The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a time honored tradition, an American classic and nothing short of a great adventure! The first parade took place in the 1920s. It began as a celebration by Macy’s Department Store employees who were proud of their American heritage and wanted to celebrate! The parade has since blossomed into one of the most well known parades in the world. Each year, families flock to New York City to experience one the most magnificent parades of the year…a parade that they will most certainly never forget! 

Each year the parade begins at 9:00 AM. In order to secure a prime parade viewing location people begin lining the streets as early as 6:00 AM! The parade begins at 77^th Street and Central Park West. When the parade reaches Columbus Circle (59^th Street), it then turns on to Broadway. Heading down Broadway, the parade marches through Time Square and down to 34^th Street where it will then turn at Macy’s Herald Square and eventually, end on 7^th Avenue. 

There is seating available for viewing the Macy’s parade, unfortunately, the seating is reserved for Macy’s executives, corporate sponsors, charitable organizations and politicians. Several hotels offer a view of the parade route (the Marriott Marquis, Holiday Inn Crown Plaza, Trump International, and the Mayflower…just to name a few), however, good luck getting a room as they book up months (if not years) in advance! 

The beautiful giant balloons that are used in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are probably the biggest attraction…especially for children! The balloons are inflated the night before the event. Inflation starts around 4:00 PM and takes place on 77^th and 81^st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. Watching the balloons come to life as they are filled with helium is definitely a sight to see…an adventure in itself! The first balloon ever to fly in the parade was Felix the cat. Over the years there have been hundreds of other character balloons including Garfield, Betty Boop, Shrek, Hello Kitty, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Spiderman…just to name a few! 

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a once in a life time adventure! For those of you that would rather stay home, you can, of course, view the festivities on television. Each year, more than 40 million people tune in on Thanksgiving morning. NBC has been the official broadcaster of the parade since 1955 and it is usually hosted by members of the Today Show cast. 

Whether or not you attend the parade in person or watch from the comfort of your living room, one thing is certain. The parade, to many families, has become a yearly Thanksgiving tradition. After all, there is nothing like family, turkey, pumpkin pie and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!! Happy Thanksgiving! And here’s to another great adventure! Gobble Gobble!

Related posts:

1. A Great Adventure with Great Legs Christmas is coming and as the old song goes…”It is...
2. Hot Air Balloons, a Great Adventure? You Bet! Every year, for one week in October, thousands of people...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield met in the 7^th grade and soon became the best of friends. Fifteen years later they invested $12,000 ($4,000 of which they had to borrow) into their very first ice cream shop. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Located in Waterbury, Vermont, the Ben and Jerry’s Factory Tour is both educational and fun! The tour is reasonably priced (if not down right cheap!). Adult tickets are $3.00; senior tickets will cost you $2.00 and children 12 and under are FREE!  During the tour you will learn each step of the ice cream making process….a process Ben and Jerry like to call “From Cow to Cone.” Cows, as you probably know, are a very necessary part of the equation, after all, it is their milk that makes the cream (a very important ingredient in ice CREAM, don’t you think!?).  It is wonderful to note that both Ben and Jerry are BIG SUPPORTERS of local, family owned, dairy farms. 

The Factory Tour is just one of many things to do when you visit Ben and Jerry’s ice cream empire. During the summer months you can spend some time with the cows, picnic, or participate in one of the many scheduled outdoor activities. Of course, there is a gift shop that sells all types of gifts and collectibles as well as Ben and Jerry’s apparel. On Saturday nights stop by the factory for the FREE outdoor movie festival. The movie festival features family friendly movies such as “Back to the Future”, “Harry Potter”, and “Shrek Two” (all you need to bring is yourself and a chair!). Can you think of a better way to relax on a lazy Saturday evening? 

Last but not least, no visit to the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory would be complete without stopping by the Scoop Shop. Help yourself to an old favorite such as Chunky Monkey or New York Super Fudge Chunk or be adventurous and try a new flavor! For those of you with super sized stomachs….why not order the 20 scoop Vermonster Sundae. Yes, I said TWENTY SCOOPS!!!! My stomach hurts just thinking about it. While you are there, why not submit a new flavor idea into the suggestion box. Maybe you know of a creative and new ice cream combination that nobody has ever thought of before! Oh…one more thing….be sure to sign up to become ChunkSpelunker. What exactly is a ChunkSpelunker…..? You will have to visit the factory to find out!

Related posts:

1. The Great Chocolate Adventure If you crave chocolate and you crave adventure….why not...
2. A Renaissance Adventure in Maryland King Henry VIII and his Royal Court would like to...
3. Halloween Adventures at the Eastern State Penitentiary Are you interested in combining terror and adventure into one...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Eastern State Penitentiary located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania offers tours everyday, all year long. In the fall, they add a special event called “Terror Behind the Walls” and trust me, it is not for the faint of heart! If you lean towards the “scaredy cat” side of the fence, I suggest you stick to the daytime prison tour….it is the lesser of two evils. 

 The Eastern State Penitentiary, also known as ESP, was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world and housed some of  America’s most well known criminals. The daytime tour includes an intimate look at death row, a chance to be locked inside of Al Capone’s cell, and an up close and personal look inside the world of solitary confinement. Solitary confinement inside of ESP was no laughing matter and caused many inmates to go insane. In fact, many people swear that the ghosts of insane prisoners still roam the grounds. Many television shows and movies have been filmed at ESP and several paranormal discovery groups have investigated reported ghost sightings and sounds. 

