***  You’re busy, right? Need to cut to the travel-planning chase? The Budget Travel blog “This Just In” shows how to find the “best of” almost anywhere.

***  Don’t do it! Even after you read my Survivor’s Guide to Walt Disney World and get your family all worked up to visit Orlando,  UpTake has 5 reasons NOT to go to Disney World on your summer vacation. Can you say, “Sticky heat and mosquitoes the size of Volkswagens?”  If you must go, see the new audio-animatronic President Obama, just added to the Hall of Presidents.

***  More for Laura Ingalls Wilder fans - finding Laura’s homes on a trip with your kids - hot on the trail of pioneering author’s childhood footsteps.

***  Go wild; Kids Can Travel talks about African safaris with kids and National Geographic Traveler’s blog has info on staying healthy on a Kenyan family safari.

***  Out in the Pacific Northwest, Fodor’s has 5 essential family stops on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula.   Can you say Forks, you Twilight fans?

***  The UK’s Independent points out that this is a good time for long-haul flying with the family, especially if you’re British.  Then again, keeping kids entertained on long flights is a challenge, although one of the World Hum writers now has some clarity and understanding herself on that issue.

***  Upgrade to first class for more room? Whoa, think hard about that, says Chris Elliott in his CNN.com article; should kids be banned from first class? Some would say so. (I would not, because if I could afford it, I’d do it. My money’s as green as some business person’s expense account, and my kids and I have just as much of a right to fly if we have the ability to pay.)

Your thoughts?

The infamous bank robber Sam Bass was fatally shot by lawmen in Round Rock, and his name is plastered on things all over town including my son’s former baseball fields.

Actors used to stage the shootout reenactment downtown until the event became too popular, so it’s now held three times a day in pretty Old Settler’s Park during Frontier Days.

There’s a false-front recreation of town, dance hall girls, a voiceover narrative to explain the action, fake blood and loud firing of blanks - my son loved it.

I shot video at last year’s celebration; maybe it’s time to get it edited and online before we see it again this year!

Welcome to this edition of the Carnival of Cities, where we take you around the world with one blog post.

The next edition is scheduled for July 15 and will be hosted on the Perceptive Travel blog.

If you’d like to host this bi-weekly (fortnightly) blog carnival, let me know via email to sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com.

Off we go….

Cities in the Americas

Seabrook (near Houston) Texas, USA Julie Pippert presents Discovering Seabrook, a charming coastal town just outside Houston posted at Being Savvy Houston, saying, “Get to know Seabrook, Texas, a charming coastal town southeast of Houston with tons of great outdoor activities on land or water, and delicious dining.”

Washington, DC, USA minnemom presents Washington, DC, Travel with Kids: The U.S. Arboretum posted at Travels with Children.

San Francisco, California, USA Antonia Malchik presents Being a gourmand in San Francisco on a budget: head to the Ferry Building Marketplace posted at Perceptive Travel Blog.

Atlanta, Georgia, USA Amy @ The Q Family presents 5 Family Fun for July 4th Celebration Around Atlanta posted at Atlanta With Kid Travel Blog.

Columbus, Ohio, USA Condo Blues presents Pet Promise Rescue Run 2009 posted at Condo Blues.

Seattle, Washington, USA wandermom presents Summer Family Fun In Seattle posted at WanderMom, saying, “Plan your (family) trip to Seattle using this guide from a local travel writer.”

Washington, DC, USA Jon presents Top 10 US Summer Vacation Hot Spots & Top 10 Reasons to Visit Washington, DC posted at The DC Traveler, saying, “Here are ten great reasons why Washington, DC made the American Society of Travel Agents’ Top Ten list as a Top Summer Destination.”

Wall (just outside the Badlands) South Dakota, USA Kilroy_60 presents The Last Road Trip - Part 6 posted at Fear And Loathing - The Gonzo Papers.

