Visit Kailua-Kona: KBXtreme

We spent some time at the KBXtreme arcade before lunch.

It's a decent sized arcade with video games and other skills games.  

You simply buy a card that you tap on a reader at the various games in order to play, and any tickets won can be redeemed for prizes!

It's fun for kids of all ages!

KBXtreme
75-5591 Palani Rd

Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

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Visit Utah: Tempus Escape Games

My kids wanted to do an escape game while in Utah, so after researching, we decided to try out the Tempus Escape Games in Provo.  

The game is set up in a shipping container, so from the outside it doesn't look like much, but once you step inside, it's like an entirely new world.

We were the first game of the day so the owner was just finishing setting up the room, but everything is pretty much done remotely.

After you book your reservation online, you get texted a link to a video to watch before you begin.  You also get texted a code for you to enter the game.

And once inside, the game begins.

Phones are allowed in, but they really are of not much use, because there is nothing you can Google to help you with clues.

I have played escape games before, and I thought I was pretty good at them, but this one had me stumped, and it was my kids and husband that did most of the work.  

The puzzles and clues were unlike those I've seen in other escape rooms, so perhaps that's what stumped me, but with teamwork we were able to get through the game.  Some of the clues were pretty easy and obvious, while others were involved and complicated.

We did get some help of the game moderators as well, and after solving puzzles, finding clues, and completing tasks, we were able to get out with less than 3 minutes to spare.

I thought the theme of the game was very unique and I liked the whole concept - it was a great mix of critical thinking, observation, analytics, and even physical tasks.

Tempus Escape Games was a lot of fun for the entire family!

Tempus Escape Game
1555 N Freedom Blvd

Provo, UT 84604

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Visit San Francisco: Museum of Ice Cream

Lauren screams for boba. 



The Museum of Ice Cream is like no other museum and actually is not an official museum, but a place where creativity and celebration collide while you have some delicious ice cream.  I had seen pictures of the museum, but I really had no idea of the concept and was pretty skeptical.  But after going through the self-guided experience and seeing how much my daughter loved it, it was great and I can totally recommend it.  The best part was that the ice cream is really good!

You need to arrive 15 minutes before your ticketed timeslot and they will let you in one group at a time.  After you declare your ice cream name (mine was Aloha Mint) you have your choice of entering down the stairs or via slide.  Take the slide!  It’s in this room where you will receive your first ice cream treat. We had a strawberry ice cream chocolate chip cookie sandwich which was super yummy.  The museum is a forward moving experience meaning once you leave a room, you can’t go back.  But you can feel free to spend as long as you want in the room and enjoy the fun activities it has to offer.  The second room took us to a diner themed experience with a working juke box where we had sips of pink hot chocolate perfectly themed for Pinkmas!  

After a few more rooms and ice cream treats, you will end up at the SPRINKLE POOL complete with slide and filled with sprinkles made from antimicrobial material and Instagrammers taking boomerangs, myself included.  My daughter loved it!  We spent the most time in here and she wasn’t even close to being done until I threw out the word “gift shop” to get her out.  Which totally worked.  The gift shop is actually the Museum of Ice Cream café where they sell their own branded ice cream and milkshakes.  You can also get your coffee fix here and you don’t need a ticket to enter.  The Museum of Ice Cream turned out to be a very fun and happy experience.  I noticed people of all ages and all walks of life having a great time!          

How cute are these circus animal cookies? 

Lauren loved the sprinkle pool! 

So many little sets that were perfect for memory making! 

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Visit New York: Brooklyn Bridge Park

After crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, we decided to spend some time at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Brooklyn Bridge Park is huge, with bike and walking paths, playgrounds, sports fields, grilling stations, splash pads, restaurants, and more.



While in Brooklyn Bridge Park, we stopped for ice cream at Ample Hills Creamery, and visited several playgrounds.

You get gorgeous views of Manhattan, and you can even see the Statue of Liberty!

Brooklyn Bridge Park actually spans over 80 acres, so walking to the different areas and piers can take quite some time (especially in 90-degree heat!), but it's definitely worth a visit, even for a little while!

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Roberts Hawaii Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, Honolulu City Tour

The last time I went to visit the USS Arizona Memorial was almost 20 years ago. Thanks to Roberts Hawaii, I was able to revisit this monument which was built above the USS Arizona - the battleship that was destroyed on December 7, 1941.

Over 1.8 million people visit the USS Arizona Memorial each year, including thousands who go on the Roberts Hawaii Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, Honolulu City Tour.

The tour allows for pick up at one of several hotels, and our pick-up location was at Ala Moana Hotel.

A comfy motor-coach promptly picked us up at 5:45am, and from there we went on to several other hotels in Waikiki to pick up other guests.

Once all the guests were picked up (32 in all for our tour), our friendly and funny guide, Ted, gave us the rundown of what to expect on the tour.

