If you’re setting out on a summer tour of Florida and thinking about some of the Orlando theme parks, Walt Disney World Resort has got you covered if you or anyone in your vacationing group follows a special diet.I love Disney’s Hollywood Studios (despite living in LA and being around the real thing) as it’s a magical look into old time as well as new cinema history!

Before hoppin’ onto the Great Movie Ride, grab a sandwich at Starring Rolls Cafe! Or if you’re looking for something a little more “sit down and get out of the heat”, go fro The Hollywood Brown Derby. Here you’ll find a bit pricier menu items but you can dine with a Disney character, and imagineer or just have a delicious meal with your park hopping buddies. High on the yummalicious scale is the Noodle bowl with Coconut Tofu and Veggies in a red curry broth!

For the fearless flyers, you must get in line for the Tower of Terror or Aerosmith’s Rock n’ Roller Coaster! But don’t eat right before you get on or you’ll lose your lunch! However, close by, you can dine at Fairfax Fare (a cute facsimile of LA’s famed Farmer’s Market) and pick up a veggie burger or even relax at Hollywood and Vine. This eatery boasts a buffet but fear not, they have multigrain vegetarian pasta!

Now, you have to check out the awesome Toy Story ride as well as the Muppet Show. If you’re feeling peckish, pop into Pizza Planet (just like in the Toy Story movie!) and order up a cheeseless pizza piled high with yummy veggies and served with a salad. But if you’re looking for something more retro, chow down at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant! Not only do you get to enjoy your meal seated in a classic car, you get to choose from dishes like Seared marinated Tofu, fresh fruit salad and yummy mixed green salads.

On your way to Honey I Shrunk the Kids and NY Street, you may have a hankerin’ for Italian. Luckily you won’t be far from Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano. It smells divine as soon as you walk in and their minestrone and risotto do not disappoint!

Both the ABC Commissary and Backlot Express serve up a bunch of good veggie options, however the 50′s Prime Time Cafe is tough to navigate if you’re a special diet diner. Guess they’re keeping true to the unhealthy 50′s American cuisine!

Regardless of where you dine, you’ll have a blast at this movie themed park. Be sure to save time to see the Fantasmic show at night and have a safe and healthy time!

Additionally, if you really want to plan your worry-free day at Animal Kingdom, make your dining reservations ahead of time and let guest services know of any special diet requests so they can accommodate you accordingly. Contact Disney’s Dining Reservation Center at (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463 to speak with a Cast Member to make your special requests and reservations.

If you find yourself sightseeing in Orlando and theme park hopping at Walt Disney World, what better way to honor the beautiful creatures at Animal Kingdom then opting for animal free meals? Veggie or not, there’s lots of special diet friendly options at the park, you just have to know where to look!

The Rainforest Cafe located at the park’s entrance is a chain restaurant that is both fun and easy for special diet friendly park visitors. Great for dinner after a long day of walking around in the hot Florida sun, this animal themed eatery has lots of ways to gluten-free or veganize your meal. A wide variety of sandwiches and salads as well as entrees, my personal favorite is veganizing the ginormous China Island Salad!

Inside the park, located in the Asia area, you’ll find the Yak & Yeti restaurant. Casual sit down dining, you can get veggie lo mein or veganize a Chinese salad. If you’re in a hurry, you can grab quite healthy bites at the Yak & Yeti local food cafe so you can go on your merry Disney way!

Walking over to Africa, you can dine well at the Tusker house. Casual style dining with traditional African and Middle Eastern dishes, it’s easy to dine here on a restricted diet. Choose from hummus, samosas, rice dishes and more but be sure to chow down here after you’ve already ridden Expedition Everest!

DinoLand is a can’t miss and if you’re tummy starts to grumble here, you can dine at Restaurantosaurus. With a simple American style fast casual menu, I chose the veggie sub, sans cheese along with sweet potato fries!

All around the park you’ll find all sorts of snacks and drinks but do yourself a favor and make healthy choices so that you don’t become extinct!