San Francisco, California, USA CatSynth presents Hypnagogia, Climate Theater posted at CatSynth, saying, “Another review of visual and performing art events here in San Francisco.”

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Jacqulyn Richey presents Las Vegas Housing Market: Foreclosures Down, Sales Up posted at Las Vegas Real Estate News, saying, “Despite the media’s portrait of doom and gloom, the Las Vegas real estate market and economy are showing signs of recovery.”

New York, New York, USA Madeleine Begun Kane presents June Down The Drain (Limerick & Haiku) posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog, saying, “New York Weather Humor.”

Orlando, Florida, USA Caterina Christakos presents Orlando Italian Restaurant Reviews posted at Orlando Restaurant Reviews.

Cities in Europe

London, United Kingdom William Wallace presents Sanctuary In The Heart Of London For The Weary Traveller posted at London Is Cool.

The Hague (Den Haag) the Netherlands Happy Hotelier presents 2009 The Hague Sculpture – Read My Lips posted at Happy Hotelier, saying, “A no-cost, must-visit [located] in The Hague, The Netherlands.”

Milan (Milano) Italy elena raptopoulos presents Icebound: Gelateria/bar posted at La Bella Città, saying, “From city pictures to aperitivo reviews, this is a blog about Milano from the inside. Not a tourist site… just a site for the people living or visiting the city.”

Cities in Asia

Bangkok, Thailand Amy @ The Q Family presents Thailand in A Day at The Ancient City posted at The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog, saying, “Hidden gem in Bangkok, Thailand.”

Krabi, Thailand Vicky presents Krabi Thailand posted at Kota Medan City.

Clement Town, Uttarakhand, India chicu presents Urban Art: Clement Town posted at Uttarakhand and I.

That concludes this edition, and thanks very much for visiting.

Please submit your (one, non-spammy) blog post about any aspect of ONE, single city to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Yes, I know how to search for travel ideas on a destination or attraction Web site, but a tweet or a Facebook Wall recommendation is a much more engaging and public way to spread the word.

Please don’t email suggestions to me;  that’s nice but it is one-to-one communication. Tweet me and/or Facebook me, so that all of our networks can see what’s cool about your state.

We’re going in alphabetical order but started with the end, so our first state for the series was Wyoming, then we investigated Wisconsin , West Virginia , Washington, Virginia, Vermont, Utah, Texas, Tennessee and now we’re moving on to….South Dakota!

Their state tourism organization is on Twitter at @travelsd, and you can Fan them at the South Dakota tourism page on Facebook.

When I asked for ideas, here’s what came in….

Twitter Travel Tips for South Dakota

*** From South Dakota tourism on Twitter - As a kid, I loved the classics-Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, Storybook Land in Aberdeen, Corn Palace, Wall Drug, Badlands, Rushmore.

*** From Robert Reid (the Lonely Planet US travel editor) via @reidontravel on Twitter - While in SD, take bizarre two-lane PINK roads (made of quartzite.) Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD = totally hoke.

*** From Nancy Nally via @NancyNally on Twitter - http://www.ingallshomestead.com - I visited in high school…she’s a hero of mine! [the Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead, or claim, in De Smet - I love the Little House books too!]

***  From Emily Westaby via @westaby on Twitter - Best family SD memory: The Wild Horse Sanctuary in the Black Hills made a horse lover out of me. http://www.wildmustangs.com

***  From Lynn D via @LynnToTheRescue on Twitter - Corn Palace in Mitchell, Lake Kampeska in Watertown, Wall Drug in Wall, Falls Park in Sioux Falls.

***  From Antonia Malchik via @amalchik on Twitter - regret I’ve never been, but Badlands Nat’l Park a lifelong dream. I’m a desert and empty-wilderness lover:  http://www.blackhillsbadlands.com

***  From Dominique King via @MidwestGuest on Twitter (a bonanza!) - Everyone visits Mount Rushmore, but for best views and photos, make sure you take the 1/2 mile Presidential Trail there. Best part of visit to Crazy Horse Memorial was the Indian Museum of North America - artifacts & crafts. Take the backroad into the Badlands and stop by Roberts’ Prairie Dog Town in the park to visit the cute critters.

