In Praise of Summer
Posted July 15, 2009 , add a comment
Martha eats corn
I had the good fortune of marrying a Midwesterner. My wife, Aimee, is from Indiana. Before we met I didn’t know much about her home state. Purdue, Larry Bird, the Colts - that’s pretty much all I could tell you about the Hoosier State before we were married. (Note to self: what’s a Hoosier? I must ask Aimee.)
Each spring Aimee and I have a version of the same argument: to visit or not to visit Indiana in summer, in order to spend time with her family. We already trek to Indiana each Christmas holiday, and let me tell you, Indiana is not a recommended travel destination in December.
So I’m always hesitant to commit to an additional summertime visit, especially when we could travel instead to Spain, Turkey, France, Italy, Thailand… to anywhere BUT Indiana.
I relented and decided we could go to Indiana for a summer holiday. (Note to self: explain to Aimee that I feel better using words like “relented” and “decided”, even if I didn’t actually have a say in the matter.) So we packed up the family and headed to Sweetwater Lake, about 45 miles south of Indianapolis.
Isaac & Drew go fishing
And after a mere week in Indiana, I gained a new appreciation for the season of summer.
Much to my surprise, summer in Indiana is a blast. I’m talking about swimming in a lake for hours on end. Little kids catching worms for bait and then fishing off a dock for bluegill. Eating sweet Indiana corn until your taste buds explode. Cooking pulled-pork on a barbecue grill in 90-degree heat. Water skiing. Tubing. Wake boarding. Sitting on a porch with four generations of the same family. Coolers overflowing with cans of ice-cold beer. The blaring of cicadas at dusk, outboard motors at dawn, air-conditioning pumps all night long.
Megan eats corn
For a city kid like me, all these experiences transformed a run-of-the-mill vacation into a near-perfect summertime experience.
What’s the secret? I’ve decided to make a list, I’m calling this one “Scott’s 4 Essential Summer Ingredients”.
- First, you need the great outdoors. We had a lake surrounded by 100-foot-tall ash and maple trees. But you could be anywhere as long as you have easy access to the outdoors: lakes, rivers, mountains, beaches, streams, bayou, islands…
- Second, you must do things. No televisions, please, not in summer. Instead play cards, tell stories, run around in circles, walk the dogs. Go to the store for groceries and chitchat. Eat some ice cream. Go swimming. Clean up the shed. Take the boat for a joy ride. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you’re doing something.
- Third, you need family. Ironically I’ve spent my adult life taking family-free vacations. Yet there’s something to be said for having dinner on a lake with 18 of your cousins, spending quality time with aunts and uncles who tell the same funny stories over and over again. I don’t want all of my holidays to revolve around family. Yet I’ve decided that summer vacations and families are made for each other. I’ll save my trips with friends for winter or spring.
- Finally, you need a big barbecue and some of that sweet Indiana corn…
If you’re looking for summertime inspiration, be sure to browse the thousands of things to do available on the Viator site.
Top Things to Do in Japan
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Things to do in Japan: #10, visit a temple
Editor’s Note: We asked Cheryn for her top things to do in Japan, Tokyo, Kyoto and beyond for travelers planning a trip to Japan. This is her reply, updated with the latest links and info.
#1 Sleep on the floor
Things to do in Japan: #1, sleep in a ‘ryokan’
Forgo the usual western hotel for a Japanese inn called a ryokan. While ryokans are often more expensive than hotels, and usually come with a few rules (a curfew, for example), they give you an intimate glimpse into Japanese customs: communal baths, peaceful gardens, the ability to wear a robe (yukata) in public any time of the day.
They also offer kaiseki (elaborate and highly traditional) meals and simple rooms with sliding rice-paper doors, shrines, tatami-matted floors, and futons (which are laid out on the floor each night). If sleeping on the floor doesn’t sound comfortable, have no fears: most ryokans provide padded quilting and cushions to soften the experience.
#2 Eat fish for breakfast
Things to do in Japan: #2, eat a traditional breakfast
Food is the most elemental expression of a culture, so while in Japan be sure to try a traditional Japanese breakfast (if you’re staying at a ryokan, it’s often included).
