We're back from an awesome 9 day vacation. We had so much fun!
Day 1 - Aug 18: PA to VA Beach
We kicked off our first leg in Virginia Beach. After our 5 hour trip there, crossing the longest bridge ever, we arrived at our beach front hotel and were greeted with a beautiful rainbow. We headed right to the beach to enjoy a little bit of salty water and sand before heading to dinner. After dinner, we played night Frisbee on the beach. Great first day!
Day 2 - Aug 19: VA Beach
We started a day with a fun bike ride down the boardwalk. Fun for the kids, a lot of work for Mom & Dad. It was so hot but it was a fun experience. We saw the Neptune statue and lots of beach volleyball. From there, we spent a few hours on the beach before cleaning up and heading to an afternoon adventure on a pirate ship. The kids got trained on how to be a pirate, defended the ship from a bad pirate and played limbo, of course. After all of that fun, the kids still wanted more beach time, so we spent some more time in the sand before dinner. After dinner, we walked around on the boardwalk and found a military training course. The course had an adult-sized rope to climb and Lily climbed to the very top on her first try. Video captures the second attempt. She amazed the people around us!
Day 3 - Aug 20: VA Beach to Charleston, SC
On our last morning in VA Beach, Mom took the kids to the beach for a little while Dad packed up. Off to the second leg of our trip, Charleston, SC!
After a 7 hour car ride, we arrived in Charleston. We grabbed a quick dinner, played in the park right behind our hotel and went to bed. Tomorrow is the eclipse!!
Day 4 - Aug 21: THE ECLIPSE! Charleston & Columbia, SC
Our entire trip was planned around the solar eclipse. The weather was not looking too good for Charleston, so we did some quick research on other towns and headed north-west to Columbia, SC where the skies were clearer. We found a cute park, Rosewood Park, and camped out for the day.
Day 5 - Aug 22: Walking tour of Charleston, SC. 95 degrees and 1000% humidity.
We decided to check out the town. Walked up and down the cute streets and stumbled upon a refreshing fountain. The kids promised to only "dip their toes in".... that lasted 45 seconds. They had fun! After that we grabbed lunch at a local pub and then took a walk through the Slave Market. The kids got fans as their souvenirs. Perfect for this hot day!
We spent the afternoon at the hotel pool before heading out for dinner. We capped the evening off in the hotel courtyard chasing squirrels. Off to Asheville tomorrow!
Day 6 - Aug 23: Charleston, SC to Asheville, NC
We packed up again, left Charleston and headed to Asheville. We spent most of the day in the car before arriving at our posh downtown hotel. We ventured out right down the street to a local brewery. The breweries were so kid friendly, it was great! The kids had fun taking pictures of us too.
Wicked Weed Brewery
Asheville Brewing Company
Day 7 - Aug 24: Hiking @ Hooker Falls & The Biltmore, Asheville, NC
We took advantage of a beautiful Thursday morning and went out for a hike at Hooker Falls. It was a wonderful experience. We climbed on rocks, hiked a few hills and saw three waterfalls. Great start to the day!
After our hike, we decided to head to The Biltmore Estates to tour the house and grounds. We had a nice lunch in the horse stables and then toured the massive home and gardens.
Later that evening, we went walking in Asheville and came across the "Before I die" wall. It is a chalk wall where people can add what their dreams are before they die. The kids had fun. And Johnny rocked a ponytail, per his request. Lily wanted "to do everything" before she dies. Johnny just wrote a bunch of "J's" and scribbled.
We had dinner then went back to the hotel to sit outside in the lobby and play games. It was so much fun! We rediscovered Headbandz and Lily had the best time! Daddy and Lily also sang a duet with the hotel guitar.
Day 8: Tubing, Shopping & BarTaco, Asheville, NC
We tubed down the French Broad River on our last day in Asheville. It was so relaxing and fun. Lily ventured off on her own for a bit, proving her independence. After our tubing trip, we cleaned up, had lunch, went shopping and walked around. We capped off our last night at a cool Mexican restaurant, BarTaco. Johnny's favorite part was smashing the tortillas into chips. Then we spent the rest of our night on the hotel deck/lobby again playing games. We played many rounds of Jenga and Headbandz and Daddy played some more guitar.
Day 9 - Aug 25: Heading home from Asheville, NC :(
Saturday, was dog adoption day at our hotel. The kids loved visiting with the animals while we ate breakfast on the deck. We are so very sad to leave.....trust me, we will be back!
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