Gatorland Visit - Florida

It's been a long time since I did a destination review, but after my son and I visited Gatorland on Sunday, I knew I had to share about our experience! I was surprised to learn that it opened in 1949! I couldn't even wrap my head around that tidbit.

If you're a Florida resident keep an eye out for their deals. We thought we were getting 50% off our tickets. What we didn't realize was, EACH person has to be a resident. My son couldn't buy my ticket with 50% off since I'm not also a resident. That was disappointing, but live and learn!

We arrived about an hour after they opened and it wasn't too busy! We opted for the Greater Gator experience, which was only $42. With that you get: all-day admission, unlimited train rides, gator chow, and meet-a-gator. The "gator" above used to be the original entrance!

Of course, the first thing you see when you enter Gatorland is ALL of the alligators in the Jumparoo area. It looked like you could feed the alligators with a fishing pole, but we didn't wander too far into that area because there were a lot of people there. I played a little game with myself... do I die or live? Wandering around Gatorland, there are crocs and gators at every turn. Oftentimes, I wouldn't notice them and I would say, "I'm dead," after Jacob pointed them out.

There's an alligator that's missing its top jaw. Jawlene was rescued in 2023 and seems to be doing great. She gets to share space with an albino red-eared slider turtle named Nellie Wafer! They're kind of the perfect pairing because they are close in size! lol

While we could've taken the park train at some point, we never did because it was pretty easy to walk around and see each of the animals spots. I was actually surprised to see that they had more than just alligators, crocodile, and reptiles! Believe it or not, they have giant tortoises, a bobcat, a cougar, a variety of birds, a petting area (mostly goats from what we saw), and capybara. 

If you have children, there's a splash pad area for them to cool off. I may have tried to cool off by dipping my toes into the water. Lemme tell you, it was a crazy, hot day! Towards the end of our day it started raining. And I mean downpour! Thankfully, Gatorland has a lot of covered walkways and spots to take shelter in. We happened to be ready to eat so we took the time to grab some food, which was affordable and good portions!

We went to the afternoon show of meet-a-gator. A gator wrangler (not sure what the technical term would be) is in an arena with a small, watery moat around him. They try to use different alligators for the show and the meet-a-gator so they have rest periods. The show taught us more about alligators and then we got in line to meet one. We each "sat" over the alligator (which had its mouth taped shut) and had the photo snapped. Honestly, it goes so fast (for the humans) that it's over and done with before you have a chance to truly "experience" the moment. Not a complaint at all, but it just happens really fast.

When you get your gator chow, you realize it's 5 large pellets that are black and sorta stinky! They're rather large and you can feed any of the alligators throughout Gatorland. It's so interesting to watch after you throw the food to them. I think because their eyes are on the top of their head, they can't always see where it lands. You almost have to throw it into their mouth for it to be eaten immediately. Otherwise, it'll float for a bit before it's found! 

There are opportunities to hold critters and have photos taken with them at an extra cost. You can go ziplining over crocodiles as well as rock climb. There's an opportunity to go off-roading in a monster vehicle for 15 minutes! You can sign up to be a trainer for a day or do a nighttime visit. I didn't realize you could have an encounter (for $15) with a capybara! We watched for a few minutes and it didn't look like you really got to interact with it, so we passed. They're SO much bigger in person than I expected.

While we were there, a family had booked an Adventure Hour. Things took a turn when one of the alligators, I think it's name is Bite Tyson or something like that, snatched Savannah Boan's fanny pack. She and a couple of guys were tracking him for a couple of hours in the breeding marsh trying to get it back. He wasn't having it. He had a prize and was keeping it. At one point, probably over an hour into trying to get the fanny pack back, he wandered over to the trail where we were able to actually see the fanny pack. We also heard the crunch that was more than likely her phone! He then swam away with it. We don't know if she ever got it back.

If you want some peace and quiet (for the most part) I would highly suggest the swamp walk! It's an untouched part of Gatorland. It takes about 10 minutes to walk it and it's completely worth it. There are several different spots to stop and read a fact or detail about the area.

One might think that you won't spend a lot of time at Gatorland. I'm here to tell you that's not the case, especially if you have little kids. I mean, everything takes a long time with little ones, but there's plenty to keep their attention to make the tickets completely worthwhile! Also, be prepared to take a LOT of photos. I was shocked at how many I took. There were just some really cool things to see and experience at Gatorland!