A traditional breakfast is served at a low table with cushioned seating on the floor and includes an assortment of small lacquer-ware bowls filled with grilled fish, a ‘rolled omelet’ called tamagoyaki, salad, rice, miso soup, fermented soy beans called natto, dried seaweed, and tea. Mmmm.
#3 Take a communal bath
Put fears of public nudity aside and dip into a steaming-hot pool at a communal bath. These are known as sento or onsen – the latter uses water from hot springs. Japanese traditionally bathe in the evening, but communal baths are open for several hours in the morning as well.
Things to do in Japan: #3, take a communal bath
Don’t worry about soap and shampoo – these items are always provided, along with moisturizing lotion, cotton swabs, and hair dryers. Just be sure to first wash yourself at a shower surrounding the bath, rinsing all the soap off your body before getting in.
Soaking in steaming hot water is relaxing, meditative, and a great way to immerse yourself in Japanese culture. Communal bathing is a tradition that goes all the way back to AD 700.
#4 Sit on the toilet (go ahead, the seats are warm)
My mother taught me to never sit on a public toilet seat, but in Japan, it’s hard to resist: The seats are warm. And the comforting feeling a warm toilet seat provides is hard to express… all I can offer is that the experience is a lasting and fond memory of my travels in Japan. Being on the cutting edge of technology and electronics as it is, Japan’s toilets plug into the wall, and often offer more services than just a warm seat. Many have something akin to an armrest with buttons that operate bidet-like features and fake flushing sounds for the shy.
#5 Ride a bullet train
Things to do in Japan: #5, ride a bullet train
With 12,400 miles of track, high-speed bullet trains called Shinkansen can take you pretty much anywhere you want in Japan at speeds close to 186 mph (300 km/h). The trip between Kyoto and Tokyo takes a mere 2 hours.
The trains are operated by the Japan Railways Group, who offers 7-day, 14-day, and 21-day rail passes for unlimited travel on all JR lines throughout Japan. It’s a great value if your itinerary includes a lot of destinations.
A pass is also convenient, and does away with the hassle of figuring out how to purchase tickets. Simply show your pass to the station attendant and you’re good to go. This is especially handy as the passes work for JR’s city metro lines as well. The only hitch is you must purchase a rail pass before arriving in Japan, so plan accordingly. Also note that you can organize a Mt Fuji day trip from Tokyo by bullet train over on the Viator site, including the popular Mt Fuji & Hakone from Tokyo (return by Bullet Train) trip.
#6 People watch in shopping districts
Things to do in Japan: #6, people watch
No matter what city you happen to be, there will be shopping districts. And that always makes for good people watching, especially in Japan where teenage fashion is so varied and extreme. Find a coffee shop or restaurant with a good view to while away a few hours. This is especially fun on a weekend in Tokyo’s Harajuku district, or any day of the week above Shibuya’s famous Hachiko crossing.
There’s a Starbucks with a great view of the crossing, with hundreds of pedestrians weaving in all directions at once in a mesmerizing stop-go-stop dance timed to the traffic lights. This type of crosswalk is called ‘scramble crossing’ and while there are about 300 in Japan, this one is the busiest, as it’s located right in front of the busiest train station in the world, Shibuya Station.
#7 Shop for toys
Even if your days of throwing tantrums in the toy store are long over, indulge your inner child and spend some time browsing the dense shelves of 6-floor toy stores. They sell everything from Miyazaki movie paraphernalia to scary Goth dolls, radio-controlled cars, and plastic figurines of just about any fictional character ever drawn or imagined. If the shops get too crowded, head over to an arcade and get yourself a cuddly stuffed creature from one of the many ‘claw’ game machines. And keep your eye out for vending machines that sell capsule toys–there’s one outside the Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto that dispenses Hello Kitty lunch bags for a couple of bucks.
#8 Check in to a ‘love hotel’
Things to do in Japan: #8, check into a love hotel
Take a ‘rest’ in a love hotel — so named for the activities of lovers that transpire within. Although some look ordinary and unassuming, they’re usually easy to spot.
