travel Archives - Our Tiny Nest

0 In Nesting/ travel

Nesting

Nesting quite literally on this Saturday in mid July.

Wow what a fun week!

Have you ever stayed overnight in a treehouse or wanted to? Monday night my mom and sister’s took me to Mariaville Goat Farm for my birthday. We stayed in a treehouse under the stars and played with all the goats. It was pure magic. You can see more about it here where I shared some of the highlights on Instagram.

Since most of you were asking what the bathroom situation was like.

I just booked the yurt for fall with the boys and can’t wait to go back. If you are local and looking to unplug in nature, it’s a hidden gem you must check out!

The pictures honestly do not do it justice. The animals and the hosts are what makes it such a special experience.

Can we talk about how you guys SHOWED UP for Prime Day? Holy Moly! If you’re wondering what the most popular item was that you all bought, it was these. What’s one thing you are most excited for that you got?

Earlier this week I teamed up with some friends to share some old fashioned summer ideas. I shared this fun Root Beer Float Bar. You can see the whole post here!

You all are slayingggg the Summer Reading Challenge! Seriously, I am so happy you all are enjoying it and finding time to get lost in some good books. If you’re still wanting to participate, click here for all the details!

I also wanted to share with you a special project that my bestie put together for those of you who are local or are looking to give back. Click here to read about it and if you’re local, you’re going to want to check out an upcoming night at Huck Finn’s Playland.

Let’s talk about what’s coming next week!

I’ve got my Greek turkey meatball bowls recipe that I am sharing, a cocktail recipe for Shark Week, and the 4th season of Virgin River comes out! Who’s excited?

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July 16, 2022 By Nicolle

0 In family/ travel

A Weekend Getaway for the kids to New Jersey

Disclosure – I received tickets to Diggerland and Legoland in exchange for this honest review.

After a long year in quarantine, we wanted to take the kids somewhere special and fun. We recently took a little weekend trip to New Jersey and the kids had a blast! We stopped at Diggerland, Legoland, and Nickelodeon Universe. I’m sharing all of our stops and some tips to help you plan your trip.

We split the weekend up in two days, doing Diggerland on Saturday and then Sunday we did Legoland and Nickelodeon Universe since they’re both in the American Dream Mall.

Diggerland USA – East Berlin, New Jersey

Our first stop was Diggerland USA. A place where it’s totally appropriate for kids to operate heavy machinery. A few things that are worth noting – We went on a Saturday and were there for 11am which is when their website says the park opens. We were able to get our tickets and get in however, the rides, attractions, don’t actually open until noon. So we waited for an hour which was a little tough with two excited kids who just wanted to explore. So my tip would be, plan to arrive at noon, otherwise, you’ll sit around. My suggestion would be pack a little lunch and have a tailgate party in the parking lot until they open.

Secondly, most of the rides require children to be 36 inches tall, which was perfect for our oldest, but with the exception of 2 rides, there wasn’t much our 2 year old could do so I would plan accordingly.

There is also a waterpark as well so if you’re going in the warmer months, bring your bathing suits and towels!

Legoland Indoor Discovery Center – in the American Dream Mall East Rutherford, New Jersey

This was our favorite part of the entire trip! Legoland is located right in the American Dream Mall near the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ, closest to Parking lot A on the first level. One important distinction is that this is not the same as Legoland. Legoland is an outdoor theme park which we plan to hit up in the future. Legoland Indoor Discovery Center is an indoor playground perfect for ages 3-10 years old. As soon as we entered Legoland, we hopped on the Imagination Express, a train ride through different lego worlds where you have the ability to partake in a simulated video game. The kids had a blast.

I think the one thing that captivated us adults was MiniLand, a New York City replica made completely out of legos featuring various famous NYC attractions such as Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Coney Island and the kids favorite – the NY Islanders hockey rink.

Other attractions include a 4D Lego movie, areas throughout the for building with legos and character meet and greets.

Also next door to Legoland is the New Jersey SEA LIFE Aquarium which featured over 10 tanks and an area where kids can actually be hands on with the sea life.

Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park – in the American Dream Mall East Rutherford, NJ

Right after we finished at Legoland and the SEA LIFE Aquarium, we hit stopped and got something to eat inside the mall and then walked over to Nickelodeon Universe. Buy your tickets online and you will be given a block of time to visit.

