We were only a few hours into our expedition cruise on the National Geographic Lindblad Islander II and I thought it couldn’t get better than that. How wrong I was.

Not Your Typical Cruise

A few months ago, close to the start of the year, we had several clients ask us about National Geographic Lindblad cruises. We’ve got a team with lots of experience under our belts, but we hadn’t done anything with Nat Geo Lindblad. Of course, we did our research and connected with the sales team at the company to answer questions from our clients. What we booked for them sounded amazing and our curiosity was piqued. We realized that we had a blind spot in our knowledge base. None of us had ever done any cruises like this, known as expedition cruises, and if our clients were going to ask about it, we figured we should have some answers.

By late May, we’d found some dates that worked for us and chose a location, one that I still can’t believe you can go to, the Galapagos Islands. Located several hundred miles off the coast of Ecuador, they aren’t exactly easy to get to and, given that they are not only a national park but also one of the most closely protected wildlife sanctuaries and research stations in the world, we figured this would be a very interesting trip.

The National Geographic Islander II is unlike any vessel I’ve ever been on.

You might notice that the title of this article does not say review and this isn’t one. If you’ve read our articles before, you’ll know that we hold ourselves to strict standards about reviewing travel companies. For an article to be a review we must pay the publicly listed fare, receive no special treatment or benefits because of our status as travel agents, and have no reason to believe that the crew of the ship is aware of our line of work. Our trip on the Islander II was discounted to a promotional rate available to travel agents, known as a fam or familiarization rate, and, although we don’t think we received special treatment, some staff were aware of our line of work.

That means this is a description of our time with Nat Geo Lindblad to help you understand what you are likely to experience when sailing with them.

They Handle It For You

Once we confirmed the dates with the National Geographic Lindblad booking team, we started making our travel arrangements. They informed us that we would need to book our flights to the city of Guayaquil and that they will make arrangements for us at the Hotel del Parque for the night before the cruise and they would have a driver and coordinator waiting to meet us at the airport. That was our first hint of just how different this type of cruise is. It’s not that no other cruise lines do that for guests, more so that it’s usually not part of the standard package, it’s an extra cost or an addon.

To be clear, the airfare is not included in the price, that is something that you have to book on your own. Also excluded is the cost of your meals while you stay at the hotel, although breakfast is included as standard by the Hotel del Parque so we had that, for lunch and dinner, though, we were on our own.

The hotel was exquisite, truly a luxury location. Nestled inside a historic park and indeed inside what, we were told, was the oldest building in the city. Apparently, some years ago, it was moved to the park, piece by piece, brick by brick, and reconstructed to create an immaculately posh place to lay your head. During the move and rebuilding, the structure was updated to include an elevator and space for all the modern amenities, like air conditioning and marble showers.

The Hotel del Parque is a wonderful place to stay, to put it mildly.

Nat Geo Lindblad also made flight arrangements to the Galapagos (this flight is included in the fare), transportation to the airport for that flight, and handled our luggage all the way from the hotel to the ship. The company is so thorough in its care for guests that we literally had an escort onto the flight to make sure that everything went smoothly.

Most importantly, though, Nat Geo Lindblad handled the vast majority of paperwork required to visit the Galapagos, which there is a great deal of. We did have to fill out a short declaration form ourselves, but that was it. They handled paying the $100 fee to enter the Islands. They worked through the customs forms that needed to be processed before visiting. All we saw was a few QR codes on our phones and they handled the rest, something I’m very glad wasn’t my job. Once we landed at the Baltra airport in the Galapagos, two of the guides were there to meet us and make sure we got to the ship.

On this journey, once we passed through Ecuadorian customs, National Geographic Lindblad held our hand every step of the way. Not just on the way out, but on the way back as well. National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions takes the step to not only arrange for a hotel at the front end, but the back end as well. We spent another night in the exquisite Hotel del Parque and in the morning they arranged transport, with a company representative, to take us to the airport.

The National Geograpic Islander II

Perhaps the descriptor “expedition cruising” has set the scene for you. An expedition is something done by explorers, adventurers, in other words, rugged types. While, yes, this sort of cruising does attract the more adventurous sorts, you won’t be roughing it exactly. Unless you consider king bed suites, marble bathrooms, and thrice per day room cleanings to be “rough”, I think you’ll find the accommodations to be opulent. Not that you’ll be spending much time in them, given the schedule you will likely keep.

Knowing the ship’s origins explains the palatial experience. The National Geographic Islander II was purchased by Lindblad Expeditions in 2021 from Crystal Cruises, the well-known high luxury cruise line, during Crystal’s bankruptcy proceedings that year. Crystal refit the ship after they acquired it in 2015, making it an all-suite ship, drenched in comfort. When Lindblad took possession, they promptly changed very little because, they didn’t need to. Even today, more than a decade after its last refit, the Islander II looks pristine.

Every surface is perfectly chosen for its purpose. Warm woods, cool marbles, durable carpets all put in their respective places to suit an exact need. Chairs are plush and comfortable after a long day of activities. Couches welcome you to gather on them. The dining facilities are open and inviting. Even the common area restrooms are, as the youths would say, extra, with heated toilet seats. Yes, you read that correctly, the common area toilet seats are heated.

Aboard the National Geographic Islander II you’ll be in the lap of luxury and comfort, not that you’ll likely care much by the end of the day.

This luxuriating extends beyond the things you can touch. The people who make it all work are the real magic to all of this. To say the staff are incredible is to commit a crime, for that word robs them of so much of the credit they are due. There is no single word in the English language adequate to the task of praising the people who work on the Islander II. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about the zodiac pilots, the ship’s doctor, hotel staff, purser, kitchen crew, wait staff, engineers, mechanics, or the captain and his mates, they all deserve more praise than I could possibly give. I try to limit naming individual people in my writing to avoid any potential pressure I could place on them in a public venue, but I certainly made my feelings clear to the company.

The wait staff, for example, takes pains to learn your preferences. After two breakfasts, where I opted for the daily juice and a coffee with cream, the waiters simply asked if I want the usual and, if there was an option, which juice I would like. They even took note of what we ordered from the menu and made suggestions about what we might like at each meal based on that. The bartender and bartender assistant knew not only how I like my drinks, but which drink I like at which time. Once again, they would simply ask if I wanted the same beverage as last night.

My one evening drink, which they knew just how to prepare.

It’s no accident that this is the experience either. National Geographic Lindblad maintains a 1:1 crew to passenger ratio on the Islander II. The ship can accommodate roughly 45-50 passengers and carries more crew than customers at 57 staff. I cannot say, at least with certainty, that the ship was laid out that way intentionally by National Geographic Lindblad or if it was designed that way by Crystal. Regardless, the crew aboard the ship is without an equal.

Since this ship is used for expedition cruising, you’ll find some facilities and ways of operating onboard that, if you’re used to large cruise ships, you wouldn’t expect. Meals are served for everyone at the same time, meaning that you all dine together. You can have your own table, if you prefer, or dine with other guests, usually 2-4 others. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all scheduled and there isn’t hot food available outside of these times.

There’s a lounge that you all gather in for a daily debriefing, covering what people experienced that day and what you are scheduled to do tomorrow. The bar is only open during meals and after dinner, but the bridge of the ship is open 24/7 and you can go and visit while they navigate. There’s also the marina deck where you embark/disembark and where you keep your wetsuit, snorkel, and flippers. You don’t have to bring your own, by the way, they provide them for you.

On the National Geographic Islander II, if you ever have any issues with the facilities or need some accomodations, simply put it in the Log Book at the front desk.

There are also features that you would expect to find on other cruise ships that might surprise you by their presence on a vessel of this size. There’s an observation deck complete with a small pool and sauna. It’s equipped with a gym, including cardio equipment and weights. Should your back ache after a long flight into Ecuador, you can book a session with the ship’s massage therapist who, I heard on the good authority of a mother of three young children, was fantastic. A small library area sits next to the hotel reception desk and across from the Global Gallery, which is what Nat Geo Lindblad calls their ship’s gift shop. There’s a “Science Hub”, which has some photo kiosks, board games, and a space for presentations; it was used mostly during the programing for the kids.

The Cabins

If you book an itinerary on the Islander II, your choice of room is limited to suites and larger suites, something that people ceaselessly never lament. The larger suites are most suitable for groups with more than two people. They come with convertible sofas and complimentary laundry. There are some of the smaller suites with adjoining doors to make a family suite, but not all of them have this ability. The layout of the rooms and if they connect is clear on the website should you be curious.

The suites themselves want for nothing. They can be arranged as two beds or one king size, with nightstands on both sides. Electrical outlets of both US and European connections are available on the nightstands as well as light controls for the room, so CPAP users have nothing to fear in that regard (though the distilled water may be more difficult). Here’s where I want to pause for a moment and remark on the quality of the light design in the suites. To be blunt, I found the light controls to be the best of any ship or hotel room I’ve ever stayed in.

The suites, which are your only option, on the National Geographic Islander II have plenty of bedside plugs to charge or run any device you need.

I promise that I won’t harp on for too long, but for some years I sold commercial and industrial lighting and designed custom lighting control systems, so I’m rather attuned to the demands of the industry and how they often fail to meet consumers’ needs. For example, have you ever stayed in a hotel room where you have to walk around the space turning each individual light off or what about a place where you simply couldn’t find the light switch to operate one specific light? I know I have and I hate that.

Space and light are the basis for architecture and so often one or the other, or both, are failed by the hospitality industry, not on the Islander II, though. From multiple points in the room, you can adjust the intensity of the lights, set different scenes, such as for reading lights only, and turn all the lights on or off. This is all done from simple, push-button panels. I don’t need to use a tablet and I don’t need to leave the bed to turn the lights off. Why this is the first time I’m seeing such an implementation on a cruise ship is beyond me but praise should be heaped upon whoever made this happen.

I truly loved the lighting design on the National Geographic Islander II. So simple, yet versatile.

Getting back to the rest of the room, storage space was plentiful, more than plentiful, in fact. As an expedition ship, there really isn’t a desire by most guests to change into dressier clothes in the evening, which cuts down on the wardrobe size needed. The ship is a casual dress environment, so shorts and sneakers are common with guests. You will, however, likely desire to air your clothing out after hiking and they have plenty of hangars and hooks in the room to allow for that. There is no need to bring any extra magnetic hooks to this ship.

The beds were comfortable, although I must admit that my ability to judge them fairly against other lines is hampered by the physical exhaustion I felt at the end of each day, so I won’t make any comparisons. Suffice it to say that I, a scoliosis haver, slept well in them. Regarding the room temperature, I never once had to adjust it because it was perfect from the moment we stepped into our suite. And that’s a good thing too because changing the temperature is, apparently, quite a faff. The hotel staff specifically mentioned to call them to adjust the temperature and guests, who attempted to do otherwise, reported to us that it really is a task for the crew. I cannot explain why this is, but it is.

Oh yeah, staying on the National Geographic Islander II is a real hardship. How can I even pee is a bathroom like this?

Bathrooms were marble and spacious. Showers were large enough for two people and complete with rain a shower head and wand. The lighting designers were even so thoughtful to add a nightlight by the toilet that is permanently on, allowing you to find your way safely even in the dark. The provided shampoo, body wash, and conditioner weren’t my favorite, but they weren’t bad either. Since everyone’s hair is different, your conditioning may vary. I did like the provided lotion, though, and used it frequently since I was swimming in the salt water and often showering twice per day. To be clear, that is not my usual showering frequency, but it is warm and quite humid in the Galapagos and you will be active… Just consider the other guests is all I’m saying.

There are TVs in the rooms with a host of movies to choose from, especially Nat Geo documentaries. Our tv, though, did seem to suffer from some “burn-in” and the image in our room was washed out slightly. It wasn’t so bad that it made the set unusable, but it was noticeable. I imagine, however, most guests don’t even bother to turn it on.

The TV in our room had a bit of “burn in” on some spots, at least that’s the best idea I have for whatever these bright spots are.

Each suite has a small desk space and a moveable round table for flat surfaces. Both can easily accommodate a laptop and other charging setups. Even I, with my three cameras, gimbal, 600mm lens, storage disks, laptops, phone, and smart watch had no issue finding areas to set up on, which is a first for a cruise ship, including some rather posh ones I’ve sailed on.

Housekeeping staff tend to your room three times a day and keep it stocked with a chilled carafe of water. They advise you to not drink the tap water, saying it’s safe for brushing teeth, and steer you toward using the water provided. There’s also a mini-fridge stocked with some beer and sodas that you are free to use. Only select wines and some crafted cocktails are extra on the ship, so hydrate to your heart’s content because the mini-fridge beverages don’t cost extra.

