Area hotels are getting in on the birthday action, too. Chateau on the Lake Resort is a 301-room resort set on an Ozark mountaintop overlooking Table Rock Lake, just ten minutes from Branson’s attractions. The resort rolls out the red carpet for active families with tennis courts, nature trails, indoor and outdoor pools and a line-up of water recreation from jet skis and paddle boats to snorkeling and scuba.

With the resort's two-pronged “Spring Break March Madness” package, families can choose the deal that works best for them.  Looking for room to spread out? Pick the "Family Suite Deal," which gets you 25% off the nightly rate for a 518-square-foot, one-bedroom Ambassador Suite.  When we test-booked a late-March weekend, the nightly package rate for a lakeview suite was $224.25, which is indeed a 25% discount off the regular rate of $299 a night.  If you'd prefer to have two separate rooms, go for the "Family Plan," which gives you 50% off a second standard room when you book one room at the regular rate ($179 for the dates we checked). The Family Plan also translates to a 25% savings on your lodging total. 

Both options include nightly movies in the resort’s Sassafras Theatre, and kids 5 and under eat free from the kids' menu in the Atrium Café when accompanied by an adult. Both packages are available for stays from March 12 to April 4. Call 888/333-5253 to book. 

Set on 20 lushly landscaped acres along a spectacular seven-mile stretch of beach, the resort offers a wide array of fun activities for the whole family. Take your pick of five heated pools, explore the grounds by paddleboat along a meandering river, or head to the white-sand beach for water sports and a ride down a giant inflatable waterslide. You can play tennis, have a round of mini golf, take in a dive-in movie, or simply kick back in a cabana or hammock and sip your umbrella drink. Then let the kids play at the supervised KONK Club while you enjoy a massage or a romantic dinner.

For a chance to win a beach escape at TradeWinds Island Grand Resort for your family, just fill out the form on the giveaway page. You can enter once a day through March 16, 2010. Good luck!

Need a rental car for Presidents' Day weekend—or any other weekend through May?  Enterprise Rent-A-Car is running a 50%-Off Special for weekend rentals through May 21. The deal applies to three- to five-day rentals and on cars ranging from economy to full size—though alas, no super-kid-friendly SUVs or minivans. The only real drawback we see is that the deal doesn’t apply to any airport locations.

When we checked in San Diego, the deal was available at most area locations, including tourist-friendly Old Town. And it's hard to argue with the savings. For the upcoming Presidents' Day weekend, a full-size car was going for a regular rate of $43 a day at one of San Diego’s downtown locations, but only $20 a day in Old Town, a short trolley ride away.

To book the deal, start on the specials page, punch in your city and dates, and look for the orange “special” button next to participating locations. The discount is good through May 21, and doesn’t apply to charges such as taxes or the damage waiver.

If you stay between February 14 and 19 and share the last name of any of our 44 presidents, you can get a room for just $99 a night. (If you need a refresher on those Presidential names—listen up, you Polks, Pierces and Fillmores—check out this White House list.) This is a nice boon for a huge swath of commonly-named folks—so heads up, all you Johnsons, Jacksons, Harrisons,  Tylers, Fords, and Wilsons.

But what if your driver's license says McCain, Kerry, or Willkie? These names—and any other non-Oval Office monikers—will still score a rate between $129 and $179 during the entire month of February. Even for a Dukakis, this is a solid deal, with savings ranging from 28 to 40% compared to starting rates in March ($179) and April ($224). February temperatures in this part of Texas are pretty mild, with typical highs in the 60s.

The 7,000-acre resort—set on the shores  of Lake LBJ, and offering four pools, a kids' club, three golf courses, water sports and even Andy Roddick junior-sized tennis courts—is an easy drive from the first Texan president’s memorial, the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park. (The ranch of No. 43, meanwhile, is a little further away, in Crawford.) Horseshoe Bay even has its own small private airport, if you want to land your own version of Air Force One.

Use promo code HOL when booking online or call 877/611-0112. Assuming you're lacking a Secret Service detail, be prepared to show ID upon check-in to prove you’re a Grant or a Garfield.

Named one of the “Best Resorts for Family Reunions” by TravelandLeisure.com, Skytop Lodge is a destination resort offering something for every member of the family. For a chance to win a winter escape at Skytop Lodge for your family, just fill out the form on the giveaway page. You can enter once a day through February 15, 2010. Good luck!

This winter is turning out to be a great time for a weekend getaway, thanks to big sales at two of the largest hotel chains. Last week we posted about Hilton's mega January sale, which offers winter weekend savings of up to 33% across its chains. 

Now Marriott has stepped up to the plate with a  Global Rate Break promo that lets you save 20% on weekend rates stay at many of its hotels—and claims to up the ante to a 40% discount at a few resorts. The deal applies to various Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Courtyard, Fairfield, SpringHill, Residence Inn, and TownPlace Suites hotels all over the world. 

We checked rates at several properties and found that, indeed, the deal typically delivers a 20% price cut. At Desert Springs, the JW Marriott in the Palm Springs area with requisite pool, lawn games and kids club, we found rates of $327 a night for a room with two beds and a balcony—down from the desert’s high season rate of $409. In Hawaii, the deal offered up the Kauai Marriott  for just $194 a night, down from $240.

But don’t get your hopes too high on the 40%-off lure that's said to be available at select resorts in the Caribbean, Latin America and Hawaii. When we test-booked a stay at a handful of properties for a February weekend getaway, we couldn’t find any availability at the 40%-off rate.  More commonly, we found that this deal led to a 20% discount.

The sale applies to weekend stays (Thursday to Sunday), and some hotels require a two-night minimum. You must book by January 22 and complete your stay by March 21. Use promo code F5X when booking online.

