L.A. Family Travel

08/24/2026

👻 Would you actually spend the night in a haunted hotel?

California has no shortage of spooky stories, and some of them come with a room key. From the Queen Mary in Long Beach to the Hotel del Coronado and historic hotels in San Francisco, Carmel, and beyond, these properties have reported ghost sightings, unexplained noises, mysterious footsteps, and plenty of other strange happenings.

And here's the fun part: you don't have to be a hardcore ghost hunter to enjoy them. For families with older kids or teens who love a good scare, a haunted hotel can turn an ordinary weekend getaway into a seriously memorable Halloween adventure. 🎃

We've rounded up 9 of the most haunted hotels in California—including a few where you can actually book a room and see if you experience anything unusual yourself.

👀 But the real question is: Which one would you be brave enough to sleep in?

👉 Check out the list:

Here are the 9 most haunted hotels in Callifornia. Are you brave enough to stay in one of these spooky rooms?

08/23/2026

☀️ Club Med Michès in the Dominican Republic — 50% off through Labor Day weekend
🏝️ AVA Resort Cancun — kids AND teens stay free, plus resort credits and airport transfers (valid through December 18)
🌵 Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk — new package covers parking, breakfast, a $50 daily dining credit, and kills the destination fee
🎡 Irvine Spectrum's new Spectrum SunWheel — 132 feet tall, 24 feet taller than the old one, opening September 5 with live music and giveaways
🚄 And 12 Japan day trips you can reach by train in under 90 minutes from Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka (some for under $10)

Not gonna lie, the Ferris wheel one hits different when it's in our own backyard.

Which one are you booking? 👇 Drop it in the comments — I'm genuinely curious whether we're a "half-off all-inclusive" crowd or a "shinkansen to Mount Fuji" crowd.

Full breakdown, prices, and booking links here: https://lafamilytravel.com/end-of-summer-family-travel-deals-were-actually-excited-about/

Half-off Club Med stays, free kids in Cancún, a new 132-foot Irvine Ferris wheel, and Japan day trips under 90 minutes. This month's best family travel finds.

08/22/2026

🌿 Planning a family trip to Ohio? Put **Cuyahoga Valley National Park** on your list! 🌿

This beautiful national park between Cleveland and Akron is packed with family-friendly adventures—from chasing waterfalls 💦 and exploring the dramatic rock formations at Ledges 🪨 to spotting wildlife 🦌, riding a scenic train 🚂 and biking along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail 🚲.

And the best part? You don't have to be an expert hiker to enjoy it!

We put together our complete guide to **Cuyahoga Valley National Park with kids**, including the best things to do, family-friendly hikes, where to stay, how to get there from Los Angeles, and tips for visiting with toddlers, tweens and teens.

👉 Read the guide and start planning your Ohio adventure!
https://lafamilytravel.com/cuyahoga-valley-national-park-for-families-the-ultimate-guide-to-ohios-national-park/

08/20/2026

👻 Looking for a fall getaway that’s a little different from the usual pumpkin patch?

St. Augustine, Florida, might be just the ticket. As the nation's oldest city, it has centuries of history packed into its charming streets—and plenty of ways to make that history fun for kids.

Families can explore Castillo de San Marcos, hunt for pirate treasure, climb a historic lighthouse, search for alligators, hit the beach, and even take a ghost tour when the sun goes down. And if your kids are fans of the spooky side of things, St. Augustine has plenty to keep them entertained as Halloween approaches. 🎃

We've rounded up 20 things to do in St. Augustine with kids, from classic attractions to some unexpected stops that our family loved.

👉 Start planning your St. Augustine adventure:
Read the full article

08/19/2026

🌴 Still figuring out what to do for Labor Day weekend? San Diego makes a pretty great escape from Los Angeles.

The drive is manageable, the weather is usually perfect for squeezing in some beach time, and there’s way more to do than you can fit into one weekend. Think sea lions at La Jolla Cove, exploring Balboa Park, getting up close with animals at the San Diego Zoo, riding the attractions at Belmont Park, and ending the day with dinner in Little Italy. 🌊🦁🎢

We put together an ultimate Labor Day weekend itinerary for families to help you make the most of a quick San Diego getaway—without spending half the weekend in the car.

👉 Planning a last-minute Labor Day escape? Start here:

Whether it's your first time visiting or your tenth San Diego family vacation, this checklist will help make the most of your trip.

08/19/2026

How can a visitor appreciate Greece even more than the whitewashed homes dotted with deep-blue shutters, the gyros and moussaka, and the incredible mythology? 🇬🇷💙

One can jump in the water. 🌊 Off a catamaran, preferably. ⛵ With your family and new friends. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

That’s exactly what we did on Day 6 of our Greece adventure, off the island of Naxos. 🇬🇷

We took a chill cruise around Naxos, enjoyed lunch, loaded up on drinks 🍹, and jumped straight into the cerulean sea. 💦🤿

We had planned to walk up to the Temple of Apollo to watch the sunset 🌅, but seeing hundreds of people there convinced us it might be even better viewed from our boat. So we took a bunch of sunset photos instead. 📸🌞

I think we made the right decision. 😉

This was an optional G Adventures activity with an extra charge, but for us, it was absolutely worth it. ⛵💙

G Adventures

08/15/2026

We asked a medium to summon a ghost. He picked a guy out of the audience, handed him dice, and told him to roll.

The guy called every number without seeing them. When asked how, he said a voice told him.

That was one hour of the night we spent on the Queen Mary — the ship Time called one of the 10 most haunted places on Earth. 57 people officially died aboard. Staff report 105 ghosts.

We brought our teenagers. Here's everything that happened, plus which tours are actually kid-friendly and the 2026 Dark Harbor dates. 👻