Although most universities prefer to give their formal tours to high school sophomores and juniors, my husband and I believe that it’s never too early to embark on informal college visits. Whenever we travel with our child, we try to carve out at least an hour or two to wander around on our own through the local university. We’ve been taking our daughter (now 14 and a freshman in high school) on such informal visits since she was 5.

Stanford University. Photo Jill Clardy

When she was in elementary school, we used these trips as a way to introduce her to the idea of college—and to emphasize how much fun campuses can be. For example, as a kindergartner, she gathered blossoms and picked ripe apples from the lovely gardens of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. As a fourth grader, she delighted at an oversized rock teddy bear sculpture and a day-glo statue of a phoenix that is part of the Stuart Collection, a sculpture garden at the University of California, San Diego. As an eighth grader just last year, when we happened to be in Palo Alto for a family wedding, she loaded her arms with books from the impressive Stanford bookstore.

Now that high school is upon us, we’re taking a more serious approach to college visits. Although it’ll be another year or two before she schedules official tours and registers her interest in schools, we’re plotting a five-campus informal tour in the northeast to piggyback with a visit to family in upstate New York and another tour of mid-Atlantic campuses in the spring, to coincide with our regular pilgrimage to Washington, DC.

Before undertaking a visit to an institution of higher learning, check out the university website to see what kinds of tours are available. Some campuses have a variety of options that are even better than wandering around on your own. For example, Stanford University offers a 50-minute walking tour with a student guide that highlights the campus’s architecture; a 60-minute golf cart tour that includes farther flung facilities such as the athletic fields and the arts center; and a downloadable audio for a self-guided iPod tour. In addition to traditional student-led tours, Yale University also offers a free audio tour, and guests can purchase a Blue Trail map that provides a history of the campus as well as a suggested walking itinerary. And if you’re visiting the venerable campus with children 10 and younger, keep them engaged by picking up a fun treasure-hunting map that will encourage kids to locate architectural details along the tour route.

To read more about college visits and college towns check out our College Visit Guides on TravelMuse.

Not every family can make a trip to Washington, D.C., and because of increasing security measures, even fewer can get into the White House for a personal tour. But it is possible for children to experience a little of the executive office by visiting one of the many presidential libraries around the country.

In the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, for example, guests of all ages can step aboard the Boeing 707 that was used as Air Force One during the tenure of seven presidents; view a Marine Helicopter Squadron One aircraft up close; and witness a U.S. Army MP patrol a re-creation of Checkpoint Charlie, the border crossing of the Berlin Wall.

Air Force One. Photo: Courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

At the beautifully designed William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Littlerock, Arkansas, children can walk through a faithful re-creation of the Clinton Oval Office, complete with reproductions of the artwork that hung on the walls and the knick knacks that decorated Clinton’s desktop. Children will also enjoy interactive video stations where they can learn about everyday life in the Clinton White House—from what it’s like to dine in the presidential mansion to what it’s like to be a first pet.

In addition to the permanent collections in these presidential libraries, kids will get a kick out of many of the rotating exhibitions. Currently the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, features the kid-friendly “Moon Shot—JFK and Space Exploration,” which displays a model of the Friendship 7 capsule manned by John Glenn when he became the first American astronaut to orbit the earth in 1962; an actual Mercury spacesuit; and letters and memos written by the late president, chronicling Kennedy’s interest in space.

Fall comes to the Mid-Atlantic and southeast a littler later than the New England states, so there’s still time to check out autumn color in these warmer regions. One of the best places for leaf peeping is along the incredibly scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, the 470-mile roadway that connects Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. The Blue Ridge Parkway snakes through mountaintop wilderness that displays more than 100 species of trees, making this expanse of asphalt one of the loveliest in the country when the leaves begin to fall.

Photo: Courtesy Asheville Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

The Parkway gets an estimated 1.5 million visitors during the month of October, which typically marks the peak of the color-changing season. If you visit during the last two weeks of October and the first week of November (especially on weekends), expect serious roadway congestion. But don’t let that dissuade you. With scenery this lovely, there’s no reason to rush: Follow the guiding principle of the park: “drive awhile and stop awhile.” There are numerous roadside pullouts that offer gorgeous vantage points, and many link to trails and picnic grounds. And if you’re willing to leave your auto behind and hike a quarter of a mile or so, it is easy enough to find solitude, even on the busiest Sunday afternoon.

