Trip Reports Archives – Page 12 of 26

Maymont

November 17th, 2020admin0 Comments

We started our Maymont outing at The Robins Nature Center. After learning about the ecosystem of the James River, we headed out the back door of the nature center to explore the 100-acre grounds of the historic estate. The Maymont Mansion is the centerpiece of the park. Built in the 1890s, the house was turned into a museum after 32 years of occupancy by the original owners. A well-preserved example of the Gilded Age, the estate is a step back in history to a time when millionaires’ homes had a level of opulence that was simply breathtaking and almost unbelievable. …

The Robins Nature Center

November 16th, 2020admin0 Comments

When we recently headed to Richmond VA to cheer on my husband in his first marathon, I knew the boys and I would need an activity for after the race while my husband rested back at the hotel. I researched a lot of outdoor activities that would be ok for a fall visit and settled on Maymont, an historic estate whose 100-acre grounds include a public park and gardens, wildlife habitats, and a nature center. The only indoor activity at Maymont that is open during the pandemic is the Robins Nature Center. While I was somewhat leery of doing anything …

Otter Falls

November 3rd, 2020admin0 Comments

We took an early November trip into the mountains to check out the Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster. We had a great – but short – time there. In order to make the trip worthwhile and to get a real taste of fall in the mountains, I wanted to do a hike as well. My criteria were simple – I was looking for a relatively short hike close to Banner Elk with a waterfall at the end. There were a few popular options but I settled on the little-known Otter Falls in Seven Devils, NC. Otter Falls is located on Skyland …

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster

November 2nd, 2020admin0 Comments

Our beach trip to Ocean Isle Beach in early October was exactly the get away that we needed. But fall is my favorite season for local and mountain activities – corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and hikes while the leaves are changing are some of my favorite things. So a weekend at the beach left us with one less weekend for fall fun. And when what was probably the last week to see the leaves change in the mountains turned out to be a total washout, I almost gave up on my fall mountain dreams this year. But old habits die …

McDowell Nature Preserve

October 18th, 2020admin0 Comments

We’ve spent a lot of 2020 in the great outdoors and visiting more Charlotte area parks. When my youngest son and I found ourselves flying solo on a recent Saturday, we decided to check out another of Mecklenburg County’s parks. About 5 years ago, we had visited McDowell Nature Preserve for their Nature at Night program, which is a cool nighttime festival where you get to learn all about the critters that lurk about after the sun goes down, but we had yet to explore there during the day. With its beautiful lakeside location, we thought it would be a …

Ocean Isle Beach

October 17th, 2020admin0 Comments

Lockdown 2020 has been tough on everyone. We’ve been trying to get out of the house more, exploring local parks and hikes. But sometimes you need more than a few hours away from the house. Hoping to stay ahead of cabin fever (and still away from covid), we wanted to take a long weekend at the beach in early fall when the boys had a few days off from school. Our requirements were pretty minimal – we wanted a house with a private heated pool within walking distance of the beach. Literally any beach. Just to go someplace different, we …

Windy Hill Orchard

September 20th, 2020admin0 Comments

Going apple picking in the NC mountains is one of my favorite fall traditions. We’ve been to several of the big ones at least once – Apple Hill Orchard in Morganton, Sky Top Orchard in Flat Rock, Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard in Hendersonville. And while I love driving to the mountains to pick apples, not everyone I know is as enthusiastic about a 2.5 hour drive to perform manual labor in a field. Especially because to get our favorite variety (honeycrisp!) you actually have to go in early August when it can still be quite hot, even in the mountains. So …

Carolina Raptor Center

September 14th, 2020admin0 Comments

The Carolina Raptor Center is one of our favorite Charlotte-area outings. We’ve probably been close to a dozen times since the boys were born. And of all the activities that were cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19, Young Vet’s Camp at the Raptor Center was the most disappointing for JB. He had been waiting years to be old enough to attend and then the camp was cancelled due to the pandemic. So when he and I were looking for a quick outing while his dad and brother were off doing their own things, the Raptor Center quickly came to mind. …

Crowders Mountain

September 8th, 2020admin0 Comments

Crowders Mountain is a surprisingly rugged state park in Gaston County, NC. Its two peaks, The Pinnacle and Crowders Mountain, are challenging to summit and the trails leading there are more strenuous than their “moderate” rating lets on. We made the mistake of coming here when the boys were 3.5 and 5.5, which is way too young for the trails to the top. The boys enjoyed the lower section of the trail, climbing along the rocks on the side of the path, and having a picnic lunch, but we realized almost immediately that we had absolutely no shot at making …

Skyline Drive – Shenandoah National Park

August 12th, 2020admin0 Comments

Until last summer, the last time we had driven to NJ was Christmas 2010. It was the last time because it took forever and both boys repeatedly threw up in the car. It was a miserable 12+ hour drive. We were already frequent fliers to NJ (it’s just more practical for our typically short visits) and that awful drive won us over to flying entirely. For the next 9 years all our visits were by air. But last summer I had a hankering for a road trip so we decided to plot out a course to NJ and on to Newport …