• watkins_glen
    Travel

    How to Spend 24 Hours in Watkins Glen New York

    November 5, 2019 - By 

    The drive from Rochester New York through to Watkins Glen is unforgettable. Curving rural roads stretch out for miles and then suddenly the landscape switches carving down towards one finger-shaped lake after another. Wineries crop up on both sides of the road and the sloping rows of vines command attention. Welcome to Watkins Glen Watkins Glen, a small village that’s part of Finger Lakes New York wine region is a geological marvel. Oddly, I had no idea it was so spectacular and so close to home. We were guests while in Watkins Glen which means we received accommodations, meals and…

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    Three Days of Play in Rochester New York

    October 29, 2019 - By 

    “Play is the highest form of research,” – Albert Einstein It had been years since I last set foot in Rochester New York. There was a time Rochester was a destination Canadians visited for the weekend, when they wanted to shop and save money. Shopping bags loaded with clothing, shoes, and the occasional bottle of rum or whiskey, we’d return satisfied and armed with Christmas presents for everyone, but not before that final stop at the Duty Free store. This is how I remember Rochester, New York. We were guests of Visit Rochester while in the city which means we…

  • the_flight_before_christmas
    Travel

    The Flight Before Christmas – Everything You Need To Know Now

    October 22, 2019 - By 

    Need to travel over the holidays? Need the flight before Christmas? Oh sure we all want to travel during the holiday season and go somewhere warm, or even some place familiar filled with family and friends. But do you need to travel during the holidays? If so, then you need some ground rules and also some guidelines and tips on how to go and when to book the flight before Christmas. There are lots of benefits to holiday air travel and a few big drawbacks too. But, if you want to know the ins and outs and the ways to…

  • Travel

    My Blogging Anniversary – A Decade of Sharing and Gratitude

    October 21, 2019 - By 

    Ten years goes by in a blink. I started this blog Thrifty Mommas Tips ten years ago this past summer! My ten-year blogging anniversary happened quietly on May 26th. I wanted to have this up sooner, but then my crazy summer of travel happened and I didn’t have time to finish it until now. So, forgive me if this is a little late. Where has a decade gone? Well, my girls have grown up into beautiful teenagers. Sure, they argue a lot some days and frankly parenting teens is so much harder than I ever imagined…but they’ve changed so much.…

  • 8 people in a yellow raft white water rafting in Cody Wyoming down the Shoshone River. All are wearing some blue wet jacket gear and life jackets
    Travel

    Cody Wyoming – Embrace the Wild West Now

    October 15, 2019 - By 

    I was invited to travel with Austin Adventures recently while in Montana and Cody Wyoming on a media trip. My opinion is truthful. A raven-haired young woman dressed in an emerald green ball gown sits beside a woman in white and brown fashionable dress at a table inside a saloon. Two men talk loudly about rustling up horses, as a stranger saunters in, wearing a black cowboy shirt and pants, with elaborate leather boots, the kind that make a noisy clattering every time the heel makes contact with the floor. Someone’s spurs jingle. The two women whisper, and all eyes…

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    Best Places to Wine and Dine in Tualatin Valley, Oregon

    October 13, 2019 - By 

    Hundreds of families push strollers through downtown Beaverton, Oregon while middle aged couples line up at each food station waiting their turn to buy everything, from organic fruit popsicles to Falafel burgers, and gourmet grilled cheese. Nearby, in a green space, families spread out impromptu picnics on the lawn. Some stroll hand in hand browsing bright coloured Indian scarves, Korean jewelry, crafty bookmarks and holiday decorations made from old tattered, repurposed, maps. Across the tracks, a cable car periodically splits the crowd in two, while police stand by watching and guarding barricades. The streets are cordoned off in a radius…

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    Travel

    Epic Museum Dublin – A Fully Digital Multi-Sensory Experience

    October 10, 2019 - By 

    There are museums that move you and spark imagination. And there are others that are simply awe inspiring and powerful. Occasionally there are some that are simply in need of an overhaul. New museums at this point in time when technology, digital, social and virtual reality are exploding need to reach forward at the same time as they harken back to capture history. Epic Museum Dublin, currently the world’s only fully digital museum, bridges past and present and bursts forth in a dynamic multi-sensory experience that is entirely unique and inspiring. In Dublin’s Docklands Epic Museum Dublin is without a…

  • Travel

    McMenamins Grand Lodge Hotel – A Quirky Oregon Getaway

    October 8, 2019 - By 

    I was a guest of Tualatin Valley and the Washington County Visitors Association this year and I received accommodations, food, and all activities in exchange for consideration here. You’ve never stayed anywhere quite like this. McMenamins Grand Lodge Hotel is pure Oregon, mystical, quirky and a bit out there, a getaway brimming with magic, served up with a side of mysticism, rooted in rich history. This former Masonic & Eastern Star property is located in Oregon’s wine country, and is a charming spot to launch your exploration of Tualatin Valley. In fact, this would be a good place for me…

  • Travel

    The Best Time to Book Flights for Christmas Travel

    October 7, 2019 - By 

    Christmas travel sounds like the plot of a slapstick comedy movie, right? Picture Kevin McAllister waking too late and missing the shuttle to the airport, or his Mom realizing he’s not on the plane. Chaos and crowds and family and all the expectations!! Well, holiday travel need not be a complete disaster, and frankly it should never cost you a year of mortgage payments just to take a bit of R and R. Plan ahead, sit back, relax and enjoy. Here’s why Christmas travel need not be the punchline to a joke. Instead make it the start of a wonderful…

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    Travel

    14 Things to Do in Billings Montana Now

    October 1, 2019 - By 

    I received complimentary admissions and food while on a tour of Billings Montana. Billings Montana, or Montana’s Trailhead, is poised at an interesting crossroads. The biggest city by population in the vast state of Montana, Billings is being reimagined. While this area has historically identified with cowboy culture, the great outdoors and the wild west, it is also embracing and investing in arts and culture, leading to a downtown core revitalization. More of a slow burn than an overnight transformation, the arts and history district, as well as museums and cultural venues in Billings are evolving. There are numerous cultural…