3 Family Friendly 4th of July Celebrations

The 4th of July is just around the corner.  Fireworks, BBQ’s, picnics, music and parades are just a selection of the things that make up this patriotic holiday.  Many people look forward to the 4th of July for weeks, and not only because of the extra day off from work, but because it’s a fun, patriotic day that is enjoyable for everyone.  What better way to celebrate this festive holiday than with your family?  We have selected three, multiday, family-friendly, festive 4th of July events that you should check out.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Have you ever heard of the 9 day Wawa Welcome America festival?  Lasting over a week, this festival has something for everyone.  Whether you head to Philadelphia with a couple friends, your spouse or your whole family, everyone will have a great time.  From great food to parades to fireworks, this festival has it all.  Below are some of the highlights of Wawa Welcome America :

• Several live performances with a variety of different bands.  To name a few, the Goo Goo Dolls, Peter Nero and The Philly Pops, Chrisette Michele, Chuck Brown and more.
• A variety of movies and musicals will be shown in the days leading up to 4th of July including Grease, Rocky and The Last Airbender.  Make sure you arrive early to get a good seat!
• Special exhibits, programs and interactive activities at participating museums.  Children will be able to enjoy hands on art activities, educational activities and storytelling.
• Party on the Parkway is a great event for the whole family.  On July 4th, there will be 3 stages featuring artists, musicians and entertainers, games for the kids, strong man competitions stunts and more!
• Kicking off at 11:00am on the 4th is the Independence Day Parade.  With celebrities including Miss America 2010, Caressa Cameron, DC Cowboys Dance Troupe and more, this parade is going to be one to remember.
• How can you celebrate the 4th of July without Fireworks?  On July 3rd and 4th, you can enjoy a magnificent fireworks display that will light up the night sky with an array of colors.

Boston, Massachusetts
Featuring historic tours, events, reenactments, kids’ activities and great food, Boston’s 4th of July celebration, known as Boston Harborfest attracts over 2.5 million visitors every year.  Kicking off on June 30th, Boston Harborfest is holding the opening ceremony in Faneuil Hall.  Some of this multi-day event’s main attractions include the following:

• Whale watch cruises: On these cruises you can relax on a boat while looking out in order to see if you can spot a few whales.  These cruises are approximately 4 hours long.
• Explore the Freedom Trail: This 2.5 mile walking tour will take you to 16 different historical sites that will be both educational and enjoyable at the same time.
• Boston Independence Day cruises: Aboard the Spirit of Boston for some great food, drinks and fireworks.  These cruises are a great time for the whole family.
• Enjoy Boston’s fireworks, as they are known to be quite amazing.
• Chowderfest on July 5th: This is one of the biggest and most popular events of Boston Harborfest.  At Chowderfest you can sample chowder from a variety of New Englands’s best restaurants.

Edmond, Oklahoma
Edmond, Oklahoma’s Liberty Fest is a week-long festival.  With over 125,000 attendees every year, this celebration is known to be quite a hit.  It is run as a non-profit operation by over 500 volunteers.  With a variety of different activities and shows, LiberyFest is great for the whole family.  Some of the activities you and your children may enjoy in Edmond are listed below:

• Chalk-It-Up is a chalk drawing contest. You can enter this contest as a family, or your kids can enter on their own.  There are four different categories, which gives everyone more than one chance to win a prize.  During this event, there will also be face painting and karaoke.
• Enjoy an amazing parade on July 3rd.  This year’s theme for the LibertyFest parade is “Celebrating 100 Years of Scouting”.  Celebrities, including Miss Oklahoma, will be in attendance.
• A 60 year long tradition at LibertyFest is Concert in the Park.  It features light classics, marches and patriotic music.
• Featured as having one of the top 10 fireworks displays in the nation, LibertyFest’s fireworks show is unbelievable.

We want to hear what you have planned for this holiday.  Is anyone headed to any of the locations mentioned above?  If so, we want to make sure you know that there is a Courtyard hotel nearby.  Share with us in the comments how you are celebrating the 4th of July.