Look for discreet windowless buildings or tacky structures with bright colors (think Vegas); neon signs that advertise amenities like themed rooms, costume play, and ‘rental goods’; and a backlit picture menu in the lobby.
Renting a room for a ‘rest’ will get you a few hours, whereas renting a room for a ‘stay’ is usually overnight, and only available in the late evening.
While the whole idea may sound kinky, a romp in a Love Hotel is apparently quite normal to the Japanese, who often have little privacy at home.
#9 Gaze upon Tokyo from the 52nd floor
If you’ve seen the film Lost in Translation, you’ll know the view from the “New York Bar” in Tokyo’s Park Hyatt Hotel. It’s spectacular, and well worth shelling out the 20-odd dollars for a cocktail. From 750 feet in the sky, the immensity of Tokyo is a sight to behold, especially when the city is lit up a night, full of red blinking lights that make it seem as if the city was breathing. And from here, you can actually see the curvature of the Earth.
Things to do in Japan: #9, check out the view over Tokyo
If you’re only interested in the view, it’s best to get here in the late afternoon/early evening to avoid the nightly $20 cover charge for live music (the cover charge starts at 8 pm). The bar also offers a casual dining menu, and includes a $60 hamburger.
#10 Zen out
A visit to Japan is not complete without visiting a temple. Kyoto alone has several thousand of them. Built with wood and simple in design, Japanese temples are quietly beautiful, usually set in the peaceful grounds of a garden. Kyoto is the place to go.
Spared destruction during WWII for its historical importance, today the city is home to countless temples and shrines considered national treasures. The nearby temple-laden city of Nara makes a great day trip from Kyoto, if only to visit the famous Todaiji Temple, the world’s largest wooden building.
Planning a trip? Research tours & things to do in Japan over on the Viator site, not to mention Tokyo tours, Mt Fuji day trips, and things to see & do in Kyoto. Also check out the complete set of photos from Cheryn’s trip to Japan.
Vermont: Highgate Springs, Tyler Place Family Resort - All-inclusive Summer Vacation Fun.
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Known for independent flair and extraordinary children’s programs, The Tyler Place combines a feeling of nostalgia with cutting-edge resort facilities creating a vacation atmosphere that renews families, reignites marriages, and restores the natural fun and charms of childhood on the shores of Lake Champlain.
The Tyler Place Family Resort focuses entirely on all-inclusive family vacations with imaginative children’s programs, family activities, and private “couple time” for parents. They demonstrate philosophy of “back to basics” fun meaning no TV, and no video games. Basically the concept is to offer a great camp for children and a great camp for adults works in the same resort.
Accommodations: Unlike many family resorts, all the resort’s accommodations are family friendly meaning enough space that for separate parents’ bedrooms plus one to four bedrooms for children or extended family. The comfy New England style units are tucked along the lakeshore, meadows and woods. They have no condos, timeshares, or in-accommodation TVS. Just choose your own cottage or family suite as your family vacation base and the Tyler staff will take care of the meals, housekeeping, and entertainment. Bonus points: They do have WIFI at the Inn and cell phone reception.
Activities: All the fun is included, really. Explore the woods, mess about in boats, pick blackberries, enjoy campfires, watch the moon rise over the lake, and relax. The resort provides super counselors, leading-edge, all-inclusive equipment and facilities. Guests may ride tricycles or bicycles of their very own, spend time with friends, and enjoy family time in a country setting with woods, meadows and lakeshore. The vacation activity menu is exhaustive spanning all interests and skill levels. From mountain and road bike touring, mountain hikes and nature walks to kayaking and family fishing with toddlers or teenagers, Mother Nature works her magic enabling guests to relax and unwind. The resort features both indoor and outdoor heated pools with splash pad and wading pools, and lakeside Jacuzzis. Guests may enjoy the art classes, climbing walls, ropes courses, two trampolines, space for gymnastics and tumbling, an archery range, driving range and mini golf. Play a game of badminton, horseshoes, croquet, or Bocce Ball. Make use of the all weather tennis courts (2 clay), all weather squash, and indoor/outdoor basketball. Play volleyball, soccer, softball and T-ball, air hockey, Foosball, Ping Pong and table pool. Bonus points: Take a picnic basket for a family hike along the mile of secluded lakeshore, visit a Vermont farm, or nibble patisserie across the border in Quebec.
