Nantahala White Water Rafting

October 17, 2016May 23, 2017 trippintwins1 Comment

Labor Day weekend in the US marks the unofficial end of summer and people love to celebrate over the long weekend. I wanted to go somewhere different and some place not too expensive which meant I didn’t want to fly. While browsing Pinterest, I saw a pin of the Nantahala National Forrest that caught my eye. I had been rafting there as a young child and always wanted to return, so thought this would be the perfect trip. As Erica already a prior commitment, I used this trip for some father/daughter bonding time.

We chose to drive to Chattanooga, TN the night before going to North Carolina. It’s a city we both really like spending time in. Neither one of us had ever stayed at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, so we decided this would be a great time to try it out. If you are worried about the price, know the courtyard is totally worth the price to stay. Even if you are not staying at the hotel, drop by for a visit because the courtyard is fantastic for people of any age.

We stayed one night and got up early the next day to get on the road to reach Dillsboro, NC where we stayed for the next few nights. It was a beautiful 4 hour drive that passed quickly. On the way, we passed the Ocoee River located in Tennessee in the Cherokee National Forest which we have already decided to visit next year.

Processed with Snapseed. — You’ll most likely run into one of these rafting buses on the trip

Hotel

I chose the Best Western Plus River Escape Inn & Suites for scenery and location, but it really exceeded my expectations. The property was quiet and had a quaint feeling and look with only 65 guest rooms. The highlight was the balcony overlooking the Tuckaseegee River, located of the breakfast room. When we were at the hotel, we spent our time on the balcony. The hotel is convenient to several great breweries and restaurants we had a chance to try. It is a 30 minute drive to the Nantahala Outdoor Center, where we took our rafting trip.

Nantahala River

The Nantahala River is located on the Appalachian Trial in the Nantahala National Forest located in western North Carolina. The Forest is the largest of four National Forrests located in the state, covering more than 530,000 acres of terrain that varies in elevation from 5,800 to 1,200 feet. It is home to a large number of beautiful waterfalls and serves as a popular place for hiking, camping and white water activities.

The Nantahala River offers family friendly white water activities, with 8 miles of class II rapids and a few class III’s in the last mile. It is perfect for practically anyone including children 7 + , or those who weigh 60 + pounds. White water rafting, canoeing and kayaking are the most popular forms of white water activity on the river. If paddle boarding and/ or duck mobile rides are your thing, you will definitely have plenty of company on the river too!

Nantahala Outdoor Center

There are a plethora of outfitters in the area that can accommodate every white water excursion or need. For this guided rafting trip, I chose to book with the largest one, Nantahala Outdoor Center located in Bryson City, NC. It is a must visit for every outdoor enthusiast. The 500 acre campus offers both fully and self guided whitewater activities, ziplining, mountain biking and several others. There are also retail shops and restaurants to visit on property and nearby.

Depending on when you visit, we suggest buying tickets in advance online to avoid long lines. We arrived 20 minutes early which gave us plenty of time to check in at the Adventure Center, take some pictures and meet up with our rafting group. The rafting tour we chose says it is 3 hours, but one hour of that is on the ground- listening to instructions, watching a safety video, life vest checks, meeting rating group and guide and riding to the rafting site.

We spent 2 hours on the river which was just perfect. There were a total of 6 of us in the raft including the guide. If you do not want to get very wet, do not sit up front! There were a lot of people there with Go Pro’s, which this trip is perfect for. The river was really busy because it was a holiday weekend, but it never felt overly crowded. We saw a few birds, but not much other wildlife. The trip will take you past several campgrounds and houses, but otherwise the scenery consists the beautiful Nantahala NationL Forrest. If you would like to see a short video of our rafting trip, here’s the link: https://youtu.be/H7DQbcXALEQ.

Tips:

Take a change of clothes. There are changing facilities and you will most likely feel like changing afterwards, regardless if you get wet or stay dry.
Leave as much as you can in the car, but they will hold keys and phones for you.
Take the time to take in the scenery and enjoy yourself!

California · Day Trips · Family Travel · Ferry Ride · Holiday Travel · Itinerary · Memorial Day · San Diego · Uncategorized · Water Adventures

TrippinTwins: San Diego: Adventures of Day 1

September 7, 2016September 8, 2016 trippintwins15 Comments

San Diego had long been on our wish lists, so we were beyond excited to get the chance to visit this past Memorial Day weekend. Initially, we had dreamed of a relaxing beach vacation spending our days sunning on the beach, drinking cocktails & soaking up those rays of sunshine California is so famous for.

