Timeshare Information

If you are truly serious about wanting to check out real hauntings for your October timeshare rental vacation, the place you must go is, of course, Salem, Massachusetts. So we end our 4-part series of the most haunted cities in America with a look at this iconic witch-filled, ghost-filled town. Many Massachusetts timeshare rentals, in Boston or even on Cape Cod, will put you no more than an hour's drive of Salem.

Popularly known as the "Haunted Witch City," Salem's tragic history easily puts it on the map as a top "haunted destination," both for tourists and for professional paranormal investigators.

The most haunted spot in Salem is now known as Gallows Hill Park. This is the site where the majority of accused "witches" were hung during the witch hysteria that gripped the town in 1692. The original "hanging tree" is long gone, and the pit where the bodies were dumped has turned into itself with the spot now grown over. But many of the tortured souls who were unjustly killed here are still seen in ghostly apparition roaming across the ground and darting among the trees. On some nights screams and sobbing can be distinctly heard.

Salem has been forced to embrace its tragic past, and today has turned its history of witches into its main industry. Police cars are adorned with witch logos, a local public school is known as the Witchcraft Heights Elementary School, and the Salem High School football team is called The Witches.

Thus, Salem is definitely a hot spot for Halloween celebrations. From October 1 through November 1 you can join the Halloween festival in everything from parades to psychic fairs to tours of haunted houses.

Speaking of tours, you can choose from numerous tour companies for your official tour of haunted Salem, including candlelight walking tours, trolley tours, and even a haunted dinner cruise tour.

Don't miss the fascinating museums of Salem. One of the scariest is the Salem Wax Museum where you'll come face to face with eerily life-like figures representing some of Salem's most infamous citizens, including the merciless Witch Trials judge Colonel John Hawthorne, and Tituba, the accused "witch" who helped fuel the 1692 hysteria.

Salem is also known as a modern-day gathering spot for practitioners of Wicca, who comfortably call themselves witches. The Salem Witch Village is where you will "discover the truth and facts surrounding the subject of Witchcraft." Created in conjunction with modern day witches, this is touted as "the only tour in Salem to actually touch upon the true subject of Witchcraft - its history, beliefs, and practices, both ancient and modern."

Salem is the perfect spot to rent a timeshare for a spooky Halloween vacation.

Travel to the Most Haunted Cities in America – Part 1 New Orleans
Travel to the Most Haunted Cities in America – Part 2 San Francisco
Travel to the Most Haunted Cities in America – Part 3 Miami

(Photo credit hauntedsalem.com)

Have one last wild fling at summer and plan a timeshare rental vacation where you can get the adrenalin rush of an extreme roller coaster ride. This is the last of our 3-Part series on exploring the best roller coasters in America as suggested by Arthur Levine, a travel writer and self-proclaimed "theme park-aholic." In Part 3 we are going to explode into the best of the Extreme roller coasters - these are what Levine calls the "merciless" ones.

1. Rent an Orlando timeshare and head to Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando for a wild ride on The Incredible Hulk (see photo). "Not for the faint of heart," says Levine, "you haven't truly lived until you've experienced The Incredible Hulk's wild and unique uphill launch. It accelerates to 40 mph in approximately 2 seconds and then speeds through several inversions. When it opened in 1999 it featured the world's tallest cobra roll at 110 feet.


2. A Boston timeshare rental will put you less than an hour's drive from Six Flags New England in Springfield, MA. This is where you'll find Bizarro, a hypercoaster of the best kind - it keeps you screaming up until the last second when the magnetic brakes slam on. "The high-speed first drop is pure coaster nirvana," says Levine. With a 70-degree angle of decent the train accelerates to nearly 80 mph. This amazing coaster has a height of 208 feet, but drops you 221 feet - straight into an underground, fog-enshrouded tunnel!


3. Just an hour's drive from either a timeshare rental in New York City or an Atlantic City timeshare rental, the extreme coaster, Kingda Ka, is thrilling crowds at Six Flags Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. This "strata coaster" is currently the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. The train is launched by a hydraulic launch mechanism to 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. At the end of the launch track, the train climbs the main tower, reaching a height of 456 feet.


