That’s right, it’s the Thanksgiving holiday, so have some Tums (or your antacid of choice.)

If you insist on flying, remember that the airline experience these days is often similar to the worst bus trip you’ve ever taken. I’m sorry to be such a cynic, but it’s me against them when it comes to incredibly unpleasant US air travel.

Consider these survival tips:

***  Drive rather than fly if you can, and take some back roads while you’re at it.  Arm yourself with detailed maps before you go. GPS is nice, but map backups always boot up!

***  Shift the crazy travel days….work right up till Thanksgiving or even till noon Thanksgiving Day, but then take the following Monday and/or Tuesday off.

***  Heck, grab some last-minute fares and leave the country! I’d be all over Thanksgiving somewhere in South America or Europe.  Asia’s great but the flights take too long from where I live. If your family’s in Hawaii, however, go for it.

General flying tips:

—->  Do not check your luggage. You will pay extra fees to check on most airlines (one reason so many love Southwest Airlines, which still doesn’t charge to check.)  For the privilege of paying a fee, they may lose your stuff. No, thanks, they aren’t getting their paws on mine. I pack lightly (see video tips below.)

—->  Everyone in your family rates one carryon suitcase and one personal item. That means each kid can pull a wheeled carryon and carry a little backpack, if he/she is old enough and physically able.  Their clothes and shoes probably won’t fill their suitcase, so use that space for “spillover items” from Mom and Dad.

—->  The last time I flew, the airlines were suddenly very strict about not allowing women to carry a purse and a laptop bag.   If you bring a laptop, empty your purse, pack it in your carryon suitcase for use at your destination, and carry aboard one laptop bag that can handle everything.

—->  Always check in online and print your own boarding passes.  The late check-ins get bumped on those overbooked flights (this is you versus whatever the airlines will try to do to you, remember?) and with boarding passes in hand and no luggage to check, you can go straight to the security lines at the airport and start having all that fun pulling off your kid’s shoes and demonstrating your little quart-sized bags of 3 oz. liquids.

—->  Everyone in the family should carry empty water bottles through security and fill them up at the water fountain on the other side. Everyone should have energy/snack bars in hand.  NEVER assume there’s any food aboard the plane other than crap that you have to buy, even if the flight is long or during a mealtime.  Tote your own food.

—->  Hey, you can probably buy diapers and wipes wherever you’re going, right? Take only enough to get you through the flight and first day on the other end.

—->  Stop lugging so much junk that you and the kids don’t wear and don’t need. Mail things ahead and mail things back to your house. If you forgot something; well, they have Gap, Old Navy and Target everywhere. Remember - fewer shoes is usually the answer.

Here’s my video (originally posted on the Perceptive Travel Blog) about how I packed for two conferences in two cities over six full days….hopefully you find it helpful!

Here’s the URL of the how to pack video if you’re an RSS reader or can’t see the box below.

The town has three different places listed in one of my favorite references, Jane and Michael Stern’s Roadfood.

I couldn’t find Jobe’s and Sid’s was closed, but by golly I found Johnnie’s Grill so I stopped for their famous onion burger.

I adore onions. My kids aren’t really into them. Since this was a business trip, they weren’t with me to turn their noses up, so hah.  I got my onions.

The onions are mashed up into the burger meat while the meat cooks on the grill - you can get a burger without them if you ask.

Sides are extra, so let the waitress/waiter know if you want fries, for example.

Just to give myself a complete arterial-clogging experience, I ordered a Dr Pepper float to go with it all.

They don’t take credit or debit cards, but there’s an ATM across the street.

Get your kicks, and your onion breath….

I simply want to get back and forth and have a decent night’s sleep and shower while I’m there. My best experiences are usually OFF the aircraft and OUTSIDE of the hotel.

So, while living in Europe, my family and I did fly the notoriously cheap Ryanair a few times, because how else could I get from the Netherlands to Pisa, Italy and back for a family of four for about US$150?

The wise traveler must know what he/she is getting into with cheapo airlines, however, which is why I think this video spoof of discount airlines is so funny. They pack in almost every problem you’ll run into - surprise extra fees, ground tours that may suck, fees for luggage (especially checked luggage) and of course satellite airports that are MILES from their namesake.

In Europe, Frankfurt/Hahn Airport is quite far from Frankfurt, and as we found in Norway, Oslo/Torp Airport is not very close to the city of Oslo - especially when your kid has to use the bathroom and the bus toilet is frozen because it’s March. Bummer.

