| Do you and your family enjoy theme parks? Ok, silly | | | | Monarch Garden, filled with hundreds of tropical and |
| question. What family doesn't enjoy theme parks? Kids | | | | sub-tropical trees, flowers and shrubs; the Camellia |
| love them because there's always something fun to | | | | Gardens displaying many different varieties of |
| do. Parents love them because they give their kids | | | | camellias; and the Holly Garden, which features over |
| such joy. And, let's face it, many parents love the roller | | | | 20 different varieties of hollies. |
| coasters and other rides as well. | | | | Bonfante Garden's season begins March 31. |
| Many families try to visit all the major parks at least | | | | Silver Dollar City - Branson, Missouri |
| once while their kids are young. It's almost like the | | | | Silver Dollar City is an absolute must-see theme park. |
| tradition of putting a sticker on your luggage to show | | | | Why? It has what the other theme parks don't have. |
| where you've been. You want as many stickers on | | | | An actual living cave. As a matter of fact, Missouri is |
| that suitcase as you can collect. They become | | | | chock full of caves, and is known as the "Cave State" |
| badges of honor for your travels. As far as theme | | | | due to it containing over 6,000 surveyed caves. One |
| parks go, there are the usual suspects: | | | | of them is Marvel Cave, which is now part of Silver |
| California | | | | Dollar City amusement park. Admission to Silver Dollar |
| --Disneyland | | | | City also gains you admission to the Marvel City Cave |
| --California Adventure | | | | tour, a tour which lasts approximately 60 minutes and |
| --Knott's Berry Farm | | | | takes you 500 feet below the surface. You do have |
| --Magic Mountain | | | | to climb 600 stairs down, but will have a cable train to |
| --Universal Studios | | | | take you the ½-mile trip back up to the surface. |
| --Legoland | | | | Other rides include a giant swing, which launches you 7 |
| --SeaWorld | | | | stories into the air; a 20-minute steam train ride; a |
| Florida | | | | funhouse called Grandfather's Mansion; an 80-foot tall, |
| --Universal Orlando | | | | high-speed, roller coaster with a great view of the |
| --SeaWorld Orlando | | | | Ozarks; and several water rides. |
| --Walt Disney World | | | | Dollywood - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee |
| But what about the Not-So-Usual Suspects? Those | | | | For those of you not familiar with Pigeon Forge, |
| are the theme parks you might not know about, but | | | | Tennessee, it's one of the towns close to the Great |
| should, particularly if you have younger children. Here | | | | Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the most |
| are a few not-so-knowns that you might want to | | | | popular National Parks in the United States. So, a |
| consider as well: | | | | vacation to Pigeon Forge will get you close to peaceful |
| Bonfante Gardens - Gilroy, California | | | | vacation cabins and all the outdoor activities you can |
| Gilroy? Where's Gilroy? Chances are many of you | | | | handle: boating, fishing, hiking, etc. Plus, you can give the |
| haven't heard of Gilroy, California. Gilroy is the Garlic | | | | kids a day at a fabulous nearby theme park: |
| Capital of the World, located off the 101, approximately | | | | Dollywood. |
| 42 miles southeast of Monterey and just over 80 miles | | | | Dollywood is a great place for families with children of |
| south of San Francisco. So, if you're visiting the San | | | | all ages. The younger children will really like it because |
| Francisco, Monterey or Santa Cruz areas of California, | | | | of the mix of rides with educational amusements, such |
| a side trip to the Bonfante Gardens should be on your | | | | as the Dreamland Forest Treehouse full of kid games, |
| list. | | | | an interactive Dreamland Forest playground area, and |
| Bonfante Gardens has the distinction of being | | | | the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary, which houses the |
| California's only horticultural theme park, designed for | | | | country's largest collection of non-releasable bald |
| garden lovers and families of small children. It's like a | | | | eagles. There are numerous thrill rides as well for |
| Legoland, only instead of trees and flowers made of | | | | parents and older children, including the new coaster |
| Legos, these trees and flowers are real. Imagine that, a | | | | ride, Mystery Mine, where you travel on a 1,811-foot |
| theme park with something real. And, while you won't | | | | track through an abandoned coal mine, and take an |
| find the amount of thrill rides you would at the other | | | | 85-foot vertical plunge. |
| parks, there are some rides to keep the kids (and | | | | Five of the South's largest festivals occur at |
| ride-loving parents interested). Rides include a sky | | | | Dollywood between March and December, including |
| monorail, a roller coaster billed as a "thrilling mine | | | | KidsFest from mid June to early August. Dollywood is |
| coaster" surrounded by nearly 600 trees, a carousel | | | | open March 31 through the end of December. |
| which dates back to 1927, and a giant banana which | | | | While every kid wants to visit Disneyland, Disney |
| swings back and forth. Okay, maybe not the most | | | | World, Universal Studios, and all the other usual |
| thrilling, but definitely appropriate for younger children. | | | | suspects, do give some thought to some of the |
| For the garden buffs among you, Bonfante Gardens | | | | lesser-known, not-so-usual suspects which can delight, |
| has several gardens to astound you, such as the | | | | educate and thrill you and your family. |