Courtyard’s Weekly Round-Up

Here’s this week’s round-up of travel news, tips and info that we found to be the most interesting and helpful.  If you’re a seafood lover, make sure to take a look at the article with the top seafood shacks in the U.S.  Also, feel free to use the comment section to let us know if we left out any articles that should have made it into this week’s roundup. Enjoy!

10 Tips For Traveling With Kids
Traveling with kids can be tough, but with a little bit of preparation you can have a great trip.  This article shares ten great tips on what to bring, how to pack and how to prepare when bringing the kids along on a trip.

Thirsty? Drink Up At One Of These Rooftop Bars
Want to unwind during the evening on a business trip?  Try heading to a rooftop bar for a couple of drinks.  Check out this list of 10 rooftop bars with beautiful views, great drinks and relaxing atmospheres.

Clickety-clack, A Vacation On The Tracks: Tips For Train Travel
Although traveling by train may not always be the cheapest way to travel, some people still prefer this method of transportation.  Take a look at this article for some great tips on how to save money the next time you decide to hit the tracks.

Top Seafood Shacks In The U.S.
For anyone who likes seafood, there is nothing better than enjoying a delicious seafood dinner on a nice summer night.  Lobster rolls, fried clams, mussels and more; these seafood shacks have it all.

6 Essential Blackberry Apps For Business Travelers
New smart phone apps keep coming out and it’s hard to tell which ones to download, and which ones to avoid.  From an organizer to a GPS to a mileage expense tracker, these apps are some of the best choices for business travelers.

Airline Executives Say Business Travel Is Picking Up
Business travel is making a comeback, and airlines are beginning to see an increase in revenue.  However, many people still remain cautious as business travel is still below the line of being fully recovered.  Take a look at this article to learn more.

Seven Must-Have Travel Sized Products

When it’s time to travel, most of us make a quick stop in the “travel-size” aisle at the drugstore to grab the essentials. Limiting yourself to the contents of these handy bins may seem convenient, but you’ll definitely be missing out on some excellent travel minis you’ll find elsewhere. Here are a few great small-scale products you may not find next to the 1oz. shampoos and six-packs of Q-tips – items that could turn out to be real lifesavers on the road.

PocketBac Deep-Cleansing Hand Gel

Remember when your mom would say “Don’t touch that. You have no idea where it has been?” Unfortunately the places you go and things you do on the road often put you in direct contact with germ covered surfaces – from public bathrooms to strangers’ handshakes. These tiny bottles can be discreetly kept in a pocket for regular use, and come in a variety of subtle scents.

Colgate Wisp

Nobody wants to be caught with garlic breath or spinach in their teeth with no way to get rid of it. These tiny disposable toothbrushes have a pick on the end to remove food particles and require no water or rinsing. They’re perfect for when gum or mints just won’t finish the job.

Evian Mineral Water Spray

Need to freshen up but don’t have the time (or towels) for a full on face wash? Mist a bit of this refreshing mineral water over your skin to remove perspiration and rehydrate after exposure to notoriously dry airplane air, sun, or wind. Spritzing this over freshly-done makeup will also help it to “set” and adhere to the skin for longer-lasting wear.

Evriholder Pocket Lint Pads

All it takes is one brush past a lady in a mohair sweater and your nice black outfit could look like it took a trip to the dog park. These little sticky pads are great to have on hand to freshen up even the lintiest of outfits. Each book is made up of 30 sheets, and fits nicely in a purse or pocket for emergency touch-ups.

Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo Spray

Ever notice how no matter how fabulous your hair looks when you leave home, after a long trip it ends up looking like a flat greasy mess? It happens – especially in hot, humid weather. Dry shampoo works double-duty to restore your ‘do to freshness and bounce. Cornstarch in the spray absorbs oil and gives hair a thicker feel. Just a few spritzes of this and your locks will look good as new.

