Tag: Coffee shop

Sligo Creek Parkway Playgrounds and Nearby Ones

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Addy about to get on the zip line at a Sligo Creek Parkway playground

Silver Spring, Maryland has a wonderful paved trail along Sligo Creek Parkway. It’s perfect for walking, scootering, pushing a stroller, etc. There are a lot of playgrounds along the path and various free parking offerings. Parts of Sligo Creek Parkway close to vehicle traffic on the weekends, so I’ve noted where I know that to be the case. Unfortunately, bathrooms are hard to come by for these parks. And many kids, including my own, do play in some sections of the creek, but from one parent to another, please always do your own due diligence on the water conditions.

  • Sligo Dennis Park – One of the newest parks along Sligo Creek Parkway and the equipment is orange and blue. This one is great for climbers and is set-up like an obstacle course. It’s along the creek and you can play in the water here. There is a small parking lot and on the weekends, it’s blocked by the road closure, so you have to park off Dennis and walk.
  • Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park – This playground is also newer and is tucked into the end of a neighborhood by a low spot in the creek. It’s neighborhood street parking. There are two play structures and I appreciate that the tall one is enclosed. This is a good one to pair with a trip to to Aldi and Lidl off New Hampshire Avenue and is on the Takoma Park end of Sligo Creek Parkway.
  • Blue Park, I mean Dale Drive Neighborhood Park – This is a popular park often referred to as “blue park” because of the ground covering. My daughter loves the rope climbing structure here and it for sure makes me nervous. There’s also a pirate ship for littles, a see saw and some other small structures. There’s a big field nearby and access to the creek. Be mindful of the rocks as they do get slippery. There’s a small parking lot here off Dale Drive or you can park by the tennis courts on Sligo Creek and walk over. If you don’t mind walking a bit of a hill, pop up to Love and Flour bakery with treats and espresso drinks (it looks a little different now than my IG pics that are linked). You can also do a double park and walk about 8 minutes to Nolte Local Park which has quite a bit of shade in comparison to Dale Drive.
  • Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park – This is another newer park with two zip lines and access to the creek. The park is blue and green and nearly full sun. My daughter loves the zip line here and there’s also an accessible zip line. There are swings and a great climbing structure with slides. There’s also a smaller structure. This is located in a section that’s closed on the weekends, starting sometime on Friday evening (last time we were there it had signs by the small parking lot). You can also use the map to park in a nearby neighborhood and walk here such as Kennebec or Houston Ave.
  • Sligo-Bennington Park – This park has three separate structures but the best part is you can take a short walk to Zinnia’s for a treat or espresso drink (bring a penny for the wishing well). There is a wooden playground and my daughter loves the rings for the monkey bar structure (otherwise, this structure needs to be replaced in my opinion). Then there are two small structures and a ton of swings here. If you like going for a short walk, there’s a nature/unpaved path through the woods. It’s fun for throwing rocks in the water. This park of Sligo Creek is always open (unless it floods) and you can park along Sligo Creek Parkway or street park directly next to the park on Bennington. Have a double park day and head to Three Oaks Neighborhood Park (no swings).
  • Sligo Creek North Neighborhood Park – This is a shaded park right along the bend of Sligo Creek and another one that’s great to pair with Aldi or Lidl. This has descending monkey bars which can be great for learning. There are two side-by-side baby swings and two traditional swings. There’s a very small parking lot on the bend, otherwise, you’d have to look for neighborhood street parking.
  • Forest Grove Neighborhood Park – We call this “hospital” park because it’s close to Holy Cross Hospital. There’s are a couple of spaces directly on Sligo Creek or you can go on the other side of the park to park along the street near the basketball courts. The spinning structure is now the favorite here along with the monkey bars.

There is no shortage of parks in the area! Here are some other nearby ones with links to pictures on Instagram. I also recommend checking out my article, Top Tips for New Silver Spring Parents that will be helpful whether you’re visiting or live in the general area. It includes indoor suggestions as well.

  • Bullis Local Park – A lot of younger kids enjoy the train here to play on. It’s also a close enough walk to Silver Spring Library.
  • Burtonsville Local Park
  • Dewey Local Park – This is a personal favorite! I love the street art here, the little bike path around the park, the skating rink and all of the extras on top of an amazing park! Bring matchbox type cars to use on the small play structure And if you come here, check out Unique Thrift Store nearby! I like this park so much I have two posts!
  • Ellsworth Urban Park – This has a little kid park with a low arched monkey bar. Then it has a totally separate section for climbers – the big structure here used to make me so nervous!
  • Evans Parkway Park
  • Flora Singer Elementary School – This isn’t open during school hours, but it’s perfect for the weekend if you want to use the low monkey bars or play on the little soccer field with nets.
  • Flower Avenue Urban Park – This is a colorful park with the big circles that swing to move through. There’s some nice street art nearby here too.
  • General Getty Neighborhood Park – We recently returned to this park and I forgot how great it was! I enjoyed being able to walk the path around the park, while still being able to see my child play. This park has a “mommy and me” swing or rather the bucket swing with the traditional swing attached combination.
  • Highland View Elementary – This is probably best for non-school hours, but the ninja warrior type obstacle course at the upper playground is a lot of fun and has a big field next to it. Then there’s a lower park down the stairs that’s known as the Kindergarten park.
  • Hillandale Local Park – One of our favorites because of the log course! It also has a double swing, bathrooms and it’s next to a fire station.
  • Kemp Mill Park – If you have a climber, make sure you bring your tennis shoes! The rope climbing structure is huge here and it’s quite a stretch from the rope onto the platform for the humungous slide!
  • MLK Recreation Park – Another park with a low monkey bar for learning. There are accessible features here and bathrooms! There’s also a walking trail. I would say this is one of the most recommended ones for young children. This post has more pictures.
  • Montgomery Hills Park – Located behind Aldi’s on Georgia Ave. This park does get some shade, has a book box and it’s next to a tennis court. There’s a super pretty tree here in the Fall too!
  • North Four Corners Local Park – This is another favorite for us and it’s actually a double park! The bigger park has a huge field next to it and a great path for biking or scootering.
  • Opal Daniels Park
  • Seek Lane Park – Addy loved the ninja warrior type obstacle course set-up.
  • Sligo Cabin Park – Technically this one is along the trail too, but it is a bit challenging to get to with Purple Line construction unless you walk down from another section of Sligo Creek or one of the neighborhoods. On the weekends, you could park by Sligo Creek Elementary and walk down the steps or take the accessible path around to here.
  • Sligo Creek Park – This one is along the trail, but it is my least favorite because I always find it is so buggy! It’s close to Colesville on the side near Brunett Ave and relatively close to the golf course.
  • Sligo Mill Overlook
  • St. Paul Park – Set back from the road with an open field and path great for riding scooters, bikes or pushing a stroller. Walking distance to historic Kensington.
  • Toatley-Fraser Park
  • Upper Long Branch Park – Many refer to this as “fire engine park” because of the fire truck structure.
  • Wheaton Claridge Park
  • Wheaton Library Playground – This is a great, mostly fenced park. It is the perfect park for an outting because there’s also the library, the recreation center, a coffee shop and a Friends of the Library used bookstore. There are bathrooms when the building is open.
  • Wheaton Regional Park – This is a destination playground and great for a wide range of ages. There are bathrooms here too! I share more ideas in my article, Top Tips for New Silver Spring Parents.
  • Woodside Urban Park – This is a great park with free street parking. It’s also very close to the brand new Mom’s Organic Grocery which has a bathroom! I like to walk over to PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans from here.

About the Author

Lydia Garry and her family, TeamTravelsBaby, live in Silver Spring, Maryland, and are working to achieve “vagabond status”. Much of their affordable family travel experiences include U.S. travel, national parks and Europe. Adventure with them here, subscribe to their newsletter and follow along on Instagram!

Explore the Eastern Shore

Posted in DC-Maryland-Virginia, Free Kids Fun, Read Them All, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Red playground | TeamTravelsBaby

From our condo in Silver Spring, Maryland it takes us about 45 minutes to cross the Bay Bridge (make sure you have an EZ Pass for the toll) and then there are a lot of choices for exploring Maryland’s Eastern Shore. When we first started venturing to the Eastern Shore, I only thought of Assateague and Ocean City, Maryland. Let me assure you, there are a lot of fun places – ice cream shops, cute towns, playgrounds, beaches and art to see! If you prefer staying on Instagram, I have a highlight reel, but I have many more details here and it’s searchable. Some of my hyperlinks below will also take you to my Insta with pics.

Berlin

This is a cute historic town with ice cream, a thrift store (cash only), a coffee shop and some shops. If you pass through on a Sunday, there’s a seasonal market and stores are open too. This is very close to Assateague and Ocean City.

  • Island Creamery is located downtown and will let you split a single scoop so you can enjoy two flavors for just over $5. There’s often a line here but it moves fast and you can enjoy seating in the alley next to it.
  • Chesapeake Bay Farms is one of the stops on the Maryland Ice Cream Trail; this is directly off US 50 West so it’s an easy stop without adding too much time to your journey
    • You can learn more about it here and the possible prizes!
  • The library has toys and is a good stop if you need a clean bathroom.
  • The beautifully painted pumpkin scavenger hunt in October was so much fun! It’s free, the town is happening with music and activities for kids. See our reel here.
  • About 10 minutes from downtown is Wal-Mart which is a great place to stock up before the beach. We’ve also slept in this parking lot to save money!

Ocean City

This is a destination for many and it’s super fun with the ocean, the bay, a long boardwalk and many other family friendly offerings. We recently found a last minute deal for $92 for the Blue Wave Inn which was like a Motel 6 but with an incredible pool and parking that lasted until 3 pm on the day of check out. It was only 2 blocks from 9th street at the boardwalk. I would stay again.

  • No name park is new and a must visit near the skate park and views of the bay.
  • Check out CertifiKID* to see if there are any deals for Jolly Rogers Amusement Park (we saw some in June 2024). Many places, like miniature golfing offer deals if you look in hotels at the pamphlets.
  • Ocean City is fun in various seasons. We loved visiting in October for the enjoyable weather and the off-season pricing (see what we paid here) at the Francis Scott Key Family Resort which has an indoor pool, putt-putt, free popcorn and a movie room. Insta pics here.

* CertifiKID is very similar to GroupOn. If you’ve never used it, please consider using my referral link as it’s no extra cost to you and I will receive a small credit from CertifiKID. In the DMV, we have found deals for places like DoodleHatch (Columbia), Jolly Yolly (Westfield Montgomery) and HyperKidz.

Bivalve

Cove Road Beach is the only reason we came here which is on a river and very relaxing. It’s about 25 minutes from Salisbury.

Cove Road Beach | TeamTravelsBaby

Cambridge

Located along the Choptank River, this is a great halfway point to stop and stretch on the way to the Atlantic Ocean. It also makes for a fun day trip from the DMV area (90 minutes from Silver Spring).