Visiting George Washington's Mount Vernon

My son and I took our first trip to Mount Vernon in August. What an incredible way to spend a day! If you ever come to Washington, D.C. to tour the Smithsonian Museums and other sites, I'd highly suggest adding a day at Mount Vernon to your schedule. It's a day well spent!

The first thing you should do is visit the Mount Vernon website. Check out their calendar of events to see if anything is happening the day you're planning to visit. Check as soon as you decide to plan the trip because their events fill up rather quickly. The next thing you need to do is pick out a time to tour the mansion. It's part of your ticket, but you don't want to show up and realize you don't have a time set up.

Before you purchase your ticket, be sure to check out their social media. Facebook and Instagram will show you if they have any promo codes you can enter. I used their code "SMF2019" to get 20% off the regular ticket price. Also, if you're military you receive $6 off the adult ticket. If you have a Purple Heart entry is free year round!

The drive to Mount Vernon is beautiful. It's a partially wooded drive as you cruise along the Potomac River. When you arrive, parking is free! You'll start your day (more than likely) at the Ford Orientation Center and enter the grounds from there.

We passed by the slaves quarters, shoemaker's shop, and stove room. I don't know about you, but looking through these rooms is very difficult. A brief glance into what their lives looked like is a harsh reminder of our history, a place we never want to return to. They received 2 shirts and 1 pair of pants... for a YEAR!

From there we walked around the path until we made it to the mansion entry line. We learned so much about the mansion from the volunteers! It started off being owned by George Washington's father and it was only 1 1/2 stories. Seriously, they couldn't have picked a more picturesque location!

The tour of the mansion was delightful. I think I was most fascinated with the beds we saw and the study. It would be amazing to have a bed like the one in the Blue Room or Lafayette's Bedchamber. The plaster decoration on the ceiling is stunning and the carving on the marble mantle piece is spectacular. They point out how George Washington paid homage to his heritage of working the land with the intricate designs above the doors and on the mantle.

After we completed the tour we saw a fife and drum band from Michigan dressed up in period apparel getting ready to play period music. It was awesome! Next to the Bowling Green is the Upper Garden. You know I had to walk through there. Oh, you have no idea how much I loved it! The flowers and the garden are wonderful. What's fantastic is, they harvest the seeds from the plants AND sell them in Lady Washington's shop as well as the larger shop at the front of the grounds. They have a sunflower that I absolutely MUST get my hands on next spring or summer.

My son and I decided to have lunch after the tour. Since we didn't have reservations at the restaurant we went to the food court. We should've checked with the restaurant. I would say in comparison to what you'll spend at the food court, it's worth your while to eat at the restaurant. I'll share more about my experience enjoying their food in a future blog post.

After lunch we wanted to check out Washington's tomb. Thankfully since we were full, we took a shuttle down to the wharf and then walked up to the tomb. We passed by the pioneer farm, but we didn't see any activity down there. What I didn't realize was, there's also a slave memorial & cemetery. It's a beautiful area on the grounds just past Washington's tomb.

We wandered the grounds some more passing by the coach house, stable and lower garden. We didn't spend much time because it was getting late in the day. I was bummed we didn't take time to walk through the Donald W. Reynolds Museum & Education Center. I did take time to walk through the two big shops. My daughter would love the smaller one as they have an entire Christmas section! In the larger shop they have some amazing creations made from wood that was found on the grounds. There are also books galore!

Trust me, this is one visit you won't want to miss! You come to VA or Washington, D.C. It's well worth your time and you will thank me later! My next visit I hope will be by candlelight during the holidays!

Hiking Interstate State Park, Minnesota

My son and I went hiking last year at Minnehaha Falls on one of the weekends he was back from camp. I think we're going to be making this a tradition. It gets us out of whoever's house we're staying with and allows us to enjoy the beautiful state of Minnesota.

This year we decided to go to Taylors Falls. Now, I'll share a bit of my ignorance here. I thought Taylors Falls wasn't just a city. I thought it had a waterfall. You know, hence the name of the town. Turns out, nope, no waterfalls there. lol

We decided to do the hike regardless and I'm glad we did! It was an absolutely beautiful day. It took us about an hour to get there from the Cities. There are 2 sides to the Park, hence the "Interstate" part of the name. It's joined with Wisconsin. It was only $7 to park for the day. We probably could've parked on the street in Taylors Falls, but this worked out just fine.