Enjoy parent’s night out. The resort provides the option for parents to have their own time (sans kiddos) any or every night during the week. The all-inclusive, informal, late evening events include music, dancing, lakeside bonfire chats (with other adults), late night swims, game nights while children are safely in your cottage or suite with one of the dozens of experienced evening sitters. 
The resort is ideal for family reunions. Guests who loved the place as children now return with their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren for family reunions. It is easy to spread out in separate cottages or cozy up in your own multi-suite guesthouse. With children and grandchildren happily occupied all morning, adults have time and space to pursue their individual interests. And grandparents will discover the joy of relaxed conversation with their own children over candlelight dinners while the grandkids are off with cousins and friends for evening group activities.
Discovery: Don’t forget your passports! This may be the perfect time to introduce your children to an international experience at a relaxed, stress-free pace. From Tyler Place it is easy to explore nearby Quebec towns, farms, and vineyards - and practice French, too!
Here’s the deal. September special rates are up to 33% lower than the main summer season. Early or late season is a great time for to vacation at Tyler Place. In May and early June, as well as the first week in September, they offer special programming and special rates which start at just $98 per adult per day and $78 per child per day. All those baby, toddler-friendly and child-friendly details you worry about? The folks at Tyler Place have been making vacation stress disappear for more than seven decades. They make it easy to share the natural world and the exhilarating freedom of outdoor and imaginative play with your children without losing your creature comforts. The Tyler Place Family Resort Old Dock Rd. Box 1, Highgate Springs, VT 05460. (802) 868-3301 or www.tylerplace.com
Location on the planet: The Tyler Place Family Resort Old Dock Rd. Box 1, Highgate Springs, VT 05460. (802) 868-3301 or www.tylerplace.com
North Carolina: Asheville, Family Vacation Ideas – Whitewater Rafting, Go-Carting, and Cruising Lake Lure.
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Enjoy a family vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains and enjoy Asheville’s lively arts scene, impressive history, and natural beauty. Hop on a trolley; cruise on Lake Lure; go golfing; catch and release fireflies; have a whitewater adventure. Family fun is easy in the mountains.
Here’s the deal. Want to save money on your next family vacation, yet not miss out on the fun? GetMoreVacations.com has figured out how to offer families real value on vacation – “not kids eat free” or buy “six get seven”. Their partnering property, Carolina Mornings, has a variety of vacation rental options in the Asheville area. Just select one to rent and automatically get fun stuff at no extra cost - no coupons, no discounts, no time-share pitches. The activities are there for you to enjoy every day – just like mints on a pillow, nice shampoo or single-serving coffee at a hotel. Enjoy these great activities each day of your stay and it’s not “one and done” either – go to the Fun Depot every day if you want; try rock climbing or rafting more than once; play golf or cruise the lake! You get complimentary activities every day of your family vacation. It’s all included in your stay meaning actual savings on fun. Carolina Mornings has a 4 ? star rating (out of 5) from FlipKey.com guest user reviews. Enjoy one of their vacation rental properties in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains where weekly rentals start at $850 and include the daily activities outlined below.
Book your holiday through GetMoreVacations.com and vacation rental company Carolina Mornings is able to offer you the following complimentary activities every day of your stay. You make the choice it’s your family vacation – have more fun. 
Raft, ride or hike. Rock ‘n’ Waters Adventure Outpost offers one stop for mountain adventures. They run a bouncy, rapid laden 5-mile section of the French Broad which includes a swimming rapid and a special stop at “Jump Off Rock”. Knowledgeable and friendly guides will keep the kids entertained with river games, while sharing some of the rivers history, ecology, and tips on wildlife viewing. For a tamer yet fun trip, the Nolichucky River Family Class offers pleasant whitewater rafting for adults, yet is mild enough to take the kids or grandma along. Rock ‘n’ Waters also offers guided hiking as well as horseback riding. Bonus points: For energetic families they also have an 8-mile and a 20-mile mountain biking trip winding downhill through some of the area’s most beautiful scenery. The routes cross the Appalachian Trail and continue down an old forest service road into Tennessee. (Rock ‘n’ Waters Adventure Outpost 60 Wolf Laurel Road Mars Hill, NC 28754. (828) 689-3354 or www.yearroundadventures.com)
Go-carting, laser tag, and mini golf.
