historic
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Wildflowers: Take Time to Smell the Flowers
A few weeks ago, we went to the nearby Indian Mounds for a short outdoors outing. The 3 younger boys came with us as our oldest was taken part in an Academic bowl at his school. We took a walk around the historic site and sat by the river for a while. My youngest went up the tallest mound with his dad while the rest of us relaxed on a bench. This is probably the prettiest time of the year to come as all of the wildflowers are in bloom. Soon they will cut all of this down and roll it into bales. These crimson clovers are so pretty and…
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Rome Labyrinth
As I was looking for a few free places to visit while waiting for my oldest to take his ACT, I came across the Labyrinth of Rome. I shared pictures with the boys and they agreed that they would like to go. While the pictures online made it look larger than it was, once the boys warmed up figuratively and literally (it was a chilly morning). The labyrinth is located by the visitor center. At first, the boys just ran around the brick path before deciding to see if they could reach the center by following the labyrinth. I love seeing their imagination at play and it was nice to…
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Field Trip: Cowboy Festival and Symposium
Now that all of my boys go to school, I have been able to accompany some of my children on their fieldtrips. Last month, I accompanied my 3rd grader to the local Western museum which holds a yearly cowboy festival and symposium. The field trip took place outdoors on probably the coldest day we have had this fall. However the booths and interactive presentation were well worth getting cold. I really think this festival should be called something else than a cowboy festival as the cowboy part is only part of the presentations. A lot of the booths and activities devoted themselves to life as a Native American in the…
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New Orleans: A Stroll in the French Quarter
We visited the French quarter twice on our vacation, once taking the trolley down from the garden district and a second time parking several blocks away from the touristy area. It was hot but we enjoyed the architecture and the sights. While we did see some homeless population, there were a lot less people on the streets than I expected. We did a quick walk down Bourbon Street (my least favorite as it is of no interest to me with all the bars and smells) but mainly we enjoyed the picturesque buildings in the French Quarter. The trolley ride was enjoyable as all of the windows were down and you…
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New Orleans: A Peek into the Garden District
We stayed in an Airbnb in the garden district on Tchoupitoulas about 4 blocks from Magazine Street. We were directly across the Mississipi harbor and train tracks but quite frankly I only heard the train once during our week there. We were walking distance from a Rouses Market grocery store and there were 2 restaurants (which we did not try but looked very popular) on our street a block away. The location felt safe and we had a parking spot in front of our shotgun house. No, this was not our Airbnb but a pretty one nearby. We walked a couple of times to Magazine Street, once for dinner and…
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Cades Cove: Great Smoky Mountains
I think this was my favorite nature outing of our spring break. It mixed history, views and wildlife and I plan to come back next trip since you never know what animals you may encounter. Cades Cove is a 11 mile one way loop in the Smoky Mountains near the entrance in Townsend, TN. There are historic buildings you can visit, many side stops where you can pause your car and take pictures of the scenery and depending on which part of the day you visit more or less wildlife to observe. We went on a rainy and windy afternoon since I knew we would spend most of our time…
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Booth Western Art Museum
On Monday, I share an outfit that was inspired by my cowboy boots and Pinterest and since it was the end of summer, I decided that the perfect location and outing for me and the boys would be the Booth Western Art Museum. We have visited several times but still enjoy the couryard with the large sculptures, the museum with the visiting exhibits as well as the permanent ones. Anytime I visit an art museum, I am just in awe of the talented artists! Whether is is clay work, wood art, paintings, any media from used has my appreciation! The museum’s permanent collections include a presidential gallery, a cowboy gallery…
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Old Fort Jackson, Savannah, GA
Our last adventure on our mini vacation to Tybee Island took us to Old Fort Jackson. The fort is right off the road you take to the island so after reading a brief description, I decided it would be a fun outing for us and it did not disappoint. “Georgia’s oldest standing brick fortification perches on the banks of the Savannah River so its guns could fire on any vessel coming into Savannah. Chances are good that you will get an up-close view of an oceangoing ship during your visit. Walk on the parapet of the fort and investigate the structure’s many nooks and crannies. Two powder magazines and most…
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Picketts Mill Historic Site
Last Friday brought us to a new historic site 30 minutes from the house. I sure am loving finding these places nearby. I took the 3 younger boys and my neighbor/friend and her daughter and we packed a lunch to enjoy on our hike. “Pickett’s Mill is one of the best preserved Civil War battlefields in the nation. Visitors can travel roads used by Federal and Confederate troops, see earthworks constructed by these men, and walk through the same ravine where hundreds died. An authentic 1800s pioneer cabin is furnished and open for tours during certain events. On May 27, 1864, the Federal Army, having been stopped in its advance…
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New Echota Cherokee Capital State Historic Site
A couple of months ago, I decided to get the annual pass for the Historic Sites in Georgia as there are many we haven’t visited yet and quite a few within an hour drive. So this past Sunday after church, we stopped by the New Echota Cherokee Captital Historic site. The land and town was the site of the Cherokee National capital from 1825 to 1838 (all my information is from the flyer for the self guided tour). After the removal of the Cherokee tribes the town disappeared and the land was turned into farmland. In the early 1950s the land was purchased by some local citizens and deeded to…