Nickelodeon Universe is an indoor amusement park featuring rides and attractions based off of popular Nickelodeon shows. There was something for all ages, thrill rides and big rollercoasters, to smaller rides for younger kids and families. Rick and I were hit with nostalgia seeing the shows from when we were younger such as Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The kids enjoyed the rides with their favorite characters such as Blues Clues, Paw Patrol and Blaze and the Monster Machines.

There’s a little spot for toddlers where they can play in Adventure Bay and climb on all of their favorite pups vehicles. Mav’s day was made!

Overall we had a great time as a family! The kids had a blast and it was nice to have a little sense of normalcy after a crazy year.

For more travel, check out our Family Vacation to Rhode Island.

July 7, 2021 By Nicolle

1 In travel

Our Family Vacation in Rhode Island

We just came back from our family vacation to Rhode Island. This was our second time going and this time we went with a toddler and 6 week old in tow. Are we crazy? Maybe, but we had a great time. Today I’m sharing all about our family vacation in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island is a quaint little state in New England best known for it’s beaches (it’s called the Ocean State for a reason) and historic charm. It’s filled with beautiful coastal views and has lots of fun activities for families.

Where we stay

We rent a house in Bonnet Shores, which is a quiet residential neighborhood in Narragansett. Bonnet Shores has it’s own private beach for the neighborhood community and is my favorite beach in all of Rhode Island. Although there isn’t any parking which is one of the reasons why the beach is so quiet. But most homes in the neighborhood are a short walk or bike ride to the beach. I love all of the gorgeous homes in the neighborhood with the cedar shake siding and lined with bushes of hydrangeas. It’s our dream to own a home there one day.

Find me at the beach

We hit up the beach in Narragansett almost every day. The Narragansett town beach is a public beach so it is a little busier but there are more amenities for the kids. Dude had a blast playing in the sand and riding the waves.

I was a little anxious about taking an infant to the beach but Mav was a champ. He even dipped his toes in a few times (gotta start ’em early).

Travel Tip: In the summer, the Narragansett town beach has movies on the beach every Wednesday night. We headed on down with a few pizzas (and bottles of wine) in tow and watched a few of the volleyball games beforehand.

The freshest seafood

If you head down to Point Judith you can charter a fishing boat and head out for a fishing excursion.

Here’s dude with his first fish he caught.

There’s also a variety of shops to get freshly caught seafood. We always do a big seafood night to kick off our week.

Day Trip to Block Island

We took the ferry over to Block Island for the day. The island has tons of cute shops and restaurants. You can also rent mopeds or bikes and ride around the island.

Memories to Cherish Forever

Make sure to bring back some beach sand and seashells to make this super cute memory box to remember your trip. I’m sharing the DIY here.

This year, my sisters and I surprised my parents with a family photo session. Thanks to Cait Costa Photography, we were able to get some amazing photos we will truly cherish forever.

If you are planning on heading to the beach with your little ones here are some of my favorite essentials:

Beach wagon – to help carry all of your necessities.

Beach cabana – this was a lifesaver to keep the babe out of the sun and perfect for naps on the beach.

Inflatable baby pool – This was such a great idea especially when going to the beach with toddlers. It was perfect for when the kids didn’t want to go in the ocean but wanted to cool off.

I shared my favorite Amazon bathing suits in my Friday Favorites blog post here

August 23, 2019 By Nicolle

0 In family/ travel

Dino Roar Valley

Today we got to visit the brand new Dino Roar Valley in Lake George, NY. We are huge dino fanatics in our house so we were excited to check it out.

Dino Roar Valley features 20 life size dinosaurs that move and roar as you walk by. The tour is along a beautiful tree-lined pathway. It’s a nice, easy 1/2 mile walk and very stroller friendly. There’s also a spot for the kids to climb into a dino nest, dig for dinosaur fossils and attend a paleontologist workshop. It was a great experience and we had a blast.

On our way home we stopped at the Log Jam for lunch and then hit up some of the outlets for some shopping too.

If you’re looking for a little day trip, head up to Lake George and check out Dino Roar Valley. It opens this Memorial Day Weekend. It’s located right next to the Magic Forest where you can ride the ferris wheel and visit the petting zoo as well.

Click here to get your tickets