Cuisine

All of my previous cruises have been on ships larger than this. Only one ship I’ve taken, the Hurtigruten Trollfjord, had fewer than 500 guests. Unlike most other cruise ships’ approach  to culinary offerings, which I would describe as being akin to a shotgun, the Islander II operates their kitchen with surgical precision. Each menu for each meal is different. There’s no way for me to say what you’ll have to eat but, there will be some things that you can depend on.

There will always be a vegetarian dish, a fish dish, and a meat dish. Our meat dishes consisted of chicken, duck, beef, or pork. Most of the dishes are Ecuadorian in origin or given an Ecuadorian flare and, as much as possible, the food is sourced locally, especially the fish and other meats. You also won’t see any upcharges or extra cost dishes.

Lunch aboard the Islander II is a mix of hearty and light, either is available as you desire.

If you’re hungry outside of mealtimes, they keep snacks in the lounge area and the library, along with a stocked mini fridge at both locations. As I mentioned above, most alcohol is included. Beers and most basic cocktails (like a simple Manhattan or martini), wines at meals (selected by the house), and a variety of liqueurs are all available as part of the fare. Bottles of wine, many of which are sourced from the region, and premium cocktails are extra at typical prices for cruises/restaurants.

Should you want to bring your kids, they will be fine with the food if they aren’t too fussy of eaters. There were a number of kids on our sailing and they all seemed to like the meals from what I saw. Admittedly, I didn’t go into detail on how the kids were eating with each parent group, but I saw them every meal and it seemed to be fine. Ultimately, you know your child and will know if they will be alright with the menu. I’ve posted a couple samples below from dinners we had so you can assess.

A typical dinner menu on the National Geographic Islander II.

Most importantly, the staff took care to check for allergies every meal. I know that has become more commonplace, but it’s still critical. Less important to safety, they also took care to try and prepare your dish to your taste, and I want to recognize how hard this actually is. As someone who worked in food service for years, I’ll try and briefly describe how challenging what they did is.

The National Geographic Islander II gave us a BBQ night out on the open air back of the ship. It was one of my favoirte dinners because I love eating outside.

Each day, the kitchen team, which was only five of them, prepared three meals, along with appetizers, snacks, cut fruits, and desserts. Every morning, by 5:30 AM, before the day’s excursions begin, there were fresh cut fruits and yogurts available as an early morning snack. At 8 AM, breakfast was served, which included bacon, eggs, oatmeal, and several Ecuadorian dishes, which were all amazing! By 11 AM, they had prepared more snacks for the retuning excursions and a full lunch with multiple dishes to choose from along with soup and salad. Once 6 PM rolled around, more snacks for the returning evening excursions were ready and dinner was moments away. All of that made, as much as they can, to individual tastes, for around 45 guests.

That is food preparation on hard mode.

Ship Life

With only 45 or so guests on the ship, you get to know almost everyone you sail with. This would never happen on a large cruise ship. Yes, many guests get to know a few people onboard, but not everyone. That would be impossible. However, with a group of several dozen, instead of several thousand, it results in real connections with people from all over the world.

Let me walk you through one of our days to explain what this is like.

The first morning, most of the ship woke at 5 AM, or there about, for a hike at dawn. Sunrise is consistently early at the equator and avoiding the sun’s rays during the most intense parts of the day is important, hence the early beginning. About a dozen at a time, we boarded zodiac boats to get to the shore where the hike would begin. This hike took us up around 300 feet above the water on a challenging boardwalk ascent. We took pictures as a group and learned about flora and fauna as we saw them.

The National Geographic guides were fonts of knowledge, spewing facts about geology, history, and biology, as easily as you could ask. Once the hike concluded, we took a brief diversion on the zodiac to see some Galapagos penguins that had been spotted; these were a rare sighting this year because of El Niño making the water too warm. After the brief meeting with the penguin on the shore, we went back to the Islander II for breakfast.

This little galapagos penguin is so cute! Depending on how you measure, they are either the second or third smallest penguin.

After the morning meal concluded, anyone who wanted to snorkel changed into their wetsuits for our first dive into the waters of the Galapagos Islands. Once in the water, our guides took us around the area and pointed out amazing wildlife, like reef sharks and surgeon fish. Joyously, we were joined by sea lions freely swimming among us, and even the rare penguins graced our waters to dart around as they hunted for fish. Of course, the National Geographic Lindblad wouldn’t forget non-swimmers and those who didn’t snorkel had a glass bottom boat tour to see the amazing wildlife along the coast.

Once we were all back on the ship, greeted by stunningly delicious gluten free baked goods, and given a chance to shower, lunch was served. Both lunch and breakfast are enjoyed al fresco at the outdoor area on the back of the ship, weather permitting that is. We sat with some people we’d just been swimming with and recounted the amazing wildlife we’d already seen on the first day before noon. We get to know each other a bit more by chatting and sharing stories of our lives. The obvious question is always, “Why did you want to come to the Galapagos?” It turns out, everyone with us loves the natural world, is fascinated by what humanity has learned there, and visiting was usually a lifelong desire.

The educational seminars were well put together and always entertaining.

As the meal concludes, we go to an hour long seminar on a topic within the Galapagos. One day was on the geology and volcanic nature of the islands, another on the human history of the place, still another was on Darwin, who is the reason most of us are so fascinated by these remote lands. Each lecture is presented by one of the guides and they bring a vibrant, passionate energy to what they do. After a couple excursions, and a lecture, it’s easy to see just how deeply they feel about this place and their responsibilities in caring for it as stewards, educators, and ambassadors for the preservation of the islands.

Not long after the lecture concludes, it’s time to head out for the afternoon excursion. This schedule carefully avoids the most punishing hours of the midday sun, a fact my pale, freckly skin was immensely grateful for. On this day it was another hike and once again we boarded the zodiacs. Upon arriving at the trail head, it became clear that we would need to take our shoes off because the tide was high and we would be jumping out in the water then drying our feet off, a common experience on the excursions.

This path was more strenuous than the morning, but the effort would be worth it because it took us to see iguanas and, I promise, you aren’t prepared for iguanas this large and this close. They aren’t scary or threatening, just massive. I’ve spent enough time in the Caribbean to become familiar with these lizards, but I’d never seen any like this. They were amazing to behold.

These iguanas are HUGE! They’re also adorable

As the sun set, the guides hurried us up back to the zodiacs and by the time we stepped foot on the Islander II, dinner was being readied. Each evening, the entire ship gathered in the lounge to go over what we did that day and what we would be doing the next day. Staff would take time to announce any news and check in with guests. We also would usually have a brief presentation from one of the ship’s departments. After about 45 minutes of debriefing and, for many people, drinking from the bar, dinner was served.

Dinner took place, most nights, in the dining room. A more formal setting, but no more formal in attire. Like the rest of the dining experiences, you could choose to eat alone or with other guests. We always chose to eat with other guests as we enjoyed the conversations, but you can always choose otherwise. The dinners usually lasted an hour and by 8:30 PM, most guests were exhausted and wanted nothing more than the comfort of their pillow, including us. There would be a documentary shown in the lounge after dinner each night, but neither Nichole nor I ever had the energy for that. There were some guests who did and I remain astonished by their endurance.

The National Geographic Islander II dining room allows for both group and private dining.

After 4 days of this schedule, many of us passengers became closer than I had ever expected. In our last moments together on the bus before the plane, we were all swapping contact information, excitedly exchanging numbers via text swearing, to keep in touch with one another.

As a few of us got off the plane in Guayaquil, the first stop of a continuous flight itinerary that went onto Quito, around a third of the plane was waving goodbye to us and giving quick fist bumps and handshakes. I’ve never seen the like.

Life aboard the National Geographic Islander II forms a community. You are all there to do the same thing at the same time. It’s rare to find that as an adult and it’s worth relishing on its own. Despite my demeanor, and many refuse to believe this, I am more inclined towards introversion than extroversion. It’s not that I don’t like meeting people, I do, but I recharge myself by a quiet night in over a night out with friends. Given the choice between a party and my pjs, I almost always choose my pjs. Being this social may be a bit much for people more inclined towards introversion than myself, but even in that case, as Nichole can attest because she fits in this category, she wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Company Values

One might expect that a cruise run by National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions would value sustainability and you would be right.

The ship’s Purser, who ran the store, told us a great deal about the programs the line has to support the local economy and artisans. Everything that we found in the store was made either by artisans in the Galapagos or in mainland Ecuador. This even extended to the clothes you could purchase.

Valuing sustainability continues down to the artisans themselves. We purchased several carved wooden sculptures that were made using an invasive tree to the islands. By harvesting it, the artisans would rid the island of a destructive plant and turn it into a business.

This is one of my favorite things I’ve ever found. I’m so glad that it was crafted and that I was able to take it home with me. This blue footed booby sculpture sits on my mantle as I write. It will always sit there.

It might also be assumed that a cruise run by National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions would care about education and once again, you would be correct. On each excursion, the guides teach you about what you’re seeing. Each afternoon there is a educational seminar. The kids program teaches them about the biology and geology of the area in a captivating way because the guides wear their passion on their sleeves, which the kids respond to.

Earlier, I mentioned that the ship’s bridge was open to guests, something we took time to check out during the evening navigation on the last night. Even here the line wants to educate their guests. We were greeted by one of the ship’s navigators and were later joined by the captain. Both were eager to explain every single panel we asked about. Having some familiarity with aviation and radar tracking in the air, I took particular interest in their radar, and we spent a while discussing the reflectivity responses and various maps that could be projected over the screen.

The Few Flaws

Nothing is perfect and so too is it for the National Geographic Islander II.

Although I can’t really say this is a flaw, it is something that every guest needs to prepare for. Getting on and off the ship, every time, required a ride on a zodiac boat. That means traversing between a small boat bobbing on the ocean and a ship. The staff grips your arm each time, giving you a firm hand, but it still requires some dexterity and balance of your own. People with mobility issues should take this into consideration before booking. I have video of us leaving the ship on the last day with our carryon luggage. This would be the most difficult boarding process for your personal evaluation.

I have some of it playing over the screen now, but will have a link to a longer cut in the description below.

One more consideration is that there’s also no elevator on the ship. Guests must be able to take stairs and there isn’t really another option here. There aren’t many stairs, with only five decks compared to more than a dozen on big cruise ships, but it’s still more than you might have at home, which could be zero.

These boats are how you get on and off the ship, that’s the only way you can. Take that into consideration before booking anything on the National Geographic Islander II.

Guests also reported to us that rooms underneath the kitchen, which would be rooms in the center of the ship on deck three, especially the port side of the vessel, were loud during meal preparation. This meant that if they had wanted to sleep in, it would have been challenging for those sensitive to noise.

Last, and this is a rather unavoidable fact of physics, the boat rocks. Expedition cruises are smaller ships and the smaller the ship, the more you feel the rocking of the waves. If you are sensitive to ocean movement, take the sea sickness meds in whatever form you prefer but, be sure to take them and keep up with it. Several staff members on the ship were wearing the patches; others took the pills. I’m not prone to motion sickness myself but Nichole is and she didn’t have any trouble. Still, we both felt this is worth noting to help ensure that people have a good experience.

That’s about it for problems we encountered on the ship, but we think it’s also important to mention that we thought the line could do a little better off the ship with communication. Nichole and I felt that the line’s emails and information to sailors could have been more frequent and provided more information in them. They have many resources available for you to read, but most are stored in your account online and not sent to you in an email. It’s far from a deal breaker, but it’s still something that they could up their game on.

Value Proposition

As I said near the beginning, Nichole and I experienced this on a discounted rate for travel agents, it’s why I can’t call this a review. However, I still need to assess the value proposition of the line, which I’m finding a bit unfair or, at least, unequal.

As you might have guessed, these expeditions are not cheap. The cost of similar sailings to what we did run between $6,000 and $13,000 dollars per person depending on what you choose. That sort of price tag means that I have to compare it to top level suites on lines like Virgin Voyages, Regent Seven Seas, or Azamara. And that’s where I’m running into the problem because the comparison doesn’t seem to match.

As a Mega Rockstar on Virgin Voyages or in the Penthouse Suite category and above on Regent Seven Seas, you certainly have luxury. Your needs are tended to, the rooms are large, the beds plush. You have a butler. But these places offer none of what an expedition cruise offers. Look back at the day I described and ask yourself, could you ever experience anything like that on these other lines? I can’t imagine how you would.

Yes, this was me. I was surrounded by wold dolphins that approached our snorkeling group.

I haven’t even mentioned that on day three, our deep water snorkeling met a pod of hundreds of dolphins that swam right around us. Yes. I swam with dolphins in the wild. Hundreds of them were mere feet from me in the water. It was an experience I’ll never forget and it brought tears to my eyes in the moment. You won’t ever experience something like that on these larger lines.

We did three to four excursions EACH DAY. Not only could you never do that on the larger lines, but it would cost hundreds or thousands of dollars per day on top of what you already paid.

