THEIR EYES combed the lush jungle landscape as we stood waiting at the gated entrance to 907 Whitehead Street. With a quiet gasp from my travel companions, the first orange splash of cat appeared, a bold stroke sauntering on four legs before the chartreuse shutters of the porch. It paused for a moment, gazing toward us as if daring the children to skip the queue, then turned to walk through the open door as if it owned the place.

“Do you think it has six toes?” my son whispered.

I held up crossed fingers where he could see and whispered back, “I hope so.”

As the official travel planner for our family, I often walk a fine line. Drag everyone to an activity too esoteric and risk mutiny, but build a trip around too many child-themed activities and at some point I may feel compelled to jab something sharp into my eye. For the most part, we’ve kept a good balance in our family’s travels. Though I wasn’t so sure how our visit to The Hemingway Home Museum in Key West was going to play out. After all, what did my three young children know of Ernest Hemingway?

(Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which help support this independent site.)

Still, I vowed I would not travel all the way from San Francisco to Key West and miss my chance to stroll along Mr. Hemingway’s bookshelves, peer into his private chambers, and possibly gaze into the very bathroom mirror where he’d examined his beard on so many mornings, including the one after a favorite poet of mine purportedly broke his fist against it.

It would be a literary pilgrimage for the parents, and—I secretly hoped—a possible antidote to the plague of the blank page I’d been battling of late.

But what would it be for the kids?

I imagined myself giving a parental preface upon arrival, something like, “A famous American writer lived here. He wrote novels, short stories, and nonfiction books, and some of his best and most important works were created here—right in this room in fact. And on THAT (we assume) typewriter.” But I already knew better. It doesn’t matter how many times you tell a child a place “is important because it’s important.” That’s not what will make it important to them.

There was only one thing I could think of that final day in Key West, one card to play that would get my young entourage to walk without grudge through the sweltering blocks of Old Town to visit the Hemingway Home Museum. It was the prospect of seeing cats there, “And quite possibly…” I widened my eyes for effect, “the legendary six-toed grandcats of Mr. Ernest Hemingway.”

“SIX toes?” cried the littlest.

“Wait a minute,” challenged the biggest. “How many toes do cats usually have?”

Cat research was quickly underway, and there was definite interest in visiting Hemingway’s cats at least, if not his home. Even better? Polydactyl—the scientific term for cats born with more than the standard set of five toes on the front or four toes on the back—could also be, the kids were quick to point out, the scientific term for their grandmother were she a dinosaur.

At last, we strode up the path toward the stunning Spanish Colonial that had stood abandoned and a shambles in 1931, the year that Ernest and Pauline moved in (his second wife of four). As the guide preparing to lead the next tour greeted us on the steps, the kids darted past her without salutation. On the far end of the porch, they’d spied a snoozing patchwork calico draped across the stonework corner.

I overheard a quiet counting followed by a very loud confirmation: “SIX TOES!!!”

I cringed, but the cat simply yawned in response and continued its siesta as if it were used to such invasions by small, paw-prodding visitors.

One of many polydactyls (sometimes called mitten cats or Hemingway cats) at the Hemingway Home Museum.

The guide called us to join our group in the dining room, with its many portraits of Hemingway, African sculpture, and photos of the famed second family that called the house home, but the room was packed. I did my best to listen from the doorway as my husband wandered down the hall taking in the rooms of the lower level on his own, and I wondered if we shouldn’t follow his lead and see all we could before the kids lost patience. Though I hated to miss the storied details of the place I now stood after imagining it for so long.

I’d at least hear the introduction.

When the Hemingways arrived in Key West in 1928, planning only to stay long enough to retrieve a Ford Roadster that Pauline’s wealthy uncle had purchased for them, the town was nearly bankrupt. It hit upon hard times well before the Great Depression owing to the end of the shipwreck salvaging era that had built the community and the recent demise of the local sponging industry which had, for a time, sustained it.

Since the car had not yet arrived in Key West, the couple stayed on. And in the three weeks they waited for the Roadster, an inspired Hemingway managed to finish the manuscript for A Farewell to Arms while he simultaneously fell in love with America’s southernmost city. When the Roadster finally arrived, it remained in Key West along with the Hemingways.

Kids splashing in what some believe is the “World’s Most Expensive Cat Drinking Fountain,” in the gardens of the Hemingway Home Museum.

As we listened on, a sociable tabby padded down the hallway toward certain inspection. “Only five toes,” the kids confirmed.

Three years later, Pauline’s Uncle Gus purchased the two-story villa as a gift for the couple—along with two other houses on the same property—from the City of Key West for a mere $8,000 in back taxes. The Hemingway’s home itself had been built in 1851 for Mr. Asa Tift, owner of one of the most prosperous salvaging operations in Key West history, with no expenses of architectural detail, marble fireplace, or carved wooden baluster spared.

Just days before, we’d seen Tift portrayed by a costumed interpreter at the Key West Shipwreck Museum, but when I turned to remind the kids, they were nowhere to be seen. I politely sped through the first level of the house—and checked the status of the calico sleeping on the front porch—but didn’t see a one. Up the narrow staircase I went.