Additionally, if you really want to plan your worry-free day at Animal Kingdom, make your dining reservations ahead of time and let guest services know of any special diet requests so they can accommodate you accordingly. Contact Disney’s Dining Reservation Center at (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463 to speak with a Cast Member to make your special requests and reservations.

We’re in the thick of summer and that means family vacations and theme parks! If you’re setting out on a summer tour of Florida and thinking about some of the Orlando theme parks, Walt Disney World Resort has got you covered if you or anyone in your vacationing group follows a special diet. One of the best parks to visit is Disney’s Epcot seeing as how they’ve got the world showcase where you’ll find a variety of international places to dine.

Future World

• The Garden Grill located in The Land Pavilion – The Garden Grill uses locally sourced produce from their own green house that you can overlook from the restaurant and take a ride through before or after your meal! Choose the farmer’s salad, garden veggies and rice pilaf.
• Sunshine Season Food Fair in The Land Pavilion – Lots of custom made sandwiches and salads.
• Electric Umbrella – Nice selection of wraps and salads that are easily veg-ified.
  

World Showcase

• Mexico – Sit down: San Angel Inn – Mexican cuisine is super simple to vegify by dropping the meat and cheese and adding in more beans,veggies, guacamole and salsa! For gluten free folks, opt for corn tortillas. I like the Ensalada Mexicana without the cheese!
  Quicky: La Cantina de San Angel – Order the chips and guacamole and salsa with a side of black beans and make your own veg-friendly tacos!
• Italy – Sit down: Via Napoli and Tutto Italia – North have a wide variety of dishes that can be easily made to suit your special diet. Pizzas are easily veganizable as are salads and pastas.
• Morocco – Sit down: Restaurant Marrakesh – North African dishes that are more then suitable for a variety of special diets. The Jasmina Salad and Cous Cous with Vegetables are great delish!
  Quicky: Tangieriene Cafe – Decent selection of salads, cous cous and other north African dishes
• China – Sit down: Nine Dragons – Choose vegetable dishes and nix any meat. Opt for steamed veggie dishes sans noodles for gluten free diners. The cucumber salad and Vegetable Tofu Stir Fry are Healthy Voyager faves!
• Japan -Sit down: Teppan Edo or Tokyo Dining – Both have a wide variety of dishes that can be easily made to suit your special diet
  Quicky: Yakitori House – Check out veggie sushi rolls and veggie noodle bowls
• Norway: Akershush Banquet Hall – Provides a Disney Princess Storybook Dining experience in a medieval castle-themed restaurant. Go for the vegetable risotto!

So bring your walkin’ shoes, your wonderment and most of all, your appetite because Epcot is a great theme park full of neat and inventive attractions that you won’t find anywhere else!

Additionally, if you really want to plan your worry-free day at Epcot, make your dining reservations ahead of time and let guest services know of any special diet requests so they can accommodate you accordingly. Contact Disney’s Dining Reservation Center at (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463 to speak with a Cast Member to make your special requests and reservations.

So I’m back with some more Orlando hot spots! Last week it was all about stuff in town but this week it’s goodies you can find in and around the popular theme parks. While I’ve already done write ups on healthy theme park eating, I didn’t get in to specifics and since Orlando is the capital of theme parks, I figured I’d get down to the nitty gritty!

Ok, let’s start with Universal Studios. Seeing as how The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the place to be these days (and I TOTALLY agree, it rules!), people are visiting Universal’s Islands of Adventure in droves.

While in the park, sure there are plenty of places to grab a quick salad but if you’re looking to sit down and grab a nice meal (that’s actually reasonably priced), you have to check out Mythos. It’s no wonder that it has won best theme park restaurant since its inception. A great menu that gets mega points for accommodating special diets. Right on the menu it tells you what can be made gluten free and/or vegan and there are a ton of tasty options. And like I mentioned, it won’t cost you the usual theme park sit down dinner price!

On your way in and out of the parks, you’ll be passing through Citywalk. They have tons of chain restaurants (most of which I’ve already covered) but the one that caught my eye was The Latin Quarter. Yummy latin food for all sorts of tastes, they mix Mexican, Spanish and Caribbean so no one in your group is left out of the flavorful fun. And the best part is as they’ve got a bunch of options of veg heads! I had to opt for the veggie paella and was very happy with my choice ; ) Oh yeah, it’s also a nightclub, woohoo!