How then can I assess this fairly by comparison to mainstream cruises? The answer, I think, is that I can’t. It’s trying to compare a pizza deli to a Michelin Star restaurant. It’s not that one is better than the other, it’s that they aren’t even the same thing. They both serve food, but beyond that the similarity ends.

What I can say is that I’ve sailed in the ultra-luxurious suites on other lines but, for my money, I’ll take a National Geographic Lindblad Expedition cruise every time. It costs about the same, but the experience is incomparable.

Who Is This For?

National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions are for the person that wants to be outdoors more than they want to breathe. This for the person with an unquenchable desire to learn. It is for people who know the journey and destination are inextricably bonded and seek the beauty of both.

More than all of that, this is the journey of a lifetime. Expedition cruises go places that make up bucket lists, the kinds of destinations that in the waning hours of your life, you’ll still remember. These itineraries are not weekend getaways, nor are they lounging lazy days in the sun. It’s not that you can’t do that but why would you when you’re in a place as unbelievable as the Galapagos?

I woke up each day at 5AM and hiked for miles, over rough terrain. My mornings were spent swimming in deep and rough waters to see the world beneath the waves. I bobbed in the water with wildlife from sea lions and dolphins to penguins and hiked alongside iguanas and a very bewildered waved albatross. It would be easy to spend hours describing all the astounding things I did each day but I think the footage in this video speaks for itself.

The sort of person who should take a cruise with National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions is the sort of person that looks at the images I’ve presented and lets out a little “wow” under their breath.

Conclusion

This wasn’t a review. I said it couldn’t be and it isn’t. I can’t guarantee that my experience wasn’t colored in some way by the cruise line to make it better than it would have otherwise been. There’s nothing I can imagine that they could have done, but I can’t rule it out either.

None of the animal encounters can be scripted. Seeing the penguins was luck, as was swimming with dolphins. We even encountered the first humpback whales of the season and Nichole was the one to spot them and alert the ship. An event so exciting, the crew was buzzing around with fervent energy, telling one another the news. It resulted in a zodiac boat ride where the mother and her calf approached the boat, within a couple dozen feet, close enough to hear their breathing (you’ll have to watch my video to see this).

They couldn’t have planned a sea lion birth right in front of us. Nor could they have scripted the iguanas, the variety of boobies, and certainly not the albatross that walked right down the path at us.

Nothing about what we did can be created, it’s all serendipity. Perhaps though, some of it goes beyond mere chance and enters the realm of kismet because the real magic of this trip was more than just the place we were and the animals we saw, it was the people we did it with.

This is what bucket lists are made of.

The thing I can’t shake, what won’t leave my mind, is the people. The couple we swam with on our first day. The family from Long Island that took an interest in my camera gear and whose little girl alerted the ship’s crew to a fallen ladder and was given a plaque for her quick actions. A wonderful mother, father, and son that brought me real joy to see together. A fellow Michigander that traveled the world, sharing her adventurous spirit in literally every country.

A mother and daughter who were delightfully curious about our odd Midwestern cuisine. A photographer that’s traveled the world and could share the love of that art with me. An Australian whose cheerful energy would make everyone smile. Parents and their adult daughter together on a trip, embarrassing each other in the way a family does that shows just how much they love they share. A crew that made it all happen and brought us face to face with impossible, then made it real.

One lovely woman we met wanted to see the tortoises more than anything in the world! Sharing that excitment with her is something that I cherish.

That’s not even close to all the amazing souls we met and formed friendships with, just all that I have the space for, and frankly I’m already pushing it.

We saw wonderous things. I did what I never dreamed I would do. We met people I never imagined I would meet and for that I am all the richer. I went to the Galapagos to see wildlife and nature. What I found down there was better, though. What I found was humanity.

This is the first of at least two articles (and videos) that I have planned on our trip to the Galapagos islands. I’m working on a story about the encounters we had to, hopefully, bring you a bit closer to the adventure we had and showing you why taking a trip to the Galapagos is worth it. I’m actively processing the thousands of photos and hours of video I took. I have links to the album below and it will be updated as I add more.

This little face is something I’ll never forget.

I also have a number of photos I took of various people. They didn’t give permission to be in my publicly displayed work and I didn’t ask them either. Some of you have my personal contact information, some of you don’t. If you’re interested in getting your personal photos from me and don’t have my number, just reach out using the contact form on our website and I’ll give you a private link.

Like I said earlier, we are a travel agency and if this video made you want to book a cruise with National Geographic Lindblad, take a trip to a resort, or just get away for a few days we can help with that! Each year we book hundreds of vacations for individuals, families, and large groups. We’ve got years of experience and firsthand knowledge to make sure you get the best trip possible with support all along the way. Our team of travel professionals can help find and book the best rates and discounts for your trip because it’s our job. So don’t book on your own, use our expertise and book with us so we can help get you, far far away.

The post National Geographic Islander II: What It’s Really Like? appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

The US National Park system is likely one of the best ideas that the country ever gave to the world and is certainly one of the most popular. Before the United States designated Yellowstone as the first US National Park, no other country had ever dabbled in the idea of such a place. Preserving the land and the resources in it for the benefit and enjoyment of the people was a revolutionary concept. Today, that idea has spread around the world and nations on every continent act to protect natural and historic spaces for people to enjoy.

The US National Parks.

That’s why it seems to fitting to spend this 250^th milestone celebrating, what I think, to be one of the best ideas ever conceived and go to one of the US National Parks. However, I am a travel writer and this wouldn’t be a very interesting article if I just told you to go to a place like Gettysburg. Not that you shouldn’t go to Gettysburg, you should, because it’s worthwhile history to experience, but almost everyone knows about that place. Instead, I want to tell you about less prominent National Parks, Memorials, Lakeshores, Sites, and Monuments that many people don’t even know exist.

This is a two-part article and together they will cover sites across the country starting from the east coast and moving west.

George Washington Carver National Monument – Missouri

George Washington Carver National Monument near Diamond Missouri stands out for several reasons. First, it preserves the childhood home of one of the most influential Americans in US history. Second, it is the first National Monument dedicated to an African American. All other previous Monuments had also been dedicated to Presidents, so it was also the first in that regard.

The life of George Washington Carver is extremely interesting, diverse, and influential. While many people think of him tied to peanuts, because of his book on peanut uses, he did groundbreaking work in the areas of soil depletion, food preservation, and crop development. It’s easy to get lost in his biography, but I’ll save that for when you visit.

George Washington Carver National Monument – Missouri (NPS Photo)

While the National Monument itself is relatively small, there are a number of interesting things you can do there. There are guided tours and hikes around the area, exploring the life of Carver.  Additionally, there is a classroom modeled after the ones where Carver himself taught, and they even do educational programing there. Finally, there are always events being held here, so make sure to check out the calendar before you visit!

If you’re traveling in the area, there are several sites worth checking out as well, including Grand Falls, Fort Scott National Historic Site, and several mining and mineral museums. All of which are worth a look.

Big Bend National Park – Texas

Texas boasts numerous impressive parks and monuments, but nothing shows the real beauty of Texas like Big Bend National Park. As a National Park, it’s all about nature in Big Bend, so hiking, canoeing, camping, stargazing, and more are a must when visiting.

With that said, some specific reasons to come to Big Bend over some of the other amazing places we’ve been through already. It has unique views and geology, in fact it’s sometimes called a geologist’s paradise and a geologist’s nightmare because of its stunning, but often confusing geology. Ancient seas, volcanoes, faults, and folds have led to a variety of bizarre structures, like giant boulders suspended on pillars, fossil beds of ammonites, and gorgeous banding in the stone highlighted by the desert sun.

Big Bend National Park – Texas (NPS Photo)

Another reason to come to Big Bend is for the birding. We’ve mentioned birding before, but not many places do it like Big Bend. With the waters of the river and its prime location on many migratory paths, Big Bend is sacred ground for birders, hosting 56 species living year-round, and over 450 species known to come through the park, if you have interest in birds, this is a must-visit location. Guides and birding hotspots are provided by NPS, and some rare and beautiful birds hide in and among its rocks.

White Sands National Park – New Mexico

White Sands National Park, located in New Mexico, completely surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range. But don’t worry, it’s completely safe to visit! In fact, over a half million people visit each year, and is the most visited NPS site in New Mexico.

This park has a huge array of things going for it, geology, nature, modern history, and ancient history all rolled into one! First of all, this area boasts the largest gypsum dunefield in the world, with dunes reaching 60 feet. These are rare because gypsum usually dissolves with water, but the dry climate has let it develop here.

White Sands National Park – New Mexico (NPS Photo)

Because it’s been well developed, there are a lot of ways to enjoy nature here, from hiking, bicycling, driving, and even horseback riding. People will even ride sleds down the sides of the dunes, in designated areas of course, and don’t worry if you forgot to bring your sled to New Mexico, they sell them at the park.

Finally, one of the biggest reasons to check out this park is its historical impact. While the site is not accessible to the public, White Sands has human footprints preserved in its arid climate from back when this area was a large lake. Dating techniques done by the US Geological Survey have dated these footprints to 23,000 years old, which has caused some controversy, as the common wisdom before now put human arrival in North America at 16,000 years or less. More research is being done, but it’s amazing to imagine walking in the same place that people over 20,000 years ago did.

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument – New Mexico

While the Gila Cliff Dwellings are becoming more well known, I think that this amazing site deserves even more recognition than it currently has. Located in New Mexico near Silver City, this ancient site is perched up in five caves, comprising 46 different rooms, so far. The site is said to have been occupied during the 1200s-1400s, in the surrounding area there are additional ruins as well as evidence of hunting, fishing, and agriculture.

There is a museum associated with the site which has exhibitions of Apache and Mogollon artifacts from the region. There are other ruins nearby, some of which you can also visit. In addition, the region hosts natural hot springs, which have brought resorts and other activities into the area.

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument – New Mexico (NPS Photo)

In addition to learning about the ruins through guided tours, there are other activities to enjoy in the area. It’s a well-known bird-watching site, as part of the Southwestern New Mexico Birding Trail. Additionally, it is known for its stargazing opportunities with chances to see meteor showers and auroras. The surrounding area also has a great variety of hiking opportunities to take in the beautiful desert landscape.

While you’re soaking in the history, there are also a few natural hot springs that you can soak in. The Lightfeather and Jordan hot springs are in the park, and are what are called “Sweet springs” not because they are filled with corn syrup, but because they lack salt and sulfur, meaning you don’t have that eggy smell.

Hovenweep National Monument – Utah and Colorado

Tucked amongst some of the most famous National Parks, like Arches, Canyon Lands, and Natural Bridges site the Hovenweep National Monument. This relatively unassuming monument on the border of Utah and Colorado holds a wide array of history to it.

At this location, there are sites of ancient human habitation sites, including stone ruins of these villages. Inhabited from 8,000 BCE to 200 AD, and then again by the Puebloan cultures in the region until 1400. There are at least six separate periods of human life that have been discovered at this site so far. A variety of stone ruins dot the landscape, offering you a glimpse into North America’s ancient past. In addition, the location has given us insight into the development of agricultural staples like corn, squash, and cotton amongst others, that were grown in terraced fields.

Hovenweep National Monument – Utah and Colorado (NPS Photo)

Exploring this monument and its environment is a must-see if you are visiting any of the nearby big-name parks. And if you’re willing to stay up late, Hovenweep is also a destination for stargazers, with up to 15,000 stars visible every night. In fact, this site was added to the International Dark-Sky Association, helping to keep the night sky visible for everyone going forward.

Dinosaur National Monument – Utah

Like Hovenweep, Dinosaur National Monument sits in Colorado and Utah, unlike Hovenweep, it has a very different type of history hidden in and among its surfaces. Created at the famous “Dinosaur Quarry”, this region boasts hundreds of paleontological fossils sites, particularly of sauropods, Allosaurus, and Deinonychus, the dinosaur that the Jurassic Park’s Velociraptor was directly based on.

This monument boasts a unique experience unlike almost anywhere else in the world. With over 200,000 acres of land with hundreds of sites that have produced holotypes, or prime examples, of different species. You can see the dinosaur bones emerging from the rock face as you traverse this gorgeous landscape.

Dinosaur National Monument – Utah (NPS Photo)

If dinosaur bones in their “natural habitat” aren’t enough of a draw for you, there are also petroglyphs and pictographs carved into the stone along various trails and sites throughout the monument. River rafting also presents a unique way to experience this location. While guides and programs for children to learn more about this monument provide different ways to experience it.

Montezuma Castle National Monument – Arizona

Montezuma Castle is named after the famous Aztec emperor but, in reality, it has no ties to Montezuma, the Aztecs, and it isn’t even a castle. While it’s an impressive stone cliff structure, which overlooks the beautiful landscape around it, the site was abandoned before Montezuma was born. However, Europeans named it Montezuma Castle, and it stuck.

