Years ago, I started following an account on instagram of a guy who would go find shark teeth and other fossils in the river beds of South Carolina. I was fascinated by all his finds and I started dreaming about someday having my own experience. When we found out we were moving to South Carolina, one of the first things I started looking into was where exactly to find shark teeth! There are many places that pop up when you start looking into where to find fossils in South Carolina. We had been to a couple beaches and did our own hunting around but it wasn’t until we actually did a charter that we learned exactly what to look for and where. This post is going to address some of the frequently asked questions, if you will, that I see when it comes to finding shark teeth in South Carolina, and maybe even inspire you in your next hobby, because we certainly have found a new obsession! And then we’ll get into the charter that we took! Why?First up, why? Why are there so many shark teeth in South Carolina?? Well, the easiest way to answer this question is to imagine what South Carolina would’ve looked like millions of years ago. Before the ice age, the coast of South Carolina was actually about 120 miles inland from where it is now, which means the Lowcountry was considered the deep sea. I’m no paleontologist, but in lamen’s terms, the coast of South Carolina went through many time periods for millions of years with different shark species coming into and out of existence just off it’s shores. There is even evidence of prehistoric “shark nurseries” in the area which have similarities to shark nurseries you can find off the coast today. So to make the answer even simpler, sharks and other marine life have been here for tens of millions of years. Each shark - and it’s ancestor - has tens of thousands of teeth. Over time, these teeth become fossils that are constantly (twice a day with the tide) being washed up/uncovered on the coast, leaving treasures from the past for us to collect! What?Secondly, what? What exactly are we looking for when we’re looking for shark teeth and what kind of fossils are there to be found in South Carolina? A really fun website to peruse is https://www.fossilguy.com/sites/coastal-south-carolina/south-carolina-fossils.htm He talks about the identification of fossils in South Carolina and has helped us identify what we’ve found on the coast. What kind of fossils can you find in South Carolina? Shark teeth! Sharks, sharks, and more sharks have lived here for millions of years. We’ve found teeth of all sizes, from tiny little sand and hammerhead sharks, to the larger Angustidens shark which lived 22-33 million years ago. But there are also plenty of bull shark, great white, and even the occasional prized Megalodon teeth can be found in South Carolina. We’ve also found lots of shark vertebrae and even the vertebrae of a small whale, or large dolphin! People have also found mammoth fossils and other bones so definitely be on the lookout for other things…but the easiest to distinguish is the teeth. While on the beach, training your eye to look for shiny, black, triangular shaped objects is really what will get you going. Fossilized shark teeth are usually black but you may find them in lighter colors as well. It’s actually extremely rare to find a “fresh” shark tooth but the color doesn’t necessarily tell us it’s age. The color depends on the type of minerals the fossil absorbed while buried in the ocean floor. Pro tip: while looking for teeth on the beach, don’t wear sunglasses! It will make the darker colors harder to see. How?We got a lot of questions as to how we found everything that we found and I’m going to let you in on a secret: all of this was from one shark teeth hunting trip!! We actually took a charter with Coastal Expeditions and booked their beach drop to Morris Island. With this “tour”, we boarded a boat in Shem Creek, near Charleston, and took a short and scenic trip to the uninhabited barrier island. They have a naturalist on board as well as a very knowledgeable captain who both shared a lot of information about the local wildlife and history. We were dropped off on the island for a few hours - we had packed a lunch and were mentally prepared for no bathrooms - and we all had a blast! I honestly wondered how my kids would fare out on the island for a few hours but we were entertained the entire time by hunting for teeth, shells, watching the dolphins hunting in low tide and coming across other wildlife. Honestly, even my 3 year old found some shark teeth and we all had such an amazing time! On our way back from the island, we drove past Fort Sumter and had a great little lesson on the history of the first battle of the civil war at the actual site, which was pretty cool because you do have to board a ferry to get a tour out there normally. Also, on the way back, the naturalist onboard went around and identified some of our fossils, which was very cool to learn about. I kind of wanted to go around with her to see what everyone else had found, too! We are just getting started with our adventures here in South Carolina, but I can honestly say that this excursion was one of the coolest things we’ve done! It was so cool to see each of us have such a fun experience together and thoroughly enjoy it at all our respective ages. Just a few tips for going on this trip: First, we all wore swim suits and packed lots of sunscreen and hats. We brought towels and all the beach gear for all of that (even though we didn’t end up swimming because we were having so much fun finding little treasures! We also packed all the snack and food, because we knew it was going to be awhile and it was recommended for us to do so by the employees. Second, once we got to the island, we also kind of booked it to the other side of the jetty. The naturalist had mentioned there was usually more success there, and while it was a little bit of a walk, we did *not* regret it at all! It was kind of funny because, as soon as we got to the other side of the jetty, I put all our stuff down and my three year old immediately asked me to carry him. I told him, “I can’t. I’m looking for shark teeth…” and I bent down, and picked one up and said “…just like this one!” Haha it was crazy. Once we all realized what we were looking for…again - black, shiny, and triangular… we all were finding things the whole few hours. My 10 year old was the best at finding the tiny guys and eventually, I went down to wade in the water with my 7 year old and that’s where we found the larger one. Jon was very successful with finding all the vertebrae, most of which were actually found on our walk to the other side of the jetty at the beginning of our trip! So what do you think? Are you going to start a new hobby with us? Did you know any of this info or learn something new? Are you an expert shark tooth hunter and have more to add? Please let us know! If you have any questions about our experience, we’re always happy to answer! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live!
0 Comments
We might’ve just been introduced to one of South Carolina’s major hidden gems! The more people we talk to, the more we realize just how much this place is flying under the radar and - given the fact that it has jumped to the top of our kids favorite family vacation spots - we feel it is our duty to share it with you here! Fripp Island is the most seaward island in South Carolina. It’s right near the southern tip of the state, midway between Charleston and Savannah, Georgia (with Savannah’s airport being the closest). Getting to Fripp Island includes a beautiful drive through Beaufort, South Carolina and Saint Helena Island which is the closest town to Fripp. Fripp Island is only about 6 1/2 square miles. Fun fact: the island was a popular pirate’s hideaway back in the day and local legend suggests that Blackbeard left behind some buried treasure somewhere on the island! Along with three miles of pristine beachfront overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, it is home to one of the largest undisturbed marsh and coastal areas on the Atlantic Coast - which means an amazing diversity of wildlife. In fact, Fripp Island is a designated wildlife sanctuary! It is the home of a large herd of whitetail deer, more than 80 species of birds - including everything from blue herons to bald eagles. Loggerhead sea turtles also make Fripp Island a nesting place each year, and the marsh is home to resident bottlenose dolphins. And I can’t even count how many alligators we saw in our short time there! Where to StayOne of the best things we liked about Fripp Island was that it is off the beaten path. Fripp Island is actually a private resort. To get onto the island, you have to pass through a security gate and it is only accessible to those with reservations at one of the many rental properties in this private community. There are many different types of rentals at the resort, but we were lucky enough to have a hosted stay at Heather’s Happy Shack which is a condo in the Beach Villas. Heather’s rental includes a gate pass and guest cards for up to 6 people. The guest card is what gets you access to each of the resort’s amenities - including restaurants, pools, fitness center, and more (a $300 value!) Also included is a 4-seat golf cart rental for your stay which is the preferred mode of transportation to explore the island! Heather’s Happy Shack is centrally located on the island. It was perfect for our little family of 5 but it can comfortably sleep 6 people. We loved that it was a top floor condo and had an incredible view of the marsh! We saw alligators and sting rays swimming by, fish jumping, and birds fishing all while sitting in the beautiful screened-in porch area. Because Fripp Island is a turtle nesting area, the island is kept quite dark at night which was a whole different experience to look out upon from the screened in porch. We enjoyed listening to the frogs and bugs at night and we could easily imagine how South Carolina looked to the first people who thrived here long ago. We also enjoyed the fully stocked kitchen! While there are restaurants on the island, as well as a small grocery store, we enjoyed the ease of stocking up on food in Beaufort on our way and being able to have slow mornings making breakfast and late nights cooking dinner at our leisure. The rental also has a full-sized washer and dryer. On this small, majestic island, there is so much to do! Fripp Island is home to two designer golf courses, tennis and pickle ball courts, and multiple relaxing pools for all types of vacationers. We spent 3 days in the area and had the best time! The first night we arrived, we took care of business by checking in and getting all our passes as well as grabbing our golf cart. It was love at first night ;) Exploring the island by golf cart, spying baby alligators and all the cute, little white-tailed deer all over the place and then making it official with a quick visit to the beach Day 1If we weren’t sold by