  • Sailwinds Park has a great playground and is located along the river
  • Chick-fil-A is about 1 mile from Sailwinds and has a small play area
  • There is a downtown with coffee, ice cream and art! Set your GPS for Black Water Coffee Shop and you’ll be in the heart of it all. IG post here.
  • Dorchester County Library is a place to escape the heat but still let your kids stretch. They have kids toys.

Chestertown

This is close to Rock Hall and Betterton Beach. I definitely recommend combining all three for a great day trip away from the DMV. Chestertown is the biggest town and is fun for wandering in and out of shops like the bookstore.

  • Betterton Beach is one of those ideal beaches for littles! Check out my IG post. It’s under 2 hours from Silver Spring, MD and we’ve enjoyed this as a day trip.
  • Rock Hall – grab a treat at Sweet Cheeks Bakery, grab coffee from Java Rock and look for ospreys at Blue Heron Park.
  • Lockbriar Farms for ice cream is part of the Maryland ice cream trail and has delicious fruit flavored ones. The owners had a sweet cat who sat with us and then we took a little tour to see the chickens and flowers blooming.

Easton

Less than 90 minutes from Silver Spring is an Amish Market, indoor play space and great park! It can easily be combined with Cambridge.

  • Be with Me Playseum is an indoor playspace with different areas for pretend play, real animals and art. Be sure to check their hours here. This is located on US 50 West. There’s also a location in the Columbia Mall and one in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  • Idlewild Park is an amazing wooden park that’s mostly fenced in, has a tot lot too and bathrooms! There’s also a book box and a really pretty court. IG reel here It’s only a couple of minutes off US 50 East, so it’s another great park on the way to the beach.
  • Amish Country Farmers Market – Check their hours and know that it’s closed Sundays. This is a great stop if you just need a quick outting and perhaps some affordable and delicious treats! We love Amish markets and have enjoyed exploring many in the DMV like Annapolis, Laurel and Germantown.
  • Chick-fil-A here has a small play area.
Be with Me Playseum | TeamTravelsBaby

Grasonville

The Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center is a great place for getting outdoors, especially if you enjoy walking/hiking or getting out on the water with paddleboards or kayaks. It is exceptionally affordable (like $20/day) and first come first serve. Read more on their site. Grab coffee from Dessert First Dockside Coffee and make sure to check out the marina.

Kent Island

This makes for a great trip and is great when the weather is comfortable for hiking and spending time outdoors.

  • Ferry Point Park – Park and check out the Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center, then go for a leisurely walk and enjoy the small beach.
  • Terrapin Nature Park – This is also a great place to walk and enjoy a small beach.
  • Pair with Old Love Point Park or other fun from Stevensville or Grasonville.

Oxford

I could come here just for the uniqueness of the ice cream! There is a small town along Main Street, a playground with shade near the water and a small beach.

  • Scottish Highland Creamery is so cute and right on the water!
  • Main Street has a little museum, a cute store of 30+ local vendors called the Treasure Chest, a market, Mystery Lovers Bookstore and my personal favorite was my iced lavender latte at Oxford Social Cafe. There’s a playground on the water and a little beach too.
Main Street Oxford | TeamTravelsBaby

Salisbury

This is the great stop to break up the drive to or from the ocean or to enjoy as its own trip.

Two Scoops Ice Cream | TeamTravelsBaby
Ben’s Red Swings next to the free zoo | TeamTravelsBaby

Stevensville

Will travel for ice cream should be our middle names. You can have a great day between the beach, ice cream and playground all within a short distance of one another.

  • Historic downtown Stevensville is small, but worth visiting for the Tasty Toucan which has a very kid friendly outdoor space. Check out my IG post.
  • Matapeake Beach is a small beach nearby. Parking is limited so get there early or come later in the day.
  • Old Love Point Playground

St. Michael’s

There’s a Saturday morning market and the library has toys if you’re visiting with a young child. It’s a fun town by the water. Grab coffee at Blue Crab and check out my IG post here.

So much to do on the Eastern Shore

If you have time and like birding, bring your camera and check out Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and the nearby Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center. And why not venture all the way to Delaware! You’re almost there anyways. Here’s our day in Rehoboth. I also have a beach highlight on Instagram that some of the beaches we’ve been to within a reasonable drive of the DMV.

Let me know in the comments what you love about the Eastern Shore or somewhere we should visit on a future trip!

2,019 for 2019! (National Parks-NM, CO, TX)

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Great Sand Dunes

We couldn’t do it again if we tried! We drove exactly 2,019 miles on our first trip of 2019. We visited 5 National Monuments, 3 National Parks, a National Wildlife Refuge, a State Capitol and lots of other points of interest in between. Did I mention we did this with our 4 month old baby? #TeamTravelsBaby ! Check out our 5 day trip report (February 15-20).

@TeamTravelsBaby

Lucky for us, Spirit Airlines often flies for ~$100 round-trip to Denver from Baltimore. Even better is Denver is situated in the perfect place to take all kinds of amazing National Park trips. Check out our long October weekend to the Badlands and Wind Cave National Parks or our 7 day National Park trip that ended with Rocky Mountain National Park (an easy 90 minutes from Denver).

We are National Park junkies and have made it a goal to try and explore them all and we’re almost halfway there (Mike and I have visited 27 together)! My sister-in-law shares our love of hiking and adventuring and joined us on this ambitious trip out west (luckily Spirit offers a similarly priced trip from Detroit)! February is a COLD month to visit Colorado and New Mexico (think negative 12 degrees at one point) and we literally would not have been able to cover as much ground or have the five day trip we did without her help.

Favorite trip pic of Addy!

Day 1 (approximate miles driven: 550 miles)

  • Start Day – Colorado Springs (Day 0, arrived late in the evening to DIA and drove here to sleep)
  • Bishop Castle – Think crooked, unfinished castle with cool turrets, beautiful stain glass and a unique “found on the side of the road” Colorado vibe. Fun to explore at your own risk!
  • Capulin Volcano National Monument – Right over the border in New Mexico, you drive to the top of the volcano. It is SUPER windy and there are two hikes at the top – one around the rim and one into the crater. There’s also a nice short round-trip walk near the visitor center. While this park costs $20, if you buy the $80 America the Beautiful National Park pass, you can get your monies worth in no time by visiting a handful of parks in a year. The ergo baby was perfect here, but our Addy hated the wind.
  • Las Vegas – If you know geography, you’ll know we didn’t drive to the real Las Vegas. Las Vegas is a small town with a historic hotel, some graffiti and a town square with some statues. A good pit stop to stretch your legs on the way to something cooler.
  • End Day – Roswell
Bishop Castle
Addy Girl Travels
Capulin Volcano

Day 2 (approximate miles driven: 484 miles)

  • Carlsbad Caverns
  • Carlsbad Caverns
    Draperies
  • Hawk at Carlsbad Caverns
    Hawk at the Caverns
  • Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge – We woke up in Roswell (yep, the alien city with the alleged UFO citing). First thing in the morning, we drove the 8-mile wildlife loop. It was a very serene drive and a nice place to start the day.
  • Carlsbad Caverns National Park – This was one of the highlights of the trip and also covered by the America the Beautiful Pass (instead of $15 per person, the pass covers up to 4 people). The drive up the mountain to get the visitor’s center is beautiful as well as the one-way loop on Walnut Canyon Desert Drive. The walk down to the Big Room in the cave as well as the loop around it is filled with decorations or stalactites and stalagmites. There’s also an elevator option, which we took at the end back to the visitor’s center instead of attempting a steep walk up with Addy. Our ergo baby came in handy and Addy slept almost the entire time we explored. If you’re interested in taking a guided tour, make sure to buy your tickets in advance as they only take small groups and they sell out quickly. Based on our positive experiences of taking guided tours at Wind Cave National Park (SD), Jewel Cave National Monument (SD), Cave of the Winds (CO), and Luray Caverns (VA), this is something we wish we could have done here.  We also enjoyed the short nature trail that looped back to the amphitheater (where you enter the cave).
  • Guadalupe Mountains National Park – This park is extremely close (like a 30 minute drive) from Carlsbad Caverns and right over the border into the northwest corner of Texas. We also went through a time zone change driving here. The scenery is beautiful and shouldn’t be missed. We weren’t here long, but we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset over this park on the way back to New Mexico.
  • End Day – Santa Fe
Sunset
Guadalupe Mountains
Bitter Lake NWR

Day 3 (approximate miles driven: 147 miles)

  • Santa Fe
  • Santa Fe
  • Cathedral in Santa Fe
  • Santa Fe – Waking up here was the best decision because this meant my SIL and I got to try the Christmas chili (red and green chili) breakfast burrito at The New Baking Company. It was DELISH! From here it was a short drive to old town Santa Fe. We parked a few blocks from the State Capitol at a meter (there’s a free week day parking garage, but it fills up quickly). Everywhere you walk there’s red chili hanging. It’s super pretty and unique. The whole city has a unique vibe. We checked out the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis, sipped a matcha latte and chai plus indulged and tried gelato samples from Café Atalaya and toured the utilitarian State Capitol building (found the accessible entrance through the connected Annex). The artwork throughout the Capitol was made by artists who lived in New Mexico at the time of creation and the views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are incredible. This was a stroller friendly couple of hours.
  • Bandelier National Monument – This was another highlight of the trip! Starting at the visitor center, there’s a great hike up to the first set of houses. There are ladders to climb up and take a peek in the different houses. We continued past these to the Alcove House! This is a 140 foot ascent up multiple ladders (at your own risk) and we did this with our baby in tow! My husband was brave enough to wear her up and down and VERY lucky for us, she slept through it all. The experience is exhilarating and the view from the top is worth the climb. We also saw mule deer and an Abert’s squirrel (they have funny ears).
  • Albuquerque – We saw the most gorgeous sunset on our drive to ABQ. I would highly recommend finding a good spot to post up for pics! We found an evening coffee spot called Prismatic Coffee, drove around for a bit and then called it a night.
  • End Day – Albuquerque
  • Bandelier
    Bandelier National Monument
  • Alcove House
    Ascent up to Alcove House
  • Petroglyphs National Monument
  • Petroglyphs
    Petroglyphs
  • Petroglyphs

Day 4 (approximate miles driven: 330 miles)

  • Petroglyphs National Monument – We happened to be in ABQ when there was TONS of snow, so there wasn’t a sunrise like we had hoped to see in the Volcanoes Day section of this park. We ended up being able to hike at Piedras Marcadas Canyon. This was a really fun hike to do in the snow (with the place to ourselves) and we were still able to see petroglyphs and lots of black-tailed jackrabbits.
  • Tent Rocks National Monument – We were super bummed we drove all the way here and it was unexpectedly closed. If you’re in this general area between Santa Fe and ABQ, definitely try to add it to your list! The cone shaped rock formations are reminiscent of the hoodies we saw at Bryce Canyon National Park.
  • Rio Grande del Norte National Monument – This was a way better stop than we anticipated. The bridge itself and views are amazing. We got super lucky too and saw 5 big horned sheep grazing below, two of which were males with huge horns. There’s ample parking on both sides of the bridge and facilities. 
  • Taos – We didn’t quite make it to the “mountain village”, but we did enjoy a coffee shop here before the rest of our drive to Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.
  • Colorful Colorado – Don’t miss the opportunity to jump out of the car and get a picture with the “Colorful Colorado” sign at the border!
  • End Day – Alamosa (near Great Sand Dunes)
Rio Grande
Big Horned Sheep at the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
Great Sand Dunes
Great Sand Dunes National Park | TeamTravelsBaby

