Trip Reports Archives – Page 23 of 26

Cedar Lake Tree Farm

December 6th, 2017admin0 Comments

Much to the chagrin of my husband, we have gone to the same Christmas tree lot in Charlotte for as long as we have lived here. He wants nothing more than to go to the little lot at the church across the street from us, but I prefer a large lot with a huge selection and some additional holiday decorations and festivities. And I like the tradition of going to the same place every year. I have pictures of the boys sitting on the same sleigh in the same lot for the last 7 years and it’s fun to see …

Chinese Lantern Festival at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

October 22nd, 2017admin0 Comments

Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens is one of our favorite places. Located in Belmont, NC, the gardens are about 20 miles and 40 minutes from Charlotte. Although they claim to be easily accessible from either I-85 or I-77, the reality is that it is pretty far off both highways. But don’t let that stop you. It is well worth the trip. We have visited the gardens probably a dozen times over the years for everything from class field trips to seeing the Christmas lights to just enjoying a beautiful spring day wandering the grounds. When they announced a new event this …

Lake Lure

September 8th, 2017admin0 Comments

Lake Lure is a man-made lake located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Its beautiful scenery is well-known in Hollywood and dozens of movies have been filmed here, including scenes from The Last of the Mohicans, Forrest Gump, and Dirty Dancing. There is tons to do in the area, from swimming in the lake to hiking to the top of Chimney Rock. It’s a great getaway weekend from Charlotte. This was our second trip to Lake Lure and both times we have rented a house with a group of friends in Rumbling Bald Resort. The …

Sky Top Orchard

August 28th, 2017admin0 Comments

Charlotte is ideally situated for day or weekend trips to the mountains. Drive about two hours west and you’ll find yourself at higher altitudes, cooler temperatures, and more mountainous terrain. One of our favorite fall activities is to head into the mountains to pick apples. For years we went to Apple Hill Orchard in Morganton, mostly because it was the closest. The kids always had fun there and the apples were good, but with so many other choices nearby, we decided it was time to explore somewhere new. With the kids a little older, we were ready to check out …

Jenkinson’s Boardwalk

August 26th, 2017admin0 Comments

For a taste of real Jersey Shore family fun, we visited Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in Point Pleasant, NJ. Jenkinson’s has everything from your typical boardwalk arcade games to an aquarium, as well as unbeatable people watching. The boardwalk is roughly a mile long, with the ocean on one side and all the games, rides, and cotton candy you could ever want on the other. We came down in the evening and ate dinner on the outside patio of Jenkinson’s Pavillion Restaurant. The food was fine – typical boardwalk fare of burgers, pizza, and cheesesteaks. It was super windy but really pretty …

Sandy Hook, NJ

August 25th, 2017admin0 Comments

Sandy Hook is a barrier peninsula in central NJ with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Shrewsbury River to the west. Discovered by Henry Hudson, it is now a National Park comprised of beaches, a lighthouse, a fort, and an active US Coast Guard station. On a clear day it boasts views of the Manhattan skyline. The majority of visitors come to Sandy Hook for the beaches and recreation. It’s convenient to many parts of Central New Jersey and an easy ride across the NY Harbor for Manhattanites. There are multiple public beaches (including a clothing-optional beach) and …

Riomaggiore

May 26th, 2017admin0 Comments

While eating lunch in Manarola, we briefly considered whether we should complete our hike there or continue on to Riomaggiore. We knew the easy path (Via dell’Amore) was closed and after a long and strenuous hike, thoughts of food, drink and relaxation briefly outweighed the idea of another steep hike. While the last segment was one of the shortest hikes distance-wise, it was reputed to be one of the most challenging. But we had come all this way to see all five towns and it seemed silly to stop now. Taking the train was technically an option but seemed like …

Manarola

May 22nd, 2017admin0 Comments

On our first day of hiking, we followed Trail 2 (Sentiero Azzurro) from Monterosso to Vernazza and then on from Vernazza to Corniglia. The blue trail is the most well-known trail in Cinque Terre, as it hugs the coast and provides the beautiful views of the five towns that the area is famous for. The idea was to take a train back to Corniglia on our second day and pick up where we left off, hiking on to Manarola and Riomaggiore. But both those sections of the trail were not just closed; they were “really closed” according to the daily …

Corniglia

May 18th, 2017admin0 Comments

Another slightly hidden stairwell on the opposite side of Vernazza’s main street pointed us towards Corniglia. Overall this hike seemed slightly easier than Monterosso to Vernazza, although it started out tougher. Yet again, this hike had many steep steps to get out of town and into the hills above, and the first half of the hour and a half hike was mainly uphill. We found the trails on this stretch to have a lot of loose rocks so you have to watch your footing. The second half of the hike – after reaching the highest point in Cinque Terre – …

Vernazza

May 14th, 2017admin0 Comments

After finally finding the start to Trail #2 (Sentiero Azzurro or Blue Trail) from Monterosso to Vernazza, we headed up the stone steps to start our hike. Since the normal trailhead was closed, I’m not sure how far we hiked before joining up to the main trail. I was nervous because we planned to purchase our hiking pass at the checkpoint and we seemed to walk a long time without coming across one. I was concerned that the checkpoint was on the section of the trail that was closed and we would somehow get busted for hiking without a pass. …