However, when we began packing for the trip, we ruled out beach time when we learned the temperatures were only going reach the low 70’s. If you are thinking that’s a bit strange, you’re probably not from the Deep South where it’s not considered the perfect beach day unless the temperatures are at least in the mid-80’s! So, we revamped our itinerary and packing list.

Upon arriving in San Diego, it was nearly midnight. We wearily grabbed our bags from baggage claim and found our way to the exit where we took a taxi to our downtown hotel. We commented to our driver about the chill in the air and were promptly told that the forecasted temperatures and overcast skies were completely normal for the May/June time frame. We even learned the weather pattern had names – “May Gray and June Gloom”.

Where We Stayed:

While many people choose to stay in the Gaslamp district, we decided to stay in the downtown area also known as the “Centre City” at the Westin San Diego. It was the perfect location because it put us within easy walking distance to Little Italy, the Gaslamp district, Broadway Pier and public transportation.

Day 1: Shopping, Food and a Ferry Ride!

We began our first full day a little late as we had a late arrival the night before. When we were ready to leave the hotel, we headed to a nearby coffee shop to grab a cup of coffee and a quick snack. We figured this would hold us over until our lunch we had planned for later. We needed to make a stop in a nearby CVS in Westfield Horton Plaza to pick up a few things we had forgotten to bring. As we arrived, the bold colors and architecture of the indoor/outdoor mall, amazed us. We had not planned to spend much time there, but once we realized there were over 100 stores on various levels set up like a maze, we spent a few hours window shopping and taking in the scenery.

When we decided our bank accounts were done with the mall. Since we were already in the trendy Gaslamp Quarter, we set off to find the 94 restored Victorian era buildings the area is famous for. When it was founded in the 1850’s, it was well known for gambling halls and brothels before cleaning up its act during the 1980’s. It is now a thriving district offering eclectic dining and shopping options. After spending some time window shopping, the smells coming from the surrounding restaurants had made it impossible to ignore our hunger. We headed to Little Italy, where we found the restaurant that had been recommended to us, Filippi’s Pizza.

We were advised to check out this location because it is the original and operates as both a grocery and a restaurant. Even if you aren’t hungry, it is worth stopping by to check out the ceiling covered with wine bottles. Our waitress told us we should not miss their famous homemade meatballs, so we choose to put her recommendation to the test. We agree, it was delicious!

Wine Bottles that adorn the ceiling at Filippi’s Pizza

After we finished lunch, we headed to Broadway Pier. We bought ferry passes for $4.75 , and took the 15 minute Coronado Ferry to Coronado Island. We choose to take the ferry because it gave us time to take water pictures of the picturesque area and was the first US ferry we had the chance to take since we were children.

Once we landed on Coronado Island, we walked to the Coronado Ferry Landing. This is the view you will see when you land and walk towards the island. We were tired after a long day of shopping and walking, so we decided to hang around this area to browse the shops, grab a bite to eat and watch the sunset.

We enjoyed some time relaxing on the beach. It was too cold to get in, but the views were great.

After enjoying the views, we decided to check out the restaurant options. We settled on Candelas on the Bay for a quick bite to eat. We enjoyed the views and the food. The service could have been better, but it didn’t bother us because the scenery was great.

It had been really cloudy for most of the day, so we did not have high hopes for a good sunset. However, we got lucky because the sun made an appearance as it got later and cleared the fog to reveal a stunning sunset. This was a great way to end our evening on Coronado Island.

After the sunset, we took the return ferry back to Broadway Pier where we walked the few blocks back to our hotel. We had an early activity planned for day 2 -a Whale and Dolphin tour that we were really looking forward to and decided called it a night.

Adventure · Beach Towns · California · Day Trips · dolphins · favorites · RIB · San Diego · sealife · Tours · Trip Ideas · Water Adventures · whales

TrippinTwins: San Diego RIB Dolphin & Whale Tour

August 10, 2016August 10, 2016 trippintwins6 Comments

Everyone has that one thing they must do when they get the chance to visit a certain place. For us, in San Diego, we knew it would finally be our chance to, just maybe, see a whale in the open water. We have experienced many dolphin cruises over the years in the Gulf of Mexico and were looking for something that would be a bit different for this experience. After briefly looking over a few tour options, we registered for a dolphin and whale tour with Adventure RIB Rides. This would be a switch from the usual boat rides in that we would be taking this dolphin and whale excursion in a small rigid-inflatable boat. Erica thought this was a totally crazy idea, but I convinced her that it would be a blast.