I found my stray children, along with two others, quietly gathered at the end of a long display case filled with odds and ends from Hemingway’s life: war service medals, a signed baseball, old snapshots, and tax receipts for the property. The kids were not admiring the treasures within the case, however, but the tabby sprawled comfortably atop its glass lid. Beside the bold feline on display was a sign reading: “Please do not lean on the glass.”

“I guess they should have written it in Cat,” my daughter grinned, giving him a gentle scratch between the ears.

Hemingway artifacts–and cats–on display in the Hemingway Home Museum.

Seeing that kids, cat, and museum artifacts appeared safe for the moment, I stepped into the neighboring room to see what I could learn from another tour in progress. It was the master bedroom, and the guide explained that the carved headboard had long ago served as a garden gate on the property. Ernest and Pauline had discovered it during their renovations to the house and both liked the look of it. When they discovered it was exactly the width of their bed, up the narrow staircase it went.

Above the bed hung an oil painting of the home with wide-footed cats in the foreground. And on the bed itself—which was chained off to prevent any person from presuming they could sit on it—was a cat. With an exaggerated stretch, it rolled over to its other side, the black of its tuxedo fur commingling with chenille nubs of coverlet. The humans in the room, including the guide, looked on with affection.

Though this painting of the Hemingway Home in Key West looks right at home here, it wasn’t painted until 1975 by artist and poet Henry Faulkner.

How these cats, numbering somewhere between 40 and 50, came to be at the Hemingway Home is a subject of much debate. While some argue they couldn’t possibly be related to any cat or cats the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning author kept here in the 1930s, others insist they are indeed the direct descendants of the original six-toed kitten young Gregory and Patrick Hemingway named Snow White.

What is widely agreed upon is that Snow White was the polydactyl progeny of a six-toed seafaring cat named Snowball, whom Hemingway had often admired on the docks of Key West. Snowball belonged to Captain Harold Stanley Dexter who had sailed down to the Keys with her from Massachusetts, where polydactyls are not only more common but have been traditionally thought to bring good luck to sailors. Knowing how fond Hemingway was of Snowball, Dexter gave him Snowball’s kitten as a gift.

As we ventured out to the patio between the Hemingway home and the carriage house, a full five cats quickly came into view. Our original guide stood surrounded by the stripes, patches, and black tie get-up of the resident Hemingway cats. As they snacked on treats delivered with a casual toss of the hand, I overheard her quote a letter from Hemingway: “One cat just leads to another.” Indeed, the cats appeared to multiply in the laughter as more crept in from the nearby shrubs to pursue her offering.

Hemingway made a tradition of naming his own cats’ six-toed offspring after famed celebrities, a tradition which the caretakers of the estate continue to this day. In the  shaded cat cemetery beside us, we quickly paid respects to the generations of four-legged stars laid to rest on the property—Willard Scott, Joan Crawford, Kim Novak, and Ezra Pound among others—before moving along with the tour.

The cat cemetery, filled with celebrities (or at least their names) at the Hemingway Home Museum.

At last, it was my chance to see Hemingway’s writing studio, which was the upper story of the adjacent carriage house. In Hemingway’s time here, there was an upper story walkway between the master bedroom of the main house and the entrance of the studio. But all that remained now was a narrow iron stair case labeled “UP” on the left and “DOWN” to the right, with tourists in transit on each.

For just a moment, I felt the fleeting pangs of envy for the stark separation of space “Papa Hemingway” kept between his writing world and that of his young family. The kids, quite engaged with the cats on the ground, might not miss this, I thought. “I’ll be right back—I’m going up to have a quick look in the writing studio,” I said, gesturing up toward the pinnacle of steep steps beside us.

With cocked heads and curious eyebrows raised, I could see my daughters read more into the statement than I’d imagined they would. My eldest daughter stood, her gaze suddenly level with my collar bones. Her younger sister crossed arms, and furrowed oddly familiar eyebrows.

“Do you want to come with me?”

Heads nodded quickly. They did.

So, slowly, together, we made way up the crowded steps toward the entrance of the room where Hemingway spent his early morning writing hours during what most agree was his most prolific period, toward the room where celebrated short stories like “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” the nonfiction book The Green Hills of Africa, the novel To Have and Have Not, and many other well-known works were penned, punctuated, and percussively typed.

Yet when we reached the top of the stairs, instead of entering a writing room we stepped into a holding cell. It was just a small entryway from which visitors could view the studio between decorative iron bars. So there we stood, pressed against the bars, as more and more visitors insinuated with shoulders and elbows that we should hurry up and snap our photo, genuflect, and exit the sacred space so that they might have a quick turn, too.

But I refused to be rushed.

If there is such a thing as “good writing vibes,” this room had to have plenty of it, and I would absorb every bit I could before I exited the staircase “Down.” If I couldn’t actually walk through Hemingway’s studio, I would at least take a moment to explore what I could of it with my eyes. And if I couldn’t stand next to his writing table, I would at least take in the air, deeply as I could, as it breezed from an open window over the keys of his typewriter to me.

Ernest Hemingway’s writing table and typewriter in Key West, Florida.

“Look!” my daughter pointed her slender finger through the bars.

