The kids are on winter break and bouncing off the walls — sound about right? Why not mix things up this holiday season, get the whole family out of the house, and head up to the wonder that is Lake Tahoe. There are a variety of family-friendly activities that will surely tucker the little rugrats out, including sleigh rides, visits from Santa, live music, and much more. So read on and find out all that Lake Tahoe has to offer during the holidays…

Though the weather outside is frightful – it’s not snowing and the prospects for any significant snowfall in the immediate future are grim – the Lake Tahoe area is still a delightful place to visit during the year-end holiday season.

From visits by Santa to children’s activities, from ice-skating to caroling, from wine tasting to concerts, the resorts and towns surrounding Big Blue have a little something for everyone. There’s even human-manufactured snow at most winter mountain resorts to satisfy your ski or snowboard jones.

The Resort at Squaw Creek, which for the seventh consecutive December is producing its popular Magical Memories holiday program, will be the one-night home of the Tahoe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, which will perform selections from Handel’s “Messiah” and other holiday favorites on Friday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults, $5 for students and free for kids under 12.

Our partners in crime at 7×7 have dug up tons of not-to-miss holiday events in Lake Tahoe so be sure to read the full article by clicking here.

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at 7×7, a site that keeps you up on the best of SF. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a fantastic Date Night idea each week. Be sure to check out their blog for hourly doses of the best of SF.

A visit to Portland’s International Rose Test Garden should be on the ‘must-do’ list of locals and tourists alike. The expansive garden boasts more than 10,000 plantings of over 500 varieties. Situated in Washington Park, it is also worth noting that the Rose Test Garden’s immediate surroundings are ripe with popular family friendly destinations and must-see natural attractions including a playground, hundreds of miles of lush hiking trails, the Oregon Zoo, Portland Japanese Garden, Hoyt Arboretum, the World Forestry Center Discovery Museum, and the Portland Children’s Museum,

Go: Year-round, but the roses are most likely to be in peak bloom between mid-May and June. The International Rose Test Garden is open from 7:30 am to 9:00 pm daily.

Approximate travel time: 5 minutes from downtown Portland, via Hwy 26 West, take exit 72.

What to see: Enjoy the serene view of colorful roses as far as the eye can see, and give your kids an impromptu English lesson at the Shakespeare Garden which features roses named after characters from the illustrious Bard’s plays.

Possible lunch spots: Pack a picnic to enjoy in the Shakespeare Garden, which is a choice spot to grab a patch of shady lawn and feast your eyes on flora while feasting on your food. If you didn’t bring a bountiful basket on your trip, take a trek to the nearby zoo and grab a bite at the Cascade Grill.

How to dress: Casual, seasonally appropriate. SPF and sun hats would be a good idea on sunny days.

Need to know: June 1st through September 21st, free tours of the rose garden are offered at 11:30 am and 1:00 pm on Tuesdays and 1:00 pm on Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays. Meet at the Rose Garden Store. Donations gladly accepted.

Bonus: Treat the kiddos to an enchanting four-mile train ride through the forests of Washington Park, to a station above the International Rose Test Garden, and back to the zoo. The journey lasts 35 minutes. Click here for more information and specific running times of train rides and fares.

Cost of trip: Admission to the International Rose Test Garden is free, but donations are accepted.

As you know, here at Red Tricycle we’ve been working hard for the past few years to keep your email inbox uncluttered. We’ve been rounding up all juiciest parenting news around town, bundling it up and delivering every Tuesday and Thursday since 2006.

But the thing is, technology keeps moving faster (and frankly, we have so much more to say!). So if you’re one of those people who just love to chat and want to keep up with the absolute latest local Red Tricycle scoop (sales, deals, contests, promotions and well as all of our local editorial goodness), you should “like” us on Facebook.

Our Facebook page is also the best place to talk to us and get an immediate response – whether you want to offer a tip or story suggestion, share some local parenting news, complain about a lost email or broken link, or sing our praises about, well…anything at all! We love connecting with readers and hearing what you have to say.

As bonus for “Liking us”, you’ll be entered to win one of these cool prizes:

1. Family Four Pack to Disneyland Resort’s Halloween Party

2. A Two-Night Stay at Great Wolf Lodge

3. A Two-Night Stay at Resort at Squaw Creek.

To enter this promotion, simply click here to like us, then post on our Facebook wall which one of the three prizes you’d like to win.