My family and I like to arrive early (early!) in the morning, generally before sunrise, and hit the Parkway before the worst of the traffic. In years past we’ve driven for as long as two hours after daylight before we saw another car. In addition to helping us beat the crowds, we’ve found that morning light makes for stunning photographs; this is also the best time of the day to see wildlife, including white-tail deer and black bears.

Photo: Courtesy Asheville Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

If the traffic along the Parkway slows down too much for you, consider an aerial tour. Asheville Hot Air Balloons out of Asheville, North Carolina, offers exhilarating trips year-round. Routes vary depending on air currents, but expect to see spectacular views above the mountains of the nearby Pisgah National Forest.

When I look back to the times I visited national parks (Yosemite and Denali come to mind), I’m always amazed at the impressions my experiences left on me. These trips were about more than sightseeing tours, dinners at classy restaurants or days spent tanning on beaches—they were about embracing the things in this world that truly are priceless and being thankful that the national parks have been preserved for everyone to enjoy.

Photo: James Neeley

Re-awaken your appreciation for the national parks by watching documentary filmmaker Ken Burns’ six-part series, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, set to air Sept. 27 through Oct. 2 on PBS. The narrative of the national parks is outlined over the course of six two-hour long episodes, beginning with the genesis of the national park idea in the mid-1800s and tracing the growth and preservation of the national parks over the following 150 years. Burns profiles an assortment of people who’ve played key roles in the development of the national parks, from biologists to naturalists to park rangers, and parallels historical accounts with contemporary tales of people whose lives have been changed and inspired by the national parks.

Have you always dreamed of rafting down the Merced River in Yosemite National Park or hiking along the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon? Inspire yourself and your friends to plan a trip to a national park. TravelMuse has a wealth of information to help plan your perfect national park adventure: skim destination overviews to learn more about a particular national park; read articles to discover a national park’s activities, lodging and dinning options, and basic facts; browse sample national park itineraries; and plan your own trip to a national park. Read more information and explore trips to some of our favorite national parks:

Yosemite National Park
Located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range about three hours east of San Francisco, Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful natural environments in the world. [Read our full Yosemite National Park coverage.]

Plan a trip to Yosemite National Park.

Grand Canyon National Park
Visiting the Grand Canyon should be on anyone’s Top 10 vacation list. This awe-inspiring geological wonder offers sublime vistas across the shockingly beautiful one-mile deep, 18-mile wide and 277-mile long chasm. [Read our full Grand Canyon National Park coverage.]

Plan a trip to the Grand Canyon National Park.

Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park … is a 2.2 million acre natural wonderland, where for every question answered, a handful of new inquiries seem to arise. [Read our full Yellowstone National Park coverage.]

Plan a trip to Yellowstone National Park.

We are thrilled to have Debbie K. Hardin, an outdoors expert, as a guest blogger on TravelMusings. Be on the lookout for her blogs in the near future.

We’re excited to announce the winners of our Kids Cool Trip Pix Contest, which ran over the summer. Kids under the age of 16 were encouraged to capture photos on family trips and share them with us here at TravelMuse. The contest was sponsored by Shutterfly and held in support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America event Day for Kids, celebrated on Sept. 12.

Thank you for all of the entries; we were impressed with the quality of the photos and had a lot of fun judging the contest.

So without further ado, I’d like to announce the winners:

Grand Prize Winner and Winner of the Tweenagers: Between the ages of 9 to 12 years

Taken by Braeden Smith, age 9, at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, in June, 2009.

We loved this photo because it really captured the park from a kid’s perspective, with the massive Redwood trees and the feeling of being deep inside the canyon. The photo is well framed, has rich colors and offers a great balance of rocks, trees and sky.

Congratulations Braeden! Enjoy your $150 gift voucher from Shutterfly ($100 grand prize winner + $50 Tweenager category winner).