The Pisa airport, I will note, is right in the city of Pisa, and it’s an easy train ride to Florence from there, so that one worked very well.

So, grab those fares if you just want to get back and forth, but caveat emptor (buyer beware) when you do so - this video is uncomfortably close to the truth.

(Thanks to Shashank Nigam for sharing this in his SimpliFlying blog post: Five and a half secrets for airlines to drive revenue from social media.  He spoke at a conference and his blog post contained his presentation deck on SlideShare, then he shared it with us in the “Travel 2.0″ LinkedIn Group.)

For my RSS readers and anyone who can’t see the video box, here’s the link to the “Those Sneaky Low-Cost Airlines” video on YouTube.

I did have time to run down to Seattle’s Pike Place Market with good friend, fellow travel blogger and ukulele maestro Pam Mandel.  For all the parents out there who run their lives in an overly-caffienated manner, I offer you this photo of my pretty mid-afternoon latte from Le Panier down near the Market.

Parenting coffee moment  –  once when my daughter was maybe two, she asked for an iced mocha at Starbucks and we got her a small decaf version.

You should have SEEN the “Bad Mommy!” looks we got from passersby, and I was thinking, “Do we look so stupid that we’d give an already jacked-up, hyper toddler any more stimulation?!”

At the Yorktown Victory Center in Virginia, there are all sorts of kid-friendly demonstrations like this one on Colonial-era doctoring, and as a bonus, this coming weekend is a special two-day Yorktown Victory Weekend to commemorate the American Revolution’s Battle of Yorktown.

There will be encampments with reenactors, demonstrations and interpretive tours - you can take one of my favorite fall scenic drives, the Colonial Parkway, to get there.

Just keep that scalpel and those tooth-pullers away from me, okay?

The Family Travel Guide is the host blog for this Carnival, but it’s been wandering about since July being hosted (every other week) by the Perceptive Travel Blog, the Talking Trekaroo, Sheila’s Guide to the Good Stuff, Emm in London, Wandering Educators and the Happy Hotelier. Thanks so much to all of those generous hosts!

The next edition will be over on The Vacation Gals site on October 21 - if you’d like to bring the Carnival to your blog, please email me at sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com.

Cities in the Americas

Ketchikan, Alaska, USA Nancy Brown presents Best Things to See and Do in Ketchikan, Alaska posted at What a Trip, saying, “From crabbing on the Tongass Narrows to the best place to get your picture taken, travel writer Nancy D. Brown gives you her insider tips on Ketchikan, Alaska. What a Trip!”

Washington, DC, USA Elizabeth Hargrave presents Ten Great Places to Hike Around DC by Public Transportation (and counting) posted at The Natural Capital.

Half Moon Bay, California, USA One Family presents Pumpkin Festival in Half Moon Bay – A Trip Report posted at One Family’s Blog, saying, “Our experience and opinion of the Pumpkin Festival that happens every October in Half Moon Bay, CA.”

St. Paul, Minnesota, USA Beth Blair presents Twin Cities Free Attraction: Como Park Zoo and Conservatory posted at The Vacation Gals, saying, “This travel-writing mom gives props to a FREE attraction in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

Denver, Colorado, USA Lance Myers presents Randolph’s Restaurant and Bar, a review posted at Examiner.

Poughkeepsie, New York, USA John presents Old Railroad Bridge Becoming a Trail Across the Hudson posted at A DC Birding Blog, saying, “I thought some readers might be interested in this.”

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA Andi presents Charlotte airport rocks! posted at Misadventures with Andi.

Winnipeg, Canada Twyla Motkaluk presents Will The Pre-Accused Please Rise posted at bitchabout, saying, “This blog is about The City Of Winnipeg. In it, I comment on the things I see all around me.”

Chicago, Illinois, USA Dominique King presents Tour Chicago history by boat with the Chicago Architecture Foundation posted at Midwest Guest, saying, “Knowledgeable docents offer an interesting, authoritative look at Chicago architecture and city history on Chicago Architectural Foundation’s boat tour.”

Washington, DC, USA Jon presents Dadaist Man Ray’s Photos in Washington, DC posted at PlanetEye Traveler saying, “A new exhibit at The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC showcases over 100 photographs of mostly African themed images from revolutionary American artist Man Ray who is known as leading the Dada and Surrealist art movements.”

