We had a great sunrise on our last day there. We took the trolley (it’s free!) to the South Beach Park/Pier. It was a nice area to enjoy the views. We saw several pelicans diving into the water for fish.
After that, we were at a bit of a loss on what to do. But you know how we love weird museums? We found one. We had no idea what it would be like, but we decided to check out the WEAM (definitely not family-friendly). I’m only including some of the tamer pictures below. It was interesting, to say the least. They had several antique items that show the fascination with the human body has always been around.
Day two brought different adventures. We took a nice walk, although it was much hotter than it was at home! We almost got hit by a falling coconut. We found a Trader Joe’s and grabbed some snacks. We stopped at a few souvenir stores as well. We stopped at the beach and walked for a while. Where we were had nice light-colored sand, although it the beach itself had a bit of a steep drop after a little bit. I was surprised there wasn’t a lot of shells.
When it got really hot in the afternoon, we headed back to the hotel for a nap and then went back out for dinner. We stopped at Walgreens for some drinks and snacks. I even splurged my carb count and got a BlueBell ice cream pint. We found this brand in Texas, and I absolutely love their ice cream. I wish they sold it up here.
We grabbed some coffee and sat on the front patio of the hotel and people watched for a while. It was a pretty chill day.
It’s been a minute, or you know…6 years, since Ben and I went on a trip with just the two of us. In March we went to Miami, Florida. (Yes, I’m very behind on posting this.) We had to work it in between work things, doctor’s visits (the dentist appointment took months to get, I wasn’t changing it!), and the kids’ school. We settled on Miami because we were looking for somewhere warmer and sunny.
What we didn’t count on was it being over spring break. WHOOPS! Miami, specifically South Beach where we were staying had a curfew every night (midnight), but also an alcohol sale curfew (6pm for non-restaurant stores. Like the Walgreens that sold alcohol.) There were a lot of cops around at night, including ATV, bike, ones in cars, and the gang unit. However, there were also a lot of crowds. Some sections of the street were so crowded that we avoided that area for the rest of the trip. I would not recommend going anywhere near spring break, but there is cool architecture to look at and boat tours to take.
Our hotel was conveniently located near a lot of restaurants and the beach.
We walked to the South Beach Pier, although it was dark so we didn’t get to see a lot. We went back the next day to see it in the daylight.
If you’ve eaten at our house, you’ve probably had at least one of these recipes. And if you’ve sampled the Christmas cookies, a lot of them are in here as well, including the Buckeye cookies! My favorite is the sugar shortbread cookie.
We’re big fans of Buc-ee’s. They always have snacks, decent gas prices, and clean bathrooms. If you have never been to one, I suggest you stop at one on your travels. We even wait a little longer to stop so that we can go to a Buc-ee’s instead of another gas station. They pride themselves in their restrooms, and I have to say we’ve never been disappointed.
When we heard the largest Buc-ee’s was opening up right before our vacation and it was on the way, of course, we had to stop!
It looked like the other Buc-ee’s, but it was larger with a lot more store space and gas pumps. We found some fun souvenirs (a keychain $4.98, a Halloween cup $20, gifts, a buc-ee phone holder $9.98).
It can be a little tricky maneuvering with so many people coming in and out. The signs have you driving through the parking lot to get to the gas pumps, but if you take the next exit on the roundabout, it leads to the backside of the pumps. It had less traffic when we did it that way. There is a lot of parking along the sides of the building for when you want to go explore the store. The far side of the complex looked like it was still under construction, so it may get easier to drive when the other road is completely open.
It was fun to see and I enjoyed seeing the mural. It was busy, but it had also been opened only about a month when we went there. It is close to the highway, but it is not directly off of it.
Do you love pirates? Acrobatics? Dinner and a show?
We went to the Pirates Voyage dinner show in Pigeon Forge. We had the evening show, but it was still pretty crowded. They have a bar, a small gift shop, and a face painting area pre-show. Our kids are too old to want face painting, but we did see some cute designs.
The set was pretty cool and is broken up into the blue (Sapphire) and red (Crimson) side.
Your dinner comes with a bowl of creamy vegetable soup, water/soft drink/tea/coffee, a biscuit, a piece of fried chicken, half a baked potato, a piece of corn (not a whole cob, more like 1/4 or 1/2), a slice of ham. Dessert is a warm apple turnover. The food was okay, but there was not a lot of it.
There were trained animals (2 parrots, a dog, and a sea lion), fire elements, fog, pirates, mermaids, and lots of acrobatics and sword fighting. Really, the star of the show was Salty, the sea lion.
The show was about 2 hours long. It was cute and I think would be a hit with any little kids who love pirates. It was entertaining for us adults too, but I think younger kids would probably get the most enjoyment from it.
There had been some changes since the last time we were in the Gatlinburg area, including the addition of the SkyPark.
There are two ticket options: a one way (it’s an up & down) ticket, or a SkyPass (allows you to go up multiple times in 1 day). We did the one way ticket since you can walk over the bridge as many times as you want once you’re up there. The only limiting factor is the amount of times you can ride the lift up.