4. Intimidator 305, Kings Dominion, in Doswell, Virginia, is just over an hour from your Williamsburg, Virginia timeshare rental. Only one of currently three giga coasters in the world it opened in April, 2010. It's the tallest of its type on the East Coast (launch coasters can be taller, but this is the tallest of the traditional gravity driven coaster using a cable to pull it to the top). The first drop is 300 feet at an astounding 85-degree angle, and is the fastest coaster of its type in North America, getting up to 90mph.

"Why do we love roller coasters? Who knows? But, it seems, we can't get enough of them," sums up Arthur Levine.

Top Roller Coaster Rides – Part 1 (Mild Rides)
Top Roller Coaster Rides – Part 2 (Intermediate Rides)

(Photo courtesy of orlandorollercoaster.com)

As we move into the last weeks of summer and school looms in the near future for most children, you still have time to plan a family timeshare rental vacation. Why not take the kids to a top-rated children's museum? It'll remind the kids that learning can be really fun. Family Magazine has these suggestions:

1. The Children's Museum, Boston (BCM). Rent a Boston timeshare and your kids, ages 2-8, will have a blast at BCM, that:
   
   
   • Created the award-winning "Arthur's World" exhibit, where kids can role-play, read, or write in the character's favorite settings, like the Read Family Kitchen.
   
   
   • Has a stage like one in an opera house, where visitors 2 to 6 can perform.
   
   
   • Teaches children about Japanese culture in a two-story silk merchant's home.
   
   BCM is one of the few museums with many activities for toddlers and preschoolers. Most of the activities for younger kids, including infants, are found in the museum's 4,500-square-foot PlaySpace area, which the museum recently redesigned based on the latest research in early childhood education.


2. Port Discovery, Baltimore, MD. Baltimore is only a 45-minute drive from Washington, D.C. timeshare rentals in Alexandria, VA, and Ft. Washington, MD. After spending a few days visiting D.C.'s monuments and museums, take the kids to Balitmore's children's museum (best for kids 6-12) that:
   
   
   • Features KidWorks, a three-story treehouse where children can crawl through tunnels, cross a narrow rope bridge, and play in a room full of balls.
   
   
   • Teaches kids to make a paper mache balloon that resembles the museum's HiFlyer hot air balloon.
   
   
   • Hands out PD Kid Club communicators, wireless devices that make the exhibits even more interactive.
   
   One of the nation's newest children's museums, Port Discovery aims to bring kids' dreams to life. For example, the new HiFlyer hot air balloon gives children a 15-minute ride above the city's family-friendly Inner Harbor area.


3. Brooklyn Children's Museum, NYC (see photo). There are a number of NYC timeshare rentals to chose from, and this museum is great for any child aged 2 - 12. This is the oldest children's museum in the country, founded in 1899, and it:
   
   
   • Features a new 1,700-square-foot Totally Tots area, where little ones can enjoy adventures in the Baby Patch, Sand Spot, and Peek-A-Boutique.
   
   
   • Schedules plays, concerts, and many other performances during the summer months in its rooftop theater.
   
   
   • Holds nearly 27,000 cultural and natural history objects, including dinosaur footprints, shadow puppets from Indonesia, and meteors.
   
   This museum offers the award-winning Museum Team program, which allows children as young as 7 to visit the museum unaccompanied by an adult and participate in artist and science residency programs, peer tutoring, and other educational activities.

Urban Kayaking makes a great timeshare vacation idea, and if you plan it right, you can combine this fun sport with celebrating the Fourth of July. Most of the cities mentioned below have July 4th fireworks over their bays and harbors - giving the kayaker the perfect view from out on the water.

The National Geographic Adventure magazine puts it this way: If you live in a waterfront city or are visiting one this weekend for Independence Day festivities, chances are you’ve seen at least one stranger navigating your metropolis in a kayak and wondered, Could that actually be . . . fun? “People ask me that all the time,” says Ted Choi, owner of San Francisco’s City Kayak (see photo above provided by citykayak.com). “They basically assume that kayaking in a natural setting is the best thing—but urban kayaking is amazingly beautiful.”

Many waterfront cities in the U.S. have kayak outfitters that offer equipment rentals, and either guided or Do It Yourself tours. Following is a list of some of the top urban kayaking cities in America, where you can rent a timeshare and spend the week seeing the sights as you never have before!