Cities in Asia

Choushi, Japan Tony Alexander presents Chiba Prefecture: Choushi 銚子posted at The Soul of Japan, saying, “This post is a three part series of a journey through northern Chiba!”

Stone Town, Zanzibar Kim presents Zanzibar - The Spice Island posted at Measure of All Things.

Bangalore, India AdmirableIndia.com presents Madiwala lake or BTM lake Bangalore: Part 1 Karnataka posted at AdmirableIndia.com.

Cities in Europe

Paris, France Shelly Rivoli presents Ask Shelly: Tips for juggling toddler naps while visiting Paris? posted at Travels with Baby Tips, saying, “Tips to help get the most out of your Paris stay with jetlagged toddlers in tow.”

Edinburgh, Scotland Keith Kellett presents Edinburgh Bus Ride posted at Travelrat’s Travels.

Falun, Sweden Jack Norell presents The Mining Museum in Falun posted at Eyeflare - Travel Articles and Tips, saying, “This intriguing Mining Museum, like Falu Koppargruva (Falun Copper Mine), is awarded two stars in the Guide Michelin. The collection of portraits of important people connected to the mine began in the seventeenth century.”

Rome, Italy Liz Wright presents Mangia Bene: Recommended Restaurants in Rome posted at Travelogged.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands mizdi presents Amsterdam Bicycles posted at Chat is not for Dummies.

Bristol, England Heatheronhertravels presents A walk around the harbourside in Bristol - Video posted at Heather on her travels, saying, “Heather presents a video post in which she invites you for a walk round Bristol’s harbourside area, sharing a local’s insight on the best things to do, see and eat.”

Stirling, Scotland Shannon ODonnell presents a little movie history…they can’t take our FREEDOM! posted at a little adrift: a rtw travelogue, saying, “Stirling, Scotland - cool history and a neat castle and definitely worth a day trip!”

Paris, France Robin Locker presents Travel Tip Tuesday: Best of Paris posted at My Mélange.

London, England Victoria Wallop presents Brick Lane posted at It’s a small world after all, saying, “This post is about one of London’s most diverse streets, Brick Lane, a centre for immigration since the 17th Century.”

Rome, Italy Stephanie presents 8 Free Things to Do in Rome posted at Twenty-Something Travel.

Edinburgh, Scotland Martha presents Cashmere Scarf Shopping in Edinburgh posted at Wanderlust Journey.

Berlin, Germany Theodore Pappas presents Berlin, a City on the Move posted at Britannica Blog, saying, “From Britannica’s stellar stable of travel writers, here’s a wonderful post by Lisa Lubin, with outstanding photos, on Berlin.”

That concludes this edition, and thanks for visiting.  If you like what you’re reading, we’d love comments either here or on any of the blog posts listed above. Remember that linking to good posts is how the Web highlights quality information, so feel free to do that as well.

Please submit your (one, non-spammy blog post about any aspect of ONE, single city, or fair-sized town) 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.

I have rather strong opinions about bloggers who get freebies, including free travel, and then don’t disclose to their readers when content is based on those nice opportunities.

For myself, I think there are rules about that sort of thing, so I’ve posted my thoughts in a new permanent Page: the Blog Disclosure Policy for the Family Travel Guide.

You can see the link in the upper right corner of the blog Home page, under Family & Travel Resources.

In sum, I say that if I get free stuff to write about, you’ll know it because I’ll disclose it.

I prefer to pay for my own stuff, though, so I can be truly mouthy about it.  But you kind of expected that from me, right?

For more detailed thoughts on the new FTC rules, you may wish to bounce over to one of my other blogs and read: What do new FTC blogging rules mean for press trips and fam tours?

Keeping it real, so you know what you’re getting….

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,  South Dakota,  South Carolina,  Rhode Island,  Pennsylvania,  Oregon, Oklahoma,  Ohio, North Dakota,  North Carolina and now we’re moving on to….New York!

Their state tourism organization is on Twitter at @I_LOVE_NY (New York City is @nycgo.) I found a New York economic development page on Facebook, but not an official state-sponsored one for travel/tourism (there are bunch of unofficial ones.) No blogs, nothing on Flickr, YouTube, etc. Frankly, I was surprised by this in such a hugely popular travel destination, but the person tweeting for New York is trying really hard, so it’s a start.

