The family just returned from spending a few days at a state park about two hours from our home.
As a kid, I remember my parents taking me and my younger brother to this state park and inn. Actually, what I mostly recall from this childhood trip was the cool indoor/outdoor swimming pool. A glass wall separated the sections, and you had to swim underneath it to get from the inside to the out.
My mom tells me that we went in the warmer months, but there was a freak cold front, so we spent the entire time in the one pair of jeans and one jacket we had all brought "just in case."
The other memory I have of this trip is watching my parents and brother ride in a small boat into one of the caves. I was scared and refused to go, so I stood on the water's edge by myself.
Hmmmm, I wonder where my middle child gets his stubbornness?
I planned this short trip almost immediately after we returned home in June from our exhausting trip to Orlando, FL. That trip wasn't much fun considering the heat, tiredness, D's back spasms and the sprinkler ordeal in which we had to move out of our condo. It was memorable but definitely not enjoyable.
This short fall weekend felt relaxing. It helped that we had no cell phone service (which some people actually complained about on tripadvisor.com. The whole point of going to the woods is to live deliberately, people!) Being off-the-grid is awesome. It also helped that the weather these two days was perfect.
We hiked a lot, and the kids didn't whine. M said his legs were tired, but G didn't complain at all, which is a bonafide miracle. We saw two caves. We visited the pioneer village. We picnicked our lunches both days. We visited the nature learning center two times (the second time at the request of G).
We ate breakfast and dinner together at the inn.
I felt like we connected as a family, which feels like a much better memory than running ourselves ragged all over Disney and Universal, trying to pack in as much "fun" as we could to justify spending $100 per person. Our entry fee into the state park was $9.
I'd say we most certainly got 100 times that much enjoyment out of it.
As a kid, I remember my parents taking me and my younger brother to this state park and inn. Actually, what I mostly recall from this childhood trip was the cool indoor/outdoor swimming pool. A glass wall separated the sections, and you had to swim underneath it to get from the inside to the out.
My kids in the cool indoor/outdoor pool.
They thought it was awesome, too!
My mom tells me that we went in the warmer months, but there was a freak cold front, so we spent the entire time in the one pair of jeans and one jacket we had all brought "just in case."
The other memory I have of this trip is watching my parents and brother ride in a small boat into one of the caves. I was scared and refused to go, so I stood on the water's edge by myself.
Hmmmm, I wonder where my middle child gets his stubbornness?
I planned this short trip almost immediately after we returned home in June from our exhausting trip to Orlando, FL. That trip wasn't much fun considering the heat, tiredness, D's back spasms and the sprinkler ordeal in which we had to move out of our condo. It was memorable but definitely not enjoyable.
Low-tech fun:
Casting fishing lines to try to hook plastic fish.
Guests throw coins onto the historical homes' beds which are used for upkeep.
The kids thought this was hilarious.
Helping the kids make friendship bracelets.
Views of the Pioneer Village and trails.
This short fall weekend felt relaxing. It helped that we had no cell phone service (which some people actually complained about on tripadvisor.com. The whole point of going to the woods is to live deliberately, people!) Being off-the-grid is awesome. It also helped that the weather these two days was perfect.
We hiked a lot, and the kids didn't whine. M said his legs were tired, but G didn't complain at all, which is a bonafide miracle. We saw two caves. We visited the pioneer village. We picnicked our lunches both days. We visited the nature learning center two times (the second time at the request of G).
The Stagecoach Trail.
M's legs were tired, so I played pack mule for a few minutes.
We ate breakfast and dinner together at the inn.
I felt like we connected as a family, which feels like a much better memory than running ourselves ragged all over Disney and Universal, trying to pack in as much "fun" as we could to justify spending $100 per person. Our entry fee into the state park was $9.
I totally love it that the kids enjoyed doing such simple things.
I'd say we most certainly got 100 times that much enjoyment out of it.
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