• San Francisco
  Rent a San Francisco timeshare and head to City Kayak (see photo above provided citykayak.com), which offers rentals and a guided 3.5 mile Alcatraz tour. You can even head out under the Golden Gate Bridge to the open ocean - if you're up to it, and are an advanced kayaker. On the 4th of July this city will be giving two firework displays over the bay - double the fun for your money!


• Washington, D.C.
  Rent a Washington D.C.area timeshare and get in touch with Jack's Boathouse where you can get an affordable kayak rental and directions for paddling on the Potomac. You can go upstream into the "wilds of Virginia," or, on the 4th of July, choose to ride the current down to the Washington Monument to watch the spectacular "Capitol Fourth" fireworks.


• Boston
  A Boston timeshare rental will allow you to kayak around this historic city even in the cold New England winter. Hook up with Charles River Canoe & Kayak for equipment rentals and touring instructions. On the 4th of July watch Boston's magnificent fireworks reflected in the water as they're synchronized with the Boston Pops orchestra.


• New York City
  Rent a NYC timeshare and explore this metropolis via kayak from the Hudson River. The New York Kayak Company has all of the equipment rentals you'll need. And on the 4th of July you'll have a front-row seat for the Macy's Fireworks Spectacular released from six barges in the Hudson River.

"We're here, now what?" Good question. You've planned a great destination for your family's vacation, selected the perfect budget timeshare rental in a terrific resort, and now want to get out and explore your surroundings. Here are some tips on how to get the most out of enjoying the discovery of a new place.

Maps
The first step is to supply yourself with maps and tour books. If you are a member of AAA you already know that both of these are available through your membership. At your vacation destination, a visit to the closest visitor's center will yield not only these items, but most likely coupons for local attractions and eating establishments. Your resort's concierge is another great resource for printed tour material as well as suggestions on activities and places to visit.

Tours
There are a couple of different ways to see the places of interest in your area - a self-guided tour and an escorted tour. A self-guided tour is self-explanatory - you navigate the route yourself. It's easy to do self-guided tours by obtaining walking tour and driving tour booklets and pamphlets.

For example, when you rent a Branson timeshare in the spring or fall the visitor's center will provide you with a self-guided driving tour booklet that lets find the perfect look-out spots for enjoying the Ozarks in their blossoming spring finery, and in their glorious autumn colors.

Another great place for a self-guided tour is the Freedom Trail in Boston. Rent a Boston timeshare and here you have the option of following the printed Freedom Trail walking guide material, or renting headsets for self-guided audio tours. Take a timeshare vacation on Cape Cod and plan a self-guided tour of the many lighthouses and State Park beaches. A southern California timeshare vacation will put you in the right place for either a self-guided walking tour, or driving tour, of many famous Hollywood attractions.

Many places offer escorted tours where a tour guide directs the route and times, and gives informative narration. Most large cities offer a sight-seeing tour by Greyline Tours, including New Orleans and Nashville. Several cities, such as New York City and San Francisco, have the popular "Hop On Hop Off" tours which are a combination of self-guided and escorted. Also, many smaller resort towns offer trolleys which not only give you a tour of the area, usually accompanied by a guided narration, but also provide easy public transportation.

Taking a family timeshare vacation to someplace new offers a fun opportunity to learn about history and culture, and to experience the sights, sounds and flavor of a place that can be wonderfully different from "home."

No matter where you vacation in a timeshare rental this summer it's always fun to find free things to do, and your vacation in beautiful New England is no exception. New England is known for its natural beauty, historical sights and quaint villages. You might be surprised at what else there is to see in New England - and for free!

Let's start with Food. When you rent a Cape Cod timeshare you'll get "sand dunes and salty air," old lighthouses, and - potato chips. Enjoy a free tour of the Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory in Hyannis. Its fun to see how these crunchy snacks are actually produced, and you get a free sample at the end of the tour

While you're vacationing at your Vermont timeshare, stop by the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory in Shelburne. Your little ones aged 12 and under can get in for free, and will love seeing how their fuzzy little friends are created. They'll enjoy the Bear Museum, too.

Vermont also offers a free activity that you can do with your dogs. You'll all enjoy Stephen Huneck's Dog Chapel in St. Johnsbury. Stroll through the chapel, with Fido, of course, and see the original art work by world famous artist Stephen Huneck. Built on Dog Mountain, this little chapel is surrounded by 400 scenic acres of nature trails, and even swimming ponds, especially designed with your dog in mind.

