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U.S.

Grayton Beach State Park

October 21, 2022 by 18 Comments

When we went to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, for our end-of-summer trip, we visited Grayton Beach State Park for the first time. It was golden hour, and there was a rainstorm on the horizon, so I was able to capture some rather impressive photos on my not-so-new iPhone. We walked along a short trail and saw dunes, forests, and coastal dune lakes.

When we came upon a sign that warned of bears, I was surprised and couldn’t believe it to be true. But apparently there are black bears in the Florida Panhandle, and sightings are not uncommon. Bears live throughout the state of Florida, and the southern portion of the Panhandle is one of a few more concentrated areas of habitation. For fun, feel free to share any bear sighting stories you might have.

Filed Under: South, Travel, U.S.

Mr. H Visits Niagara Falls

October 12, 2022 by 15 Comments

A few weeks ago, Mr. Handsome had to fly to upstate New York for a continuing education class. I considered coming along with the kids, but there were no direct flights from Nashville, so we decided it would be too complicated. Instead, we had my mother-in-law stay with us. She always spoils us, so we definitely had more fun that Mr. Handsome did at his course.

It was a quick trip, and Mr. H was busy pretty much every moment, but I told him that he had to make time to visit Niagara Falls. I went to Niagara as a child, but he had never been.

So when the course was finished at 8:00pm, he set out. He called me while he was eating street food beside the falls. Apparently Niagara sets off fireworks every night at 10pm, so he was looking forward to those. And I must say that his three-year-old smart phone did a pretty good job at capturing the beauty.

I had told Mr. Handsome before he left that it’s a known fact that the Canadian side of Niagara Falls has better views, but he had decided that crossing the boarder for only a couple hours would be more of a hassle than it was worth (which was probably true). He told me afterwards that as he was looking at the falls from the American side, all he could think about was the fact that the view would be even better from across the river.

Filed Under: Travel, U.S.

Eden Gardens State Park

October 1, 2022 by 2 Comments

While we were enjoying our picnic lunch at Camp Helen State Park, a friendly park ranger stopped by for a chat. “Have you been to Eden Gardens State Park?” he asked. “It’s just up the road and well worth the trip. It’s the most photographed park in Florida.”

Intrigued, we decided to stop by. The clouds were almost gone, but we wanted to wait a little longer before going to the beach so the temperature could get back up to 85.

Eden Gardens was definitely worth the visit. It was gorgeous, quiet, and serene. The property features a historic home, built in the 1890s by William Henry Wesley. The Wesley family operated a saw mill and lumber company on the property until after World War I. They used Tucker Bayou, an offshoot of Choctawhatchee Bay (say that five times fast), to ship their goods.

The house was restored and gardens designed by Lois Maxon, who purchased the estate in 1963. She generously donated it to the state of Florida just a few years later.

Fun fact: The 1972 horror film “Frogs” was filmed at the estate and starred Ray Milland, Joan Van Ark, and Sam Elliot. At the time of the filming, there was concern among local residents that the exotic reptiles from South America that were used in the movie would make Eden Gardens their permanent home.

Filed Under: South, Travel, U.S.

Camp Helen State Park

September 22, 2022 by 2 Comments

We returned to Santa Rosa Beach on the Florida Panhandle at the end of summer for a quick, three-day trip. The drive is only seven hours from Nashville, so it’s hard to pass up an opportunity to go. With young kids and Mr. Handsome’s busy work schedule, we are in the season of life of taking short, long weekend trips by car. We were able to score a discounted, low-season rate at a one-bedroom condo we had previously stayed at.

The weather was cloudy and cool on the first day, so we went exploring. After driving a short while, we stopped for a stroll at Camp Helen State Park in Panama City Beach.

There are various buildings on the property. The Lodge was built in the early 1930s by the Hicks family as a summer home. According to the Friends of Camp Helen website, the project cost $75,000 and included wooden beams from South America and granite from Spanish ships.

