Pisgah and DuPont National Forests, North Carolina

Sorry to have been gone for so long!  It's amazing how life can get away from you, especially in the summer!  But I definitely have some posts planned on recent trips and old favorites  :)

This Labor Day weekend, my husband, daughter, and I escaped to the mountains near Brevard, NC.  We haven't spent a ton of time in the area, and we had heard about "The Land of Waterfalls" - it sounded like the perfect place to spend a few days exploring!

We drove up on Sunday morning and arrived at Pisgah National Forest about 11:30 am.  Pisgah is a HUGE park (over 500,000 acres) so obviously we only saw a small slice, focusing on the Pisgah Ranger District near the city of Brevard.  I would strongly suggest stopping at the Ranger Station as you enter the park on US Hwy 276 for a map and information - they also have a few small exhibits that might interest children.

Our first stop was at Sliding Rock, a landmark in North Carolina and a must do in the area.  It is about 6 miles north of the Ranger Station on US 276.  Looking Glass Creek cascades approximately 60 ft over mountain rock into a deep (approx 8 ft) pool.  There is a parking lot, but during busy times it can fill up quickly - I would advise making this your first stop and going early.  If the lot is full you can park on the side of the road further up, but there is very little shoulder so the walk down can get dicey.  There is a $2 charge/person to enter the area.  Restrooms are available for changing.  Lifeguards at at the rock 10 am -6 pm during the season (Memorial Day to Labor Day) and I believe this is the only time you can actually slide down.  The line may look long, but give it a chance - it moves quickly!  The one thing I will warn you about?  The plunge is COLD!  I personally wouldn't take children who can't swim on their own, although life jackets are allowed and those under 7 are required to go down with a parent.  And don't be concerned about hurting your bottom - it really feels quite soft!  Some suggest shorts, but I went down in a bathing suit only with no difficulty.

EDIT: Having trouble getting the video to load - stay tuned!

After braving the crowds and cold at Sliding Rock, we headed off the beaten path a little to explore Moore Cove Falls.  The trailhead is located about 5 miles north of the Ranger Station on US 276 and it is about 0.7 miles back to the falls.  It's a very easy hike with only moderate uphills, and our 5 year old handled it with no issue (she's not much of a hiker  :) ) 

The falls themselves aren't heavy but are quite dramatic.  They flow over a cliff into a small pool - you can walk all the way around them as well as under them or play in the pool itself.  So relaxing and a very unique setting.  We camped out on the rocks under the fall to eat lunch and relax prior to the hike back.

Next up - Looking Glass Falls.  These are one of the most photographed falls in the country and it's easy to see why - they are gorgeous.  These are located right off of US 276 (about 4 miles north of the Ranger Station) and you can park along the shoulder to visit them.  There are many steps to get to the base of the fall - something to keep in mind for those with small children or mobility issues - but there is  a viewing platform at the top.  The pool at the base of the falls is great for a dip or just playing on the rocks.  My main issue with Looking Glass was the crowds.  Granted, we were there on a holiday weekend and in the afternoon (the busiest time), but it really made the experience less than ideal.  If you can get there at a low crowd time, it would be an amazing place to hang out for a while!

Our final stop for the day was Slick Rock Falls.  This is quite a bit off the beaten path, about a mile up a bumpy, winding gravel road.  Debatable whether it was worth it.  It is an extremely short hike - less than 100 yards - from the parking lot to the falls, but the falls themselves are quite unremarkable.  Maybe during a heavier flow?  We have been in a drought in the area this summer  :(

Another suggestion for Pisgah if you have children would be the Center for Wildlife Education - it was closed the day we were there but looked like it would be worth a stop.

We stayed for the night at the Hampton Inn Brevard, mostly because we had hotel points.  Clean and comfortable.  Wish I could give recommendations on restaurants, but we ordered pizza and all crashed early - we were exhausted!  I have heard good things about Marco Trattoria and Hobnob in Brevard.

Monday morning, we headed out of town at stopped at Connestee Falls (south of Brevard on US 276). It can only be viewed at this point from an observation platform at the top.  Truthfully, I didn't think the stop was worth it.

