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Join AMomsLove Facebook and leave me a comment. Yep, I’m crazy at it again. You can come along. I am reading: The Letters a book about a lady who escapes to a Maine cabin to paint. So, I have been looking at vacation cabins in Maine….places that would be easy to draw, paint, write, weave, you name it, at. I want you to go to AMomsLove facebook page and join and then leave a comment there or below. Write a paragraph… Tell me what would you like to do…if you could get away for a year or so. Draw, paint, knit, weave, What? Write a paragraph or two and win $50 worth of whatever your implements might be.

Check out the Maine Cabins I found to get away to. Tell me your favorite.

We all know why we may be spending vacation at home. So, let’s get right to it.

You can visit a museum on your staycation
Family Activities Across the Country

On this site I checked into Pittsburgh and found The Frick Art and Historical Center Show the kids what Victorians lived like (if they were wealthy.)
You can also visit The Heinz History Center. Check out this video of The Inclines in Pittsburgh. You can stay in The Cultural District if you just want to stay close to home but go somewhere. Had to show you this retro home for rent. If you thrive on history check out this find. Stay in an original Old Economy home. As a matter of fact, if you are looking for some reasonable places to stay try this site: Airbnb.com. Incredible deals. Almost didn’t write this article because I got stuck on the site.

So let’s plan a week of Staycation together:

Day One: Visit a museum or museums in your area. Here is a list for you: Museums across the Country.

Day Two: Visit an amusement park. List of Amusement Parks. When our family goes to Kennywood we usually take a picnic lunch.  Most parks have picnic pavillions.  It’s a great area to meet at appointed times to check on everyone.

Day Three: Have a Cowboy Cookout in your back yard. Everyone dress in cowboy hats and pass out water guns. If you don’t like water guns, pass out spray water bottles.

My son playing by Allegheny River at a cabin.

Day Four: Find a swimming pool or a lake or the shore. List of Lakes.
List of beaches…scroll down to see the list for the U.S. Try Dr. Beach’s List of Beaches. Don’t forget the sunscreen!

Day Five: Go for a hike!  List of hiking trails in the U.S.  Take a back pack with snacks or bring along a picnic lunch. Pack a first aid kit as well.  Here is a special Inn in Georgia: Len Foote Hike Inn,

Note the special programs they have for hikers: Programs at Len Foote. Here are the Five Best Smoky Mountain Hikes for Children. Check with your local parks and see what they have to offer. Lots of info in this article on Kids and Hiking.

Day Six: See if your community has a festival and attend with your kids or your special someone. List of Festivals , Another List in the US, in Canada.

Day Seven:  Visit local shops, fair trade shops, farmers markets and restaurants….no chains allowed. (Buy Local in PA)

Hope you got some ideas for a wonderful staycation.  Let me know if you came up with some other ideas…please comment or email me at amomslove @ gmail.com. You can also leave a comment in the comment box below.

Sunday, we went back to San Francisco.
We walked down to The Maritime Museum

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

And went into the little store with a nice collection of Nautical Books and Maritime Collectibles

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

We walked right next door to Aquatic Beach

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

Ghiradelli Square and The Cannery are nearby.

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

We went onto Pompeii’s a restaurant right next to Lou’s Pier 47

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

We got on a Tour Bus
San Francisco Sightseeing
Took the city tour, saw China Town, Tallest building in San Francisco, City Bookstore and more.
The city has trolleys from all over the world.

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

We went past City Hall

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

We got off at Wahsington Square and went into St. Peter and Paul Church

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

Onto The Beat Museum…it was closed (on Mondays)

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

We went to The City Lights Bookstore
http://www.citylights.com/

We ate at a little cafe on Stockton St.

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

And caught the tour bus back at Washington Square

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

Joan and Ray take us into Lakeport, a very cute town.
The Morning was a wee bit misty:

From Lakeport, CA_3_07_09

We went to Konocti Resort and took a picture of the extinct Volcano

From Lakeport, CA_3_07_09

Concerts are held at the resort. Boats can pull up and listen to the music or attend in the stadium.

From Lakeport, CA_3_07_09

After thate we went onto Kelseyville

From Lakeport, CA_3_07_09

Where we went to Wildhurst Winery. We enjoyed their wine all weekend long. In addition to being grape growers, they also grow pears.
You can read their newsletter here:

We went back to the cabin and Joan, Bernie and I went back out to some local thrift shops where I picked up a couple of vases for my mantel (one broke), at Penny Lane:

From Lakeport, CA_3_07_09

The same evening we went to Sicily’s for a very tasty dinner.
http://lakeconews.com/content/view/5172/764/

Friday, March 6th, 2009
Joan and Ray take us to Lakeport to their beautiful home there on Clear Lake.

From Lakeport, CA_3_07_09

From Lakeport, CA_3_07_09

We had a very peaceful evening there taking in the view, reading books, by the fire.