our first night, we were definitely in it for the long haul when we woke up to this view! We started off the day by going to check out the nature center, but on the way we spotted this big guy sun bathing in someone’s back yard. Once at the nature center, we loved checking out all the animals. They had frogs, snakes, turtles, a baby alligator, and even a baby raccoon which was so fun to see. We had just gone to see what it was all about but the nature center has so many activities going all the time for all ages. There are kids crafting activities, guided nature tours, even a weekly kids story time and so much more. This is definitely a spot to become familiar with when you first get to the island. Our next stop was a couple hours at the pool. Our family loved the pools at the Cabana Club. There they have 3 pools, with one being a kiddie pool and it’s right on the end of the island so it looks out over the ocean. Along with the peaceful views, they had live music and good poolside food - definitely try the fries! After lunch at the Cabana Club, we were onto our next stop, which was actually the neighboring island known as Hunting Island State Park. Fripp and Hunting Island is actually where they filmed the Vietnam scenes in the movie Forrest Gump! So if that doesn’t demonstrate just how beautiful and tropical the island feels, I don’t know what does. The state park is home to South Carolina’s only publicly accessible lighthouse! This historic lighthouse (built in 1873) is actually a recreation of the original lighthouse - which was built in 1859 - because the original one was burned down by Confederate soldiers to prevent the Union from being able to use it for navigation. We’ve heard there’s a fun nature center on the island as well as a beautiful marsh boardwalk. There are rumors that you can find shark teeth on the northern part of the island as well! We weren’t so lucky but we did stop by the visitors center to say hi to the resident alligator. We hung out at the beach exploring the little tide pool areas and even venturing down to the driftwood area. There is nowhere you can go wrong when visiting Hunting Island State Park. It’s beautiful from all angles, which I guess explains why it’s one of South Carolina’s single most visited State Park! Day 2Our next day started out with another jaunt around the island on the golf cart. We spotted more gators just chilling on the golf course, which never got old to see haha. And then we headed off the island again and went to explore Beaufort a little bit. I already mentioned Beaufort is extremely close as well. If you are looking for a change of pace, it’s an excellent place to visit! Established in 1711, but with Europeans making their mark on the area since the 1500s, there is incredible history here! We started off our day with a dolphin and history tour with Coastal Expeditions. It was a very well-rounded tour where we learned so much about the local wildlife and history. We saw dolphins and all kinds of birds and we are big fans of just being out on the water. Afterwards, we kind of hung out at the marina and we actually saw the drawbridge move to let through a sailboat, which was really cool! The waterfront park located there has a few swings where we could hang out and watch the boats for a bit which was pretty fun. Next, we grabbed lunch at the Lowcountry Produce Market and Cafe, which was super cute inside. They sell a lot of local art and foods so it was fun to browse while waiting for a table. The building started out as a post office in the early 1900s so it was also just really cool to see that. While the food was okay, they do serve “brunch” foods all day and the donuts were a big hit for us! There is a variety of historic tours you can take but in Beaufort but we enjoyed just roaming the area around Old Point neighborhood where you can find the oldest homes in Beaufort. This neighborhood is within walking distance from the restaurant we were parked at as well as the incredible visitors center, which is inside the actual Beaufort Arsenal. It was really cool to hang out here for a bit and would be fun to go back when the history museum, located in the upper level, is open. As we drove back to Fripp Island, we drove over that drawbridge we had watched earlier in the day. This bridge has some fun history in that it was also a backdrop for another famous scene in the Forrest Gump movie, although in the movie it’s labeled as “Mississippi River”. But you’ll recognize it in the part of the movie when Forrest is doing one of his cross-country runs. After some dinner back on the island, we got some ice cream at Island Bites and went on yet another gold cart ride around the island. As we were exploring, we realized some of the deer were very curious and when we stopped the cart, they came right up to us and let us pet them! It was a true Snow White moment and super cool. Then we went to watch the sunset on the marsh and ended another beautiful day on Fripp Island. Day 3This was our last morning on the island, and it was with heavy hearts and promises to come back that we said goodbye. We hit up a few more places in Beaufort before heading home. Some major scenes from Forrest Gump were also shot with Gay Fish Co, which is right near Fripp Island. If you go inside the building, they have framed receipts showing how much Paramount paid Gay Fish Co. for all the shrimp they used in the iconic scene in the movie. Another highlight was visiting the Penn Center. Penn Center was the first school in the South for formerly enslaved West Africans. It’s a beautiful national historic district that preserves the history of the Gullah culture and the communities that literally built the South. Learning about this property from the guides was a special experience. They were so knowledgeable and happy to share points of interest that our whole family would enjoy. We became junior rangers at the National Park building on the property and we even got to see the little cabin where Martin Luther King, jr. wrote his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Another place that we really thought was cool was the Old Sheldon Church Ruins just outside of Beaufort. This is a must see! These ruins were originally known as Prince William’s Parish, built between 1745 and 1753. It was partially burned down by British loyalists in 1779, rebuilt during the Revolutionary War and then again dismantled by the Union just before the end of the Civil War. The grounds are scattered with historic graves, including Colonel William Bull who was a key figure in establishing Savannah, Georgia. Again, there is so much history to take in in this area that ranges from all periods of this country. Such an amazing place to explore. Fripp Island is a true oasis and we can say we 100% fell in love with this little slice of heaven on earth. We have every intention of coming back with friends and family to share this extremely special place. We haven’t been to many places in South Carolina yet, but I have a feeling that Fripp Island will stay at the top of our list of places you need to experience! Have you been to the area and have something to add? Please let us know! Never heard of Fripp Island and have questions about our trip? We’re always happy to answer! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! We just got back from a fantastic little beach vacation off the coast of South Carolina. I’m talking about the kind of vacation that your kids beg for an extra day and there’s a little sadness in the air on the drive back home. You know that kind, right? The kind of vacations you leave with resolve to come back and bring all your favorite people with you because you just have to share it? The beauty of this specific little trip is that it was only a short driving distance from our home so we really could recreate it any time! Our extended weekend trip was to a little place called Fripp Island, South Carolina. Fripp Island is the most seaward island in South Carolina. It’s only about 6 1/2 square miles. Along with three miles of pristine beachfront overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Fripp Island is also home to one of the largest undisturbed marsh and coastal areas on the Atlantic Coast - which means an amazing diversity of wildlife. In fact, Fripp Island is a designated wildlife sanctuary! It is the home of a large herd of whitetail deer, more than 80 species of birds - including everything from blue herons to bald eagles. Loggerhead sea turtles also make Fripp Island a nesting place each year, and the marsh is home to resident bottlenose dolphins. I can’t even count how many alligators we saw in our short time there! Before we go any further, let’s talk about how to get there. Fripp Island is near the southern tip of South Carolina, midway between Charleston and Savannah, Georgia with Savannah’s airport being the closest to Fripp. It is 67 miles from Savannah including a beautiful drive through Beaufort, South Carolina and Saint Helena Island which is the closest town to Fripp. On this small, majestic island, there is so much to do! Fripp Island is home to two designer golf courses, tennis and pickle ball courts, and multiple relaxing pools for all types of vacationers. Our family loved the pools at the Cabana Club, but there’s also an olympic pool and an adult’s only pool. My kids got a kick out of the local mode of transportation - golf carts! Cruising around the island was so relaxing and beautiful as we took in scenery ranging from white sandy beaches to giant oaks covered in Spanish moss. Besides exploring on land, there is a nature center which offers many outdoor excursions including guided kayaking tours, fishing charters, dolphin cruises and more. If fishing is your thing, there are multiple crabbing docks and Beaufort, only 30 minutes away, is home to some of the best fishing in the country. One of the best things we liked about Fripp Island was that it is off the beaten path. Fripp Island is actually a private resort. To get onto the island, you have to pass through a security gate and it is only accessible to those with reservations at one of the many rental properties in this private community. There are many different types of rentals at the resort, but we were lucky enough to have a hosted stay at Heather’s Happy Shack which is a condo in the Beach Villas. Heather’s rental includes a gate pass and guest cards for up to 6 people. The guest card is what gets you access to each of the resort’s amenities - including restaurants, pools, fitness center, and more (a $300 value!) Also included is a 4-seat golf cart rental for your stay. Heather’s Happy Shack is centrally located on the island. It was perfect for our little family of 5 but it can comfortably sleep 6 people! We loved that it was a top floor condo and had an incredible view of the marsh! We saw alligators and sting rays swimming by, fish jumping, and birds fishing all while sitting in the beautiful screened-in porch area. Because Fripp Island is a turtle nesting