As you know, here at Red Tricycle we’ve been working hard for the past few years to keep your email inbox uncluttered. We’ve been rounding up all juiciest parenting news around town, bundling it up and delivering every Tuesday and Thursday since 2006.

But the thing is, technology keeps moving faster (and frankly, we have so much more to say!). So if you’re one of those people who just love to chat and want to keep up with the absolute latest local Red Tricycle scoop (sales, deals, contests, promotions and well as all of our local editorial goodness), you should “like” us on Facebook.

Our Facebook page is also the best place to talk to us and get an immediate response – whether you want to offer a tip or story suggestion, share some local parenting news, complain about a lost email or broken link, or sing our praises about, well…anything at all! We love connecting with readers and hearing what you have to say.

As bonus for “Liking us”, you’ll be entered to win one of these cool prizes:

1. Family Four Pack to Disneyland Resort’s Halloween Party

2. A Two-Night Stay at Great Wolf Lodge

3. A Two-Night Stay at Resort at Squaw Creek.

To enter this promotion, simply click here to like us, then post on our Facebook wall which one of the three prizes you’d like to win.

As you know, here at Red Tricycle we’ve been working hard for the past few years to keep your email inbox uncluttered. We’ve been rounding up all juiciest parenting news around town, bundling it up and delivering every Tuesday and Thursday since 2006.

But the thing is, technology keeps moving faster (and frankly, we have so much more to say!). So if you’re one of those people who just love to chat and want to keep up with the absolute latest local Red Tricycle scoop (sales, deals, contests, promotions and well as all of our local editorial goodness), you should “like” us on Facebook.

Our Facebook page is also the best place to talk to us and get an immediate response – whether you want to offer a tip or story suggestion, share some local parenting news, complain about a lost email or broken link, or sing our praises about, well…anything at all! We love connecting with readers and hearing what you have to say.

As bonus for “Liking us”, you’ll be entered to win one of these cool prizes:

1. Family Four Pack to Disneyland

2. A Two-Night Stay at Great Wolf Lodge

3. A Two-Night Stay at Resort at Squaw Creek.

To enter this promotion, simply click here to like us, then post on our Facebook wall which one of the three prizes you’d like to win.

As you know, here at Red Tricycle we’ve been working hard for the past few years to keep your email inbox uncluttered. We’ve been rounding up all juiciest parenting news around town, bundling it up and delivering every Tuesday and Thursday since 2006.

But the thing is, technology keeps moving faster (and frankly, we have so much more to say!). So if you’re one of those people who just love to chat and want to keep up with the absolute latest local Red Tricycle scoop (sales, deals, contests, promotions and well as all of our local editorial goodness), you should “like” us on Facebook.

Our Facebook page is also the best place to talk to us and get an immediate response – whether you want to offer a tip or story suggestion, share some local parenting news, complain about a lost email or broken link, or sing our praises about, well…anything at all! We love connecting with readers and hearing what you have to say.

As bonus for “Liking us”, you’ll be entered to win one of these cool prizes:

1. Family Four Pack to Disneyland Resort’s Halloween Party

2. A Two-Night Stay at Great Wolf Lodge

3. A Two-Night Stay at Resort at Squaw Creek.

To enter this promotion, simply click here to like us, then post on our Facebook wall which one of the three prizes you’d like to win.

As you know, here at Red Tricycle we’ve been working hard for the past few years to keep your email inbox uncluttered. We’ve been rounding up all juiciest parenting news around town, bundling it up and delivering every Tuesday and Thursday since 2006.

But the thing is, technology keeps moving faster (and frankly, we have so much more to say!). So if you’re one of those people who just love to chat and want to keep up with the absolute latest local Red Tricycle scoop (sales, deals, contests, promotions and well as all of our local editorial goodness), you should “like” us on Facebook.

Our Facebook page is also the best place to talk to us and get an immediate response – whether you want to offer a tip or story suggestion, share some local parenting news, complain about a lost email or broken link, or sing our praises about, well…anything at all! We love connecting with readers and hearing what you have to say.

As bonus for “Liking us”, you’ll be entered to win one of these cool prizes:

1. Family Four Pack to Disneyland

2. A Two-Night Stay at Great Wolf Lodge

3. A Two-Night Stay at Resort at Squaw Creek.

To enter this promotion, simply click here to like us, then post on our Facebook wall which one of the three prizes you’d like to win.