For a variety of reasons, we haven’t flown from NC to NJ to visit family since the pandemic started. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t visited! It just means that we’ve driven. A lot. We normally like to break up the drive but are starting to run out of midway points of interest. Charlottesville was one of the last remaining places on our idea list of stops so we headed there for an overnight on our drive back to NC after Christmas. We decided to leave NJ early enough to visit Monticello that afternoon. The historic site has several ticket …

My youngest loves all things related to animals and really enjoyed his first horseback riding experience at Cedar Creek Stables in Lake Lure, NC. Last summer he had really wanted to ride horses while we were on our annual trip to Hilton Head, but the stables were closed due to the pandemic. So we were thrilled to find that Lawton Stables was open again this summer. We didn’t have any other takers on this adventure among the siblings and cousins so we made it a mom-son outing. At $75 per person, it was a little pricey so I was happy …

This was our 8th summer visiting Hilton Head Island with my extended family, and although the majority of our annual visit is spent relaxing together at the beach or by the pool, we usually try to do an outing or two while we are there. It had been at least 5 years since we had gone on a boat ride so we decided to do a sunset dolphin cruise. There are many options for dolphin cruises leaving from various points around the island. We narrowed it down to a private sunset cruise and ultimately booked with Dolphin & Nature Tours. …

I have long wanted to take the kids to Colonial Williamsburg. When I was looking for a mid-way stopping point on our way home from our annual summer road trip to NJ, I felt like we had covered almost everything on both the mountain route and the I-95 / I-85 route. So even though Williamsburg was off the path a bit, I figured we could stay two nights to make the stop worthwhile. Despite horrendous traffic, we made it in time to go on the Haunted Williamsburg tour our first night. We had a full day to explore Colonial Williamsburg …

There are several ghost tours available in the Williamsburg area, but we decided to go with the official tour run through Colonial Williamsburg. They have exclusive access to the buildings and restricted outdoor spaces, and their storytellers are costumed, adding an authentic period feel to their stories. Their tour is also kid friendly for ages 8 and up. Two tours are offered nightly, one at 7pm and one at 8:30pm. Tickets cost $19 for adults and $12 for kids. Since our kids are older, we went with the later time, hoping the darkness would add to the spooky ambiance. We …