Due to the Great Depression and the death of her husband, Margaret Hicks was forced to find a way to generate an income. She build the Rainbow Cottages (photo at the top of the post) and began welcoming guests. The cottages are closed to the public, but you can look in the windows and imagine what it would have been like to stay there in the 1930s.

The park sits on Powell Lake and Philips Inlet and is located right off the Gulf. Our walk took us along a lovely path down to the beach. Most of it was stroller friendly, which was a win. Before the arrival of settlers, the area was inhabited by Native Americans.

The property was purchased by Avondale Mills around the end of World War II. It became Camp Helen, named after the wife of the founder’s son. The company used the camp as a vacation spot for its employees until 1987. What a nice employee perk that would have been! It became a state park in 1996.

The original water tower built by the Hicks family still stands today.

Filed Under: South, Travel, U.S.

Sight and Sound Theatres

August 27, 2022 by 16 Comments

Six years ago, I posted my interview with Josh Enck from Sight & Sound Theatres. This year, I finally made it to a Sight & Sound production, and I was blown away. Mr. Handsome went as a child, but this was my first time.

As part of our trip to Branson with Mr. Handsome’s extended family, we saw “Jesus: Live on Stage.” We went in two groups so we didn’t have to take the toddlers. I did, however, take Littlest Buddy and was able to watch while he slept in his stroller. The production was just wonderful. The acting was top notch, and the backdrops were larger-than-life. And of course the highlight was the perfectly trained live animals. I highly recommend that everyone attend.

Have you been to a Sight & Sound show?

Filed Under: South, Travel, U.S.

Beautiful Butterflies

August 20, 2022 by 16 Comments

While we were in Branson, Missouri, this summer, we visited the Butterfly Palace. The indoor rain forest is home to hundreds of tropical butterflies, and we had a blast watching them fly around. Little Buddy was thrilled when a few landed on him to drink the nectar he was holding. Have you ever been to a butterfly garden?

Filed Under: South, Travel, U.S.

Ice Cream on the Beach

August 13, 2022 by 5 Comments

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is to take evening walks along the beach. When we went to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, earlier this spring, we discovered that it’s possible to push a stroller along the part of the sand that is made flat by the tide. What a helpful discovery!

We were only in Santa Rosa Beach for three days, but we went walking every evening. We don’t usually let Little Buddy have sweets before bed because it affects his sleep, but we decided to let him live a little…we got peanut butter ice cream one night and ate it on the sand.

A little girl walked up to Little Buddy and asked to use his shovel, and we encouraged Little Buddy to give her a turn. He wasn’t happy about it, but he agreed. When we were leaving a short while later, he informed us that he wanted to leave the shovel for the little girl to play with. That was a difficult parenting moment because the shovel was from the condo and thus didn’t belong to us, so we couldn’t very well leave it. But we made sure to praise him for having such kind intentions. 

Filed Under: South, Travel, U.S.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

August 2, 2022 by 18 Comments

Have you visited Montgomery, Alabama? We made a quick visit earlier this year to see some of the historic sites. We both believe that it’s never too young to expose children to history. It had been five years since our first visit to Montgomery. During that trip in 2017, we visited Martin Luther King Jr.’s home and met his neighbor, Vera Harris. I posted photos to my blog on May 26th, 2017.

Montgomery was founded in 1819 by the unification of two villages, New Philadelphia and East Alabama. The connection point was Court Square.

We visited the Montgomery Bus Boycott sites, including the exact spot where Rosa Parks boarded the bus on December 1st, 1955.

Returning from her job as a seamstress at a local department store, Rosa Parks was asked to give up her seat because of the color of her skin, but she bravely refused.

The Bus Boycott began a few days later and continued for over a year, when public transportation was integrated by order of the U.S. Supreme Court.

For standing up against the unjust segregation on buses, Rosa Parks lost her job. She and her husband ended up resettling in Detroit to escape the unjust hostility that they faced following the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Filed Under: South, Travel, U.S.