The big draw of this monument is the cliff structure itself, and a park service runs regular events and tours which go over everything we know about the people who built and lived at this striking location. There’s even a virtual tour that you can take on the National Park Service website, but nothing compares to the real thing.

Montezuma Castle National Monument – Arizona (NPS Photo)

There are more structures located at the nearby Montezuma Well, with sites ranging back to at least 11,000 BCE. This oasis in the middle of the desert hosts not only ancient sites, but also wildlife that flock to the water. Birds, reptiles, and more can be found in and around the area. At the bottom of the well, there is a unique feature where the bottom is comprised of free-flowing sand that creates a false bottom.

If you are in the area, a variety of other archeological and petroglyph sites are nearby, in addition to historic For Verde and famous National Parks like the Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest.

Crater Lake National Park – Oregon

Crater Lake National Park typifies what makes a National Park a National Park. Natural Beauty. The whole idea of the parks was to preserve the wonder and beauty of the United States for generations to come. Crater Lake, the 5^th oldest National Park, is a prime example of that. While tending to remain a little less well known than its cousins Yosemite and Yellowstone, it has no shortage of beauty.

Nestled in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, this lake is one of picturesque beauty, owing to its highly unusual geology. Mount Mazama, much like Mount St Helens, underwent a cataclysmic eruption almost 7,700 years ago. As a result, a colossal caldera was formed, which filled in with water to create the lake we see today.

Crater Lake National Park – Oregon (NPS Photo)

Visiting this park, the biggest draw is the landscape itself and enjoying the nature that fills this land. Birding, hiking, fishing, camping, educational programing, overlooks, and more are all available. For something a little more structured, there are trolley and boat tours offered here to give more background from the park rangers themselves. If you’re a little less adventurous, or just like the AC in the car, there is also a Rim Drive that offers a variety of scenic views. Rim Village offers a variety of experiences as well, with events, and even Crater Lake Lodge where you can stay for the duration of your trip.

San Juan Island National Historic Park – Washington

San Juan Island might sound like a tropical paradise off the coast of Mexico, but this historic park sits on an island near Vancouver and Seattle in the much colder Haro Strait. With a weird history and natural beauty, it makes for a unique place to visit.

For birders, a wide variety of unique birds can be found. Meanwhile the park is famous for foxes and whales, predominantly orcas, humpback, and grey whales which can be seen off the coast. One of the prairies on the island is also home to the only known population of Island Marble Butterfly, which was believed to be extinct for 90 years before it was found living here in 1998.

San Juan Island National Historic Park – Washington (NPS Photo)

However, I mentioned a weird history, and in 1859, the US and England nearly started a war here with a spiraling military buildup on the island stemming from territorial claims and a dispute involving potatoes and a shot pig. While the so-called “Pig War” never came to actual blows, hundreds of soldiers and warships were involved. You can visit the sites of both the US and UK military camps that took part in the dispute.

As an island, you need to plan ahead to visit, but San Juan Island has a number of options for getting there, including ferries, airplanes, and seaplanes. Horseback riding, weddings, and all sorts of nature activities remain popular here, in addition to searching for wildlife and learning about the Island’s unique history.

Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park – Alaska

This historic park is a liiiiiitle further away than some of the places that have been listed, but if your Alaskan cruise stops off in Skagway, you’ve been there. There are a lot of parts to the Klondike Gold Rush Historic Park, many of which I covered in my series on Alaska, but there are other parts that are a little less common.

Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park – Alaska (NPS Photo)

One of the most interesting ones is the Chilkoot National Historic Trail, which is a 33-mile trail that made up part of the route that the gold rush prospectors would take from Dyea to Lake Bennett before continuing to the gold fields. Originally a trade route used by the indigenous population trading coastal goods with inland tribes, it became heavily used during the Klondike Gold Rush. Seemingly endless lines of prospectors walking the paths left signs of their passing and the tent cities that they built. As such, it’s sometimes nicknamed “the World’s longest museum” because of the historical remnants left along the trail.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like, partaking in a 33-mile hike up a mountain into Canada, the Skagway historic district and Dyea Townsite boast a variety of museums, sites, and exhibits that you can take in.

Assorted Parks – Hawai’i

If you’re traveling to Hawaii, you are likely thinking of lush greenery, deep blue oceans, and volcanoes. Well, the National Park Service has offerings for you to really get to know all of these. Because the islands can be a little difficult to get around, we’re going to look at a number of national sites on the big island of Hawaii, which are all in close proximity to one another, but give you a great overview of everything you think of when it comes to Hawaii.

Volcanoes National Park – Hawai’i (NPS Photo)

Most famous is Volcanoes National Park, which hosts Kilauea and Mauna Loa, two extremely active volcanoes. This is one of the few places in the world where you can get a first-hand look at active lava erupting from the surface as whole new land is created right before your eyes. All sorts of educational programs on geology and Hawaiian traditions are represented at Volcanoes.

Along the western coast is the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, which follows ancient Hawaiian sites right along the oceanside. Along this trail, you can visit Pu’ukohola Heiau, which was the seat of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kaloko-Honokohau, a settlement from before recorded history, and Pu’uhonua o Honaunau which hosts some of the most important traditional sites on all the islands.

Muir Woods National Monument – California

If you really want to see the Redwoods but are just to cool to hang out with the gaggle of tourists flocking to Redwoods National Park, then perhaps you should go to Muir Woods National Monument. This much smaller site hosts hiking, education, and Muir beach, a popular location for tourists and locals alike.

Muir Woods National Monument – California (NPS Photo)

If you’re a fan of the National Parks, and I hope by this point you are, you might have heard the name Muir before. This National Monument was named after John Muir, known as the “Father of the National Parks”. Through his relentless lobbying of the US Government and the public, via the Sierra Club, he helped found the entire National Park system which has been the groundwork for every one of these sites.

While the Muir Woods National Monument is relatively small compared to some of these locations, as someone who now might understand the real breadth of this system, it might be a fitting homage to the man that made it all happen by visiting the National Monument that bears his name.

The post US National Parks You Don’t Know – America’s 250th (Part 2) appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

The US National Park system is likely one of the best ideas that the country ever gave to the world and is certainly one of the most popular. Before the United States designated Yellowstone as the first US National Park, no other country had ever dabbled in the idea of such a place. Preserving the land and the resources in it for the benefit and enjoyment of the people was a revolutionary concept. Today, that idea has spread around the world and nations on every continent act to protect natural and historic spaces for people to enjoy.

The US National Parks.

That’s why it seems to fitting to spend this 250^th milestone celebrating, what I think, to be one of the best ideas ever conceived and go to one of the US National Parks. However, I am a travel writer and this wouldn’t be a very interesting article if I just told you to go to a place like Gettysburg. Not that you shouldn’t go to Gettysburg, you should, because it’s worthwhile history to experience, but almost everyone knows about that place. Instead, I want to tell you about less prominent National Parks, Memorials, Lakeshores, Sites, and Monuments that many people don’t even know exist.

This is a two-part article and together they will cover sites across the country starting from the east coast and moving west.

Saint Croix Island International Historic Site – Maine

The United States may soon be 250 years old or, if you’re watching this a bit later, the United States recently turned 250 years old. Even though that’s quite a few years, it’s a mere drop in the bucket of North American history. Dating back more than 13,000 years ago (no, that’s not a typo), the Passamaquoddy tribe occupied areas of what is today known as Maine. The tribe still exists today and they were the first native people to meet the first French explorers and colonists to North America in 1604.

Saint Croix Island International Historic Site in Maine dates back to more than 400 years to when Europeans and the Passamaquoddy people first met.

The French attempted to make a settlement on Saint Croix Island only to discover that the winters in Maine are much harsher than the winters in France. Of the 79 men who initially colonized the island, 35 died in the first winter. The remaining men were saved by the Passamaquoddy aiding them after the winter was over. That spring of 1605, the French made the decision to move the settlement to Port Royale in what is now known as Nova Scotia.

This park commemorates and memorializes that first French attempt to settle and the Passamaquoddypeople who have lived there since pre-history. Today, the park is best reached by driving. From Bangor, it’s around a two hours drive to the visitor’s center. You cannot visit the island itself, it’s a protected site to preserve the historic artifacts on the island, but there’s a lot to explore and learn on the mainland.

Federal Hall National Memorial – New York

I was inspired to write this article because it is the 250^th anniversary of our independence from England and the reign of Jonathan Groff, it seems fitting to mention something about George Washington. Of course, every American watching this already knows who he is; leader of the American revolution, first President of the United States, and that guy on the boat. Despite that boat guy fame, many of us don’t know something surprisingly basic that happened right at the start his presidency. The very start of it in fact.

Where was he inaugurated?

Every US President must be sworn in. It’s kind of a big deal. These days it happens on the steps of the US Capitol Building, but that wasn’t completed until 1793, and Washington was sworn in on April 30^th, 1789. So I ask you, where was he sworn in? Did he just stand on some slightly soggy ground near the Potomac?

Federal Hall National Memorial in New York, New York hides in the canyons of New York City.

No, he took the oath of office standing in the United States Congress’ first capital building in the nation’s first capital. A short distance from the water inside Federal Hall, the former city hall of New York, New York.

The original building was demolished in 1812, but the site is the same. Located at 26 Wall Street, square in the Financial District of Manhattan, it’s quite easy to visit and it’s probably one of the easiest places to visit on this list. Literally millions of people live a short drive, train ride, bus, or even a flight under and hour from this place.

Weir Farm National Historical Park – Connecticut

When you think of a national park, you probably aren’t imagining an artistic retreat nonetheless, that is exactly what the Weir Farm National Historical Park is. The beauty of our National Parks system is that it preserves many parts of our history, not just battlefields or political figure’s offices. American art history is just as important to the story of the country as anything else.

J. Alden Weir spent much of his life living and painting in this farm near Branchville, Connecticut. Both his father and older brother were well known painters, so I think it’s fair to say that he came by the trade honestly. Over his life at the farm, he hosted a number of other artists who all were part of the American impressionist movement. These artists included Childe Hassam, John Twachtman, Emil Carlsen, and Albert Pinkham Ryder. There’s even a painting of J. Alden Weir himself by John Singer Sargent, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest American painters of all time. Julian Alden Weir’s legacy continued with his daughter Dorothy Weir Young as, following his death, she continued to study and practice art at the farm, hosting a new generation of artists.

The idyllic lawn of Weir Farm National Historical Park in Connecticut.

Today, the farm still hosts resident artists practicing in the impressionist style and hosts a collection of works by Weir and other artists. It’s a smaller site to visit, but for those interested in art history and American culture, this one seems pretty unmissable.

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park – Georgia

Saint Croix Island isn’t the only place where thousands of years of human existence is contemplated, there are multiple sites in the US National Parks that preserve and educate on the ancient people of these lands. Ocmulgee Mounds in Georgia, just outside of Macon, features enormous earthwork mounds and human habitation dating back more than 12,000 years.

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park in Georgia is one of the oldest sites of human activity in North America.

The large mounds that the site is named for were built sometime before 1000 CE by people from the Mississippian culture. At the site, there is a visitor center with more than 2,000 artifacts on display and an earth lodge that you can go inside. There’s also several miles of trails to walk which will take you to historical mounds.

First State National Historical Park – Pennsylvania, Delaware

Continuing our celebration of the 250 years, the First State National Historical Park commemorates Delaware being the first state to ratify the Constitution. This district along the Delaware River, just south of Wilmington, features historic buildings and fortifications. Although the significance of being the first state to ratify is certainly notable, the park gives emphasis to the history that Delaware played in the early colonial history as well.

First State National Historical Park where Pennsylvania borders Delaware, has a unique waterfront full of history.

Delaware was colonized by not only the English, was we all know, but there were several other prominent nationalities with settlements as well. The Dutch, Swedes, and Finns each had their own settlements in the region and they all had their own cultures and traditions. It’s not all about the culture, though, because the park also aims to preserve the landscape of the Brandywine Valley.

Interestingly, this is quite a new park being established in 2013 by President Barack Obama, so it’s still getting its legs, so to speak.

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park – Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia

Cumberland Gap may be one of the more famous parks on this list, Vice President Richard Nixon was present for the visitor center dedication, but it’s still one that I’ve found most people don’t know about. Located where Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee meet, this was a key passage through the lower Appalachian Mountains and served as a critical path of travel for centuries before European settlers and centuries after.

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park where Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia meet.

The closest major cities to the park are Knoxville and Lexington at about 1.5 to 2 hours of driving away from the park. At Cumberland Gap, there is the historic village of Hensley Settlement that you can visit and, from Mid-May through October, take a tour through. If you’re up for something in a much more enclosed space, there’s also a tour that’s conducted at Gap Cave. These tours are only conducted from May through August and they only take twenty people on each tour. If you are interested in doing a tour in Hensley Settlement or Gap Cave, call 606-248-2817 in advance of your visit to make reservations and check availability.

