With Kids Archives - Dreams and Wishing Wells

A Day in Cannon Beach Oregon

February 22, 2020January 26, 2021 Lisa Wells

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If you grew up in the 80’s, you more than likely saw everyone’s childhood favorite movie, The Goonies. Remember the truck rally / race on the beach at the beginning of the movie? Iconic Haystack Rock can be seen in the background. Well that famous beach is Cannon Beach in Oregon. We had the opportunity to spend a day at this famous beach last June, and had such a great time!

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

Long Beach Whale Watching

August 1, 2019January 26, 2021 Lisa Wells

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Whale watching is one of my favorite things to do when we are near the ocean. There’s nothing like seeing such magnificent animals in their natural habitat. We have seen Orcas in Monterey, and Humpbacks in Alaska. When we visited Long Beach, I was really really hoping to see a blue whale. What a treat it would be to get to see the largest animal in the world! I knew it was still early in the season for the blue whales to be off the coast of Long Beach, but they had seen one a week earlier on one of the whale watching trips, so I was hopeful, but not optimistic.

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

Dockside Boat and Bed – Unique Places to Stay

July 31, 2019January 26, 2021 Lisa Wells

Have you ever dreamed of owning a yacht? Dockside Boat and Bed allows you to live that dream, if only for a short time. These unique accommodations are a bed and breakfast on, yes, you guessed it, a boat! There are five boats currently docked at Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach where you can enjoy rest, relaxation, and a gorgeous view.

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Travel, With Kids

The Aquarium of the Pacific

July 13, 2019January 26, 2021 Lisa Wells

We recently took a mini vacation to Long Beach (about an hour from our home in Southern California). One of the highlights while we were there (for both us and the kiddos) was visiting The Aquarium of the Pacific. There is so much amazing sea life to view, touch, and interact with at this aquarium!

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Travel, With Kids

12 Must-Haves When Hiking With Kids

April 5, 2019April 5, 2019 Lisa Wells

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We love hiking, and we love taking our kids along with us so they can explore and experience the outdoors too! But we all know that young kids and toddlers get tired faster, or maybe they just don’t feel like walking that day. And it’s definitely not fun hiking with a cranky two year old in tow! So, along the way we have discovered some items that make the hike more enjoyable for our two little ones, and for mom and dad too! Here is our list of our favorite hiking must-haves. Click on the pictures to learn more.

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Travel, With Kids

Hiking Joshua Tree National Park With Young Kids

April 3, 2019January 26, 2021 Lisa Wells

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Little ones are naturally curious, and ours love the outdoors, so we love taking them to parks and hiking with them. But let’s be honest. Hiking with young kiddos is not always fun. They whine. Their little legs get tired. They want to be carried. Or, if you have a child like my two year old daughter, they stop every single person they meet along the trail to give them a hug. And while this may seem adorable, it makes for a very slow hike. So, now when we go hiking we try to scope out the best, shorter, kid-friendly trails beforehand. And thankfully there were a bunch of them at Joshua Tree National Park!

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

Kokopelli’s Cave – Unique Places to Stay

February 6, 2019January 26, 2021 Lisa Wells

Thank you for joining us in part one of our Unique Places to Stay series! Today we are featuring Kokopelli’s Cave, a very unique bed and breakfast carved into the side of a cliff!

We love finding unique places to stay when we travel, and this one has topped them all so far! Sure, when you think about spending the night in a cave, you probably think damp, cold, and uncomfortable, right? Well this cave was far from that! Think luxury caving! Think a house… but inside a cave! Kokopelli’s Cave is in Farmington, New Mexico, and was the the perfect end to our road trip.

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

An African Safari Close to Home

January 25, 2019January 26, 2021 Lisa Wells

My dream is to go on an African safari. It is definitely at the top of my bucket list! But that trip will be quite expensive, and though I will get to it someday, it won’t be in the very near future. However, I found this little gem, that, while not exactly the same as actually being in Africa, was a pretty cool “African safari” close to home! Safari West is in Santa Rosa, California, about 35 miles from Napa. Since we love animal adventures, it was the perfect addition to our Napa getaway (see the rest of our trip in our post about Napa here).

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

A Sleepover with the Sloths… and Other Animal Adventures

January 19, 2019January 26, 2019 Lisa Wells

We love sloths. We fell in love with them on our trip to Costa Rica. Their laid back attitude and their sweet smile make them so precious! So when I found an actual sloth sanctuary in the United States, we knew we had to visit! The Zoological Wildlife Conservation Center was an incredible animal adventure! Now if you’re looking for a place to bring your children to look at the animals for entertainment, this is not the place for you. But if you genuinely care about animals and want to learn more about their care and conservation, then definitely check this place out. They deal with rare, delicate, and endangered species, and we were lucky enough to get to meet several of them on our visit.

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