Best Road Trip Ever - Day 9

Today, we did a lot of driving as we headed toward home. Allen planned all the stops on the way home, and our first big stop was at Stennis Space Center, a NASA rocket-testing facility on the border of Mississippi and Louisiana. We got there later than we originally planned due to a lot of traffic in Florida, so we only had time to do the bus tour. The tour was a bit entertaining as the guide/driver definitely enjoyed what he did, but it was very educational. Some of it may have been too much detail for the kids, but when they saw the size of some of the testing equipment, they were fascinated.

Not everyone is happy all the time :)

We had a few minutes to run through the museum and realized this was a place worth returning to see. The museum closed at 5:00, but we could wander around the outside exhibits on our way back to the car. I thought it was neat to get a picture of the storm brewing behind the NOAA weather buoy... but those storms turned out to be pretty scary, so we hit the road. On our way out of town, I was on the weather app on my phone as we watched the green sky start looking tornadic. Thankfully, we just got pelted with a lot of rain. We stopped on the road for dinner, then headed into Baton Rouge where we had hotel reservations.

Best Road Trip Ever - Day 8

Today we combined a few of the kids' plans. First we had breakfast at a really, REALLY tasty donut shop. We started with eggs and bacon, but then we had breakfast dessert - amazing donuts. My favorite was the Key Lime, but we each ordered something different so we could taste a variety. Mmmmm. We may have to return to that restaurant!

Will spent a lot of time researching, planning, and getting excited about Ripley's Museum. Maddie had planned a surfing lesson, but the state park website was not updated and they had moved that event to a different area. She was bummed, but decided a trip to the Wonderworks museum would be her back up plan. We lucked out that the two museums were right across the street from each other. The morning was spent at Ripley's enjoying all sorts of "Believe it or not" oddities -- sculptures of the tiniest adult, the skinniest and fattest people; strange art made out of different things; and so much more. We finished the morning going through a mirror maze.

Next up was a peculiar, hands-on children's museum. The building was created to look like a laboratory that got caught in a hurricane and landed there in Panama City. Everything in the entry is upside down, but to get into the exhibit area, we walk through a tunnel that is made to look like it is spinning... so that the rest of it is upright.

Inside was a great way to spend this day -- playing with science and family!

Best Road Trip Ever - Day 7

I *planned* to add our pictures from today's adventures (taken with a disposable water camera), but they didn't really turn out to be usable. Today we headed to Shell Island to snorkel and collect seashells. We had a tasty donut breakfast, then headed east past Panama City, boarded a boat, then rode out to the island. I didn't get my good camera out much because it was really windy, and I didn't want to mess up the camera with salty, wet wind. We had a great spot for practicing snorkeling -- it was a little cove by the jetty. It was shallow, the water was clear (if there weren't a lot of people in it), and there were no waves. We saw about a dozen varieties of fish, and some of them were yellow or electric blue. Once we headed around the beach to the ocean to snorkel, it wasn't as much fun. The wind and waves were mighty and it made it difficult for the kids to get far enough out to the calmer part of the reef. Nonetheless, it was a sandcastle-building and getting-in-the-water kind of a day. After a picnic lunch, we headed back to the mainland. We had some chill-out time at the cottage, then went to Rosemary Beach's village for a delightful dinner of tapas -- sharing with the kids the fun of ordering one bite at a time.

Best Road Trip Ever - Day 6

Today we headed out for an early WALK [we were careful not to use the H-I-K-E word] through Eden Gardens State Park. There were several trails to choose from, and we ended up walking on several smaller ones. The kids (especially Jon) had fun playing with Spanish moss, we found a giant grasshopper that Ben caught, and we wandered around enjoying being outside.

The focal point of the park is the mansion, but we did not tour it. After we spent the morning at the park, we had a picnic lunch, then headed to Grayton Beach.

Though we didn't end up staying at Grayton Beach, this was actually the place Norla told me we should visit, so we planned our trip around going to this pristine beach.

When we had had enough time in the sun, we loaded all our gear, showered at the outdoor shower, then went for pizza at Pickle Factory, a unique restaurant Will had planned for us to visit. We ordered three pizzas: one regular Italian, one Laughing Cow (honey ham and swiss), and a Pickle Factory Special (fresh tomato sauce, onion, sauerkraut, Canadian bacon, mozzarella and a touch of swiss cheese). It sounds funny, but it was strangely tasty.) If we are going out of our way to try a unique restaurant, we usually order a special -- that's usually quite unique, too!

Best Road Trip Ever - Day 5

By Jon:

We went to some alligators tours and we saw the mama alligator! We thought it was amazing. We all had a good time there and after that awesome activity we went to eat lunch at the house. That afternoon we went to the beach and everyone except me, made big dugout holes. Then we went to the house to dry off and then we went to a restaurant. 

By Sarah:

Ben really wanted to see alligators, so he planned the trip to see the gators. He was ecstatic about holding one!

After touring the zoo-like area, we took a bus to the water, then we got on one of those really loud, fast boats that fly over the water. There were just a few moments we slowed enough to get an in-focus picture.

As we were riding the bus back, we were all invited to sign the walls of the vehicle. I was next to Ben and watched him write B.R.T.E. He explained to me what it stood for and that stuck in my brain and is how I referred to our trip the rest of the week: Best Road Trip Ever!

We spent another afternoon at the beach, but this time we had [cheap] snorkel gear for everyone. Maddie enjoyed being a sand architect, and all of the kids and Allen dug big holes that filled with water as the tide came in.

Dinner was tasty chaos as we headed to the food trucks. There was another storm brewing as we each tried to find just the right meal... then find enough table space for all of us where we would stay dry. It was a quick rain, then we wandered through the town, the kids ran at the park, and Allen and I sat and watched.