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

Twitter Travel Tips for New York

***  From the Kelly Rabideau in New York State’s tourism office (she’s currently my fave @I_LOVE_NY tweeter)  –  We came up with a few hidden gems across the State and have listed them below.  If you were looking for just one…we would have to go with The Strong National Museum of Play [in Rochester.]  It is 100% kid/family friendly….100% fun…and considered a gem to all of New York State.

Others:   Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead, the [world famous] Bronx Zoo,  Howe Caverns in Howes Cave and The Wild Center in Tupper Lake.  More travel ideas just for you right from the heart of New York State on our Web site’s Family Fun page.

***  From @decillis on Twitter  –  Uncle Sam’s Boat Tours in the 1000 Islands. Can’t go there w/o seeing Boldt Castle!

***  From Janet DeVito via @girlsgetaways on Twitter  –  Madame Tussauds (the wax museum - my kids always loved that; they get a kick out of taking photos)  How about a cruise sailing out of NYC - that is a great family trip!

***  From Anna Fader via @mommypoppins on Twitter  –  Family travel tip for NYC:  The Sony Wonder Technology Lab. Just re-opened with extremely cool exhibits, and it’s free!

***  From the Rochester NY tourism folks via @VisitRochester on Twitter  –  The Strong National Museum of Play just acquired Videotopia; now adults & kids can enjoy exploring play. With corn mazes, new exhibits at family museums, zoos & parks, fall is especially family-friendly in Rochester.  For more see this list of ideas.

***  From Sally Berry via @sallykberry on Twitter  –  I was at Videotopia at Strong Museum w/my college age kids last weekend - they LOVED it!

***  From Marci Diehl (and here’s her golf blog) via @writerdiehl on Twitter  –  My 4yr old grandson loves the Seneca Park Zoo’s play “medical center” in Rochester NY.  The Erie Canal Discovery Center in Lockport NY has one of the best interactive programs for all ages +VERY kid-friendly. For the best family-friendly + educational activities/ places in New York State visit the Erie Canal area.

***  From Peggy Coonley via @PeggyCoonley on Twitter  –  Cooperstown NY is diverse and interesting for families:  http://www.thisiscooperstown.com/attractions.cfm.

***  From Meg Colombo via @FingerLakes_Meg and @VisitFingerLake on Twitter  –  NY family Friendly deals in the Finger Lakes - some search results.  My family loves to hit the Fall Foliage chair rides at Bristol Mountain [ski resort] on Twitter @Bristolmt.

Facebook Travel Tips for New York

(Unlike most other states so far in the series, for this New York post I got more responses from Facebook than from Twitter….)

***  From Dick Wilbur on Facebook —  Cooperstown is pretty much up there. Also Fort Ticonderoga, the Utica Zoo and, of course, Niagara Falls.  Oh yeah, Howe Caverns. The West End Brewery in Utica (pronounced Uticer, please) was a huge treat 30 years ago. Clinton’s Ditch (Erie Canal, named after Gov Dewitt Clinton), don’t forget most of the towns along the Finger Lakes, apples - heck the Clinton Cider Mill in Clinton, NY, all the great small colleges, the Thousand Islands. You could do a fat travel book on Upstate, hard part is to narrow it down to the best of.

You know, there are some off the beaten path places up along Lake Ontario, near Oswego. Also, Boonville, NY used to do this fun woodsman’s days competition. Also, if you go eat at Boonville and hook up with route 28, it goes from Alder Creek to Otter Lake to Minnehaha to Old Forge all the way up to Raquette Lake and beyond. Old Forge is the home of North Pole, NY, a hokey family park. And there is this fun railroad shtick on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad.

***  From Shawn Zehnder Lea on Facebook  –  Nintendo World, New York City  http://www.nintendoworldstore.com

***  From Shelly Rivoli on Facebook  –  We can never get enough of the Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Central Park–climbing on it, that is. Always lots of other tots there and great photo ops. ;-) Oh, oh! Riding Metro North up the Hudson while the leaves are changing! (Okay, I’ll stop now.)

***  From Chris Paddock on Facebook  –  I am from Upstate NY (Finger Lakes - best kept secret in US!). Finger Lakes wineries, Cornell, Eastman House, Harriet Tubman House, Seward House, McKenzie Childs, Saratoga (”Well I hear you went up to Saratoga and your horse naturally won” - Carly Simon), Lake Champlain, two Great Lakes (Erie and Ontario), first electric chair, Erie Canal history, canal locks….

