Travel – Page 4

Dolphins, Whales, and Sesame Street…oh my!

Since moving close to the beach, Camden and Ella are obsessed with dolphins, whales, and basically anything that lives in the ocean. Judd and I have always been too. We talked about taking them to SeaWorld Orlando and then I found out they have a new Sesame Street so we decided we had to go! We went two weeks ago and had a great time. I thought I’d share a little bit about our day at SeaWorld!

Whenever we go to any park, I plan the day ahead of time so it’s easy!! I decided Judd and I should ride an adult ride first thing first because the kids would be calm. Manta was our first ride and it was AMAZING! I waited in line and then we did the Child Swap so that Judd did not have to wait in line. I highly recommend doing this, it was super easy!

Next it was to the Dolphin Nursery. We all loved this and 2 weeks later, Camden and Ella are still asking to go see the dolphins!

I was really excited to go to Pets Ahoy which is a show that shows many animals (dogs, cats, birds, mice, and I’m sure I’m forgetting several doing tricks). My two year olds sat through the entire show and laughed, I don’t think they wanted it to ever end! This is a MUST!

Next, it was time to see the stingrays at Stingray Lagoon and Manatee Rehab. These were such awesome exhibits to see!

We ate lunch in Antarctica and then rode the Empire of Penguin. This was a fun ride that ended in the penguin area. My husband has a penguin obsession so he really loved this!

We cooled down by walking though the Shark Encounter, always cool to see!

We ended the day by seeing Shamu and then we headed to Sesame Street! We made it just in time to see the parade, look at how excited Ella was!

We met the Cookie Monster and Elmo!

Then we rode Elmo’s Choo Choo Train.

SeaWorld did a great job with this area, it’s adorable and there are so many interactive things for the kids to do!

Thanks for hosting us SeaWorld Orlando! It was a great day!

The Most Magical Place on Earth…Disney World 2019!

“That’s the real trouble with the world. Too many people grow up!”-Walt Disney

Well friends, our Disney World trip for 2019 was one for the books. We had the most magical time!! I thought I’d share about our day at Disney World, some tips, and also a few helpful links to really great Disney articles that my friend Amber (she’s a Disney blogger) wrote!!

This was a fast trip for us so we had one day to explore! This is the kids second time to Disney World and my husbands and my fourth time. I planned everything in advance so we knew exactly where to go/what to do. Tip: This is a great plan if you’re only going for a day, I researched transportation, the park layouts, and all the rides/attractions.

Note: We didn’t ride even close to every single ride, we picked the rides that we wanted to ride ahead of time!

Our first park was Animal Kingdom. We got there right when the park opened and went straight to Expedition Everest. Judd and I did the parent swap so we each got to ride with only one person having to wait in line once. Look at how cute they were while waiting for their daddy to come out of the ride.

Then it was off to Africa to ride the Kilimanjaro Safari! The kids (and us) loved this!!

Our next stop was Avatar World. We didn’t get to ride Flight of Passage (too long of a line) but that’s ok because we will be back! Then it was off to catch the bus to Hollywood Studios!

Look at these cute little bus riders!

We had fast passes for Tower of Terror so we rode that and then headed to Disney Juniors Dance Party! This was one of the biggest highlights of the trip for Camden and Ella, they had a BLAST!

When we got out, we realized one of our strollers wasn’t there. We think someone took ours by accident because there was one in a different color close by. Note: Make sure you put a tag or something so you can find your stroller easily, we forgot to do this. No worries though, Disney World made this right for us! They gave us a brand new very similar umbrella stroller to take place of ours! Thanks Disney World for going over and beyond!!

Then it was time to explore Toy Story World! Such a fun area!!!

The final stop was to Star Wars World, my husband loved this!! They did an amazing job designing the park.

I did a lot of research before the trip as to how to get to each park the fastest, many suggested walking from Hollywood Studios to Epcot so this is what we did. It was about a 20-30 minute walk so if you’re not up for walking, don’t do this! We loved it though because it was so quiet and peaceful and we probably got there faster than other transportation options. We ate lunch on the way at the boardwalk.

We arrived to my favorite park, Epcot!! As we entered we saw Mickey Mouse so of course we had to get a picture! The kids were thrilled to meet Mickey!

Next, we had fast passes to my FAVORITE ride, Soarin! I’m pretty sure I could ride this ride all day long!!

The kids were anxious to see Nemo so The Seas with Nemo was next!

We walked around Epcot a little bit because I love seeing all the different areas! Disney did an amazing job designing this park!