We reached Pearl Harbor just before the gates opened at 7am.  There was already a long line of people, but fortunately it moved very quickly.

Security is tight at Pearl Harbor - you are not allowed to bring in bags, backpacks, luggage, camera bags, etc.  You should stuff your belongings (i.e. wallet, phone, keys) in your pockets.  If you do bring a bag, there is a bag storage on property for a fee (on our bus, guests were allowed to store their belongings in the locked storage beneath the bus).

Ted did a great job in keeping the tour group together and giving them instructions on where to go and what time to meet back at the bus.

Once he gave us our timed tickets for the USS Arizona Memorial Tour, we were free to roam the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center before our tour started.

We visited the Road to War and Attack Exhibit Galleries, which offered insight on the events that lead up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Some of the displays may be a little too intense for young kids, but a walk through these exhibits was very educational.

There are numerous other exhibits and monuments on the grounds of Pearl Harbor that pay tribute to the thousands of people who made the ultimate sacrifice on December 7, 1941.

Our USS Arizona Memorial tour started promptly at 8:15am.

The entire tour lasts 75 minutes, and includes a 23-minute documentary in the theater, a boat ride to the memorial, time at the memorial, and a boat ride back.

The documentary sheds light on the events that led up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and even shows actual footage of that fateful day.

After the documentary, guests board a shuttle to the memorial.

It was a little rainy on the day of the tour, but fortunately not extremely windy as it was two days prior, when visits to the memorial were actually cancelled due to safety reasons (Roberts Hawaii has no control over operations of the boat rides to the memorial).

The actual time at the memorial is about 20 minutes, so use your time wisely.

It's quite a moving experience to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, especially when you step into the shrine to view the Wall of Honor.

You definitely want to take the time to honor the fallen and reflect on the events of that day of infamy.

After the tour we had some time to walk around the property, take more photos, get a snack, and even shop, before meeting Ted and the rest of the group back at the bus.

After Pearl Harbor, we drove through the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, which was built to honor members of the armed forces.

We then drove by other historical and significant sites throughout Honolulu, such as Iolani Palace, Kawaiahao Church, and the Hawaii State Capitol.

Ted was an excellent guide. The 25-year employee was not only personable, but he was a wealth of information. He taught popular Hawaiian words, told stories of Pearl Harbor, identified various points of interest, and explained the symbolism of different monuments. He had a great sense of humor (lots of laughter filled our bus at any given moment), and really made the guests feel like part of the `ohana.

The entire Roberts Hawaii Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, Honolulu City Tour lasted about 6 hours from pick-up to drop-off at the hotel.

I really enjoyed the Roberts Hawaii tour. We had a fantastic guide, and I truly learned a lot about this little island that I call home.

For more information on this or other Roberts Hawaii tours, click here.

Mahalo to Roberts Hawaii for hosting my tour.

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Hilo Day Trip Stop 10: OK Farms

We got treated to samples of longan and rambutan!

Besides stuffing my face with Two Ladies Kitchen mochi and the kalbi fries from Hilo Bay Café, our visit to OK Farms was my favorite thing to do during our Hilo day trip.  OK Farms is located just above downtown Hilo and is home to high-quality tree crops such as coffee, macadamia nuts, cacao, hearts of palm, and a wide variety of citrus, tropical fruits and spices.

We met up with Troy Keolanui, the K of OK Farms, for the farm tour which gave us exclusive access to the farm and waterfalls.  We drove along their spice road where Troy broke off branches of the spice trees for us to smell.  Don't laugh, but this city girl was pretty amazed how wonderful the cinnamon smell was from the inner bark of the tree.  I had never seen any of the spices in their true form so it was very educational for me.

We drove around the 1000-acre-plus farm and stopped to look at their cacao, macadamia nut, lychee, longan, and rambutan crops.  It was very interesting to learn about their farmlands and the highlight for me was trying my first rambutan right off the tree!  The farm also offers amazing views of Rainbow Falls and Ka'imu'kanaka Falls. 

After the fun tour we stopped at their gift shop and sampled their delicious chocolate covered macadamia nuts and picked up some souvenirs for home.  The cost of the tour is $30 per person (children 12 and under are free) and offers a unique experience for the whole family!      

Getting a close up look to rambutan, longan, macadamia nut, cacao, and lychee.

Gorgeous view of Rainbow Falls.

View of Ka'imu'kanaka Falls.

Mahalo to Hawaiian Airlines! Hawaiian Airlines is the world’s most punctual airline as reported by OAG, and is Hawai‘i’s biggest and longest-serving airline. Hawaiian offers non-stop service to Hawai‘i from more U.S. gateway cities (11) than any other airline, along with service from Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides approximately 170 jet flights daily between the Hawaiian Islands, with a total of more than 250 daily flights system-wide. Visit the Hawaiian Airlines website to book your next flight!

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