Bucket List - Family Vacation

A couple of years ago we took our first trip to New Orleans as a family. We had a wonderful time and the kids have repeatedly asked to go back. After not taking a family vacation last summer, we decided that it was high time for us to hit the road.

First up, Drago's. On our last trip, we had hit up Drago's and the grilled oysters on the way out of town. I have to say that the flavor and taste had stayed with us for a couple of years and we were ready to try them again. As we pulled into town, this was our first stop. These grilled oysters are served grilled on the half shell with parmesan cheese and butter. Oh my.

After our first bite of New Orleans, we headed straight for the hotel. This year we stayed at the Embassy Suites and we were all in heaven! There was a room for mom and dad, a room for the girls, and the boys slept on the fold out couch (it had the MOST comfortable sofa mattress that I have ever felt.) Not only were we not stepping on each other, but there was a pool, complimentary breakfast (complete with an omelet bar, pastries, hot breakfast and fruit), and happy hour every afternoon (snacks and all of the drinks that you could drink.) 

The kids were living it up. Gibson made himself sick a couple of times on sodas and Gardettos. 

(the bunny ears weren't a big hit.)

We explored around the hotel and were enjoying our downtown views from the roof.

This was the view from the pool at night. 

One of the must visit places for our family in New Orleans is Storyland, in the City Park. Landry truly believes that it is Disney Land and has asked many times over the last two years to go back. She was pumped! 

Storyland is a play area that was built in the 1950s and the playscapes all represent various fairy tale and story book characters. Hence the name. She was so excited that she could hardly contain herself.

Of course there was Rapunzel. 

And Snow White. 

Pinnochio and the big fish.

(After this picture, the older two were done. They went next door to a little amusement park that is also within the park and rode some roller coasters.) 

Cinderella... 

Hayden and Landry didn't even notice that the older two were gone.

I'm treasuring the fact that they had so much fun. They won't be this age much longer. :( 

We also enjoyed visiting Jackson Square. This time around we got in one of the horse carriages in front of the square and took a tour through the downtown area. This was one of the most fun activities while we were there. Our driver was very funny and great with the kids. It was a great experience.

We walked along the river and saw the paddleboat.

While in New Orleans, we had to eat po'boys, gumbo, fried shrimp for a couple of different meals and bread pudding from Mother's!

We also ate at a place by recommendation from our driver. The Royal House did not disappoint. 

We enjoyed walking the downtown area and seeing the history and architecture of the French Quarter. 

Another favorite stop in New Orleans is the aquarium. When walking in, there is a big tunnel. That day we got to watch divers feeding the stingrays. This is Hayden's favorite place to visit. Science, sharks, marine biology. Check.

The kids got to feed the stingrays in a separate exhibit and see divers in the shark tank.

It was a memorable trip and enjoyed by the whole family. It's fun to see our little family getting older and have stamina to enjoy these kinds of things without having to stop for naps.

Charleston Day 5

I was sad to see our last day of vacation arrive. We had such a great time exploring the area and eating      our way through so many different restaurants. We noshed tasty morsels and daydreamed about moving. I was very taken with the Southern lifestyle. I have always considered myself a Southern girl, but there is a definite difference between Texas girls and Southern debutantes! We also laughed numerous times throughout the week at all of the men in pink. I have never seen so many pink polos, pink oxford shirts with the sleeves rolled, seersucker suits, plaid shorts, or even solid color shorts with little prints. (I saw a grown man with a blue pair of shorts with little red anchors embroidered all over them. He was secure in his masculinity.)

We ate our last meal in Charleston at a place called The Glass Onion. (I got a cookbook from them as well the The Hominy Grill. I love to read cookbooks!) Once again, they had deviled eggs and pimento cheese. As it was our last meal, we felt obligated to eat both!

Shane also had the fried chicken po'boy with a side of mac and cheese. They actually ship in their po'boy bread from New Orleans. It was pretty authentic. This restaurant is a firm believer in local ingredients and support the local suppliers by buying as many of their ingredients from local farmers, fisherman, and butchers as possible. It was a fine meal. 

Grilled pimento cheese with house made bread and butter pickles. There is not much in life that makes me happier than good food. 

