We’re nestled right in the heart of the South and we have some pretty amazing vacation destinations all around us. We’re a short drive from the white sandy beach of the gulf, or the music and fun in Nashville; or we could head in another direction and be immersed in the culture of New Orleans. With so many close places around us, I think it’s easy to take for granted what is right in our own backyard: Birmingham. Over the years, it has seen some amazing revitalization and boasts of some amazing food and culture with plenty of fun for the kids. It’s no secret that we love a great vacation, and we rarely leave our kids behind. Family vacations are an art we have mastered, so of course we couldn’t say no to a staycation for the weekend. But, let’s be honest, hotel stays can get cramped and eating out several times a day can get expensive. That’s where Embassy Suites by Hilton™ is different from other hotels. Upon arrival to the Embassy Suites by Hilton™ Birmingham, we noticed that we weren’t going to be confined to one room and two beds for the weekend. The rooms were so spacious, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living area and plenty of room to spread out.
Speaking of arrival, do you see what greeted us when we walked through the door? We were immersed in this beautiful atrium, there was nothing boring or stuffy about this hotel.
Let’s just talk about eating for a moment. When you stay at an Embassy Suites hotel you get complimentary breakfast. Not your ordinary free hotel breakfast. No. We’re talking made-to-order breakfast selection. Omelets stuffed with all the good stuff like spinach and bacon and cheddar cheese (and really, anything you desire), pancakes, breakfast potatoes, eggs, and all the breakfast meats. There were plenty of pastries and cereals to choose from as well, but we were all smitten with the hot and fresh options. Embassy Suites offers a two-hour happy hour every evening with snacks and drinks by the pool. There’s a full bar in addition to kid-friendly options like s’mores, fruity drinks, and plenty of other snack options. Please believe I ate my fair share of chips and salsa and tons of guacamole. There’s also an amazing Ruth’s Chris steakhouse in the hotel; they make an amazing bread pudding, if you’re looking for a late night snack after the kids go to bed.
Oh, and that pool?
Well, we had to drag the kids out of the pool in the evenings to get to bed and we couldn’t walk past it on our way to adventure around the city. The set-up made it kid-friendly, which directly translates to adult-friendly, because I was able to grab a book and sit by the pool for a little while.
When we ventured out we went over to the McWane Center for a little fun, we are huge fans of science centers and try to visit new ones in each city we visit. The McWane Center is one of the best, especially with the new and improved, Itty Bitty Magic City.
A huge floor of things just for a curious little mind. They can work at a grocery store or run a bakery, fix a car or milk a cow. They can try out their hand as a car mechanic or use their imagination to build. There’s also a couple of floors for bigger kids and an escalator converted to a slide!
But, can we talk about my favorite part? Do you remember these Light Brite toys from when you were a kid? They have a huge version and we definitely stayed at this part for an extended period of time! 
Afterwards, we grabbed a bite to eat at Hattie B’s. It’s new to Birmingham, but we’ve had their amazing Nashville hot chicken while in Nashville earlier this year. We were hooked, and when we heard it was coming to our city, it was an exciting day. The lines can get really long at lunchtime, but we waited until after the lunch crowd had hit to grab our chicken
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It’s a hit for both the kids and adults!
However, the kids would have been happy to hang out at the hotel all day long. From the time we arrived, until we checked out, there was no doubt, Embassy Suites by HiltonTM is committed to providing family with a great experience and making it as easy as possible on parents with young children. I love their Travel Hacks program with so many amazing ideas for parents to make family travel easier. Do you want to know one of my favorite travel hacks? Pack your kids clothes in individual zip-top bags for each day. From there, the kids can grab a bag for the day >and get ready! Tell me, what’s your favorite travel hack and you could win a $100 Visa Gift Card!
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Use frozen bottles of water to keep things cold … and eventually you can drink them too!
https://twitter.com/willgriesmer/status/753345926824091648
How fun. Never realized all of the stuff they have to offer. Love the ziplock idea.
Store liquids in ziploc bags within your toiletry bags to avoid messes
Make a master list… use ziplocs for kids clothes per day, and just realize you will probably forget something. Jennifer lynch
I like to use Groupon/Living Social to find fun activities for a discounted price in the city I’m visiting.
https://twitter.com/RachelGriesmer/status/753406076394020864
I like to pack our clothes in two bags – just in case one bag gets lost on the plane or if we are just running into a hotel for a night on a big road trip! That makes travel so much easier! We love Hiltons and would love to try out this one soon.
