Summer Staycations

Summer is prime time for travel for a lot of familes. School is out, so it's a great time to hit the road.

Whether an emergency expense comes up or income is limited, when you find yourself on a tight budget, travel is one of the first things to go. With limited funds, even a weekend trip is challening. That's where I find myself this summer.

Instead we have made our own fun. After searching for boredom buster ideas on Pinterest, I had my boys write activities on different colored sheets of paper. Then whenever they want a new idea, they draw from the jar.

On Fridays, we make time for cooking or a trip to somewhere special around town. Where we live there are a few options like putt-putt, bowling, and a movie theater. Even something simple like a movie can add up quickly, so these treats have been limited.

You can also create a cheaper version of some of these activities around your house. I encouraged my boys to make their own golf obstacle course (thankfully, grandad has putters for them to use).

Rent a movie from Redbox or pick one you already own. You can grab popcorn, theater-box candy, and soft drinks from the grocery store. Or pile pillows in the floor for a pallet party. Look for ways to make it different from your normal movie-watching routine.

Look for activities within an hour and a half drive of home. At this distance, you could easily drive there and back in a day. If you have a little more money in your budget, you could plan an overnight trip and visit a couple of places in the same town.

What daytrips do you recommend in your area?

The Semi-Unplanned Vacation

My boys and I recently took a trip to Pensacola, Florida, with plans to meet my friend there. This is the least amount of planning for a trip I have done since my trip to Navarre, Florida, two years ago. Maybe it's something about the Florida beaches that stops me from making plans.

This lack of planning scared me a little because of my Type A personality. I do like to leave some room for down time, but even that is usually scheduled in.

The only thing I did plan for was a hotel room which was smart since it was Memorial Day weekend. As I was checking in, someone walked in to inquire about availability. No rooms were to be had at the inn. Score one for mom.

So what were we going to do all weekend?

The whole weekend turned into a lesson about learning to just be. Let go of ideas of what should be. Let go of itineraries. The only thing I knew we wanted to do was go to the beach. 

The next morning after breakfast we decided to check out the Gulf Breeze Zoo with my friend in tow. At first, my boys were hurrying from one animal to the next. It reminded me of the frantic pace I was trying to escape. So we slowed down and took time to stop and observe some of the animals. It was a much different feel from so many of our other vacations.

We left the zoo and grabbed lunch before heading to the beach at Navarre. My friend was generous enough to take the first shift of watching the boys play in the surf with their boogie boards while I relaxed on the beach. It was strange to be able to relax for a few minutes and breath in the salty air.

Eventually, I relieved my friend and enjoyed the cool water crashing at my feet. It's like my worries were washing away as each wave came in and then headed back out to the gulf.

We went back to the hotel room and relaxed before heading to a dinner of good Southern cooking and jazz music. The night ended with movies in the hotel room.

Sunday my friend was feeling worn, so my boys and I decided to take a walk to downtown Pensacola just the three of us. Being Sunday, I thought we should consider visiting a church. We walked down the main drag in our shorts and T-shirts passing churches of various denominations. We stumbled across a rock-and-roll church in an old movie theather where our attire was the norm. We only stayed for part of the music, but it was nice to be able to visit and not feel out of place.

We walked back to the hotel and grabbed my friend as we headed to lunch at Al Fresco, a food truck food court. There were 5 different styles of food offered giving a good selection for what everyone would like to eat.

That afternoon I took the boys to the pool to play before the forecasted rain rolled in. That evening was a  quick dinner at Wendy's because sometimes you need to know exactly what you are going to get when you order. Sunday night was movies in the hotel room again. After breakfast Monday morning, it was time to hit the road and head home.

We didn't see a lot of sites. We didn't do many activities. But that was the beauty of this mostly unplanned weekend.

Time for Spring Break!

So, the northern half of the U.S. is covered in snow, but spring break is on my mind. I need something to look forward to on these cold, dreary days. Yes, cold is relative because we don't get snow most years. But the gray days do seem to stretch on this time of year.