Day 5 (approximate miles driven: 330 miles)

  • Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve – We drove the park road the night before and saw tons of elk grazing. On our sunrise drive into the park, we got to take in some amazing views and you realize the sand dunes are right before your eyes in front of humungous mountains. We went right past the visitor center and we were able to hike onto the snow covered sand dunes. Again, we had this place to ourselves! It was cool to see different animal prints in the snow covered sand. It’s unlike any place we had ever been before and also one of the highlights of the trip. We didn’t have the right kind of vehicle for the terrain and snow covered incline, but if you do, it looks like nearby Zapata Falls would be an amazing place to see.
  • Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument – This wasn’t in the original plan, but when we realized we had a little extra time on our hands, we headed here. There are fossilized redwood stumps and we enjoyed a snow-covered trail here. There were also tons of fossils to see in the visitor center. We didn’t see signs for it, but there’s a new National Monument called Browns Canyon in the general area between Great Sand Dunes and here that looks like it would be fun to see. You can see the Arkansas River when you’re driving.
  • Colorado Springs – At 4.9 stars when we checked, Story Coffee Company is a super cute, tiny coffee shop located right in the center of town. Our drinks were delicious and kept us warm as we looped around town checking out the street art and beautiful mountain views. With about an hour left before we needed to head to Denver, the Garden of the Gods (free) was a perfect way to spend the sunset. The red rocks make for the ideal photo backdrop. If you have more time, Cave of the Winds is located here.
  • End Day/Trip – Returned rental car to the Denver airport and took a red eye flight home; Car rentals can be really expensive out of Denver Airport, so make sure to shop around. We got the best deal using Car Rental 8, but in the past I’ve often found the best deal using CarRentals.com .
Great Sand Dunes
Florissant Fossil Beds
Florissant Fossil Beds

Would we do it again? Absolutely. Would we recommend waiting until it were slightly warmer out? Perhaps. However, the BEST benefit of traveling during the off season is you get places like National Parks and Monuments all to yourself. At many of the places we visited, we either had the place to ourselves or we saw less than a handful of people. The other BIG benefit is you can find CHEAP hotels in the off season, if you have a baby like us and can no longer carsleep your way around the country. Keep up with us on Instagram @TeamTravelsBaby as we head out on our next adventure!

Story Coffee Company
Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods

The First State in 2019

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Boardwalk Trail | Teamtravelsbaby

Did you see what I did there? Delaware is considered the “First State” as it was the first one to ratify the Constitution of the United States and was also the first state we visited to kick-off the new year! On our Sunday day trip we visited Dover, Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Henlopen and Rehoboth Beach. We got very lucky with a 50ish degree day, which made it a perfect day to be outside and exploring new places. It also meant that because it was January, we had each of these places to ourselves.

Boardwalk Trail | Teamtravelsbaby
Boardwalk Trail at Prime Hook NWR | Teamtravelsbaby

Don’t Ditch Dover

Dover is a really quaint capital city. The highlight for me was stopping at the House of Coffi. ThHouse of Coffi | Teamtravelsbabye coffee house is adorable with lots of unique art inside to match their unique selection. I completely indulged with a cinnamon roll latte and red velvet muffin (yep, muffin, not cupcake)! No wonder this place has 4.8 stars on Google!

After you’re loaded with your caffeine, it’s only about a 10 minute walk to see Wesley College. It’s was the first private college in Delaware and has beautiful brick buildings. The gorgeous Victorian houses along the way really make the walk worthwhile. Victorian Mansions | TeamtravelsbabyOn your loop back toward the coffee shop, stop by Woodburn, which is the Governor’s Mansion to at least get a picture of the building or gardens.

Across from the House of Coffi is the huge public library and then easy access to all kinds of Federal buildings from the post office to the archives and eventually the huge Legislative Hall (or State Capitol). Coming in January has its perks – like being able to photograph the entire Legislative Hall across the Green without a single person in the pic! Seeing the Old State House is also nice and right next to it is where we found free, unlimited parking for our time here.Legislative Hall | Teamtravelsbaby

In talking with the locals at the coffee house, Silver Lake Park was recommended. The park has a pretty waterfall and some nice areas to walk. While we didn’t try it, McGlynns Pub and Restaurant were recommended to us because of the perfect location in the middle of the lake.

All in all, this is a great day trip from the Washington, D.C. area as it’s only two hours away over the Bay Bridge. If you’re interested in touring any of the historical places or the Capitol, make sure to verify the hours online in advance.

Prime Hook and Cape Henlopen

Baby on the Boardwalk Trail | Teamtravelsbaby

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge and Cape Henlopen are great stops on a nice day for some hiking. Prime Hook has tons of trails and it’s free! We hiked the Dike Trail and Boardwalk Trail near the Visitors Center (which was sadly closed due to the government shutdown along with the restrooms) because we were able to take the stroller on both. Christmas Holly | TeamtravelsbabyWe only saw one great blue heron, but if you love birds, you’ll want to check the website for which migratory birds will be there and when. We found Christmas Holly, which is Delaware’s State Tree along the Boardwalk path. Great Blue Heron | Teamtravelsbaby

Cape Henlopen normally costs $10, but for some reason it was free the day we went. It’s really close to the Lewes Ferry that will take you to Cape May, New Jersey. We drove up to Herring Point which had ample parking. There’s a great view of the ocean as well as access to a beach. The physical structure there has a “spy” history. Across the street from the physical structure are some paths, including a nice boardwalk path along Gordon’s Pond. If you have time, the Visitor Center offers free bikes on a first-come, first-serve basis and there are tons of biking paths to take advantage of.

Sunset on Rehoboth Beach

Rehoboth Beach is one of the many beaches in Delaware (some other include Dewey and Bethany) and popular for retirees. From researching which beach to check out, it appeared Rehoboth would be the best due to the one mile boardwalk. We timed our arrival so we’d get there around 4:30 pm and close to the sunset time. We are so glad we did because the sky looked beautiful. With the exception of a jewelry store, candy store and a restaurant that were open, this place was a ghost-town. While I imagine it is completely different during the summer, I think I would still prefer Ocean City, New Jersey.Family Photo at Rehoboth | Teamtravelsbaby

We didn’t go, but I read “the Avenue” and the Tanger Outlets are popular to check out due to Delaware being tax free on clothes. Plus, if you’re a AAA member, don’t forget to stop by the Tanger Info Booth and get your coupon book!

If you want to make this trip a full weekend adventure, I recommend reading my article about the East Coast of Maryland called Ponies by the Seashore.

Rich(mond) in History

Posted in Read Them All, State CapitolTagged , , , , , 1 Comment
View from Belle Isle Bridge | TeamTravelsBlog

Richmond is Virginia’s capitol and full of U.S. historical sites. It also boasts cool street art and some delicious treats! Spending a holiday weekend during the cold months meant no crowds, easy to find parking and the sites were still open!

Richmond Highlights over New Years’ Eve Weekend 2017

  • Belle Isle Pedestrian Bridge
  • Maymont
  • Hollywood Cemetery
  • Carytown – Street Art, Carytown Cupcakes, Lamplighter Coffee
  • Virginia State Capitol
  • Shockoe Bottom and Main Street Station

After sipping our free hotel coffee, we headed into Richmond. It was a cool morning and we parked near 300 Tredegar Street in order to take the Belle Isle Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge is really unique and gives you some great views of Richmond.

Belle Isle Bridge View | TeamTravelsBlog
Belle Isle Bridge View | TeamTravelsBlog

After a little exploring, we got back in our car and drove to Maymont. We parked outside the gate and walked onto the property, which is beautiful! The mansion itself is gorgeous, but we didn’t take the tour (I’m 99% sure I did as a kid though, because the whole place felt nostalgic to me). There appears to be a lot to do, like a nature center, the mansion tour, etc. if you have time and are interested.

Maymont Mansion | TeamTravelsBlog
Maymont Mansion | TeamTravelsBlog

 

 

The Hollywood Cemetery was a must see for us. Before you drive into the cemetery, there’s a map you can get or take a picture of, which we found to be really helpful as we didn’t want to miss any of the historical figures like James Monroe and John Tyler. I think because we were here on a holiday weekend during a cold month, this is why it wasn’t busy at all and even enjoyable to drive around and park where we wanted to take pictures.

Who is buried here? | TeamTravelsBlog
Who is buried here? | TeamTravelsBlog

We drove to Carytown next and found a free parking spot on a side street. This street is a must see with its cool street art, the delicious cupcakes at Carytown Cupcakes (you really can’t get just one) and the yummy coffee at Lamplight Roasting Company.

Yummy cupcake | TeamTravelsBlog
Caffeine | TeamTravelsBlog

As it was approaching 1 pm, we made our way to the Virginia State Capitol which has pretty short hours on Sundays and is closed on holidays, like New Year’s Day. Again, I think because it was a holiday weekend, we basically had the place to ourselves and one of the docents gave us an excellent tour.

Hello George! | TeamTravelsBlog
Hello George! | TeamTravelsBlog

The statue of George Washington in white marble under the rotunda is incredible and has a lot of details that you may not notice without a tour guide or doing some research ahead of time. We had a little bit of time afterwards, so we explored the Capitol grounds which included seeing the Governor’s Mansion on one end and St. Paul’s Church at the other.

Inside the Capitol | TeamTravelsBlog
Inside the Capitol | TeamTravelsBlog

Our last stop in Richmond before making the two hour drive home was Shockoe Bottom historic area. We found another side street parking spot and checked out the artwork along the street before making it to the train station. The train station is beautiful inside with an art exhibit, a mini visitor center and because it was NYE, they were setting up for a party upstairs. Don’t miss the opportunity to take a picture with the “Love” sign in the Main Street Station.

Let me know what we have to see next time we make it to Richmond! Did you guess right? The cemetery grave site pictured above was for James Monroe.

Carytown Street Art | TeamTravelsBlog
Carytown Street Art | TeamTravelsBlog
Carytown Street Art | TeamTravelsBlog

Hooray for Luray Caverns

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Reflecting Pond at Luray Caverns | TeamTravelsBlog

They say Virginia is for lovers, so we spent our New Years’ Eve weekend exploring its offerings. Luray Caverns and Monticello were highlights for day one. Read our next post about day two in Richmond, which impressed us more than we expected!

Virginia Weekend Highlights over New Years’ Eve Weekend 2017

  • Luray Caverns (near Shenandoah National Park)
  • Staunton (5 Historic Districts, Reunion Bakery & Espresso)
  • Charlottesville (Monticello, The Pie Chest, Pedestrian Mall)
  • Richmond (GardenFest Illumination at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden)

We left our place early on Saturday (December 30, 2017) in the morning to drive out toward Shenandoah National Park. We had our National Park pass ready, so we thought after seeing Luray Caverns, it would be nice to enjoy the drive south along Skyline Drive.

