Well, if there’s one animated character that’s a perfect fit for Legoland, it’s definitely Bob the Builder – what else are those little blocks for but tripping over building cool stuff?

Bob will debut his film at the theme parks starting in March 2009 with openings in the US and the UK.  Come April, you’ll also find the movie at the park’s Denmark and Germany locations.  The cool 10-minute 4-D flick, in which Bob and the rest of the crew build a roller coaster, focuses on what happens when troublemaker Spud decides a la Fleetwood Mac to go his own way.  Doesn’t take a brainiac to guess the kind of trouble that ensues, but of course it all ends up well, with the kiddies learning the importance of having and following a plan when starting a project.

The film is exclusively licensed to Legoland for a year only.  What happens after that, who knows?  So make your own plan to visit Legoland come next spring.

Most of us think of “kid-friendly” as being anything welcoming of tots or pre-schoolers – after all, they’re the ones most likely to cause an embarrassing scene.  But teens go on family vacations too, and although they’re just shy of adulthood, they’re not mini-mes – they have their own interests, some shared with parents, some not.

Loews Hotels has some excellent teen-focused Edu-Cations being featured at several of their properties around the country.  These cool packages allow teens to explore a new world or delve deep into a current interest.  At Loews Santa Monica, for instance, your hipster can move one step closer to living like Lohan, with a 2-night stay in a premium suite, limo service for the duration of the stay, an acting lesson, meeting with an agent, and a makeover.  (Can we sign up?  We swear we’re 16, really…)

If your teen is less into the meat market of LA and more into the stock market, the Loews Regency in NY offers an inside view of the financial markets, with a tour of the NASDAQ, a power breakfast featuring a financial speaker, and a photo of your budding broker on the NASDAQ tower.

Other packages include surfing in San Diego, a tour of the National Press in Washington D.C, and a music and lyric session in Nashville, all with inside scoop and/or access to people really connected in their respective fields.  With vacations like these, you might actually get some (begrudging) respect from your know-it-all kid.

Ireland from the West Coast is a long trip, but Aer Lingus is making it a mite easier to get your own little Danny Boy to the capital. On October 29, the carrier instituted four roundtrip flights per week between San Francisco and Dublin, with introductory fares starting at $288 one-way. Just in time for the holidays…

[via Travel Weekly]