When we took a day to visit Frankfort and the state capitol there, I did not expect to come accross a number of murals all in really close proximity. Once we saw one, I googgled the location of others and we walk to a few and found a couple more on the way out of town. While we enjoyed our walk, lunch in a parking lot (a lot of restaurants are still closed to indoor eating) with some rain, it was really kind of sad that a number of businesses had closed down due to the continued shutdown in the state especially here in Frankfort. This mural was near the…

My husband has traveled through Kentucky for work and mentioned seeing a castle in Versailles which is really close to Lexington and just downt the road from Keeneland. We headed there and were pleasantly surprised by this fun castle which is a hotel and spa. One of my readers, Leslie shared the following link if you want to read about how this castle came about: https://myoldkentuckyroadtrip.com/2011/09/20/versailles-lexington-road-castle/ From the road you can see the castle and wonder what it is! I wasn’t sure if we would be able to walk around so we were able that we could. I was very impressed with the grounds and thought this would be a…

To take a break from hiking, we decided to find a small picturesque town to visit. Someone at the grocery store suggested Mount Sterling so we headed that way with a picnic packed. We did save money on this vacation by buying groceries and packing a picnic lunch every day. We shopped in a couple local boutiques, ate our lunch in a little square and took some pictures. Mount Sterling This outfit of the day was fairly comfortable until I realized that we were walking too much for these shoes. By the time we visited the arboretum, I took them off and walked barefoot! This town was pretty small so…

Last week, I shared some pictures from our winter break visit to the Tennessee aquarium in Chattanooga. It felt good to get out of the house and do something fun. We enjoy our visit as well as a nice lunch at a nearby restaurant. We found a cool spot for pictures outside: this painting was really pretty. Now isn’t this leopard ray amazing! I shared a lot of these pictures on my Instagram and thought this was a propos for all of us lovers of prints and leopard. Did you know that this creature existed? The sea turtle was very agreeable and hung out near the window where we sat.…

Last January, before everyone’s life changed in one way or another, our family took a short weekend trip to Chattanooga and one of our outings was at the Tennessee Aquarium. It wasn’t much more to add a year membership to our admission (with our family of 6, I think it was only 30 dollars more) but we ended up not going back till now. Thankfully, since the aquarium was closed for 3 months, they added 3 months to our membership so we will be able to go back a few more times till the end of May. I had forgotten how enjoyable the aquarium was. It was a cold and…

When we visit the Beaches of South Walton along 30A, one of the towns I love to stroll in is Alys Beach. Alys Beach is a luxury beach resort community. The architecture was inspired by the white traditional homes of Bermuda and you are just in awe of how beautiful these pristine white structures are when you walk around. Most homes have a courtyard with a pool or a fountain and building follows rigurous guidelines to keep the uniformity of the community. I couldn’t help myself and took picture after picture. The day was kind of hazy and foggy so there was no contrasting blue sky but that didn’t take…

While in Charleston, I knew that I would like to visit a historical site so after a little google search I discovered Old Colonial Dorchester Historical Site in Summerville which is a 30 minute drive from Charleston. The following is a direct quote from the website. “From 1697 until the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the trading town of Dorchester flourished along the Ashley River, inland from colonial Charleston. Today, Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site’s remarkably preserved archaeological remains give visitors a peek into the early history of colonial South Carolina. Abandoned at the start of the Revolutionary War, the town of Dorchester has all but disappeared, leaving only a handful…

We spent our first full morning walking around Charleston. Our hotel was located in the historic district so it was about a 25 minutes walk to rainbow row. We took our time walking and taking pictures and choosing which street to walk down. We were surprised with pretty doors and garage doors along the way, alleys and flower boxes. We only explored for a few hours as everyone got thirsty and tired. The first thing we noticed on our walk was how pretty the fire station was and we loved the little park right next to it: bushes, plants and a bell as well as a small fountain (no picture,…

We are heading to Charleston at the end of the week and as I shared in this first trip planning post, we will have free lodging and breakfast and are planning mostly free or very inexpensive activities. Where we will be spending our money is with eating out! Charleston is well known for its low country dishes: shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, fried green tomatoes, corn bread,etc. To make the most of our trip, I searched family friendly restaurants that were recommended for their tasty meals. Restaurants to Try Leon’s Oyster Shop Hen and the Goat Famalari’s Brewery and Pizza Co Fleet Landing Restaurant and Bar (fresh seafood, on the…