Last year we went to Chattanooga, Tennessee. If you haven't been before, I highly recommend making it a place on your list. It's a family-friendly vacation spot with lots to see and do. Here's a run-down of our trip:

1. 4 days and 3 nights at Super 8, 7024 McCutcheon Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421

Pros

• I like this hotel because it is close to the mall which means a lot of restaurant choices. I have stayed on the west side of town and there are fewer restaurants. It's also reasonably priced, especially when you look at the cost of hotels downtown.
• It's not too far to drive to any of the attractions. 
• This hotel has an indoor pool which my boys love! The shallow end is big enough that they have plenty of room to play. 

Cons

• They have a continental breakfast with a good, varied selection. The only hot thing served is waffles. We enjoy it so not really a con for us, but it may not be enough for some people.
• The drive to downtown isn't far, but if it's rush hour, you will get caught up in it with all the people trying to head south to Georgia.

2. Rock City, Incline Railway & Ruby Falls

Waterfall at Rock City

Pros

• You can purchase a 3-in-1 pass and get a better rate on these attractions than if you were to buy each individually.
• My boys loved Rock City the most. As the name implies, it's mostly rocks but has few other features like a waterfall, a gnome village, swinging bridge and Fairyland Caverns. The view from the lookout point is amazing when you think about seeing 7 states at one time.
• The Incline Railway is a slow ride up a steep incline. It's an impressive feat of engineering. You can start your ride at the top or bottom of the incline.
• Ruby Falls is an underground waterfall which makes it impressive. There are many interesting formations to see along the way. This was my third trip to Ruby Falls. The tour has changed little over the years, but the waterfall reveal is very different. You can no longer walk behind the falls like we did during my first visit 25-30 years ago.
• These three filled most of our time.

View from deck at Ruby Falls

Cons

• It is pricey, even with the discount. As a solo parent, this package ate up a lot of my budget.
• Rock City is mostly rocks. I believe they do a holiday light display in December, but we were there in March. My boys were entertained, so that made it a worthwhile stop.
• The Incline Railway is slow and there's not much to see beyond the views of the city from the top and the houses and you ride by. This was the least favorite activity of my boys.
• When you've seen one cave, you've pretty much seen them all. The waterfall at Ruby Falls is what saves this from being just another cave tour.
• This did take most of our time which meant not much time to do anything else. Plus it took time to get from one attraction to another.
• There were no family restrooms. This was an issue for most of the trip. Sometimes I dragged my boys in the stall with me and we took turns turning around (this can be an awkward experience when trying to be modest with children of the opposite sex). Other times I checked the restroom as they walked in and waited for them outside the door.

3. Tennessee Aquarium

Trying to touch a butterfly in the Ocean Journey building

 
Pros

• We had a year-long membership to the aquarium that had been purchased in December. Our stop last March made the second visit and was covered by the membership making it practically free.
• There are two buildings that are part of the aquarium. Visitors are sent to the top of each building and then wind their way down through many exhibits. This is my favorite aquarium because of the great layout and flow. Even with kids on a school field trip present, it flowed well.
• There are restaurants within walking distance which makes it possible to take a break between buildings to get a resonably priced lunch. 

Watching the sharks and fish

 
Cons

• Parking is downtown and requires payment. There is a small lot close to the corner of Aquarium Way and Walnut Street (near the Walnut street Bridge) that was only $3 for all day. This was a much better option than needing to feed the meter every couple of hours. 
• There aren't killer whales. This isn't really a complaint of mine. But a friend said he preferred the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta because of the giant creatures. They are impressive to see, but I still prefer the Tennessee Aquarium for its size, flow and price.
• No family restrooms.

Overall, it was a great trip. I would go again (and have been once since then already) because there is much more to see in Chattanooga. My boys have asked several times about going to Rock City again.

We made one stop on our way home that I will share in my next Hidden Gem.

Welcome Aboard!

Join me on my travels as Mom Solo (my boys are big Star Wars fans, so I told them I was better than Hans)! 

I'm a single mom raising two boys, working full-time, and going to grad school. I'll share my best tips and tricks for traveling solo on adventures across the United States. Traveling as the only parent isn't easy, but my boys are worth it!