Fried Eggs at Luray Caverns | TeamTravelsBlog
Fried Eggs at Luray Caverns | TeamTravelsBlog

Unfortunately, due to snow, we learned that many parts of Shenandoah were closed. We went ahead and drove directly to Luray Caverns and bought our ticket for the next tour. At this point in time, we had been to a few other caves (Cave of the Winds in Colorado, Wind Cave in South Dakota and Jewel Cave National Monument in South Dakota) and had enjoyed each experience as every cave seems to have something unique about them.

Reflecting Pond at Luray Caverns | TeamTravelsBlog
Reflecting Pond | TeamTravelsBlog

Make sure to read the rules online about your boots before heading out to a cave (hint: it has to do with bats and the spread of white-nose syndrome). Luray Cavern has many “must sees” including the reflecting pond, the stalacpipe organ and fried eggs. My biggest piece of advice is to make sure you know how to use your phone camera or regular camera in lower light settings.

Stalacpipe Organ | TeamTravelsBlog
Stalacpipe Organ | TeamTravelsBlog

Your ticket also gets you admission into a few of the nearby buildings, so if you’re into old cars it’s worth taking a walk through the Car and Carriage Caravan Museum or if you’re into old toys you may want to pop through Toy Town Junction which are both in the same parking lot.

We headed south from Luray to a small historic town called Staunton. Staunton is made up of five historic districts (Newtown; Wharf Area; Beverley; Gospel Hill; Stuart Addition). Staunton is home to Mary Baldwin University, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and the American Shakespeare Center. We parked near both between the Beverly District and Gospel Hill and enjoyed a walk downtown along S New St. This street has a historic store front called Cranberry’s Grocery and Eatery and a nice coffee shop called Reunion Bakery & Espresso. | TeamTravelsBlogIt’s also a short walk to the train tracks and the Wharf District, which has a cool bridge and the nearby Trinity Episcopal Church is worth a peek. Staunton also hosts a Harry Potter-esque world of wizardry weekend every September.

View from Wharf District Bridge | TeamTravelsBlog
View from Wharf District Bridge | TeamTravelsBlog

For 2018, it’s called “Queen City Mischief and Magic”. While we haven’t been, I have read the city is transformed for this particular weekend. Plus, you’d be close enough to Shenandoah to potentially see the leaves change color! If you love Instagram like me (I hope you’ll follow me @TeamTravelsBlog), tag your Staunton pics with #LOVEStaunton #QueenCity and @visitstaunton .

From here, we continued eastward about 40 minutes to Charlottesville and specifically to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. We made it in time for the last regular tour of the day. This home should not be missed. We took the free shuttle to the house, then walked by the grave site and took a trail back to where the museums, gift shop and ticket counter were located. The tour guides are passionate about his life and sharing information about the house. The views also happen to be incredible!

From here, we went to downtown Charlottesville, where the University of Virginia is located. There’s a “pedestrian mall” which is essentially a car free street with a variety of stores, restaurants and bars. Similar concept to the 16th Street Mall you’d find in Denver, Colorado, just on a smaller scale. On one of the side streets, I saw a pie place called “The Pie Chest”.

Peppermint Crunch at The Pie Chest | TeamTravelsBlog
Peppermint Crunch at The Pie Chest | TeamTravelsBlog

O.m.g. this place is amazing!! I could literally make a trip here just for the pie.

As if we hadn’t fit enough into our day, we drove about another hour to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden outside of Richmond. We wanted to see the beautiful winter lights display here called GardenFest Illumination. For many years we’ve gone to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. to take in the free display of holiday lights, which are definitely a must see. But as we were looking for something different to do, this was great! There were a variety of indoor and outdoor displays, animals, storybook characters in lights (see the Giving Tree below), moving lights and changing colors.

Yep, we were exhausted by this point. I found a cheap, last minute deal using Booking.com (use my code and we each get $20) for a place under $60. We crashed and knew we’d have a chance to sleep in and then explore Richmond in the morning. If we took a similar trip, any must-see places you would recommend? Read all about our day in Richmond here!

Other nearby ideas if you’re planning a similar trip:

  • Shenandoah National Park
  • Staunton (Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, American Shakespeare Center)
  • Charlottesville (Ash-Highland Estate)
  • Orange (Montpellier)

“Santa Barbara and the PCH Pacifically”

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Sunset at Malibu State Park | Teamtravelsblog

Santa Barbara and the Pacific Coast Highway, California Highlights over Veterans’ Weekend 2017

  • Pacific Coast Highway – Malibu State Park, One Thousand Steps Beach, Carpinteria Bluffs, El Matador State Beach and the Malibu Pier
  • Stearns Wharf and State Street
  • Gaviota State Park via El Camino Real
  • Solvang for dessert and Sides for lunch
  • Lizard’s Mouth in the Los Padres National Forest
  • Sunset from Franceschi Park
  • Sunset by the Four Seasons Hotel

I can’t complain about the LA traffic, coming from the DC area. We left LA and headed west on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) toward Santa Barbara. Since the sunset was shortly before 5 p.m., we found a free spot along the PCH near a veterinarian hospital and walked into the Malibu State Park. The reflections and cranes in the water were beautiful. We walked to the beach and found a tiny obstruction blocking a clear picture of the sunset as the tide was rolling in. This didn’t stop us from enjoying it or getting pictures.

Sunset at Malibu State Park | Teamtravelsblog
Sunset at Malibu State Park | Teamtravelsblog

We turned our attention to the water behind us and found fish jumping out of water and all kinds of birds! It was fun to watch along with the surfers on the ocean side. After the sunset, we continued our drive, to State Street in Santa Barbara. This is the happening street with the restaurants, shops, bars, etc. and we found free parking on Chapala Street. We walked to Stearns Wharf and saw (and heard) the party ships on the ocean. The boardwalk is nice to walk along and the seafood restaurant toward the end has live lobsters and crabs you can catch a glimpse of in the window. Reminded me of trips to Publix as a kid when my brother and I would watch the live lobsters when we were grocery shopping with our Dad. Before heading to our friends’ place, I got an evening coffee at the Santa Barbara Coffee Roasters which was the only open coffee shop I could find on Saturday night.

We met our friends at a gorgeous mansion about 15 minutes from downtown Santa Barbara. They rent a room and bathroom is a beautiful home with eclectic art work, an expansive backyard and multiple fireplaces! We got to stay in the amazing loft! The place felt like a dream!

Gaviota State Park | Teamtravelsblog
Gaviota State Park with our friends | Teamtravelsblog

After a restful evening, we ate a delicious breakfast and then drove to Gaviota State Park via El Camino Real. We parked up the hill from the park, in a free spot and took a nice short hike. We then walked into the park for a view from the beach. From here we drove about 20 minutes to Solvang. This city is amazing!

Solvang, Danish Town | Teamtravelsblog
Solvang, Danish Town | Teamtravelsblog

It was founded over 100 years ago by 3 Danish men. There are tons of bakeries, cute shops and details to see like old red phone booths (we couldn’t help ourselves) and windmills. After exploring the town, we were starving! We at a place relatively close by called Sides. The food here was literally, the best we’ve ever had! The burger, fish tacos and butternut squash soup were incredulous!

We knew we wanted to walk off our food, so we drove through Los Padres National Forest and headed for Lizard’s Mouth Rock. Prepare yourself for the windy drive to get here! This was a short, but amazing walk! The large rocks overlooking Santa Barbara and the Pacific Ocean are a must see! We took endless selfies! We made our way from here to the One Thousand Steps beach before high tide. Luckily, it wasn’t literally 1,000 steps to the beach. The beach is covered in beautiful rocks.

One Thousand Steps Beach | Teamtravelsblog
One Thousand Steps Beach | Teamtravelsblog

As it was getting closer to sunset, we made our way to State Street. We got coffee at Dune and explored Paaseo Nuevo, saw the McConnell’s ice cream store and then drove to Franceschi Park. It was crazy to learn that the surrounding houses had banded together to get approval for an illegal gate to block visitors from visiting this park months prior. We didn’t have any issues, parked in one of the limited spots and took in a gorgeous purple sunset! We also explored the abandoned looking mansion.

Franceschi Park Sunset | Teamtravelsblog
Franceschi Park Sunset | Teamtravelsblog

As if we hadn’t packed enough into one day, we drove to the Four Seasons Hotel in Montecito to see the last bit of the sunset. Back at the SB mansion, our friends introduced us to a game called Exploding Kittens*! It was such a blast.

Monday morning we woke up at the crack of dawn and drove to Carpinteria Bluffs. We love seeing animals in their natural habitat and after a leisurely walk, we found the sunbathing seals! We’re glad we didn’t give up – it really was only a matter of continuing to walk north with the ocean to your left until you see them.

Seals at Carpinteria Bluffs | Teamtravelsblog
Seals at Carpinteria Bluffs | Teamtravelsblog

Montecito Sunset | Teamtravelsblog
Montecito Sunset | Teamtravelsblog

The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) is exactly what we hoped – a relaxing drive with non-stop beaches to pick from. We stopped at El Matador State Beach, Zuma Beach and Malibu Beach and Pier on our drive back to Los Angeles. El Matador was our favorite as we saw a perched pelican, tons of curlews (type of bird) and two beach photo shoots! The rock formations are really incredible here too.

Pelican at El Matador State Beach | Teamtravelsblog
Curlews at El Matador State Beach | Teamtravelsblog

If you want to read about how we spent the rest of our Monday in Los Angeles or our day prior to Santa Barbara, check out my previous article titled, “Ve-nice to Hollywood”. Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and the connecting Pacific Coast Highway are completing doable on a long weekend! I hope you picked up some tips!

Us at the Lizard's Mouth | Teamtravelsblog
Us at the Lizard’s Mouth | Teamtravelsblog

Ve-nice to Hollywood

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Hollywood Sign | Teamtravelsblog

Lots to see in Los Angeles and it’s more than the rich and famous! Hiking to the Hollywood sign, seeing the Melrose Avenue street art and taking in the Venice Beach sunset are among the highlights!

Los Angeles, California Highlights over Veterans’ Weekend 2017

  • Santa Monica Pier
  • Venice Beach (sunset, street art and bread pudding)
  • Venice Canals
  • Third Street Promenade and Sidecar Donuts
  • Hike to the Hollywood sign and Bronson Caves
  • Graffiti at the Old LA Zoo
  • Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard
  • Street art on Melrose Avenue and Alfred Coffee on Melrose Place
  • View from the Griffith Observatory

When we find a great flight deal we go for it! We took a direct Spirit flight from Baltimore (BWI) to Los Angeles (LAX) and arrived shortly after noon on Friday, November 10th. We picked up our cheap rental car from Payless since we got a great deal through CarRentals.com. While it wasn’t the fastest service and we caught them trying to charge us the wrong price, everything ultimately worked out and we were on our way without being upsold on any of the extras. We parked the car at the Convention Center by the Santa Monica Pier and met our friends. (Traveler tip: If you go on a weekday, park at the Santa Monica mall instead. The Convention Center is a good cheap spot on the weekend.) The pier was fun to walk along – enjoyed the street performers, checked out the roller coasters, got our picture with the “66-End of Trail” sign and saw the fishermen at the end of the boardwalk. We especially enjoyed watching the sunset here.