The Fun Depot in Ashville has a multi-level laser tag area complete with black lights, music and fog. They also have an 18-hole scenic mini golf course with a waterfall, bridges and pond. Trained staff members are onsite to assist and motivate from the base of the 24-foot indoor climbing wall. The four levels of difficulty mean that everyone who wants to climb can. Additional indoor activities include indoor bumper cars, mini bowling, batting cages, and video game arcade. The outdoor go-kart track offers competitors both single-seater and double-seater go-karts, so that the whole family can ride. The new track is two stories tall and 1/4 mile long - it’s the best in Western North Carolina. Bonus points: For our youngest family members they have created a soft play area complete with slides, tunnels, bounce area, and lots of padding. (Ashville Fun Depot 7 Roberts Road, Asheville, NC 28803. Toll-free 1-866-303-4FUN or 828-277-2FUN or www.ashevillesfundepot.com)
Jump on the trolley and tour Asheville. The White Trolley Line open-air trolley cruises the city offering visitors the inside scoop on historic Asheville. Professional guides relate facts, humor, history and lore from the area. Passengers learn why it is dubbed by locals – “the Paris of the South”. The 90-minute tour winds its way through Montford Historic District passing by Asheville’s impressive collection of Queen Anne-styled historic homes, visits the famous Grove Park Inn, the Thomas Wolfe Home/Museum, and Biltmore Village and much more. The tour includes a 15-minute stop for refreshments and shopping at Grove Arcade and passengers may enjoy hop-on, hop-off privileges along the way. The tour runs from March through December. Bonus points: The ride isfree for children younger than 6 years of age. (Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, 151 Haywood St., Asheville. (828) 681-8585, toll-free 1-888-667-3600 or www.ashevilletrolleytours.com)
Cruise the lake. Surrounded by tree-draped Blue Ridge Mountains, Lake Lure is an aquatic jewel nestled in Hickory Nut Gorge. During the warm weather months Lake lure Tours offers scenic cruises passing by local attractions and landmarks including sites used in filming the popular movie Dirty Dancing. Feel the fresh mountain air and enjoy the sounds of the mountains as the captain relates the legends, and cultural history of the area. Bonus points: Checkout the Beach at Lake Lure and visit the waterpark to enjoy water cannons, water slides, soaking games, and water fun. (Lake Lure Tours 2930 Memorial Hwy. Lake Lure, NC 28746. Toll-free 1-877- 386-4255, (828) 625-1373 or www.lakelure.com)
Play golf mountain style. Reems Creek Golf Course is a very green oasis of golf, just 15 minutes from downtown Asheville. The course meanders through a tranquil valley framed by always scenic Blue Ridge Mountains. The courses have the same feeling and look of the Scottish Highlands. One of the course favorites is the challenging yet picturesque 16th hole. Bonus points: Junior golfers younger than 16 years of age may golf for free when playing with a paying adult. (Reems Creek 36 Pink Fox Cove RoadWeaverville, NC 28787. (828) 645-4393 or www.reemscreekgolf.com)
Make it happen. GetMoreVacations.com really has figured out how to offer families real value on vacation. Stay at one of their partner properties and select one complimentary activity each day of your stay. It’s just that easy- no gimmicks, no coupons.Get more of the family fun stuff you go to the mountains to enjoy. GetMoreVacations
Tennessee: Gatlinburg, Timber Tops – Vacation Cabins Made for Family Fun.
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It goes without saying Gatlinburg is a terrific summer family vacationspot – cool mountain air, spunky shops, trendy restaurants, and oodles
of ways to have fun. And to maximize freedom, the ideal family vacation base is
a mountaintop cabin.
