Vacations Books

These coloring books by Shirley Dobson are a great tool for helping youngsters (and yourself) memorize simple Bible verses and biblical truths. Highly recommended!

God's Big Picture Bible Time Line includes pictures of the major events and people of the Bible in a reproducible format. You have the most used Bible pictures at your finger tips and in a usable form. For a homeschooling parent, a Christian Education Director, a Sunday School Teacher or anyone else who works with children and the Bible this book is a must.

Just last week I was hiking the in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and surrounding lands with my father, on vacation from Idaho. While on a guided tour of the Point Bonita Lighthouse, the ranger remarked that GGNRA was the single most visited national park in the country. I was somewhat surprised. Usually that honor goes to Great Smokey Mountains, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and similarly well known locales. But as the ranger pointed out, just about every time a Bay area resident goes to walk their dog, they notch a visit into this fabulous urban parkland. Indeed, with over 77,000 acres situated next to and among one of the largest urban centers in the world, GGNRA offers some great recreational opportunities for local residents and those visiting from out of town. If you are not sure where to begin exploring this region, this guidebook published by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy is an excellent place to start.

This book is divided, like the park itself, into two basic regions: lands south and north of the Golden Gate Bridge. All the major attractions in each region receive a detailed write up discussing the history and recreational opportunities in the area, and there is so much to discuss. Land's End, the dramatic penninsula headlands, Fort Mason, the old growth redwood grove at Muir Redwoods National Monument, Stinson Beach, Tennessee Valley and Alcatraz Island are all described, along with many other destinations. Walking tours are included for many of the landmarks. Sharp color photos, detailed maps, and well written side bars on natural and local history round out what has to be the single best guide to the region.

So if you are planning a trip to San Francisco or surrounding regions, by all means get this book and experience some of the (truly) wild side this metropolis has to offer. From military history (indeed, we have the military to thank for keeping so much of the land undeveloped before it became parkland) to tidepooling, hiking and biking, this book has it all. I cannot recommend it enough. As an aside, readers should note the Amazon publication information is not entirely accurate. The second edition was published in 2004, not 2000. This book, and the recreational opportunities it showcases, are far more current than the Amazon page implies.

If you have one or more non-golfers in the family, it's important to plan your golf vacation for where there are things for the others to do while you're on the course. Our family had been planning a Myrtle Beach vacation and had found lots of "general" info on the web, but this book speaks directly to golfers with non-golfers in the group, so it was tremendously helpful to us. We're already planning a trip to Florida for next summer, based on this book's recommendations. It might be time for an update, though...we found Myrtle Beach has added a number of family-type attractions as well as some first-class courses since this book was published.

The Golf Widow Travels Scotland is a guide to enjoying one's travel experience in Scotland, especially if one is an avid golfer or in the company of a golfer. From dealing with unwieldy luggage to must-see sites across the whole of Scotland to hours and directions for out-of-the-way places and much more, The Golf Widow Travels Scotland offers a homestyle perspective from a woman with 35 years of solo travel experience. Much more personal than an ordinary travel guide, The Golf Widow Travels Scotland is written with humor, flair, and uncanny insight into how to truly spend quality time in another nation.

This is an excellent coffee table book for individuals and families that like to take exciting vacations. It covers over 700 vendors of adventure vacations in 17 classifications including white water rafting, heli-skiing, house boat rentals, fly fishing, dude ranches and many more.

I am not familiar with any other publication like it. Also, check out the Internet site based on the book - Gordonsguide.com.

I have been talking about hiking the Grand Canyon with my 9 year old gradson. (His mom did the hike with me when she was nine) This book is great in it's detail about what adults and youngsters both see and experience when doing the hike. What children imagine the hike is like and what actually transpires are not exactly the same. It's not as easy as they imagine! But the rewards are worth the effort!

Great guide for the Native American Territories. Very helpful in determining what sites to visit in Blackfeet and Cheyenne country. Interesting tidbits of history combined with information on activities suited for young children and teens make this guide the best!!!!

Wonderful guide for vacationing in the South, especially in Florida. Great tips and activities for those days you do not want to spend at the traditional Walt Disney World themepark. Activities like Seaworld Adventure Park, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and the Orlando Science center were all worthwhile and fun for both adults and kids. Without this National Geographic book we probably would not have had such as adventurous vacation.

The Great Towns of Oregon: The Guide to the Best Getaways for a Vacation or a Lifetime is a vacation and relocation guide to the most scenic and civilized Oregon locales, including 1,000+ descriptions of the best restaurants, attractions, and lodgings. The eighteen Oregon towns covered at length are Ashland, Astoria, Baker City, Bandon, Bend, Brookings, Cannon Beach, Florence, Gold Beach, Grants Pass, Hood River, Jacksonville, Joseph, Lincoln City, McMinnville, Newport, Seaside, and Sisters. Full chapters on each of the towns, towns, along with weather and livability ratings, allow for a level of depth ideal for individuals searching for the perfect Oregon home.