Santa Monica Pier | Teamtravelsblog
Santa Monica Pier | Teamtravelsblog

We moved our car to Ocean Boulevard street parking part way between the Santa Monica beach and Venice beach to a meter that was free after 6 p.m. We walked along the pedestrian and bike path, which was lit. When we got to Venice beach where all of the stores are, we found lots of homeless and seemingly homeless people. While we felt safe, it didn’t seem like our kind of scene (read to the end to see how our opinion changed on our second visit here). We continued from here to the Venice Canals. The houses along the canals are beautiful and if you’re lucky, people will have their lights on so you can get a peek inside their living rooms. I’d love to find an AirBNB here!

Venice Canals | Teamtravelsblog
Venice Canals | Teamtravelsblog

I saw a picture of the Sidecar Donuts on Instagram and I knew I had to try one! We parked on 5th Avenue, paid the meter and made the short walk. I tried the maple bacon donut and it was SO GOOD! From here we walked down the Third Street Promenade. It reminded us of carless streets like the 16th Street Mall in Denver. We watched more street performers here, saw a Barnes & Noble with the old school signing and found huge hedge dinosaurs. We also poked our head down 4th Street which had trees decorated with colorful changing lights. Before calling it a night, we took a quick detour to Rodeo Drive and saw all of the fancy designer stores.

Instead of carsleeping this trip, we stayed at our friends’ place nearby, ate a lovely homemade breakfast, got serenaded by their 3 year old with Let It Go and headed out the door by 8 a.m. We arrived at 3200 Canyon Road by 8:30 a.m. and were able to secure a parallel parking spot for free. It’s a steep hike, but a rewarding hike from here to the Hollywood sign.

Hollywood Sign | Teamtravelsblog
Hollywood Sign | Teamtravelsblog

While it was a bit foggy, we did enjoy seeing downtown LA from the top too. Before returning to our car, we made a left past the Smokey the Bear sign and made the very short trip up to the Bronson Caves. They’re cool to walk through and if you walk all the way around, you’ll get another view of the full Hollywood sign. We were back in the car by 11 a.m. and made a short trip to the Old L.A. Zoo in Griffith Park. The parking was plentiful and free. After a few minutes of seeing the old cages that were abandoned in the 1960s, I was ready to go and didn’t see the appeal. It didn’t look like the Instagram pictures I had seen that showed graffiti. The trick is you have to climb the stairs in the second exhibit or come down from the top. The graffiti work is really cool and it’s a bit eerie to crawl through what used to be animal enclosures.

Old LA Zoo Graffiti | Teamtravelsblog
Old LA Zoo Graffiti | Teamtravelsblog

From here we headed to see the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Blvd. Luckily we found two hour free parking on Emmet Terrace. Hollywood Boulevard is extremely touristy with some inappropriate stores, but for us, we had to at least see some of the famous stars. We enjoyed calling out names and noticing the different symbols depending on the person’s industry (e.g., entertainment, music, television, etc.).

Walk of Fame | Teamtravelsblog
Walk of Fame | Teamtravelsblog

After we got our fix and checked this off the list, we headed to Melrose Avenue. We found free street parking on North Orlando Avenue nearby. I really liked the vibe of Alfred Coffee on Melrose Place and they had nostalgic Lisa Frank cup sleeves. Melrose Avenue was perfect for taking pictures! We headed up and down the street so I could take pictures of the pink building, the famous wings, “Made in LA” wall, comedian wall by the Improv, the Marilyn Monroe portrait and much more!

Marilyn Monroe on Melrose | Teamtravelsblog
Melrose Avenue Street Art | Teamtravelsblog

From here we spent two days around Santa Barbara and the Pacific Coast Highway. Check out my next article to read more about that part of the trip. On Monday afternoon, we returned to Los Angeles and drove to the Griffith Observatory. The Observatory was closed, but we paid $4 to park and take in the view from here. The Observatory is beautiful and the walk around the building is superb! Even with some light fog, we still got some great shots of the skyline. You’ll get another chance to see the Hollywood sign. We also spotted a mom and two baby deer wandering around.

With a few hours left on our trip, we returned to the Venice Canals. We parked for free on N. Venice Boulevard near the LA Public Library. Since we made it before sunset, the lighting and reflections were perfect! The houses are all really unique and beautiful. Lots of people own little boats and we even saw a flamingo paddle boat!

Venice Beach | Teamtravelsblog
Venice | Teamtravelsblog

We walked back to Venice Beach and found ourselves having a completely different experience from our first one. Venice was a happening place! We found amazing street art along the strip and closer to the water. I ate the most amazing classic cinnamon and salted caramel bread pudding from Espresso Yo’self. The skate park is a must see! Watching the skateboarders is completely mesmerizing as they dodge one another, flip their boards and stick their landings. By 5 p.m. the sun had set and the sky changed to the most magnificent colors. I couldn’t put my camera down!

Before we knew it, it was time to return our car to Payless, shuttle to the airport and fly home on the red eye flight. California is incredible and we will be back! Remember to check back to read about our two days around Santa Barbara and the PCH.

Sunset on Venice Beach | Teamtravelsblog
Venice Beach Sunset | Teamtravelsblog

Venice Beach | Teamtravelsblog
Venice Beach | Teamtravelsblog

 

Cluster your day around Custer

Posted in National Parks, Read Them All, State CapitolTagged , , , , , 1 Comment
Sunrise at Custer State Park | Teamtravelsblog

South Dakota amazed us! Sylvan Lake and a drive along the Needles Highway in Custer State Park shouldn’t be missed! Jewel Cave National Monument is incredible and different from nearby Wind Cave. Our whirlwind three day trip wraps up here with a pit stop in Cheyenne and Denver too!

South Dakota Trip Highlights on Sunday, October 29, 2017

  • The animals – elk, bison, pronghorn, white-tailed deer
  • Jewel Cave National Monument
  • Crazy Horse Memorial
  • Custer State Park – Sylvan Lake and Needles Highway
  • Cheyenne, WY – Paramount Café, Big Boots
  • Denver, CO – 16th Street Mall

I woke up super early, so I decided to get our day started. We headed for 16A (road name) from Rapid City, South Dakota so we could get on Iron Mountain Road. I read online and I was told that Iron Mountain Road was a windy road into Custer State Park that offered cool one lane tunnels. There were a few benefits of going before the sunrise: 1) The night sky is visible and filled with stars; 2) Not a single other car on the road; 3) Tons of deer. The road has a few pull offs and eventually connects in with the Wildlife Loop of Custer State Park by the visitor center. This was great for us because we arrived to the Wildlife Loop right around sunrise (sunrise time: 7:25 am) and the perfect time for animal viewing.

Bison
Bison on the Wildlife Loop | Teamtravelsblog

As we began our drive from east to west, we saw two male elk in the distance. As we watched them, they ultimately approached the road and crossed the street in front of us. Talk about good timing! Throughout our drive, we saw many buffalo and some white-tailed deer too. The highlight though was when we saw four pronghorn on the side of the road. I’m really happy they weren’t scared off by our car because we were able to get some great photos and video!

Pronghorn in Custer State Park | Teamtravelsblog

From the Wildlife Loop we headed through Custer to get to Jewel Cave National Monument. The entire time drive is through the Black Hills National Forest, which in and of itself is beautiful. Jewel Cave is often compared with Wind Cave since they’re only about 45 minutes apart from each other. In my opinion, the two caves are quite different and both worth a look. We took the 10 a.m., 80 minute Natural Tour ($12/person). The size of the cave, which is ranked #3 in the world, feels enormous compared with Wind Cave. There are incredible stalactites (icicle-shaped and hang from the cave) and stalagmites (generally under the stalactite and formed from the water dripping). While Wind Cave is known for its boxwork, the stalactites and stalagmites are more abundant in Jewel Cave.

"Bacon" at Jewel Cave
“Bacon” at Jewel Cave | Teamtravelsblog

There’s also a really amazing formation known as “bacon”, which legitimately looks like the world’s biggest bacon strip found in Jewel Cave. We found the tour to be worthwhile and also enjoyed a peaceful “Walk on the Roof” above ground.

After leaving Jewel Cave, we headed back to Custer to check out the Crazy Horse Memorial. Crazy Horse is not an animal, but rather a Native American leader of the Lakota tribe. This Memorial is not a finished work, but rather a work in progress that was started in the 1940s.

Current Crazy Horse Memorial
Crazy Horse Memorial | Teamtravelsblog

If you pay the $12/person, you gain access to a very large museum of Native American history. We found the 23 minute video to be really informative and it talks about the history of the Memorial as well as the continued work. It turns out that a Native American, known as Standing Bear, approached Korczak Ziolkowski, a Polish man to take on the creation of the Crazy Horse Memorial. Mr. Ziolkowski also happened to be a Mount Rushmore sculptor. Since his passing, his family created a foundation that continues to work on the Memorial and the museum offers a large scale statue of what they expect the final Memorial to look like.

Crazy Horse Mini Version
Crazy Horse Mini Version | Teamtravelsblog

You can definitely get a view of the Memorial without entering the Crazy Horse Memorial area. This may interest you, especially since it’s another $4 if you want to take a school bus closer to the Memorial, which is an active construction site. Nevertheless, we both learned a lot in our short visit.

From here, we knew we wanted to try to see Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park and drive along the Needles Highway. As we drove toward the Sylvan Lake Entrance, we saw some enormous longhorn cattle. Past the Custer State Park pay station, there is a parking lot for Sylvan Lake. This lake is an absolute hidden gem – it’s beautiful! While it was very cold out, we braced it to take a short walk by the lake which boasts enormous rocks.

We then followed the signs for the Needles Highway. It’s a very windy road, has an 8-foot wide tunnel that I was sure we wouldn’t fit through and views similar to what you’d experience at Zion National Park. This part of Custer State Park could definitely be a national park – it’s incredible! One curve after the tunnel, we saw a man with binoculars pulled over. We joined him and after our eyes adjusted, we realized he had spotted mountain goats blending into the side of the mountain. What a treat! If we come back, we will definitely spend more time exploring here.

Needles Highway | Teamtravelsblog
Sylvan Lake | Teamtravelsblog

We hit the road to start our ride back to Denver, Colorado. The drive is beautiful and you can enjoy fast speeds and see animals like horses, cows and bison on both sides of the road. It was a few hours before we made it to Cheyenne, Wyoming. This is the capitol, but unfortunately their state capitol building was under construction so we didn’t get a good picture of the building or a chance to tour the inside. A few minutes up the street we found free parking and walked to the Paramount Café located at 1607 Capitol Avenue so I could get a coffee treat.

Paramount Cafe in Cheyenne
Paramount Cafe in Cheyenne | Teamtravelsblog

This place was decorated for Halloween and I ordered a Casa Bonita (honey, cinnamon + vanilla latte) from their “super secret menu”. This is one of the most reasonably priced coffee shops I’ve been in to, which is probably a little insight into the cost of living here.

