Last year was the first Annual Ski Trip for our Boy Scout (and family can come too so we get the group rate) trip. You can read about that trip here: —Boy Scout Ski Trip 2014::Gatlinburg, TN {Day 1 & 2} —Boy Scout Ski Trip 2014::Gatlinburg, TN {Day 3 & 4} This year the boys wanted to do it again. We ended up at the Days Inn again. It’s not the nicest of places, in fact some of the parents opted to stay somewhere else this year. We like it for the price and the location. It’s in the same…
Over Labor Day weekend, we went down to Spring Hill to visits Rob’s grandparents. One of the days we all piled in the car and drove down to Clearwater Beach. Rob and Drew hung out there at Spring Break when they went down for Baseball’s Spring training, so Rob knew the perfect spot to park Pier 60 at Clearwater Beach is a great location to park and costs $3.00/hour. We enjoyed a few hours on the beach before packing up and finding a place to eat. I spot a mermaid! Lots of building going on. A good amount of folks…
For those that want a complete overview of our Florida Tour that we took at the end of last year, here is a complete summary of the trip with links to more detailed posts about each place. Itinerary/Budget for trip: Click pic for larger version Quick Stop at University of Florida Weeki Wachee Springs Myakka River State Park Capone’s Coal Fired Pizza Fort Myers River District Sanibel Island Naples, Florida Everglades City Everglades City Everglades National Park Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge Morning in Key West Morning at Sea off Marathon Key Spreading My Dad’s Ashes Burdines Waterfront Restaurant Bahia…
We got up early, had a nice big breakfast at the hotel in Cocoa Beach, and drove over to Kennedy Space Center. Driving there we saw several gators and even a wild boar, which you see below. Such an impressive view. We got their before the gates opened, but were able to ask a few questions, take some picture, and just hung out until opening. Rocket Garden is one of the first things you see when you enter. This is the spot where old rockets seem to scrape the sky at 80-100 feet in the air. You will see Juno…
We live about 35 miles from Columbus, Ga and we used to travel there quite a bit to shop and for different places to eat. However, now that the Auburn-Opelika area has grown so much we really don’t have a need to go there like we used to. This past Sunday Alex had a friendly soccer game there, and it was so last minute we ended up having to get people to substitute for several church obligations we had, so just ended up heading over to Columbus after we had breakfast. I suggested we park downtown and walk along the…
After leaving Fort Lauderdale, we continued north towards Cocoa Beach. We checked into the hotel and ventured across the street to the beach. I was feeling quite nostalgic knowing Dad used to live right near there on a condo in the beach. It was quite breezy and a bit cold, but that didn’t stop the kids from getting in the water. Rob and I walked along the beach enjoyed watching cruise ships pass by in the distance. There was also several flocks of birds to keep us occupied. Carnival ship in the distance Disney ship in the distance Lots and…
After spending the night in Fort Lauderdale at the Comfort Suites Airport & Cruise Port, we grabbed a quick breakfast snack from the hotel and then headed down to the river to inquire about a Fort Lauderdale Riverfront Cruise. Here’s a few pics from the drive. Since we were there in January during peak season, we were lucky to get a spot on the next cruise. After Rob purchased the tickets [23/adult, $13 children (4-16)], we had a few minutes to kill before getting on so we walked around before boarding. The cruise lasted about an hour and took us…
When I’m planning a trip, I always like to have a list of great restaurants so that when we’re starving and don’t want to think about where to eat we cazzn just refer to the list. When you travel to the coast, if you’re like me you have to have some seafood. Lots of seafood! Today I’m sharing with you some awesome casual seafood restaurants in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area. When we travel to Gulf Shores for a soccer tourney, one of our team’s favorite place to go after a game LuLu’s. Fun atmosphere and a with a large…
Planning a mancation or Father-son trip to Alabama’s Gulf Coast? Here’s a list of fun activities for anyone of the male species. 1. Want to get away from it all and spend it on a green? Golfing is quite popular in the Gulf Shores/Orange beach area because there are countless golf courses. The options are unlimited when it comes to golfing in our great state of Alabama and there’s definitely not a shortage when your on the coast either. 2. Visit Fort Morgan & the U.S. Alabama are great spots to visit for those history/military buffs. 3. If fishing is…
4th of July Trip in 2015 was full of hiking and site-seeing LaFayette, GA, Chattanooga, TN, and surrounding areas. Day 1 – a Stop in Rome, GA Day 2 – DeSoto State Park Hike – Fort Payne, AL Hike at Cloudland Canyon – Rising Fawn, GA Day 3 – Tennessee Aquarium – Chattanooga Point Park – Lookout Mountain, TN We stopped at the Incline Railway to watch it come up. They do get some lovely views from the windows on the top. Rock City – Lookout Mountain, GA Day 4 – 4th of July – Chickamauga & Chattanooga It is…