In a first for this list, Cumberland Gap National Park also features camping sites and horseback riding. You’ll have to bring your own horse, but I have a feeling that horse people already knew that.

Dry Tortugas National Park – Florida

Key West is the end of the road in the Florida Keys. Once you’ve reached Fort Taylor or Mallory Square, that’s the end right? Wrong, and you’re not even close to the end. No, the end is more than 60 miles away on the Dry Tortugas islands along with Fort Jefferson, but the road does not go there.

If you want to get to Dry Tortugas National Park, the only way to reach it is by seaplane or boat. The most striking thing about the park is that less than 1% of the park is ground, almost all of the park’s surface is water. As you might expect, most of the activities are water based. Snorkeling, diving, and swimming are immensely popular in the park.

Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida is one of the best snorkeling places in the world.

Boaters, kayakers, and paddleboarders all love Dry Tortuga as well. The waters of nearby keys are explorable, though some areas may be restricted to protect wildlife from time to time. Fishing is another popular activity in the park with an opportunity to patiently wait in some of the clearest waters you’ll ever see.

I haven’t even mentioned the most prominent feature of the park, Fort Jefferson. The starkly red 19^th century fort encompasses much of Garden Key and is about 14 acres in size. It’s the center of all visitor arrivals to the park, with docks for the ferry and private vessels as well as seaplanes. You can even camp just outside its walls, though those spots often sell out months in advance.

Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial – Ohio

The War of 1812 is not taught nearly as well as other major wars in US history. I would challenge anyone reading this to tell me what the war started over. Unless you have specifically studied the War of 1812, I doubt you can tell me. That’s exactly what makes visiting Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial in Ohio so very worthwhile.

The memorial was created to honor the Battle of Lake Erie. This was not a battle on land, it was a naval battle on the waters of Lake Erie. Not only that, this was one the largest naval battles of the war and proved to be a critical victory for the American forces since they would go on to control Lake Erie for the rest of the war which, in turn, allowed them to recover Detroit. That’s not something that most US schools teach you, though I imagine if you leave in the area a field trip probably happened.

Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial in Ohio.

A chance to learn about one of the most pivotal moments for America in the early years of our history should not be passed up. You can visit the memorial by taking a ferry from several different nearby cities, but the most notable is Sandusky, OH. The memorial is located on an island in Lake Erie and stands 352 feet tall. The visitor center hosts dioramas of the battle along with exhibits discussing the history of the war and the events on Lake Erie. During the summer, there are ranger talks, weekend weapon demonstrations, and presentations.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – Michigan

Dunes are something that most people associate with deserts, where they take on an ominous, looming quality. Of course that’s not the only place to find dunes, though, because they also exist by many sandy shores. Sprawling out over 35 miles of coastline in the northwest of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore exists.

The sweeping shoreline of Lake Michigan was created by glacial movements more than 10,000 years ago. Frozens mountains carved out the lakes, crushed stones, and moved soil to shape these massive buffs. The dunes rise hundreds of feet above the water, giving visitors unbelievable vistas.

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan is incredible to behold.

Inside the park, you can hike miles of trails, drive scenic roadways, paddle in several different bodies of water including Lake Michigan, camp, or simply enjoy a wonderful sandy beach along a freshwater lake. Biking the roads in the park and areas outside the park is also extremely popular. Calling this an outdoor recreational paradise may not be much of an exaggeration. The surrounding region is also one of the most visited tourism spots in the state, with Traverse City being the largest hub.

I do feel the need to pause for a moment and reframe the term lake for people. Most individuals that are not from the Great Lakes region seem to have little to no understanding of the scales involved with a Great Lake. Lake Michigan is more than 300 miles long and 118 miles wide with a surface area of more than 22,000 square miles. These are not the lakes you’re thinking of.

Pullman National Historical Park – Illinois

There’s a National Park right in the middle of Chicago. Okay, maybe not the middle, per say, but just a little ways south of the Museum of Science and Industry. The site is the Pullman National Historical Park and it tells the story of the first planned model industrial community in the nation, otherwise known as a company town.

George Pullman founded the Pullman Palace Car Company in 1862, which made sleeper cars for railroads, not road going cars. As his company grew, he had an idea for a planned community that all his workers would live in. With a new factory being built to meet demand, he put into action his concept of the company town. His workers would live in the town and work in the factory and everything would be great. Until demand slipped due to a financial crash and worker wages were reduced but the rent wasn’t. That sort of thing usually leads to some fairly upset workers, which might explain why they went on strike.

National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum in the Pullman National Historical Park.

Although the neighborhood never came to be what Pullman hoped it would be it now stands as a lesson on, public policy, culture, labor, race, city planning, business and industry, railroads, technology, and more. The National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum as well as several buildings kept in a historic state, educate visitors on the lasting impact that this place has on our world; for example, the strike I mentioned earlier led to the eventual labor movement in the US and the creation of Labor Day as a US holiday. Perhaps that weekend would be a good time to visit.

The post The US National Parks You Don’t Know – America’s 250th appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Virgin Voyages begins their very first Alaskan season with some very successful approaches.

• Different sorts of entertainment and enrichment activities on the ship.
• Shore excursions were made a little extra special by Virgin’s Shore Things teams.
• Small touches and new approaches make a big difference from other Virgin Sailings and other cruise lines in Alaska.

Could Virgin Voyages Pull Off Alaska?

The Alaskan cruise market is one of the most competitive, in demand, and saturated areas in cruising. When Virgin Voyages announced that they would be delaying the launch of their fourth ship, the Brilliant Lady, to modify it to be able to traverse the Panama Canal, they also said that they would be sailing in Alaska. Fans of the line were immediately excited, yet many remained trepidatious that Virgin, who built their ships for the balmy warmth of the Caribbean and Mediterranean, would handle the colder Alaskan climates well.

Could a line that throws a party like this, ever fit in up in Alaska?

Many pointed out that Virgin’s pools were open air, that Richard’s Rooftop (the small part of the ship reserved exclusively to suite guests) was also exposed to the elements. Virgin Voyage’s famous balcony hammocks were feared to be useless in the Alaskan weather, mostly because of the brisk temperatures. Speculation swirled around what the line could possibly do to stand out in a market swelling with other options. Is it possible to offer something no other line has offered when there are already more than 800 Alaskan sailings each year? Well, I went to find out.

One last thing before we dive in, this is a review. That means that even though we are travel agents, when we took this sailing it was at full price and there were no special benefits that we received. That means that what we experienced was the same that anyone could experience.

Expectations

I’d sailed Virgin Voyages six times before stepping onboard their inaugural Alaskan sailing, including once before on the Brilliant Lady. I’m well familiar with what the line offers. I also want to be clear about what I mean when I say inaugural, since Virgin has muddied the water somewhat. I sailed on an itinerary from Vancouver, B.C. to Seattle, WA and that itinerary was the first time Virgin Voyages sailed Alaska, it was not the “Mer-Maiden” Voyage though, that was actually the voyage after mine. Their rationale for this was because the “Mer-Maiden” was the first time they sailed from their home port of Seattle.

The Mer-Maiden was the next sailing after the one I took. So, I was on the first Alaskan voyage for the line, just not the big flashy one.

When crews have never sailed to a region before, it can be a bit of a shakedown voyage. The staff have new menus catered to the region, that means different drinks to concoct, new dishes to prep, and new suppliers and supplies to work with. The crew are also getting used to the behavior of guests in the new region, such as when sailors are leaving their rooms so the house keeping staff can clean up and what activities are popular. Virgin Voyages has a very good reputation for guest service and food quality on their ships, so there’s pressure to perform here.

All in all, my expectations were high, since I’ve had many nice voyages on Virgin, but I was prepared for some hiccups.

The Brilliant Lady Is Different

Since not everyone is up to speed on Virgin Voyages, their ships, and their reputation, it’s worth a quick rundown.

• Virgin has four ships, The Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady, Resilient Lady, and Brilliant Lady. The Brilliant is the most recent addition.
• They’ve got a reputation for great food and drinks.
• Their ships were designed with warm weather in mind – they’ve got balcony hammocks, lots of areas to lay in the sun, and tons of open-air spaces.

The last point has been a significant concern for some sailors thinking about taking Virgin Voyages Alaska.

Virgin Voyages was either thinking ahead or listening to feedback from sailors about concerns with the ship in Alaska. When the Brilliant Lady was delayed, Virgin not only modified the lifeboat mounting to become Panama Canal compliant, they also took the time to make some changes to their outdoor areas.

At the aft on deck 7, at The Dock, the outdoor chairs on The Brilliant Lady have been improved when compared to their counterparts on the other Lady Ships. As many people have noted and commented on, the original wooden deck chairs are extremely heavy, low to the ground, and generally not very comfortable to sit in. The chairs at The Dock on the Brilliant are much more comfortable and easier to sit in. This means better viewing of the gorgeous Alaskan vistas.

On deck 15, the two pools are heated, unlike the other three Virgin ships. They weren’t what many would call warm, but they were comfortable. We, and several others we became friends with, all went in the pool and thought it was quite nice but colder than when in the Caribbean. I’d guess the water temperature was around 70-75˚F (21-24˚C). There also wasn’t anyone really using the pool, so it wasn’t crowded. The folks that we were with were quite happy with the experience. The hot tubs were still hot, just so we’re clear that they are there.

Virgin swapped out some of the towels on deck for blankets. A welcome change and something that I wasn’t expecting them to do.

There were some, online, bemoaning that the pools weren’t enclosed, which is true. Whether that matters to you isn’t for me to say, but it didn’t dissipate my enjoyment. For what it’s worth, in my experience, Alaska isn’t the kind of place you go to enjoy a pool, even on a cruise. Most excursions involve being outside, many involve hiking, and almost all the ports are inside a literal rain forest, so being wet outside isn’t exactly a novel feeling in The Last Frontier.

One deck up, on 16, at the Athletic Club, the Brilliant Lady was updated to have the day bed lounging face outward and for the outer railing to be glass. As I write, the Valiant Lady is being updated to an identical configuration of the day beds on the Brilliant, but the other two ships face inward. Appreciating Hubbard glacier from this space was very easy and relaxed.

At every outdoor area, Virgin Voyages swapped out the stacks of towels for stacks of blankets. Although having outdoor blankets is hardly unique to Virgin, Princess offers blankets for their Movies Under the Stars, it’s something that I’ve not found on some lines in Alaska. Sailing Regent Seven Seas last year in Alaska, for example, they did not offer blankets on the open-air areas. On Virgin Voyages, I spent an hour or so lying comfortably under a blanket by the pool on one of the lounge chairs, it was quite enjoyable.

Cuisine

Virgin Voyages’ eateries are all what the cruise industry has come to call “premium restaurants.” This means that Virgin’s ships have no Main Dining Room, unlike many other cruises. Instead, you’ll eat at one of these dedicated and culinarily themed establishments each night. This has led some repeat customers to complain about the mostly static menus. Fortunately, Virgin has been listening here as well.

In the last year, each of the dining establishments on the ships have added limited time specials in addition to their standard menu. I always take the kitchen up on their short-term offerings and have never been disappointed. Virgin has gone a step further for their Alaskan sailings, though, by offering specific regional dishes on some of their menus.

Of the Alaskan exclusives, my personal favorite was the venison loin at the wake. I’m from a state where our schools and communities actually shut down for the start of deer season. Venison is a staple in our diets and I’ve eaten it my whole life. I can say with certainty that Virgin’s preparation was close to the best I’ve ever tasted. If you like fish, I also wouldn’t miss the roasted cod at Rojo. When I reviewed Rojo last year, I said it was the best of Virgin’s restaurants; their cod only reinforces the skill of that kitchen.

The venison at The Wake was astounding! One of my favorite dishes that Virgin has ever made and an excellent preparation even when compared to restaurants on land.

There are also limited items at the bars. Should you be inclined to partake of some alcohol on your sailing, Virgin has brought a cask of mulled wine aboard! Okay, so I don’t know if they actually have a cask, but they are offering the spiced drink. They also added a Hot Toddy to the drink list. The classic bourbon beverage happens to be one of my favorite cold weather drinks and I thought that they made theirs quite well. Virgin has always used higher quality alcohol than other lines in their cocktails, and they continue to do so with the these beverages.

Virgin Voyages’ Alaskan sailings feature additions to the coffee bars as well. At the Grounds Clubs, the ship’s cafés, I found two limited time espresso drinks, the Salty Sea Otter and the Denali Late. The former is a salted caramel and mocha brew, and the latter is a birch syrup infused latte. Both were delicious, although if you prefer a less sweet coffee, I recommend the Sea Otter as the Denali tended to be slightly more saccharine. That being said, it’s not often you get the chance to have birch syrup, so I would suggest trying it at least once because the taste is unique.

