Guest Blogging!

I am thrilled to have a guest post up about the great state of Georgia today over on Sara's blog: The Traveling PhoBlogWriPher.

If you found me from her blog, I'm thankful you have stopped by to check things out here. I'd love to "meet" you, so please leave me a comment. And if you haven't already, make sure you congratulate Sara and her husband. Their little bundle of joy was welcomed into this world just a couple of weeks ago! If you're like me and have "baby brain," read through Sara's pregnancy posts. I enjoyed reading them and living vicariously through Sara.

Thank you, Sara, for the opportunity to highlight my state!

Make A Child Smile

This is the final post about our vacation. About time, right?

There was one night where we were back at our hotel room by 7:30. We weren't tired, but we also didn't want to drive to get anywhere. There was an arcade within walking distance of the hotel, so we hoofed it. We wasted a good hour blowing through $20 worth of game tokens and playing games we remembered from our childhoods. Once our token bucket was empty, we got a count of all the tickets we earned from playing games and peeked at the selection of prizes.

Source: Lisa Padilla

For future reference if we procreate: Avoid arcades like the plague. The prizes aren't worth it.

However, here's what made the entire experience worth our time.

We had roughly 750 tickets that could be redeemed. We knew we weren't going to use them, so we gifted them to this adorable little boy and his father who had waited so patiently earlier in the night while Richie finished some game. We approached them, handed the young man our tickets, and explained to dad that we weren't going to use them and that we thought his son could benefit. The appreciative expression on dad's face was awesome, and then the little man spoke up.

"Thank you! I'm going to get something then go play laser tag! Thank you!"

We left pondering what the boy would choose. I hope he had a blast playing laser tag, too.

Restaurant: Bert's Hometown Grill & Pizzeria

My favorite food is pizza. It has been since I was a child and I don't see retiring my love of this dish anytime in my future. I love cheese pizza - I have nothing against toppings, but a pizza that can stand on its own with just the classic ingredients is all this girl needs.

We discovered Bert's Hometown Grill & Pizzeria a few years ago on a road trip. We stopped in on a whim, and it was one of the best whims we have ever acted on. My mother-in-law was the first one to try the pizza after a recommendation from the waitress. Every time we return to Bert's, I get pizza. We make plans to stop here when we are passing through.

Delicious love.

This is a small cheese pizza. I won't lie: I ate most of it. Richie had some with his meal. It's deep dish, super cheesy, and pure pizza heaven. I know I should try other things off the menu, but if I find something I like, I'm not often adventurous enough to branch out. Fortunately, this pizza doesn't make me want to branch out.

Thank you, Bert's Hometown Grill & Pizzeria, for being at a halfway point on our road trips to the Smoky Mountains so I can refuel with your delicious pizza. I look forward to visiting again.

Vacation Recap: Ripley's Aquarium in the Smokies

I was hesitant to go to Ripley's Aquarium in the Smokies when we spent a day in Gatlinburg. My mind equates Ripley's with too touristy. Some of Richie's coworkers had recommended the aquarium, and I read plenty of reviews on TripAdvisor before agreeing to go.

OMG. So worth the visit!

Richie and I had never been to an aquarium together, and neither of us could remember the last time we ever visited one. We were both excited for the visit because of the new experience. My recommendation? Get there first thing in the morning. I am so happy we did that because when we left almost three hours later, the place was packed to the gills (no pun intended).

 

 

 

 

Aside from all of the incredible aquatic life, we watched a penguin feeding and got to pet stingrays and sand crabs. I'm pretty sure the penguin exhibit was my favorite.

The aquarium is right in the heart of Gatlinburg. When you look out from the outside part of the penguin exhibit, you see one of the mini malls at the beginning of the strip.

The sound of rushing river water is nice, too.

Sadly, most of our visit to Gatlinburg was rained out, so we called it a day in the early afternoon and went back to our hotel to relax. We left the following day and took our time going home. We killed two hours in one town in order to grab lunch at one of our favorite restaurants on the route back home.

Can you guess what my next blog post is going to be about?

Vacation Recap: Dollywood

My first trip to Dollywood was in December 2008. We had just moved to Georgia and my in-laws took us to Dollywood for Christmas. I really didn't know what to expect. As native Floridians, we had done the Disney/Universal Studios/Busch Gardens circuit enough to wear us out on theme parks. Plus, neither of us like rollercoasters. Yes, I know. We are boring.

But I fell in love with Dollywood. Richie loved Dollywood already. As part of our trip there, my in-laws purchased a season pass for each of us so we could continue to make trips. Since 2008, I think we have missed one year of having season passes.

Each year, Dollywood has different themes that special shows are tailored around. This year and last, we made it a point to make our first visit during the park's Festival of Nations. In 2012, we saw Spirit of the Dance (Ireland), Los Pampas Gauchos (Argentina), and Paper World Show (Ukraine). This year, we also saw three different shows: Glass Duo (Poland), Mystic India (India), and Cirque Shanghai (China). Every single Festival of Nations show we have seen has been nothing short of awesome.

Here's a video of the Glass Duo. You can't say this talent isn't impressive.
 

I took a few pictures during the Cirque Shanghai show, but they don't do any justice.