At the far end of the studio, in an open window slept a cat, the long stripe of its tail hanging down from the sill like a limp exclamation point.

I inserted the lens of my camera between the bars that the cats could easily transgress, accepting that it was as close as I might ever get to Hemingway’s typewriter.

“If you just showed up and didn’t know better, you’d think this writing studio belonged to the cats,” my daughter laughed.

“Maybe it does,” I shrugged, adjusting my focus on the typewriter.

Both daughters laughed in spite of the throat clearing behind us.

“People: Do not enter,” my big girl warned.

“Cats only!” the middle sister cried.

With a giggle, I snapped the shot.

“Imagine what stories they might write…” I dared, and of course they did.

We descended the stairs with visions of polydactyls pouncing on typewriters and running their own small publishing empire from a writing studio that once, long ago, was used by a man called Hemingway.

In the nearby shade of a banana tree, we found my son crouched down in quiet observation of an enormous orange tabby. “Look at his toes,” he whispered. He gently lifted a forepaw as we all leaned in for the count. “SEVEN TOES!” he squealed.

A seven-toed spectacle snoozes at the Hemingway Home Museum in Key West.

The kids could have happily spent another hour hunting polydactyls in the shade of the African tulips, plumeria, and palm trees that surround the Hemingway home, but eventually it was time to leave and begin packing up for the long trip home.

—

Post script: A poem

Among the many souvenirs we brought back with us from Key West, I discovered something so small and nearly invisible I hadn’t even realized I’d acquired at the time. I only noticed it when I was suddenly compelled to pick up a pen—and write.

What if, like a six-toed seafaring cat,

I could slip between the iron bars

that separate His hallowed hall

from the daily deluge of onlookers?

If I could pad over to His typewriter

in the hours when no one can see?

If I could type one sentence upon it—

what would mine be?

If you go:

The Hemingway Home Museum in Key West is open 365 days a year, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission includes a 30-minute guided tour, and kids 5 and younger visit free of charge. Please note: The museum accepts cash only at this time.

For more information about the museum, visit www.hemingwayhome.com or call  (305) 294-1136. For more help planning your trip to the Florida Keys and Key West, take advantage of the many free resources at www.fla-keys.com.

Where to stay? For the best Key West hotel offers for your dates, check here. And to see family-friendly Key West vacation rentals, check here. And don’t miss our other recommended Key West and Florida activities for families below (with more great family destination ideas).

Reader’s note: This travel narrative was originally published June 6, 2015 on FamilyTravel41.com. It received the Lowell Thomas Award Honorable Mention for North American Travel Stories and the Silver Award in Animal Encounters from the Solas Awards for Best Travel Writing from Traveler’s Tales Publishing. 

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The post If Cats Could Type in Key West: A Visit to the Hemingway Home Museum appeared first on Family Travel 411.

As you’ll quickly learn on a visit to the kid-friendly Key West Shipwreck Museum, even those aboard the afflicted vessel could at least be grateful that there was a bustling island economy close at hand with their misfortune literally in its sights. And better still, that the new law of the land ensured that all passengers must be rescued before whatever cargo might be aboard.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

With “wreckers” watching from shore day and night, and some optimistically patrolling the waters, help was usually quick to come. The first to arrive at a fresh shipwreck got to lead the salvage operation and would receive the biggest share of the profits when auction day rolled around.

Of course, the highly motivated passengers were probably the easiest of a ship’s contents to salvage. Removing loot from a sinking vessel wrecked on a reef is not for the faint of heart, and under no circumstances should transporting valuables enough to weigh your pockets down to the bottom of the sea be taken lightly.

If your kids doubt this for a moment, let them get their own hands on this 64 lb. bar of silver which lay at the bottom of the sea for nearly three centuries—and try to lift it for themselves.

Be it gold, silver, emeralds, Italian marble, or an occasional shipload of pianos, reclaiming maritime treasure is almost always a heavy subject it seems. In this display at the Key West Shipwreck Museum, you can see rare illustrations from the 17th century showing some of the old-fangled methods used to locate and access sunken Spanish galleons laden with treasure.

And for the pre-neoprene and oxygen tankless nineteenth century divers of Key West, saving sinking cargo was even more perilous as they often battled the same treacherous seas and weather that wrecked the ships in the first place. Methods had to be fast and effective. Though not too effective.

To the left of these bottles found in the waters around Key West, you’ll see a large earthenware vessel, which was apparently packed with black powder and detonated against the hull of the sunken Isaac Allerton in 1856.

The explosion was so great that it shattered much of the Italian marble remaining inside the ship, leaving worthless fragments of it all around the wreck site to this day.  Remnants of the explosive vessel-device itself were found by modern divers over the course of three years–and over an area spanning hundreds of yards.

Still, what wreckers were able to salvage from the Isaac Allerton before it finally sank to a depth of 30 feet was enough to bring $50,000 at auction–making it the most profitable shipwreck in Key West history.

With news of such fortunes to be made, it’s no wonder that Key West’s population grew from a mere 688 residents in 1840 to 2,645 in 1850. By 1870, the population had doubled again.