Remember last week, I was giving away an awesome beach Swag Bag from #StayALbeaches. Yesterday I posted a SnapChat video with the winner. Follow me on SnapChat @cameraNcookbook to see the winner. The winner was Maria B! Having traveled to many different coasts, I always enjoy the shining seas of our gorgeous country. However, there is no more gorgeous beaches than those right here in my very own home state of Alabama. There are many reasons why you should travel to the Alabama coast besides the fact they are beautiful… 1. Less crowded Both Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are…
One of my all time favorite spots in Atlanta is The Varsity, the world’s largest drive-in restaurant. Greasy burgers, chili dogs, mammoth onion rings, fresh cut fries…Can’t go wrong with a little heart attack on the plate every once in a while. Rob and I were in Atlanta a few weeks ago and stopped there for a late lunch/early dinner. Opening in the 1930’s, the Varsity has served the masses including many famous folks from Barrack Obama to Elvis Presley. When you walk up, you’ll hear them hollar, “What’ll Ya Have?” and when you step up the counter you better…
On the 4th of July, we drove through the area of the Chickamauga Battlefield. We first stopped at the visitor center where we were sent to a link on our iPhones that we could Bluetooth to our car to listen to a guided tour (Audio Tour). With the controversy that’s been going around as of late with the Confederate Flag, we saw many folks riding through the area showing their support of it. Wilder Brigade AKA Chimauga Tower (more info) provided beautiful views of the surrounding areas. After leaving the main battle field area, we stopped at Lee & Gordons…
Just around the corner is the 44th Annual National Shrimp Festival, which is a great excuse to travel to Gulf Shores, Alabama. The National Shrimp Festival is October 8th – 11th. It’s free to get in thanks to Zatarain’s as well as a host of other sponsors. The festival takes place right in front of The Hangout at the end of Hwy. 59 in Gulf Shores. Not only is there 200 lbs. of fresh shrimp brought in daily, but there is also a great line up of entertainment, fine art, arts & crafts, as well as a Children’s Activity Village…
A few weeks ago Rob and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. Alex had a soccer game in Gadsden, AL, so we decided to make a day of it and head on up there. When I was googling free things to do in or around Gadsden I found James D. Martin Wildlife Park, which said it was a walking trail behind Gadsden Mall that is open to the public. I googled the mall address [Gadsden Mall 1001 Rainbow Drive Gadsden, AL 35901] and typed it into the GPS. When you turn into the mall, just follow around the edge of…
During our 4th of July trip to Chattanooga one of the days we went to Tennessee Aquarium. When Rob and I first got together and even after we had Drew, we enjoyed spontaneous weekend road trips. Chattanooga was one the cities we would go to on those quick little jaunts. Chattanooga’s Tennessee Aquarium was my favorite aquarium (until the Georgia Aquarium opened.) Needless to say I was super excited to get back there. Something we didn’t take into consideration was that we were there around a major holiday…Oops! It was super crowded, which made it really difficult to enjoy ourselves…
Over our 4th of July trip, we decided to go to Cloudland Canyon State Park, which is located in the northwest corner of Georgia about 25 miles from Chattanooga, Tennessee. This Georgia state park covers 3,485 acres on the western edge of Lookout Mountain. Rugged landscaping and views of Sitton Gulch Creek, which splits the mountain. There is a paved, wheelchair accessible for about a quarter of a mile that overlooks the edge of the canyon. There are 4 more hiking trails that are range from moderate to strenuous. The Waterfalls Trail starts off paved and then moves into the…
After leaving Marathon, Florida, we drove through Miami over to South Beach. We stopped in at University of Miami in Coral Gables. Such a pretty entrance into campus. We made a quick stop at Marlin’s Park too. I was so excited to drive near the cruise ships at Port Miami. This is one point of many during the trip when Rob and I were talking about the surrounding areas, “Kids, see the cruise ships out there?” Silence….all three of them staring at their phones or game devices. We drove around for a good 30 minutes looking for parking. There was…
During our time in North Georgia, we actually ventured back over to our home state of Alabama. We had spent the morning not to far from the Georgia-Alabama border at Cloudland Canyon State Park. We had planned to be out all day, so we had packed a picnic lunch. We ended up at DeSoto State Park, which is on Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne. It covers 3,000 acres of forests, rivers, waterfalls, and mountainous terrain. The picnic area overlooks the A.A. Miller Dam. We stuffed our faces with fresh cut cold cut sandwiches, chips, cookies, and Gatorades. Our lunch entertainment…
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Alabama Tourism. The opinions and text are all mine. When I moved to Alabama 19 years ago, I didn’t realize how lucky I was to be moving to a state with such rich history, beautiful terrain, and diverse culture. Whether you’re a mountain man or a beach bum, this state has the best of both worlds. There is also something for the science geeks, the History nerds, and even those who have been bitten by the adventure bug. Today I’m sharing with you a little bit of all of…