area, the island is kept quite dark at night which was a whole different experience to look out upon from the screened in porch. We enjoyed listening to the frogs and bugs at night and we could easily imagine how South Carolina looked to the first people who thrived here long ago. We also enjoyed the fully stocked kitchen! While there are restaurants on the island, as well as a small grocery store, we enjoyed the ease of stocking up on food in Beaufort on our way and being able to have slow mornings making breakfast and late nights cooking dinner at our leisure. The rental also has a full-sized washer and dryer. If none of this has you convinced to visit Fripp Island, there’s more!! Fripp Island is located right next to South Carolina’s Hunting Island State Park. Fripp and Hunting Island is actually where they filmed the Vietnam scenes in the movie Forrest Gump! So if that doesn’t demonstrate just how beautiful and tropical the island feels, I don’t know what does. We did make our way over to Hunting Island for sunset one of the nights we were there and it was stunning. The state park is home to South Carolina’s only publicly accessible lighthouse! This historic lighthouse (built in 1873) is actually a recreation of the original lighthouse - which was built in 1859 - because the original one was burned down by Confederate soldiers to prevent the Union from being able to use it for navigation. We’ve heard there’s a fun nature center on the island as well as a beautiful marsh boardwalk. There are rumors that you can find shark teeth on the northern part of the island as well! Visiting Hunting Island was a super easy activity to do while staying on Fripp Island. I already mentioned Beaufort is extremely close as well. If you are looking for a change of pace, it’s an excellent place to visit! Established in 1711, but with Europeans making their mark on the area since the 1500s, there is incredible history here! There is a variety of historic tours you can take but we enjoyed just roaming Old Point neighborhood where you can find the oldest homes in Beaufort. Another highlight was visiting the Penn Center. Penn Center was the first school in the South for formerly enslaved West Africans. It’s a beautiful national historic district that preserves the history of the Gullah culture and the communities that literally built the South. Learning about this property from the guides was a special experience. They were so knowledgeable and happy to share points of interest that our whole family would enjoy. We became junior rangers at the National Park building on the property and we even got to see the little cabin where Martin Luther King, jr. wrote his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Another place that we really thought was cool was the Old Sheldon Church Ruins just outside of Beaufort. This is a must see! These ruins were originally known as Prince William’s Parish, built between 1745 and 1753. It was partially burned down by British loyalists in 1779, rebuilt during the Revolutionary War and then again dismantled by the Union just before the end of the Civil War. The grounds are scattered with historic graves, including Colonel William Bull who was a key figure in establishing Savannah, Georgia. Again, there is so much history to take in in this area that ranges from all periods of this country. Such an amazing place to explore. Some other random facts: there is a shrimping company close to Fripp Island called Gay Fish Co. Some major scenes from Forrest Gump were also shot with this company, as they used one of their shrimp boats in the movie. They also filmed the storm scene in these waters. If you go inside the building, they have framed receipts showing how much Paramount paid Gay Fish Co. for all the shrimp they used in the iconic scene in the movie. You may also recognize the Woods Memorial Bridge, which connects Beaufort to Lady’s Island from Forrest Gump as well. This is the bridge Forrest runs across during one of his many cross-country runs…though in the movie it is labeled the Mississippi River. Another fun fact is that Fripp Island was a popular pirate’s hideaway back in the day and local legend suggests that Blackbeard left behind some buried treasure somewhere on the island! Fripp Island is a true oasis and we can say we 100% fell in love with this little slice of heaven on earth. We have every intention of coming back with friends and family to share this extremely special place. We haven’t been to many places in South Carolina yet, but I have a feeling that Fripp Island will stay at the top of our list of places you need to experience! Have you been to the area and have something to add, please let us know! Never heard of Fripp Island and have questions about our trip? We’re always happy to answer! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! Before we had kids, my husband and I had visited Washington DC and had left with plans for our next visit. We haven’t made it back to this side of the country in over 10 years but since moving to the East Coast this past fall, we’ve been able to visit Washington DC three times! It’s definitely a different experience visiting with kids but they’ve all enjoyed each trip there and have even started giving input on things they’d like to do and see there…and it doesn’t hurt that it’s usually based on seeing my sister’s family ;) Each time we’ve visited has been very different from the last, and while we’ve taken our kids to some attractions they weren’t incredibly impressed with, we’ve been to quite a few that we think they can’t stop talking about. And let me tell you, it wasn’t visiting the monuments ;) Don’t get me wrong, you can’t go to Washington DC and not visit the monuments. And the kids were impressed with them the first time we went…especially the Washington Monument because…Spiderman (IYKYK). But we’ve put together this list of family friendly places to visit in Washington DC - that aren’t monuments - that our family has truly enjoyed. 1 - Mount VernonFirst up, we have Mount Vernon. Only a 30 minute drive from Washington DC, a visit to the home of George Washington is definitely worthy of this list. The property is beautiful in every season and has so much to see and learn about that’s interesting for all ages. If you know me, you know that I love everything to do with historical visits, and being able to bring history alive to my kids by visiting Mount Vernon is pretty fun to watch. The things the older kids have learned here that they still talk about is impressive. Go for a regular tour, or watch their calendar of events for special tours! We went to their Christmas at Mount Vernon event and really enjoyed it. 2 - Old Town AlexandriaWhile you’re in the neighborhood, we also recommend a visit to Old Town Alexandria. This town has more history related to the founding of this country than any other town and was the stomping grounds of George Washington, the Lee family, the Mason’s, and many others. Now, again, I love visiting historic places, but I know it’s not always entertaining for young kids. So I was happily surprised when, on our last visit, our 6 year old asked if we could go walk around “the place where you walk on bricks”. I was so happy to know that it wasn’t just me that enjoyed walking the cobblestone street and brick sidewalks of this gorgeous town. There is so much to see and do here but if you just want a quick roam around, we’ve put together a short historic walking tour in the heart of Old Town. Besides the things listed there, our kids particularly enjoyed the Apothecary Museum, walking along the harbor, and the Torpedo Factory! The Torpedo Factory is a building full of art studios that artists can rent out to create their art. My kids showed a lot more interest than I thought they would and loved walking the halls and watching people create all kinds of art out of all kinds of media. Also inside the Torpedo Factory is the Archaeology Museum that has a few different hands on actives for kids that captured their attention as well. 3 - Lego Discovery Center - Washington DCThe next spot our kids loved was definitely planned with them in mind. We had to visit the Lego Discovery Center during our last visit and they all got a huge kick out of it. Included with the ticket price, we each got to create our own custom minifigures. There were building stations for all ages along with an interactive ride and a fun 4D movie. Our visit here was one they all listed as a highlight of our entire trip and we each left with the perfect souvenir. 4 - Dumbarton OaksWhile we’re on the subject of places to see outside of DC proper, we have to mention Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown. This place is a stunning property, especially during the regular season. The gardens are beautiful and serene and we were lucky enough to visit during cherry blossom season. The grounds were quiet and there were very few people and our 3 year old had a great time roaming with us through all the different areas. In fact, we spent so much time in the gardens that by the time we were able to poke our heads inside the museum, there was only 5 minutes before closing time! Thankfully, they let us peek inside the breathtaking Music Room, which words cannot describe. Dumbarton Oaks is the legacy of two art collectors, to put it very simply. The website says it’s a research institute, library, and museum. It’s home to world-class collections of art. The gardens are historic in their own right being designed with a renowned landscape designer. In 2014, it was named one of the top 10 gardens in the world by National Geographic. Being able to take a quick look inside the music room was a very specific choice. This room is famous for hosting historic meetings during WWII. Delegates from China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the US met here to establish what eventually became the United Nations. 