jerseykids, Author at Jersey Kids

November 21, 2023November 29, 2023

Weekend in New York Without Kids

If you’re in need of a vacation away from the kids, and don’t want to go far, go to New York City. Spend the weekend in New York without kids. It won’t be cheap, but if you live within train or bus distance, you save on plane fare. Here’s a sample itinerary for a weekend in New York without kids.

The Spyglass Rooftop Bar at the Archer Hotel. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

We’ve stayed at a number of hotels in New York City, from StayPineapple, to Hotel Elysee, to The Muse, to Hotel Giraffe, to Yotel. And that doesn’t include all the more corporate hotels I’ve stayed in for conferences, since I didn’t want to head home late at night. This time we stayed at the Archer Hotel in midtown. It was a few blocks from Bryant Park, a good place in the summer to go for outdoor drinks.

November 15, 2023November 15, 2023

Review: The Balloon Museum With Kids in NYC

The Balloon Museum arrived in New York City in late October 2023 and will be in Manhattan at least through mid-January 2024. We went to check out the Balloon Museum With Kids in NYC so you can decide if you want to go too.

The Balloon Museum is on South Street near the Manhattan Bridge. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

While the name is Balloon Museum, it might be more appropriate to say “Inflatables Exhibit that is Instagram-friendly,” but that does not have the same ring to it. When I think of balloons, I think of fragile airy floating things that are ready to pop, and most of the balloons in the exhibit seem more sturdy. Granted, they should be since you can touch many of them. And some are just balloon-shaped or balloon-inspired.

October 8, 2023October 8, 2023

Things to do in Nashville Without Kids

Most of our posts are about things to do with kids. This one is a little different. I took my kid – my adult kid who is now in their early 20s. We had a fantastic time. This is not a comprehensive list of what to do, but if you don’t plan to spend all your time at the honkeytonks on Broadway, this will be a good guide. Most of these links go to more in-depth posts we wrote about what we did in Nashville, so please do click and visit!

Things to do in Nashville Without Kids

Line dancing class with Stompin Grounds. Photo courtesy of Stompin Grounds.

October 8, 2023October 8, 2023

Nashville Cheekwood Botanic Garden

While in Nashville recently, a friend suggested we check out Cheekwood Estate and Gardens. It’s about 20ish minutes outside the downtown area. While planning out our trip, I saw that they had a Bruce Munro exhibit at Cheekwood which got me excited. I visited Sensoria in Paso Robles last year, and it was breathtaking. Acres and acres of changing lights, viewed in the darkness.

The trains at Cheekwood Botanic Garden. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

October 7, 2023October 8, 2023

Nashville Grand Ole Opry Backstage Tour

When in Nashville, you really can’t miss a trip to the Grand Ole Opry. We unfortunately did not catch a show there, but we did get a backstage tour. As we are not country fans, the Opry was a bit foreign to us and the younger ones in our group were not looking forward to the tour at all. Turns out they had fun and learned a lot, and it was a highlight of the trip for them!

The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

October 7, 2023October 8, 2023

Nashville Hatch Show Print Block Party

One of the highlights of our Nashville trip was the Hatch Show Print Block Party. For two hours, you can create as many posters, postcards, linen bags, etc. as you want using the stamps and ink available. So much fun!

The Hatch Show Print Block Party workshop room. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

October 4, 2023November 30, 2023

Nashville: Donuts!

In addition to murals, donuts are a big thing in Nashville. While we didn’t eat our way through Nashville, visiting every donut place, we did a bit of damage and will share our findings with you.

Donut Distillery’s choices of the day. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

October 4, 2023October 4, 2023

Nashville Murals

Murals are a big thing in Nashville. Just google “Nashville Murals” and you’ll find not only lists of the murals, but tours that will take you there. Golf cart tours. Van tours. Party bus tours. We got some lists before we went, and then decided to just see what we saw and not look them up.

Bussin Around Nashville mural in 12 South. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

October 4, 2023October 8, 2023

Nashville Gaylord Opryland Resort

In a recent trip to Nashville, we figured we had to check out the Grand Ole Opry. And what is next door? Gaylord Opryland Resort. Don’t miss it!

Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center – indoor gardens. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

October 4, 2023October 8, 2023

Nashville: Scenes from Music City

Going through all my Nashville photos, there were a lot that didn’t fit any specific category I was covering. So I’m including some random photos that will tell a bigger picture of the Nashville scene.

Puckett’s with Kennedy Scott. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

I have a friend who lives in Franklin, and she took me to Puckett’s, where they have live music and food. We spent some time listening to the lovely Kennedy Scott singing. She’s a Nashville native and we enjoyed hearing her.