Category: Pre-Trip

Twenty-eight oak trees line the awe-inspiring driveway of the decadent Oak Alley Plantation in New Orleans, Louisiana. These were the reason why Jacques Joseph Roman chose this plantation to woo his wife into moving from the hustle and bustle of the French Quarter and into the countryside. Marie used the plantation as a social gathering point for all of her city friends and entertained guests on their own country retreats. The plantation was even the site of many popular films like Interview With a Vampire and Primary Colors.   The plantation cultivated sugar cane and its owners became one of the richest families in the South.  Since then Oak Alley Plantation has become an icon of New Orleans and its rich history has attracted people all over the world to visit, get married, and have special events.   Our tour began with a pickup point along the Mississippi Rive   » Read More

Category: Pre-Trip

1)    The Palace of Fine Arts:Situated on a picturesque lagoon housing ducks and swans, the Palace of Fine Arts was originally built to exhibit art during the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. It was one of ten palaces built for the exposition, and the only palace left standing. The palace had to be re-built in 1965 due to structural problems and poor materials. 2)    The Seven Sisters:  These seven houses, located in Alamo Square, represent San Francisco’s famously characteristic Victorian architecture. They were also made famous from the opening credits of Full House. 3)    Grace Cathedral:Located on Nob Hill, Grace Cathedral is famous for its stained glass windows, mosaics by de Rosen, and a replica of Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise. 4)    San Francisco City HallSan Francisco’s City Hall was completely destro   » Read More

Category: Pre-Trip

Solvang, CADay 1 of our 3-Day San Francisco, Hearst Castle, Yosemite Tour!<br/>The bus picked us up from LA, and then the Travelers4Fun Team was off! First stop: Solvang, a Danish village nestled about an hour north of Santa Barbara. A sunny spring day was a perfect backdrop for the colorful red, green, and yellow buildings and charming, wood-thatched wind mills. Once off the bus our tour group quickly dispersed, each of us following our noses toward a medley of delicious scents coming from all directions. From freshly-baked, authentic Danish pastries, to chocolates made on the premises, to home-made ice cream shops on every corner, Solvang was a sugar-lover’s dream. <br/><br/>I personally couldn’t resist Ingeborg’s Handmade Danish Chocolates, their display of giant chocolate Easter bunnies was too enticing to pass up. Two friendly chocolate-makers were kind enou   » Read More

Category: Pre-Trip

Hearst CastleContinuing along Day 1 of our 3-Day San Francisco, Hearst Castle, Yosemite Tour!After the Travelers4Fun team wrapped up lunch in Solvang, CA, we were off to our next stop: Hearst Castle. Nestled atop a hill North of San Luis Obispo – about a two hour drive from Solvang – we arrived mid-afternoon. The Hearst Castle Tour is optional, and at $25 I would highly recommend it for anyone who loves art, history, architecture, or old Hollywood glamour. Many of the tapestries, paintings, sculptures, and mosaics are one-of-a-kind, and some pieces date all the way back to the 3rd century! A little history: Hearst Castle took just under three decades (28 years, to be exact) to complete. William Randolph Hearst worked closely with architect Julia Morgan to design a Spanish Revival-inspired estate. As a child, Hearst traveled through Europe with his mother, and inspiration from his tra   » Read More

Category: Pre-Trip

Who knew that Washington D.C. had so many monuments and memorials! By the end of our trip I was nicknaming D.C. the memorial amusement park.  The Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial are just some of the amazing sites you can check out while in DC.  I was amazed to see just how much we fit into this day tour of D.C.  Not only did we see the memorials but we went into the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, one of the most renowned museums in the U.S! I’ve been obsessed with National Geographic since I was younger, and the Smithsonian is right up there in the ranks.  There are about a bazillion (19 to be exact) different Smithsonian museums in DC, each with their own area of expertise.  Some of these include the National  Portrait Gallery, Postal Museum, and an Air and Space Museum.   » Read More

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I Love The Smell of Rotten Eggs In the Morning

Category: Pre-Trip

So when I think of what the Yellowstone Hot Springs were going to be like, I thought of two things: rotten eggs and the movie Lake Placid.  If you didn’t know the sulfuric acid that the hot springs emit, give off the delicious odor of deviled eggs.  But fear ye not, the smell is bearable once you are distracted by the beautiful colors of the springs.  One thing to be clear about the hot springs before you visit Yellowstone is that you can’t go swimming in them.  Yes, there are many hot springs throughout the world that offer this divine activity, however the Yellowstone hot springs are a bit more volatile.  Reaching a whopping 160 degrees, these hot springs would surely cause more than a little burn; they might even melt your skin off!  So be sure to stay on the marked trails and admire nature’s dangerous beauty from afar. I was surprised by just how different each hot spring looked.  It seemed that each one had its own personality, color scheme, and vibe.  Some seemed serene and peaceful, while others seemed torment...

Pictaresque Lake Powell Cruise

Category: Pre-Trip

We started off our day in Salt Lake City waking up at the crack of dawn, groggy eyed and morning-breath stricken, but it would be worth it.  After taking another power nap on our morning bus ride, we were finally woken up by our tour guide’s enthusiastic salutation, “Good morning everyone, and welcome to Lake Powell!”  Lake Powell marked my first official cruise of this whole Travelers4Fun journey, so I was pretty excited to step out of the bus and see the glimmering morning rays of sunshine reflecting on a beautiful desert lake.  Yup, it was definitely as scenic as it looked in all of the pictures.  We stepped into the visitor center and began perusing through the gift shop filled with an explosion of Native American souvenirs.  We were surrounded by cowboy hats, feather dream catchers, and precious stone jewelry.  After getting our tickets from our tour guide we walked down to the dock, by this time our morning perkiness had kicked in and we were ready to start a full day of exploring through the western countryside.  The...

Volcanoes, and Goonies, and Bears, Oh My!

Category: Pre-Trip

So our trip starts on Wednesday and we’ve been planning all the details from what videos we’ll be creating, to what blogs we’ll be writing.  We are so excited to share our journey with you all, and can’t wait to get on the road already! I haven’t been to most of these places before so it will be a fresh point of view for everyone that’s curious about traveling to these destinations.  My dad always jokes that Yellowstone is the super volcano of the world and that it’s going to explode and kill us all.  So…wish us luck?  I think I’ve always thought of Yellowstone as a beautiful landscape that smells like rotten eggs.  But I think after the first couple doses of sulfuric acid I’ll be free to explore the natural scenery to its full extent.  Plus, who hasn’t had a secret desire to see Old Faithful?  I think I’m excited most about the famous “hoodoos” at Bryce Canyon National Park.  Hoodoos are natural rock figures that Bryce Canyon’s indigenous Paiute...

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