Silver Dollar City with 10 Children

July 17, 2022 by 25 Comments

‘Tis the season for family vacations. Earlier this month, we took a road trip to Branson, Missouri, with some extended family from Mr. Handsome’s side. In total, we had 23 people. 13 adults plus 13 children under the age of eight. It was definitely chaotic and busy, with not much time for quiet and relaxation, but we had a lot of fun. Things were surprisingly smooth, and the children were very well behaved. Little Buddy just loved spending time with all of his little friends.

I didn’t grow up with a big and boisterous extended family like Mr. Handsome did. Our vacations were more chill. A mix of relaxation (usually at a beach) and outdoor adventure done at our own pace. We rarely went to theme parks or other paid attractions. So this was a new experience.

“Now the thing you have to remember about family vacations is that the primary goal isn’t to have fun,” Mr. Handsome joked during the car ride to Branson. “You’ll end up having fun, but the ultimate purpose is to make memories and have shared experiences to strengthen your bond as a family.”

Our first day was spent at Silver Dollar City, which turned out to be my favorite part of the trip. It was hot, but the park was mostly shaded, so we didn’t really feel the heat. The park was clean and inviting and had rides and activities for all ages. The air-conditioned nursing mother’s rooms were lovely.

Little Buddy had a ball, and Littlest Buddy sat happily in his stroller with his portable fan keeping him cool. (Stroller fans that charge using a cell phone charger are all the rage among moms this year. Such a handy invention!)

To start the day, I encouraged Mr. Handsome to go on a big ride (Powder Keg), while I went to the kids section. I am not a “rides” person but really wanted to do something fun with Little Buddy, so he and I rode Elephant March. It’s very simple. You ride in a circle in an elephant car that also goes up and down. And that was enough for me. I had a headache for an hour. Little Buddy didn’t love it either, so we focused on the activities for the rest of the day. I did, however, ride Fire in the Hole with Mr. Handsome right before we left. More on that later.

Mr. Handsome wanted to spend most of the time with us, so he only rode a few rides. Aside from Powder Keg, he braved the Barn Swing (photo below) and Mystic River Falls. Have you been to Silver Dollar City?

Filed Under: Midwest, Travel, U.S.

Beach with 2 Kids: Day 2

July 1, 2022 by 14 Comments

I posted “Beach with 2 Kids: Part 1” at the beginning of June and then completely left you hanging. Sorry about that!

Littlest Buddy was a champ. He was in a great stage for traveling. Not at all mobile, but still old enough to enjoy the scenery. I schlepped his stroller down the stairs and across the sand every single time we went to the beach, but it worked perfect because it allowed him to nap. He napped most of the times we went to the pool, as well, but we took in the water twice (his first time swimming) and he really enjoyed it. His long-sleeved rash guard, flap hat, and natural baby sunscreen kept him from getting too much sun.

Little Buddy wore his long-sleeved rash guard most days, too. All three of his rash guards are bright (think highlighter colors), which is all I buy because it makes it significantly easier for me to keep track of him while we are around water. At the pool, Little Buddy really enjoyed the little squirt toy that he found in our condo. In the photo above, he can be seen attempting to transfer the pool water onto the rocks, which we gently stopped him from doing.

When we are in Florida, our hands-down favorite activity is eating fresh fish. We indulged every evening of our three-day trip.

On the first night, Daddy told Little Buddy, “We are taking you to a very special place that is one of Mommy and Daddy‘s favorite restaurants in the whole world. We’re going to eat tasty fish!” Little Buddy, who actually does like fish, responded, “I just had oatmeal, so I’m fine.” What a let down.

He ended up eating a few bites of our food but didn’t want a full kids’ meal, so we saved money that evening.

I will say that keeping kids busy at restaurants is no easy task. I really appreciate when the server provides crayons and paper. Even better are the restaurants that have disposable paper tablecloths. Little Buddy gets bored of coloring quickly, though, so I often bring little animals for him to play with.

Filed Under: South, Travel, U.S.

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Meet Ellie

Mr. Handsome and I married six years ago and moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Between recipes, photos from our travels, money saving tips, DIY suggestions, post about our daily life with our son, and more, our lifestyle blog features a little bit of everything. Read More…

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