Reaching the top, you are greeted with a shop area (SkyCenter) to the right, a fountain and stairs to the bridge straight(ish) ahead, and a picnic area to the left. We explored the bridge first. It is mostly a wooden bridge, the kind that sways if you bounce on it or walk toward the sides instead of in the middle. There is a section with glass panels so you can look down. On the other side of the bridge, is a small seating area, some signs pointing out parts of the view, and a small gift shop. NOTE: If you want a SkyBridge ornament, you need to buy it here. They do not sell it in the main shop area.
We decided to take the trail over to the tower to take in more of the views. There were benches scattered along the trail, along with fans. We appreciated the breeze when we reached the fans as it was pretty hot and humid the day we went.
We sat in the upstairs of the SkyCenter and enjoyed the air-conditioning and the great views. They sold souvenirs, drinks, and snacks. There is a pressed penny machine, but it wasn’t working when we were there, so Nick wasn’t able to get one for his collection.
It was a neat experience and the views were great. However, if you have mobility issues, the bridge might be challenging as it does sway. I think it is more of a one and done type of experience.
We were a little late this year with our summer vacation. Between the kids’ summer classes and Will starting a summer job, we didn’t go on vacation until end of July/beginning of August. This year we went down to the Great Smoky Mountains. The boys had been when they were younger, but didn’t remember much. We had a few things planned, including a birthday/Theastmas dinner for our first night there. There are so many attractions and things to do in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area.
One of the favorite things we did was visit Iron Mountain Metal Craft in Pigeon Forge. This place is located near The Mill and offers items for sale, as well as blacksmithing lessons. The owner was on the show Forged In Fire and we had the chance to talk to him for a minute before our lesson. There are four options for the lessons: nail (for kids 1-12), pony shoe, horseshoe, railroad spike. The railroad spike looked really cool, but we figured we should start easy for our first time. We chose to make the pony shoe knife. Our instructor held the hot metal, inserting it into the forge, and instructed us where and how to use the hammer. We went through a few rounds of working out the blade shape. After a final heating, he cooled them down in water.
Now, they weren’t the most attractive things but this is where the polishing comes in. We moved over to the polishers where they shaped the blade more, giving it more of an edge. Will and Ben chose one finish (it dips down on the top), and Nick and I chose the other (straight across on the top). The knives came with their own sheaths as well. Mine is pictured below: I think I hammered pretty evenly, but didn’t get the nail holes to close like in the display. It was still lots of fun though.
I would recommend checking them out if you are in the area. We would totally do it again.
We had some big events in 2022. We started keeping a memory jar to read at the start of the New Year, to help us keep track of our new adventures. (Click on links to read the posts.)
We started the day early and were in the Lodge for breakfast by 8:15. We both slept better at Shenandoah than at the KOA, likely due to better mattresses.
The Big Meadow Lodge breakfast food was unremarkable. I got an omelet and dad got some pancakes. The coffee and service were good.
Next up, we stopped at the Harry R Byrd Visitor Center and Wayside market to get various sundries and ask about the best hike. I got Nick a pressed penny, Sarah some socks and postcards, a keychain and National Park stamps for me. I also grabbed a book on the best short hikes in Shenandoah. We also filled up on gas at $3.55/gallon. This is only about $0.25 higher per gallon than outside the park. I thought this was a deal compared to the Grand Tetons expectations of a $1.00+/gallon.
After discussions with the Ranger and referring to the book, we settled on a level 1.3-mile hike called Limberlost.
(click to enlarge)
The trail had many benches for sitting. It was an easy walk and with the use of hiking boots and sticks, we made it through without an issue.
After our hike, we stopped for lunch at Skyland.
As the name would suggest it had a great view of the valley and sky. It overlooked Luray which was where our server was from. Along with taking care of our dining needs, she filled us in on Luray and her 40-minute commute. We got salads and pan-fried Brussels sprouts.
Next, we headed out of the National Park to the small town Luray. The best thing I can say about Luray is their cell signal is stronger than the NP. I used this to text Sarah some pictures and provide proof of life. After visiting the Luray visitor center for bathroom and “museum” fun, we stopped at a local grocery store and grabbed some snacks on our way out of town.
During the drive to and from Luray, we stopped several times for views off Skyline Drive. It was pretty.
We got back to the hotel around 3:30 PM. We sat on our patio and chatted the afternoon away.
Around 6 PM we went to the lodge to grab dinner and watch the sunset. We decided to watch the sunset first and we claimed our spot on the balcony chairs and used the intermittent internet while we waited for the changing colors of the sky.
It got kind of cold, but we lucked out and sat near the just-lit fire inside the lodge after the sun went down. It was a cozy spot to sit and relax.
It was so nice by the fire that I was glad that we ended up having to wait for a table in the dining room. It was slow moving and the wait to longer than expected. The menu wasn’t wowing us, so we decided to go to the tavern instead and grab a pizza.
Dad got carded at the Tavern by D’An!
We came back to the room and sat outside watching the stars and talking. It was very close to Yellowstone’s level of stars and was a great end to the trip.