When is the best time to see whales in San Diego?

Thousands migrate from Alaska every year to give birth and give their young time to gain the strength necessary for the journey home. It is said the best times to view whales are between mid-June through December. However, we saw a grey whale on our tour at the end of May and we were told several were spotted the day before. If you’re going in the off peak season, just ask around, people will tell you if they have been seen recently.

Meeting Point – Dolphin and Whale Tour

We arrived at the meeting point (Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina) dock around 8:45 am to meet our tour guide. After initial introductions with our small group of 6 which included us, we were escorted into a small office by the dock where we had to sign a liability release. At this time, we were also each given a pair of waterproof coveralls that although were not mandatory, were highly recommended. No one was exactly thrilled to dress in such heavy, ill-fitting attire, but everyone agreed it was best to heed the guide’s advice. And yes, they were totally worth wearing because they kept us warm.

Where to sit on the RIB Boat

Erica and I were placed up front because we were the last in line and the smallest, which meant for an overall more rocky experience. Therefore, if you can, sit in the back. The views are fantastic from any seat and you will also be able to move around when stopped looking at wildlife.

U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program (NMMP)

The ride started off initially as just a normal leisurely boat ride. We slowly drifted past the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program (NMMP) where we got passing views of the trainers at work. NMMP is based in San Diego and is where dolphins and sea lions are trained for things such as mine detection, equipment recovery and harbor and ship protection. We were aware of the program’s existence, so were fascinated by the glimpses we got as we slowly drifted by.

We also got a glimpse of other Navy boats.

It’s a rough ride!

After we made our way further out into the Pacific Ocean, our guide picked up speed. This is where the ride started to get rough. It literally felt like riding a mechanical bull! It is when you will either feel exhilaration or want nothing more than for it to be over. Both of us felt as though we might fall out at any moment, but of course we managed to stay in.

Wildlife sightings

After only a few minutes out on the water, we sighted a few sea lions sunning themselves on a buoy. We were excited because this was the first time we had ever seen them in their natural habitat. The guide stopped the boat to give us a chance to snap some pictures before continuing the tour in search of dolphins and whales.

Another thirty minutes went by speeding through the open ocean at a high speeds, bouncing our seats in the boat before a fellow passenger alerted our guide of a possible dolphin sighting. The guide stopped the boat to give everyone a chance to see what turned out to be a megapod of dolphins and a few nursing pods. Everyone was encouraged to get up and walk to the very front of the boat for the best possible viewing opportunities. The ones that did, got an amazing show. It was a truly a magical sight to experience! See that here or down below.

After spending about an hour watching the dolphins, we left to head back in in our final opportunity for a whale sighting. Our guide explained to us that even though whale season was technically over, chances were good we would spot a few because the water had been warmer than usual. We spotted a grey whale after few minutes in an area of an earlier sighting . However, we had already been out in the water over two hours, so we watched it from a distance for about ten minutes before heading back in for the day. When we were safely back to our docking point, Erica was more than ready to get off the boat while I felt like I could have continued the trip all day.

Things to know before you go:

If you have any type of back/neck issue, think twice before booking. Erica has a slipped disk and had trouble walking the next day.
Consider taking Dramamine beforehand. Even if the ocean looks calm at first glance, the swells are bigger than you might think. In addition, the ride is rough at times and there are a few long stops where the boat rocks along with the swell of the water which made some sick.
Do not leave your camera at home because you’ll want theses memories to last a long time.
Tip money. The guide will be instrumental to your tour and you will want to reward them for their hard work.

Day Trips · Edinburgh · Europe · Family Travel · Museums · Scotland · UK · United Kingdom

TrippinTwins: Experiencing Edinburgh’s Camera Obscura

February 2, 2016August 10, 2016 trippintwinsLeave a comment

We knew New Year’s Eve would be a late night, so we planned a leisurely New Year’s Day morning. We were not super concerned with setting an alarm, figuring we would wake up in time to catch our bus into Old Town for brunch and an afternoon walking tour. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say, but that was certainly not the sharpest idea either of us have had. When Tara woke, it was an hour later than expected and she panicked, calling me to wake up saying, “Get up, get up! We have to leave soon.”