Alright, I’m sure you’re waiting to hear about the king of all theme parks, Walt Disney World. Well, I’ve covered the mouse’s house in the past but I haven’t covered Downtown Disney which is not only free to park and enter, it’s chock full of fun (without the big Disney price tag). Nightclubs, restaurants, shopping and even some fun activities, it’s a great way to get the Disney feel if you don’t have it in you to head into the parks.

If you haven’t heard, Babycakes NYC has staked their claim at this shopping and eating mecca. Vegan, gluten free and fabulous, there’s no excuse to curb your sweet tooth the healthy way while hangin’ out at the happiest place on earth.

Now if you’ve got a craving for some awesome Cuban food, you gotta hit up Gloria Estefan’s Bongos Cuban Cafe at Downtown Disney. With lots of veggie options and sacrificing none of the taste, Bongos is a ton of fun and super delish!

In a rush and not looking for a full on sit down, try The Earl of Sandwich for a tasty veggie sandwich or Fresh A-peel for a fresh salad of veggie burger (also lots of gluten free options too!)

But if you’re looking for all the magic and fun of the theme parks along with your meal, you gotta try T-Rex. Ok, it’s a bit on the pricey side but how can you leave mouse land without dinner and a show? Disney is great about accommodating special diets so if you let them know ahead of time, the servers will guide you through the menu so you can have a pre-historically awesome meal and still enjoy all of the fun!

And that’s a wrap (for now) on Orlando. I’ll be back in future travels and happy to report it all to you!

This time of year we are trekking all over the place to visit family and friends.  But if you happen to have some time to squeeze in some holiday family fun outside of the usual shopping, eating and movies, try visiting a holiday attraction.

Heading over to small festivals are great fun as many are hosted by non-profit organizations and proceeds help all sorts of folks during the holidays.  Hitting up carnivals and bazaars are a nice way to get out of the house and check out unique things, people and even get some gift ideas.

But if you are lucky enough to find yourself in a town that has a big holiday show, festival or attraction, do your best to pack up the car and make some fun family memories at one this year! If you’re on a budget, these can be verry cheap holidays too!

Here are some of the top ones around!

• The Rockefeller Center Tree & Ice Skating Rink – NY, NY
• Norman Rockwell Street at Christmas – Stockbridge, MA – The town and street that Norman Rockwell made famous by his painting, recreates the look every year!
• Holiday Boat Parade – Ft Lauderdale, FL – Eat your heart out Macy’s, this parade floats!
• Santa’s Enchanted Forest – Miami, FL – Christmas and carnival all in one!
• Victorian Christmas - Berlin, MD – Spend the holidays like they used to!
• Christmasota – Twin Cities, MN – The name says it all!
• Sculpture Garden Skating – Washington, D.C. – Skate outdoors in our nation’s capital!
• Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland - West Knoxville & Bristol, TN- This water sports company really does up the holidays!
• Silver Dollar City - Branson, MO – The Vegas of the midwest has something for everyone this time of year. Shows, lights and so much more!
• Oglebay Festival of Lights – Wheeling, WV – An enchanting festival of lights
• Smoky Mountain Winterfest – Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, TN – 3 cities team together with local attractions (like Dollywood!!) to create a very merry holiday.
• Trail of Lights - Austin, TX – An impressive lighted tree in a highly festive town, you can’t go wrong celebrating the holidays in Austin.
• Magical Nights of Lights – Lake Lanier, GA – The world’s largest holiday lights extravaganza!
• Holiday Festival of Lights – Charleston, S.C. – Lights, sand sculptures, Santa’s village & more!
• Enchanted Garden of Lights – Chattanooga, TN – An LED powered holiday fun fest!
• Louisville MEGA Cavern - Louisville, KY – An underground holiday light show!
• Southern Lights – Lexington, KY – Beautiful drive through lights.
• Fantasy of Lights - Pine Mountain, GA – Lights complete with holiday village!
• Mission Inn - Riverside, CA – a dazzling holiday spectacle!
• Disney Parks – Orlando, FL & Anaheim, CA – Disney is magical as is but nothing beats visiting the parks over the holidays. And if you’re worried about what to eat, be sure to check out my theme park healthy dining guide!

