travel
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The Advantages of Living in a Small Town
We’ve lived in our town for almost 6 years and I have loved living here. From past blog posts, you know that we are within 15-20 minutes of different places where we can hike, there are some historical places to visit and there are pretty spots for blog pictures. The park, the Indian mounds, a couple ponds are some of the spots I like to take pictures when I do not want to use my house and backyard as a backdrop. I’ve taken pictures a few times downtown but now as often as I should (it is only a 10 minute drive). So earlier this week, I took about 2o…
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Summer fun: Visiting a House Museum
A few weeks ago, we didn’t feel like going to the pool, but it was hot and humid so we decided to visit this house near our library. I looked up the tour hours and we called ahead of time to make sure there would not be a group. Of course, I didn’t check the types of payments accepted and when we got there, I realized that it was cash only. I typically do not carry cash but the tour guide was nice enough to allow us to do the tour and I went to the bank right after to return with our payment. The house is called the Rose…
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Booth Western Museum
The boys and I wanted an indoor activity on a hot summer day, so we headed out to the Booth Museum. We have visited it several times and even had a membership for a year, but it is always interesting to visit because they have some visiting exhibits several times a year. The current exhibits were the Many Metals, Many Fires: Strauss, Ivy, Rogers with contemporary sculptures using metals, and an exhibit where the artist Heide Presse studied the journals written by Keturah Penton Belknap between 1839 -1848 and created an exhibition about the families Westward journey. Sculptures I think we enjoyed both exhibits equally but this one was definitely really…
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Lavender Farm on a Summer Day
Lavender! Sunflowers! Those are two of my favorites and this year as I searched for a local blueberry farm, I came across a local lavender farm! I was excited and told the boys, we would have a little field trip one morning. Thankfully the weather was agreeable and we planned to arrive to beat the crowds and the heat. I was very impressed with the property: the lavender was plentiful, the area picturesque and the owners very friendly. The family bought the property this winter, and this was their first year hosting an event. The lavender was part of the property when they bought it so this was their first…
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Lake Chatuge, Hiawassee, GA
One of our favorite vacation days was the day we rented a pontoon and spent half a day on Lake Chatuge in Hiawassee. We packed some snacks, wore our bathing suits and made sure we had our sunscreen on. It had been quite a few years since we had been on a lake and probably 17 years or more since we actually rented a pontoon ourselves (we typically visit my husband’s uncle who has a lake house in Alabama). At first the boys were not sure their dad could drive a boat, but they soon realized they were safe. We also rented a tube and my oldest had a blast…
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High Shoals Falls, GA
The same day we visited Hamilton Gardens in Hiawassee, GA, we drove about 20 minutes away to visit High Shoals Falls. We had seen pictures of the pretty falls so we knew we would enjoy the hike. The dirt road up to the fall hike trailhead was very manageable and there several parking spaces. Since the first week in June was still fairly cool for Georgia and the hike had lots of tree coverage, it was a very pleasant hike. Hiking with children ages 5 to 16 also insures that we are not walking too fast. The hike is 2.6 miles total (in and out) and starts high up going…
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Hamilton Gardens in Hiawassee, GA
Hiawassee is just 15 minutes or so from Hayesville, GA and home to a beautiful lake, Lake Chatuge. We first caught a glimpse of the lake on our way to Hamilton Gardens. The gardens are free except during the Rhododendron festival which had actually just ended a couple weeks before our visit. Sadly, most of the blooms were gone but the views were still beautiful and we did find a few bushes with colorful blooms. The garden has several trails that loop and we made sure to follow one that went all of the way down to the lake. On the way, we stopped to admire the sights and relax.…
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Fire Creek Falls and Recreation Area
Our Airbnb host had emailed me a list of activities nearby before our trip and this spot caught my eye as she said we could tube down a natural water slide. In anticipation of this possibility, I had packed some river tubes we had, as well as our pump which could be plugged in the car to inflate the tubes quickly and effortlessly. We also packed water shoes for everyone. Fire Creek Falls was about 20 minutes from our rental and we enjoyed it so much the first time, we returned for a second afternoon of fun. To get a decent view of the falls, you must cross the river…
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Hayesville, North Carolina
I had never heard of Hayesville, NC until I booked our rental, but the area turned out to be a delightful area to spend a week in summer. The weather was pleasant, nature was just beautiful (that combination of mountains, trees and fields is gorgeous) and there was lots to do. Today I am sharing the tiny town of Hayesville and a few pictures of our cabin and surroundings. Hayesville is a small town with a population of about 450 and is about 20 min from Hiawassee, GA and Murphy, NC. While waiting for our pizza to be ready that first evening, we walked around the square and admired the…
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Another Zoo Outing
We took advantage of our zoo membership for a visit a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to share some of the animals I haven’t shared before. I bought a family+1 membership when we visited with my brother as the line was incredibly long for people without membership (never go to ZooAtlanta during spring break!), so on this past visit, I invited my 2 nieces to tag along. The prices have really increased at the zoo, so a membership is definitely the way to go! I’ve actually shared this elephant before but he greeted us with doing his business when we arrived. I tell you, the smell was pretty…