It was time for the kiddos favorite park, Magic Kingdom! We took the monorail this time!

We rode a ton of rides here! I can’t even remember all of them. One of our favorites was It’s a Small World.

We also ate way too much Dole Whip! Just kidding, can you ever eat too much of that? It’s so darn good!

Overall, we had the best time ever! We hope we get to do this every year because there is nothing better than seeing your kids smile from ear to ear!

My sweet friend Amber is a Disney Blogger and has the most helpful blog! I used this several times while planning our trip. Here are a few articles that really stood out to me:

–Fast Pass Basics at Disney World

–Walt Disney World: The Basics for Beginners

–Top 5 Places to at Disney World

–Disney with a Large Family

A huge thanks to Disney World for hosting us!

Ahoy Matey from Orlando!

We just got home from Orlando! It was one of my most favorite trips of the year! It was filled with fun, adventure, relaxation, yummy food, and lots of time with my family…it was everything we needed!!

We stayed at the Lake Buena Vista Resort Village and Spa.

Our room was perfect for us! It was a condo with 2 large bedrooms, bathroom, living room, full kitchen, and dining room. It even had a washer and dryer so we didn’t have to go home with dirty laundry!

Here is a tour of our room:

We also picked this hotel for all of its amenities! They have this amazing Pirates Plunge Themed Pool; the entire family was obsessed as you can tell by our pictures below. It’s a zero-entry pool with a huge pirate ship and a slide in the middle! We spent hours and hours in this pool!

We LOVED the slide!!

The resort has amazing food options as well! You can order food right at the pool from Lani’s Luau Poolside Bar & Grille, sit down to eat at Frankie Farrell’s Irish Pub & Grille, or pick up a pizza from Pizza Hut Café Express!

I had the privilege of getting an amazing massage from their spa, Stay Reflections Spa & Salon. This spa is GORGEOUS! I felt at peace the minute I walked in. From massages to facials to nail and skin care. They have it all!

I did the 50-minute Tropical Island Massage and it was heaven. They even gave me a list of massage oils to choose from, I chose the Citrus Cilantro and it smelled so lovely!!

Other amazing amenities they offer include: Wi-Fi, 24-hour fitness center, meeting room, Kids Club with activities, shuttle to the major theme parks, and a convenience store and gift shop.

Here are more pictures from our stay:

While we were here, we went to Disney World and SeaWorld (more to come on these two adventures in the next week). It was less than a 15-minute drive to all the Disney parks and to SeaWorld. If you plan to go to parks in Orlando, the location of this hotel cannot be beat! It’s very centrally located, easy to find, and has tons of restaurants close by and shopping. In fact, there is an outlet mall right next door within walking distance!

If you’re coming to Orlando, make sure you check out the Lake Buena Vista Resort Village and Spa! You can thank me later. 😉

Thanks for hosting us, Lake Buena Vista Resort Village and Spa and stayReflections Spa!

Asheville…a hip, fun, and beautiful little town!

My mom and I decided to take a girl’s trip recently! The last one we took was to NYC before Camden and Ella were even born so it was definitely time!! We decided on Asheville, NC which is the perfect place for us to meet with my mom living in Ohio and me living in South Carolina.

Asheville was an ideal location for a girl’s trip…the city is beautiful, quirky, fun, artsy, and so much more! We stayed at the Hotel Indigo Asheville Downtown which is a lovely location for a trip to Asheville…it’s downtown and you can walk to everything and it’s a very short drive to the Biltmore and hiking trails!! I am so happy with our decision to stay there, everything about it was perfect!

The hotel was beautifully decorated with paintings created by local artists that are available for purchase. The art changes out every so often! This really made it unique to Asheville! The decor had pops of color that were both modern and stylish. We felt right at home.

The staff here were so helpful and friendly from checking in, to giving directions, to parking, you name it and they went over and beyond to help you!

Hotel Indigo Asheville Downtown is pet friendly and we loved seeing several adorable guests’ pets during our stay.

Here are pictures of our large, beautiful, and very comfortable room!

They also have Penthouse Suites that are huge, beautifully decorated, and have breathtaking views of the mountains. You can also book special occasions here or meetings, they have a great venue. We loved the upscale and boutique feel of Hotel Indigo Asheville Downtown.

Now, on to what we did on our trip…we arrived around 5pm so we checked in and got settled. Then, we decided to walk downtown to check it out and ended up eating at the cutest little French Bistro, Isla’s. We sat outside where we enjoyed street music and people watching. It was seriously one of the best meals I’ve had in a while, we highly recommend this place!