Many artifacts from the Isaac Allerton, which was rediscovered by divers in 1986, are on display at the Key West Shipwreck Museum, which stands like a time capsule at the center of town, offering a glimpse of that bustling era of master wreckers and major players for whom many of Key West’s streets are named.

As your visit concludes, don’t miss your chance to climb the 65-foot lookout tower that offers the best views of Key West and your children’s chance to watch for shipwrecks off the historic shoreline. Chances are, the next time you hear someone shout, “Wreck ashore!” it won’t sound like disaster either–just your kids enthusiastically embracing the history of Key West.

If you go:

The Key West Shipwreck Museum is open 365 days a year, from 9:40 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with the last show beginning at 4:40. For location and directions click here. Want to purchase discounted tickets online? Click here.

For the best Key West hotel offers for your dates, check here. And to see family-friendly Key West vacation rentals, check here. And don’t miss our other recommended Key West and Florida activities for families below (with more great family destination ideas).

Traveling with a child under 5 years? Don’t miss “How to Travel with a Car Seat (Without Losing Your Mind)” and my ultimate index to Flying with a Baby or Toddler advice at TravelswithBaby.com.

Reader’s Note: An earlier version of this post first appeared here on FamilyTravel411.com on April 29, 2015. It has since been updated and revised.

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The post History on the Rocks: Diving into the Key West Shipwreck Museum appeared first on Family Travel 411.

Read on, get inspired, and get packing!  

LGBTQ+ parents know that they struggle with many of the same issues as their straight counterparts–getting their kids to eat better, trying to understand new math, and picking where to go for a great family vacation.

They also know that they are not alone. The number of LGBT families in the U.S. is growing rapidly. According to a study by Community Marketing, Inc., between 6% and 29% of LGBTQ Gen-Xers report having a child under the age of 18 living in their home.  The study also found that there is a significant number of LGBT Baby Boomers who have grandchildren.

While there is no easy answer on how to get the kids to like broccoli or how to solve 2 + 2 in fifteen steps, the specific question about where to go for a great family vacation is becoming easier to answer as more destinations across the U.S. are family-friendly, gay-friendly, and LGBT-friendly.  Here are 10 vacation destinations topping the list with that winning combination.

An earlier version of this article first appeared June 1, 2017, which has since been updated. This post may contain affiliate links.

1. Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Twenty-three miles of stunning beaches is one of the main reasons the Greater Fort Lauderdale area is a top family travel destinations. In addition to the surf and sand, Fort Lauderdale offers many family friendly attractions ranging from the Museum of Discovery & Science to Butterfly World. Visiting LGBT families can take added comfort in knowing that this southern Florida paradise is also home to one of the largest concentrations of same-sex couple households in the U.S.  More tips & resources for your trip:  http://www.sunny.org

Related: See our story Into the Everglades: A Post-Hurricane Airboat Adventure at Sawgrass Recreation Park.

2. Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is not just the entertainment capital of the world, it is also an awesome family-friendly destination. A child’s imagination will soar at the sight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour at the California Science Center or travel in time inside the spectacular Dinosaur Hall at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. There is also the always fun Universal Studios Hollywood that includes The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

For some LGBT immersing, you can plan some sightseeing with Out & About Tours, which offers walking and driving tours that focus on LA’s LGBTQ history, and visit the nearby city of West Hollywood, which has a large LGBT population and many friendly retail shops and restaurants.  More tips & resources for your trip:  www.discoverlosangeles.com  

Related: See our Los Angeles with Kids – California Family Vacation Guide and also Catalina Island with Kids.

3. New York City, New York

From Broadway shows to world-class museums to famed parks and gardens, New York City is a giant playground for visitors of all ages. In addition to kid-friendly attractions such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Statue of Liberty, a must-see attraction and important learning opportunity is the Stonewall National Monument  located at the historic site of the 1969  Stonewall Uprising that helped spark the modern LGBT civil rights movement in the U.S. 

More tips & resources for your trip: https://www.nycgo.com/

And don’t miss our NYC with Kids – New York Family Vacation Guide and Ten Things to Know Before Taking Your Kids to a Broadway Show.

4. Orlando, Florida

Dubbed the theme park capital of the world, Orlando attracts more than 60 million visitors annually. Disney, which received a perfect score on the HRC Corporate Equality Index that provides an in-depth analysis and rating of large U.S. employers and their policies and practices pertinent to LGBT employees and customers, operates five of the city’s top parks.

Needless to say, most if not all of them are on the travel bucket list for most families–including LGBTQ families planning that ultimate theme park vacation. More tips & resources for your trip: https://www.visitorlando.com/

Related: See our story Into the Everglades: A Post-Hurricane Airboat Adventure at Sawgrass Recreation Park and Swamp Buggy: A Tale of Family Adventure in Big Cypress National Preserve

5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is a city steeped in American history but there is nothing “old and stodgy” about this amazing gay family-friendly vacation destination. Liberty Bell Center, Please Touch Museum, and The Franklin Institute are all great examples of the city’s fun and interactive attractions.

