Edaville USA's Christmas Festival Of Lights. Open Till New Years!

**All opinions expressed are 100% my own.  I was compensated for this post.  I was also given passes to review the park.**

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  Especially at Edaville USA!

We were given the chance to head to Edaville USA and see the Christmas Festival of Lights.  I am such a huge Christmas light fan, that I could not wait to get there!  

As soon as you pull into the parking lot, you can see how much work they put into the festivities!

Everywhere you turn, you see tons of Christmas lights.  Over 17 million to be exact!

Of course we had to hit the rides right away.  You can't bring two kids, and not ride!  I do have to admit, this was the first time we have ever gone to an amusement park in the winter.  It was quite the experience riding in full winter gear!

Next we physically ran to ride Thomas the train.  It was the last one of the evening, and it was packed!

With so many people on the train, the windows steamed up pretty quickly, so my pictures did not do the show justice.  The lights were amazing!

One of the sponsors this year for the festival was Hood.  We were able to sample their delicious variety of eggnog's, and we even got to take some home with us!

Besides the tasty eggnog samples, we were also able to have our picture taken in a giant snow globe. 

After riding some more, we took to exploring!

We found a hidden gem that was a lot of fun.  We were able to make smores!  The kids shared a little!

The last time we were at Edaville USA, there was a small area that was under construction.  We didn't know what it was going to be, but on this visit we were excited!  It was a small Charles Dickens village!  We were able to see carolers, and even the offices of Scrooge and Marley!

  

We had a terrific time visiting the park, and enjoying the pretty lights!  I know you will too!  You can see the full schedule of when the park is open here.

Keep up with all the latest about Edaville by visiting their website, following them on Facebook and Twitter.  

This post is written by Sarah Coulsey. She is a Wife, and Mother of two boys living in New England. This post may contain affiliate links.

Edaville USA Is A Fun Stop For Kids This Summer!! #SummerFun

**All opinions expressed are 100% my own.  I was not compensated for this post.  I was given passes to review the park.**

My babies are not really babies anymore.  Ben Jr is now 10!!  I remember when he was 3, his favorite toys were his Thomas trains.  He had (and still has) them all.  Percy, James, and Ben were our favorites!!  They were always zooming around the living room!!

When we were given the chance to head to Edaville and see the new Thomas Land, I had to take the boys.  I wasn't sure what their reaction would be.  Sometimes things are too "babyish" for them.  

The first thing we noticed when we arrived was the really cool park entrance sign.  Both the kids and I had never been before, so seeing the sign, their interest was peaked!!

When you enter the park, there are really cute buildings lining the right side of the street.  It reminded us a lot of the City Walk in Universal Studios, or Main Street in Magic Kingdom.  At the end of that is one of my all time favorite rides, the Carousel!!

Now you are officially in the park and are greeted by a cute fishing area, and the famous sign!!

On the left as you walk further into the park, there is another cute area with fake buildings that look similar to a movie set.  It reminded us a lot of Hollywood Studios in Disney.  

Directly ahead of you is the Ferris Wheel!!  We ended up riding a couple times!!  It is a lot of fun, and I loved the view!!

After the Ferris Wheel, we made our way to the Dino land Walking Trail!!  This was really cute and full of fun dinos, and hilarious signs!!  There was a really cute back story as to why the dinosaurs were in the park.  

After Dino Land, we made our way to the main attraction for the day, Thomas Land!!

As soon as you walk in, you feel like you are in the cartoon.  Sir Topham Hatt is even there!!  There are many rides to choose from including Sodor’s Cranberry Carousel, Toby's Tilting Tracks, Winston's Skyline Express, and Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster.  You can also visit Tidmouth Sheds and see some friends!!

After riding the bulk of the rides, we saved the best for last.  A ride on Thomas himself!!!  Thomas took us all around the park and the cranberry bogs.

All and all, we had a great time at Edaville, and Thomas Land was a ton of fun!!  They boys have already been begging to go back!!  

Keep up with all the latest about Edaville by visiting their website, following them on Facebook and Twitter.  

Right now they are running a contest on their Facebook page to win free tickets to the park and have your little super hero shown on their website!!

This post is written by Sarah Coulsey. She is a Wife, and Mother of two boys living in New England. This post may contain affiliate links.

Stowe Brewers Festival Opens Next Weekend!!

Stowe Brewers Festival next weekend

The Stowe Brewers Festival is back for the second year next weekend – bigger, better, brewier – adding a third session and featuring more than 40 craft brewers from Vermont and across New York and New England, live music, more than a dozen food trucks, Vermont spirits, cider makers and more. The festival will also feature free workshops and demonstrations and a wide variety of specialty food and product vendors.

“The brewer line-up is fantastic and includes a half a dozen brand new Vermont brewers who’ve started operations this year,” said Lisa Senecal, festival co-organizer. “We’re excited to be pouring some new releases from much-loved brewers and introducing new brewers to true craft beer lovers. It’s a great combination – we’re expecting a sold-out event.”

Held at Stowe’s Mayo Events Field, the 21-and-over event offers three sessions July 29-30: Friday and Saturday, 5:30 – 9:30 p.m. and Saturday11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now: standard tickets are $45 and a limited number of VIP tickets are available for $75 each. Standard ticket purchasers receive tickets for 15 three-ounce samples per session. VIP ticket purchasers also receive expedited festival entry, exclusive VIP lounge tent access, 2016 festival swag and a coveted “Hop the Line” pass. 

New to the festival this year, all attendees will receive five bonus “Spirit Tasting” tickets to use at a selection of Vermont distillers.