You have several options when you visit Interstate State Park. You can rent canoes and kayaks, hike, or take a scenic boat tour. I didn't realize about the boat tour until it was too late, but that would've been fun. There are also a few trails you can explore. If we go back I'd like to check out the Glacial Potholes. We started our adventure off on the River Trail. That probably took us about an hour to hike? We stopped along the way to take photos and enjoy the scenery. It's only a mile and a quarter hike.

You walk along the road for a bit of the hike and then veer off into the woods. There were a decent amount of people hiking the day we went, but only so much that we'd pass someone occasionally. It was a very peaceful hike. The views of the St. Croix River were beautiful. The trails were pretty well maintained. I can see how on a rainy day some areas could be a bit slick.

After we finished with the River Trail, we crossed under the road to tackle the Railroad Trail which is 1.5 miles. We saw a couple of young gals who had just come from that direction so I asked them if we were headed the right way. Thankfully we were.

Now, when I was talking with the gal who I paid at the visitor center, she mentioned an extra piece to the Railroad Trail. She told me the Sandstone Bluffs Trail was 250 steps. I'm like, ok, so that's really nothing. Welllll, what she actually meant was there are 250 actual steps!! Stairs, people!! This is actually and added 1mi hike. Oh my goodness, I thought I was going to die. HAHAHAHA There was one point where we were completely confused and so was another lady who came upon us. About halfway through the hike it just dead ends.

Just before we reached the dead end. As in about 15 seconds before, this man scared the nonsense out of us as he was climbing down through the rock and he was sweating something awful. All of a sudden he was just there next to us. Turns out, that's where we had to climb up. I debated about turning around, but didn't. lol My son climbed up too fast for me to grab a shot of it. The arrow that points to the "steps" is rather deceiving. It looks like it's pointing to the dead end. Needless to say, I survived. My son basically ran up all of the steps. Show off.

We got back onto the Railroad Trail and it spits you out in what seems like a deserted parking lot. It was such an odd end to the hike. lol We walked out to the street which took us to the main part of Taylors Falls. Across the highway is another area to hike, but we just chilled out for a few minutes before we made our way back under the road to the visitor center. We grabbed our car and ate at a restaurant in town. Let me just say I would suggest eating anywhere other than Chisago House for your meal. I don't normally call out places that aren't great, but this place was probably one of the worst restaurants I've ever eaten or been served at.

All in all, this was an extremely beautiful place to visit. It's pet friendly so there were lots of people with their dogs. One gal actually had hiking boots on her dog so you know they explore a lot. It would be a fabulous place to camp as well. I definitely want to go back and possibly try kayaking, the boat tour, and the potholes.

27th Annual Giant National Barbecue Battle

This was our second year attending The Giant National Barbecue Battle in Washington D.C. thanks to Liquified Creative who gave us Media passes to attend the event. I have to tell you, this is one of the best events that we've attended in the area. We went 2 yrs ago and had a great time.

When we first got there we talked to a couple of the people running the Famous Dave's restaurant. Holy smokes there was so much good food there! We were so bummed we hadn't been there the day before because Dave had been on-site. And can I just say, it was awesome seeing a woman at one of the bigger grills! She looked like she was having a blast.

Part of the plan when we go down to this Battle is to go with an empty stomach. There's SO much to sample throughout the entire event. Giant has several tents (extremely long tents) that you can get in line for. Now, you have to be prepared. The Giant tents have long lines, but always worth it!

Fred was in barbecue heaven. He loves barbecued food more than most people. While I'm not a sauce fan, I am a rub fan. I'm always searching for a new rub for Fred to put on our ribs. This is a great place to try some out. This is also the perfect way to try foods that you typically wouldn't.

For example, while I like hummus, I've never seen Fred try it. We were able to sample the Sabra flatbread and he literally said to me, "I want to try this recipe at home." Jaw. Drop! I couldn't believe those words came out of his mouth. We grabbed the recipe card and I'm looking forward to him trying it out.

Also, if you're anything like me, don't you want to try a sample of something before you spend money on it? I mean, there are some products out there you might buy outright. Like trail mix. All you have to do is look at what's in it to know if you'd be interested. Then there are other foods and drinks that I'm not going to spend $5 on just to take a sip or a bite and realize it's going in the trash. lol Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way.

