Category: BAFS

The wife joins this week as the kid asks us questions about the movie. (Mostly we could answer them. But, no, no one really knows why that dinosaur was on the roof…)

This episode gave us some great insight. Even as we plan big experiences around vacations, the small things have a big impact as well. The kids still talk about the playing games one night at dinner, or the simplicity of an awesome waterfall. 

Naturally, with all the other items on our vacation (like Zip Lining and Pinball) we figured we could add a trip to the Biltmore Estate without anyone trying to destroy priceless artwork. We were wrong. 

This year Adventure Island opened a new ride: Vanish Point. The gimmick is that you stand on a trap door that opens up on you – plunging you feet first onto the slide.

For the uninitiated, The Blue Man Group is part rock concert, part performance art, part street theater, part mime show. Three actors in drab, dark clothing and blue latex play drums and make jokes… without saying a thing. I swear—it’s better than that description!

My kids are at an odd age (or, odd ages) for movies. My 11 year old wants to see every PG-13 thing that opens. My 6 year old just wants to do whatever the 11 year old can do.

Last week I mentioned how we took the kids on a surprise trip to Universal Studios. On day one we hit the original park. But day two… we had to push through to Islands of Adventure!

One thing that has always fascinated me about EPCOT is the snack food in the country pavilions. It’s like a cross between ‘Fear Factor’ and ‘Treasure Hunt’ when you buy them. 

We set off on a family vacation with our clipboard of fun already filed out. We like to keep time open for random side adventures, however. We found random and stumbled into a great side outing: The Asheville Pinball Museum. 

One thing we  we all agree on is: TACOS RULE. We all love tacos. Really, who doesn’t? They are close to the perfect food. However, since we can’t be content without fighting… we decided to find the best Taco in Tampa. The result was the Great Tampa Taco Throwdown. 

I had never show my 11 year old. I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment. Well, a few sick days from school (Darth Vader came down from the planet Vulcan and melted his brain) gave me the opportunity. He ended up being out for three days, so naturally I showed him all three. Might as well give him the full experience.

I immediately flashed back to this experience: taking them on their first trip to Maggianos. The biggest takeaway for them wasn’t the food or ambiance, however. No. The thing that impressed them the most? The revolving door outside.

The interesting thing about the Magic Kingdom is the age gap that most enjoys it. Little kids love it. Adults love it. Tweens and teens?

As I continue my kids’ cinematic education, I’m prompted with a difficult decision. Do I show them the bad movies in a series? Of course I’m going to show them ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ But, should I show them ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’?

I was skeptical showing “Raiders” to my older son. Would he like it? Would he find it cheesy? Would he think it moves too slow? Film pacing has changed a lot in 30+ years – would he appreciate this classic as he should? 

In this episode, I took the kids to their first WWE Live event. The awesome thing about it was that I realized it was about 31 years (almost to the day) from when my dad took me to my first WWF (at the time) event.

The Bodaciously Awesome Family Show is all about giving kids great experiences while letting them reap the fun. This episode explains what we are about.