 

There is a new exhibit at the park this year called Chasing Rainbows. It's a museum filled with Dolly Parton memorabilia: costumes, awards, personal history, and so much more. I loved walking through the museum! My favorite part? The Imagination Library display.

 

Let's hear it for early childhood literacy!

I tend to sound like a travel agent when describing vacation destinations. If you're looking for a theme park that has something for everyone at a reasonable price, we give Dollywood two thumbs up. We are already planning for another quick getaway for the next festival: Barbeque and Bluegrass.

 

Up next? Our first visit to an aquarium together.

Vacation Recap: Driving

 

One of our favorite places to vacation is Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg in Tennessee. Yes, both areas are touristy... but we love it! There's always a shop to pop into, a scenic route to drive, and plenty of people watching to partake in. And neither of us like the beach (blasphemous as native Floridians!), so vacations in the mountains are right up our alley.

We don't take the main roads to get to Pigeon Forge. We did that once, then discovered the back way and realized it is a much nicer experience. Also, I avoid driving on interstates as much as possible, so finding back roads ensures that Richie gets a break from being behind the wheel. Plus, back roads are always more scenic.

And no traffic is a nice bonus.
Southeastern Tennessee.

When you're in Pigeon Forge and heading to Gatlinburg, there really is only one way to get there. However, it's incredibly easy and beautiful. Depending on the time of day, you'll sit through a considerable amount of traffic. The wait is worth the reward. The main strip of Gatlinburg is fun to explore.

Hello, Gatlinburg!
If you look really closely at the mountain top, there's snow!

If you're driving on US 411 in Tennessee, you'll pass through a small town named Delano. If you blink while driving through, you'll miss it. I didn't take pictures of the drive here because I was driving. It is an absolutely beautiful area! There is also a Mennonite community in Delano that has a fantastic farmer's market. We didn't stop this year, but last year I bought some of the best strawberry jam I have ever consumed from the market. If you ever drive through, there will be signs for the Delano Community Farm Market. It's worth a stop.

Up next? A visit to our favorite theme park.

Center for Puppetry Arts

A work function that includes travel? That fits in my schedule beautifully!

Source

I had the opportunity to attend a workshop and tour of the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta recently for work. (Seriously, have I mentioned how awesome it is to be a youth librarian?) When you walk into the museum, the first puppet you see is Big Bird. During our downtime, we were encouraged to wander through the museum. Currently, there are many Jim Henson creations on display. My personal favorites? The fraggles and doozers!

We were allowed to take photographs. However, the Center does not generally allow photography in the museum exhibits. I'd love to share some of my photos, but I'm not much of a rule-breaker. Check out the Center's website (linked above) or Google Images for a peek into the museum. It's very kid-friendly, but there are programs for adults, too.

And if anyone from the Center happens across this blog, thanks for doing what you do!

Movie: Craigslist Joe

I have a thing for travel/wanderlust movies because while I get the wanderlust bug, I generally err on the side of stability and lack of movement. I indulge a lot in travel documentaries. One thing a sick day affords a person is the ability to get your money's worth out of our Netflix subscription. I spent part of my couch time watching Craigslist Joe.

I love the traveling that Joe Garner did... but I loved his intentions even more. Joe set out to survive for 31 days through Craigslist. Crazy, right? He learned how generous strangers could be and called the experience the most inspiring thing he has ever experienced. If you watch it, you can't tell me your faith in humanity isn't restored just a little bit.

Craigslist Joe, if you ever read this and plan to wander ever again, you've got a couch to crash on in our neck of the woods. My husband is a fantastic cook, and I like good conversation.

The World of Coca-Cola

Remember our resolution to travel more?

Well, we actually went somewhere this past weekend! Gasp!



The World of Coca-Cola!

We've lived in Georgia for over four years now, and we have explored about 0.5% of all the goodies to be had in Atlanta. Richie made a spur-of-the-moment purchase of two tickets to the World of Coca-Cola. I appreciate the spontaneity of his decision because I am not a spontaneous person. We left early to get to Atlanta without worries of traffic and crowds... and I'm so glad we did. I took this photo after we went through the museum. Can you see the endless line of visitors waiting to get in? When we got there, there was no one in line.

Richie's favorite part of the experience was trying Coke products from around the world. We both did not like the selections from Africa. The European ones weren't bad. Our favorite was the classic Coca-Cola (go figure). And you know what else was nice? The admission price was just $16/person. A very family-friendly price, in my opinion.

If you've been to Atlanta, where do you recommend we visit next?

Resolving to Travel More

Richie and I crawled into bed around 11:15 last night. We're an old married couple that doesn't go out for New Year's Eve. (Also, the tiny mountain town we live in doesn't do anything to mark the occasion.) We reflected back on 2012 before watching our cell phones strike midnight, and we resolved for 2013 to take more time for us.

One way we want to accomplish this is to get out of town more. We want to make more time to take short trips on weekends. We are planning a trip to visit extended family in April. We want to go out and do more, especially in the area where we live. We live an hour away from Atlanta and have barely scratched the surface on all that fun that is to be had there!

Have you ever made a resolution to travel more?