Sarah McDonald

A simple airport hotel with a free transfer like Courtyard by Marriott San Jose Airport Alajuela or Hampton Inn & Suites San Jose Airport is your best option for accommodation. If you want to do both the Peninsula and the Volcano sectors, start with the Volcano as the last entrance is 2.30 p.m., while the last entrance time for the Peninsula trail is 4 p.m. Mistico Park is a private wildlife preserve where tourists get a bird’s eye view of the forest by walking across a set of hanging bridges. We found we could easily walk to restaurants from our hotel and a shuttle bus took us to the beach and national park entrance, so we didn’t use the car at all once we arrived at Manuel Antonio. Driving in Costa Rica is an experience in itself and you will see more of the country but if you don’t want to spend that much time in the car with young children, flying is the way to go.

Park on nearby West Cliff Drive or Delaware Avenue for free, or pay to use the car park if you are there on a busy day. There are around ten rides suitable for young children (under 48 inches) with a chaperone (who rides free) and another five rides small children can ride on their own. Bigger kids of course get a bigger selection and if you want to spend a few hours on the rides here, it makes sense to buy them wristbands instead of paying per ride. Street parking is available everywhere and you can almost always find a spot, especially if you drive all the way along Beach Street and onto Third Street.

Older kids can visit one of Salem’s haunted houses for a scary tour, while younger children will enjoy the Great Salem Pumpkin Walk on October 17, 3pm-8pm through the Downtown. During the day, take the younger kids to the scare-free zone to enjoy a hay maze and pumpkin patch, while older kids can enjoy carnival ride thrills and multiple haunted house experiences after dark. You can also take kids on a French Quarter Spooky Tour, designed for kids aged 4-8, or visit Louisiana Children’s Museum for its annual Museum Mash celebration. With more than 20 hot air balloons, candy for the trick-or-treaters, tethered balloon rides, fireworks and a spooky trail, this is a spooky season extravaganza worth traveling for.

Fall is the perfect time to tour the wine regions of Northern California, as the grape vines change from green to gold and red, and the harvest begins. September and October are great times to visit ACORN, a small vineyard tucked away in the Russian River Valley, according to Betsy Nachbaur, who owns the farm with husband Bill. The grapes are ripe enough to taste good, and if at all possible my husband likes to take families for a vineyard walk, to taste grapes, see owl houses, and maybe a jackrabbit or two.” Betsy says. Make your reservations online ahead of your visit ($40 for adults, $20 for kids for just the pool pass or $210 for a cabine reservation for four on a weekend).