Situated in the northern portion of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, the City of Winchester is a destination for all seasons. Winchester hosts its signature, huge Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in the spring and a festive Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting in December.  But, throughout the year the city is rich in history, shopping, dining and plenty of attractions for the whole family. 

What to see:

Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum
19 W. Cork St.
Winchester, VA 22601

This discovery museum for all children is packed with tons of hands-on exhibits focusing on the arts, science, pretend play, math, engineering, history and more.  The museum also hosts lots of special programs and events for families too. Parents are encouraged to learn, create and explore alongside their children.  Don't miss signature exhibits like creating tracks in Roller Coaster Alley, pretending to be an EMT in the life-sized ambulance, stepping inside a Powhatan home on the Moccasin Trail, getting a bird's eye view of the city from the Observation Deck and much, much more!  

The downtown mall or Loudoun Street Mall in Old Town Winchester is packed with many great restaurants and shops.  Its an attraction within itself.  No matter what your taste is, there is cuisine for everyone.  

This is hands-down the best place to stay in Old Town Winchester. Is location is walking distance to the downtown area pedestrian mall and many attractions. Plus, the luscious, Roman spa-like indoor pool is a favorite for families. On-site dining includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the Dancing Goat restaurant and if you can slip away, the cocktail menu at the gorgeous Half Note Lounge is to die for!  Choose between standard king and queen rooms or posh suites for an unforgettable stay. 


For more suggestions of family-friendly fun in the Shenandoah Valley Region, check out the Shenandoah Valley Kids Trail.



Disclosure: I was invited on a media trip with the Virginia Tourism Corporation and Shenandoah Valley Kids' Trail and experienced many of these attractions for free. No other compensation was given.  All opinions are my own, and I adore Old Town Winchester as a great place for family fun. 

By Amy Suski

If you haven't yet been to the Maryland Science Center, now is a great time to check it out.  As one of the country's top-rated science centers for families, the Science Center has so much for kids to see and even more for them to DO.  Located at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, the Science Center features 14 full-sized dinosaur models, tons of cool science exhibits, the world-famous Davis Planetarium,  a five story IMAX Theater, and plenty of chances for kids to keep their hands busy with interactive science activities.

Trains are magical during the holidays! There is no better place to be a child than at the B&O Railroad Museum! All aboard the B&O’s Magical Holiday Express Community Giving Train, a holiday spectacular celebration in the B&O Roundhouse devoted to trains of all sizes and shapes, holiday festivities, a winter wonderland of family fun and activities and a way to help local charities who help those in need this season. There is something to see and do every day at this event with all new holiday decorations, hands-on crafts and contests, live entertainment, train rides, model train layouts, appearances by Santa, Mrs. Claus, Frosty, and LEGO Man and much more!

Here is a line up of the event that spans 6 special weekends, and we have a giveaway for THREE Family 4 Packs below. 

Christmas Town™ at Busch Gardens Williamsburg is one of my family's favorite holiday traditions. The twinkling eight million lights, signature hot chocolate, amazing shows, fun rides and more make for a magical family evening.  Plus, visitors can stop by the North Pole to see Santa and chill with the penguins at the ice palace.  Be sure to take a journey on the sky ride and ride the train around the park to fully view all the breathtaking decorations.  (I am pretty scared of heights but I always make an exception for the Christmas Town sky ride.  The majestic feeling is completely worth it!) 

As a self-proclaimed Christmas Town "veteran," I have two pieces of advice.  The first piece of advice is "go early." Christmas Town opens at 2 PM, and as the evening goes on, the crowds tend to grow.   The second piece of advice is take advantage of the many savings opportunities online, coupons, or my new favorite savings offer below:

Starting on November 12-18, Busch Gardens is offering a 12 Days of Christmas special offer. This $12 single-day Christmas Town ticket represents a $20 savings off the regular $32 one-day ticket price.  The limited-time, online-only sale starts Nov. 12 and runs through Nov. 18.  The Christmas Town $12 single-day ticket is redeemable on any one of the following dates: Nov. 21, 22, 23, 30, Dec. 7, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22 or 30. 

     “The $12 Christmas Town ticket is the best deal of the Christmas Town season,” said Marketing Vice President Dan Dipiazzo. “Pick one of the 12 days to visit and discover why Christmas Town is the place where Christmas shines brightest.”

     Visit ChristmasTown.com/VA to take advantage of the offer.  Christmas Town opens for the season on Nov. 21 and operates select days through Dec. 31.

Like many families, Veteran's Day has special meaning for us.  Members of the family have served in the Army and the Navy and two grandparents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.  One of those grandparents, "W.T." or "Dub" was a young father and Army medic when he went missing in Korea. For decades his wife (an Army nurse) and 2-year old daughter never knew what happened to him.  Then, against all odds just a few years ago the North Korean government returned six sets of human remains during a diplomatic mission by Governor Bill Richardson for the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs.  One of those sets had W.T.'s dog tags and was eventually positively identified as W.T. Sixty years after he went missing, W.T. was finally laid to rest at Arlington  -- something no one ever thought would be possible.  Perhaps finding peace in the knowledge that her husband was finally home, W.T.'s widow (our grandmother) passed away just three months later and was buried alongside him.  The pictures here are of her funeral procession at Arlington.  As a Captain in the Army, she was offered her own headstone at Arlington, but had chosen instead to be buried with W.T. under his headstone.

The romantic Broadway musical for all generations, Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the smash hit Broadway musical, returns to Washington D.C at the Warner Theatre in early January 2015.  I had the pleasure of seeing this performance a couple of years ago, and it is an incredible Broadway-style production with the award winning songs and plot from the animated Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

NETworks presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast tells the story of the smart Belle, a young woman trapped in a "provincial town," and the bitter Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under a spell. The show features beloved characters from the movie such as the overbearing Gaston, Lumiere the candlestick, Mrs. Potts the teapot and many more.  Don't miss this classic story. 


Tickets are available at http://www.livenation.com/artists/133783/disney-s-beauty-and-the-beast

We received complimentary tickets to the show for sharing this information. No other compensation was received. All opinions are our own. 

What better way to learn about the history of Thanksgiving than to walk in the footsteps of the Pilgrims? For families, visiting all three sites: the Mayflower II, Plymouth Rock, and Plimoth Plantation can be done in a day and is a wonderful way to bring the traditions of Thanksgiving to life. Although the original Mayflower no longer exists, a highly-accurate full-scale reproduction Mayflower II is moored in Plymouth, Massachusetts and is open to visitors. By walking the decks and exploring the quarters down below, kids will get a good idea of how cramped and difficult the 1620 journey from England must have been. Although every detail aboard the ship has been carefully reproduced, thankfully, you'll just have to imagine the pitching of the ship during a storm or the smells that the voyagers must have endured. On board you may meet costumed sailors and passengers who will be happy to share colorful tales of the perilous voyage.   

Shenandoah Caverns and American Celebration on Parade is the perfect place for families to get their fix of Americana.  As the only caverns in Virginia with an elevator service, Shenandoah Caverns has been welcoming people of all ages for over 90 years. After descending into the caverns, visitors are taken on an hour long guided tour through seventeen different chambers. The expert tour guide highlights the history of the caverns and points out special geological formations such as "The Diamond Cascade," "Rainbow room," "The Capitol Dome," the famous "bacon" and many more.