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San Juan Insland Washington, Lime Kiln Lighthouse
In Washington

A Day Trip to San Juan Island Near Seattle

Before we began planning a road trip that included a few days in Seattle, I’d never heard of San Juan Island. When I discussed our travel plans at work, a coworker suggested we add San Juan Island to our trip because her sister loved it so much. Well, my coworker’s sister was right! San Juan Island is an adorable place to visit with historic sites, whale-watching opportunities, and beautiful overlooks of the sea. Getting to San Juan Island From Seattle Since we didn’t initially plan to visit San Juan Island, we could only set aside one day for the side trip. To get to the island, you have to take a ferry or a plane.  We opted to go with the more popular and cost-effective option–taking the ferry from Anacortes. Since we’d never driven our car onto a ferry, this turned out to be an adventure unto itself. Anacortes, Washington,…

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Kakawa Chocolate House Santa Fe
In New Mexico

Chocolate Elixir and More at Kakawa Chocolate House in Santa Fe

As we researched places to visit in Santa Fe, especially places for tasty treats, one place continued to pop up on my radar–Kakawa Chocolate House. When I discovered that you could taste rich chocolatey elixirs or devour a variety of truffles, I knew Kristin and I had to go and get our chocolate on. So, after an exciting morning at Santa Fe’s Meow Wolf attraction, it was lunchtime. And what could be better for lunch than all things chocolate? About Kakawa Chocolate House Okay, maybe we didn’t exactly have lunch there. But Kakawa Chocolate House was right along our route back to our hotel room at the Guadalupe Inn, an adorable little place (it only has 12 rooms!) that was near downtown and some pretty great places to eat. So, before we headed back to downtown and Santa Fe Plaza, we needed to satisfy our need for chocolate. There are…

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San Francisco's Chinatown
In California

Exploring San Francisco’s Chinatown

If you’re heading to San Francisco, you simply must plan to spend some time in Chinatown, the oldest in North America and the largest outside of Asia. San Francisco’s Chinatown is a sensory delight; the art, the food, the music, the shopping–China’s culture is a fantastic experience and was a highlight of our road trip. Though we only spent a few hours there, it’s one of my family’s favorite memories. Planning Our Visit to San Francisco’s Chinatown We only spent one night in San Francisco, but our limited time was packed with experiences. Honestly, as we planned this three-week road trip from Missouri, we didn’t initially plan to stay in San Francisco; we intended to drive on through. I thought San Francisco would be its own trip for us one day. As we continued to plan, we realized that we’d be staying somewhere nearby anyway as we drove from Monterey…

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Estes Park, Colorado
In Colorado

How to Spend Two Days in Estes Park, Colorado

Colorado is such a beautiful state, and Estes Park and the surrounding area has some of the most gorgeous scenery you’ll find anywhere. The last major destination of our 2020 road trip ended with a couple of days in this adorable town to check out Rocky Mountain National Park. We fell in love with the area, and we hope to make it back one day soon. If you haven’t been to this area, I certainly hope it’s on your list. Estes Park is right outside the Beaver Meadows entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. This entrance is on the east side of the park and grants access to Trail Ridge Road, the main scenic thoroughfare from one side of the park to other. This road also takes you past the Alpine Visitor Center, the visitor center at the highest elevation of any visitor center in the United States. We also…

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Arches National Park
In Utah

How to Spend Two Days in Moab, Utah

If you’re looking for a trip that combines adventure with beautiful scenery, look no further than the charming town of Moab, Utah. You’ll find plenty of opportunities for desert fun including Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Dead Horse Point State Park. When you’re not out exploring, Moab is a nice place to call your home base when you’re ready to shop or unwind in the pool. If you’re wondering what to do while you’re in the area, take a look at what our family did during our three nights and two full days in Moab. For this post, I’ll only be sharing the activities we actually participated in, though we only scratched the surface. There is plenty more fun that we didn’t have time for on this visit to Moab, which happened to be our first! We had such a great time, we hope to return one day.…

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The Pioneer Woman Mercantile
In Oklahoma

Dinner and Shopping at The Pioneer Woman Mercantile

If you’ve ever watched the Food Network, you’re probably at least familiar with Ree Drummond, also known as The Pioneer Woman. Actually, I admire her a lot. She started a blog in 2006 and turned it into an amazing empire–cookbooks, a cooking show, merchandise, a boutique hotel, a magazine, and the Mercantile, a store with a restaurant and bakery located in the small town of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, near her husband’s ranch.  Just imagine being able to showcase your life and turn it into a lucrative career; it’s every blogger’s dream! That’s why when my family had the opportunity to stop by The Pioneer Woman Mercantile, I jumped at the chance. And it wasn’t just because I was a blogger. The food sounded amazing, and getting a chance to see the beautiful items for sale in the store was too hard to resist. So one summer afternoon, we stopped in for…

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Fountain in Forsyth Park Savannah Georgia
In Down South

Family Fun in 24 Hours in Savannah, Georgia

Savannah, Georgia, is a beautiful place to visit. While the city may have a reputation as a destination for couples or girls-only weekends, Savannah offers a lot of fun for families, especially if you enjoy mixing family fun with history like we do. The Backstory We made the trek to Savannah after one of our Disney World visits. We drive from Joplin, Missouri, so I’m always on the lookout for somewhere to explore on the drive home. I was first drawn in by Savannah’s beauty and charm. I’d read John Berendt’s book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and I’m also a fan of the movie. Add in the book Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley and the movie Forrest Gump, and I had plenty of reasons to make a stop in Savannah. Arriving in Savannah, Georgia We’d just spent two nights in St. Augustine, Florida, so we were only…

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Old Town San Diego
In California

Old Town San Diego: One Evening of Fun

What do you do when you only have a few days to spend in California on your first trip? You spend one night in San Diego. Of course, I would’ve loved to spend more time there, and I hope to go back one day. But for this trip–one night. Before Old Town San Diego We’d already rented a car and stayed two nights in LA. We had a fabulous time checking out some of the places we’d only seen on TV shows or movies. We stayed at the Magic Castle Hotel and had a great time in Hollywood. You can click here to read all about the Magic Castle Hotel. To read more about the Hollywood Walk of Fame, click here. How about the Sunset Strip? Click here. After our second night at the Magic Castle Hotel, we woke up early to make the drive to San Diego. I loved…

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Eureka Springs Downtown
In Eureka Springs

Exploring Downtown Eureka Springs for Families

When traveling to the Ozarks, be sure that Eureka Spring, Arkansas, is on your must-see list.  The hills are a gorgeous backdrop for having some fun downtown with your family.  Since the city is designated as a historical site, it feels like you’ve stepped back in time as you explore the shops and restaurants in downtown Eureka Springs. Here is a list of things so you can have a great time checking out what this little city in Arkansas has to offer. Explore the Historic Beauty of Downtown Eureka Springs Right in the middle of town, you’ll find Basin Spring Park.  This park is a hub for entertainment and art, especially on the weekends. It’s hard to resist the trail that leads you to the Basin Spring; this is the spring that launches the narrative of the origin of the city. It’s fun to feel the coolness coming off the…

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