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As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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01-25-2010, 11:39 PM
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#1
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PassPorter Guide
 Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,041
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Feature Article: Las Vegas for Families - A Planning Guide
Las Vegas for Families - A Planning Guide
by Terry Dagdagan
Think all there is to Las Vegas is slot machines and glitzy shows? Worried that it is not a good choice for a family vacation? Take another look and you may be pleasantly surprised! Only a few miles down the road from the dancing waters, exploding volcanoes, and marauding pirates are some great places for the whole family. Start with the Lied Discovery Children’s Museum ( http://www.ldcm.org) at 833 Las Vegas Boulevard North. Here, children of all ages may touch and test things to their heart’s content. Two or three hours are sufficient to explore the museum’s two levels without over-stimulating your kids. Lied Discovery Children’s Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday (everyday in summer) from 10:00 am-5:00 pm. Admission is $7.00 for adults and $6.00 for children ages 1-17 years old.
Almost directly across the street at 900 Las Vegas Boulevard North is the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. There are wonderful displays of animals in different ecosystems from the past and present. The Dinosaur Room with the roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex is my favorite. Beyond this display is a hands-on area where children can dig for fossils or observe some live reptiles and rodents.
Amongst replicas of whales and sharks in the Marine Life Gallery is a baby shark tank -- careful with those little fingers as they can be a hungry lot!
The Natural History Museum is open daily from 9:00 am-4:00 pm. Admission is $7.00 for adults, $3.00 for children ages 3-11, and free for those under 2.
Around the corner is the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort located at 500 East Washington Avenue. Run by the Nevada Division of State Parks, admission is $3 for adults and $2.00 for children 6-12 years old. The fort was originally built by Mormon missionaries in 1855. A ranger-led tour provides visitors with a view of life in Las Vegas when the town was founded. The fort is open Monday-Saturday from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.
Directly behind the History Museum is Cashman Field. Here you can catch a baseball game of the Las Vegas 51s, the AAA League team of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team is named after the mysterious Area 51 located 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Go to http://www.lv51.com for schedule and ticket information. For those with a more adventurous heart grab a water bottle, lace up your sneakers and slather on the sunscreen. Some of the most beautiful rock formations in the desert are found at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area located on Charleston Boulevard about 15 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. The Visitor Center displays habitats and wildlife of the surrounding desert area. Park entrance fee is $5.00 per vehicle, which includes the Visitors Center and a 13-mile Scenic Loop complete with parking areas, hiking trails and picnic areas. Be advised this is a one-way loop, which hasn’t stopped us from encountering a car or two heading the wrong way. Oops!
The Lost Creek Trail is the perfect half mile hike for little ones that want to experience the desert. With so many picnic areas to choose from at Red Rock Canyon, you may want to pack a lunch. My favorite spot is Willow Springs Picnic Area. It provides plenty of shade and is also a popular spot for rock climbers.
Five miles past Red Rock Canyon is Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, also run by Nevada Division of State Parks. Once inside the park you may take a self-guided tour of the Ranch House/Visitor Center or follow one of the tours lead by a park docent. Keep a sharp eye out, and you may spot some wild burros.
This is another good spot to bring along a lunch, and take advantage of their beautiful picnic area that surrounds a large meadow. The park is open from 8:00 am until dusk, while the Ranch House/Visitor Center is open from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. There is a $5.00 entrance fee per vehicle. (This fee was recently reduced. How often does that happen?)
During the summer months Spring Mountain Ranch State Park offers a “Theater under the Stars.” Information is available at http://www.parks.nv.gov/smr.htm. Book early as these tickets go quickly!
A short mile further on Charleston Boulevard is Bonnie Springs Old Nevada. This is a re-created western town complete with petting zoo and riding stables. A miniature train ride is an added attraction on weekends and holidays.
The small petting zoo allows children to pet the tame animals such as deer and goats. The animal pens range from exotic emus, llamas, and wallabies, to common species such as wolves, cougars and pot-bellied pigs. Be wary of turning your back on the goats and deer. I know from first hand experience that they have a taste for more than just the feed pellets available from the quarter-fed dispensers. Of course, the day a goat tried to eat Grandma’s very loud paisley shirt, we were all rooting for the goat!
Red Rock Riding Stables, which are located on the grounds, offer one-hour trail rides for $35.00 per person. Longer rides with or without meal packages are also available.
The old western town provides entertainment, which is also included in the park admission. A stage inside the Saloon features an old time melodrama complete with a villain and damsel in distress (who, on our last visit, had a goatee as all the actors are men). Outside the Saloon the show continues with a western gunfight, bank robbery and public hanging.
Admission to Bonnie Springs is $10.00 per car. The petting zoo opens at 10:00 am while the town opens at 10:30 am. All areas close at 6:00 pm in summer and 5:00 pm during winter. Picnicking is not allowed, but there is a restaurant with the usual fare of burgers and sandwiches. Beverages and snacks may be purchased at the Saloon too. Additional information about Bonnie Springs and Red Rock Riding Stables are found at http://www.bonniesprings.com.
With so many options to choose from in Las Vegas, you may find you need to extend your stay. Good luck!
View the full article and download a free formatted PDF of it here!
Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 12-01-2009 05:32 PM
What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
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