Events and Experiences

I’ve taken quite a few cruises and Virgin Voyages offers what, I think, to be the best entertainment, activities, and events of any line. I made my feelings clear some time back now and it hasn’t changed since then. The new shows on the Brilliant Lady are very popular, including the additional paid dinner shows.

On Virgin Voyages Alaska they are offering some new events and activities as well as speakers. The Happenings Cast is hosting several new events that were very popular with the sailors. The Crack The Crab event was a game show tied into eating crab and it was a massive hit. I personally get quite nervous in games like that, despite how very low stakes it is, so I only observed, but the participants were very invested.

In the evenings while the ship sailed in the Alaska fjords, which is to say the end of port days, there was an outdoor event at The Dock at sunset. As hues of auburn dapple the gold washed sky, one of the Happenings Cast will tell a short story to the assembled crowd. It’s only about 10 minutes total, but then an interesting thing happened each time, the people stuck around. Nearly everyone who came each night, which was usually 75 or more people, gathered together with their blankets and just started talking with each other. It was a wonderful event. I can’t guarantee that will happen with any particular sailing, but it happened with mine.

Virgin Voyages Alaska had a new game for the Happenings cast to host called, Crak The Crab. It was a riot!

Virgin also had a member of the Tlingit tribe on the ship to teach guests about the traditional woodworking techniques of the tribe and share the history of the people. When we were at Hubbard glacier, Virgin brought a naturalist on the ship who spoke over the PA system about what we were seeing around us. They also had mobile drink carts serving coffee and hot chocolate (as well as more adult beverages) on deck 16 while we were at the glacier. Although those sorts of things are the expectation for any cruise that visits Alaska, they are new for Virgin, especially having someone talking on the PA. After all, the line is known for their approach to reduce announcements as much as possible. Virgin, for example, does not have the captain address the ship each morning while most other lines do.

Just like their musical performers, these two guests will change between sailings, and you’ll experience something different from me. The point of mentioning it here is to highlight that Virgin Voyages Alaska is doing things a little differently from their usual approach. There’s even a temporary Happenings Cast member, The Lumberjack. If you read my Alaskan excursion article, you’ll know how much I enjoy lumberjacks! He was only on for a couple days, until we reached Ketchikan, where he got off the ship. How much he’ll be back I don’t know, but it was fun while he was aboard (I just wish I got a picture with him, but there was considerable competition).

Successes

Virgin Voyages Alaska had some truly outstanding things that they do to make your time onboard their ship special. While every line does something a little different for Alaska, Virgin is one of the few adults only cruise lines in the world, so their clientele is slightly different.

What I haven’t mentioned yet in this article are the small touches that they put into their rooms. Each room was equipped with a very soft, plush, fleece blanket. Our Sea Terrace room had two, one each for Nichole and I. Of course they were a red color, but hued closer to maroon than Virgin’s signature scarlet. Not only were they warm enough to make for a cozy bed each night, but they also kept you toasty should you decide to spend time outside on your balcony, like enjoying the hammock, which is something I certainly did.

In the RockStar and Mega RockStar suites (which I didn’t pay for this trip but certainly have in the past), Virgin included not only the blankets but also a pair of Binoculars. The brand and model they chose is, and I swear I had no idea, the exact same ones that I recommended just a matter of weeks ago in my article on What to Pack for Alaska. I asked several suite guests what they thought of the binoculars and they had nothing but praise for them. It seems that my recommendation is a good one.

I wasn’t sure if Virgin Voyages Alaska would make an adaptation to their linens, but they did. There’s nothing amazing about these fleece blankets, but having them at all made a huge difference.

There’s other small touches that made a difference. During our time at Hubbard Glacier, Virgin had mobile hot chocolate and coffee carts on deck 16, which is where most people were observing the glacier. You could also have spiked those beverages if you wished. We also got a sneak preview of what, we confirmed with crew, Virgin is trying to do at Hubbard. They brought a small boat up to the Brilliant Lady for a film crew to get on. That was also a test to see if they could sell that as an excursion! Keep an eye out for that in the future because the camera crew said it was stunning.

Speaking of beverages, something that I hadn’t expected was the included alcohol on several different excursions we went on. It’s not that I have never had alcohol included with an excursion, there are many catamarans in the Caribbean who serve cheap rum drinks while you snorkel, it’s more that I wasn’t expecting it in Alaska and it wasn’t included in other cruise ships that booked them. The only reason that I know that is because when we went to the Lumberjack Show (which you should go to), the announcer specifically stated that guests from our ship were given drink tickets and that other lines weren’t. I can’t say if that will always be the case, but I can say that it’s a lot easier to throw in a free drink as a bonus for booking that excursion if the cruise line has no kids on it.

Some Failures

Not everything is perfect, though, not that I expect it to be but it should be mentioned regardless. Virgin Voyages Alaska had some shortcomings that did impact our trip.

At the top of the article, I mentioned Richard’s Rooftop, the suite guests’ exclusive area of the ship. People worried that it wouldn’t be used much in Alaska given that it’s an open air space and Alaska is, well, not the Caribbean. Since I wasn’t staying in a suite, I didn’t have access to this space but, I can look through the glass partition. What I saw was minimal use, which was what people predicted. I’m not sure what Virgin could do to correct that short of a complete redesign that I don’t think they want to do. The one thing that was in use in the Richard’s Rooftop area was the hot tubs, those remained popular.

The most significant shortcoming is the tender port of Juneau. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the term, a tender port is any port where you are not docked at a pier, but rather you are docked away from shore and need to board a smaller boat to get to shore. There are many places where this is the only way to visit, from small towns like Eastport Maine, to very popular places like Grand Cayman.

Juneau has quite a few shoreside docking places, but it also has many ships that come each day. If your ship is smaller or newer to the rotation, you’re likely going to experience Juneau as a tender port. Virgin’s ships are not small, nor are they particularly large for the cruise industry. They are new to Alaska, however, and that puts them fairly low in the pecking order, thus they are tendering people in.

I don’t know what Virgin Voyages Alaska has going wrong in Juneau with the tendering, but they really do need to sort that out.

The tender situation was rather chaotic for us. On every cruise, people with shore excursions will get priority to take the tender, often staged by groups, before anyone without an excursion will be taken to shore. Even with the grouping and scheduling, we didn’t get to shore until an hour after our tour was supposed to begin. This meant that we lost time on our excursion. We still went on the excursion because it was waiting for all of us from the ship, but we lost an hour. That meant that we didn’t get to whale watch and hike at Mendenhall glacier as much as we should have.

Problems with the tendering don’t seem to be limited to just our cruise either since, as I write this, there are reports coming in about similar issues happening at Juneau once again.

I can’t say for sure what the cause of the delay was, but something wasn’t right that day. Keep this in mind when booking things in Juneau. Also, to be clear, when I say people with an excursion get priority, what I mean is, people with an excursion booked through the cruise line get priority. If you booked an excursion on your own… you will have to wait in the standby line or book the first available slot once tender slot booking is opened up in the Virgin Voyages app. Realistically, if you book an excursion in the morning at Juneau and it isn’t through the cruise line, you aren’t going to make it. You shouldn’t book anything before, at the earliest, 1PM if you’re doing it on your own.

In fact, I would caution you from booking anything on your own in Juneau right now.

Most of the dishes on the Virgin Voyages Alaska sailing we did were excellent… not the Achiote Spiced Salmon from Pink Agave. Maybe skip this one.

That was the only major issue that we ran into, but there are some minor flubs that you should have a heads up about.

• The shows are very popular, so much Virgin is rumored to be bringing back ticketing for them. (That doesn’t mean that they will cost extra, it’s just to control crowd size and eliminate people just waiting in line.) We can’t confirm their plans as of writing, but this is a widespread rumor.
  
  For now, you should know that if you want to see a show, you’ll need to line up early; unless you are sailing as a RockStar, of course.
• When the Lumberjack is on, they aren’t on for very long. I can’t even say this is truly a flub, but Virgin didn’t make it completely clear that he is only on for a couple days of any cruise.
• Pink Agave’s Alaska menu item, the Achiote Spiced Salmon, isn’t great. I love salmon and cook it frequently; I’m no stranger to this fish. The approach here, with the combination of flavors and the cooking technique, just doesn’t work. I would avoid this one and get something else from the menu.

Conclusion

Many fans of Virgin Voyages worried that they would fumble Alaska. They said that the pools won’t be any good, that the ship wouldn’t be fun outside of balmy weather, that Virgin wasn’t designed as a line to sail in cold weather. I can confidently say that all those fears are overblown.

Virgin Voyages Alaska sufficiently altered their approach to sailing to meet the needs and desires of the area. There were many long time Virgins… wait… There were many returning Virgin guests we met on the ship that raved about how much fun they were having. I ended up socializing with people more than I usually do because folks were in a fantastic mood and having fun.

I love Skagway! The owners of the Red Onion put this sign out for our first visit and it’s perfect. I really do love that town.

Yes, Scarlet Night was a little more subdued given that the top deck dance party was moved inside and likely will be for much of the season. That change didn’t dampen people’s spirits, though, as all through Scarlet Night people were spotting whales off the side of the ship and it turned into a mix of dancing and nature watching. That’s not something that I’ve ever seen in the warm waters of the gulf.

I spent hours watching the scenery pass by, warmly wrapped in blankets, curled up in the hammock. There was delicious venison, cod, crab, salmon, and halibut, at every restaurant. The mood was bright and fun, as it always is, but there were opportunities to engage in culture and education that don’t typically happen on Virgin’s sailings.

At the end of the day, I’ve been to Alaska before, but I’ve never had such a good time as this.

The post Virgin Voyages First Alaska Sailing Review – Stunning And Successful appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

From breathtaking natural beauty to amazing outdoor activities, there’s something for everyone in Alaska. A good travel agent can help you select the perfect itinerary that suits your needs, budget, and interests.

Denali

Mt. Denali is North America’s highest peak and a must-visit for an Alaska dream trip. Denali National Park is vast, it’s America’s largest national park and is larger than the entire state of New Hampshire! There are tons of tours and excursions available. The Park Service even offers free sled dog demonstrations in the summer. “Flight-seeing” is a wonderful way to see incredible views you will always remember.

Finally, check out our guide to National Park passes.

Kenai Fjords

Another very popular area is Kenai Fjords. Almost 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield. A Kenai Fjords boat tour is one of the very best ways to see Kenai on your Alaska dream trip, and you might spot a whale or two!  You can also hike, mountain bike, take a “flight-seeing” trip and more. There are many great boat trips from Seward or even Anchorage. Some excursions include a dinner cruise or whale-watching. And from May to mid-June, orcas can be spotted.

Glacier Bay

One of the highlights for an Alaska dream trip is a cruise of Glacier Bay, but sadly, many visitors miss this incredible experience entirely. Glacier Bay as part of the U.S. National Park Service is strictly controlled. Only two ships per day from a few cruise lines are permitted.  You may even see seals perched on chunks of ice. You can still have a fabulous time without visiting Glacier Bay, but we always recommend it.

Fantastic Towns

All along the coast are towns with great history and character. Are you are fascinated by fishing, the Gold Rush, or Native American culture? There is something for you!

Juneau is a great place for a helicopter tour to walk on a glacier during your Alaska dream trip. It’s the state capital yet you can only get there by air or boat. The Mendenhall Glacier is the only glacier in Southeast Alaska accessible by road. We have experienced fantastic whale-watching in Juneau.

Charming Ketchikan has a wealth of native culture and a visit to the Totem Heritage Center is memorable. There is an abundance of salmon and eagles. You can fish, kayak, or take a tour and perhaps see seals, sea lions, and whales. Or snorkel with a ton of underwater sea life.

Sitka may be the most beautiful of the Southeast Alaska communities. Its Russian history is fascinating as evidenced by St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

Check it out Sitka’s official tourist site. You are almost certain to see bald eagles. Interesting facts about Sitka: No mosquitos or rats or mice.

Skagway is Alaska’s top tourist destination. The White Pass and Yukon Route railroad, is a traveler favorite.

On your Alaska dream trip, you can ride the rails on a real gold-rush era railroad from Skagway into the heart of the Yukon. And, yes, the area is, in part, a national park.

Finally, most visitors will visit Anchorage. It may not seem like it, but it’s a big city by Alaska standards.

There are day-long tours to the Kenai area that are very worthwhile. However, closer, and very popular places to visit are Chugach State Park and the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge is a bird-lover’s paradise. For your convenience, we have compiled a list of some popular Anchorage area tours.

Planning Your Alaska Dream Trip: All the Ways to Visit Alaska

There are several ways to visit Alaska.  The simplest is to fly there and back. No passport required. You can rent a car, take guided vacations, ride the famous trains, or some of each! You can even stay at some cool Alaska Wilderness lodges and take the domed trains with their magnificent views. However, you won’t see the cool towns and beauty of the Inside Passage.