5 - Museum of Illusions Washington DCNow, let’s get into DC itself. Another place our kids mentioned was a highlight of our last trip was a visit to the Museum of Illusions. This franchise has locations all over the world, but each spot is unique to the location it’s in. Some of the exhibits were truly mind-bending. We all had fun in the upside-down metro exhibit but the our kids thought the vortex tunnel was super cool. (Make sure to hold tight though, because it made us so dizzy!) There is so much to explore here and we all had so much fun visiting this spot. 6 - Ford's TheaterNot far from the Museum of Illusions is Ford’s Theater, so we definitely had to take the opportunity to visit. The museum is so well done and we learned so much. It goes through what the country was dealing with, politically, at the time of the assassination. Obviously it talks about the presidency of Lincoln and of his family but it also dives into what was known about John Wilkes Booth and about the grand scheme of his plan. They have artifacts from the night of the tragedy and, and my favorite part, was the walk into the theater, which, on one wall, shows Lincoln’s timeline of the day and directly across from it, how it lined up with Booth’s timeline of events that day. In the theater, they had a ranger answering questions, which was very interesting and then we walked across the street to the Peterson House, which was where Lincoln was brought after the shooting and where he died the next day. 7 - International Spy MuseumThis next spot is probably geared more toward older kids…our 3 year old didn’t care much for it. But it was so fun for the rest of us that we have to add it to this list. The International Spy Museum is a museum experience so different than any of the museums we’d been to in Washington DC. At the beginning of the visit, each person is assigned a secret identity and a secret mission to complete during their trip to the museum. While learning about the history of spies in this country - with exhibits on Revolutionary War spies, women spies, spies during WWII and the cold war, and so much more - we got to play games and complete mini trainings to see how well we would do as a spy. It was so fun and so educational and is definitely a must see when visiting Washington DC. I have to admit that we did visit the Washington Monument on this trip, but it was during the Cherry Blossom Festival and they had a giant kite festival going on! It was truly a site to behold, and must different than our previous visits there, so our kids obliged :) We know, as a family with young kids, that trips to big cities can seem daunting. Like, maybe the kids won’t like what we have planned and it’ll feel more like work, dragging them along, than a fun family trip. This trip was so fun for all of us and I’m sure it was because we let our kids have some input in what they wanted to see and do. Next time you’re planning a family trip, ask your kids what they are interested in doing! They might just surprise you and pick things that you’re looking forward too as well. There is so much to do in Washington DC so this is definitely not meant to be an exhaustive list. Every time we end a visit, I feel like our list of things we want to do there grows instead of shrinks. We’ll definitely be back and will probably have some more things to add to this list! So if you have something you think should be on here, please let us know! Have questions about our trip? We’re always happy to answer! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! The first time we ever visited Old Town Alexandria, we just knew it was an incredible place. If you’ve been around for even a minute, you know how much we love history and learning about and seeing and experiencing all of it. Old Town Alexandria is right up our alley! A 20 minute car ride from Washington DC, Alexandria, Virginia was founded in 1749. It has a rich history as one of the first communities in Virginia. It was the stomping grounds of George Washington and many other key figures of this nation, has much history in connection to the Civil War Era as well, and has been very well preserved. Roaming Old Town Alexandria is definitely an experience, but I will admit, it’s hard to know what you’re truly looking at without a bit of research or taking one of the many tours offered in the area. Now that we’ve visited a few different times, I thought it would be fun to put together a short, self-guided walking tour with some of the sites that are incredibly noteworthy. Walking through these streets will give you a great idea of just what this town means to this country. Most parking in the town is limited to 2 hours. While we walked this tour to test it out, we also had two small kids in tow so we were definitely taking our time and we still made it back around the block in time before our meter ran out. We were able to find parking right across the street from the Gadsby Tavern so we made it the first stop on our tour! The Gadsby Tavern Museum is only open Thursday-Sunday and you can eat in the restaurant Wednesday-Sunday. Gadsby Tavern has been a fine dining restaurant since 1770 - patrons including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison and James Monroe. Custom to the times, Gadsby Tavern, being the most prominent tavern in town, was the center of economic, political, and social life in Alexandria. The hotel even includes a ballroom which was the event center of choice for the patriots who established nearby Washington DC. Many receptions for presidents have been held here, as well as a few birthday parties for George Washington. No public building is more closely tied to the establishment of this country than Gadsby Tavern. We haven’t experienced eating in the restaurant but a quick look through the menu shows that you will be eating classic 18th century fare in an elegant, Colonial atmosphere. We’ve heard it’s quite the experience. It was very interesting to walk through the hotel museum though, and walk around the ballroom, which still holds balls for special occasions. This building was a stop on a ghost tour we took, so pay attention to any paranormal activity! The story of the Female Stranger is one of the most famous stories in Alexandria folklore. As the legend goes, a man and woman came to the hotel after docking in port. The woman was sickly and the man called for a doctor. After Mr. Gadsby and the doctor and nurses pledged secrecy, they treated the woman until she passed. The man ordered an elegant tabletop headstone for her grave and a large church service, but quickly after the service, he left town leaving all bills unpaid. Everyone involved kept their promise, though, and the couple’s identity was never revealed. But signs tell us that she still roams the halls of Gadsby Tavern, with much attention to Room 8, the room where she died. Before leaving Gadsby Tavern, pay a visit to the site just on the corner of the street. As part of Gadsby Tavern, there is a historic ice well that was been restored with viewing windows to showcase the interior of the well. The ice well was built in the late 1700s in connection with Gadsby Tavern. Enslaved laborers would cut ice from the frozen Potomac River and haul it by cart to the site of the ice well. They would lower the ice into the well through a hatch and then, once in the well, it would be pounded back into a solid mound and covered with straw where it would last through the summer. Our next stop is just down Cameron Street to number 508. This house is a reproduction of the original town house of George Washington that sat at this site. Washington would use this house as an office and a place to spend the night when he was in Alexandria on business. After falling into disarray, it was demolished in 1855. Thankfully, when a neighbor across the street heard it was going to be torn down, she made a detailed drawing of the house which helped in building the reproduction. The house is private property but it is listed on Airbnb! And fun fact, Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac rented out this house in the 1990s while he operated his restaurant in North Old Town. The next stop is the famous Spite House at 523 Queen St. Legand says in 1830, John Hollensbury had had enough with the noise and carriage traffic in the alleyway next to his house so he built a house to block it. This house is 7 feet 6 inches wide, 25 feet deep and is the skinniest house in the United States. It measures 356 square feet. This house is also private property though it was once rented out to a couple who had made plans to take cruise around the world and wanted to know if they could handle living in a confined space for an extended period of time. Our next stop is back to Cameron Street to number 611. This house was built in 1797. Henry Lee, a famous Revolutionary soldier and the Father of Robert E Lee, brought his family to live here in 1810. Robert E Lee was 4 years old. They lived here for a short time before moving into the house at 607 Orinoco Street. While this house is private property, the Lee-Fendall house on Orinoco Street is a museum open to the public. The Lee’s lived there until 1903 though this was interrupted when the property was seized by Union soldiers in the Civil War and used as a hospital. The Lee Fendall House has tours Wednesdays-Sundays and is a short walk from the house on Cameron Street. The next stop on our tour is just across the street at 118 North Washington Street. Christ Church dates back to 1773, making it one of the oldest churches in Northern Virginia. The historic graveyard is worth a wander. There is a large mound covered in ivy near the Washington Street entrance. This is a mass grave of 34 Confederate soldiers who were originally buried in the Alexandria National Cemetery during the Civil War. They were exhumed and reburied here in 1879 by the Daughters of the Confederacy. Other notable graves are Lieutenant Colonel Marsteller - a Revolutionary War Colonel, mayor of Alexandria, and pall bearer to George Washington, Isaac Pierce - the oldest legible gravestone in Alexandria, Ann Ramsey (and her husband William Ramsey)- unmarked grave except by a scotch pine that was planted as a memorial, (she was George Washington’s cousin and a true patriot), and Ann Warren - a renowned English actress who died in 1808 in Alexandria. This spot was also noted in a tour that we took and our tour guide pointed out the headstones that look burned. She said that union soldiers camped here during the Civil War and might’ve used the headstones as a way to block wind from their fires. I couldn’t find anything verifying that, but it is interesting that a few of the headstones do look damaged and burned. Perhaps the biggest reason to visit this church, though, is that this is the church where many prominent figures came to worship, including George Washington, the Lee family, and the Masons. Inside, you’ll find George Washington’s pew, #60, with a plaque that shows his signature. Many important people have come to visit this spot and sit in his pew, with similar plaques commemorating their visits. The church is generally open for tours Tuesdays-Sundays. They also still hold worship services here. The next stop on the tour is The Alexandrian at 480 King Street. This building was built in 1799 as a tavern and inn called Washington Tavern. It’s named then changed to the Marshall House in the mid-1820s. At this time, it had become a popular meeting spot for secessionists. The manager, James W Jackson, was a true confederate and had decided to raise a 18 foot wide Confederate flag up the flagpole which stood at the top of the Marshall House. The flag was so big, people said that it could be seen from Washington DC. President Lincoln took this flag as a threat to the Union and tasked his close friend, Colonel Ellsworth with getting rid of it. On May 24, 1861, Ellsworth made his way up to the top of the tavern, taking some men with him, and successfully removed the flag. However, they were met with Jackson and his double-barreled shotgun on the way back downstairs. Both men were killed in the skirmish and