From your Boston timeshare, the adults in your party will enjoy the free tour - and tastings - at the Samuel Adams Brewery in Boston. You'll hear about the history of Boston's favorite beer and about founder Jim Koch. Another free brewery tour is the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Merrimack, N.H. Their easternmost plant in the United States is also home to one of the five stables for the Budweiser Clydesdales. Your youngsters will thrill to up-close and personal encounters with these gentle giants in Clydesdale Hamlet. See New Hampshire timeshares.

Spectacular scenery, both of ocean views and magnificent mansions, is yours when you take the Cliff Walk in historic Newport, R.I. When you stroll along this 3 1/2-mile pathway you'll see the legendary mansions built during Newport's gilded age, and enjoy some nature when you encounter parts of the walk that are a rough trail over the rocky shoreline. See Newport timeshares.

A unique free activity is touring the US Navy Submarine Force Museum and USS Nautilus in Groton, Connecticut. Here you'll be able to peer into a periscope, watch films about submarines, and actually go onboard the USS Nautilus. See Connecticut timeshares.

New England has many beautiful timeshares for rent, and the area is small enough that you'll find it an easy drive from your timeshare to many fun - and even free - activities.

Did you know you can enjoy a kid-friendly vacation in Boston? This imposing cultural and historical city offers so many fun things for kids that it's also considered a great family-friendly vacation destination. Who knew? Rent a Boston timeshare and take your kids to Bean Town, USA.

Follow the red brick road…The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile sidewalk, with a distinctive red brick line running down the center, that winds along 16 historic sites, including the Old North Church and the home of Paul Revere. Pick up The Freedom Trail Kids' Guide Book, or check out Boston by Little Feet, a tour perfect for children ages 6 - 12. And every member of the family will get a kick out of riding on the Boston Duck Tour.

Kid-friendly museums abound. At the Museum of Science kids can create virtual fish. At the Children's Museum they can whip up a room full of bubbles, and explore the new interactive exhibit that teaches kids about the city's multicultural neighborhoods. The Museum of Fine Arts offers a Children's Room for ages 6 to 12 with weekly workshops and Family Activity Books.

Head out to sea and the kids can play sea captain aboard the Voyager III at the New England Aquarium. When they go ashore they can make friends with penguins, sharks and eels. A fun water shuttle links the Aquarium to the Charlestown Navy Yard where the kids can clamber all over historic Old Ironsides (the U.S.S. Constitution).

The Boston Common Frog Pond will delight the youngsters with daily activities in the summertime, including a wading pool for the little ones. In the winter the pond converts to a skating rink.

You can even get the kids headed to Harvard by exploring kid-friendly Harvard Yard across the Charles River in Cambridge. Here the kids can bike or rollerblade along the Esplanade or enjoy a scenic boat ride along the river. And at "Susi's A Gallery for Children" your kids can paint their own souvenirs, such as T-shirts and picture frames and other one-of-a-kind items.

While traversing about Boston the kids can play the "find the animal sculptures" game. Hint: there's a 3,000-pound marble Foo dog at the base of China Gate in Chinatown, bronze dolphins at the New England Aquarium, a copper grasshopper weather vane over Fanueil Hall, and bronze ducklings in the Public Garden, inspired by Robert McCloskey's popular children's book "Make Way for Ducklings."

After all of this activity, the kids will be hungry. You can fix them a big pot of Boston's famous molasses covered baked beans in your timeshare kitchen - after all, that's the reason the city is called Bean Town.

(Photo from cityofboston.gov)

Although America's Thanksgiving is quite traditional, you'll find that "tradition" is celebrated in many different ways through-out our country. Here are a few travel destinations you may want to consider for your traditional Thanksgiving vacation.

Old Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts, is the largest outdoor museum in the northeast. Covering 200 acres this living museum revives life in New England from the 1790's to the 1830's. Rent a timeshare in Boston and just an hour's drive will deliver you to one of the most comprehensive Thanksgiving Day celebrations in the country. The Village re-creates an early 19th century traditional Thanksgiving meal prepared over a hearth. After dinner watch the men-folk enjoy a customary shooting match, and join the costumed Village members at an authentic service at the Center Meetinghouse to give thanks.

Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, offers a full day of authentic Thanksgiving traditions. The day starts early in the morning when costumed bakers deliver baskets of special Thanksgiving baked goodies to the Raleigh Tavern on Duke of Gloucester Street. Later enjoy the lavish Thanksgiving feast at the King's Arms Tavern which includes wines from French vineyards favored by Thomas Jefferson. Rent a Williamsburg timeshare and you'll have the time to enjoy traditional Thanksgiving activities at nearby Jamestown and Yorktown as well.

Disney Theme Parks Thanksgiving Day celebrations are held both at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Rent a timeshare in Anaheim or find an Orlando timeshare rental and see how Disney magic cooks up Thanksgiving. Disneyland offers the Disneyland Thanksgiving Day Feast, an all-you-can eat buffet with all of the traditional turkey dinner fixings. Held in the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel it's attended, of course, by your favorite Disney characters.

At Walt Disney World many of the popular eating places scattered through-out the Resort will be offering traditional Thanksgiving Day fare. An example is the Liberty Tree Tavern that prepares a New England inspired Thanksgiving meal served family-style at the table. See Disney timeshare resorts.

There are many places to visit for a Thanksgiving trip, ranging from snowy mountains to sunny beaches. But, if you’re looking for an authentic Thanksgiving vacation, visit Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the Pilgrims first stepped foot on America's shores in 1620. Spending time with the Pilgrims will be a Thanksgiving your youngsters will never forget.

The modern town of Plymouth, the oldest continually inhabited settlement in the United States, has a population of almost 60,000, but there are plenty of places to explore in and around the town that will transport you back to the Mayflower, including the Mayflower II (a full-size replica of the original Mayflower). Located in Plymouth Harbor, this sea-worthy ship is a museum showcasing the pilgrim's arduous ocean crossing. You'll be surprised when you see how small a vessel the Mayflower really was.

Plymouth Rock itself, the traditional stone on which a pilgrim's foot is said to have first stepped in the New World, is housed in a granite canopy memorial, and is the centerpiece of the Pilgrim Memorial State Park. Another monument, on nearby Cole Hill, is a sarcophagus containing the remains of 51 of the pilgrims who died during the harsh winter of 1620.

Located at Plymouth Center, visit Pilgrim Hall Museum, the oldest public museum in the country. Nearby, the National Monument to the Forefathers, dedicated in 1889, is the tallest free-standing granite monument in the United States.

For an authentic taste of seventeenth century life, don't miss Plimoth Plantation (the historic spelling of "Plymouth") just south of Plymouth Center. With the help of role-playing tour guides your family will be immersed in the world of our country's forefathers. A fascinating living-history museum, it re-creates a 1627 fortified town and a Wampanoag homesite. A farm homestead complete with live animals is sure to delight the children.

To get the full impact of our historical ties to the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving, plan to take the time to explore not only Plymouth, but also the colonial history of the surrounding area, including Boston. Rent a timeshare which will give you a "home-base" and set out on these fascinating historic trails. Many budget-friendly Boston timeshares are available and are only an hour's drive from Plymouth, or stay at a Cape Cod timeshare, just 30-minutes away. This is truly a Thanksgiving vacation that will thrill the entire family.

If you’re planning a family vacation to Boston, you won’t want to miss a walk along the historic Freedom Trail. There is no other place in the United States where you can experience so much of America’s Revolutionary history and learn about the people and events that led up to the forming of our national government as they broke away from Britain.

The Freedom Trail is a red-brick walking trail that leads you leisurely down a 2.5 mile path, where you’ll visit 16 nationally significant historic sites. It is a “unique collection of museums, churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a ship, and historic markers that tell the story of the American Revolution and beyond.”


While in Boston, consider staying at Marriott's Custom House, located on 3 McKinley Square, right in the heart of the freedom trail in downtown Boston. This hotel building, which also offers timeshare rooms, is an architectural gem with a stunning open-air observation deck that provides a 360 degree panoramic view of the harbor and city. Guests will enjoy the 24-hour full service concierge, exercise room, and laundry facilities on site. Parking is very expensive, so, you’ll be glad to leave your car behind as you set out on your walking adventure. And, if you need a quicker way around the city the trolley and subway are very close by. A grocery store is also just a 15 minute walk away, perfect for saving money on restaurant costs when traveling with your family.