The next day, we slept in and then headed to the Historic Biltmore Village. We walked around, shopped, and ate at a yummy Tex-Mex restaurant, The Cantina!

Then it was time to head to The Biltmore. If you don’t know what the Biltmore is, it’s the largest home in America which was built by George Vanderbilt! If you’re my age, you might remember it being the house from Richie Rich. 🙂

We had a great time walking through the house and gardens, everything about this place is breathtaking!! It was really cool to see how people lived way back when, well how the Vanderbilt’s lived that is.

A part of your ticket to the Biltmore includes wine tasting at Antler Hill Village which is on the Biltmore Estate. We headed there next for the remainder of the evening. My mom isn’t a huge wine fan but we really enjoyed this! There is also an adorable little village which has shops, restaurants, and a little petting zoo. This area was one of the original farms of the Biltmore.

The next day, my mom’s best friend met us and we shopped and ate our way through Asheville! It’s such a fun city to shop in because it is mainly all local stores so unique things that you normally wouldn’t find at malls or online. Our meals in Asheville did not disappoint, everything we had was great!!

Then it was time to check out of the beautiful, Hotel Indigo Asheville Downtown and head home!! We had the best time at Hotel Indigo and Asheville, we will be back for sure!

A Slice of Paradise in Charleston

Have you ever taken a vacation in the same city that you live? We live in the #1 Vacation Destination in the U.S. so we figured we should take advantage of it and check out one of the top resorts! If you are planning to travel to Charleston or even live in Charleston but want a relaxing trip, I HIGHLY recommend staying at The Beach Club Charleston.

The resort is immaculate and one of the most beautifully decorated hotels I’ve ever seen. It’s also in the perfect location! It’s on Mount Pleasant in Patriots Point. You can see Charleston straight across the harbor as you lay by the pool and you can also see USS Yorktown to the right! The views are to die for!

They have so much to do at the resort from swimming, taking a water barre or beach yoga class, fishing off the Marina, working out in the gym, walking along the pier looking at the boats, making s’mores at the fire pit or having a spa day at the Estuary Spa to eating/drinking at the Fish House, Tiki Bar or the Reel Bar! The entertainment is endless.

If you want to leave the resort there is so much to do in the area too: Fort Sumter, USS Yorktown, exploring downtown Charleston, the South Carolina aquarium, several beautiful beaches, Boone Hall, Magnolia Planation, I could go on and on! I LOVE Charleston! The resort offers a shuttle and water taxi that can take you to downtown Charleston too so you don’t have to worry about driving! Can you tell how much I loved this resort? Now let me tell you about our trip…

We checked in a little after lunch time and went straight to our room. Here is a tour of the beautiful room we stayed in!

We put on our swimsuits and headed straight to the pool! If you’ve been a reader of my blog for a while, you know I love a good pool! This one is beautiful!! It has a zero-entry pool which is perfect for the kids but it is also shaped like a T so there are areas that are deeper for swimming or for adults to hang out in! There is also a hot tub and a smaller and quieter pool close by. We spent most of the time in the zero-entry section of the big pool because that’s the best for my toddlers!

We hung out there for a while and took many pictures…

We ordered an early dinner by the pool! It was delicious. I had a chicken sandwich, Judd had a cheeseburger, and the kids had quesadillas.

The kiddos started to get a little tired so we showered and got ready for bed but then we realized how beautiful the sunset was so we put on clothes and rushed downstairs to get pictures. I have been to countries all around the world and I have to say, I’ve never seen sunsets this pretty before! It was unbelievable!! That being said, we took way too many pictures. Judd and I were loving it, the kids not so much. 😉

The next morning, we slept in!! I couldn’t believe how cozy and DARK the room was! The room has one wall that is floor to ceiling windows and a glass door but it has two layers of curtains that blocked out the sun, it was perfect!

We spent the entire next day at the pool and I mean the entire day! We ate breakfast there and lunch!

Ella was feeling extra stylish…

The kiddos got cranky around 4:00 so we cleaned up and drove around Mount Pleasant while they took a nap in their car seats.

We ate dinner at a local pizza shop and then headed back to see the beautiful sunset!

It was the perfect weekend away for us! We loved our stay at The Beach Club at Charleston Harbor and can’t recommend it enough! I told Judd next time that I need a day (or a week) away from everyone, I’m booking at room and coming here!

The Most Charming of them All…Georgetown (D.C. Trip)!

I’m so excited to share about our trip to Washington D.C.!!