Barely awake, we managed to agree to reduce our usual “get ready” time to remain on schedule. In those few minutes, we both managed to make the same assumption that a light jacket would be just fine to carry us through the day. Boy, were were wrong!! When we walked outside, it was sooo much cooler than expected. Tara, not as easily bothered by cold temperatures, somehow talked me into sucking it up and hoping for the best, as it was really my only option.

I agreed to head to brunch, since I had to agree that finding food would improve my mood significantly. Hoping it would warm up after brunch turned out to be only wishful thinking. It somehow managed to only get colder and windier. Tara agreed that staying warm on the walking tour with light jackets would be a challenge, so we would play it by ear.

After the first hour and a good stopping point, we thanked our guide and bowed out in search of a coffee shop to warm up. Afterwards, while walking towards Edinburgh Castle, we noticed a crowd gathered outside Edinburg’s Camera Obscura & World of Illusions and decided to head inside to check it out.

Upon walking in, we quickly joined the ticket line where we learned the entrance fee secures all day access as long as the entrance stamp remains on your hand. The six floors can be tackled in any order, but a majority of the crowd seems to make their way up to the top with the rooftop deck/camera demonstration before making their way down to experience the World of Illusions.

It was already around 3:30 PM when we bought our tickets, so we heeded the ticketing agent suggestion and made our way up the tight and windy stair cases to the sixth floor. Once there, a staff member inquired as to whether we were interested in attending the last fifteen minute camera demonstration of the day. We were thankful for the notice and after telling him we in fact were, then directed towards the rooftop deck to spend some time taking in the amazing view of the city. Although the views are not hard to see, telescopes are offered and are quite the crowd pleaser. The best part was that we arrived at the perfect time for a perfect sunset view!

When it was time for the camera demonstration, we were taken to a dark room and instructed to gather around the camera viewfinder, which is about the size of a medium round table. Our guide demonstrated how the camera worked by moving it around the viewing area, giving the group a virtual tour of Edinburgh. The sun had already set, so we were told our views would be limited to well known brightly lit neighborhoods and buildings. We were pleasantly surprised at how many city landmarks we could identify along with the areas that had been lit with holiday lights. The definite crowd pleaser was being given white pieces of paper which we used to “pick up” objects and landmarks.

If this demonstration is a priority for your visit, we suggest getting there earlier in the day. We were told the views are better on sunny and less cloudy days.

After the camera demonstration, we spent the next two hours exploring the World of Illusions starting with level 5 and working our way down to 2. (5: Magic Gallery 4: Light Fantastic 3: Eye Spy Edinburgh 2: Bewilderworld) Every floor is divided up in smaller sections with various activities and hands on learning opportunities fun for both kids and adults. Many of the displays allow for hands on learning experiences using light displays, color and other optical illusions. In addition, there are puzzles, a vortex tunnel, a mirror maze, which are all popular.

Like many places with multiple exhibits/stations, we quickly found out that a few stations attracted more crowds than others. We skimmed the rooms for the stations with the fewest people, did those first and came back to the others later. We had a fantastic afternoon reading and learning about Edinburgh and photography, learning about the illusions, playing with the hands on experiments and learning the explanations behind the tricks. It took us about two hours to do every station we were interested in, but we can see others easily spending 3-4 hours.

Camera Obscura is a fantastic place to add to your Edinburgh itinerary that most everyone can enjoy.

Hat tips:

The stair cases are very narrow and steep, which can be challenging

All strollers have to stay in the lobby

There is no elevator

Families seemed to use the all day access for easy restroom access 🙂

Day Trips · Everglades National Park · Fall · Florida · National Parks · Tours · Trip Ideas · Trip Planning · Water Adventures

Florida Everglades: In a Day

November 21, 2015November 23, 2015 trippintwinsLeave a comment

What do you do when you only have 24 hours to see a place you have longed dreamed of? This is the quandary we found ourselves in recently after attending TBEX in Fort Lauderdale, FL. We really did not want to leave the Ft. Lauderdale area once again without seeing the Everglades, but knew we had to find a way to do so in 24 hours. After doing some research, we decided to book a tour through Viator with a company that offers small group day tours with hotel pickup.