Wishing you a super fun holiday!

Looking for a good scream this Halloween but trying to reduce your carbon footprint? Man made haunts are a great fun but if you want a green Halloween you should know that the amount of electricity, building supplies, fake blood and fog are no friends to mother earth. It takes a lot of resources, energy and chemicals to put on a large scale haunt so why not visit a REAL haunted house? If you’re up for it and happen to be nearby some of the following, most haunted places in America, gather a group and see have what it takes to stand up to the spirits this all Hallow’s Eve!  Most offer tours throughout the year but during Halloween season, you can’t get a better bang for your buck. The possibility of seeing real ghosts and getting creeped out by just being there far exceeds the fake fright of a high schooler in costume ; ) It’s educational, assists in preserving history, greener then pop up haunts and sure to make your hair stand on end like never before. Buuuaaahahahahaha!!

• Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
• LaLaurie House, New Orleans, Louisiana
• The Bell Witch Cave, Adams, Tennessee
• The Whaley House, San Diego, California
• The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado
• The Winchester House, San Jose, California
• Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville, Kentucky
• The Stranahan House, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
• Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• The White House, Washington D.C.
• Saint Augustine Lighthouse, St. Augustine, Florida
• Congelier House, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Mount Misery Road, West Hills, New York
• Franklin Castle, Cleveland, Ohio
• The Queen Mary, Long Beach, California
• Hull House, Chicago, Illinois
• The Lincoln Theater, Decatur, Illinois
• Lemp Mansion, St. Louis , Missouri
• Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois
• The Myrtles Mansion, St. Francisville, Louisiana

And if you just want to hang in a super haunted city, there’s no shortage of creepy towns like New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston and more!! Happy Halloween!!

There’s nothing like hitting up theme park during the summer. Families, couples and groups of friends all make time to let out their inner child and splurge on a theme park day-cation or full on vacation. Of course, nothing rounds out a day at the park like overpriced churros, popcorn, soda and fries. Right? Well, not only does this kill your wallet, it kills your day. All that walking, standing and hangin’ out in the park requires energy and stamina. Through in some kids, purses, bags of souvenirs and you’re ready to keel over by mid day. Yes, have a treat but don’t make the whole day a throw away as you will be paying for it hard later. Below are some tips on making your magical day everything it should be as well as specific eateries at some of the most popular parks across the country!:

• Drink water!!! Skip the sodas as that will only dehydrate you and wear you out quicker then you can say Mickey Mouse.
• Pack snacks like trail mix and healthy bars like vega, lara, purefit and goodonya’s. They will curb your sweet tooth and munchies, save you money, and save you from the mountains of sodium, sugar and preservatives found in the low grade park food.
• If you can swing it, pack your own lunches. Most parks have lockers available somewhere near the entrance of the park so bring a squishy type cooler and pack some delicious sandwiches, fruit and sides. You and your group will save a TON of money and will actually be full after picnicking with your own meal. Most park food is small, expensive and quite frankly, bland. It keeps you grazing all day and before you know it, you just blew next month’s rent!
• Wear sunscreen, sunglasses ad light clothing. The heat that emanates from the sidewalks and pavement can give you a heat stroke in no time. You may want to wear a swimsuit underneath your clothes for those water rides as well. This way, you won’t be caught in the chilly breezes of the night as that is terribly uncomfortable.
• Don’t carry to much stuff. Ladies, a small, sling over purse or satchel with the essentials is fine. If you over stuff your bags, you can really do some damage to your shoulders and back leaving you motionless by the end of the day. If you need more stuff like a sweater for the evening, food, etc, leave it in a locker and get it later.