Beaver Lake Nature Center (Baldwinsville), Elbridge NY (named after Elbridge Gerry ["gerrymandering"], Syracuse basketball, lacrosse hotbed, salted potatoes, Genessee Beer, University of Rochester, Millard Fillmore boyhood home, boating, skiing, Adirondacks (THE largest park in continental US bar none - 1/6 of NY acreage!) and small towns all over the place (>80% of NY population lives within 2 hours of NYC so that leaves not a lot of people for the rest of the state.)

***  From Beth Walker Schrader on Facebook  –  Two places that would be great fun for families: Old MacDonald’s Farm outside Sackets Harbor and Fly Creek Cider Mill outside Cooperstown. I just returned from upstate NY - here’s an Autumn Lake post.

***  From Jinny VanDeusen on Facebook  –  Some of our faves in Ithaca: Museum of the Earth, Sciencenter, Cayuga Nature Center, Ithaca Farmer’s Market, Ithaca Festival, Glenwood Pines restaurant, Taughannock Falls state park, suspension bridge on Cornell campus.

***  From Antonia Malchik on Facebook  –  I second those Ithaca recommendations. Also: Woodstock is a great town for arts, music, food, and hiking. New Paltz for food and hiking and rock climbing (Outside mag rated it one of 10 best places to live in the US). Hiking in amazing, gorgeous Minnewaska State Park near New Paltz. Come to my town of Washingtonville for access to Storm King Sculpture Park (part of the arts school), Brotherhood Winery (America’s oldest winery), Trotters horse-racing track & museum in Goshen, West Point academy, and shopping at country’s largest outlet mall Woodbury Commons.

Also great old hotels Mohonk Mountain House (near New Paltz) w/ 80 miles of hiking trails, and The Sagamore up on beautiful Lake George. Saratoga Springs, a beautiful town famous for its mineral healing waters and horse racing season. Cooperstown, home of baseball and beer-brewing (for those after-kid hours). These are all on west side of Hudson River.

On east side of Hudson, Beacon is a lovely little arts town, lots of galleries, most famous being Dia:Beacon, a world-class contemporary art gallery (Beacon’s on the Hudson train line mentioned by Shelly). Further north near Poughkeepsie there’s Hyde Park and Val-Kill, Frainklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s respective estates, and the huge FDR museum. Hyde Park is next to the Culinary Institute of America, great for lunch. AND this weekend will see the opening of the Hudson pedestrian bridge in Poughkeepsie. An old railway bridge with a priceless view up and down the Hudson River & Valley, it was just rebuilt this last year. 6000 people will be volunteering at the opening! It’s part of a Greenway pedestrian and biking path project starting down in Manhattan.

***  From Anna Fader on Facebook  –  My best tip for families traveling to NYC would be to check out the family programs offered by many museums. They’re usually free, taught by museum educators and are a great way to experience the world-class museums of NYC. I have a list of some of the best family museum programs here: http://mommypoppins.com/ny-kids/indoor-play-and-rainy-day-activity-guide.

***  From Marilyn McCray on Facebook  –  I lived upstate for many years and I agree about the Finger Lakes. I worked at Eastman House. Lots of great cameras and photo things to see there. The Strong Museum in Rochester has a huge doll and toy collection among many other things. http://www.museumofplay.org

***  From Lucy Baker on Facebook  –  Howe Caverns!  http://www.howecaverns.com A cave so big you can ride a boat through it.

Thanks so much for the contributions!

The Family Travel Logue New York-related posts are here (mostly New York City) and the BootsnAll Travel Network has a New York Travel Guide and the New York Logue.

The next state in the series is New Mexico.

Send your New Mexico highlights to @SheilaS on Twitter or write them on my Facebook Wall (please 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 New York suggestions in the comments below, if we’ve missed anything. Thanks!

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,  South Dakota,  South Carolina,  Rhode Island,  Pennsylvania,  Oregon, Oklahoma,  Ohio, North Dakota and now we’re moving on to….North Carolina!

Their state tourism organization is on Twitter at @VisitNC, plus there’s a Visit North Carolina blog, a North Carolina Flickr Group for photo-sharing, a Visit North Carolina YouTube channel and here’s the NC Tourism Facebook page.

