Showing posts with label family travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family travel. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

MIRTH AND MISCHIEF AT UHUBURG CASTLE

uhuburg castle

During my elementary school years, you'd often find me with my nose in a book engrossed in reading tales about King Arthur, Prince Valient and the merry adventures of Robin Hood. Our local library had this wonderful reading room that was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation that made you feel like you were hanging out in a castle with its woodworking and a fireplace they kept lit from Fall through Spring which was the perfect spot for a kid to immerse himself in tales of chivalry and swordsmanship. Since those days, I've dreamed of one day traveling to Europe to explore the castles and locations where those stories were set. 

Alas, I've yet to make that dream a reality. If you are like me and taking a trip to Europe to trek around castles isn't really that practical on your family budget, there is another option that is closer to home where you don't have to use a passport to travel outside the USA. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding the alpine town of Helen, Georgia is Uhuburg Castle, a legitimate reproduction of a European fortresses from days gone by. 

travel geek

This Renaissance-style castle has twelve towers, one turret, three gatehouses, an eight story lookout tower, Great Hall, cloistered walls with rampart and lower walkways and two acres of courtyard gardens. The castle has spectacular views from each of the walls and towers of the breathtaking scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains around it. Based upon the Bavarian heritage of Helen, the structure takes its name from Uhu and Burg, the German words for Owl and Castle. Visitors can choose to spend a day touring the grounds or can spend the night at the castle's boutique hotel. Uhuburg Castle also hosts special events like Renaissance festivals throughout the year.

During the month of May this year, Uhuburg Castle will be featuring an immersive theatrical event on Friday and Saturday nights called Mirth & Mischief which features cirque-style acrobatics and cutting-edge video projections. Utilizing the ambiance of Uhuburg Castle, Mirth & Mischief will create a fantasy setting meant to fascinate and delight people. This is a ticketed event meant for ages 18+.


Head over to uhuburg.com to check out other events taking place at the castle throughout the year ranging from its CastleFaire Renaissance Festival to visits with Father Christmas at the castle. Would you be geeked to visit Uhuburg Castle? I know I would be! 

uhuburg castle

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

FRIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

St Louis City Museum

Throughout the year, St. Louis' CITY MUSEUM provides a fun menagerie of unique environments and exhibits that kids and kids at heart are sure to be geeked to explore. What was once a ten story shoe factory and warehouse has now been transformed into an artistic wonderland that will put your curiosity and imagination into overdrive. 

Do you have the courage to thrust yourself down a ten story slide that was originally a shaft used to transport finished shoes from the building's factory area to its warehouse? Brave enough to tackle a subterranean maze called "the caves?" Have the stamina to navigate a vertical climbing course on the exterior of the building complete with planes to leap into that gives you the feeling of soaring over the cityscape? These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the exciting and exhilarating experiences to be had at the City Museum. 

st louis city museum
city museum

And while visiting this St. Louis, Missouri attraction anytime during the year will be entertaining, a visit at Halloween is extra special. From September 29th - October 28th the City Museum is going all out to amaze and mystify. FRIGHT AT THE MUSEUM will feature special Halloween themed exhibits and entertainment. There will also be two pop up pubs for the occasion for adults to enjoy, Vampire Bar and Coven & Cauldron featuring some spooktacular cocktails. 

fright at the museum

For more information about Fright at the Museum, visit citymuseum.org

Monday, July 18, 2022

A TRAVELING DAD'S ADVENTURE ON THE GORGE

Traveling Dad

I had an AWESOME Father's Day weekend road trip with my son to southern West Virginia hosted by ADVENTURES ON THE GORGE resort. This adventure sports resort near New River Gorge National Park features an aerial obstacle course, disc golf, hiking, mountain biking, paintball battles, rock climbing, swimming, whitewater rafting, ziplining and more! Check out my Traveling Dad writeup about Adventures on the Gorge at travelingmom.com. 

Find reviews and tips from the Family Vacation Experts at travelingmom.com to help plan your next trip. Adventurous dads like myself, as well as moms, share insightful information that is sure to bring out the wanderlust in readers to want to explore new places. From places that draw a crowd such as Disney World to wide open, wild destinations such as Yellowstone National Park, find the information you are looking for regarding family travel at travelingmom.com. 

traveling mom adventures on the gorge

Saturday, January 1, 2022

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION 2022

geek daddy

Happy New Year! Have you set a New Year Resolution for 2022? For me it is going to be having more of an emphasis with this blog and on social media in exploring the big blue and green marble we bounce around the sun on. I'm going to be exploring places around my own neighborhood as well as road trip and vacation destinations around the country with a focus on family travel. Plus, while I haven't done much globetrotting, this year will create a bucket list of places I'd like to one day explore.

