A Teen Traveler

What’s up guys? Every great trip needs a great hotel, right? Well, I definitely found one for my trip to Walt Disney World over Labor Day weekend! We stayed at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida. I was staying there with my mom, dad, and grandparents. We got a two-bedroom suite, but the room sizes range from one to four bedrooms. I really liked our suite because it had a full-size kitchen, a living room with a pullout couch, and the two bedrooms. It also had a large balcony, where we watched the Hollywood Studios fireworks show our first night there, all without ever leaving the resort! But the things that would really make me want to stay at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort again and again are the pools! The resort has several pool areas and a lazy river. The theme of the whole pool area/complex is pirates! Be on the lookout for some signs that tell you about the “Bay of Bonnet Creek” and all about the (fictional) pirate battle that happened t...

Hey guys! I recently took a very fun trip to Walt Disney World over Labor Day weekend! Did you know that Disney World opened in October 1, 1971, and that the first park was Magic Kingdom ? On the first night of our trip, my mom, my dad, my grandparents, and I ate at the Grand Floridian Cafe , located at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa . We were celebrating my grandparents' 45th anniversary. For an appetizer, we got the House-Breaded Fried Mozzarella. It was very stretchy and delicious! For my entree, I got the kids’ Meaty Macaroni, which is basically macaroni noodles with marinara sauce that had crumbled up meat in it and shredded mozzarella cheese. It was very good and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a twist on spaghetti and meatballs. For dessert, we all got and shared the Chocolate Fondue. It is a lot for one person to eat, so I would recommend doing what we did and splitting it, at least between two people. Sadly, I don’t have a pict...

Hey guys! I recently had a fun outing in Englewood, Florida! We got donuts, did a little hiking and wildlife spotting, and checked out downtown Englewood. First, we went to a yummy donut shop called  Abbe’s Lil Donut Nook . My mom and I got a chocolate-frosted donut with sprinkles and a chocolate cake donut and split them in half, so we each got to try two kinds. I loved both kinds and thought they were delicious! The shop was cute, quaint, and small, but the donut selection was huge! A big case held all the donuts, so you could see and mull over all your options before making a final choice and digging in. To eat your donut(s), you could sit down at one of the four two-seater tables and enjoy! The donuts come in bags, so you can also pop in before a long meeting if you are in need of some sugar or caffeine and take one on the road. Next, we went to  Lemon Bay Park . We hiked along two trails: one in the woodsy area, called the Eagle Trail, a...

What’s up guys? In July, I spent a fun weekend with family on Gasparilla Island, in Boca Grande, Florida! We ate at some good restaurants, went to some interesting places, and stayed in a cool condo. We stayed at the Boca Grande Club in a three-bedroom condo. We had an amazing view of the Gulf of Mexico and could walk right down to the beach whenever we wanted, because it was so close. The condo was bright, pretty, beachy, and beautifully decorated! One of the yummy restaurants we went to was South Beach . It was made up of three rooms: an outdoor deck and two air-conditioned dining areas. No matter where you sat, you got a beautiful view. I got fried shrimp off the kids’ menu, which was delicious. The restaurant was decorated with a lot of ocean-themed artwork and had woven wicker chairs. You could walk right down to the beach, too, which I thought was cool. Another delicious restaurant we ate at was the Pink Elephant . Inside, there were lots of wood...

Hey guys! I went to the Circus Museum at the Ringling in Sarasota, Florida, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it! The Ringling is a large complex that features a circus museum, an art museum, a rose garden, a historic house, and large, beautiful grounds. My family and I went to the Circus Museum Tibbals Learning Center . We saw a giant mural, a miniature circus, sparkly costumes, and a circus bandwagon and calliope. We also got to try to fit in a clown car and “walk the wire” in a fun, interactive room. You see the giant mural right when you walk in, and it depicts lots of people and things from a circus, such as acrobats, clowns, animal trainers, and animals such as elephants and tigers. The next thing we saw was the Howard Bros. Circus Model. This miniature circus has 44,000 pieces and was all built by the man for whom the learning center was named! Some of my favorite things about the mini circus were the sideshow ads and the big top (which of...

Welcome back! I have someplace really fun to tell you about, called Sun-N-Fun. Sun-N-Fun is a private RV resort in Sarasota, Florida, but from April to Labor Day the pool and some activities there are open to the public. The pool area features an Olympic-size pool, an inflatable obstacle course floating on an indoor pool, a tall twisty waterslide, two hot tubs, a poolside bar and grill, and sometimes bungee jumping and "the Meltdown." The indoor obstacle course is made by Wibit Sports and is set up on the surface of an indoor pool. There are two long strips of obstacles, going in opposite ways. It is kind of something like American Ninja Warrior , with things to run on, jump over, and climb up. I really liked the Wibit. It is fun to challenge and race your friends, but also go by yourself and get better at it. In my opinion, one side was easier than the other, but both were fun. Every time you do it, you get a little bit better. I think falling off and...

Hey guys! I have another entry about Pennsylvania for you!! I went to the Kids' Castle Playground , located in Central Park in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.  The castle is made of mostly wood, something you don’t see on as many playgrounds today. It is like a maze inside, because there are so many twists, turns, and many different ways to go. I would not recommend it for claustrophobic people because some of the tunnels and pathways can get small and narrow! Did you know that the playground is eight stories tall? There are two green, enclosed tube slides. The slides start at a very high part of the castle. They are very twisty and are kind of like a giant spiral down. Something else I like about the playground is that it has lots of pieces of artwork on it, as can be seen above. The playground also has a smaller “pirate ship” for little kids to play on, and some other things to do such as two “rock” towers you can climb on. Just behind the fenced...

What’s up guys? I have one more thing about Philadelphia to tell you about. I stayed at an awesome hotel called the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Philadelphia. When we walked in, we were greeted by a doorman holding the door for us. The lobby is beautifully decorated with comfortable, antique-meets-modern furniture, chandeliers over the check-in desk, and an array of Japanese paintbrushes hanging on the wall behind the check-in area. The room was a decent size with two big beds and a nice bathroom. The room also had neat wallpaper with lots of intricate designs. I liked the decorative pillows on the bed, especially the one with the poem about a bed on it: “O bed! O bed! Delicious bed! That heaven upon earth, to the weary head!” If you are going into Philadelphia, I would recommend this as a place to stay. It is within walking distance of almost all of the historic area of Philly, and it is a beautiful place to sleep and relax. So check it out!