Here are some of the best places to dine at major parks across the country. Sometimes you just gotta treat yourself so make sure you make smart choices:

• Disneyland – Blue Bayou in Frontier land offers a great veggie option. It is super expensive, tough to get into but is really a treat as you dine and overlook the pirates ride.The portobello mushroom cous couse dish was very tasty, easily veganizable, and came with a yummy salad. River Belle Terrace, across from Pirates, offers a veggie po boy. Bengal bbq, across from Indiana Jones, has some delish veggie skewers (good for a snack). The Tomorrowland Terrace has a veggie burger as does the Village Haus Restaurant by the Pinocchio ride. The Plaza Inn has kosher and veggie selections and you can veganize your pizzas and salads at the Redd Rocket Pizza Port. Grab some veggie gumbo at the Royal Street Veranda and quench your thirst with some tasty and fresh pineapple juice at the Tiki Juice Bar.
• Disney’s California Adventure - The Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill boasts great veggie salads, tacos and burritos. The Wine Country Trattoria is sit down Italian which is easy navigate from salads to pastas and pizzas. They are very accommodating to all special diets. The Taste Pilots’ Grill has a veggie burger and Studio Catering Co has a grilled veggie sandwich. Stop at Schmoozie’s for a refreshing smoothie, make sure you ask for non-dairy ingredients if your vegan. Pizzas and salads aer easily made to order per your requests at Pizza Oom Mow Mow. Find a lot of healthy choices at the Pacific Wharf Cafe and by some fresh fruit at the Fairfax Market.
• Disney’s Magic Kingdom - Cinderella’s Royal Table, in the castle, has a hidden secret. If you make your reservation and call ahead, they will prepare a great vegan or special diet meal for you so make sure to plan ahead. The Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station has great veggie options as Asian is quite simple to healthify. The Plaza is a great stop as they specialize in accommodating special diets. Get a veggie panini at Tony’s Town Square on Main Street. Veganize a wrap at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe in Frontierland as well as some Mexican grub at El Pirata Y El Perico Restaurant. In Tomorrow and Fantasyland you have Cool Ship and Scuttles Landing have veggie burgers.
• Epcot Center – Great options here as you get to pick your country of dining choice! Easily healthified and veganized are San Angel Inn in Mexico and Teppan Edo in Japan. Nine Dragons in China is very accommodating as is the Tangierine in Morroco as they serve Mediterranean cuisine. TuttoItalia in Italy and Tokyo Dining in Japan are fine dining and if you call ahead, they will be more then happy to accommodate your special dietary needs. The Electric Umbrella has salads and veggie wraps while the Garden Grill in Future World has veggie burgers and more.
• Knot’s Berry Farm – They have a TGIFriday’s on site so pop in for a salad. If there isn’t time for a sit down, grab a veggie burger from Viva La Coasters.
• Universal Studios Hollywood – Get a veggie burger at the Hollywood Grill or have a full on meal at Mel’s Diner. Here you can get a salad, veggie sandwich, veggie burger or wrap ; ) Modify a pizza or salad and have it your way at Louie’s Pizza and Pasta. Eat at a number of different eateries before or after your day ta the park at Universal Citywalk.
• Universal Studios Orlando – Starbuck’s is there for coffee junkies to grab their pick me up soy latte. A Louie’s Pizza and Mel’s Diner can be found here just like the Hollywood location. Order up a salad or veggie burger at the Cafe La Bamba.
• Islands of Adventure - The Confisco Grill has grilled veggie sandwiches and salads. You can find a variety of foods at the Comic Strip Cafe so getting what you need here won’t be to bad. Get a custom sandwich at Blondie’s or a veggie wrap at the Thunder Falls Terrace. Have a nice sit down meal at the Mythos restaurant or quench your thirst with some juice at Moose Juice Goose Juice.
• Six Flags Magic Mountain – On a hot day, treat yourself with a sorbet at Coldstone Creamery. Have a veggie burger at Johnny Rocket’s or veganize a taco salad or burrito at Los Cuates Mexican Grill or Eduardo’s Grill.
• Six Flags Over Georgia - Coldstone and Johnny Rockets just like Magic Mountain can accommodate healthy options. As will Los Banderas for some easily modifiable Mexican fare.
• Six Flags Great America – Same chains as the above, add in salads at the Pink Flamingo Cafe or a veggie sandwich at Saltwater Sal’s Seaside Bar.
• Six Flags Great Adventure – Veganize salads and pasta at Mama Flore’s. Same goes for Mexican at La Cocina and big sandwiches at The Carnegie Deli.
• Six Flags Over Texas – Stick to the chains here as there are not to many options at this park.
• Sea World San Diego – The Shipwreck Reef Cafe has a veggie burger and a veggie salad. the Calypso Bay Restaurant has a nice veggie wrap as does the Rocky Point and Mango Joe’s beach cafe.
• Sea World Orlando – Have a salad and bruschetta at Shark’s Underwater grill. Indulge in some veggie chili or a garden burger at the Spice Mill. Or grab a veggie wrap at Mango Joe’s or the Antarctic Market.
• Sea World San Antonio – The least health friendly of the Sea World parks, veganize some side salads and snack on fruit ; (
• Legoland, CA – The food court called the FunTown Market boasts a great selection of foods. I found some veggie stir fry and noticed veggie sandwiches, baked potatoes and veggie burgers for future reference.The Garden restaurant in Miniland is also very helpful to special diet diners.
• Busch Gardens Tampa - The Crown Colony Restaurant is a nice sit down experience. They offer a nice veggie platter you can chow on while you overlook the Serengeti Plain. Find a veggie wrap at the Bengal Bistro or the Zagora cafe.