After we enjoyed our lunch, we were off to explore the other side of Charleston. (Up to this point, we had only been in the downtown area and western side.)

While we were driving around we found the plantation district as well as the original Charles Town Landing. We started to tour a plantation, but decided on the Landing instead. I'm glad that we did, it was fascinating. Charleston wasn't originally built on the harbor. When the original colonists came to the area, they actually settled across the river and the creek at this spot. They lived here in a fortified city (That term is used loosely. There were only about 250 colonists.) that was bordered by the marsh, the creek, and a fence with cannons. After 10 years of not really being able to trade, the colonists picked up the city and trekked across the river and set up a new city in the harbor. The rest is history! (hee hee)

We opted to use a self paced audio tour. I'm really glad that we did. The park was beautiful, but there was so much information that was added per the audio tour. It was very interesting. This fence below was an example of fencing from the time period.

This statue depicts the chief of the Indian tribe that met them at the river and invited them to shore. He was hoping for an ally to fight against neighboring Indian tribes.

 

These were stocks that were used for discipline within the town. 

None of the original buildings are still standing. This was an example of a house. 

We were looking classy with our headphones. :) 

Four cannons pointed towards the river to provide protection from anyone approaching there. 

Little huts with thatched roofs were the original dwellings. 

After the town was moved, one of the families purchased all of the land and then lived on the premises for the next 200+ years. In 1970, the land was sold to the state for the tricentennial celebration and then turned into a state park the next year. The property was a plantation for years. 

The park was beautiful with some of the oldest and largest trees that I have ever seen. 

Seriously.

The plantation had beautiful gardens and the governor actually lived in the big house for a while. 

After sweating through our tour, we climbed back into our air conditioning and drove back to Charlotte for our return trip home. 

We have decided that we love the Carolinas. We met so many truly friendly people that were so proud of their state and were happy to visit and to help. We got many recommendations from others for restaurants, parks, at one point we even got a ride from someone back to our car. Southern hospitality at it's finest. I think that this was the BEST birthday gift ever and I smile every time that I think about it.

Charleston Day 4

We woke up a little late after our jam packed activity of the day before. I took a screen shot to show how far we had traveled. I was missing my kids just a bit.;)

We kicked off our day with brunch from Dixie Bakery and Supply Cafe. (We ate breakfast there the day before. It was that good!) Seriously, the BEST cinnamon roll that I have had. Ever. 

I also decided to try what I had changed my mind about the day before. I did not go wrong with peaches and cream pancakes. They were delicious! I also added an order of crab cakes. Those were out of this world!

Shane had a chicken biscuit sandwich with eggs. Really, there's not much better in life than a good biscuit. 

I just can't get over the beauty of the houses, streets, and shutters. 

After stuffing our bellies, we drove over to The Citadel. It is a military school that feeds into all of the branches of the military. 

Because of it being summer the campus was pretty empty. The parade grounds were impressive and there were full size tanks, jets, and helicopters surrounding the grounds. It was interesting to look around. 

After looking over a map, we decided to go exploring past Mt. Pleasant and see what we could find. We were not disappointed. We drove to an area called Isle of Palms. First of all, the neighborhoods were unreal. We were able to park in a secluded area near some houses and find this little public access path to the beach. 

Just one of the houses. Love the color! 

And then over a little hill... 

And then the beach! 

We parked ourselves here for the rest of the afternoon. It was glorious. We found two beach chairs and an umbrella and I have to say it felt like paradise. Some napping happened... 

I found lots of shells. I never could find a whole sand dollar. 

Just watching the waves...

After lounging on the beach until nearly dark, we decided that we should find some dinner. We passed this lighthouse.  

We went to a place on Sullivan's Island called Home Team BBQ for dinner. It did not disappoint! Shane had ribs, mac and cheese and red rice. He was not a fan of the red rice (it's everywhere there), but everything else was delicious! 

I had the pulled pork sandwich with slaw and a side of cucumbers and tomatoes. I have been eating cucumbers and tomatoes ever since we have been back! 

The restaurant itself was one of the most fun memories of the trip. They had live music with a great band (one of the guys had a trombone), people were dancing, drinks were great, and a relaxed party atmosphere.

It was a great ending to a very relaxing day.