The tour operator we took the tour with is called Eco-Adventures and the official tour name is “Everglades Day Tour”. The tour covers a wide area of the Everglades along Hwy 41 and allows one to see a variety of ecosystems quickly. Our guide, Alex, picked us up from our hotel in downtown Ft. Lauderdale in a 13 passenger van. There were several last minute cancellations, so there were only two others on the tour with us which worked out great. As a guide, Alex, was much more than your average tour guide. He is a wildlife naturalist and kept us engaged during our hour drive to our first stop in Davie, FL by describing the significant landscape changes, the Indian tribes that live in the area, the native and invasive plants and the animals that we are most likely to see.

Our first stop of the day was at Pond Apple Swamp to take an airboat ride through the Sawgrass Prairie. This was an entertaining and educational 40 minute ride in the Pond Apple Swamp where we saw alligators, birds, turtles, flowers and vegetation. The boat went slow enough to allow discussion about the animals and to allow people to take photos. We also learned what looked like intentional defined paths across the prairie, are actually formed by repeated use of airboats in the same areas.

Defined paths across the sawgrass prairie made by repeated airboat use

Baby alligator spotted on the airboat ride

White Ibis flying across the sawgrass prairie

At the conclusion of the boat ride, our tour mates told Alex, our guide, they wished to see more alligators. He was more than happy to accommodate their request by driving us to a boardwalk area where he had recently seen a few hanging out. We viewed wildlife and relaxed there for 15 minutes before continuing on along Hwy 41 to our next official stop at Kirby Skorter Roadside Park.

The Kirby Skorter Roadside Park, named after one of the area’s pioneering families, is a great place to see Cypress trees and offers many possibilities for wildlife sightings. Most importantly, it allows people to stay dry while doing so. Our guide told us the best time to do this is in October – March. We took a leisurely stroll on the boardwalk, which is a 1 mile round trip, while Alex described everything that we were looking at to us. This was a fun activity appropriate for all ages and activity levels.

Following our walk, we were taken to the Oyster House Restaurant in Everglades, FL for lunch. We were all really hungry at this point in the day and were ready to eat. Thankfully Alex had called in our order earlier in the day, so we did not have to wait long for our food and drinks to arrive. The cost of lunch was included in the tour price, so that meant the food selection was somewhat limited, but good. As part of our lunch, we were given fried alligator bites to try as an appetizer.

Tara & Alligator — Tara eating alligator

After lunch we got ready for our last activity of the day. We went on a 90 minute boat ride to Ten Thousand Islands cruise with the Everglades National Park Boat Tours. On this boat ride, we explored the saltwater gulf and the Mangrove forests. Our boat captain did a great job of spotting wildlife, slowing down for us to get a good glimpse and mentioned that we were a super lucky group because we saw a plethora of wildlife. We saw several dolphins playing, a bald eagle, a few manatees, flamingos and various other birds. When the ride was over, our group did not want it to end because we all had such a great time. However, it was time for us to head back to Ft. Lauderdale so we could go to dinner and our guide could watch his football game!

We had an amazing day in the everglades and cannot wait until our next trip there. Have you been? If so, what did you see that we didn’t?

Adventure · Airboat Tours · Day Trips · Everglades National Park · Florida · National Parks · Tours · travel · Water Adventures

Snapshot Sunday: Florida Everglades-Sawgrass Prairie

November 2, 2015November 3, 2015 trippintwinsLeave a comment

Water trail made by repeated use of airboats in same area

Florida Soft-shell Turtle in the Sawgrass Recreation Area

View looking onto Sawgrass Prairie from airboat

Water lilies from the airboat

Day Trips · Tennessee

Day Trippin’: World class distillery in a old school house

September 3, 2015September 9, 2015 trippintwinsLeave a comment

We always enjoy checking out newly discovered breweries/distilleries Recently, we were told about a successful family distillery that offers free tours and tastings close by. When we found out that their original location was located in a former school-house at base of the Cumberland Mountain Range, we knew we had to go. Recently,our hometown decided to turn a former school campus into a beer campus called Campus No. 805, which left more than a few people curious as how that was going to work out. So, we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to actually see how this successful Prichard’s Distillery used their space.

Where is Prichard’s Distillery located?

Prichard’s Distillery has two locations: the original distillery is located in Kelso, TN and the newest one near Nashville, TN. The location near Nashville, TN (Barbara Mandrell’s former estate) is a bigger facility that includes both a restaurant and Inn. Ideally, one could make a weekend trip out of visiting both locations. Since we were interested to see the distillery in the old school-house and had limited time, we decided to tour the distillery in Kelso, TN that operates out of a red brick school that was built in 1939 and closed in 1979.