This sale delivers tons of weekend destination options for traveling families. Want a city break? Consider Hilton properties in San Diego (the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa is just one mile from SeaWorld), Boston’s super-convenient Back Bay neighborhood, or the family-friendly Doubletree Guest Suites in Washington DC. 

Hoping to escape the cold? At the Hilton Longboat Key Beachfront Resort, the January Sale offers nightly rates starting at $288 for a double room on February weekend.  By comparison, the resort's best available bed-and-breakfast rate for that stay is $429 per night—which does indeed translate to 33% off your bill.

You must book before January 31, but you can travel anytime before December 26. As always, there are some blackout dates and other restrictions. The sale rates are pre-payable and non-refundable, so you should be confident of your travel dates before booking.  

We know how much our readers love our fabulous giveaways, and our latest prize is a doozy. One lucky family will  win a four-night stay at the one and only Nickelodeon Suites Resort in Orlando, Florida (see our review), where families are guaranteed the slime of their lives.

The Nick Hotel features two water parks with heated pools, 13 slides and flumes, interactive water towers, poolside games and activities, private cabanas, and daily poolside shows featuring Nick’s famous green slime. Guests can experience the high energy of nightly shows in the million-dollar Studio Nick, get a temporary tattoo at the Kid’s Spa, catch a film at the 4-D Experience theater, play video games in the arcade, enjoy arts and crafts in the Nick Workshop, and attend themed parties. The resort also features The Mall, with its two restaurants, food court, convenience store and souvenir shop. Kids can meet favorite Nickelodeon characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer at the daily character breakfast in Nicktoons Café.

For a chance to win a getaway at the Nick Hotel for your family, just fill out the form on the giveaway page. You can enter once a day through January 11, 2010. Good luck!

As part of our continuing "Land of the Free" series of guest posts, we're happy to welcome Sarah V., a mom and military wife who blogs about her family's adventures in Wandering Off. Here she shares five free things to do with kids in her hometown of San Antonio, adding, "We love this city, and these spots are both free and fun!" 

Japanese Tea Garden at Brackenridge Park: This a pleasant surprise for those who expect this part of Texas to look dry and desert-like. Instead, what you find is lush and peaceful.  The lily pond, which is filled with colorful fish, is entertaining for kids of all ages. Little ones will also enjoy walking over the stone bridges and climbing the stairs to the pavilion area, which overlooks the garden.  After exploring the garden, check out the rest of Brackenridge Park.  You’ll find tall shade trees, old stone bridges, and lots of friendly ducks and geese hanging out in the San Antonio River.

San Antonio River Walk: Located below street level, the winding walkways hug the river, making it a peaceful place even when crowded.  This is a great place for peoplewatching, plus there are lots of kid-friendly restaurants with outdoor seating.  One piece of advice for those travelling with small children: consider using a stroller.  Many areas of the river walk don’t have a guardrail, and it would be very easy for a distracted little one to fall into the river.

The Alamo: No visit to San Antonio is complete without a visit to the Alamo, the old Spanish mission where the Battle of the Alamo was fought. Although lines can be long during the summer, the pedestrianized road in front of the building offers plenty of open space for children to play while you wait.  Also, there’s an ice cream shop right across the street.  Enjoy a nice evening out with the kids: eat your ice cream in front of the Alamo and see what the building looks like when it’s all lit up. (The Alamo is closed at night, so this is a great option if you’ve already spent time inside or want to skip the long lines and simply enjoy the building’s exterior.)

Orsinger County Park: This park has it all: swings, climbing structures with bridges and slides, a large sandbox—and one other important factor, especially if you’re visiting San Antonio in summer—lots of shade! You’ll also find picnic tables, restroom facilities, and a walking trail.

Cibolo Nature Center: Plan a daytrip to nearby Boerne, located in the scenic Texas Hill Country, 30 miles northwest of San Antonio. After the big city excitement of San Antonio, this is a great place to explore the Texas wilderness.  The nature center includes a variety of landscapes from forested land to prairies to marshes.  This is a great learning experience for older children, and younger kids will love all of the open space in which to roam.

Here’s how it works:  Each participating blogger is providing a different raffle prize. To see all the offerings, head to the Passports with Purpose web site. Make a $10 donation, and you'll be entered into a raffle for the prize of your choice. Donate $20 and you'll get two chances to win. The raffle takes place on December 21. Winners will be notified via e-mail on January 5, 2010.

This year, WeJustGotBack.com is offering a $100 gift certificate to Tots on-the-Go, an online shop stocked with all kinds of products to make your your load lighter and your travels with babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers a whole lot easier. If you’ve got little kids, you know how much schlepping and lugging and lifting it takes to get from point A to point B.  Trust us: Picking the right equipment will make your travels ten times easier. The $100 gift certificate can be used toward any of the company's products and services (but can only be shipped to U.S. addresses). Here are a few of our favorites:

The CARES aviation safety harness is a bestseller at Tots on-the-Go. Instead of hauling a bulky car seat on the plane, pack this one-pound, belt-and-buckle device. It provides kids who weigh between 22 and 44 pounds the same level of safety as a car seat, and it's certified by the FAA. Just fasten it to the airplane seat belt and you're good to go.

Instead of lugging your bulky baby gear your next trip, consider renting from Tots on-the-Go’s Tots Travel Rentals. The company will ship whatever you need—including crib, stroller, car seat, or high chair—nationwide to your destination, or deliver to select areas on the East coast, including vacation spots Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head.  

We urge you to check out all the great raffle prizes at Passports with Purpose, be generous, and good luck!