Sephora Pop-Up Travel Brush

Speaking of hair issues – one never wants to be caught looking unkempt. This little pop-up hairbrush folds down flat for easy transport, and the unisex color scheme make it appropriate for anyone. It also contains a small mirror, so it doubles as a compact. Whether you’re trying to cut down on bulk in your toiletries bag or just need something that fits in your purse, look no further.

Noxzema Bikini Shaver

Bear with us on this one. They’re labeled bikini shavers, but let’s be honest – they’re just mini razors. When you’re on the go and time is of the essence, it’s easy for ladies to rush out of the shower having overlooked that tricky spot by the ankle, or for men, that little patch along the the jawline. These razors are tiny enough to fit in a purse, beach bag or a glove compartment in case a little bit of stubble creeps up on you and there isn’t a shower in sight.

Courtyard's Weekly Roundup

Here’s this week’s round-up of travel news, tips and info that we found to be the most interesting and helpful. Make sure to check out the article on the five stylish items that will help you get through airport security more efficiently. Also, feel free to use the comment section to let us know if we left out any articles that should have made it into this week’s roundup. Enjoy!

Five Things You Don’t Know About Your Airline Ticket
Did you know that even after you’ve purchased an airline ticket, you may not always be guaranteed a seat on the plane? There are a lot of things travelers should be aware of when it comes to airline tickets. Check out this article to learn more.

Five Stylish Items That Save Time In A Security Check
Going through airport security checkpoints can often be a hassle. Taking you shoes off, removing your belt and emptying the change from your pocket wastes more time than you would think. Take a look at this article to learn about five stylish items that may help you get through security a bit quicker.

21 Tips For Better Road Trips
Hitting the road this summer with your family? Being properly prepared for a road trip is important if you want to have a smooth ride. Take a look at this article for some great trip on better road trips.

Can The iPad Replace Your Laptop For Business Travel?
The iPad continues to be a hit among business travelers. However, many people are still wondering if the iPad can actually replace your laptop. This article goes over the reasons why this new piece of technology is allowing many travelers to leave their laptops at home on businesses trips.

Blocked Ears – How To Ease The Pain In Flight
Almost everyone who has been in an airplane knows the feeling you get in your ears as the plane takes off and reaches high altitudes. This article shares some great tips on how to ease the pain of blocked ears in flight and how to help your child ease their pain, too.

Make Travel A Breeze This Summer
The average family takes 4.5 trips per year and while family vacations can be a great time to bond and spend quality time together, traveling with kids can be difficult. Here are some tips on how to make your next family trip less of a hassle and more enjoyable.

Courtyard Starts Counting Calories

Many travelers find it difficult to eat healthy when they’re on the road, and, at Courtyard, we want to help our guests maintain a healthy lifestyle when they stay with us.  That’s why, this week we began rolling out new menus at all of our hotels with the new Refreshing Business lobby and The Bistro – Eat. Drink. Connect.® that display calorie counts for all items.

We know our guests like to have a variety of options and make their own choices when they’re traveling.  By providing them with the number of calories in each item on our menu, we are giving them the information to make an informed decision about what to eat.  They can choose from healthy items like low-carb, low-fat muffins and salads, or those looking for comfort foods can try selections like the Tender BBQ Ribs.

Currently, there are nearly 160 Courtyard hotels with The Bistro across the U.S., and the new menu is expected to be in place at all of these hotels by the end of June.  As more Courtyard hotels adopt the new lobby concept and The Bistro, they will feature these menus as well.

Courtyard is the first brand to provide guests with this kind of information at all of its hotels.  We hope our guests will use the calorie counts to their advantage to maintain their health on the road.

Courtyard’s Weekly Round-Up

Here’s this week’s round-up of travel news, tips and info that we found to be the most interesting and helpful. If you are still looking for a present to give your dad on Father’s Day, make sure to check out the article on affordable travel gifts.  Also, feel free to use the comment section to let us know if we left out any articles that should have made it into this week’s roundup. Enjoy!

Healthy Family Travel
The last thing anyone wants on a family vacation is for a family member to get sick. Here are some great tips on healthy family travel and ways to prevent getting sick on the road.