it is considered the first shots of the Civil War. The original building was destroyed by a fire and the current building looks nothing like the original. However, there have been some reports of paranormal activity here, even so far as some hearing a gunfight where the original staircase would’ve been. Our next and final stop is the Alexandria City Hall building at 301 King Street. City Hall is built on the site that was designated for the market and city hall when Alexandria was founded. The building has gone through many renovations and alterations but the steepled tower is a reconstruction that was part of the 1817 version. Today, it is home to the oldest farmers market in the country continuously held at the same site. George Washington sent produce from Mount Vernon to be sold at the stalls that once stood here. It is open every Saturday, rain or shine, from 7am-12pm. This brings us back to our parking spot! While we never made it to a tour of the Lee-Fendall House, I’m sure it’s fascinating. Next time I would also like to visit the Carlyle House. Another tour in the area that I recommend is the Apothecary Museum. The Stabler Leadbetter Apothecary represents one of Alexandria’s oldest continuously running businesses. Founded in 1792, it ran until 1933 and then promptly became a museum so everything inside was left exactly how it was as an operating apothecary - down to the liquid in the jars. This is nowhere near a comprehensive list. There is so much more to explore here in Old Town, especially if you’re a history buff like me. If you haven’t been to Old Town, I hope this gives you a glimpse of what there is to see! If you have been, please let us know what we need to add to this list! Have questions about our trip? We’re always happy to answer! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! This year, we started a new science curriculum with the girls, and personally, I have been loving it. Thanks to a little Facebook ad about NOEO science, we ordered a chemistry and physics for 1st-3rd grade and it has been a lot of fun. We recently finished up a unit about simple machines and I was so excited to see the next unit was about flying and the Wright Brothers. Why was I so excited about this, you ask? Because we just moved to the east coast, which means we are within driving distance of all these amazing historical sites, including Kitty Hawk, North Carolina - the site of the world’s first flight. It just so happened that we began this unit right before President’s Day Weekend so it was the perfect time for a field trip. Kitty Hawk, North Carolina is located in Outer Banks, which, without a doubt is an epic summer destination. Our trip obviously took place in the winter but we know it’s a summer destination because well…most everything was closed while we were there, haha. However, we still had a great time and didn't regret a winter visit at all. We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Corolla and it was such a great location because it’s just right there on the beach. From what we could tell, Corolla is a little less commercial than some of the other places in Outer Banks, and while it was a bit of a drive from some of the highlights of our trip, it was still very historic and scenic and we really liked it. Day 1We started the day off at the beach during low tide. It was amazing because we virtually had the beach to ourselves minus a fisherman or two, and even though it was a little chilly, the kids had a blast collecting all the seashells they could find. We found some pretty cool seashells and we even saw quite a few dolphins from the shore. Next, we made our way to the Currituck Lighthouse. Even though it was closed for the season, the area around it was pretty fun to roam. It’s located in Historic Corolla where you’ll also find the Whalehead - a historic mansion turned museum, the Maritime Museum, as well as the old school house and the Corolla Chapel. Most of the buildings were closed for the season but the chapel was holding church services and there was a fun bookshop that was open. It would’ve been fun if things were open but it was definitely fun to roam while it wasn’t crawling with tourists. This was about all we saw of Currituck but in the summer, it would be so fun to do a wild horses tour! Our next stop for the day was Duck Donuts! Don’t laugh, if you’ve been to a Duck Donuts before, we had never been but either way, it’s a must in Outer Banks because that’s were the whole operation began! We were definitely impressed with our visit. If you haven’t been, you’re in for a treat! Duck Donuts is a donut shop where you can build your own donuts! You start out with a regular cake donut, pick your glaze, then your topping, and/or a drizzle. If the options are too overwhelming, they do have a “favorites” menu you can choose from. Our favorite ended up being a lemon glaze with a raspberry drizzle. Mmm, so good! Before we got to ahead of ourselves, our next stop of the day was a visit to the Wright Brothers National Memorial, since that was really the purpose of our trip. While we weren’t the only ones there, by any means, I can see how this place could get quite crowded in the summer as it’s not very big. This place is honestly one of the most inspiring places I’ve ever been! The Wright Brothers picked Kitty Hawk as the location to try their inventions because it’s one of the windiest places in the United States and the sand dunes offered a bit of a softer landing than other windy places. The museum talks all about how the Wright Brothers got started and what inspired their inventions. They even have a life-size replica of the original flier as well as original pieces. While we were there, a ranger gave a great presentation on the development of that first flier and the Wright brothers processes. Outside, you’ll see the replica camp the brothers had set up while in Kitty Hawk as well as boulders that mark each of the first four flights that took place on that momentous day in 1903. There’s also a memorial up on a large hill that you can climb up too. The hill was actually a sand dune that the Wright Brothers actually climbed for some of their test flights. It’s covered in grass now because that’s how it was stabilized in order to build the monument at the top. On the other side of the hill, there’s a really fun statue that was built to memorialize the first flight with the people who were in attendance. It was fun for the kids to climb around but, looking at it, it’s also just so easy to imagine the feeling in the air in those historic moments. The Wright Brothers truly changed the world and walking those grounds, you can just feel that you are somewhere special. It’s an amazing testament to the ingenuity of mankind. Orville and Wilbur knew they had done something incredible but only 3 months before Wilbur died, an Air Force pilot broke the speed of sound. If he would’ve lived 20 more years, he would’ve witnessed man walk on the moon with a piece of his original 1903 flier. Doesn’t that just give you chills?? After our visit to the Wright Brothers Memorial, we made a quick visit to Jeanette’s Pier. It was a fun little stop because there were actually surfers in the water and the kids loved running around in the sand, though I could see it being a much more happening place in the summer. Day 2We started off this day with some more beach combing, but this time we went back to Nags Head Beach, again at low tide. It was pretty windy and quite chilly but being at the beach by ourselves and finding some really cool things made up for all that. Actually there was a family there with sand toys and beach chairs and we thought they were a little crazy, haha but maybe we were crazy too! We saw dolphins out in the water again, we saw big pieces of horseshoe crab shells, but our favorite find was finding tons of Mermaid Purses! This was something totally new to our family and we really got a kick out of it. Mermaid Purses are actually skate egg cases. A skate is an animal that is actually a ray, but instead of a whip-like stinger, or tail, it has more of a shark-like tail. They lay eggs every 3-5 days and after hatching, the casings are frequently washed on shore. Our next stop was the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. Again, it was a great time to go because it wasn’t crowded at all. We love a good aquarium and this one did not disappoint. The exhibits were clean and beautiful and we love a good shark tank! But the biggest thing that makes this aquarium unique is that it houses the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (or STAR) center. We got to see a little bit behind the scenes of how they take care of the sea turtles they rescue and there was even a little bit of hands on role play where the kids got to help their own play turtles. They did x-rays and blood draws and depending on what kind of help the turtle needed, they would learn how to treat it. Then they would release them “back into the wild”. It was so fun, and because there weren’t many people there, we may have done it more than once :) This aquarium requires reservations ahead of time year round, which you can easily get online. After asking an employee at the gift shop where we could grab some food, we headed into downtown Manteo. It was a fun little historic district, and while I can’t really recommend where we grabbed lunch, the kids did like to admire the boats in the little harbor afterwards. After that, we went the short distance to Bodie Island Lighthouse. The actual lighthouse was, again, closed for the season, but the visitors center was open, so our visit wasn’t a bust. On the way back to Corolla, we quickly visited the Nags Head Woods Preserve, which was almost like a different world in contrast to the beaches we had been driving past. There are some pretty cool historic cemeteries tucked in there as well that would be fun to find on a different trip, but our kids were ready for a little “R&R” back at the hotel with the indoor pool ;) We had such a good trip visiting Outer Banks in the winter. Even though a lot was closed, we loved that nothing was crowded and everything that was open was easy to visit. It was a great scouting trip as well and we are ready and armed with good information for when we do go back in the summer, though we’ll probably explore different parts of the islands. Have questions about our trip? We’re always happy to answer! Or is there anything you’d add to an Outer Banks winter itinerary? Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! Our last post was the last of installment of our three part cross continent, North America road trip. We’re gonna rewind a bit with this one and talk about the biggest question we’ve gotten since we even started telling people we were planning this trip! It was all surrounding how we were going to do this trip with our three kids and keep everyone sane. We knew we were asking a lot of our kids (and ourselves) when we committed to driving from Alaska to South Carolina. We were so excited to see some amazing things and make some amazing memories, but we also knew that we were going to need a lot of entertainment for those long stretches in the car. So I came up with a plan: I filled a tub with activities, games, and toys that were appropriate for car rides and hid it all from my kids until day one of our drive. Each day they could choose if they wanted a toy, an activity, or a game and I would start our drive off with a new “something” for each kid. It worked amazingly well and I had enough things to last our entire drive. Of course, by the end of the trip, the kids had had a pretty good view of the box, so the surprise factor did wear off a bit, but they were still excited for something new each day. So, without further ado, here’s a list of the things I filled up our storage tub with that made perfect road trip entertainment for our kids: 1-tying fleece blankets