In addition, the City of Brotherly Love (and Sisterly Affection) has been very proactive in welcoming LGBT visitors. It was one of the first cities in the world to create a LGBT-inclusive tourism ad campaign. More tips & resources for your trip: www.visitphilly.com

Related: See our Philadelphia with Kids – Pennsylvania Family Vacation Guide

6. Phoenix, Arizona

From hiking the famed Camelback Mountain to exploring the Musical Instrument Museum, the greater Phoenix area offers the opportunity to experience diverse activities in a single destination. And while it might seem cliché for the LGBTQ family to ride in a rainbow-colored hot air balloon … it is strongly recommended.

Phoenix and the surrounding cities of Scottsdale, Tempe, and Mesa, are all LGBT-welcoming, with non-discrimination policies and some openly LGBT officials. More tips & resources for your trip: https://www.visitphoenix.com/

7. Provincetown, Massachusetts

Located on the Northern tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown is most famous for two things. First and most obvious: it’s the location of the Mayflower’s landing in 1620.

But second? Provincetown is a long-time leading LGBTQ-friendly summer vacation destination. During the height of the summer season, more than half the city’s visitors are members of the LGBTQ community including many families.

The annual Provincetown Family Week identifies as “the largest annual gathering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-identified parents and their families in the world.” More tips & resources for your trip to this LGBTQ-friendly vacation spot: http://www.provincetowntourismoffice.org/

Related: See our Cape Cod with Kids, The Berkshires with Kids, and Boston with Kids Massachusetts Family Vacation Guides.

8. San Diego, California                      

In addition to 70 miles of beautiful beaches and nearly always pleasant weather, San Diego is home to world-class family attractions including the San Diego Zoo, LEGOLAND California, SeaWorld San Diego, and Balboa Park.

October is an especially good time to visit for the annual Kids Free promotion. For the entire month, child admission to bay cruises, theme parks, museums, and other activities are free with paid adult. Plus, restaurants offer special Kids Free deals and hotels offer special amenities to children 12 and under.

As a testament to its LGBTQ friendliness, San Diego Pride is the largest civic event in the city. More tips & resources for your trip: http://www.sandiego.org

Don’t miss our Family Travel 411 Carlsbad with Kids and Catalina Island with Kids California Family Vacation Guides.

9. San Francisco, California

San Francisco is a city overflowing with iconic family-friendly attractions including Golden Gate Park, Exploratorium: The Museum of Science, Art and Human Perception, and Aquarium of the Bay . Of course, no trip to San Francisco is complete without a ride on a cable car.

The Castro District is the city’s traditional LGBT neighborhood and filled with family-friendly restaurants and retail shops. It is here you will also find the SF LGBT Center. More tips & resources for your trip: www.sftravel.com

Don’t miss our recommendations in the Family Travel 411 San Francisco with Kids – California Family Vacation Guide.

10. Washington, D.C.

Monuments and memorials and museums…oh my! A family trip to Washington, D.C. can appeal to many interests including science, history, and art. Better still, nearly all of the major museums in the city have LGBT-related items.

Among others, look for artwork by Andy Warhol at the National Gallery of Art and information on the persecution of homosexuals during WWII at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. More tips & resources for your trip: www.washington.org  

Related: See our Washington, D.C. with Kids Family Vacation Guide.

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The post The Ten Best LGBTQ+ Family Vacation Destinations appeared first on Family Travel 411.

One of the double-decker jeeps used for Safari West Wildlife Preserve tours.

REVIEW OF SAFARI WEST JEEP TOUR IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

The first question any child of three years or seventy-five will likely ask is, “Who gets to ride on the top?”

Indeed, everyone in our group of ten safari goers would have liked a turn to enjoy the view from the top deck of the jeep (especially when we happened upon certain curious and, later, potentially deadly inhabitants of the “Sonoma Serengeti”), but this privilege is only bestowed upon those measuring at least 45 inches in height.

Passengers must be at least 45″ to ride on the upper level–whew!

Having confirmed these qualifications where necessary–and that everyone who needed to use the facilities one last time had, we boarded our safari jeep, settling into its three tiered bench rows on the lower level and solitary bench above (the only seating with safety belts). With water bottles, cameras, and wide eyes, we set out on our 2-hour exploration of Safari West Wildlife Preserve, set on 400 acres of rolling hills just an hour and a half north of San Francisco.

Setting off into the “Sonoma Serengeti” on our tour of Safari West Wildlife Preserve.

Reticulated (left) and Masai giraffes at Safari West Wildlife Preserve.

Within moments of passing through the first gate, we were alongside reticulated and Masai giraffe, with the Masai, which boast the title of the tallest land mammals on earth, on our side of the fence. Our guide, Robert, stopped the jeep a short distance away, and began telling us facts few might guess about giraffes, from the bizarre blood pressure that’s required to nourish a brain atop animals nearly 18 feet tall to what they are really doing in those cute photos where they appear to be “necking.”

Heads up! The giraffes are getting a little curious about those new sun glasses…

Along with other details I never would have guessed about these creatures, I learned that a giraffe’s neck has only as many vertebrae as a human’s.  After a close inspection by a curious onlooker with a curious-looking black tongue, we rambled on. Soon, our guide stopped to allow us to rotate seats as he retrieved something from behind a stump on the side of the road.