While I was in line for one of the Giant tents, he ditched me for a barbecue station. The first one he went to was out of most of their food. he went to the next station, which was Dyvine BBQ and he loved their food so much he couldn't stop talking about it. Meanwhile, through one tent, I probably sampled 20 different brands. SERIOUSLY, I love going to the Battle!

Not everything is food related at The Giant National Barbecue Battle. They also had people there from the health industry. You could talk to people about nutrition, dental health, as well as day to day living. They also have 3 band stages with different artists playing throughout the day. It was so great to sit back and listen to the bands.

We also made sure to take pictures with the Planters vehicle and the Oscar Meyer one. Those are classics to check out. There's also a food booth that can't be overlooked. They have deep fried Oreos, Twinkie, Cookie Dough, and Reese's! Fred went with the singular Twinkie and I had 3 Reese's. Just...wow! I saved 2 for the boys to enjoy when we got home.

On a side note, Sundays are a great day to go, especially being there in the afternoon because they companies are trying to offload all of the samples they brought with them. They'd literally grab handfuls of their products and dump them into our bags. Thank you very much!

The next time we go I'll be taking a small, soft cooler with us. It was sweltering down there and we grabbed quite a few samples that weren't going to be good by the time we made it home: yogurt, mayo sample, and a few other drinks/food samples.

Speaking of "next time" we'll be heading down again next year. They've already set the dates of June 27th & 28th.

First Day Of Summer At Hersheypark

One of our favorite places to go is Hersheypark. It's such a great, family friendly place to spend a day, especially a 20th birthday. My oldest son turned 20 and we spent his birthday at Hersheypark thanks to tickets we were given by the Park!

It had been raining so much lately I was incredibly thankful that Saturday was a sun shiny day! Whew. We headed up to Hershey, PA which is a 3 hour drive. Listen, if you live more than an hour away, my suggestion is to get a hotel room and stay either at the Park or near the Park the night before. Unfortunately, because we're not morning people, we didn't get up to Hersheypark until 12:45! The guys were finally in their first ride line by 2:00. See why I say to get a hotel the night before?

While the boys headed off to the Sidewinder, I told Fred I wanted to grab a King Size Milkshake. And I didn't mean just any kind, but it was National Cookie Dough Day at the park so that's the one we ordered. Oh my word, it was incredible! It was so stinking hot, it started melting right away. hahaha We just had to down it and eat it as fast as possible, but it was a delicious choice.

This was the first time the guys made it to the Wildcat. That was a pretty decent line that they got through. I think it was probably the fastest line they went through. In this section of the Park they have benches under the trees so it's perfect for those of us waiting for the riders.

Turns out the first full day of summer combined with it being a Saturday means half of the United States is at Hersheypark! lol This was our first time going where the lines were an hour and a half to two hours long. This was also our first time making it back to the Laff Track section of the Park. I sat down to waited for the guys to ride it, and while I waited a family sat down next to me and I ended up talking to them for the next hour and a half.

I actually got on a roller coaster this time. My rides are typically the carnival type rides. I went on the Trailblazer and my amusing husband thought he'd record me screaming, but it was such an easy coaster I didn't do anything but smile. lol He was very disappointed. Another ride that was my speed was the Dry Gulch Railroad. Just a fun little train ride that lasted about 5 minutes.

Now, the ride I did close my eyes on was the Tidal Force. Not only did I close my eyes, I hid my face. As if THAT was going to help anything. hahahaha This bad boy ride will SOAK you. There will not be an inch of you that remains dry. My suggestion for The Boardwalk at Hersheypark is visit early in the day or afternoon so that you can be dry by the time the sun starts to set. We rode Tidal Force around 6:30pm and we were pretty chilly afterwards. Of course we brought a change of clothes so the rest of the evening we were dry.

We were looking for an affordable place to eat so while we were still between Midway America and The Boardwalk 2 of us grabbed sandwiches at Subway and 2 of us ate at Dispatch Pizzeria. Before we left we also grabbed ice cream treats again at Simply Chocolate. I mean, how could we not?

My goal for our next trip to Hersheypark is to visit ZooAmerica. In all of the times we've been there I haven't been able to get to that part of the Park. Shocking isn't it with how much I love wild animals? I'm hoping we can get back there in August. There's construction happening so when you first get to the Park it won't look at all how you remember it. Hershey Chocolatetown will be opening in a year so the front of the Park is a construction zone, but they have it set up so that you enter seamlessly once you get there. Looking forward to our next trip!