We make sure to pack lots of snacks for the car trip, instead of buying at convenience stores! (leslieflambert at gmail dot com)
i would pack everything on ziplock bags if I could…keeps things organized and clean. Plus then you can pack dirty things in them on the way home!
I love the ziplock idea. I’ve done basically the same trick, but using Walmart bags while traveling with 6 kids.
Thanks for the giveaway!!
I like bringing along nonperishable packaged foods on trips to save time & money for meals.
Also backpacks for kids to carry their own water bottles & swim gear.
Lists are key — and packing the list so you don’t forget anything on the way home, either.
Bring a pool noodle to put under the bedsheet and you have a DIY bed rail.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/753628710947983360
My favorite travel hack is to roll clothes and stuff socks and underwear inside shoes.
Buy things like diapers and baby food when you arrive at your destination, rather than waste valuable packing space!
tweet-https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/753639674778791937
My traveling hacks: my son has to have milk asap in the morning, instead of bringing his own cup down to breakfast at the hotel I now get a coffee cup, lid for coffee cup and a stirrer stick and make my own, one less thing to wash. I’ve also started packing less and either wearing something twice on vacation or using a washing machine and dryer wherever we are. We got my 3 1/2 yr old son a kindle fire last year before a driving trip to Colorado and that has been extremely helpful. I also stuff socks and underwear in to shoes to save room.
My hack is to bring snacks and drinks
tweet https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/753656430842884098
We always bring snacks and drinks and sometimes even breakfast items (cereal, pop tarts, oatmeal, etc) to save some money then I can splurge at dinner! Ha! Also both of my kids bring a backpack filled with their toys so they have something to do when we come back to the room.
I like to pack a school bag for each of my kids to carry with their drinks and snacks for the day. They can also store small purchases in the bag.
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydpa/status/753669133879742464
Save your lists of what you are taking on your trip to use for the next trip.
When going on long road trips with kids, we use a plastic cereal dispenser to store trash. That way the car does not accumulate trash!
tweet https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/753692246441127936
My favorite hack and used it recently for my own getaway is to use frozen water bottles to help keep items cold.
https://mobile.twitter.com/arress83/status/753763602503462912
I like to fill a binder with printables, games, and other fun things for kids to do on the road or plane.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
tweet-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/753791852109672448
We like to pack two bags – one with only necessities and a change of clothes, especially if we are staying half way to destination. Makes it so much easier than unpacking huge suitcase for one night!
It’s worth the time to make a very detailed list (include items for beach, cold weather destinations, etc) and then when you are ready to pack, you can easily just cross off the things you don’t need for that particular trip.
We rent a Redbox movie that the kids haven’t seen for car trips. Just return at a Walgreens or CVS in your destination when you arrive. It helps the time go by!
For trips with just us we rent an audio book and that really keeps our interest for several hours.
We always make sure to pack lots of snacks and drinks for the kiddos. When there is a meltdown, snacks always seem to help!
My favorite travel hack is driving at night when possible. Not only is it faster with less traffic, but the kids get to sleep. They will be ready to go for whatever adventure you take them to!
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/FireRunner2379/status/757310564662177792.
If you are going on a long trip with the whole family and there are multiple suitcases, don’t pack a suitcase per person. Instead pack the whole family’s clothes by days. That way each person has their outfits distributed between suitcases in case suitcases get lost in transit.
keeping a travel checklist is our travel hack
https://twitter.com/linjumimom/status/759835541189828608
We love to keep our car trips interesting with karaoke, games, and prizes!
we always make sure to bring lots of baggies to store things
we plan stops along the way to tire the kids out 🙂
My travel hack is to always be prepared and pack essentials, like water, snacks, blanket, etc/
Thanks for the chance to win this!
I tweeted:
https://twitter.com/allisonrswain/status/774715997370679297
My travel hacks are to have a master packing list so that I don’t forget anything, as well as packing a trash bag for dirty laundry so we can keep the dirty clothes separate from the clean!
Andysavi.Mom@gmail.com
I bring along some books, small toys and items that will keep my kids occupied. Usually I throw in a couple of new items for each of them, so they’ll be really interested in playing and keeping occupied.
Thanks so much.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/787426304970850304
Thanks again.