Winner of the Youngin's: Under the age of  9 years

Taken by Alexis Genola, age 8, at a Butterfly Dome in Grand Isle, Louisiana on her summer vacation in June 2009.

This was a great close up shot of the butterfly on the foliage. The contrast in colors is excellent, the focus is sharp and we loved the composition.

Congratulations Alexis! Enjoy your $50 gift voucher from Shutterfly.

Winner of the Teen Scene: Between the ages of 13 to 16 years

Taken by Erin Golden, age 14, in Washington, DC, during a school field trip.

We loved the perfect reflection of the Washington Monument in the lake contrasted with the cotton wool clouds. A great shot.

Congratulations Erin! Enjoy your $50 gift voucher from Shutterfly.

Thanks to our contest sponsor, Shutterfly. We hope you will all have fun making creative memories with Shutterfly, who makes it simple to enhance, share and store your digital photos—for free. Choose from award-winning photo books and prints to a wide variety of photo gifts and cards, and stationery.

We’d also like to recognize the upcoming celebration of Day for Kids. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGC) celebrates the importance of establishing stronger relationships between adults and youth by leading the BGC Day for Kids effort. Held this year on Saturday, Sept. 12, BGC Day for Kids was established to encourage adults and children to spend meaningful time together. Please check out the details and to make your pledge visit dayforkids.org. TravelMuse will be making a donation of $100 to this charity in conjunction with our Kids Cool Trip Pix contest.

About five hours north of San Francisco lies Lassen Volcanic National Park. In a state that’s full of world-famous destinations for enjoying the great outdoors (Yosemite National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, Joshua Tree National Monument and more), Lassen tends to get overlooked. If you’re planning a trip there, this is to your advantage. 

Last weekend, we spent three great days camping at Summit Lake South—right in the heart of Lassen. [View and/or copy and personalize our Lassen trip plan here]  Summit Lake South is one of a dozen campgrounds administered by the National Park Service (NPS). Our campsite came equipped with a bear box, firepit and picnic table. There is potable water available throughout the campground, but no flush toilets. If that’s an important “luxury,” you’ll find them at Summit Lake North—a quarter of a mile up the road.

We found Summit Lake South to be a great place to camp as a family. There were other families around, which always takes some pressure off the parents. The kids met other children quickly and entertained themselves tracking chipmunks, exploring the meadow and throwing rocks into the water. The lake provided a welcome respite after morning hikes and we all enjoyed a dip into its cool, clear waters.

Summit Lake South                    Kevin Fliess 2009

Lassen is a comparatively small park, which makes it possible to see and do a lot in weekend. The highlights of the park include an ascent of 10,500-foot Lassen Peak, a hike to the geothermally active region known as Bumpass Hell or the Sulfur Works, or a jaunt to one of the dozen or so alpine lakes.

Since we were traveling with two young kids—ages 4 and 6—we tackled hikes that were rated easy to moderate. The Kings Creek Falls trail took us down a steep ravine past a series of spectacular cascades. Note to parents: Take the horse trail route down and the creekside trail up. We did it the other way around and wouldn’t recommend it. The hike follows the creek almost the entire way and offers ample opportunities for a quick dip of the toes.

Cascades at Kings Creek Falls     Kevin Fliess 2009

The hike to Bumpass Hell was really spectacular with views of all the park’s tallest peaks visible throughout the journey. Bumpass Hell is probably the most interesting part of the park. It’s a geothermally active area that reeks of rotten eggs and features fumaroles (big steam vents blasting super-heated water vapor); bubbling mud pots; and streams of mineral rich, near-boiling water.)

Bumpass Hell                         Kevin Fliess 2009

If you want a great workout and million-dollar views, hike the signature mountain in the park—Lassen Peak. According to the NPS: “On May 22, 1915, an explosive eruption at Lassen Peak, the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range, devastated nearby areas and rained volcanic ash as far away as 200 miles to the east. This explosion was the most powerful in a 1914-17 series of eruptions that were the last to occur in the Cascades before the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Lassen Peak is the largest of a group of more than 30 volcanic domes erupted over the past 300,000 years in Lassen Volcanic National Park.”