It was time to learn equally fascinating facts about the ostriches strutting behind the fence. Prolific layers, ostriches can lay their enormous eggs as often as every other day. One egg, weighing anywhere from 3 to 5 lbs., is the equivalent of one dozen chicken eggs where omelets are concerned. “Would anyone like to hold it?”

Holding this three-pound leathery wonder is still one of my daughter’s favorite moments from the tour of Safari West Wildlife Preserve.

The excitement of holding  a real ostrich egg was nothing compared with what many of us felt as we realized Robert was driving us up to–and then through–the gate into the field with the ostriches. As he set the brake on the jeep and returned to close the gate, it was suggested that we keep our hands to ourselves and make no sudden moves.

My daughters and I were very glad to be taking our turn on the upper level at this point, though I was a little concerned about my husband and son below.

Having been warned as a child that ostriches are extremely dangerous, I was concerned for the passengers below, but not enough to give up my seat on the upper deck. Ostriches were soon to be the least of our worries, however.

The road became more rugged and steep, and I was thankful to have the safety belts around my daughters as we lurched bobbed on the upper deck, which felt every rock and pot hole exponentially, until Robert slowed to a pause and drew our attention to something in the nearby shadows.

We’d happened upon the morning siesta of one of the deadliest mammals on the African continent.

Cape buffalo rest in the shade at Safari West Wildlife Preserve.

Male Cape buffalo grow a shield across the forehead for extra protection when fighting.

The Cape buffalo watched us watch them for a moment, then Robert eased the jeep a bit farther down the road, before stopping to tell us about these bullish beasts at a safer distance. They are more than just physically powerful.

The Cape buffalo has an amazing sense of smell and memory–two things that make it possible for it to hold a grudge for a very long time. Look forward to a great hair-raising story from your guide if you’re lucky enough to spot the Cape buffalo on your tour.

While there are no guarantees which African animals you may get to see during your Safari West jeep tour, I suspect that the earliest morning tours offer the best odds. We not only had the good fortune of crossing paths with a few zebras that morning; we couldn’t quite count them as they continued to appear from the shadows, mingled among themselves, meandered, and eventually surrounded our jeep on all sides–though seemingly oblivious to our presence.

Stop the jeep! There’s a zebra!

Are you seeing stripes yet? You can see how their camouflage helps hide them as a group–especially in shadows.

As you can also see, the zebra population is a growing success here!

We were all quite moved by the zebra visitation during our jeep safari, and I’m sure hundreds of photos were snapped. Eventually, the zebras began to wander off into the shadows, and we began to work our way back, slowly, toward the village at Safari West. But the animal sightings were not over yet.

A pair of southern white rhinoceros snooze as we pass by.

A young African sable dazzles us as we drive by.

The driving portion of our Safari West Wildlife Preserve  tour took more than two hours, though even the three-year-old girl in our group and my four-year-old son never seemed bored or antsy. We saw roan antelope, gazelles, kudu, a warthog, and then some, and unlike the self-drive wildlife parks you may visit, our experienced guide was there to educate and entertain us throughout.

After a pit stop and water break at the village, we continued on with Robert for the guided walking tour included with the jeep tour, calling on a resident cheetah and several other rescued animals living in fenced areas and enclosures. Walking through the African aviary was even more of a treat than I’d anticipated.

Visit African spoonbills, scarlet ibises, as you continue your tour of Safari West Wildlife Preserve.

A postcard-perfect scarlet ibis.

As a family of wildlife enthusiasts, it would be hard not to fall in love with Safari West. Not only is the guided jeep tour experience one of the most enlightening and enjoyable animal encounters we’ve had yet, but learning more about the accomplishments of the preserve and its commitment to wildlife preservation, “through breeding, education, research and public interaction,” was inspiring as well.

Oh, and did someone mention teen internships? Let’s just say I won’t be surprised if we’re back in a few years to visit one of our own “on the job” here.

Tips for planning your visit to Safari West, Santa Rosa:

Tour Notes: Safari West’s African safari jeep tours are available 7 days a week, but you must reserve yours in advance (call 1-800-616-2659 or book online at www.safariwest.com). Children under 3 years are not allowed on the driving portion of the tour, but groups with a toddler may have one adult and the child join the group for the walking portion afterward for $25 for the adult (with no charge for the toddler).

Tour prices vary by season, ranging from $115/adult and $50/child on peak weekends (summer) to $93/adult and $45/child on winter weekends (discount for seniors). If you have flexibility, weekday tours cost less than those on the weekends. Also, overnight guests staying in Safari West’s African tent camp receive a reduced tour price. Other special offers and packages are available at www.SafariWest.com.

Getting There: Safari West Wildlife Preserve is 75 miles north of San Francisco, nearest the city of Santa Rosa, in the heart of Sonoma Wine Country. It may take anywhere from 1 hour 15 minutes in light traffic to nearly 2 hours to reach from San Francisco during commute times.

We drove past the entrance before seeing it, and many GPS systems are apparently giving false directions, so I recommend taking a look at the website’s directions from your starting point.

Practical Tips: You will be out on safari for at least 2 hours, and in the case of our early tour, I went from cool enough to be in SmartWool socks to sweltering in my vented UV-guard shirt. Dress in layers, bring your water, and make sure you’re armed with a fully charged camera with an extra memory card–you may need it.