Travel Writer’s Secrets: Top Travel Planning Tips
Travel writers always have some great tips to share with the rest of us.  From which websites are the best to use when planning a trip, to what to pack and where to get great directions, these tips are sure to make your next trip go smoothly.

10 Best Travel Gifts Under $30
Do you still need to buy your dad a Father’s Day gift?  If your father is a frequent traveler, check out this article for some great gift ideas.

Tips For Traveling Solo
Traveling solo can often be quite enjoyable.  You can go where you want to go and do what you want to do without following the lead of your fellow travelers.  Here are some great tips on how to enjoy yourself when traveling alone.

Best Airlines For Business Travel
Every airline has different things to offer whether it’s free food, great service or extra legroom.  Sometimes it’s hard to know which airline is right for you.  Take a look at this article to hear about the best airlines for business travel.

10 Summer Trips to America’s Great Natural Treasures
Still trying to plan your summer vacation but not sure where to go?  This article profiles 10 of America’s greatest natural treasures from Everglades National Park to Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

Get Up to $40 in Visa Gift Cards from Courtyard this Summer

This summer, Courtyard is putting a little money back in your wallet. Guests staying at participating Courtyard hotels over a weekend will receive up to $40 in Visa gift cards. A weekend stay must include a Friday or Saturday night and each of those nights qualifies you for a $20 gift card.

Upon checkout, guests will be given a voucher to redeem their gift card(s) online. Register at the website listed on the voucher within 30 days of checkout and the gift card(s) will be mailed within 4-6 weeks.

To be eligible to receive a Visa gift card, guests must stay between June 18 and September 6, 2010. Reservations must be made by July 30, 2010 and 7 days in advance of the stay. For more information, visit www.courtyard.com/giftcard.

Offers like this make getting out of town for a few days this summer even more appealing. Where are you planning on spending your weekend getaway? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Courtyard’s Weekly Round-Up

Here’s this week’s round-up of travel news, tips and info that we found to be the most interesting and helpful. Make sure to check out the article on 39 of America’s best drives.  If you are planning a road trip this summer, this article could come in handy and help you decide where to go.  Also, feel free to use the comment section to let us know if we left out any articles that should have made it into this week’s roundup. Enjoy!

White Collar Travel: Five Ways To Make Mondays Better
If you ask a person which day of the week they enjoy the least, the answer will more than likely be Monday.  For kids, Mondays are the beginning of the school week and 5 days away from the weekend where they can hang out with their friends.  The same goes for adults.  Mondays are the beginning of the work week, 5 days away from being able to relax on the weekend and enjoy some free time.  Here are some great tips on how to make Mondays better.

39 of America’s Best Drives
Planning on taking a road trip this summer, but not sure where to go?  It can be hard to plan a road trip that you and your fellow travelers will all agree upon.  This article describes 39 of America’s best drives that you don’t want to miss.

5 Smart Summertime Driving Prep Tips
After taking a look at America’s best drives for road trips, you need to think about the automobile that you will be taking you on this trip.  Check this article out for some great summertime driving prep tips.

World’s 10 Happiest Places
For many, visiting and experiencing a new place is a great source of happiness.  Whether it has to do with a sense of community, local attractions and festivities or the never ending good weather, this article shares ten of the world’s happiest places.

Proposed Government Rule Would Force Airlines To Disclose “Full Price” Of Tickets
The government has proposed a rule that may significantly affect air carriers.  Airlines may soon be required to disclose the actual price of tickets.  Check out this article to learn more.

An Affordable Sitter In A Foreign Land
Have you been trying to plan a family vacation at an international destination, but are worried about not having any alone time with your significant other?  It can be extremely difficult to find a babysitter in a place unfamiliar to you.  Take a look at this article for some great tips on how to find an affordable sitter in a foreign land.

Top Airports for Long Layovers

Have you ever had an incredibly long layover or missed a connecting flight?  If so, you’re familiar with that dreadful feeling of realizing you have hours upon hours to spend in an airport.  Normally, there is nothing worse than realizing you are going to be stuck in an airport all day.  However, there are a few airports that are so well designed, you may even want to miss your connecting flight on purpose.  From miniature golf courses to museums to outdoor pools, these three airports have it all.