Are you following me as @Geekdad248 on Instagram and Twitter? For the next 365 days to be more engaging on social media I plan on posting a travel bucket list post each day as my 2022 New Year Resolution. I hope you'll check out these Instagram and Twitter posts. Bon Voyage!

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

WHY TRAVELING WITH KIDS IS IMPORTANT FOR THEM

geek daddy

You have to admit it ... traveling with kids can be kind of a pain in the ass! Because children have so many demands and traveling with them can be tedious, it is easy for parents to have the mindset that rather than being adventurous or providing a relaxing break, family vacations will instead be stressful and lacking in fun. However, that doesn't need to be the case. 

Travelling with your entire family is more than a trip to enjoy. Experiencing adventure with your family is one of the best things you should consider doing as a parent. Family vacations are not just trips to take for fun; they serve many other purposes. For example, it saves you the energy of explaining some things that you would rather be easier for them to understand when they experience it in person. 

It would be best to consider taking your kids with you on vacations. Family trips give your kids a chance to open up, tell you the challenges they have been going through in school. They also serve as stress relievers to the entire family. Then, at the end of the trip, you get back home, everyone feeling refreshed, happier and having learnt new things.

Building Parent-Child Relationship 

In most cases, parents are very busy in their jobs day in and day out and kids are also engaged in their school work. As a result, they barely spend quality time together to share their experiences. In such instances, children grow up, but there is no strong bond between them and their parents because everyone is busy. 

Parenthood is about building bonds between you and your child. Going on trips with your child helps to refresh your relationship, and you will also be able to create new memories that they will live to value and remember later in life. This will also make you feel accomplished as a parent. No parent would want to feel that they did not offer the best as a parent. 

It is essential to take snaps and post multiple pictures on Instagram to keep your memories during such trips. Looking back to when they were kids, having fun with their parents, they get to value the family bonds. This will help them grow knowing that they also have to emulate what their parents did, and it will be passed from generation to generation as a culture. 

Entertainment 

There are lots of fun activities you can do during your trip. You can have family game time to participate in games with your children. You can engage in games such as treasure hunts. During the drive, you can let them play a game of identifying various wildlife species you come across. 

Moreover, when they engage with other kids, you can have them in groups to play together or play against each other. This makes them have fun; they learn something from each other, enhancing their mental growth and boosting their communication skills. It further equips them with team-building skills. 

Cultural Integration 

Exposing your kids to various cultures early enough is critical. You could achieve this through cultural tourism to other countries. The world has a diversity of cultures, races and languages. Letting children learn this as they grow them respect diverse cultures. It also helps them value their own culture and normalize being around different people. 

It will help them learn about other cultures and help them adapt to a situation where they get to be in a different locality when they grow up because they will have already familiarized themselves with it. They can coexist with others from different parts of the world without making them feel discriminated against. It is because they understood equality despite the differences in human nature. This is a vital way of shaping children into human beings who are empathetic to each other and value the ethics of humanity. 

world travel

Brain Development 

A young brain is easy to mold, and a mind grasps things quickly that are practical rather than theoretical. Going out with kids and experiencing a whole new world with them leaves imprinted memories. Trips are a form of physical and sensory learning. 

Outings aid in growing a kid's cognitive ability, enhance focus and makes them suitable for wellness. For example, according to studies, kids who visit places tend to do better in school than those who do not. 

The views of snow-capped mountains, the flora, and the fauna are all things taught in school. Unfortunately, most children do not get a chance to see the geographical features. In contrast, the few who get the opportunity will be eager to learn more about them, granting them an added advantage.

Social Interaction 

Everyone needs a social life to be healthy. Humans are social beings in nature, and they need to interact with each other for their growth and development. Therefore, the social nurturing of kids is very crucial for their growth. During family vacations, children can socialize with other kids from different places. It further enhances the exchange of ideas as they play together and interact. 

Furthermore, this helps to mold the personality of the kids. Most families raise their children by locking them up in the house all day long. As a result, they grow up being introverts who are not used to socializing. Statistics further show that a more significant percentage of people battling depression are introverts. Would you want your child to grow up as an introvert and later get depressed? No one would wish that for their child. 

geek daddy

As a parent, it would be best if you broke the monotony of buying your children gifts and toys every other holiday. Instead, try some adventure with them. Take them out to allow them to change the environment and interact with people from all walks of life. 