What makes the Prichard’s Distillery in Kelso, TN unique?

Even though the building has been re-purposed as a distillery, it still feels very much like a school. Former classrooms now serve as welcoming, bottling, and tasting areas. A former office serves as the purchasing/check out room. Basketball hoops still hang in the former gym that now serve as the shipping and receiving area. In this decidedly non-corporate place, it manages quite well to come together to be the quaint small batch craft distillery it is.

What happens when you arrive?

When you first walk into the entryway, it feels like arriving at someone’s home. This is refreshing because it has a such an un-corporate feel to it and you feel like special guests. We just walked in and found our way to the office to inquire what the process was to take a tour. We were told the next tour would start within the next 20 minutes and to make ourselves comfortable in the welcome area. This gave us a few minutes to walk around, take some pictures and look at the products on display. Our favorite part of this room was how their entire alcohol product line was proudly displayed, on a former teacher’s desk in the front and center of the room. After a few minutes other people started to arrive followed by our guide. Our guide introduced himself and then put on a video for us to watch that described the history of the distillery. After the video was over, the tour started.

What do I see on the tour?

The tour lasted about 30 minutes, which was perfect for this size of a distillery. Our guide was very knowledgeable and was able to answer any question anyone threw at him. The tour was a basic overview of the business that covered every step in the process-from making the batches of product, storage and shipping. We started with the shipping and receiving center in the old gymnasium. Everyone was fascinated by the basketball hoops that are still hanging. Next, we followed our guide outside to view the holding barrels then to the old maintenance building to see where the bronze stills are located that do the heart of the distilling work. We were then led back inside to the bottling room and finished in the tasting room, which were both old classrooms. We learned the key factor that distinguishes Prichard’s rum from Caribbean rum, Prichard’s uses table quality molasses to make rum instead of the black strap molasses that is often used for Caribbean rum. Our guide also explained how being a small batch craft distillery lends well to experimentation and allows them to keep experimenting with flavors.

The opportunity to check out the building and the free tour and tastings made it a great day trip. One cool thing we learned during the tasting is that their most popular product, the Sweet Lucy liqueur (70 proof), is so popular a portion of every sale is donated to the non-profit A Soldier’s Child. We were told by an acquaintance to make the trip just to try and buy their key lime rum, but at the end of the tasting, we left with a mix of several different kinds of rum, whiskey and liqueurs. This distillery is about 15 miles from Jack Daniels Distillery, so make this stop a priority on your next trip to Lynchburg, TN.

Atlanta · baseball · Day Trips · favorites · Museums

trippintwins : See It in the ATL

August 17, 2015August 17, 2015 trippintwinsLeave a comment

Atlanta, GA is the 9th populous city in the U.S. and is home to numerous international corporations, including CNN, Coca Cola and Delta Airlines. Atlanta was also the host of the 1996 Olympic Games. Atlanta is a four hour drive from where we live, so we typically go a few times a year. These are some highlights from our trips to Atlanta during this summer that can easily fit into your schedule the next time you are at the ATL for a long layover or are looking for suggestions for your next trip.

1. Center for Civil and Human Rights

The center opened just over a year ago, in April 2014. It is located in Pemperton Park (downtown area), across from another place worth checking out, the World of Coca Cola. The center’s vision is: ” to connect the 20th Century American Civil Rights Movement with today’s Global Human Rights Movements”. (Center for Civil and Human Rights) Currently, the center has three permanent exhibits on display, a rotating exhibit from Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr Collection and a temporary exhibit. The exhibits are designed to be both visually and auditorily engaging making it an excellent place to visit. Admission is $10-15 depending on a variety of factors, active duty military and 6 and under are free. In addition, it is a choice on the Atlanta CityPASS.

A slide show of our experience is below:

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2. CNN Center

The CNN Center serves as the Global Headquarters building for CNN and is most definitely worth a stop by. The building is open to the public, has a huge food court, restaurants, retail shopping and tours available. This summer we decided to take the Inside CNN VIP Tour. This 50 minute tour is perfect for anyone 12 or over that is interested in a behind the scenes tour of the network. Visitors receive an overview of the network’s history, learns how it became an international news powerhouse and gets a look at the processes involved in creating various news shows. For Wow! moments, you will ride the tallest free-standing escalator in the world (8 stories), try your hand at reading from a prompter and see the Magic Board that was first used in the 2008 election coverage. You step inside various news studios and production rooms and have all your questions answered. Tours are limited to 12 people, so tickets ($35) should be purchased in advance. The Inside CNN Tour is part of the Atlanta CityPASS, but not the VIP one.