Singapore’s Changhi Airport
Spending a 9 hour layover at Changhi Airport in Singapore is nothing to be upset about.  Whether you are exhausted from traveling, or antsy from sitting on a plane for hours, this airport has something for everyone.  Below are some of the amenities Changhi Airport has to offer:

• Relax by Changhi Airport’s outdoor Balinese-themed pool.  Work on your tan while watching airplanes take off and head to destinations all around the world.  There is a small charge to use the pool, but this also includes a non-alcoholic drink from the bar, shower facilities and a towel.
• If your layover is 5 hours or longer, sign up for a free Singapore city tour hosted by the airport.  Lock your luggage up in the bag room and be taken around the city by coach.
• Terminals 1, 2 and 3 offer hair and beauty services where you can get a haircut, manicure or even a massage.  There is also a fitness center in all three terminals where you can get a workout in before your connecting flight.
• Hang out in one of the airport’s three free movie theaters and catch a film.  Movies of different genres are constantly being shown in Terminals 1, 2 and 3.  The movie lounge in terminals 1 and 2 always features Star Movies and Star World screenings.
• Head to one of the Music Bar Lounges to enjoy some live acoustic performances while sipping on a cocktail.
• Changhi Airport has beautiful and well-maintained gardens that help guests relax and enjoy the scenery.  These gardens include a butterfly garden, which is unique to Changhi Airport, as well as a catctus garden, fern garden & koi pond and more.

Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport
Is your connecting flight at Schipol Airport not leaving for several hours?  Amersterdam’s Schipol Airport is set up to keep their guests busy and entertained for hours upon end.  The most popular thing to do at this airport is to check out Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schipol, a branch of the largest museum in the Netherlands that is re-opening in July.  This museum is:

• First museum in the world to have an annexe in an airport and display original pieces of work by Vereniging Rembrandt
• Features major works from The Golden Age called “The Masterpieces”, which include Dutch Republic, World Power, Frans Hals, Rembrandt and his pupils, The later Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer.
• Holds 100 people, which means lines at the entrance are very rare
• Has a gift shop where you can purchase replicas of the artwork found in the museum, 17th-century inspired jewelry and more.

After visiting the museum, you can

• Enjoy a nice massage.  There are several stations set up with massage chairs and masseuses after passport control.
• Try your luck in the casino between gates E and F.
• If you have any little ones with you, take them to the Kid’s Forest where they can enjoy the airport’s playground
• If you have at least 4 hours until your connecting flight, lock your bags up in the airport so you can tour the city:Enjoy an Amsterdam City Tour.  You will be taken around Amsterdam by bus where you will get to see the red light district, old harbor, flea market, Amstel River and more.

If you have at least 6 hours until your connecting flight, you will have time to.

• Visit the Van Gogh Museum
• Check out the Anne Frank House

Amsterdam’s Schipol airport is a great place to catch a connecting flight.  Next time you are booking a flight that connects in Amsterdam, you may even want to purposely schedule an extra long layover.

Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss Airport
Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss Airport (MUC) is definitely one of the best airports for a long layover.  Depending on the length of your layover, there are a variety of different activities to do.  For a shorter layover you can:

• Enjoy some miniature golf in their 18-hole course at the Visitor’s Park.
• Head to their 60 seat cinema and enjoy a movie.
• Take your kids to see one of the airports behind-the-scenes aviation technology tours.
• Partake in some high end shopping at the airport’s shopping paradise.  You can check out brands such as Max Mara, Boss Marc O’Polo and more.

For those of you with a longer layover, you can travel outside the airport.

• Take a bike tour of the city or even a segway tour.
• Take a train to Viktualienmarket, one of the largest marketplaces in Munich.
• Head to the BMW museum, a fun museum for the whole family.

Have you ever been stuck in one of these airports?  Are there any other airports you think we should know about?  Share with us in the comments.