2 - binoculars
3 - How-To-Draw Books
4 - make a face sticker sheets
5 - Water Wow Books
6 - Highlights hidden picture books
7 - Needoh
8 - Scratch Art
9 - Water doodle Boards
10 - Etch a Sketch
11 - Would You Rather book
12 - Mad Libs
13 - NotebookI also just got them some little notebooks to use however they wanted. They could draw pictures or use as a journal for our trip. They got them towards the beginning of our trip and, unprompted, starting writing out all the wildlife we saw, with our 9 year old writing down where we drove each day and our 6 year old just drawing pictures of elk or squirrels or bison, etc…whatever we saw that day. It was super cute and I really hope it helps them remember our trip. 14 - DVDsWe definitely bought some dvd players for the car and all the cables so they could be linked to each other and to the cars sound system so they could watch the same movie whenever one was playing. I bought 5 or 6 new DVDs for the trip so that was a fun surprise for the kids whenever we brought out a new movie. One tip I have is that DVDs can be purchased for super cheap on eBay! I feel like with Amazon, eBay gets overlooked a lot but DVDs can get expensive on Amazon, especially if you’re buying multiple. You can get DVDs on eBay for a couple bucks a piece. Just make sure your DVD player can play blu-ray or that you’re not buying blu-ray if it doesn’t play them haha. Learned that lesson the hard way ;) 15 - Make your own stuffed animals
16 - Cats Cradle
17 - Aqua Toss
18 - Tangrams
19 - Magnetic board games
20 - Stuffed animalBefore we started our trip, I knew we were going to spend a night in Banff National Park so I worked in one of the “surprises” to be a souvenir from the park. They each were drawn to a stuff animal in the souvenir shop and we snuck back to buy them and they were able to get them the next day as a surprise. What kid doesn’t love a new stuffy to cuddle in the car? 21 - Fun treatsWe also had lots of snacks and treats that we don’t normally have in our cupboards at home. For one of the little “toys”, each of the kids got a little pea dispenser. They were halloween themed because it was around that time so they enjoyed it. I also got a couple little bags of dum dum suckers and other hard candies, not just for entertainment, but sucking on hard candies can help with car sickness, too. Our kids were absolute rockstars on our crazy road trip! They did better than I did on some of those days, haha. They are pretty good little travelers no matter what but it was fun to reward them every day with something new to play with and I know it kept morale up! Have questions about our trip? We’re always happy to answer! Or is there anything you’d add to this list?? Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! If you’re just catching up, we’re excited to meet you at part 3 of our road trip across North America! A few months ago, we embarked on an epic 31 day road trip from Alaska to relocated to South Carolina. We drove the intimidating Alaska Highway in part 1, crossed Banff and Jasper National Parks off our bucket list in part 2, and last we left off, we had stopped in Utah to take a break from driving for a bit and visit with family. We spent 10 restful days in Utah and had a great time! So although we left off on day 12 in the last post, we’re starting this post on day 22, when our driving picks up again! Day 22Our first day back on the road brought us to Glenwood Springs! I’m a little embarrassed to admit that it took me until this day to fully understand that pulling a trailer means slower going than the maps app predicts haha, but it was a beautiful drive. We saw lots of elk and antelope. We pulled into after dark, which made for a little rough going pulling into our reserved campsite at Glenwood Canyon Resort but it was fun to at least hear the Colorado River rushing by that night. Day 23In the morning we started out late because we had to take a dip in the Glenwood Hot Springs while we were there! The Glenwood Hot Springs Resort is the largest mineral hot springs pool in the world. Originally part of the summer hunting grounds of the Ute tribe, Glenwood Hot Springs have been a popular spot on the map since 1888. The Utes named the springs “Yampah” or Big Medicine and the name still stands. It didn’t take long for white settlers to turn the hot springs into a destination for the wealthy, attracting visitors from around the world. Even the (in)famous Doc Holliday, who had hoped the mineral springs would cure his tuberculosis. During WWII, it served as a military rehab center. Now it is a family friendly destination resort and it was a very welcomed stop on our cross continent roadtrip. (P.S. you can also visit Doc Holliday’s grave in Glenwood Springs at the Linwood Cemetery.) This day’s drive was our second most intimidating, with Colorado’s mountain passes but everything held up well. We pulled into Manitou Springs that evening. We had hoped to explore a little bit, but crawling through the mountain passes was time consuming and we also had come up on a bad wreck and Jon had to direct traffic while we waited for the paramedics to arrive. Day 24We woke up and checked the weather at our next destination. 30 mph crosswinds with a trailer didn’t sound fun so we opted to stay in Manitou Springs one more night. Jon got the opportunity to work on the trailer brakes that had been giving us issues and we got to explore the land of my ancestors ;) Just kidding, kind of. We started off our day of exploring with a free walking tour to taste the mineral water around Manitou Springs. We started off at the chamber of commerce to get a map and we actually did buy some souvenir cups for $2 a piece (though you can get free ones there at the chamber of commerce.) There are 8 different mineral springs, all with different concentrations of different minerals and all naturally carbonated. Fair warning, only because the people at the chamber of commerce warned us ;) - Most of them are pretty potent and were immediately spat on the ground when tasted by Jon and my daughter, haha! I didn’t have to spit any out but the best tasting one we saved for last - 7-minute spring - and it was quite tasty. When I said this was the land of my ancestors, I meant it haha. My grandma grew up in Colorado Springs, not too far and she shared with us that she would drive to Manitou Springs every Sunday with her dad to fill up on the mineral drinking water for the week. She said she wasn’t a big fan of the taste but they would mix it with koolaid to make it more palatable. The locals also like to mix it with lemonade and I can imagine that tastes pretty good, too. While on the walking tour, we happened upon the Manitou Penny Arcade! It was so fun to walk around all the old games and rides and the kids got to ride a few since it was only a couple quarters each! It’s right in the middle of downtown and was so fun. Next, we visited the Manitou cliff Dwellings. I must admit, this little adventure was not at all what I thought it was. While we were there, we learned that these “cliff dwellings” were actually built by white people, who had dismantled actual pueblos in the four corners area and shipped all the bricks to Manitou Springs to rebuild a tourist attraction in the name of preservation. That being said, my daughter later said it was her favorite adventure of the day, so do with that what you will. It was fun to be able to climb in and around the structures and the museum does contain actual artifacts, which we all enjoyed. Our next adventure of the day consisted of driving into Garden of the Gods and visiting Balanced Rock and the really cool visitors center. Lastly, we visited the pioneer cemetery where my 3rd great grandpa is buried, which was pretty cool. We even found a picture of him with his family posed in front of Balanced Rock! Which was pretty amazing. There is so much more to do in this little area that we didn’t get to but even little things, like driving the windy, steep streets where my great grandpa delivered milk in a horse and wagon was fascinating to us. It was very fun to take a day to hang out and explore. Day 25The weather on this day was significantly better than predicted the day before so we were glad to have stayed an extra day in Colorado. But the show must go on! Made it to Kansas, not too far outside of Wichita for the night though we did stop a little earlier than planned because we kept forgetting to calculate time zone changes. To get to our campsite we had to turn left onto Wizard of Oz Lane and right on Yellow Brick Road, so that was fun ;) Day 26This day started out with a couple hours in Wichita at the Exploration Place. It was the coolest science museum and I kid you not, my 3 year old said he wants to go back just the other day haha. We ended our drive in Alma, Arkansas to spend the next few nights with family. Day 29After three days in Arkansas, we started our trek back up and drove to Tennessee! We stopped for the night just outside of Nashville. Day 30On this day, we stopped in Sevierville, Tennessee. I was so tempted to get out and do some exploring but we were also exhausted and just ready to be done. But I made mental (and physical) notes of all the things we want to do when we go back so you’ll have to watch for a future blog post whenever that happens. Sevierville is so close to Pigeon Forge, home of the famous Dollywood! And so many more adventures! I really can’t wait to explore more of this area. Day 31This day started out with a fun stop at Bush’s Baked Beans visitors center/museum/cafe in Dandridge, Tennessee. The museum is located just across the highway from the factory and is such a fun roadside attraction! We kinda just came up on it and decided we couldn’t pass it up. The museum is actually the original store front from the early days of Bush’s Baked Beans. It’s completely free and the guides inside were the CUTEST southern ladies I’ve ever dreamed of. They were so cute with the kids and we all had such a good time learning about beans! Haha, who knew that could be so fun? On our way out, we decided we couldn’t pass up the cafe and we had a great little southern lunch. You know how some restaurants will bring out chips and salsa or bread for a little appetizer? Well the Bush’s Baked Beans Cafe brings out…you guessed it, baked beans! It sounded like each day is a little different depending on the beans of the day. That evening, we completed our cross country roadtrip! 