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

Twitter Travel Tips for North Carolina

***  From the Wilkes County tourism office via @WilkesNCtourism on Twitter  –  [Wilkes] Heritage Museum is a great activity for families. Also 45+ miles of mountain biking trails, 8 sites on NC Birding Trail. Whippoorwill Village - collection of restored log cabins, 1-room schoolhouse, Chapel of Peace (here’s a TwitPic photo: http://twitpic.com/2e0yj)

***  From Barbra Rodichok via @NOCBarbra on Twitter  –  Don’t forget whitewater rafting as part of your visit to the coolest mountain town, Asheville NC!  [More from the Nantahala Outdoor Center - http://www.noc.com/index.php/french-broad.html]

***  From Shannon Lane via @Cajun_Mama on Twitter  –  My family loved gem searching in Cherokee. Found a 3 karat emerald!

***  From Maria Reed via @Maria_Reed on Twitter  –  Great family beach vacations in the Outer Banks! Jockey’s Ridge and Nag’s Head Fishing Pier.

***  From Sheila Beal [an NC native] via @GoVisitHawaii on Twitter  –  Family-friendly NC events? North Carolina State Fair is held in Raleigh each October for 10 days. Great family fun!

Facebook Travel Tips for North Carolina

***  From Irma Briggs Polster on Facebook —  My parents live in Winston-Salem. Old Salem is an interesting historic site as well as Historic Bethabara. We had a great time a few summers ago at Lake Lure - lots to do in that area that is family-friendly, but it’s a little pricey and touristy.

We have been on several rafting and canoing trips with Edge of the World Outfitters in Banner Elk. Great family-owned business and they run good, safe trips. Tweetsie Railroad was fun when the kids were little.

***  From Jennifer Douma Close on Facebook  –  Whiteside Mountain was our favorite family friendly hike - about a 2 mile hike that is perfect for even the little ones - I wrote about it here.  We loved exploring the Biltmore grounds with the kids.

Thanks so much for the contributions!

I have a Family Travel post on taking a Blue Ridge Parkway road trip, which I wrote while researching a NASCAR story in the state and also visiting some kid-friendly places around Charlotte NC.

The BootsnAll Travel Network has these stories tagged North Carolina.

The next state in the series is New York.

Send your New York highlights (with a chunk of them outside the ever-fab-but-already-well-known-New York City, please!) to @SheilaS on Twitter or write them on my Facebook Wall (please 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 North Carolina suggestions in the comments below, if we’ve missed anything. Thanks!

The visitor’s Web sites that belong to the destination where you’re going.

For example, this fall I’m going to be attending the Association for Women in Communications (AWC) conference in Seattle WA, and speaking at the Oklahoma Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Tulsa OK.

Here’s where I’ll be looking around….

***  The Visit Seattle Web site has links to various deals and a lodging booking engine running down the right side of its Visitor Center Page, plus you can follow @SeattleMaven on Twitter for up-to-date local info.

***  The Visit Tulsa Web site has local accomodation deals all on one page, and a free discount coupon book for local attractions that I can order ahead of time  –  it would be nice if it was also available online, though, like the one from Hutchinson, Kansas or these deals from Fort Worth, Texas. Don’t forget @VisitTulsa on Twitter, either.

Be persistent; some tourism Web sites inexplicably bury the links/info for discounts.   Look hard for family packages that combine lodging and tickets to an attraction - SeaWorld San Antonio has these all the time.

Headlines may not be accurate, either - the Travel Iowa Web site has a link for “summer deals” but when I skimmed through it, I could see many offerings that are good all the way through September.

More examples - the Legendary North Dakota site has a bunch of ND vacation packages and the Orlando, Florida visitor’s site is packed with bargains. The city of San Francisco has this family package that includes a bunch of goodies like cable car passes, plus here’s the whole list of “City by the Bay” packages with many tied to their big King Tut exhibit this fall through spring 2010.

(Hint - if there’s a blockbuster museum exhibit in a city, you can often find package deals on city tourism/CVB (Convention and Visitor’s Bureau) Web sites that include lodging and tickets to the exhibit.)

If a site hasn’t been updated and still has “summer deals” up, poke around or even make a phone call, because there are certainly “fall deals” going on right now.

Yes, this all applies outside the US as well - Paris passes and bookings, anyone?

Do you have a tourism/visitor’s Web site favorite that consistently offers good deals on the site?  Please share with us in the comments.