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3. Atlanta Botanical Gardens-Bruce Munro: Light

The largest light show designed by Mr. Munro in the Southeastern U.S is currently on display at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. It is an enchanting way to spend an evening. The light show is created by displays of thousands of fiber optic lights that span the grounds of the Gardens. The Gardens are lit up from 6-11 pm on Wednesday-Sunday evenings through 3 October 2015.Ticket prices run from 13.95 to 22.95 based on day and age. If the light show does not fit into your schedule, check out the Gardens during the daytime hours for an equally visually stunning experience.

4. Catch a Game!

Atlanta is a professional sports team powerhouse city that can satisfy any hardcore sports fan. It serves as the home of four professional sports teams: Atlanta Braves (MLB), Atlanta Dream (WMBA), Atlanta Falcons (NFL), Atlanta Hawks (NBA) and the scheduled MLS expansion team in 2017. We had the chance to attend an Atlanta Hawks playoff game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in May 2015 at Georgia Dome. The Georgia Dome is walking distance from downtown hotels. Several other notable attractions: Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park and SkyView Atlanta (Atlanta’s answer to the London Eye) are located nearby.

One of our traditions is to catch at least one Atlanta Braves game per year while visiting. This year we attended games on Memorial Day Weekend and July 4th Weekend, which are great times to be in attendance. The Turner Field and Atlanta Braves staff do a great job of hosting event nights, especially things for members of their community. This includes several events every year that honor active, former military members and their families. We were lucky enough to attend Military Appreciation night over Memorial Day Weekend in May and have put some pictures of in the slideshow. As for attending a Braves game on the 4th of July, well, there is nothing more American than staying to the bitter end to watch an awesome firework show!

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Have you been to Atlanta? If so, what are your favorite things to do, places to go?

Alabama · Day Trips

Day Trippin’: Mooresville, AL

July 14, 2015July 22, 2015 trippintwinsLeave a comment

We are always on the lookout for new and interesting day trip ideas. Recently we read about a sleepy small town, less than an hour away from where we live, that is listed on an “America’s Best 50 Small Towns” list. We decided to explore Mooresville, AL to discover what makes it so special.

Mooresville, AL is a quaint Anti-Bellem town that is located in Limestone County, AL on the Tennessee River. It was incorporated on November 16, 1818, a year before Alabama gained statehood. It’s early residents were mostly merchants, cotton farmers and traders. The town is 0.1 miles and covers just six streets and has about 55 residents. The entire town, of 19th Century period architecture, is on the U.S. Register of Historic Places. It also served as the one time home for US Presidents James A. Garfield and Andrew Johnson. It also served as the film set for the Disney movie, Tom and Huck.

The first place we saw upon arriving in Mooresville was Java, the local coffee shop. It’s a charming locally owned store which use to be the town’s General Store. It is a great place to grab a drink, a bite to eat and look around at the antique furniture and artworks that are on display for sale. It’s also the perfect place to chat with some locals to get historical information about the town and sights to see.

Located across the street from Java, is a parking lot. We learned at Java that bicycling is the most popular form of transportation and saw evidence of that in the parking lot with bicyclists there meeting others. We also saw people parking there to walk the town. While in the area, make sure to see these fascinating historical places: Mooresville Brick Church, Mooresville Church of Christ, Mooresville Stagecoach Inn and Tavern and Post Office that the residents have worked hard to preserve.

Mooresville Brick Church is located on Lauderdale St. The church property was donated by Governor Thomas Bibb and his wife with designation for a church to be built. The church was build in Greek Revival style and completed in 1839. The steeple is unique, depicting a hand pointing towards Heaven. The church served as a worship location for Cumberland Presbyterian, Methodists and Baptists. It was deconsecration by the Methodists in 1994 and handed over to the town to be used for weddings and photo shoots.