5160 miles, 31 days, 17 campsites, 2 countries, 14 states (and provinces). It including a beautiful drive through the Smokey Mountains and crossing the last two states off our map (North Carolina and South Carolina). We were all kinds of shocked as we took in our new home, and to be honest, it still feels unreal sometimes that we did that drive. `I told multiple people over the past few months that my future ends here, meaning I could only mentally prepare and mentally handle the timeline up to this point. Now that we had crossed that bridge, we were relieved, overwhelmed, excited, nervous…all the emotions and we’re still so ready to set out on some new adventures! Have questions about our route or other parts of our trip? We’re always happy to answer! Or if you’ve done this route, is there anything you would add that we might’ve missed?? Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! North America Cross-Continent Road Trip, Part 2: Jasper, Banff, and Glacier National Parks1/21/2024 Quick recap in case you missed it: we moved! A few months ago, we bought a travel trailer, packed up our stuff, sold our house, and started off on an epic 31 day road trip across North America. Yes, we *drove* from Alaska all the way to our new home in South Carolina. The first leg of our trip was the most intimidating. We drove the entirety of the Alaska Highway on the brink of winter and it was not for the faint of heart! And after 1500 miles, we were about 1/3 of the way done with our trip and not even through Canada yet! You can read all about part 1 in the last post, but this part picks up where we left off in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Day 6Our night in Grande Prairie was pretty eventful. We stayed at Country Roads RV Park, which was a super fun place to stay, especially in the fall. If we had more time, we would’ve loved to explore their corn maze and other activities! We were excited that their laundry accepted quarters since we kept forgetting to exchange money and when we did need money, the front desk was usually happy to exchange. But this was the first time we needed to do laundry on our trip and we started after the desk had closed for the night. Since we had the laundry room to ourselves, we took the opportunity to run 3 loads at once but when it came to drying, unfortunately, the slot for quarters on the dryer was too small!! And while it is comical now, at the time, it was pretty frustrating since we had to find ways to hang 3 loads of laundry around our trailer to dry (insert facepalm emoji). We had no one to blame but ourselves since we were in a foreign country and hadn’t taken the time to exchange money…so travelers be warned: Even if a place says they take quarters, it’s worth it to exchange ;) Our drive was pretty short on this day since we were camping in Jasper National Park! We were so looking forward to exploring but our dog had other plans. While loading up the truck, he decided to slip away and take himself on a grand tour of Grande Prairie! I’m not convinced he got far away from the campground but we couldn’t find him for a few hours and the staff were so helpful for keeping an eye out for him. Day 6 did not get off on the right foot, however, once we finally got to Jasper National Park, we were blown away! We had reservations to camp at Whistlers Campground and as we pulled in at dusk, the entire place was crawling with herds of elk! It was absolutely incredible. We set up camp and enjoyed listening to them bugle all around our trailer all night. When I say all night, we could still see them right outside when we got up in the morning. It was unbelievable. Our family definitely made a core memory that night. Day 7This part of our drive was one of the most highly anticipated days. At least it was for me! On Day 7, we drove the Icefields Parkway! We started off with a visit to Pyramid Lake. It was a beautiful day and a great little walk around the island for the kids. Next stop was Maligne Canyon, which was stunning! We then went back into downtown Jasper and grabbed some lunch for the road. HIGHLY recommend Patricia Street Deli! It’s a build-your-own sandwich place and I was so grateful for their recommendations. I was informed that the cran-mayo and cranberry chutney were local favorites so we went all out and, man! It was amazing. Also we took the opportunity to taste some of Canada’s chip flavors: Ketchup, pickle, sweet chili and sour cream. Are these a thing in the US? Cuz we’ve never seen them, but they are everywhere in Canada! Once on the Icefields Parkway, we stopped at Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls, Tangle Creek Falls….okay…all the falls…and took in the stunning views of the glacier from the road. We pulled into Downtown Banff close to dusk and parked in the free trailer parking just outside of town. We packed up little bags and walked 6 minutes to our hotel for the next two nights! Day 8Pure adventure on Day 8 with the only drive being up to the shuttle for Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. The only problem was that we hit a pot hole the day before and bent the jack on our trailer :( so we had to tow it with us back up the canyon because we had no way to unhitch. And before you ask, we tried to find RV services in the area but, low and behold, we found ourselves celebrating yet another Canadian holiday (Thanksgiving) so the stores were closed. Which also explained why everywhere felt so crowded haha. We kinda thought we were hitting the beginning of shoulder season and that we were really just not used to being around people but it made sense after learning it was a major holiday weekend. With beautiful weather, at that! Despite having to navigate parking lots full of tourists with a trailer for the second day in a row, we had a great time exploring. Full disclosure though, I know Lake Louise is a major bucket list destination (at least it was for me!) but it was not worth the crowds! We kinda wished we had spent more time at Moraine instead. We also explored a little of Johnston Canyon, which was a major highlight! Even with all the people, the views were stunning and my kids loved going into the cave to see the lower waterfall. You really can’t go wrong with any kind of visit to Banff <3 I have wanted to visit here for a very long time (and one of the reasons we even decided to drive instead of fly) and it did not disappoint! Day 9Back in the USA! On day 9, we stopped in Calgary to get a new jack for our trailer. Jon took the opportunity to get an electric one ;) We did a little bit of a family history tour through Cardston, where my great-grandparents were married! And then we crossed the border into Montana in Carway. What took 45 minutes to an hour when going into Canada took 5-10 minutes leaving ;) Then we found ourselves in Glacier National Park! This place was also a big bucket list item for me but we quickly realized this might not have been the right time of year for a visit. Even though it was early October and beautiful, sunny, 70*, services were closed for the winter season. During this time, you can camp with discounted prices, but be aware that restrooms and hookups are closed. We camped at Saint Mary Campground and had beautiful views. The sky was so clear and perfect for star gazing. In the morning, the lake was stunning and smooth as glass but was closed to all watercraft for the season, which was highly disappointing! We didn’t spend much time in the park and maybe we need to give it another try under different circumstances. Day 10This was the first day that we didn’t get as far on our drive as we had planned. We didn’t realize we would be driving on such rural roads so we couldn’t drive as fast as we had been driving the last few days. But we did stop at the KOA in Butte, Montana for the night and we thought it was such a pretty little town. Had we looked into the route of our drive a little more, we probably would’ve made a few short pit stops as there were a lot of dinosaur spots to explore! They have found a lot of fossils in the areas we drove through. Montana is actually where they found the first dinosaur fossils in North America in the mid-1800s. Our route took us right through Choteau, near Egg Mountain, where they have found baby dinosaur fossils in 76 million year old nests! On Day 11 we made it to our friend’s house in Idaho Falls, Idaho and had a great time catching up and on Day 12, we made it to Utah to stay with family for a little over a week. It was a fun and restful break for our cross continent road trip. That was the second leg of our trip! Don't miss part 3! We still have a long ways to go! Have questions about our route or other parts of our trip? We’re always happy to answer! Or if you’ve done this route, is there anything you would add that we might’ve missed?? Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! If you’re not following us on Instagram, you might’ve missed the news that we’ve moved! We received a new assignment with the military and had to say a bitter sweet goodbye to the Alaska life we have come to know and love. We’ve been trying to get our bearings in our new home in South Carolina for exactly 2 months now! We finally moved into our house a few weeks ago and felt like it was time to start writing about our cross country continent road trip! That’s right. On September 30, we packed up our truck and our travel trailer and set off on a grand road trip adventure (and lived to tell about it :) We took 31 days of slow traveling and saw some amazing things and made incredible memories. We’ve even had a few people asking about our trip in our instagram messages who are setting off to do the same thing very soon! So I hope this proves helpful! The first leg of our trip was the most intimidating, by far. We were driving the ~1500 miles of the Alaska Highway through the Yukon, on the cusp of winter no less. This meant that the already limited services and population was even more so. We had extra gas cans and extra tires. Winter regulations in Canada were in affect, which meant it was the law to have chains. Spoiler alert: we were incredibly lucky to have the experience we did because it is not for the faint of heart and for every good experience you hear, there are multiple bad ones. Fun facts: The Alaska Highway is incredibly historical. It was built during WWII to connect Alaska to the rest of the contiguous United States. Originally, it was built by American troops, which is why it has “mile” markers, as well as kilometers. Because it was a military road, it wasn’t open to civilians for some time after it was built. Now, it is a regularly used route that is maintained by Canada. Day 1Due to some military