When I travel, I love visiting historic destinations. I also love hiking and outdoor activities. When history and outdoor destinations come together, it’s pretty much perfect! That’s where one of the newest North Carolina attractions, Carvers Creek State Park, comes in. Carvers Creek State Park is just outside of Fayetteville, in Spring Lake, North Carolina. […]
Visiting Carowinds? Everything you need to know!
People who live in North and South Carolina know that Carowinds is an awesome theme park! It’s got loads of coasters, Planet Snoopy for the kids, and even Carolina Harbor — an amazing waterpark — included with the price of admission. We just moved at the end of May. Our daughter, Ellie, has a mid-June […]
Complete Outer Banks Vacation Planner: Sun, sand, and sea (and more to explore!)
The Outer Banks of North Carolina is a popular vacation destination for families who want to enjoy sun, sand and sea. A successful vacation takes just a bit planning, though. This guide walks you through everything you need to plan a wonderful Outer Banks vacation. We’ll cover: Outer Banks accommodations, OBX attractions in each region […]
Take the scenic route • 13 reasons why traveling HWY 301 is better than I-95
If you’ve ever traveled I-95 through North Carolina, you’ve experienced the traffic jams as you pass mile after tedious mile of loblolly pines. You’ve seen the New Jersey snowbirds travel south in winter. And you’ve followed the Floridian headed north for summer. There has got to be a better way, right? That’s exactly what you […]
High flying fun on the Xtreme Park ropes course
Every time I try a new high ropes adventure course, I learn something new about myself. That’s certainly the case with the ropes course at Xtreme Park Adventures, an adventure park near Durham, North Carolina. >> Check out Tree Runner Adventure Park in nearby Raleigh Xtreme Park Adventures has been around for several years, expanding […]
NCMA: Family friendly museum and art park
I woke up last Thursday and checked the weather (I’m a weather bug wannabe). The forecast said sunny and 70 — not too shabby for the last day of November! With an amazing day on tap, I decided to visit the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA). The North Carolina Museum of Art has a […]
Celebrating Culture: NC’s Chinese Lantern Festival
Our daughter is Chinese by birth. Until recently she has not wanted to explore the heritage of her homeland. While we incorporate some Chinese culture into our lives, we never pushed her to go further than she wants. This year, she has been asking more about China and Chinese culture. When I was provided the […]
21 reasons kids love Durham (and parents do, too)
When we moved to North Carolina back in 2001, we never went to Durham. In part, it seemed far away (about an hour). Also, living so close to the beach (compared to when we lived in Ohio), the novelty of that took years to wear off. When I homeschooled, we finally ventured into Durham to visit […]
Visit the North Carolina Mountains
In my last post, I shared the stunning fall leaves in the North Carolina mountains. The whole thing is quite impressive, but the leaves only last about one month out of the whole year. If you can’t make it to North Carolina to see the trees, many other amazing adventures await in our mountains. Maggie Valley […]
10 family fun Raleigh activities
Those of us who live in the Raleigh area know there’s lots of great stuff to do with kids. The secret’s getting out and more families vacation here every year. Whether you live here or are visiting for the first time, here’s our list of the 10 best family fun Raleigh activities! 1. North Carolina […]