Needles Highway drive for great rock formations (picture on my blog of one that looks like Egyptian royalty to me!) Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD was a cool stop–wished we were earlier so we had more time for photos, but scenes in corn amazing! Custer State Park is great for wildlife watching-especially buffalo and the “begging burros.” Wall Drug is cheesy, but fun to browse and have your photo taken on the “jackalope.” I’ve blogged a few times about SD http://www.midwestguest.com/south-dakota/

Thanks, everyone! I didn’t have any input on Facebook, though.

On the BootsnAll Travel Network, here’s the Boots South Dakota Travel Guide, and I talked a little bit about the state in this post: 3 surprising US travel destinations (and an honorable mention.)

Thanks so much for the contributions - the next state in the series is South Carolina.

Send your South Carolina highlights to @SheilaS on Twitter or write them on my Facebook Wall (tell me you’re a 50 state-er if you want to friend me.)

My purpose for this series is not only to highlight worthy kid-friendly vacation destinations in all 50 states, but by using Twitter and Facebook I want to also encourage tourism organizations to learn more about connecting with their visitors using social media and online networks.

Please add your own South Dakota suggestions in the comments below, if we’ve missed anything. Thanks!

***  A huge thank you to the blogs who hosted the bi-weekly/fortnightly Carnival of Cities recently:  Nerd’s Eye View,  UpTake Attractions, Ajay’s Writings on the Wall,  Fear and Loathing - The Gonzo Papers and Eyeflare.  The next edition of this blog carnival (featuring posts about any aspect of a SINGLE city) is scheduled to be hosted here on Family Travel. Submit your posts here by noon CST 30 June.

***  From TravelSavvyMom:  English Castles: 5 Family Favorites and Honolulu: Five Free Family Favorites (don’t forget that THIS is why you take children to Hawaii.)

***  Of course it isn’t February, and it doesn’t matter, either - Black History Year: 7 spots to keep learning year-round.

***  Right here on BootsnAll: 6 ways that traveling with kids can actually improve your travel experience.

***  Welcome consumer travel expert Chris Elliott’s personal family blog, Souvenirist.  Check it out!

***  Yeah, give ‘em hell! Rules for Parents at Children’s Museums from Travels with Children. Hint: you can’t drop ‘em into a room and disappear, as understandably tempting an option as that may be….

***  I love me some World Hum….if you don’t read them already, enjoy Eight Great Family Travel Stories.

***  The UK reports in - a British Mum blog at Have A Lovely Time.

***  They’re so highly respected and they are SO not into glitz - National Geographic Traveler brings you their Family Vacation Planner.

***   Are you in the US Pacific Northwest? Summer Family Fun in Seattle from WanderMom.

***  This looks wonderful for families - the outdoor Starlight Theatre, on the Kansas City tourism Web site.

Finally, I wanted to let you know that I’ll be launching a business soon; an online learning community with entrepreneurship expert Becky McCray,  including my new personal blog that is focused on how travel and tourism organizations can use social media.

More details to follow….

That’s because I want to leave a tidy house (Beds made! Vacuumed! Light timers prepped!) the fridge cleaned out, cat & fish sitters covered, everything packed properly and not just jammed into suitcases, car cleaned before we pack it, decent snacks in a cooler so we don’t buy overpriced crap on the road….see?

Total perfectionist maniac.

Which is fine, except I never allow enough TIME to do all my maniacal stuff.

I insist on cramming it into the last 4 hours before departure so that everyone, including myself, wants to shoot me as we pull out of the driveway.

Answer? Detailed checklist. Starting a couple days before departure. Execute it. Stop screaming at everyone. Leave happy.