Let the kid in you go wild but let the adult in you keep your health on track this summer!!

I thought I would throw in a nice historical park that has it’s own dining facilities on premises. Mt. Vernon, George Washington’s home, is beautiful and sprawling. The estate and presidential library as well as it’s gardens and trails are enough to keep you there all day. Smart of them to have some options where we could refuel without have to set one foot off the park!

If you choose to have a fine dining experience or hold a special event on the estate, The Mount Vernon Inn is the right place. The quaint and cozy colonial like restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily while servers dress in costumes of Washington’s time. The menu, much like the ambiance, is hearty colonial however, I was able to mess with the ingredients of the salads and charm the chef into creating a modern, less rich and more healthy meal, for me ; )

If you don’t have the time or the coin to sit down at the inn, the food court had 4 places to choose from. The Federal City Deli offered up a veggie wrap and the Red Devon Grill had a juicy black bean burger on their menu. I was a happy camper when it came time to grab a quick snack as I knew leaving the park and hunting for a place to nosh would cut into our valuable sight seeing time.

Mt. Vernon is a must if you visit the D.C. area and you can plan your visit by logging on to their website.

That’s a direct quote from a little girl whose family was moving to the infamous and wicked mining town in the 1880′s. Now a genuine ghost town, Bodie, CA, is quite a step back into our nation’s nutty past. On our way back from Black Rock City (Burning Man), we stopped into this town frozen in time before we passed through Yosemite.

Bodie has a great story and is worth the 8,000 ft mountain drive to get there. There are no inhabitants or services beyond the gift shop in Bodie so we stopped for dinner and slumber about 45 minutes past there in Lee Vining at Mono Lake. Lee Vining is a town of 300 people so you would think there wouldn’t be a healthy morsel in sight. Wrong!! It was so easy and the people couldn’t have been nicer.

Our first meal was at Bodie Mike’s BBQ and I pigged out. They had a great veggie mexi burger (salsa in the veggie patty with guac on top!!) as well as a delicious soup and salad bar. I also saw that they had teriyaki veggie kabobs!They are at Hwy 395, Lee Vining, CA 93541, (760) 647-6432.

After a good night’s rest, I popped into the Latte Da cafe (a few doors down from Bodie Mike’s) where they served up organic soy lattes ; ) I broke fast with my travel buddies at Nicely’s, directly next door to Bodie Mike’s, where I got a big bowl of yummy oatmeal and fresh oj.

If you happen to pop into Lee Vining for some lake activities or before you head over the Tioga Pass into Yosemite, you can stock up at their local market with fresh produce and a ton of vegan, veggie and other healthy products like Amy’s frozen goodies, tofurky and Odwalla juices. The selection was incredible and I highly recommend you poke in if you are thinking of heading into Bodie or Yosemite. Or if you miss the turn for Mammoth!!