Up the street from the Paramount Café, you can discover a few of the “Big Boots of Cheyenne”. There are a few around the Depot Plaza and Museum. Even the clock on the old train station was decked out for Halloween with an orange color and cat-like eyes. This was a good pit stop on our journey back to Denver. Since we made surprisingly good time, and it was Sunday, we found a free parking spot on Champa Street only a few blocks from the 16th Street Mall. You’ll have to read about our previous and more complete Denver experience in another blog post.

"Big Boot" at Cheyenne Depot Plaza
“Big Boot” at Cheyenne Depot Plaza | Teamtravelsblog

We returned our rental car and made our red eye Frontier flight without issue. This concludes our incredible three day adventure in South Dakota with a side of Cheyenne and a sip of Denver. We hope you’ll follow us to our next adventure!

The Baddest Lands Around

Posted in National Parks, Read Them AllTagged , , , , , 3 Comments

Wake up at Custer State Park and then enjoy all that the Badlands National Park has to offer! We loved seeing so many animals in their natural habitat. One of the biggest highlights was seeing two male big-horned sheep fight!

South Dakota Highlights on Saturday, October 28, 2017

  • The animals – elk, bison, swift fox, deer, badgers, prairie dogs, big-horned sheep
  • Sunrise along the Wildlife Loop at Custer State Park, drove west to east
  • Wall Drug for coffee and a donut
  • Badlands National Park – Door, Window, Notch and Cliff Shelf Trail
  • Badlands National Park – Big Badlands, Yellow Mounds and Pinnacles Overlook
  • Rapid City – Art Alley and president statues

We woke up excited to find more animals. If our day visiting Wind Cave National Park was any indication, we were going to be in for a good day. It was a very short drive from our lodge to the Blue Bell entrance onto the Wildlife Loop of Custer State Park. The first animal we came across was an entire herd of elk! To top it off, the elk were bugling (this is the sound they make)! We were completely mesmerized.

Elk in Custer State Park
Elk in Custer State Park | Teamtravelsblog

Once the herd moved along, we did too. We continue along the loop until we came across four bison grazing near the road. As we watched them, they began to walk toward our car. Was I scared? Uh yea, a little! The bison watched us to make sure it was safe to cross the road behind our car, which was a great opportunity for more pictures and video.

Driving through Custer State Park is a must on your visit to South Dakota! As we continued, we saw an endless gang of bison.

Bison at Custer State Park
Bison at Custer State Park | Teamtravelsblog

The sunrise was beautiful as the day began to break. We also found tons of deer by the visitor center at the I-36 intersection. This is the best map I found if you want to follow along: https://gfp.sd.gov/state-parks/directory/custer/docs/custer-map.pdf We exited the park on I-36 east and continued to spot bison. We used this exit so we could easily get on to I-90 toward Wall Drug and the Badlands National Park. Wall Drug was about a 75 minute drive.

From the moment you get on I-90, where you can drive 80 miles per hour, you’ll start to see hokey advertising for Wall Drug. Mike was skeptical, but I was determined to stop here and try their 5 cent coffee and famous donuts! “Wall Drug” is the name of the store, which is located in Wall, South Dakota. The maple donut was delicious and the coffee was good – who can beat 5 cents? If you have a few minutes to spare, check out the backyard’s giant jackalope for a photo op. In less than 30 minutes, we had arrived at the Badlands National Park. We were thankful, yet again, to have our Annual National Park Pass for $80, since this park currently costs $20 by car.

Our first stop in the park was the Big Badlands Overlook. Make sure to take note of the details on the mounds and stay alert for rattlesnakes. Luckily, throughout our entire day in this park, we did not see a rattlesnake. Needless to say, I would have flipped out if we did!

Big Badlands Overlook | Teamtravelsblog
Big Badlands Overlook | Teamtravelsblog

As we continued, there was a large parking lot that had the trailhead for the Door Trail, Windows Trail and the Notch Trail. We started with the Door Trail, which begins with a nice boardwalk and then offers yellow numbered poles to follow to the “End of Trail” sign. It’s about 0.75 miles round-trip and a good hike to immerse yourself in the park. We learned here that it was named “the Badlands” by the French who called it “Les Mauvaises Terres” because the land was difficult to traverse. The Window Trail was super short and has a pretty view. One of the big highlights for us was the Notch Trail! The trail starts off easy as you’re following the poles to stay on the trail. Then you arrive at a wooden ladder and have a choice. We opted to climb the wooden ladder because it’s part of the adventure! Once at the top, you follow along some steep cliffs, may have some challenges finding a pole to follow and eventually make it to the end which overlooks the Cliff Shelf Trail. We met two really nice cross-country travelers here and swapped stories about our favorite national parks and must sees! The Cliff Shelf Trail was another short and beautiful boardwalk trail with stairs.

Notch Trail
Notch Trail | Teamtravelsblog

If you want to follow along or plan out your trip, click here for a good, free map of Badlands National Park.

Since we were at the Badlands during the off-season, the Ben Reifel Visitor Center was the only visitor center open. It has real facilities and a place to fill your water bottles. To date, we’ve found that all of the park rangers we’ve met offer great advice. He recommended that we drive the Wildlife Loop Road for our best chance at seeing wildlife and that we continue onto the unpaved road called Sage Creek Rim Road in order to see bison, prairie dogs and potentially other animals. He also advised that people were reporting big-horned sheep near the Conata points of interest on the map. We also learned that the Badlands is a free hike park, so you can hike anywhere, but they strongly recommend following an existing buffalo path since this animal always takes the path of least resistance. You’ll know a buffalo path when you see one.

While we stopped for some pictures of the scenery, our first major stop was the Yellow Mounds Overlook. I don’t know why, but the color yellow that twinkles in the light reminded me of the yellow brick road from The Wizard of Oz.

Yellow Mounds Overlook
Yellow Mounds Overlook | Teamtravelsblog

We met a bike rider who thought he spotted a big-horned sheep, so we got in our car and followed him. We turned onto Conata Road and sure enough, there were tons of big-horned sheep! It felt like we hit the jackpot when the two males started butting heads!

| Teamtravelsblog
| Teamtravelsblog
| Teamtravelsblog

We were completely mesmerized as we watched the female big-horned sheep graze and the males continue to fight off and on. As the next 30 or 45 minutes unfolded, there became a clear winner, the dominant male who rejoined the rest and left the inferior male to lick his wounds.

Before turning onto Sage Creek Rim Road, we found two young big-horned sheep in the Pinnacles Overlook parking lot. Have your camera ready on the Sage Creek Rim Road. As we were driving, we saw a swift fox cross the road with a prairie dog in its mouth! We opened our windows and the prairie dog town was going crazy! They were so upset that one of their own was kidnapped! Mike had a really good eye and spotted a badger! We’d never seen one of these before. The badger was on the hunt for a prairie dog itself. This badger interrupted another badger keeping quiet that appeared to have a better strategy than the first one. It was interesting as we scanned the land, there were no prairie dogs nearby, as they had all disappeared into their mounds and had clearly taken note of the badgers lurking. As we continued on the drive, we saw bison and a few loner big-horned sheep. If you’re looking for a specific place with prairie dog (even though they’re everywhere), check out Roberts Prairie Dog Town.

| Teamtravelsblog
Bison | Teamtravelsblog
| Teamtravelsblog

If it isn’t obvious, Badlands National Park is incredible!

We returned to the Pinnacles Overlook to watch the sunset. The light illuminates the landscape in a magnificent way. We also saw another big-horned sheep grazing. As dusk set-in, we drove back toward the Yellow Mounds Overlook and saw tons of deer on the side of the road. Make sure to be careful and drive with your high beams when you can. We exited the park at the Pinnacles Entrance which was about 9 miles to the interstate. We saw more deer along this drive then we saw people in Badlands National Park!

Sunset at the Pinnacles Overlook
Sunset at the Pinnacles Overlook | Teamtravelsblog

Mike drove us safely to the city called Rapid City in South Dakota, while I took a nice warm car nap. The parking on Main Street was free and made it right before 7 p.m. I wouldn’t go out of your way, but if you have 30 minutes or so to spare, it’s fun to check out the various president statues and Art Alley (by the Alex Johnson Hotel) all within walking distance. Art Alley has some cool graffiti. We found statues of FDR (note the cane behind the podium), Calvin Coolidge and Chester Arthur to name a few. Since it was in the 50s, we found a safe place to carsleep for the night.

Art Alley in Rapid City
Art Alley in Rapid City | Teamtravelsblog

I hope you’ll check back with us soon to hear about our Sunday travels. They include more Custer State Park highlights, Jewel Cave National Monument, Crazy Horse Memorial and some incredible drives around and through the Black Hills National Forest. I would love to have you follow us on Instagram if you enjoy our photos and content!

Park’d in Chicago

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Chicago Skyline | Teamtravelsblog

An inexpensive weekend getaway to Chicago to walk along Lake Michigan, take in the skyscrapers on the Chicago River, see the polar bear playing and drink the  coffee treats. Plus Chicago offers so many parks!

 Chicago, Illinois Highlights for Sunday, October 8:

  • Millennium Park and the Bean
  • Walk along Lakeshore path
  • Navy Pier
  • Lincoln Park Zoo – the polar bear
  • Dropshot Coffee & Snack Bar

Let’s start off by stating two important facts: 1) We slept in a Wal-mart parking lot and 2) we managed to get 61,204 steps by the day’s end. We arrived the morning of the Chicago marathon, so not surprisingly, many streets were blocked off and my initial parking plan was not going to work. We were SUPER lucky and stumbled upon free parking on Lincoln Avenue not too far from Lincoln Park.

We walked a few miles before arriving at Grant Park, which was closed for the marathon, so we started down Michigan Avenue and I bought a unique pour over coffee at Fairgrounds Coffee. As a bonus, this place had a nice bathroom. We wandered across the street to Millennium Park and the Bean. Walking around and through the Bean, posing for selfies was fun as you can get some awesome reflection pictures with the skyscrapers in the backdrop. We made our way from here to Maggie Daley Park where we saw the rock climbing walls and then to Lake Michigan along the Lakeshore path. Chicago 1Renting bikes probably would have been a great idea, but we chose to walk the path up to and around Navy Pier before continuing to the Lincoln Park Zoo.

The zoo is incredible and it’s free! The zoo was beautifully decorated for the fall season and the animals were lively in the warm weather. The polar bear playing in the water with its toys was an absolute highlight. Check out my video on Instagram. The macaque monkeys were also very playful to watch and there were babies! Baby animals of any kind are always top notch in my book! Chicago 2Another notable animal included the pygmy hippo, which you can see a video of its snack time on my Instagram as well. There were other large animals like double-humped camels, rhinos and big cats. I was bummed not to see the red panda, which is my favorite animal, but this just means I will have to return to this zoo in the future. We exited on the west side of the zoo, regrouped for a bit and then made our walk up Michigan Avenue.