The Most Affordable Way to visit Alaska is an Ocean Cruise.

Generally, you can take cruises out of Seattle, Vancouver, Whittier, or Seward. Cruises also run from San Francisco. Your transportation, accommodation, meals and entertainment are covered. We recommend one-way cruises as you will spend more time sightseeing than on a round-trip cruise. Almost every major cruise company has Alaska cruises available.  It can be confusing choosing the best one but we’re here to help.

Other ways are to take ferries from Seattle or to drive yourself through Canada.

We think the best Alaska dream trip is to pair a one-way cruise with a cruise tour. You cruise from Vancouver to Alaska and then the cruise line transports you to fabulous Alaskan lodges.  They usually include the famous glass-domed trains and guided tours. There are many multi-day options available. If you have the time and the money, it is the best!

Alaska Souvenirs and Art

On our past visits, we bought have some great Alaskan art that we cherish. Certainly you will want to explore and shop. Although there are countless shops, you should also consider the museum shops as great places to buy something to bring home.

Alaska has over 60 museums and cultural centers covering its history: the Russian occupation, gold booms – and busts as told in art and artifacts. Of course, the art of the Alaska native cultures is especially interesting. Beadwork, masks, carving, and basketry are some of the favorite collectable items. 

Tip: When you shop in Alaska, be sure to look for the silver hand logo which denotes the object was created by an Alaskan native artist using local materials.

More to Read

Visiting Seattle

Visiting Victoria

If you need help with airfare, check out our 6 Insider Secrets to Getting the Best Price for Airfare.

Visiting National Parks? Here’s our Guide.

The post Planning Your Alaska Dream Trip 2025 appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Nowadays, for the most part, the best prices and choices of cabins come to those who book a year or more ahead. Just ask someone who tried to book a cruise for this summer a few months ago. Nowadays Alaska cruise cabins fill quickly.

Cruise lines are announcing their 2026 Alaska sailings now and they will start filling quickly.

If you haven’t visited Alaska, you’re missing out! We have visited Alaska several times and can attest to its incredible natural beauty. Pictures are fantastic, but they do not let you experience the vastness you witness in person. So, we created our guide for planning your Alaska visit. We share the best time to visit Alaska and the best places to visit in Alaska.

Alaska Trains are very popular for good reason

From breathtaking natural beauty to amazing outdoor activities, there’s something for everyone in Alaska. A good travel agent can help you select the perfect itinerary that suits your needs, budget, and interests. For the best prices and itineraries, start planning now.

Best Places to Visit in Alaska: Denali

Mt. Denali is North America’s highest peak and a must-visit for an Alaska dream trip. Denali National Park is vast, it’s America’s largest national park and is larger than the entire state of New Hampshire! There are tons of tours and excursions available. The Park Service even offers free sled dog demonstrations in the summer. “Flight-seeing” is a wonderful way to see incredible views you will always remember. Denali is certainly one of the best places to visit in Alaska.

Finally, check out our guide to National Park passes.

Best Places to Visit in Alaska: Kenai Fjords

Another very popular area is Kenai Fjords. Almost 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield. A Kenai Fjords boat tour is one of the very best ways to see Kenai on your Alaska dream trip, and you might spot a whale or two!  You can also hike, mountain bike, take a “flight-seeing” trip and more. There are many great boat trips from Seward or even Anchorage. Some excursions include a dinner cruise or whale-watching. And from May to mid-June, orcas can be spotted.

Best Places to Visit in Alaska: Glacier Bay

One of the best places to visit in Alaska is a cruise of Glacier Bay, but sadly, many visitors miss this incredible experience entirely. Glacier Bay, part of the U.S. National Park Service, is strictly controlled. Only two ships per day from a few cruise lines are permitted.  You may even see seals perched on chunks of ice. You can still have a fabulous time without visiting Glacier Bay, but we always recommend it.

Best Places to Visit in Alaska: Fantastic Towns

All along the coast are towns with great history and character. Are you are fascinated by fishing, the Gold Rush, or Native American culture? There is something for you!

Juneau is a great place for a helicopter tour to walk on a glacier during your Alaska dream trip. It’s the state capital yet you can only get there by air or boat. The Mendenhall Glacier is the only glacier in Southeast Alaska accessible by road.

Charming Ketchikan has a wealth of native culture and a visit to the Totem Heritage Center is memorable. There is an abundance of salmon and eagles. You can fish, kayak, or take a tour and perhaps see seals, sea lions, and whales. Or snorkel with a ton of underwater sealife.

Sitka might be the most beautiful of the Southeast Alaska communities. Its Russian history is fascinating as evidenced by St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

Skagway is Alaska’s top tourist destination. The White Pass and Yukon Route railroad, is a traveler favorite. On your Alaska dream trip, you can ride the rails on a real gold-rush era railroad from Skagway into the heart of the Yukon. And, yes, the area is, in part, a national park.

Finally, most visitors will visit Anchorage. It may not seem like it, but it’s a big city by Alaska standards.

There are day-long tours to the Kenai area that are very worthwhile. However, closer, and very popular places to visit are Chugach State Park and the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge is a bird-lover’s paradise. For your convenience, we have compiled a list of some popular Anchorage area tours.

Planning Your Alaska Dream Trip: All the Ways to Visit Alaska

There are many ways to visit Alaska. Of course, the best time to visit Alaska depends on what you want to see. The simplest way is to fly there and back. No passport required. You can rent a car, take guided vacations, ride the famous trains, or a bit of each! You can even stay at cool Alaska Wilderness lodges and take the domed trains with their magnificent views. However, you won’t see the cool towns of the Inside Passage, which we think are some of the best places to visit in Alaska. For that, you should take a cruise.

Consider a Special National Park Visit

Recently, we wrote about a special way to visit Glacier Bay National Park. You can enjoy peace, tranquility, hiking, and wonderful wildlife viewings.

The most affordable way to visit Alaska is an Ocean Cruise.

Generally, you can take cruises out of Seattle, Vancouver, Whittier, or Seward. Cruises also run from San Francisco. Your transportation, accommodation, meals and entertainment are covered. We recommend one-way cruises as you will spend more time sightseeing than on a round-trip cruise. Almost every major cruise company has Alaska cruises available.  It can be confusing choosing the best one but we’re here to help.

Other ways, much less frequently-used, are to take ferries from Seattle or to drive yourself through Canada.

We think the best Alaska dream trip is to pair a one-way cruise with a cruise tour. You cruise from Vancouver to Alaska and then the cruise line transports you to fabulous Alaskan lodges.  They usually include the famous glass-domed trains and guided tours. There are many multi-day options available. If you have the time and the money, it is the best!

If you want to take a cruise, the best time to visit Alaska is May through September. The weather can always be iffy, but even more so in May and September. On the other hand, the crowds and the prices are lower. June, July, and August are considered the prime months to cruise.

Alaska Souvenirs and Art

On our past visits, we purchased some great Alaskan art that we still cherish. Certainly you will want to explore and shop. Although there are countless shops, you should also consider the museum shops as great places to buy something to bring home.

Alaska has over 60 museums and cultural centers covering its history: the Russian occupation, gold booms – and busts as told in art and artifacts. Of course, the art of the Alaska native cultures is especially interesting. Beadwork, masks, carving, and basketry are some of the favorite collectable items. 

Tip: When you shop in Alaska, be sure to look for the silver hand logo which denotes the object was created by an Alaskan native artist using local materials.

The Aurora Borealis 

Want to See the Northern Lights?

The best time visit Alaska to see the Northern Lights is September through mid-April. For the best chance, head north to Fairbanks or beyond. Check out this great guide for planning a visit.

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If you need help with airfare, check out our 6 Insider Secrets to Getting the Best Price for Airfare.

Visiting National Parks? Here’s our Guide.

Truly Visit Glacier Bay National Park

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Every week we share our favorite travel secrets and tips. You can view them all here.

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Glacier Bay National Park is a World Heritage Site, and it is huge. It spans over three million acres stretching from the Fairweather Mountain Range to the water. Avid backpackers will helicopter into the more remote sites. Most visitors see just a few glaciers when visiting the park. There are over 1,000.

While an Alaska cruise is a wonderful way to see Glacier Bay, there is much more to experience.

Glacier Bay National Park is the one park where I can see moose, bear, puffins, sea lions and calving glaciers in one location. Most people only experience the park when cruising Alaska and only see a small picture of what the park has to offer.

Glacier Bay National Park is Wonderful for Hikers

Glacier Bay National Park is the perfect place for those of us who like to take day hikes or backpack in the wilderness. There are 1-to-6-mile round trip hikes that start at the main building of the lodge.

The Forest Loop trail is a one-mile round trip hike that will take you down to the beach. At low tide you might find sea stars, anemones and sea urchins. Other trails will take you to the Bartlett River and Bartlett Lake where you might find moose along with small animals and a variety of migrating birds.

There is also a natural trail along an intertidal strip of land where you might see seals and sea lions bobbing in the water. None of the trails are maintained other than the Forest Loop trail so wear sturdy shoes.

Tufted Puffin

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve All Day Tour

One of my favorite highlights of visiting Glacier Bay is their full day tour. This is a catamaran tour of a good portion of the bay. The boat slowly travels up Glacier Bay and stops for lunch while overlooking Margorie and Grand Pacific Glaciers. We’ve observed several glacier calvings while eating caribou stew.

When on this tour, I saw rookeries filled with Tufted Puffins, Kittiwakes and Oystercatchers with their skinny red legs. The catamaran can get close enough to the rookeries so that you could use your phone to take pictures of the birds. Of course, the seals and sea lions will bob their heads up to see what is going on. On occasion, an orca will pop up and spy on you.

I cannot describe to you how I felt when seeing brown bears at the water’s edge. You don’t realize how large they really are until you see one close up. I was thankful I was on a boat 50 feet from shore.

The Lodge in Glacier Bay

The Lodge in Glacier Bay is rustic compared to lodges in other national parks. The main building has a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a small gift shop and meeting hall for ranger talks upstairs. You take a wooden walkway to your cabin tucked in the woods. And you never know what you will see on that short walk. Imagine my surprise when I walked to the lodge for coffee one morning and was joined by a porcupine. He just escorted me to the lodge and apparently didn’t need coffee to wake him up.

Glacier Bay Sea Lions

Practical Matters and More for Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

As with all National Parks, there are ranger talks throughout the day and some evenings. Topics can range from the Huna Tlingit who lived in the area many years ago to the plants and animals you can see. You will find the Huna Healing Totem Pole and a skeleton of a humpback whale near the main lodge.

Glacier Bay has a maritime climate which means the temperatures are much cooler than other parts of Alaska. One year, my husband and I visited Fairbanks with temperatures in the mid 90’s and then experienced a high in the low 50’s in Glacier Bay. It is wetter in Glacier Bay because of the maritime climate. It can be sunny, rainy and misty within the same day. Bring rain gear if you are visiting and hope to do some day hiking.

Getting There

You can only get to Glacier Bay by boat or by plane. Alaska Airlines has smaller planes that fly from Anchorage or Juneau to Gustavus. There is complementary transportation to the lodge at Glacier Bay National Park. You can also catch the ferry from Juneau to Hoonah (Gustavus) on certain days of the week. If there are no rooms at the Lodge in Glacier Bay, there are many lodging options in and around the small town of Gustavus. These range from cabins in the woods to small inns and resorts. Since it is less than 10 miles to the park, you can rent a car for a day to go hiking in the park or take the Catamaran Day Tour. Gustavus is a very small town, but it does have a few shops and restaurants.

Even though it is a bit harder to get to Glacier Bay National Park, it is one I strongly urge people to visit. Especially those who love to spend time outdoors. After talking about Glacier National Park, I am ready to book my vacation for next year. I wonder if they still have caribou stew on their All Day tour?

More About Visiting Alaska

Our Guide to Visiting Alaska 2024

Book Now for Alaska

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Yellowstone National Park

I Love to Visit Yellowstone National Park

Fort Pulaski National Monument

National Park Tickets and Services

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Fall colors are just starting to pop and the elk have begun mating season. Because there are fewer tourists in the park after Labor Day, you don’t have to deal with the traffic in the more popular areas such as Old Faithful and Mammoth Hot Springs. I can stop my car to watch the occasional wolf or bear without having 40 cars surround me.

Yellowstone National Park is a wonderful place to hike in the fall. Normally the air is crisp in the morning, and it does not get too hot in the afternoon. And there is something magical about hiking in Yellowstone National Park during a brief snowstorm.

Where to Stay at Yellowstone National Park

Most of the lodges are open until the first week of October. And yes, there is still room at many of them. You can choose from lodges, inns, cabins, and camping sites.  Many close in early September but The Canyon Lodge and Cabins, Old Faithful Inn and Cabins, Lake Hotel and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins are open until the first week of October.

