Make the Most of Your Road Trip!

Road trips. You either love them or hate them. Personally, I love them. Cranking up the music, rolling the windows down, and just having fun! Over the years, I've made several long trips both with kids and without. You could say I'm a road trip professional. Okay, not really. But it sounded good, right? I do have a few tips that have helped make road trips a little more enjoyable over the years.

// Snacks are Key. Let's face it! Fast food and snacks from the gas station can get pricy. Before you leave, load your car with lots of tasty filling snacks. Granola bars are  winner for us! We can usually get away with going to the dollar store a few days before we leave to get things that everyone loves. Along with the snacks, drinks are important. I of course prefer water, but capri suns are great for the kids. Heck, there's even great recipes to make your own granola snacks to save even more.

No one wants to be HANGRY
// Know your MPGs! To get the most out of your journey, it helps to know how often you'll have to stop for gas. You may not be able to map out where exactly to stop for gas, but you'll at least be able to know how often you will need to stop based on how far you're going and your MPG's. For example, when we drive from Georgia to Jersey we know we'll have to fill up three times. This gets worked into our travel budget. Without stressing about stopping too much allows you and the driver to enjoy the ride a little more.
Just watch out for flying Mexican!
// Enjoy the ride. Plain and simple. Just make the trip fun. Just because you're literally stuck in the car for hours on end, you don't have to be cranky about it!You may have taken the same road trip every year and know your route so well that you could do it in your sleep. But don't make the ride boring! Play I-Spy games. This helps keep the driver entertained.

// Crank up the tunes! Road trip songs are the best! Before you leave, get some playlists together that will have you and the driver singing along. My husband and I have a bunch of mixed CD's we use just for road trips. We both sing and dance along. And hey, if you have kids, you DON'T need to keep the kids songs playing. Let's face it, y'all... those get old FAST. The kids can learn to appreciate Journey at an early age!

// Plan to Explore. This kind of goes back to enjoying the ride. Before you leave allow little wiggle room in your travel time to stop and explore. Y'all may not realize there's a zoo you haven't been to before or a random "state's biggest (fill in the blank)" Look up some random attractions on your route and explore! For example, there's a natural bridge in Virginia that someone might like to see!  This makes for great memories and pictures.

See? Road trips don't have to always be  long and boring! Make it fun and make it something you enjoy. 13-15 hours in the car is a long time, y'all. We don't want to kill your spouse at the end of it, right?

What are some things you do on road trips? What's your favorite road trip song?

Come Visit Me!

Previously I told y'all about places you need to visit that are outside of where I live. AKA Places I've been to that I absolutely love. It got me thinking though, I really do love where I live. I'm not sure how many of my readers have been to Georgia. I know a few like Amanda and Becca are from here, but to the others that have never been to this wonderful southern state, I give you:

+ ME!
This one should be obvious, because there's a lot of y'all I would love to meet! It still needed to be said though.

+ Centennial Olympic Park / Skyview Atlanta
Both of these are right next to each other in Atlanta. Skyview is new (I still have not ridden it, but it looks incredible!) Who doesn't love a ginormous Ferris wheel? Centennial Park was made after the 1996 Summer Olympics left. The Olympic rings are now a *free* splash pad that has a view of Skyview. There's lots of really tasty restaurants in the area too. Both of these are not just for kids. Trust me, I've seen plenty of adults down here. Granted, the adults don't usually take part in the splash pad, but the park has much more to offer. Walking trails, etc.

+ Stone Mountain
Located east of Atlanta is Stone Mountain. Here there is tons of stuff to do with the family. Every night during the summer time they do a laser show and fireworks on the side of the mountain. There's a hiking trail to climb the mountain, or if you're lazy like me there's a lift to let you ride to the top! For the kids, there's rides, games, etc! You could easily spend an entire day here and not get bored. You might spend a fortune on gifts and rides, but you won't be bored.

The Grist Mill at Stone Mtn

+ Georgia Aquarium
Clearly I'm a sucker for aquariums. But seriously y'all, the Georgia Aquarium is by far the nicest I've ever seen! I haven't seen the dolphin show yet, but even if you go and don't watch it you won't be disappointed. If I remember correctly Georgia is one of the few aquariums to hold whale sharks! Not all aquariums are created equal. I honestly could've done a post just on aquariums I've been too! Is that sad?

+ Yellow River Game Ranch
Not too far from Stone Mountain is this lovely little gem! No kidding y'all, this place is so cool. Their slogan: "Like a zoo, but better!" All of the animals here are local to Georgia, and most you can PET! That's right, it's a huge petting zoo. Ever wanted to snuggle up to a cute little Bambi deer? This is the place! It's also WAY cheaper than say, Zoo Atlanta, for example. Fun on a budget, y'all. You can bring your own food for the animals, or you can buy food for them where you get the tickets. Most of the animals there can be fed "non special diet food".

Now doesn't that look like fun?
Where should I visit in your city? We're always looking for new vacation destinations!

Places Y'all Need to Visit

I'm not much of a traveler. Hell, I am one of the few folks actually born and raised in Georgia and I'm still here, y'all.
The few places I have been to are absolutely amazing and everyone should go at least once.

+ St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
I've been here three times (my aunt used to live there), and seriously y'all this place is gorgeous! It's super affordable for tourists, you can see the bottom of the ocean, and the local food is amazing! What more of a reason do you need to visit? Oh wait, it's in the Caribbean!

real live sea turtle! 

Snorkeling Melissa 

Pirate ship!

+ Chicago, Illinois Shedd Aquarium 
The last time I was here was in 2002, so sorry: I don't have any pictures with me in them, but the pictures from the website are exactly like I remember the aquarium. Plus, I really love aquariums so when I get a chance to see one outside of my city I get really excited.

Source: Google

Source: Google

+ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Zoo
Also known as America's First Zoo. Y'all, you can feed the giraffes at this zoo! Plus, these speak for themselves!

I think any zoo or aquarium in a new city is a definite must-see. Philly and Chicago were fun cities to visit. I was only in each of them for a day, so I'd definitely love to go back to see what else the cities have to offer. Where have you been that other people need to visit? I'd love to see your pictures!

TBT: I Love Vacations

Most of my family vacations were spent camping in St Augustine,  Florida. If you've ever been to Florida in mid to late July, you know the heat and humidity is unbearable. So needless to say, camping (in a tent.... roughing it) in that weather is not what most people would call the "most fun experience in the world".

However, I do have a favorite vacation though! My sister and I got the (amazing) opportunity to visit St Thomas island, part of the US Virgin Islands. My Aunt and Uncle lived there for about three years due to my Uncle's job. Tough living, right? So for two summers my sister and I got a chance to visit. Best vacation EVER!


While we were there we went to the beach everyday, snorkeled, and relaxed by the pool.

I'm on the left

My Aunt knew lots of people in town on the island so we got some really good deals for parisailing and day charters on a sailboat.

I think sailing was my favorite activity. We left the dock at 9 am, sailed out to the north end of the island and anchored down. Then we were able to swim in the Caribbean or snorkel. While we enjoyed the water, the captain of the boat prepared lunch.

I'm on the left

18 is the legal drinking age in St. Thomas so I  admit to being a little bit drunk on the sailboat. I'm sure Amanda got some drunk texts while I was there. he-he.

I'm in the towel making a face...

What was your first/ favorite vacation?

Next Week on TBT Stories: 4th Of July Celebrations! 

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