I was craving a second coffee treat of the day, and read good reviews about Dropshot Coffee & Snack Bar. The decorations were incredible – it’s a sports themed coffee shop! There’s everything from bleachers to a scoreboard on the wall and the prices were reasonable. Don’t leave without checking out the lower level which looks like a pool and has lots of games, plus clean bathrooms. Chicago 3Michigan Avenue was fun to walk along, full of people, especially marathon runners sporting their completion medals. It was pretty exciting to learn that an American won the men’s marathon earlier in the day. One thing to note about Michigan Avenue is the stores close around 7 pm on Sunday nights.

Chicago, Illinois Highlights for Monday, October 9:

  • Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park
  • View from the BP Bridge between Maggie Daley and Millennium Parks
  • French Market
  • View of the city from Adler Planetarium
  • Wicker Park (The Wormhole Coffee)

We got lucky again and found an amazing, free parking spot near the location of the Maxwell Street Market (which I don’t recommend). We walked a little under a mile to Grant Park and found the most magnificent fountain, Buckingham Fountain. The park was pretty desolate with remnants of the marathon from the day before. We walked through the park and smelled some beautiful roses before coming to the BP Bridge between Maggie Daley and Millennium Park. The BP Bridge is about 925 feet long and is a great viewing point for the city’s skyscrapers. Chicago 4We took a few more Bean (aka Cloud Gate) pictures and then started our walk along the Chicago River from the Michigan Avenue entrance. Chicago 5The skyscraper reflections, public art and river pathway make this a great stroll. We loved stumbling across the oversized deer statue.

After the river, we headed to the French Market which is inside the train station. It’s about 30 booths with delicacies like macaroons. Whether you plan to eat or not, it’s a neat place to check out. From here we took a rather lengthy walk along Michigan Avenue, past Millennium and Grant Parks to the museum area by Shedd Aquarium (highly recommend) and the Adler Planetarium. I cannot recommend this view of the city skyline enough! You can see Navy Pier in the distance and get a full view of the city skyline to include the Willis Tower. Lots of people were picnicking in this area.

We walked back to our car and drove about four miles to Wicker Park. The first time we had to pay for parking, but fortunately it was only $2 per hour and we were there less than two hours.

Chicago 9

We went into The Wormhole Coffee, which is a nostalgic coffee bar filled with Gremlins, Bowser in his castle, Ninja Turtles and E.T. stuff among lots of other things. It’s pretty expensive, but unique. I loved the “Cool But Rude” latte that I got made with fresh ginger and curry sauce. We wandered through the park and on our way back to Milwaukee Ave., I spotted Andre Royo, the man who played Bubbles in the television show The Wire and Thirsty in the show Empire.

Chicago 7

He was extremely down to Earth, chatted with us for a few minutes, and took an awesome selfie! Keep your eyes peeled for the street art around Wicker Park that shouldn’t be missed!Chicago 8

Since we still had about two hours of vacation before returning our rental car, we drove to the Magic Hedge Bird Sanctuary. There’s nothing too noteworthy here, except for another nice place to view the city skyline and it connects in with the Lakeshore path. Then right outside the airport, we parked at Robinson Woods South. It’s a park where we spotted over 9 deer grazing close to dusk. It’s also a good place to view planes that have just taken off from the Chicago O’Hare airport. Our car rental return and ride home on Spirit Airlines were uneventful, which is the way we like it.

Chicago is a world class city and we will definitely be back. What did we miss and should plan to do next time?

Wisc’d Away Before Chicago

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Wisconsin State Capitol | Teamtravelsblog

Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin are two great cities around the corner from Chicago worth jumping in the car to see over the course of a day. The State Capitol in Madison is the second tallest and offers a 360 degree view of the city!

Madison, Wisconsin Highlights for Saturday, October 7:

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Michelangelo’s, coffee shop
  • Market in Capitol Square (Saturdays only)
  • State Capitol rooftop
  • State Street
  • Thai Pavilion in the Olbrich Botanical Garden

As soon as we arrived at Chicago O’Hare (ORD) airport at 7 am, we took the Budget-Avis shuttle to get our rental car and hit the road for Madison, Wisconsin. Luckily, I found an amazing car rental deal through CarRental.com days before our trip (under $72 for 3 days)! The fastest route is taking a toll road, so having cash is key! It cost less than $10 across 4-5 toll booths which are located on the right side of the road when it splits. When we arrived in Madison, we drove through the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, which is beautiful! One amazing thing is there is tons of free parking on campus during the weekends and it’s walking distance from all of the sites. Click here for a list. We parked in “Lot 26” which was along the main road, directly outside the Observatory and had a front row view of Lake Mendota.

We walked down to the lake and over by the Memorial Union Terrace. There are lots of nice boats docked and seating to take in the scene. You can also pose for a picture with UW’s mascot, the badger. Madison 1We walked along Langdon Street to see a lot of Greek houses before making our way toward Capitol Square. I spotted Michelangelo’s, an artsy, large coffee shop which has two entrances. Madison 2The specialty menu is really unique as it’s made up of drinks created by current and former employees. I tried the “espresso miel” which was a latte of honey and cinnamon that I enjoyed!

On Saturdays, there is a large market (Dane County’s Farmers Market) that starts early and usually ends by 1:30 pm in Capitol Square. This is the area that surrounds the State Capitol, which is the second tallest one in the U.S. (behind Louisiana). While I didn’t have a chance to try it myself, Stella’s Bakery is a popular offering. Exploring the Capitol is a must! The rotunda is beautiful, you can explore on multiple floors (with or without a guided tour) and the bathrooms are clean. Plus, it seems like a well-kept secret, but you can find the spiral staircase to the rooftop and enjoy a 360 degree view of Madison for free. This was a highlight for us. From here, walking along State Street is ideal as there are lots of shops, restaurants and bars before you return back to UW-M’s campus. If you’re a bookstore person, definitely check out A Room of One’s Own.

Once you’re back at your car, take the 15 minute ride to the Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

Madison 3

It’s free to walk around and there’s a beautiful Thai Pavilion that was donated by the Thai government.We accomplished this itinerary and a few other spots in about 5 hours. If you have more time, some other ideas would be to rent bikes and explore the lakes along the paved bike paths, take in the view of the city from Olin Park or check out the places along Williamson (“Willie”) Street.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Highlights for Saturday, October 7:

  • Milwaukee Public Market
  • Milwaukee Riverwalk and Art
  • View from Veterans Park

The drive from Madison to Milwaukee was very easy, under 90 minutes and toll free. It was raining when we arrived, but stopped shortly after. We found free parking near Van Buren and Michigan Avenue. The location was great because it was walking distance to the Milwaukee Public Market in the Historic Third Ward.

The market is small, but has a good variety. I tried the bee at Anodyne, saw the around the world market clocks and got a classic picture of the “Milwaukee Public Market” sign.

Milwaukee is very walkable and it’s only a few blocks to the Milwaukee River. All along the river you’ll find public art such as Rosie the duck, the Bronze Fonz, a statue of Arthur Fonzarelli from Happy Days and other artistic pieces. Milwaukee 3I recommend timing your walk close to sunset so you can enjoy the colorful sky and reflections on the water. We were particularly lucky because a little boy called out a rainbow that appeared near the duck family statues.

Milwaukee 5

Break from the main path to see the Old World Third Street. Before starting our drive to Chicago, we drove to Veterans Park for a short walk which has a lovely view of the city and would also be a great place for the sunset along Lake Michigan.

Be sure to check out my next entry on our two days in Chicago that followed.

Arch You Red?

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Arches National Park | Teamtravelsblog

We visited 7 National Parks in 7 Days! Arches National Park in Utah was our first park of the trip after leaving Denver. Be sure to check out all 7 parks!

Arches National Park Highlights on Wednesday, August 30, 2017

  • Balanced Rock
  • Sand Dune Arch
  • View from La Sal Mountain
  • Landscape Arch in Garden of the Gods
  • Note: The Windows Section of the park was closed during our trip and the park was only open from 7 am – 7 pm.

We arrived to the Denver, Colorado airport on Tuesday evening, picked up our full sized rental car and drove to the Wal-mart in Avon, Colorado. Do your due diligence and read the tiny print when booking a Denver rental car. Not all car companies offer out of state driving or unlimited miles. We came across a few companies (the ones with the cheapest rental prices) that had these limitations. We picked this particular Wal-mart as our driving destination for the evening because it’s a 24-hour store, which was perfect for picking up snacks, using the bathroom and finding a quiet corner of the parking lot to sleep.

We woke up super early to drive the remaining 3.5 hours to Arches National Park. There is an Exxon station before you get to the park when approaching from the highway, that’s a bit pricey, but worth it for the peace of mind of having a full tank of gas. Alternatively, you can drive past Arches and into Moab to fill up with gas. Immediately after making the turn into Arches National Park, there’s a place to pull off and pose with the Arches National Park sign. Arches 1If you arrive before the park opens, there’s no one at the gate, however, if you plan on seeing multiple National Parks, it’s worth spending the $80 to get the Annual National Park Pass as most of the parks average $25 for admittance.

It’s worth printing the map (https://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/upload/archmap.pdf) from the National Park Services (NPS) site before you start your trip and then getting a fancy one at the Visitor Center later in the day. We stopped at the Courthouse Towers Viewpoint first to take in the beautiful red rocks. From here we continued north on the main path to Balanced Rock. Arches 2One benefit of starting early is you’re likely to beat the tour busses that are bound to come and stop at these points of interest. Balanced Rock is perfect for taking a short stroll and stretching your legs from the car ride.

As I mentioned at the top, the famous Windows Section of the park was closed. We headed east when the road split to see the Delicate Arch. Unfortunately, since Mike was still healing from a broken foot, we didn’t have the opportunity to take the walk up to the arch, where I believe it would have appeared to be much larger than it did from the viewpoint. Everything I read said this is a really nice hike that we will definitely plan to do the next time. From here, we headed back to the fork in the road along the other path to the Sand Dune Arch. This was a highlight for us. It was a fun walk through the sand to see the arch.Arches 5

There are other places between Sand Dune Arch and the Devils Garden to stop and take pictures.

Arches 3

We stopped a few times before parking by the Devils Garden. It was a decent walk to the Landscape Arch. Make sure to bring tons of water as it can get very hot and there is limited shade for a reprieve. Many people start or end their day at the Devils Garden as the heat can be treacherous. If you plan on doing lots of hiking, I highly recommend my Columbia hiking boots* which aren’t too heavy and are waterproof. We drove back along the main drag and made our last major stop at the La Sal Mountain viewpoint. This is an incredible view with lots of points of interest to take in such as the Three Gossips, the Tower of Babel and the Organ.

We wrapped up our Arches National Park visit at the Visitor Center where we were able to get a map and newspaper, use the facilities and fill up our water bottles. From here we drove about 5 miles to Moab and made it to Wicked Brew Espresso Drive Thru before it closed. Arches 4This little trailer coffee shop offered delicious iced lattes with unique flavor combinations.

The two and a half hour drive to Capitol Reef National Park had a variety of terrains and seemed as though we were driving through national parks the entire time. It’s essentially a one lane road in each direction the whole way. Check out my next article to learn more about our adventures here and the subsequent ones to read all about our 7 parks in 7 days trip!