I’m trying.

How about you?

(Note: most of this comment was left as a response to Dad traveler Chris Brogan’s audio post Vacation: A Dad’s Eye View 1.  Chris also runs the excellent site Dad-o-matic.)

Yes, I know how to search for travel ideas on a destination or attraction Web site, but a tweet or a Facebook Wall recommendation is a much more engaging and public way to spread the word.

Please don’t email suggestions to me;  that’s nice but it is one-to-one communication. Tweet me and/or Facebook me, so that all of our networks can see what’s cool about your state.

We’re going in alphabetical order but started with the end, so our first state for the series was Wyoming, then we investigated Wisconsin , West Virginia , Washington, Virginia, Vermont, Utah, Texas and now we’re moving on to….Tennessee!

Their state tourism organization is on Twitter at @TNVacation, along with @EnjoyKnoxville, @ChattanoogaFun and @TNAquarium.

You can also find Tennessee tourism on Facebook.

When I asked for ideas, here’s what came in….

Twitter Travel Tips for Tennessee

***  From Cathleen Rittereiser via @CathleenRitt on Twitter - Memphis: Graceland, the National Civil Rights Museum and the ducks in the Peabody [Hotel.]

***  From Rebecca McCormick via @hotspringer on Twitter - For family fun in TN: http://www.wahoozip.com [Ziplining - Yeah, Baby!]

***  From Jill Knouse via @jillknouse on Twitter - lots of fun things in Gatlinburg!

***  From Dave Jones via @TNDayTripper on Twitter - How many of TN’s family-friendly, non-commercial attractions can you name? National Geographic Traveler named these: Family Vacation Planner for Tennessee.

*** From the Tennessee tourism folks via @TNVacation on Twitter, a bunch of family-friendly festivals and events - June 12 through August 2 Dollywood KidsFest, July 10 - 18 Kingsport Fun Fest, Aug 8 Tomato Art Fest, Sept 6 Boomsday Festival, Sept 12 Nat’l Rolley Hole Marbles Championship & Fest, Oct 2-4 Nat’l Storytelling Fest and Oct 17-18 Aussie Fall Fest Chillin’ & Grillin’.

***  From Lanora Mueller via @WritingTravel on Twitter - Your kids will love eating at a “meat-and-three” in Tennessee: Nashville in Escapes.

***  From Antonia Malchik via @amalchik on Twitter - National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN, every October! About my favorite thing to do all year. [Read her post about the Festival on Perceptive Travel blog.]

***  From Elmer Boutin via @rehor on Twitter - Graceland is cool and kid-friendly though many kids might not want to go there. [My kid didn't either but I took her anyway; now she's an Elvis fan.]

***  From Mike Goheen via @vistavision on Twitter - It’s kinda goofy, but I always liked the Lookout Mountain attractions in Chattanooga when I was a kid. [On Twitter at @VisitLookoutMtn]

***  From Paul Brownell via @PaulbAustin on Twitter - Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge has a ton 4 kids. Dollywood, downtown sites and Cades Cove park not far away.

***  From Kayt Sukel via @TravelSavvyKayt on Twitter - I’m assuming you got Dollywood? It’s oh-so-kitsch but a lot of fun! [Yep, I've been there, it's much better than many might think!]

***  From Kara S. Williams via @karasw on Twitter - In Nashville, look into Las Paletas - homemade gourmet popsicles!

***  From Dan Mosqueda via @DanCMos on Twitter - We had a terrific trip in Pigeon Forge. I highly recommend http://www.sugarmaplecabins.com (Sugar Maple Cabins) - awesome views, clean. It is seriously stunning there in terms of beauty. The main drag is tacky, but the rest is nice. Gatlinburg is much improved too.

***  From Shannon Hurst Lane via @Cajun_Mama on Twitter - The http://museumofappalachia.org and also http://www.dollywood.com. A MUST is Big Ed’s Pizza in Oak Ridge TN. My kids loved watching the pizza makers.

