Hidden Gems {Noccalula Falls}

The trip from Chattanooga to our house is about 4 1/2 hours. That usually means at least one stop for a bathroom break or stopping for a meal, depending on the timing of things.

To break up the drive, I looked for a place to stop and stretch our legs. One of my favorite websites it www.roadsideamerica.com to look for unique and unusual sites to visit. It's on this website that I found out about the Noccalula Falls Doomed Maiden just north of Gadsden, AL.

At the top of the falls is a statue of a woman who looks like she is about to fall over the edge. According to RoadsideAmerica.com, "The legend behind the statue says that Cherokee maiden Noccalula flung herself over the falls because her father didn't like the tribe her boyfriend was from."

Ok, so the statue of this woman was not what attracted me to the stop, and I did not share the legend with my kids. What I did like was the description of the other activities offered: a train ride, hiking, and a playground.

You can access the playground and see the falls from outside the main Noccalula Falls Park area. Inside the gates of the park is where the hidden gem is found. Entry to the park is for a nominal fee and you can learn more about fees and hours here.

There is a small train that circles the entire park and includes three stops. We boarded the train at the first stop outside the visitor's center.

The next stop is the petting zoo. There were rabbits to pet as well as birds and assorted small furry creatures to view. They do have a lion in a large cage (with a double fence). The fence makes it difficult to see the lion, but it is impressive as you can walk all the way around cage assuring you will catch a glimpse of it.

Goats in the petting zoo

After the petting zoo, you can choose to walk around the Pioneer Village that shows how the settlers lived. The buildings include a cabin, livery, chicken coop, and many more for a total of around 20 buildings. There is also a covered bridge on the property.

The last stop before returning to the visitor's center included several activities. Visitors could choose to exit and play on the playground. Reentry was only allowed by the train conductor who checked for wristbands as proof of entry. 

At this train stop there was also the path to walk to the falls. The sign as we climbed down the stairs to the path said it would take 2 hours to walk the whole path. I didn't see how it would take that long unless it is slow going when you start hiking behind the falls. We didn't have two hours to set aside but the views of the falls from this angle were still nice.

Noccalula Falls

Close to the falls path was a rock garden with daffodils beginning to bloom. This would have been a great place to let the kids play hide and see. There were lots of nooks and crannies between the giant boulders. This is another part of the park we didn't get to fully explore.

In total we probably spent an hour and a half here. Another hour would have been nice to explore more of the rock garden and hike the falls.

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.

Tips & Tricks {Different Suitcases for Different Places}

Our last trip included spending the night in four different locations: two nights at Stop A, two nights at Stop B, three nights at Stop C, and one night at Stop D.

I knew from our experience the year before that everyone dragging out a suitcase at every stop was a big pain. This year I decided to pack one suitcase for each of the first three stops. Another suitcase was carried into every stop and contained pajamas, toothbrushes, and a spare change of clothes for everyone.

A pic of my packing set-up (please pardon the mess!)

When we reached Stop C at a cabin, I was able to wash some laundry. This gave me a head start on the dirty clothes that would be waiting once we returned home. Doing laundry also gave us something to wear for the last leg of our journey, which I repacked in the suitcase from our first stop. 

With only two suitcases for stops A, B, and D, it was much easier getting in and out of the hotel. Each of my boys could pull a suitcase while I carried the bag of food, bag of activities, and cooler.

Hidden Gems {Finding a Hidden Gem}

We all plan vacations that hit the hot spots in a certain town. If you visit New York City, you have to see the Statue of Liberty. In St. Louis, it's the Gateway Arch. In San Francisco, it's the Golden Gate Bridge. Lots of large cities have those go-to sites that everyone should try to see once in their life.

Then there are the hidden gems. It might be a site in a city, a pretty main street, or an entire town. You may stumble across them while stopping for a break in your long drive. Maybe they were discovered and recommended to you by a friend.

There's something about finding a hidden gem. You almost want to keep it to yourself so that it doesn't become overrun with tourists. At the same time, you want to share so other people can enjoy it.

I will be sharing a couple of hidden gems I've found and hope you'll recommend some as well.

When Good Trips Go Bad {Pack a First Aid Kit}

On our last trip, most of the time it was just me and my two boys. Things were going well! Maybe too well. 

We'd survived the first leg of our journey. I had jostled my memory and managed to navigate the streets of Atlanta safely and successfully. Now we were off for adventures in uncharted lands. 

OK, I had a Google map printout with directions to where we were heading and GPS on my phone, but it was new to us.

We had stopped to see the scenic view at Bald Rock as we were leaving Casear's Head State Park in South Carolina. The rock was damp from fog and mist. Surprisingly, my boys' still had energy to burn and were running around. 

I had warned them to stay away from the edge, so they went running back up the hill while ignoring my request to stop running. 

Then it happened.

My youngest fell down. He didn't tear a hole in his pants, but the fall hurt enough that he felt he needed to show me his knee. So, scraping a knee isn't earth-shattering but it is a reminder that it's a good idea to pack a first aid kit.

When we returned to the car 5 minutes later, he showed me his knee. It had started to bleed a little. I tossed our first aid kit in the back seat and told him to put on some Neosporin and a band-aid.

The first aid kit had been a project for 4-H for the State Fair. It taught my boys about being prepared and came in handy on our trip. 

What should you include in your first aid kit? Ours was a small one, so we were limited to essentials. Here are some suggestions:

• Band-aids
• 1-inch-wide roll of medical tape
• 4" x 4" medical bandages
• Tum or Rolaids
• Pepto Bismal
• Small bottle or sample-size ibuprofen and acetamenophin
• Neosporin
• Anti-itch cream
• Plastic gloves 

If there is something specific that your family needs, then be sure to include it. What additions would you make?

Happy New Year!

Where will your travels take you this year?

If you are like me, you are always thinking about the next trip you can take. Or possibly even the next two or three trips you can take.

Let's be realistic, planning a trip takes time and money. Being a solo parent means I have to take a few extra factors into consideration. This is also true for anyone living on a tight budget or who may find themselves travelling as the only parent.

So start planning today! Where will you go next?

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!