Mooresville Church of Christ is located on Market Street on land that was bought in 1851 for $20.00. It was first built in 1854 with additions added in the 1930’s to add space to the church. It is a white clapboard church built in a more modest Greek Revival style. It has a storied past and has managed to survive without ever having a full time preacher. The first Christian of Moorseville, J. H. Hundley, was baptized in this church, it survived yellow fever outbreaks nearby and the Civil War. This is also the church where James Garfield, the 20th president of the U.S., preached once during the Civil War. Today, the church receives help from nearby churches to remain open.

Mooresville Stagecoach Inn and Tavern is located on High Street. These were once common along Alabama traveling routes. This one was built by Griffin Lampkin before 1825 and served as the town’s post office before a new one was built. The current post office, thought to be built around 1840, is the oldest active post office in Alabama. The Inn used to have two levels. The common room was on the first floor and the two room sleeping quarters on the second floor. The building was used for other purposed before being donated to the city and restored in the mid 1990’s. Currently, it is used as a museum and City Hall.

Mooresville, AL Stage Coach Inn & Tavern

Mooresville Post Office — Mooresville, AL Post Office dating back to the 1840’s.

The homes in Mooresville are beautiful and well kept and the Oak trees in the area are thought to date back to the early 1800’s. The town is located between Huntsville and Decatur, AL making this an easy afternoon trip

Adventure · Alabama · Day Trips · Waterfall

Day Trippin’: Little River Canyon Nature Preserve

June 20, 2015August 6, 2016 trippintwins3 Comments

What is one part of the country we have not spent a lot of time discovering? Oddly enough, that would be our own backyard. We set out recently to visit Little River Canyon National Preserve, located in northeast Alabama, as part of Lookout Mountain. The canyon itself is twelve miles long and in some areas, almost six hundred feet deep. It has a storied past, used by Native Americans and by the Union and Confederate troops during the Civil War. The river was categorized as a State Wild and Scenic River in 1969 because of its uniqueness of being the only river that flows entirely on a mountain. In 1992 it was designated as part of the National Park Service. It was also named in a 2014 Huffington Post article listing it as one of Cheapflights.com’s g best swimming holes around the world.

Our first stop was to the Little River Canyon Center, which is open for tourism suggestions 7 days a week from 10:00am-4:00pm CST. There is also a gift shop which is closed on Mondays. We stopped by to get a map of the general area and receive pointers for the best lookout areas for the falls.

After our stop at the Canyon Center, we drove down the road to see the Little River Falls, which is a 45 foot waterfall. The amount of water that you will see depends on the current rainfall amounts. There is typically higher water levels during the winter and spring months, which also make for an ideal kayaking time. The water is warmer in late spring and summer though, which makes it an ideal time to swim. The Little River Canyon is easily accessible for viewing for all as it is only 1000 feet from the parking lot and a boardwalk makes for an easy walk. We decided to only view it from the boardwalk, but for the more adventurous there is a trail that leads to the entry of the water behind the falls.

After spending some time viewing Little River Falls, we went to Martha’s Falls. There are two ways to get there from Little River Falls: walk a trail for 3/4 mile or drive and take a chance on finding an available parking space in a gravel lot at the site. The day we visited, it was a blistering 97 degrees, so we decided to drive. We were happy to find a close parking place, but not so happy to discover that we were blocked in later… (more on that later)

Martha’s Falls is a popular swimming area, so expect crowds on hot summer days. The trail from the parking lot is roughly a mile long. Nearly half of the trail is rocky and steep, so it is necessary to have some fitness ability to make it to the end. The little kids seen along the trail seemed to handle the hike well, bouncing and jumping from rock to rock and keep up with the more frequent visitors/experienced hikers. For those with less experience, taking breaks and wearing shoes with traction is recommended. Alcohol is not allowed, but leashed pets are. Though, when we were there, the leash rule was not enforced. Be sure to bring lots of drinking water to stay hydrated.

As most people who exit the river area and hike the trail back to the parking lot, we were tired and ready to leave. When we got to the parking lot, it was evident that a truck had parked in the last available spot, which blocked the entire back row of cars in. The park rangers were called, who waited a bit before ticketing the car and finally calling a tow truck. We were assured that incidents like this one are not a usual occurrence, but it was definitely frustrating to many people there. Parking tip-Park on the front row, if at all possible! There are also other side lots on the side of the road other people were parking in.

If you’re looking for a day trip from north Alabama, this is easily doable. If you are in the Fort Payne area visiting the Alabama Fan Club and Museum, stop by!