A few weeks ago, I planned a short overnight trip south of us to visit Providence Canyon. After looking at the forecast the day before, I canceled the trip thinking it would be storming but it reality it would have been perfect. Instead of moaning and groaning about canceling our trip for no reason I decided to drive to the nearby lake and just enjoy a few moments there as it was a short drive. I’ve been wanting to bring the boys here to picnic at this spot before the entrance to Red Top Mountain. It is a mere 10 minute drive from home and very picturesque. There are rocks…

Weekends at the lake never turn out the way I expect them too. I actually did not look at the forecast when we decided to visit our uncle at his home on the lake in Alabama and we ended up being rained out the first day. We still managed to have some fun and were able to go out on the pontoon twice. The boys favorite activity was the boat ride taking us to a small island with a swing rope they could use to jump in the lake. I brought some books along to read so the half day it rained and thundered, I enjoyed some quiet time with…

You might have had a glimpse of the sculpture garden in Monday’s blog post: this was another of my favorite spots we visited in New Orleans. It is free (donations are appreciated) and quite a large garden with water features, sculptures and walkways. It is located in the City Park area in New Orleans which is a great spot for families with playgrounds, the botanical gardens, the museum of Art and much more. The setting for the garden is quite beautiful. I am always taken by water features whether it is a fountain, a river, a pond or lake. Add a bridge and will sit there and enjoy the scenery!…

One of the things we wanted to do on our trip to New Orleans was to go on a swamp tour. We drove about 45 min to Slidell to take a tour with Cajun Encounters. We chose this one because it was recommend to us and was well priced for our family of 6: it is about $32 for adults 13 and older and $22 for children. The boat held 20 people and took you on a 2 hour tour through Honey Island Swamp and the river. The tour first starts on the river and the boat takes up speed to get to an area where the alligators are known…

The botanical gardens might have been one of my favorite places to visit in New Orleans apart from walking around the French quarter and admiring all of the different buildings. The admission is pretty inexpensive even for a family of 6 with $10 for adults 13 and older and $5 for children. It is located in the city park area of town which also boasts the Museum of Art, the sculpture garden, some playgrounds and also a Cafe du Monde. The botanical gardens were very pretty with many plants in bloom and different sections. I loved the long expanses of graces with hedges or fountains. I like the architectural elements…