Make your Christmas holidays more fascinating by taking your entire family out. With the pandemic, you don't have to travel outside the country. Any local sites to visit would also be one of the best options to consider as you prepare for the holidays. 

So go ahead and create good experiences and memories for them apart from the usual toys and gifts. Hopefully, you will all like the adventures and make memorable memories that you will reminisce over in future.

Monday, April 22, 2019

FRANKENMUTH BAVARIAN INN WEEKEND GETAWAY

Frankenmuth Michigan
Disclosure: My family received a complimentary stay and dinner at the Bavarian Inn in exchange
for this review. Opinions expressed are honest and my own
Willkommen! Welcome to Frankenmuth, Michigan's Little Bavaria. We had ourselves a wonderful Easter weekend family getaway at Frankenmuth's Bavarian Inn.

During our road trip to Frankenmuth, we stayed at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. The place exudes German hospitality through the staff's friendliness and the Bavarian charm of the resort's architecture and décor. In addition to its 360 European-themed guest rooms, The Bavarian Inn Lodge features an indoor family fun center with an arcade, 18-hole miniature golf course, splash pad, several pools adjoined by giant-sized hot tubs, and two water slides.



After playing in the family fun center, take a leisurely stroll across a quaint covered bridge to enjoy a meal at the Bavarian Inn Restaurant which is known for serving world famous chicken dinners. The restaurant is situated across on the opposite bank of the Cass River from the Lodge. My kids loved running across the bridge's wood planks over the river. There is also a shuttle bus that takes guests between the Lodge and Restaurant or you can drive your own vehicle over the bridge as well.

frankenmuth michigan


The Bavarian Inn Restaurant serves its meals family style with Bavarian flair. Food is brought out to the table for everyone to dig into enjoying together. A chicken dinner includes a course of beans, coleslaw, pasta salad, stollen bread, and cranberry relish.

chicken dinner


frankenmuth


The second course of a Bavarian Inn Restaurant family style chicken dinner is the main meal. It includes a platter of fried chicken along with bowls of buttered noodles, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. Oh this food is so good!

frankenmuth michigan


bavarian inn restaurant
Their fried chicken is really tasty but is even better when you sprinkle some of the restaurant's special seasoning on it. I liked the Bavarian Inn's chicken seasoning so much, I bought a container of it from their gift shop to bring home with me. A perfect souvenir to continue remembering the great meal we had at the Bavarian Inn Restaurant after we've returned home.

In addition to the waitstaff being outfitted in traditional German garb, you can also eat your meal to a Polka serenade courtesy of the restaurant's in-house accordianist. Check out the hand-painted fairy tale murals spread throughout the place that enhance the Old World charm of the restaurant. The surroundings compliment your meal in providing a unique dining experience.



The Bavarian Inn has Michigan's best selection of German beers as well as Heidelberg Light and Bavarian Inn Dark which are brewed exclusively for the restaurant. They also have a craft brewed root beer that has a rich vanilla undertone to it available exclusively from the Bavarian Inn. Being that we had the kids along with us for this trip, we indulged in some root beers rather than alcoholic drink during the meal.

chicken dinner


CLICK HERE for a coupon for half off a Bavarian Inn Restaurant family style chicken dinner. Have your own family getaway to Michigan's Little Bavaria to enjoy a world famous chicken dinner. Don't wait to long for a visit though as this coupon expires June 30, 2019.


After dinner it was time for some more good times at the Bavarian Inn Lodge's family fun center. We played a round of put put on the hotel's miniature golf course. Then I showed off my pinball skills to the kids on the Star Wars machine which was one of the 150 games they have in the arcade. Plus we took a late night dip in a pool that had a waterfall to get drenched in.

family fun center


pools
My 10-year old twins favorite part of this trip though had to be the water slides at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. These slides really have some zip to them and our children kept riding them over and over again. Your heartbeat will kick up a notch as you race through the dips and twists of these fast-paced slides. Definitely a fun activity for kids and parents alike!



My family's visit to the Bavarian Inn Restaurant & Lodge made for an exceptional road trip. The Bavarian Inn absolutely earned A Geek Daddy nod of approval for its delicious meals and fun activities that made for a fantastic weekend family getaway. Head over to bavarianinn.com to plan your own family vacation visiting Frankenmuth, Michigan.

family vacation

Thanks to the Bavarian Inn for hosting my family so we could do this ageekdaddy.com review. Opinions expressed are honest and my own. In fact, we plan on going back to celebrate my next birthday on our own dime taking advantage of the Bavarian Inn's Birthday Club. Wiedersehen Frankenmuth until our next visit!