rules, we weren’t allowed to cross the border into Canada until Oct 1 so our drive on Sept 30 started in North Pole, Alaska and ended in Tok, Alaska. Starting off with a short 3 hour drive and putting us about 90 miles from the Canadian Border. Tok (pronounced like toke) has a population of 1214 and was put on the map during the construction of the Alaska Highway in the early 1940s. Historically (and today) it has been a trade center for the Athabaskan villages of Northway, Tetlin, Tanacross, Mestasta, Eagle, and Dot Lake. It’s a great jumping off point for many backcountry Alaskan adventures since it’s the gateway to Alaska for those driving (and for bush pilots). For one of our favorite adventures near Tok, check out our post about our trip to Chicken! This trip was obviously just for a stop over - it was also outside of tourist season so much was closed down - so we didn’t do any sight seeing. We stayed at Tundra RV Park, which was very pretty and well maintained. Again, since we were visiting in what is considered the winter season, some amenities weren’t available, namely water hookups had been shut off due to below freezing temperatures creeping in at night. We were prepared though, with our trailer fully stocked. We had a beautiful drive, temperatures in the 40s and bluebird skies. We did see some snow on the ground outside of Delta Junction, which we were happy to wave goodbye too :D. Day 2Our second day was another pleasant drive, though I do want to put in a little disclaimer here: when we bought our trailer, we bought it from a couple that had done this drive a few times. He recommended to take off the plastic fender wells off the trailer due to the rough roads. While the road is technically maintained, it’s not easy driving - though not much different than other roads we were used to driving in Alaska ;) This is because of the frost heaves. Because of the extreme temperatures, the ground freezes and thaws throughout the year causing the roads to sink and rise frequently in many places. All that to say, what google said was a 6 hour drive to our next stop in Haines Junction, ended up being 8. It was fun to spot all the trumpeter swans and we also saw a grizzly bear on the side of the road! A couple roadside attractions during the drive included stopping for a few pictures at the Canadian Border. If you notice, in the picture behind my girls, you can see a wide clearing of trees - this is the maintained border that Canada and the US keeps clear. Pretty crazy to see such a distinct line in what is otherwise regarded as untouched wilderness. Another quick stop was Burwash Landing to see the world’s largest gold pan. Burwash Landing is a small community on the shore of Kluane Lake. It is one of the oldest settlements in Yukon, established in 1904 as a supply center for local miners. The Kluane Museum of Natural History is here, though it was closed for the season in October. There’s also Our Lady of the the Holy Rosary Mission, built in 1944, the first church on the Alcan Highway. We stayed the night at the campground behind Kluane Park Inn in Haines Junction. They were very nice and accommodating though we did kind of regret not listening to others advice to hold out until Whitehorse and just camp there haha. Haines Junction itself might be a little run down but I will say, it has some gorgeous views being just outside of Kluane National Park. Again we had no water hookups at the campground due to the season. One thing of note: we asked at the border if we could exchange US money to Canadian and they told us the closest place to exchange money was in Whitehorse. The showers at the campground in Haines Junction only took “loonies” but they were happy to exchange quarters for us at the front desk. day 3Our first highlight of day 3 was a big bull moose crossing the road right in front of us just outside of Haines Junction. You may think we would get used to seeing moose after living in Alaska for 4 years, but it never gets old seeing these majestic creatures. Also, in the 4 years of living in Alaska, this was really my only good view of a big bull moose! So that was exciting to finally see. We also stopped at this little picturesque spot at the historic Canyon Creek Bridge. In 1904, a year after the Kluane gold strike, a log bridge was built across the Aishihik River, or Canyon Creek. It became a very important link on the wagon road connecting Whitehorse to Silver City. It survived heavy traffic and high spring floods until the 1920s when the government contracted it to be rebuilt. Then, again, during the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942, the bridge was dismantled and a new one was hand-built in 18 days and then abandoned when the road was rerouted the next year. The old pioneer bridge was left in place and reconstructed in 1986 with 10% of the original bridge and 85% of the cribbing. We stopped in Whitehorse for a few hours, which is the capital of Yukon. Whitehorse is a beautiful city on the banks of the Yukon River. It’s a very historical city as it was a major stop for prospectors in the Yukon Gold Rush. Fun fact: Right outside of town were some pretty heavy rapids that were so dangerous, the mounties made it illegal for women to stay in the boat for the ride. Men would build a raft and attempt the rapids with all their supplies while the women would have to get out and walk around - though there are a few women of note who braved the rapids at risk of life/a hefty fine. The rapids are now covered by a power plant but there are many historical sites around town, though a lot, again, were closed for the season which was disappointing because I am super into history! It was fun to walk along the river though, and try to imagine what it might’ve looked like 100 years ago. We stayed in Whitehorse a little longer than we planned because we had discovered an issue with the electric brakes on the trailer. It was a holiday in Canada though, so all the RV service centers were closed. We ended up having to move on and hope to get it fixed later. We didn’t have cell service once we made it to our stop for the night in Watson Lake though we did have water hookups! We stayed the night at Nugget City RV Park, which was technically closed for the winter but they did have a few spots to hook up next to the store/cafe. They prefer to take cash and they did take US dollars - since we forgot to exchange while we were in Whitehorse :/ We had been enjoying the increasingly warmer fall weather especially after seeing that we missed the first snow storm to hit North Pole. After 3 days, we officially hit the halfway point of the Alaska Highway! day 4Day 4 was a bit of a doozy of a drive since we were dealing with brake issues, but we also had a few fun pit stops! We started off wandering the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake. The Sign Post Forest is one of the top attractions along the Alaska Highway. It began in 1942 when a soldier was asked to repair some directional signposts, and while he did, he decided to add a sign for the direction and mileage to his hometown in Illinois. Others followed suit and the rest is history! Today, there are over 77,000 signs and growing. The town of Watson Lake continuously adds more sign posts as they fill up. We didn’t bring a sign to add to the forest but we did a little scavenger hunt to find licenses plates from all 50 states and all Canadian Provinces. We would’ve been successful except that we were missing one state!! And of course the only state we couldn’t find was South Carolina - the place we were moving too :D Our next stop was a quick dip in the Liard Hot Springs. At mile marker 475 - almost 100 miles from the closest amenities, travelers will find the beautiful Liard River Hot Springs. Originally used as a traditional cleansing spot by the Athapaskan and Kaska people as early as 10,000 years ago, these hot springs are the second largest in Canada and are ranked among the top 5 hot springs in the country. We entered the park and paid for parking, walked through the electric fenced - gated off for bears that like to frequent the area - and walked the scenic boardwalk all the way to the springs. It is a beautifully maintained area equipped with dressing rooms. Definitely a required stop along the Alaska Highway. That night, we stopped in Fort Nelson, BC. You can tell when you pass into British Columbia because you immediately start seeing bison on the side of the road! We counted 26 bison on our drive, as well as 2 black bears and 1 elk! Which was fun because it’s too cold for elk in Fairbanks/North Pole. We stayed at Triple G Hideaway Campground, which was an amazing campground and quite honestly, the nicest campground bathrooms I have EVER seen, haha. The kids enjoyed the little swings while we set up and took down camp. day 5We completed the Alaska Highway portion of our drive!! We definitely had to stop and hang out in Dawson Creek to mark the momentous occasion! Right at the sign, there’s a cool little train/history museum that we walked through just before closing time. We also stopped for some burgers and poutine at Post & Row for dinner. Poutine is a classic Canadian comfort food dish made of French fries covered in brown gravy and cheese. It is very delicious! That night, we stopped in Grande Prairie, AB. On our drive we noted the extremely improved driving conditions compared to the last few days and made good time. We also noticed that towns and cities are getting bigger and closer together - we were a little blown away to pull into Grande Prairie and see all the city lights :D Almost 1500 miles under our belt marks about 1/3 of our whole trip and we’re not even through Canada yet. I was very intimidated planning this portion of our trip. How was I going to entertain my 3 young kids and keep everyone happy during a long, boring trip through Yukon backcountry? But I purchased the Milepost 2023 and immediately was so excited. It was actually a very interesting read and was fun to follow along as we drove. It lists each mile post, each stop for services, it even list all the pull outs, which is very helpful when you don’t have cell service. It has a little write up about the historical spots and little maps of each town you pass through. It was incredibly helpful and interesting and I highly recommend it. Though, side note: if you are using it to get from Alaska to the lower 48, you do have to read it backwards, which makes things a little more interesting, haha. That concludes the first leg of our trip! You can read part 2 here. Our visit to Grande Prairie was not uneventful in the least (insert sly face emoji). Have questions about driving the Alaska Highway? We’re always happy to answer! Or if you’ve done this route, is there anything you would add that we might’ve missed?? If you’re interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to (or from) Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! |
AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
June 2024
Categories
All
|