The festival includes live music featuring three of the state’s premiere bands - Session 1: Gang of Thieves; Session 2: Michelle Sarah Band; Session 3: Josh Panda.

Luxury motor coach transportation for attendees is also new this year. Roundtrip service from the University Mall in South Burlington, with free parking at the mall, is available for only $20 per person. Those driving to the festival will enjoy free designated driver tickets and free parking on site.

Brittney Hibbs, morning news anchor and host of “What’s On Tap?” for Local 22 and Local 44 News will feature brewers that are coming to the festival on her show the week of the event.

The eco-friendly event will also benefit local non-profit organizations. “Our commitment to ‘doing good while having a good time’ continues in year two,” Senecal said. “The festival will give a portion of proceeds to the not for profit Pride Center of Vermont to contribute to their wonderful and critical work in support of Vermont’s LGBTQ community.

The event is also committed to a light environmental footprint with no plastic bottles, recycling and composting, all eco-friendly paper goods and utensils, a secure bike valet courtesy of Stowe Mountain Club and free, fresh, filtered water provided by What’s Your Watermark.”

Presenting sponsors of the event are McMahon Chevrolet/Buick and Lamoille Valley Ford.

Sponsors include WIZN, Seven Days, Local 44, Local 22, The Buzz, and The Point.

To buy tickets, sign up for emails or get more information, visit www.StoweBrewersFestival.com. Follow the festival on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stowebrewersfestival and on Twitter at @StoweBrewFest.

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CALENDAR LISTING

Stowe Brewers Festival 2016

The second annual Stowe Brewers Festival on July 29 and 30 offers three 4-hour tasting sessions featuring 40+ brewers and cider-makers serving more than 130 beers and ciders, bonus taste tickets from premiere Vermont spirits distillers, more than a dozen food trucks, free workshops and demonstrations, a wide variety of specialty food and product vendors, live music and free on-site parking, unlimited cold, filtered water and secure bicycle valet.

Standard admission is $45 and includes: entry to single 4-hour tasting session; 15 beer/cider tasting tickets for 3 oz. samples; five bonus spirits tasting tickets; and souvenir tasting glass.

VIP admission for $75 also includes expedited festival entry; exclusive VIP lounge tent;

2016 festival swag bag; and the Coveted “Hop the Line” pass.

The live music lineup includes: Session 1: Gang of Thieves; Session 2: Michelle Sarah Band; Session 3: Josh Panda.

Designated drivers are admitted free. Round-trip luxury motor coach transportation is available departing from University Mall in South Burlington for only $20.

Note: This is a 21+ event for drinkers and designated drivers only. No children. No pets. Service animals welcomed.

A portion of proceeds will benefit the not for profit Pride Center of Vermont.

To buy tickets, sign up for emails or get more information, visit www.StoweBrewersFestival.com. Follow the festival on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stowebrewersfestival and on Twitter at @StoweBrewFest.

This post is written by Sarah Coulsey. She is a Wife, and Mother of two boys living in New England. This post may contain affiliate links.

Choice Rewards Program Has Just Gotten A Great Upgrade!!

If you are like myself, and do a lot of traveling, then you know how valuable rewards programs are.  You also know that some are not as good as others!!  

I am very excited to see that Choice Hotels is doing their best to make you feel like they truly value you as a customer.  Take a look at some of their awesome new features to their rewards program!!

The demand for bigger, better, and faster rewards are at an all-time high, even as many loyalty programs – and their perks – are being reduced in scope for members across a number of hospitality categories. Bucking the trend, Choice Hotels has recently announced a series of bold, exciting and completely unique changes to their rewards program, bringing greater and faster value to their over 25 million Choice Privileges members. Some of these new and improved perks include free nights at discounted point levels, instant digital gift cards, and points that never expire!

The program enhancements are being implemented to bring greater and faster value to the over 25 million members of Choice Privileges.  Some of the new benefits include:

• Your Extras. Weekday travelers can earn a special reward — a little something 'extra' — right when they check in. For each qualifying stay that includes at least 1 weekday night (any night Sun. through Thurs.), the member can earn a special reward of their choice. U.S members have 5 options, varying from Fuel Rewards® savings at participating Shell locations to Amazon.com credit. International members have 2 options: 500 bonus points or 100 airline miles from participating airline carriers.
• FlexRewards. Get to a free night faster— Members can redeem points for free nights at discounted point levels at participating hotels, varying by season. There will be up to 2,000 hotels reduced during either the weekdays or weekend at any time.
• Digital Gift Cards. The first hotel company to offer immediate in-app gift card downloads, Choice Privileges members can receive instant gratification with new digital gift cards.
• Keep Your Points. As long as members stay active by completing a qualifying activity at least once every 18 months, they get to keep their points.
• 10 Points per Dollar.  All 5,500 Choice Hotels now earn 10 points per dollar spent – including economy and extended stay hotels, such as MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge and Rodeway Inn.  And, during our award winning promotions, it is now easier than ever to qualify since members no longer need to stay two consecutive nights at economy brands.

"The exciting new changes to our Choice Privileges program mark a major milestone in Choice Hotels' history," said Jamie Russo, VP of Loyalty and Customer Engagement. "While many rewards programs continue to decrease the value of benefits for their guests, we're building a loyalty program that gives more and faster perks to travelers starting right when they join. We have built these new features around guests, and we want them to feel constantly rewarded by the new Choice Privileges wherever their travels take them."

This post is written by Sarah Coulsey. She is a Wife, and Mother of two boys living in New England. This post may contain affiliate links.