Also, make sure everyone has had plenty to eat before you go and has used the restroom; there aren’t any facilities along the way (and you never know who might be hiding behind a tree!).

Dining: Delilah’s Snack Shop is open in late spring and summer months, with pre-made sandwiches and salads, popsicles, chips, and cold drinks including wine and beer. The Savanna Grill serves BBQ lunches and dinners at set times each day (changes by season), with dining indoors or on the outdoor patio (more in my Review of Safari West: One Night in the African Tent Camp).

Thanks to Safari West Wildlife Refuge and Safari Tent Camp for hosting my family and providing this opportunity to review their accommodations and tour. For more information about Safari West’s guided safari tours, overnight accommodations, packages, and special offers, visit https://www.safariwest.com/. An earlier version of this review appeared June 3, 2014, and has since been updated.

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One Night in the African Tent: A Review of Safari West Wildlife Preserve

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The post On Safari in Sonoma: Jeep Tour Adventure at Safari West Wildlife Preserve appeared first on Family Travel 411.

Often, it’s when I’m using the local public transportation (BART, subways, crowded buses) or walking through unfamiliar neighborhoods. Or when I’m flying on an overcrowded airplane and under no circumstances want to be separated from my camera. (Nobody’s gate-checking your purse, thankfully).

Unfortunately, too many protective padded camera inserts are simply too boxy or too bulky to use effectively inside a purse. But fear not. I’ve found a solution that’s working great for me and may be just the solution for you, too.

If you find yourself in places where a camera bag or camera-branded backpack that screams “I’m toting expensive camera gear!” is not desirable, you may also like my post on The Best Travel Purse(s) for a DSLR Camera I’ve Found, as well as this post on the new insert I’m frequently using in it. Read on, my friend…

Note: I purchased my S-Zone on my own dime and this independent review contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting this site with your click-throughs!

Which S-Zone DSLR camera insert do I use in my purse(s)?

After trying myriad configurations of thin sweaters, scarves, padded lens covers and searching for a just-right sized camera insert that would actually FIT in my favorite travel purse (and its cousins) without looking too much like a big padded box, I found it. The 7″ x 9″ x 4″ is ideal for fitting in my Baggallini Cargo Bagg.

It’s providing an extra measure of shock-proof, bump-proof protection (reassuring when you squeeze through turnstiles while lugging a suitcase). And it also provides protection from moisture and rain, which is great when you find yourself out in the elements on city streets or in queue for a monument far longer than expected.

Better still, the S-Zone camera insert also provides extra help with much-needed organization in my bag.

How I use the S-Zone DSLR camera insert in my purse:

When your purse doubles as a camera bag–but still has to serve as a purse–a little help with organization goes a long way. Sure, this camera insert comes close to filling my purse from end to end. Yet I found there is just enough room to slip my travel wallet and keys between its exterior and one end of my purse. This is helpful because my wallet feels securely out of the way as I get my camera in and out, yet my wallet and keys are exactly where I expect them when needed. (That’s the strap of my travel wallet I’d just accessed showing on the left end in the photo below.)

On the other end, there’s just enough room to slip a narrow notepad and pen or pack of travel tissues.

Here’s a sneak peek at it in my purse as I stood in an airport security line. I can quickly retrieve my camera and place in the security bin beside the purse.

The slim side pocket of this camera insert doesn’t seem too noteworthy. Yet it’s great for slipping in your press badge, a map, or other paperwork you might need to quickly access.

This model of S-Zone DSLR camera insert comes with movable or removable padded dividers. It’s cover for the top is also fully removable (with Velcro). However, I’ve mostly used it in my purse without any of these.

In my typical travel or photojournalism scenario, I head out with a single lens of choice on the camera ready for action — often a good-size Nikkor 28-200 on my D750. Using it without the lid helps the top of the case take the shape of your purse, helping to conceal it.

My camera body and larger lens pretty much fills it along with my Peak Design camera strap (Love it! See it here.). Though I have slipped a 50 mm in below the lens barrel and still managed to get it zipped. I still use the outer pockets of the purse to keep a lens cloth, brush, cards and backup battery handy. The inner pocket of the purse is reserved for personal items.

What’s more…

S-Zone also offers a slightly larger padded camera insert at 12″ x 5″ x 9″, and also the same size I am using with carrying straps. You can see ALL of these options at Amazon.

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The post Review of the S-Zone DSLR camera insert for purses appeared first on Family Travel 411.

Set on 10,000 acres outside of Santa Barbara, the active cattle ranch is home to a herd of 100+ geldings. Among them, horses suitable for the youngest beginning riders (lessons offered for kids 4 to 6 years in the corral, and 7 years+ on the trail) through advanced riders. And I wasted no time getting over to the barn to see what it’s all about.

Horseback Rides for all Levels of Riders–with and without the Parents

For starters, on our first evening there I was able to set out on an “Advanced” trail ride with a small group. We were not only trotting through portions of the 2-hour ride, but we also enjoyed portions of the ride led along at full lope! In the evening light on the beautiful open hills surrounding Alisal Lake, with nary a hint of the busy Bay Area life I’d left behind, it felt at times like I was starring in my own Western film.

