason to bring the family together.

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

Tulips star in Keukenhoff Gardens annual spring show



Keukenhoff Gardens in Holland has more varieties of tulips
 than you've ever imagined.

Incredible masses of pink, purple, red, orange, white, and multi-colored tulips swayed in the spring breeze as we walked paths around Holland’s Keukenhof Gardens. Flowers with petals large and small, smooth and ruffled provided an imspiring variety blooms—more than I could ever have imagined.

If you haven’t seen Keukenhof Gardens, you haven’t seen what The Netherlands is famous for. Gorgeous tulips in a canvas of colors, yellow and white daffodils, purple hyacinths and other spring bulbs stand out among massive pink azaleas. Multiple ponds, some with fountain spouts dancing skyward, are scattered throughout the grounds.

Currently owned and operated by a foundation, Keukenhof’s first open air flower exhibition was held in 1949. This expanded to an annual event that draws visitors from all over the world. The theme for 2013 is “United Kingdom—Land of Great Gardens,” which honors the abundant inspiration garnered from gardens in the UK. There’s a special exhibition on English gardens and a spectacular flower mosaic of Big Ben and Tower Bridge.

Flower parades

On Saturday April 20, 2013 hundreds of thousands of spectators will line the roadside for glimpses of the annual Flower Parade traveling along its 40-km route from Noordwijk to Haarlem. The procession will include 20 large floats and more than 30 decorated luxury cars, interspersed with plenty of music. Another parade (free of charge) with illuminated floats takes place in the evening on Friday, April 19 in Noordwijkerhout.

Spring spectacular

Located in Lisse, Keukenhof is the largest bulb garden in the world. You can bike from Amsterdam or The Hague, take a bus, or drive. Tours are also a popular option. Along the way, you’ll pass numerous fields filled with tulips—a lovely preview of the bright floral displays awaiting visitors to Keukenhof Gardens.

The renowned annual tulip festival runs from late March through early May with the best time to see everything in full bloom in late April. Of course, this is also prime tourist time, so expect the park to be extremely busy the last two weekends of April.

Even though we visited the first week of May, near the end of tulip season, it seemed like none of the seven million hand-planted bulbs was missing.  You can get a guide book or take a tour of the park aided by a rented headset with information on each of the gardens, but we decided to wing it and wander leisurely through the sumptuous scenes. This worked well because we stopped so often to photograph large landscaped beds and striking individual flowers.

Plan at least three hours to five hours to make your way around as much of the 10.5 miles of footpaths as possible. You can bring a picnic lunch (Larry and I ate cheese, bread, and fruit that we brought along) or purchase food from restaurants and snack vendors.

In addition to over 100 varieties of tulips, the park features 2,500 trees of 87 varieties and the largest sculpture garden in The Netherlands. Featured sights are the mosaic gardens, Japanese garden and inspiration garden as well as daffodil and hyacinth bulbs in planters. Take time to stop and watch swans swimming in the lake and costumed dancers performing traditional jigs.

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

Read more travel stories at Striped Pot and Austin Adventure Travel

Go Dutch in Holland (Michigan)

With a cup of steaming java from JP’s Coffee and Espresso Bar—the house blend created by owner Jack Groot--and homemade pastries baked by his sister, we sit at a street side table and wait for the Firetruck Parade to begin. Soon sirens break the reverie, and our heads turn toward Main Street to watch gleaming red trucks make their way noisily through town. It’s October in Holland, and although Main Street has a decidedly European flavor, we haven’t been magically transported across the ocean. We are near the shore of Lake Michigan enjoying crisp autumn air in a town with unmistakable Dutch influence.

More than two and a half million visitors come to Holland each year. Named an All American City and one of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations, Holland embraces the quaint charm of old Europe and the blustering excitement of a modern city. Of the city’s 35,000 residents, 40 percent have Dutch roots.



Authentic windmill from the Netherlands

 Carved from the wilderness by Dutch immigrants in 1847, Holland settlers recognized that access to the outside world via Lake Michigan was essential to their survival. Ten years after petitioning the U. S. government for help in creating a channel, the farmers turned loggers took matters into their own hands and dug a channel deep enough for barges to pass. Still, it would be several more decades before the channel and harbor were substantially completed.

As the town prospered, churches and stores were built. The railroad and steamboats came, along with a post office, newspaper, and quarry business. Tragedy struck when the Great Fire of 1871 destroyed 80 percent of the town. Determined to rebuild, city leaders rose above adversity to establish an even better and well-planned community.

Hotels and resorts sprang up and flourished, an amusement park was added, and by the turn of the century, visitors had discovered Holland. Today Holland boasts a growing reputation for exceptional shopping, churches (170 representing 49 denominations), three colleges, and more than 1,500 acres of public parks.

Downtown was revitalized during the 1990’s when a mall built on the outskirts of town threatened to overshadow the district. Now it’s a unique mix of mostly locally owned businesses. More than 85 shops, boutiques, restaurants and cafes offer something for everyone.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, downtown Holland has been named a Great American Main Street for its ability to attract visitors year round--even in winter thanks to the underground snowmelt system that heats streets and sidewalks.

Don’t miss the Farmer’s Market, an institution so popular that the city built a permanent facility to house the market. A bustling assemblage of people and produce, the market swarms with hometown folks and visitors alike looking for fresh tomatoes, corn on the cob, pumpkins, peppers, and myriad varieties of blooming flowers.

As you’d expect, there are many decidedly Dutch attractions. At Windmill Island, you can climb up the last authentic windmill to leave the Netherlands—a working structure built in 1625. From the top of DeZwaan Windmill, we had a panoramic view of manicured gardens, dikes and canals. Children and adults enjoy the Dutch Village Theme Park, where we heard the beautifully carved street organ play melodies derived from brown punched paper.

We also visited Big Red, Michigan’s most photographed lighthouse. The small, square, wooden structure situated at Holland Harbor overlooking Lake Michigan was erected in 1872. After a short tour, we stopped to savor bayside seafood stew and black pearl salmon served at nearby Piper Restaurant overlooking the harbor.

Photos by Larry Burmeier

Read more of Beverly's travel articles at http://www.stripedpot.com/ and http://tinyurl.com/bevtrvl