May is here and adventure is around the corner! From dark nights at the national parks to destination-specific memory making, Family Entourage joins us with ideas to make this summer a fantastic season.
UNDER CANVAS: DARK NIGHTS AT NATIONAL PARKS
Road trips are part of the fabric of summer, couple that with National Parks and safari-inspired tents that sleep the whole family and you’ve got the recipe with an unforgettable adventure. The infamous Grand Circle route takes travelers through Arizona, Colorado and Utah with Zion and the Grand Canyon both driving distance from San Diego at only 7 hours away!
Camping wasn’t a big part of my childhood and while it sounds whimsical, it also sounds like a lot of work… so we were on a search to capture the adventure in a more luxurious way and we found Under Canvas! Their outdoor upscale accommodations are made up of made up of safari-inspired canvas lodging tents of varying sizes (one can even hold 7 family members) include amenities such as ensuite bathrooms with hot showers, plush king-size beds, luxe linens, and wood-burning stoves for chilly nights. Expansive main lobby tents and adjoining patios provide a communal space to enjoy meals from a café-style kitchen, connect with friends and family and learn about the best local adventures. With lesser-known hiking, daily yoga, elevated dining onsite, fire pits with epic views of the surrounding landscape and more families can explore nature on their own time.
At Under Canvas, the adventures don’t stop when the sun sets. In fact, with some of the darkest and clearest night skies in the world, the camps come alive when the sun goes down—when millions of stars, star clusters, and constellations provide a once-in-a-lifetime celestial experience that you’ll treasure for years to come. Both the Grand Canyon and Zion recently have been recognized as the first-ever DarkSky-certified resorts in the world, due to their exceptional sky quality and commitment to protecting and preserving the nighttime environment. Check out We Own the Night as you escape to these one-of-a-kind glamping destinations and discover stargazing in a whole new light. They also offer a We Own the Night Calendar which invites all guests to experience the beauty of the night sky through complimentary camp programming, including; astronomy talks, full-moon hikes, star parties, starbathing meditations, culinary delights inspired by the galaxy, and more.
Under Canvas has 13 safari-inspired locations, as well as a new luxury outdoor resort brand called ULUM. The leader in upscale, outdoor hospitality, Under Canvas camps have received awards from the likes of Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure as some of the best resorts in the U.S. and the world.
We’ve curated an Under Canvas Grand Circle Road Trip Guide for Families
- Start at Under Canvas Grand Canyon, located just outside Valle, Arizona and near the South Rim on 160 acres of beautiful piñon and juniper forest.
- Next, drive South for Under Canvas Moab – This campsite near Arches and Canyonland National Parks blend into dramatic desert surroundings where deep canyons and towering plateaus create a raw landscape of immense power.
- Afterwards, head west to Under Canvas Lake Powell – Grand Staircase, perched on the edge of Canyon Rim Plateau with views from the lake to its namesake, Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument.
- From there, head to Under Canvas Zion, located on 196 acres bordering Zion National Park with glowing red rocks and sage green brush surrounding the camp.
- Finally, complete your circle at Under Canvas Bryce Canyon – it’s fully solar powered and only 15-minutes from Bryce Canyon National Park.
DESTINATION-SPECIFIC MEMORY MAKING WITH MIXBOOK
Whether your summer vacation planning has you crossing state lines to country boarders, it’s a guarantee your family will be snapping photos wherever you go! Make sure your memories don’t just stay on your camera roll with destination-specific books to blank canvas collections of photobooks. With a selection of themes unique only to Mixbook, bringing your pictures to life and central to your home to enjoy all your experiences over and over again is easier than ever.
Whether your trip takes you to the National Parks, Japan, Hawaii or a theme park, Mixbook has a great assortment of destination-specific books. Mixbook has over 100 travel-focused photo books. The books have layouts and themed pages that you can simply drop your photos of the trip into or even customize. We created a book using one of the Hawaii themed templates. From the city pages to luggage tag stickers with HNL on it, I love that they have curated the book.
Mixbook makes it so easy to create photobooks. You can use their app and upload your photos from your trip and start designing your photo book. Trips are often done alongside friends and family members and Mixbook enables you to have multiple contributors to a book or if grandma wants her own version. She doesn’t have to start from scratch. She can make a copy, so she doesn’t have to start from scratch and then add her own twist to the book.
FAMILY ADVENTURE THROUGH FILM
From New York City to Isle of Berk, dojos to dragons, and sequels we can’t get enough of… families can go on an adventure without even having to pack bags!
This summer packs some big blockbusters including Jackie Chan and Karate Kid: Legends, live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon in June, epic efforts and fun with Jurassic World: Rebirth and Fantastic Four: First Steps balancing hero life with the family bond… and sequels we cannot wait for, Happy Gilmore 2, Bad Guys 2 and Freakier Friday.
Summer Family Movies and Must-See Sequels
- Karate Kid: Legends – May 30
- How to Train Your Dragon – June 13
- Jurassic World: Rebirth – July 2
- Fantastic Four: First Steps – July 25
- Happy Gilmore 2 – July 25 on Netflix
- Bad Guys 2 – Aug 1
- Freakier Friday – August 8
CPK: PICNICS AT THE PARK TO SUMMER SUNSETS
During the summer routines change and so does family dining! Pick up your meals and enjoy a picnic at the park, or a summer sunset at the beach. California Pizza Kitchen is celebrating it’s 40th year with a fresh new summer menu and also with favorite dishes back for a limited time.
Favorites like the the Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad, Burnt Ends BBQ Pizza, Cedar Plank Salmon and even Mini Butter Cake Flight can be enjoyed after a full day of activities or order them to go and relax with the family. There’s even an OG special with 3 Pizzas and a Salad! From our favorite Original BBQ Chicken Pizza to Waldorf Chicken Salad, we love that there’s so many yummy options for our family to choose from at CPK.