It's a steep 2.5-mile trail up with 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Note: The final mile of the trail is closed for the season for repairs. At the top you’ll find a permament snow field and will be rewarded with 360 views of the northern Sierras and southern Cascades. On most days, Mt. Shasta is clearly visible.

Don’t overlook this great Western park. It's not much farther from San Francisco than Yosemite and has a fraction of the summer crowds. It was our second trip to Lassen, and we will definitely go back.

Ever been to Las Vegas? Step into the massive Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn., and you might find yourself asking, “Which way to the casino?” With 2,881 guest rooms, this hotel is grand— you could indeed get lost in there, just like the huge hotels in Vegas.

Don’t spend too much time looking for that casino, however. The hotel is the largest non-gaming facility in the continental United States, and wonderfully family friendly.

The last time my family visited Nashville to visit relatives, we had merely poked our heads into the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. This time, though, we decided to get a room, er, suite. We had a great corner room that opened up to a living room and kitchenette, with a sleeper sofa and extra cot for my two boys. What can I say? We like our sleep and my kids snore.

Pool Perks for Everyone

When we travel as a family we like to spend ample time at the pool. Gaylord Opryland has three pools, which were a huge hit with the kids.

The centrally located Magnolia outdoor pool area is surrounded by a gorgeous fountain and small waterfall with a brook winding toward the pool and a wading pool. There’s a bar and outdoor eating area located poolside, ensuring that the little ones and grown ups always have something to munch on.

The Relache indoor pool is adjacent to the full-service Relache Spa. It’s a beautiful pool that has a designated lap lane—which help to keep frolicking kids well separated from adults working out. On the deck you’ll find plush, padded chaise lounges throughout—perfect for cat naps. A large, heated whirlpool and outdoor sunning area are just outside the pool area.

Enjoying the Relache Indoor Pool - Creative Commons - Kevin Fliess 2009

Hints of Disneyland

With the hotel’s four-story waterfall, a boat ride through the property’s interior moat, more than 10,000 tropical plants in the atrium and fountains, we thought it was the Disneyland of the Bible Belt. Well, almost. But, we never felt the need to leave (though I think my parents may have been miffed if we didn’t visit them).

  A morning stroll by the Cascades waterfall - Creative Commons - Kevin Fliess 2009

Walking through the Cascades section of the hotel, I was transported to Bourbon Street, New Orleans. Some walkways and footbridges tricked me into thinking I was inside Vegas’ New York New York Hotel and Casino; there was a hint of Paris, with Opryland’s lofty glass ceiling adorned with lights mimicking the night sky. Great restaurants and shops on property made it worth every penny for the suite. Despite the lack of slot machines, we’d hit the jackpot!

Kevin & Sue Fliess

A road trip to Branson, Mo., will likely bring the joys of counting cows along the interstate, consuming pounds of beef jerky, and the inevitable heated argument and subsequent time out. Despite these fun activities, and the entertainment that awaits in the “Live Music Show Capital of the World!” the cost of getting there can put a damper on your vacation. The Branson/Lake Area Chamber of Commerce/CVB wants to make sure it doesn’t keep you away.

Photo credit: Branson/Lake Area Chamber of Commerce

Between June 1 and Sept. 30, 2009, “Gas Buster” cards will be given to anyone with a valid drivers’ license and at least $40 in gas receipts obtained within 48 hours of arriving at the Chamber’s Welcome Center. To help take the sting out of any fuel expenses, the discount card is good for a total of $50 off everything from tickets to live shows and attractions, mementos from retail shops and meals at local restaurants. Additionally, every card holder is automatically entered to win the grand prize 4-day/3-night vacation for four to Branson, to be awarded on Sept. 30, 2009.

So, if Branson’s your kind of town, the drive is worth it.

For more information, visit www.explorebranson.com or call 800-214-3661.

Planning a Branson vacation? Read our Branson guide and articles:

Branson Destination Guide

Not Your Grandfather’s Branson

Branson’s Family-Friendly Shows

Branson’s Titanic Museum: A Time-Travel Surprise

A Branson Christmas