Trip Reports Archives – Page 7 of 31

Jolley Trolley

February 17th, 2024admin0 Comments

With limited time in Clearwater Beach, we didn’t plan any major activities. We just wanted to relax, spend time together and explore the area a little bit. What better way to explore than on the Jolley Trolley? The Jolley Trolley popped up in a lot of the research we did before the trip and then the concierge at our hotel highly recommended it. The trolley offers a North Beach Route and a South Beach Route, both of which stay local to Clearwater Beach, as well as a Coastal Route, which crosses the causeway, stopping in Dunedin on the way to …

Virginia Creeper Trail

September 4th, 2023admin0 Comments

The Virginia Creeper Trail is a 34 mile recreational trail connecting Whitetop Station to Abingdon, Virginia. In the early 1900s, the trail was the site of a railroad line used by the Virginia-Carolina Railroad Company to transport timber from Mount Rogers to North Carolina. The steam engine that lugged heavy loads slowly and steadily through the mountains was nicknamed the “Virginia Creeper”. The last train ran in 1977 and the tracks were removed in order to undertake a “rail-to-trail” project. The converted railroad line is now a wildly popular biking trail, although it is technically a multi-use trail that can …

Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge

August 14th, 2023admin0 Comments

We’ve been going to Hilton Head for over 10 years now and every time we drive on or off the island, we pass the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge. And every time we go past it, I say that I want to go there. This year we finally did! The small island between Hilton Head and Bluffton is a bird watcher’s paradise, with some 250 species residing there. Thousands of migratory birds stop on the island each year, and there is a rookery for hundreds of ibis, egrets, and herons. The refuge offers hiking, biking, wildlife observation, and fishing. The …

Walking with Lemurs Tour

July 31st, 2023admin0 Comments

As Duke alums with lemur-loving kids, we have visited the Duke Lemur Center several times. Boasting the largest population of lemurs outside of Madagascar, the Duke Lemur Center does amazing work in the study and protection of lemurs. As a research facility, the Lemur Center is tour-based and not open to self-led visits. All visitors must have a prepaid reservations for a tour, and they often sell out far in advance. The center offers General Tours, Private Tours, Walking with Lemurs Tours, and Behind the Scenes Tours. The tour season runs from May to September and coincides with the warmer …

The Art of the Brick

July 23rd, 2023admin0 Comments

The Art of the Brick is a unique art exhibit featuring over a million Lego bricks. Artist Nathan Sawaya has created over 90 works of art out of Legos, including both original pieces and reproductions of famous masterpieces. A traveling exhibit, the collection has visited over 100 cities in 24 countries. When I found out it was coming to Raleigh, I knew I had to take my Lego and art loving boys. We decided to visit the exhibit on our drive back to Charlotte from NJ. I always try to break up the trip with an interesting stop somewhere, and …

Manuel Antonio National Park

June 30th, 2023admin0 Comments

One of the highlights of my first trip to Costa Rica was our tour of Manuel Antonio National Park. The abundant wildlife and beautiful beach made the park a great place to spend a half a day. I was excited for our kids to get to experience it too. We had a private tour guide for our group of 16. Our travel agent arranged for a driver to pick us up at the hotel and we met our guide at the entrance to the national park. The main trail in the park leads to the beach, and the first section …

Manuel Antonio Horseback Riding

June 29th, 2023admin0 Comments

Although our group of 4 families did most of our activities together, we had one day in Manuel Antonio where we all split up and booked our own tours. While most did some sort of water-based activity (fishing, snorkeling, boat ride), my younger son and I went horseback riding. I narrowed down the choices to a ride through the jungle and a ride on a ranch. My son originally jumped at the jungle ride but once he looked at the pictures of the ranch, he quickly changed his mind. I booked the tour for the two of us and we …

Coffee and Chocolate Tour

June 27th, 2023admin0 Comments

Our third day in Arenal was the only one where we had two different tours in the same day. In the morning, most of the group zip lined (a few opted out and relaxed at the hotel) and in the afternoon we all went on a coffee and chocolate tour. This tour was really more for the adults, although we hoped the chocolate part would be enough to keep the kids interested. We were picked up at the hotel and taken to North Fields Coffee, a small family-owned coffee plantation. Our group of 16 was in one tour group and …

Arenal Zip Lining

June 26th, 2023admin0 Comments

When my husband and I came to Costa Rica in 2012, we were blown away by our zip lining experience with Sky Adventures. We took a tram to the top of the mountain and then the zip lines literally burst through the jungle treetops, with breathtaking views from every platform and line. The lines were so high and so long that my husband declared that if he had known what he was getting into, he never would have done it. So when it came time to sign up for zip lining on this trip, he said thanks but no thanks. …

Rio Balsa Whitewater Rafting

June 25th, 2023admin0 Comments

Whitewater rafting was high on our adventure wishlist in Costa Rica, and with kids ranging in age from 8 to 16 in our group, we were looking for a family friendly rafting option. Rio Balsa provides class II-III rapids, which are suitable for kids 8 and up. Our travel agent booked us with Wave Expeditions, and they picked us up from our hotel and took us to the river. On the bus ride, they gave us detailed rafting and safety instructions. The instructions were very thorough (complete with a miniature raft for demonstrations) and it was obvious that the company …