In the Fall, just in time for Halloween, “Terror Behind the Walls” opens and is one of the most popular Halloween adventures on the East Coast. It was rated one of the TOP FIVE best haunted attractions in the United States! There are five separate attractions in all. Night Watch, one of my favorites, is a haunted house located within the prison walls. Each guest is given a special flashlight before the event begins…hold on tight as this will be your only source of light the entire time! Drop your flashlight and you are doomed….you will never get out! Intake, another popular attraction, is based on the prisoner processing experience. Lock Down, the newest haunted attraction at ESP, is located within Cellblock 12 which was built in 1911. Good luck getting out of THERE alive! To find out about all of the other gory things to do and see…you will have to make a trip to ESP and find out for yourself. Unless, of course, you are AFRAID!! 

If visiting a haunted prison sounds like a great adventure to you I highly suggest a road trip to the Eastern State Penitentiary. Tickets will cost you anywhere from $20 to $30 depending on what day you visit. Hotel and food packages are available if you want to save some cash. If you do decide to visit the penitentiary, good luck. I’ve heard that at least five people each year are never heard from again. Just kidding…or am I? Guess you’ll have to find out for yourself.

Related posts:

1. Haunted Houses and Great Halloween Adventures I have worked in a major Halloween Haunted House event...
2. A Great Halloween Adventure Fit for a King I’m exhausted. I’m beat. My feet are killing me, I...
3. Ice Cream Adventures Are you one of those people that can easily finish...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

If you crave chocolate and you crave adventure….why not put the two together and create one big chocolate vacation! Hershey, Pennsylvania is a chocolate paradise, not to mention it is a place full of great adventures just waiting to happen! 

Milton S. Hershey dreamed of building a town in which his factory employees could live and be part of a tight-knit community. Well that dream was realized and today, Hershey, Pennsylvania is one of the largest tourist attractions in the United States. 

There are MANY things to do and see in the town of Hershey. It would take forever to list them all…so let’s keep it simple and stick to one of my favorite things: CHOCOLATE!!!!  

Hershey’s Chocolate World is an interactive chocolate experience designed for the entire family! Here you will learn how chocolate is made, take a tour of the chocolate factory, watch a huge, 3-D chocolate show and of course, shop for anything and everything chocolate! 

If relaxing is what you had in mind then why not visit the Chocolate Spa! The Chocolate Spa is located inside the Hershey Hotel and offers such treatments as the luxurious whipped cocoa bath, chocolate sugar scrub, and my favorite, the chocolate fondue wrap. While all of these treatments sound yummy….oops, I mean relaxing….don’t forget your wallet! Individual treatments will set you back $60 to $125 depending on what you choose.

If roller coasters are more your speed then you MUST visit Hershey Park! Hershey Park opened its doors for the first time in April of 1907 and has been expanding ever since. Fair warning, if you eat too many Kit Kat Bars and then take a ride on the Sidewinder, you may need to change your clothes afterward (not a good idea for the old tummy!). 

As mentioned in our post on Hot Air Ballooning, Hershey Park also hosts the Hershey Park Balloonfest. It’s scheduled for October 22nd through the 24th this year and is a site to behold. Check out one of the traveling vendors for impressive memorabilia and model balloons.

Hershey, Pennsylvania is a place where chocolate dreams come true and a new adventure awaits you around every corner. Whether you love golf, amusement park rides, or simply relaxing by the pool….Hershey offers something for everyone! Oh…and I’ll let you in on a little secret…you don’t even have to like chocolate to have a great time!

Related posts:

1. Ice Cream Adventures Are you one of those people that can easily finish...
2. Hot Air Balloons, a Great Adventure? You Bet! Every year, for one week in October, thousands of people...
3. Small Fish, Great Adventures When you hear the words great adventure, what pops into...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Enter fish. Yes, I said fish. Many of you ladies out there, if not all of you, have probably enjoyed a pedicure before. But have you experienced a fish pedicure? Odds are, you answered no.

The latest craze in spa treatments is the fish pedicure…a treatment in which you soak your feet in a tub filled with warm water and, yes, fish. The fish are of the carp variety, also known as Garra Rufa, and they LOVE to nibble feet. Their job is to nibble all of the dead skin off your tootsies until they are silky smooth. Gross? Maybe, but at a spa in Alexandria, Virginia, the fish pedicure is so popular over 5000 people have purchased this fishy treatment so far.

Garra Rufa were first used to rid people of their unwanted dead skin in the country of Turkey and soon the practice became popular in many Asian countries. Only a few elite spas offer this treatment in the United States and it will set you back about $30 for fifteen minutes. It’s an adventure to some….gross to others, but an experience to tell your friends about regardless!

Here’s to finding the perfect adventure….just for YOU!

Related posts:

1. The Great Chocolate Adventure If you crave chocolate and you crave adventure….why not...
2. Halloween Adventures at the Eastern State Penitentiary Are you interested in combining terror and adventure into one...
3. Great Adventures in Llama Trekking If you are searching for a great adventure that involves...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.