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…

I have talked more in depth about how to plan a trip on a budget and how to find lodging and food to fit your budget. I thought it would be nice to share the actual process with our upcoming trip to Charleston, SC. Here are my how to steps: Choose destination and length of trip Book lodging Brainstorm activities to do Scope out restaurants and food possibilities Pack! Since this would make for a lengthy post, I divided it in two parts. Today I am sharing the first 3 steps. Choose destination and length of trip The boys have a school break in October (4 days over a weekend)…

So my husband and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary yesterday but knowing that he would be out of town, I decided we should do something fun and different on the weekend. We left the kids at home and my parents helped keep them entertained and happy and went to enjoy an afternoon at a nearby winery. I chose this particular winery from a list of recommendations from our neighbors (thank you neighborhood Facebook group!) and the key factor was distance and location. I did not want anything too far but was hoping for pretty scenery. The Fainting Goat is in Jasper, GA and is just an hour from home.…

Welcome back to another adventure and hike. This time we met some friends at Sweetwater Creek State Park in Lithia Springs. “A wooded trail follows the stream to the ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company, a textile mill burned during the Civil War. Beyond the mill, the trail climbs rocky bluffs to provide views of the beautiful rapids below. Additional trails wind through fields and forest, showcasing ferns, magnolias, wild azaleas and hardwoods” (gastateparks.org). The park is just under an hour drive from my house but 20 min ride from my friends’ so we decided to meet there for a hike and a picnic. We really enjoyed this walk!…

We visited Cloudland Canyon on our way back from Chattanooga on our last family vacation in January. Cloudland Canyon State Park is in North Georgia and about 1 hour and 45 minutes from us. When we went in January, the waterfalls were majestic as we had had a really wet winter and thankfully, even though we just went in the middle of summer, the waterfalls were still beautiful and full of water (not like our trip to Nocalula Falls in Alabama last fall where there was barely a trickle of water. The first picture is now vs January.   We packed a picnic but did not want to carry it…