I always try to stay at the Old Faithful Inn for at least one night when I’m at the park. It is considered the world’s largest log structure and is truly awe inspiring. There is a path from the Inn down to Old Faithful and the Firehole River where you can see smaller geysers and mud pots erupt. Or you can sit on the porch and watch Old Faithful Geyser erupt. It is also a favorite spot for elk. Just give them space!

Another of my favorite places to stay is the Lake Hotel which sits on the bank of Yellowstone Lake.  It first opened in 1891 and was remodeled in 2012-2014. You can sit in the restaurant in the morning drinking your coffee and watching the steam rise off the lake. There are trails down to the lake as well as a few small geysers on the shore. Elk and bison occasionally wander around the hotel.

I try to stay at the cabins by the Mammoth Hot Springs during my stay as well. This gives me access to the north end of the park and Lamar Valley where you can see herds of bison as well as the occasional wolf. I prefer to stay in the cabins rather than the hotel because it is more rustic. It is just a short walk to the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel which has a dining room and snack bar. Each cabin has a small porch which is perfect for watching the night sky. I’ve seen elk around the cabins in the morning.

There are many dining options from fine dining to casual dining. Fine dining can be found at the Old Faithful Inn, Lake Hotel and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. I always make a reservation just to be sure I have a table. Snack bars, casual dining and convenience stores are located at these three locations as well as the Roosevelt and Canyon Lodges.  However, the Roosevelt Lodge closes in August.

Yellowstone National Park Lodges offers a few packages as well. These packages include lodging at one of the Park’s Hotels or Lodges plus some meals and personal time with one of the Park’s Field Educators. There are options for everyone with packages including more adventurous hiking trails to guided park tours.

You can book a room or a package through Yellowstone Park Lodges.

Getting to Yellowstone

You can get to Yellowstone National Park by flying into either Boseman, Montana or Jackson Hole, Wyoming and renting a car to drive to the park. Airports a bit farther away are in Billings, Montana (230 miles away) or Salt Lake City, Utah (320 miles away). I’ve always preferred to fly into Boseman and drive down the scenic Gallatin River Valley.

Entrance Fees

The entrance fee for Yellowstone National Park is $35.00 and is valid for 7 days so you can easily drive in and out of the park during your stay. If you think you will visit other National Parks during the calendar year, purchase the Annual Pass for $80.00. The Annual Pass for US citizens aged 62+ is only $20.00. Those currently in or have been in the military can obtain a free annual pass.

There is also the America the Beautiful Pass as well as a LIFETIME Senior Pass for US Citizens aged 62+. Both passes are $80.00. This pass can be used at over 1,000 National Parks and Recreational sites including sites.

Check out all the options at the National Park Service site: National Park Service Park Passes

I hope that this has inspired you to visit Yellowstone National Park in the fall either this year or next year. Please reach out if you have any questions about lodging, flights, or rental cars.  I am more than happy to help you plan your trip.

More About Yellowstone and Other National Parks

Our Guide to U.S. National Parks

Our previous Guide to Yellowstone

The post I Love to Visit Yellowstone National Park in the Fall appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

The Reflecting Pool and Lincoln Memorial, National Mall

Washington D.C. For Children

Of course, a Washington DC visit is perfect for families. All of the Smithsonian Museums and the Zoo are free! For an engaging, informative and fun experience for the little ones, the Museum of Natural History and the National Air and Space Museum should be at the top of your list. These venues are exceptionally kid-friendly, complete with interactive exhibits that invite youngsters and adults alike to partake in the joy of discovery. I’ll admit that I have been known wait in line to play with the interactive exhibits.

The best places to visit in Washington D.C. for children include the National Zoo and the Natural History Museum.

The National Zoo is free! Visit the Smithsonian’s National Zoo which is a Metro ride to Woodley Park from the National Mall. Sadly, the pandas are no longer there, but that does not mean that the National Zoo is not a terrific family visit. The kids will enjoy the squirt zone, the carousel, the Me and Bee playground, and a virtual reality safari. Adults will enjoy the Zoo as well. I’ve spent many afternoons walking the grounds. Even though the zoo is free you do need entry passes. You can easily get these passes on the Zoo’s website.

The White House

Not to Miss on Your Washington DC Visit

Some of the best places to visit in Washington DC are the most famous.

The White House

No visit to Washington DC is complete without viewing the White House. If you want the inside tour, you must plan in advance as tickets are extremely limited.

If you want a tour, submit White House tour requests through your Member of Congress. These self-guided tours are generally available Tuesday through Saturday (excluding federal holidays or unless otherwise noted). Tours are scheduled on a first come, first served basis. You can make requests up to three months before and no less than 21 days in advance. Submit your request as early as possible as a limited number of spaces are available. e in their request. The White House tour is free of charge. Please note that White House tours may be subject to last minute cancellation.

The U.S. Capitol

One of the most important places to visit in Washington DC, the US Capitol opens its doors to welcome visitors. I strongly suggest booking a private tour to gain easy entry and learn more about the behind the scenes at the U.S. Capitol. Summers can be steamy in Washington DC and it is no fun waiting at the entrance.

Many Many Museums

Get ready to step into the vibrant world of Washington D.C’s iconic museums! The Museum of Natural History claims to be the world’s most popular natural history museum, and for good reason. Remember, it is also the home of the famous Hope Diamond. From the engrossing tales at the Museum of American History to the rich cultural tapestry of the Museum of the American Indian, and the powerful narratives unfolded in the Museum of African American History – there’s a treasure trove of wonder awaiting you in every corner! The museums are definitely the best places to visit in Washington D.C.

Important Tip: The Museum of African American History requires a pass. Because these passes go quickly, book them as soon as you can.

The National Museum of African-American History

Ford Theater

The Lincoln Theater is nearby and you can visit with a Lincoln Assassination Walking tour. Make sure you book a tour in advance. Your tour guide will make you feel as if you were there the night Lincoln was assassinated. For this reason, the theater is on our list of “must do’s” when we have company.

Arlington Cemetery

I have been to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia many times, which is an easy Metro ride from Alexandria. I consider it one of the most important places to visit in Washington DC.The last time I was there I booked an Arlington National Cemetery Tour for myself and my family. As a result, I learned things about the history of the grounds and stopped at the graves of many famous people that I would not have found on my own. The guide will make sure that you see the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Make sure you wear good walking shoes for this tour.

More

Aside from exploring the political and historic landmarks, there are numerous additional activities to indulge in while you’re visiting Washington DC. For instance, you must not miss the world-class performances and immersive tours the Kennedy Center offers. Furthermore, you can enrich your cultural appreciation by visiting our abundant free art galleries and museums, each showcasing unique exhibits and collections. My favorite is the National Museum of Art where you will find classical as well as modern art.

Don’t Forget to Eat on Your Washington DC Visit

Remember, museums here aren’t just about artifacts; they’re culinary destinations too! Take the Sweet Home Café nestled within the beautiful National Museum of African American History, for example. This gem is not just highly recommended, but sparkling with rave reviews from top food critics. My personal favorite is Mitsitam at the Museum of the American Indian where I can get both fry bread and grilled salmon. All of the museums will have cafes and places to grab a quick bite.

And that’s not all! On your Washington DC visit venture north of the mall and you’ll be spoiled by a parade of tantalizing food trucks and a variety of restaurants waiting to tease your taste buds. Accordingly, it will be a feast for the senses, indeed! We can provide recommendations!

Practical Advice for Visiting Washinton D.C.

It’s easy visiting Washington DC with the swift and efficient Metro system. I’ve rarely driven into Washington DC, opting to use the Metro to get around to all the places to visit in Washington DC.

When visiting Washington D.C. for a tour of the iconic monuments, it’s essential to gear up in comfortable footwear, considering the considerable amount of walking involved. I have walked up to 5 miles, even after leaving out a few monuments. Try an evening stroll around the monuments, as these hours offer a less crowded experience, allowing you to immerse fully in their historical grandeur. I love booking a moonlight tour of the monuments when family visits.

Fly into Reagan National Airport (DCA) and book your stay in Alexandria, Virginia. This can be both a time and cost-efficient option for travelers. Many hotels in Alexandria offer the convenience of shuttle services to and from the airport.

When I can, I spend a night in Alexandria. The town is steeped in rich history and boasts an array of shopping venues and diverse dining options. Additionally, there is a Metro Station at the West end of Alexandria. This connects you seamlessly to the much-loved Washington D.C. National Mall and many of the Smithsonian Museums. It makes visiting Washington DC a breeze. I have spent weekends in Alexandria with family. We have spent the day in DC or at Arlington National Cemetary and have had a wonderful dinner and evening in Alexandria.

Finally, let us help you find the perfect hotel and book your private tours before you arrive. Want to find the best airfare? Then check out our valuable tips for saving money on airfare and our tips for making your flights more enjoyable.

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I have lived there and still visit. I know the city well and the best time of year to visit Seattle is definitely summer.

If you are looking to truly experience the city, you should definitely stay downtown, as you don’t have to wander far to get to the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Aquarium, and many restaurants, diners and bars. 

Pike Place

Pike Place Market

Start your Summer in Seattle in the Pike Place Market area where there are so many things to do.

It’s fantastic to stay in a hotel near Pike Place Market. It is central to many activities. We love to walk or take a short light rail ride to many locations across Seattle.

• Begin your morning at one of the many cafés for a bite and coffee. Starbucks’ original store opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. Get there early or wait until later in the day if you want to visit. By 9 a.m., the line will get long and will stay that way until mid-afternoon. 
• Sample some smoked salmon, Chucker Cherries, dried fruits and baked goods. Or visit the north end of the market for local treasures at the artisan stands and eat at one of the many restaurants in the market. Don’t forget the shops and restaurants in Post Alley. Kell’s and the Pink Door are some of my favorites. Finally, add your contribution to the gum wall (if you can find it).
• Hint: Take a morning tasting tour of the Market. I was able to sample foods from several vendors before the market got crowded. There are other food tours late in the day for those night owls.

The Space Needle is a Seattle Icon

Checking Out the Seattle Center

Take a short light rail ride or walk to the Seattle Center. It is a fantastic place to spend the whole day with a multitude of activities. Even though summer is the best time of year to visit Seattle Washington, it will sometimes rain. That’s when you can visit the Seattle Center where there are many things to do indoors.

• The Museum of Pop Culture showcases memorable moments in TV, rock and roll, and science fiction through engaging and interactive exhibits.
• Chihuly Garden in Glass is a peaceful stroll through indoor and outdoor exhibits showcasing some of Chihuly’s most iconic works of art. There are glass blowing demonstrations throughout the day. Note: This is not the place to take children who like to run. But there are many other places for active little ones. 
• Activities for children
  • Seattle Science Center is a children’s paradise with hands on exhibits and places to run
  • Artists at Play Plaza and Playground
  • South Fountain Lawn is a large fountain with shooting sprays of water for children to splash and run through. 
  • The Armory has a food court with many options. 
  • Hint: I would skip the Space Needle unless it is truly on your list of must-do’s. It is very expensive and very crowded. You can get a better view at the Sky View Observatory.

Elliot Bay Seattle

Outdoor Activities Make Summer the Best Time to Visit Seattle

For your Summer in Seattle, you can head to the piers on Puget Sound to catch an Argosy Cruise through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks or a one-hour Harbor Cruise where you will see the Seattle Skyline and the mountain ranges that surround the city.  A Seattle CityPass will include the cruise, the Chihuly Exhibit, the Space Needle, and more.

For those of us who like history and ghost stories, make sure you do one of the Underground Tours in Pioneer Square. Learn the true story of Skid Row and the unsavory characters who lived there.

The Woodland Park Zoo is an easy Uber/Lyft ride from your hotel. The zoo has many tree-lined paths and is a great place to escape the sun. This is another great place to take the kids for an afternoon. There are plenty of paths to run around on. 

Green Lake is nearby and another wonderful place to enjoy the outdoors. You can rent pedal boats, row boats, kayaks and even water bikes. There is also a café for a snack after your water activities. 

The Skyline Observatory on the 73th floor of the Columbia Center provides fantastic views of the city and mountains. On a clear day you might be able to see Mount Baker to the north as well as Mt. Rainier to the Southeast.

Nearby Tours

There are amazing places to visit outside Seattle. Want to see what Mount St. Helen’s looks like now? It’s a National Monument. Mt. Rainer is a fantastic place to tour. Olympic National Park is another must see. Be sure to check out our guide to U.S. National Parks.

I hope I’ve convinced you that summer truly is the best time to visit Seattle Washington. We would love to help you plan a stressless visit to Seattle. Let us reserve the perfect hotel for you. We can book tickets to the attractions and tours that are on your must-do list. But we will also make sure that you have breaks so that you are not exhausted after your vacation. 

And when you visit Seattle, consider a visit to nearby Visit Gorgeous Victoria, British Columbia.

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