“Choc” it up for a sweet day!

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View of the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania State Capitol Building | TeamTravelsBlog

Living on the East Coast makes places like Harrisburg and Hershey. Pennsylvania and easy day trip from Maryland. The sweet smell of chocolate can be smelled through Hershey!

Saturday, July 29, 2017 – Harrisburg & Hershey, Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Highlights (9:15 am to 11:30 am approx.):

  • Broad Street Market (Evanilla donuts)
  • Midtown Scholars
  • Capitol Building
  • Cathedral Parish of St. Patrick
  • Little Amps Coffee Roasters
  • View Susequehanna River and bronze statue at Kunkel Plaza

Harrisburg is a great day trip from the DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia) area. From Silver Spring, Maryland it was about 2 hours and 10 minutes of stress free driving on a Saturday morning in July. Once you hit I-83, this road pretty much takes you all the way to the city center. We knew we wanted to get a taste of this city before checking out Hershey (Yep! This is the chocolate mecca of the Hershey Company.). We started our morning around 9:15 a.m. at the Broad Street Market. This market is in two buildings, with one having the fun treats like coffee, donuts, breads and other delectables, while the other looked to have a lot of seating and more lunch style offerings. I have a sweet tooth, so I had to try the donuts – that’s right not one, but two. I had the yummy coconut and the coffee toffee upon recommendation from Evanilla. [Side note: As a bonus, there is a restroom here if you need one after your ride.]  On Saturdays, the parking is free all around the market too. We found a great spot with a 2 hour time limit.

In planning our trip, I came across a highly recommended bookstore called Midtown Scholars. I know, I know, a bookstore on your day trip?! The layout of this store is so cool and they even sell books by the “foot”. It’s like a bookstore labyrinth with tons of nooks and cranies with places to sit and take in the atmosphere (and for charging your phone if needed).

Broad Street Market in Harrisburg | teamtravelsblogOn the top level, you can also peer out the window and get a good look at the “Broad Street Market” sign or do like us and stand in the middle of the street for a good selfie.

We took a walk over to the Capitol building. The Capitol had lots of flowers blooming and a really different looking dome that appeared to be green and gold. We were interested in possibly taking a tour, so we walked until we found the only entrance open on a Saturday by N. 3rd and State Street. There was a tour at 11 am that would have been great, but we opted to go through security and check out the rotunda and keep it moving. The rotunda is definitely worth a look, even if you only have a few minutes to spare. There’s also a bronze plaque on the ground marking where Teddy Roosevelt stood to dedicate it.

When we left, we walked along State Street, where you can get great shots of the Capitol from the median in the road and also spend a few minutes taking in the beauty of the Cathedral Parish of St. Patrick. The church is reminiscent of many of the beautiful churches we saw on our trip to Munich and other European cities this past March. One of my favorite things to do on any trip is to find a well-known, local coffee place to try. There were a few in Harrisburg that had good reviews, but I decided to try Little Amps Coffee Roasters diagonally located from the Cathedral. It has a cool, somewhat hipster vibe and I was recommended to try the iced nitro coffee, which was so good! I only had to add a few kernels of raw sugar and I was amped! Little Amps Coffee Roasters | teamtravelsblogWe continued along State Street to the Susquehanna River. This part of the Capital Area Greenbelt is gorgeous and I definitely want to return to bike the full 20 miles! Make sure not to miss the bronze statue of a man sitting on a bench reading his newspaper. It’s a perfect photo op! Put your arms around him, give him a peck, go crazy! Given the two hour parking limit, we arrived back to our car, set the GPS and were on our way to Chocolate Town USA!

Hershey, Pennsylvania Highlights (12 pm – 11:45 pm approx.):

  • Hersheypark
  • ZooAmerica
  • Chocolate World

Within about 25 minutes we were in Hershey, PA! I read online that there’s a free shuttle that picks up on Chocolate Avenue outside the Hershey Story to Chocolate World. We parked in the lot next to the Hershey Museum and left our car for the day without issue (I would recommend doing your own research before doing it yourself to make sure you feel comfortable.). We missed the shuttle, and while it comes every 15 minutes, we went ahead and walked to Hersheypark which was about a mile and saved us $15+ bucks on parking.

Thank goodness for smart phones, because I was able to book our park tickets on the phone while walking and found a buy one get one day free pass for each of us (alternatively, spend time before going to find out which retailers have coupons; I found a $12 off in July coupon per ticket at my local CVS). I was also able to download the Hersheypark app onto my phone which gives you wait times per ride (super helpful!) and will help you get from point to point using the phone’s GPS if you want this. Of course, there’s always a good old fashioned paper map you can find in the park (I picked up one for my scrapbook.). Since we didn’t arrive as soon as the park opened, we didn’t know quite where to start so we headed to the ZooAmerica entrance from within Hersheypark which is included in the admission price. It’s an easy, 1 hour loop that highlights North American animals. We particularly like the brown bears, bald eagles and the bobcat.

We were ready to find a good roller coaster (they have 13 to pick from)! Our favorites were Fahrenheit, Storm Runner and Laff Trakk. Laff Trakk also had super goofy mirrors that were great for selfies before boarding the ride.  View of a roller coaster inside Hersheypark | TeamTravelsBlogWe also really enjoyed the Reese’s Cup Xtreme Challenge and the new Hershey’s Drop Tower. One thing that was amazing is that after certain rides, they give you almost 2 ounces of free Hershey candy like Reese’s Crunchers! I tried some delicious treats this way. We stayed at the park until about 10 pm on a night where they closed at 11 pm.

Since we hadn’t stopped on the way in, we popped into Chocolate World to check out the great display of candy characters in the middle and catch the free ride that takes you through the making of Hershey chocolate. Hershey's Chocolate World | teamtravelsblogThe line took about 30 or so minutes, so be prepared to wait. We jogged back to the car using our phone flashlights as our guide given there are no street lights. Luckily, the area felt safe and we didn’t have any issues getting our car back at the Hershey Story. A touch before midnight we were back on the road and into our beds by 2 a.m. Can’t wait to spending another day this summer at Hersheypark to finish riding the rest of the roller coasters and further exploring the waterpark!

Did I miss anything? I would love to hear about your favorite spots in Harrisburg and about your favorite rides at Hersheypark!

On a Mission to La Jolla

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Sea Lion in La Jolla | Teamtravelsblog

If you have time to drive to the outskirts of San Diego, make the trip to La Jolla! It became a highlight of our 4-day trip seeing sea lions and seals up close and in their natural habitat.

San Diego Highlights for Sunday, June 4 (Day 2):

  • Mission Beach
  • Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
  • La Jolla – sea lions, seals and an outdoor market
  • Torrey Pines State Park and Beach

There’s nothing quite like waking up and realizing, you’re in California! We’ve found that carsleeping is surprisingly comfortable when the seats go back and the temperature is just right. We woke up pretty early again (before sunrise at 5:41 am) and drove to Mission Beach. The parking lot was desolate with the exception of trash and the world’s largest seagulls! These seagulls were the size of large cats! Strolling along the boardwalk as the sun went up was a perfect way to start our day.

It was a direct shot north from Mission Beach to Bird Rock and the Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. I enjoyed their regular coffee and the coffee house had a nice ambience. I was thrilled to have a bathroom to freshen up in too! Unfortunately, when I returned to the car I was convinced I had locked the keys in the car. I didn’t know how I did it, but I was in straight panic mode! Fortunately, for both of us, I ended up having the keys and there wasn’t a need to call AAA on our vacation! We then continued through Bird Rock until we made it to La Jolla (pronounced like “hoya”).

Sea Lions | Teamtravelsblog
Sea Lions | Teamtravelsblog
Sea Lion Sleeping | Teamtravelsblog

La Jolla should not be missed! Within a second of overlooking the ocean, we could hear and see sea lions! There were tons of sea lions relaxing, jumping in and out of the water, and cuddled up together. We enjoyed roaming onto the rocks (the ones that warn you not to get too close to the sea lions) so we could get some great pictures of the sea lions. We also saw lots of people swimming in the water. We walked down some stairs to get up close to the beach area where the swimmers were entering and exiting the ocean. As we went to go back up the stairs, a huge wave started coming and I literally jumped up to grab the rail and try to avoid getting my shoes wet! I was lucky I didn’t get slammed into a rock and made it out unscathed.

We continued south along the water until we made it to the Children’s Beach (or Seal Beach). I couldn’t believe it – there were so many seals! There’s a staircase to walk onto the beach and stand behind a rope to enjoy a view of the seals. There’s also a walk way to view the seals from above.

Seals | Teamtravelsblog
Seal | Teamtravelsblog

They are funny to watch as they shimmy their way into the water. They look like they’d be fun to play with! Our good friends from LA drove down to meet us here and it was great to watch their 2-year old take in the animals.

Our sweet LA friends | Teamtravelsblog
Our sweet LA friends | Teamtravelsblog

Funny enough, she seemed most amused by the seagulls. We got great refreshing drinks at the Living Room Coffeehouse. This place had cool artwork displayed. We then walked up to La Jolla Elementary School to the Open Aire Market. The market had lots of clothes, crafts and food. Plus, with a 2-year old, it also had a nice sized jungle gym for her to play on. Our friends told us we couldn’t come to California for our first time ever without trying Mexican food.

The Living Room | Teamtravelsblog
The Living Room | Teamtravelsblog

We found a great hole in the wall (it literally had 4 tables) called Don Carlos Taco Shop that was delicious!

Shortly after lunch, we parted ways and drove north to Torrey Pines State Park. It was quite confusing at first to find parking, since some of the parking includes parking spots on the main thoroughfare. Luckily, we improvised, turned the corner at the intersection following the Torrey Pines State Beach and found a neighborhood with free parking for the day (instead of paying for access) with a minimal walk to the entrance.

The beach part of Torrey Pines is pretty. It’s a narrow beach. After passing the toll booth (which is free if you walk on), we continued up a steep road with switchbacks where you can see the actual torrey pine trees the park is named for.

Torrey pine at Torrey Pine State Beach | Teamtravelsblog
Torrey pine at Torrey Pine State Beach | Teamtravelsblog

There’s also a wonderful visitor center to get suggestions on where to hike. We found this to be extremely valuable, because there are some paths that aren’t accessible along the beach during high tide. I’d recommend wearing pants so you don’t brush up on anything when you’re on the trails.

From here it’s about a 2.5 hour drive to Joshua Tree National Park (west entrance). We absolutely LOVE national parks and couldn’t miss the opportunity to take a detour here during our 4 day trip to San Diego. One big tip is to make sure you fill up on gas when you have the opportunity and definitely before entering the park. Since we drove in the evening, we parked at the Wal-Mart (58501 Twentynine Palms Highway) about 15 minutes from the entrance to carsleep and felt safe. Check back soon if you’d like to read about our 100+ degree day at JTNP!

View of the Pacific Ocean | Teamtravelsblog
View of the Pacific Ocean | Teamtravelsblog