Timber Tops based in nearby Sevierville has an extensive menu of mountaintop family vacation cabins - cabins to fit any size family and any mix of needs for family members. In fact the word cabin does not do justice to the awesome offerings featured at their website. Call it a getaway spot, vacation retreat or even a family escape but
the idea is to have find a place to relax and have fun with you
family.
I have been browsing the rich menu of choices and I think I have a case of cabin fever – in a good way. The informative and efficient website showcases more than 300 premium log cabins. These cabins offer top of the line amenities including hot tubs, Jacuzzis, saunas, spas, private indoor heated pools, pool tables/game rooms, internet access, and an extensive range of entertainment facilities including home theater systems, plasma TVs, PlayStation, electronic dartboards, and media rooms. 
Browse the cabin menu selection (just looking at the pictures will be enjoyable) which offers a variety of locations and choices combing seclusion, amazing views, and convenience. Category browsing is rewarding because narrowing the options makes it easier to find the perfect match. Categories include cabins decorated for Christmas, cabins with a view, pet friendly cabins, cabins with home theater room, cabins with an indoor pool, and CAPS (Certified Aging in Place) cabins ranging in size from one to 15. Choose a budget cabin for a great price, or go all out with a level of luxury and redefine “roughing it” in the Smokies.
I am always drawn to clever names after all I have to think of the Facebook tags on my family vacation images. Timber Tops delivers clever names for awesome cabins. For example I like “Cowboy Retreat” - a beautiful one bedroom, two bath cabin with a view, full kitchen, spiral staircase, hot tub, pool table, electronic dartboard, DVD/VCR combo on 31″ living room TV, and a stereo with CD player.
Or how about “A Bear’s Retreat” – a three bedroom, two bath, stylish semi-secluded log cabin only a few miles from downtown Pigeon Forge and Dollywood. The cabin has a deck, full kitchen, private bedrooms, 42″ LCD TV with VCR and DVD Player, Cable TV throughout the cabin, hot tub, pool table, second 22″ LCD TV and a Stereo with CD player, Foosball Table set around another Big Screen TV and a gas log fireplace. The retreat theme works for our family because each of us wishes to leave our hectic schedules and chill but not give up any creature comforts.
How about a family reunion spot? Imagine a three level mountaintop retreat panoramic view of Great Smoky Mountain National Park from all three levels. Ideal for a large family getaway, Smoky Vista Lodge provides 5,200 sq/ft of elegant living space, an open log framed floor plan, seven bedrooms and nine baths, and an additional 3,000 sq/ft of covered porches so everyone has an unobstructed view. Bonus points: The lodge is a Certified Aging-in-Place (CAPS) facility with numerous Universal Design features including an elevator, no-step entrance, curb-less shower, grab bars and flexible hand shower, ADA compliant toilets, lever handles, and rocker style switches.
Add a little extra fun. Timber Tops and Hollow Tree Market are working together to make it easy to transition into vacation mode. It is possible to have a snack basket waiting in your cabin on arrival or even to order a picnic basket from Hollow Tree Market. Call them at (865) 453-8335 or http://hollowtreemarket.com
Location on the planet. Timber Tops has classic log cabin rentals in the resort locations of Smoky Ridge, Black Bear Ridge, Wild Briar, Eagle Crest, Hidden Lakes Estates and Hidden Springs Resort. Gatlinburg Cabin locations include Ski Mountain, Sky Harbor, and Gatlinburg Chalet Village. Additionally, you can find log cabin vacation rentals in Rainbow Ridge Resort of Governor’s Crossing. In addition to Gatlinburg cabins, they also offer an array of cabins near Pigeon Forge cabins and Sevierville cabins.
Here’s the deal. Looking for a cabin at a budget price, check out the selection of Budget Cabins. Or just plan to stay longer and take advantage of the “Year Round Offer” - pay for five nights and receive one night free.
Make it happen. Timber Tops (check-in) Office 1440 Upper Middle Creek Road Sevierville TN 37876. Toll-free 1-800-266-1066 or www.yourcabin.com