Cades Cove Camping

With good camping weather right around the corner, I wanted to share photos of mine and Ean's first camping trip last fall.

View from our campsite

In the beginning of November last year, we went to Cades Cove in Tennessee on a Friday night so we could spend the night camping at one of the most beautiful places in the world (in my opinion!). It was absolutely gorgeous.

It was fairly inexpensive to spend one night on the campsites in Cades Cove. It was only $20 for one night, if I remember correctly. We were able to choose whatever site we wanted. We chose one that was near the entrance of the camping loop, was close to the bathrooms, and was near a group of older men and women who looked like they knew exactly what they were doing and could totally save us if we got attacked by bears in the night.

Ean, so proud, after he set up the tent. 

Our campfire pit

We chose campsite C3!

A peek inside our tent! I had to bring Sea Turtle along for the trip.

Super happy about our camping trip!

We went on a hike that night and on Saturday morning. The Smoky Mountains in the fall is breathtaking. We arrived later in the afternoon on Friday, so our hike took place right before sunset. The warm sun made the leaves on the trees look so crisp and full of color. It was very cold in the evening. I believe it got down below freezing in the night, which wasn't very fun. It was good snuggling weather, though!

Nature trail inside the campsite area.

Everything was so beautiful.

Ean picking up random sticks and stuff!

The captivating beauty of the nature trail left us overwhelmingly happy.

Breathtaking view

We spent a lot of time just staring at God's creation.

Ean loved this weirdly shaped tree.

We roasted Morning Star hotdogs on the fire that night, and then made some tasty s'mores later. We both curled up in our chairs and read books by the fireside. It was so calming and relaxing.

It's harder to roast fake meat! But it was definitely delicious.

On Saturday morning we drove around the Cades Cove loop and stopped for a picnic in a field.

Ean eating his muffin and fixing coffee before our hike.

We saw tons of deer in Cades Cove!

The weekend was so very relaxing. Though very cold, we still had the best time and plan on doing it again this year. It may end up being November before we go again this year, but this time we will be more prepared for the super cold weather that we might have. I look forward to a trip like this again *almost* as much as I look forward to a Disney trip!

Tybee Island, GA

My family and I visited Tybee Island last summer. If you're looking for a small beach that's perfect for relaxing, yet has plenty to do, I 100% recommend Tybee Island.

To be honest, if my family wasn't going on a huge trip to Disney this year, I'd beg for everyone to go to Tybee again.

Map of Tybee. Credit: cityofbee.org

The house we stayed in was located on Chatham Avenue. That's on the calmer side of the island, towards the "river" as they call it. We had a beachfront house. Since we weren't on the "main beach," there weren't a hundred people laying out right outside of our house. We were secluded, as trees and shrubbery surrounded the house. The "main beach" was a good distance away, as were all the beach-goers.

View of the front of the house.

Beach view from the back porch

Me, my dad, Allie, and Ean all enjoyed canoeing in the calm waters. We rented canoes from AJ's Dockside Restaurant. Yes, from a restaurant. AJ's is located right on the water and has a boat dock right outside. They rent out canoes for several hours, or a whole day. We did a half-day rental. They all thought it was easy steering that thing on the waters; I, however, struggled. I don't have arm muscle, so it was a challenge for me.

All four of us out on the 'river'

We ate at a couple of restaurants on the island. 

The very first night we arrived on the island, we ate at Rock House. The atmosphere was kinda loud and rambunctious. They were closing the place at 10 to families and transforming it into a late night dance bar. We were, of course, still there at 10 so we saw the party (complete with a live DJ) get started. The food was good, especially since we were starving after a long day on the road.

We had The Breakfast Club one morning for breakfast. It was more like brunch. The place is soooo small and very crowded. We had to wait about an hour before we finally got in. Most mornings we just had cereal or donuts. We also had a 'big breakfast' morning complete with omelets, biscuits, and potatoes, just to name a few things.

My dad getting his breakfast

L-R: My mom, Ean, Me, Allie, Eric, Lacie

One place we really enjoyed (partly due to the service) was Fannies on the Beach. They had really good food (though I got really sick that night... not sure if it was the food or what! Ean was the only other one to get sick, but we didn't even have the same thing...)

Ean and I went on a date one night to Sting Rays. They were super busy by the time we got there, so we just sat in the bar. I got fish tacos, and they were the best I've ever had. At the time, I was very new to fish. I am a vegetarian, so I was trying my hand at becoming a pescetarian (which I now am). I hadn't ever tasted fish so good! The place was very laid back and casual. We walked all the way there because it wasn't too far from our beach house.

On our last night there we decided to get two kinds of shrimp and two different types of crab leg from the Crab Shack. It was excellent, fresh, and super delicious. We got it to-go and ate on our porch at sunset- the absolute perfect end to a wonderful vacation.

Tybee has a little district with shops and restaurants. They also have a few ice cream shops, which we tried. There isn't an overwhelming amount of things to do and see, but there is just enough to keep you entertained for an entire week.

The side of one of the trinket shops on the shopping strip.

There is a lighthouse on the island. I love lighthouses. They have a museum that Ean and I wanted to go in, but they closed right as we got there. We went there on the last night, so we couldn't try again another time. We got some good photos of the lighthouse outside, though.

View of the light house and museum building.

Tybee Lighthouse just before sundown.

Bottom line: Tybee is the perfect vacation spot. It is about 30 minutes away from Savannah, so if you want to spend some time in the historic city, it isn't too far away. We went there one day, did some shopping, ate some good food, and took a ghost tour. I'm in love with Tybee and would go back in a heartbeat.

Titanic Museum, Gatlinburg, TN

I like history. I don't always remember everything I learn (especially in history classes in school, ha!), but I do like learning about things that happened in the past. Everything that happened in the past has shaped our future, you know.

One big thing in history I LOVE is the Titanic. This year on the 100th anniversary of her sinking, we visited the Titanic Museum in Gatlinburg, TN. (We went on Friday, April 13 and she sunk on April 15th.)

It was so FASCINATING!

You go in and get the name of a passenger. That's "who you are" on your journey through the museum. I was a third class passenger, a mother, with three kids whose husband was waiting for us in America because he had taken a voyage before us. The museum takes you through "the ship" and gives facts about the ship, people on board, the voyage, and the sinking.

You travel through all the rooms and learn about different parts of the ship like the dining room and third class. You even get to climb the grand stair case (exactly like the one we all know from the movie).

You get to interact with the museum in various parts such as sticking your hand in freezing water to feel how cold the water actually was the night the ship sank. They also have real artifacts and stories. They have a part in the museum where they have the front of the ship at various different steepness so you can try and climb up it and see how hard it was to walk while the ship was being sucked down.

You might even find a display about your person and get to read facts about them. Your person may even have artifacts on the ship! Your "boarding pass" has stories about them so you learn a little about who they were. But it is even cooler when you find extra information and artifacts somewhere on the ship that belong to "you."

At the end of the museum you get to check the HUGE list of names and see if you survived. Surprisingly, everyone in my family did. And there were seven of us! We also got to sign a guest book cause it was the 100th anniversary, so we got to sign the special book. How fun!

I think my favorite part was trying to climb the various angled "ship bows" cause they kept getting steeper and steeper and harder and harder to climb. I was wearing TOMS so it was nearly impossible for me to climb the last one! Those also had listed the times at which the ship would have been at that angle. It was pretty neat! I also found the cold water interesting. I wouldn't have lasted two minutes before dying cause it was so cold!

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside unfortunately. We did, however, have fun taking them outside!