Wow, Twitter tweeps sure came through for Tennessee;  I didn’t have any input on Facebook, though.

On the BootsnAll Travel Network, here’s the Boots Tennessee Travel Guide, and don’t forget our Family Travel guest post by Tim Leffel….A one-tank Tennessee and Alabama budget road trip.

Thanks so much for the contributions - the next state in the series is South Dakota.

Send your South Dakota highlights to @SheilaS on Twitter or write them on my Facebook Wall (tell me you’re a 50 state-er if you want to friend me.)

My purpose for this series is not only to highlight worthy kid-friendly vacation destinations in all 50 states, but by using Twitter and Facebook I want to also encourage tourism organizations to learn more about connecting with their visitors using social media and online networks.

Please add your own Tennessee suggestions in the comments below, if we’ve missed anything. Thanks!

The Austin American-Statesman had a blurb yesterday about a free REI clinic for parents who want to take an outdoor adventure trip with their kids. The speaker is Mark Altman, who bicycled across the US with his wife and 4 kids (wow!) before his deployment with the Army to Iraq.

I have another commitment and can’t attend, but do wish that my family and I did more outdoorsy sorts of travel. It’s hard to get psyched to do it in the Texas heat - we keep hitting triple digits and it’s only June - but I keep vowing to get out there when conditions aren’t miserable.

A clinic like this would seem like just the ticket, and with an REI right up the road from my house, I’m kind of out of excuses for motivation.

Based in Georgia, this restaurant chain has locations in 25 states, most of them in the South and Southeast although there are some outliers in the Midwest, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico and as far north as Pennsylvania.

It is known as a sit-down place with food that is served quickly, and all of the restaurants are open 24 hours, 365 days.

Until recently it was cash-only, but now many accept credit cards.  Since a meal there is pretty inexpensive, this isn’t too much of a hassle. They serve a wide variety of food, rather like a Denny’s, including standard dishes like Bert’s Chili.

As far as I’m concerned, the only other place (besides my husband and Mom’s kitchens) that makes better pecan waffles is the Homemade Cafe in Berkeley, California.

It’s good to go to Waffle House occasionally with kids because:

1)  The food comes very quickly; always a blessing with itchy children.

2)  The price is right. This is a budget joint but the portions are generous.

3)  It’s noisy enough that children’s racket is usually drowned out by other ambient noise.

Be forewarned - their busiest day is usually Sunday and you may have to wait for a table if the post-church crowd is big.

I wish they’d put their menu and nutritional information online; it’s not what you’d call a health food place but if you try not to use up every butter pat they provide, you can somewhat lessen the cholesterol damage.

If you consider yourself a “Waffle House Regular” then you can follow them on Twitter at @WHRegulars, become a fan on Facebook or you can visit the Waffle House Museum to learn all of their short-order cooking historical nuggets.

Just shove your leftover pecan waffles in my direction, would you?

Why your family should consider travel insurance: a cautionary tale

We’re still pretty much out of luck for getting most of our money back, which is why I should have bought third party travel insurance (NOT the insurance offered by the tour company itself, since it is worthless because of the bankruptcy.)

A chunk of the trip fee, about $1600, was charged to our Chase Visa credit card, and after going through the “Dispute this charge” process on the account, we were told by a customer service representative today that the amount would be refunded to our account since the service charged was unsatisfactory.

It’s usually pretty easy to dispute charges on any card - log on to your credit card account online and look for a little flag or a link somewhere, with a phrase like “Dispute this charge,” then follow the instructions.   Have a solid reason for disputing and be able to back it up.

One big drawback of debit cards (and I use mine all the time) is that they generally don’t have such simple or generous dispute methods.  Sometimes, “cash on the barrelhead” is not the way to go.

Thanks, Chase, for helping salvage some of our financial loss.