We spent three nights at Black Rock Lodge and would have loved to stay longer. We barely scratched the surface of what there is to do both in the area in general and at the lodge itself. Many of the activities at Black Rock Lodge center around the Macal River. You can canoe down the river to the Belize Botanical Gardens or the Blue Morpho Butterfly Center. (The lodge will pick you up and bring you back at the end of your journey.) You can hike up river a bit and then tube your way back down to the lodge. …
Category: Trip Reports
Big Rock Falls
After a fascinating tour of Barton Creek Cave and a relaxing picnic lunch, we were ready to head on to our next adventure. I was not looking forward to going back out on the road we came in on so it was a very pleasant surprise when Roque headed in the other direction. Apparently Big Rock Falls did not require backtracking down that crazy bumpy road. Yay! Instead we headed up an extremely steep road with dozens of switchbacks as you climbed higher and higher. We were marveling at the fact that the truck could make it up the steep …
Barton Creek Cave Canoeing
While JB’s favorite activity in Belize was the Green Iguana Project, RB’s was Barton Creek Cave. Caves play an important role in Mayan history. The Maya believed caves were a portal to the underworld (known as Xibalba, or “Place of Fright”) and used them as a site of offerings, ceremonies, and sacrifices. Many believe that the collapse of the Maya in the 9th century AD was largely due to drought, and there is evidence that the ceremonial activities in the caves were a last-ditch effort to appease Chac, the Mayan rain god. Belize’s large cave system is fascinating to explore …
Green Iguana Conservation Project
After coming back across the Mopan River on the hand-cranked ferry from Xunantunich, we stopped for lunch at Benny’s Kitchen. Serving traditional Belizean cuisine (as well as basic kid-favorites like burgers and hot dogs), the open-air dining restaurant recommended by our guide Roque did not disappoint. I had a good chicken and rice dish but my husband made the even better choice and tried the pibil, which is a slow roasted pork dish. It was amazing. We enjoyed our meals and the boys enjoyed drinking from the tallest Sprite bottle I’ve ever seen and using our Belizean change to get …
Xunantunich
After a good night’s sleep (despite the howler monkeys’ 4am wakeup call), we were ready for our first full day of adventure in Belize. Breakfast was our first order of business, specifically getting pancakes for JB. We had failed in our attempt to get pancakes at three different restaurants in the airport and I had promised him that Black Rock Lodge had them on the menu. They did and they ended up being worth the wait. During breakfast, we got the awesome news that Roque would be our guide again today. Pancakes and Roque – this day was off to …
Arrival and the Belize Zoo
We arrived at Belize’s Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport around 1:30 pm local time. It was a new experience for the boys to exit an airplane directly onto the runway and they were excited to walk down the steps from the big plane. We immediately felt the heat his us when we stepped off of the plane, but it was actually a bit of a relief as we had all been shivering through two different plane rides and the Houston Airport, all of which were unusually cold. We took our customs and immigration forms and our passports and joined the …
Cedar Lake Tree Farm
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
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
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
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 …