I have been to Washington D.C. several times but never have been to Georgetown. I’ve always wanted to though because I’ve heard it is charming, so this trip to D.C. we decided to stay in Georgetown!! We stayed at Georgetown Suites which has the best location. It’s centrally located and right by the main streets that take you into D.C..

As soon as we arrived to the ADORABLE area of Georgetown (you’re probably going to get tired of me saying this but it is so adorable and charming), we checked into the hotel and went up to our GORGEOUS room!!

You can see our room tour here:

It takes a lot to “wow” me on rooms but this is by far the biggest hotel room we’ve ever had and we all were in awe!! The main reason we picked this hotel is we wanted larger than a standard hotel room for our kids to run around! Our room was the Penthouse in the Harbour Building (there are two buildings: Harbour and Courtyard) and we all had more than enough room! It was 2 bedrooms with a den and had 3 full baths and 1 half bath. The room was spotless too, I didn’t notice one thing that was dirty or out of place!

All of the 220 rooms at Georgetown Suites have a fully equipped in-room kitchen which is perfect for families traveling and for people in D.C. for business! There are a large range of rooms you can choose from: Studio Suites, One Bedroom Suites where the bedroom is separate from the living and kitchen areas, One Bedroom Suites with a Jacuzzi, Double Suite, Two Bedroom Suites, Townhouse Suites which have a separate entrance onto the street (makes you feel like you really live in Georgetown), and the Penthouses! I was able to tour some of these rooms, here are some pictures:

After getting settled in our room, we decided to head downtown to D.C. to watch the sunset!

We went to the Lincoln Memorial and then walked along The Mall towards the Capitol Building! It was such a beautiful night!!!

After a good night’s sleep (I have never slept so good as I did here: the bed was so soft, the room was dark and silent)!! I woke up to these cute kiddos wanting to jump on “Mommy’s bed!”

It was time for breakfast! Judd went downstairs and brought breakfast up to our room. We ate breakfast while looking at beautiful D.C. (we could see the Washington Monument from our windows)!

Another thing I should mention, Georgetown Suites offers many amenities too: free Wifi, complimentary breakfast, discount dining card, 24 hour business center, pet friendly rooms, on site fitness center, and so much more.

Then it was off to explore!! We spent the early afternoon exploring Georgetown! Seriously, I think its the most charming city that I’ve ever seen!

They have a beautiful canal!

The streets are filled with old gorgeous townhouses that are perfect for taking pictures!

There are tons of shops and restaurants. The kiddos especially loved picking out cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcakes.

We even found this adorable pink flower shop, you know I had to get a picture.

It was then time for lunch. We decided to head back into D.C. and eat at Shake Shack! This was our first time eating here. It was good but I think I built it up initially so it wasn’t as good as we had hoped.

On this D.C. trip, we decided to see the things we’ve never seen so our first stop was the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It was a really nice tour. We couldn’t take any pictures inside but we got one outside.

We then headed back to the car. We drove everywhere because my kiddos are in car seats and the Metro/walking would’ve been too much for them (and us). Camden and Ella fell asleep so Judd decided he’d drive around so they could nap and I went to the Smithsonian- National Gallery of Art. It was a win-win for everyone, the kids needed a nap and I love looking at art (no one else in the family does yet).

I saw several famous pieces that I studied in college:

After the kiddos woke up, we had reservations to tour Ford’s Theatre!! This was SO cool! You get to go into the actual theatre and the museum has a lot of really interesting artifacts and information in it. We learned so much!

You then get to go in the Petersen House which is the house that President Lincoln died in.

I often get asked how my kids travel so well. We try to do a lot of age friendly activities with them but sadly, most of our time in D.C. was on a Tuesday and all the young children museums were closed for some reason. When Judd and I want to see something that we know they won’t be entertained in, we pull out their I-pads! They were totally content while Judd and I read and looked at everything!

They are actually really cute even when we are walking too, they always want to be holding hands!

After Ford’s Theatre, we decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel! We picked up Italian on the way home and had a feast in our room! Staying at Georgetown Suites made this trip so easy especially when it came to meals (the kiddos aren’t always the best at eating at restaurants right now).

We spent the rest of the day relaxing and hanging out together in our amazing Penthouse! 🙂

You can tell that Camden made himself right at home! haha

The next morning, we checked out and then had a tour scheduled for the White House…watch out for a future post on that!

A huge thanks to Georgetown Suites for hosting us on this trip!! We loved staying with y’all!! Just in case you missed it above, here was our Room Tour Video. Overall, our trip to Washington D.C./Georgetown and our stay at Georgetown Suites is one that we won’t ever forget! At the end of the day, all that matters is love and memories!

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