To my delight, our wrangler Meaghan took us on a special route where we could view two bald eagle nests–one which had been far larger in the past, but was damaged in a storm. The other, the newer nest replacing it and currently inhabited by a pair of eagle parents and two eaglets. Watch closely, she advised, and you might see one. (Watch closely here, and you might just see one, too…)

Wrangler Meaghan leads the way to an oak tree adorned with bald eagle nests.

Lucky day! Just when I was ready to give up, I spy something up through the lacy lichen of an old oak tree.

Meanwhile, my daughters were on an Intermediate trail ride suitable to their skill levels and having a great time. And guess what? A parent didn’t have to accompany them at the same level (yes!). When we met up back at the barn afterward, it turned out we all three had bald eagle tales to tell. In their story, one of the adults swooped down beside them right at eye level above the water as they rode along the lake.

… it felt at times like I was starring in my own Western film.

When your wrangler literally rides off into the sunset…

The next morning was an early start for the kids with my son also saddling up for a 1-hour Instructional Trail Ride. Though he’s been on horseback rides before, the Instructional Trail Ride was a great opportunity for him and both of his sisters to brush up on the finer points of Western riding.

“Little T” ready for his morning instructional ride during his Alisal dude ranch vacation.

Shortly afterward, my daughters and I hit the trail for a 2-hour morning Intermediate trail ride. As promised, I saw plenty of new trail and views on my second ride. With more than 100 miles of trail through the hills surrounding The Alisal dude ranch, you may never take the same exact route twice even in a week of riding there.

My middle kid “on her happy place,” at The Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort.

Sure, there was time for the pool, an archery lesson out at the lake, a visit to the Little Barn (don’t miss the free-range guinea pig and bunny room!), and lots of eating. But for my horse-starved daughters, they were back at the barn before we could blink.

Drill Team & Rodeo Night at the Alisal Dude Ranch

It was time to train up for the Alisal’s first inaugural drill team performance. This wrangler-led group of guests ranging from 7 years to non-of-your business(!) would be the opening act in The Alisal’s weekly Rodeo Night. Interested guests of the dude ranch can sign up to practice and ride as the drill team in front of the audience (click here to see my feature on the Rodeo Night at the Alisal and see action shots of the amazing rodeo riders in my photo gallery of the American West).

Drill team riders kick off the Rodeo Night at The Alisal Guest Ranch.

The Morning Breakfast Ride at The Alisal Dude Ranch

But what turned out to be a most magical highlight for our family horseback riding vacation was when we all set out on the “Morning Breakfast Ride,” Daddy and Grandma included.  This 3-hour adventure starts and ends with a scenic ride (again, new trails and views for me!). But in this case, there is a stop at the Old Adobe, a house on the ranch property that is well over 100 years old. There, we gobbled a hot Western breakfast served in the open air, with live music and even a special performance by cowboy poet Chris Henrich.

Setting out through lacy lichen-draped oaks on our breakfast ride at The Alisal Ranch.

Enjoying a misty morning ride to breakfast in The Alisal hills.

The lineup! Arriving at The Alisal’s breakfast ride hitching area.

Breakfast served hot off the griddle for guests on The Alisal’s breakfast ride.

Outdoor breakfast area behind the Old Adobe for guests on the 3-hour morning breakfast ride at The Alisal.

But wait, there’s more! Don’t miss your chance to try the legendary bacon-pancake of the breakfast ride!

Cowboy poet Chris Henrich recites favorite campfire verses for guests at The Alisal’s Breakfast Ride.

Our breakfast ride was the perfect ending to our vacation at The Alisal Guest Ranch. And just before the ride back, the morning mist evaporated and revealed a perfect blue sky. As if made-to-order, my wish for the entire family to see a bald eagle on the ride back was delivered. Threefold. Searching the trees near the eagles nests, we suddenly spotted a scrappy mess of tree bark. Yet as it moved, we realized was actually a flutter of feathers.

BOTH eaglets (brown feathers without the bald head yet) and one adult parent bald eagle dazzled us as we rode by. Unfortunately, in my excitement to try and capture the moment from horseback, the results came out rather bigfoot-like. So instead I leave you with one of several lovely herons we also enjoyed on our Alisal dude ranch vacation.

Find out More about dude ranch vacations at The Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort

For more information about all of The Alisal’s horseback riding lessons, specialized trail rides, and horseback riding vacation packages, click here to visit the official site of The Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort. And whether you hope to participate or just enjoy the excitement and fun (and food!), don’t miss my feature Grit and Glory: Rodeo Night at the Alisal. Full disclosure: We have a new family connection to the Alisal and enjoyed friends & family rates and discounts on most activities. As always, no promise of positive review was given, and my opinions remain my own.

Riding back from breakfast beside Alisal Lake, a heron comes into view…

You might also like:

Review of The Greenhorn Ranch – California Family Dude Ranch Vacations

Grit & Glory: Rodeo Night at The Alisal Guest Ranch (in Photos)

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Love horses? See my “American West” gallery!

Pin it to Your Travel Board:

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