Our favorite part of the trip was our time in DuPont National Forest in Cedar Mountain, NC.  10-15 minutes from Brevard, it felt like another world in terms of crowding.  We did get there quite a bit earlier, around 9:30 am and left by about noon.  It was starting to get busier as we were headed out.

The Little River

Our first stop was Hooker Falls, a short and mostly flat hike from the parking area.  Definitely take the hill down to the base of these falls - what a gorgeous place to play!  Clear, quiet water and absolutely beautiful falls!  My daughter said these were her favorite of the trip.

More of the river

Heading back toward the parking lot, you will find the trail for Triple Falls.  We estimated the walk there to be about a half mile, and lots of it is significantly uphill.  Our daughter did ok, but did need a break at the top.  You can view them from a platform to see all three...

…and then take the stairs down to wander around the falls themselves.

Continuing along the trail for another half mile or so, you will find High Falls.  We followed the left path at the fork to go to the base of the falls; there is also an option to take the right hand path to the top for viewing.  What no one will tell you is that you have to make your way along the river itself over rocks and water to actually see them like this.  It's not extremely tough, but you'll want to watch your step closely and your small kiddos.

It's worth it!

If you are ever in the area, it's definitely worthwhile to stop by and check out some of these falls!  We felt like we barely scratched the surface in two days.  This area is also a great one to find spectacular fall color (our plan for next year) or to rent a mountain cabin and really get away from it all!

Yadkin Valley and Winston-Salem, North Carolina

My husband and I were lucky enough to sneak away on a little winery trip to the Yadkin Valley over Memorial Day weekend.  We had been to the Yadkin Valley once before, but this time tried 4 all new wineries and visited Winston-Salem.  I love the feel of this area - you won't find Napa quality, but the vibe is very relaxed and friendly, many of these are small family wineries, and you often end up doing tastings with the owners.  And you will find some very drinkable wines!

One note: we tend to be dry wine drinkers and strongly prefer reds.  If you like sweet wines, NC usually has a great variety of these, including their signature muscadine wines.

Our first winery was Hanover Park Vineyards located in Yadkinville, NC.  It's out in the country, but it's worth the stop.  The tasting room is in a very cute old farmhouse built in 1897 - the owner told me there was no indoor plumbing when they moved in!  All their grapes are estate grown.  We did the $5 tasting for 5 wines and a souvenir glass; there is also an option to taste about 12 wines for $10.  We did our tasting with a very sweet friend of the family and then headed outdoors to hear her husband and friends play with their band.  We chatted with Amy and Michael Helton (the owners) and enjoyed a food truck and the live music in a very pleasant garden setting.  They did ask on the website that we RSVP to be sure the food truck had enough - check ahead if you are headed there on an event day.

View from the garden

Our favorite wine was the 2010 Michael's Blend, which is a little different each vintage.  This year's wine included cabernet savignon, cabernet franc, merlot, and chambourcin grapes.  Very nice for an afternoon glass with our delicious burgers. 

Our second stop of the day was Misty Creek Vineyards.  We loved the drive up to the beautiful tasting room and the view from the windows there.  We started our tasting with the wife of the owner, who didn't seem altogether focused on us, but finished it with a very knowledgable employee.  The owner Barry Nichols chatted with us as well - he worked for NASA for many years and seems to really love what he does.  I would try to get him to do your tasting if possible.  Tastings are $10 for approx 12 wines (including 4 dessert/berry wines) and includes a souvenir glass.  Their wines were not our favorite, but if you are interested in sweet wines/wines with berries and grapes, this might be worth a stop.  They grow all their grapes on site, but they bottle the wine elsewhere.  They have a very nice outdoor patio and also had live music the day we were there.  Several patrons had brought picnic coolers and they are dog friendly.

View from the tasting room

Our favorite winery of the trip was RayLen Vineyards.  RayLen is a larger operation than the previous two, but even though it was a busy Saturday, we never felt crowded or rushed.  They are conveniently located near Highway 40 in Mocksville, NC.  The employee who did our tasting was fantastic - knowledgable, funny, and very enthusiastic about his wines.  He had a group of 6 and made us all feel like we had the individual attention.  We did the Red Flight tasting for $6 (6 wines) and a souvenir glass.  We purchased bottles of the Rose of Cabernet Franc (delicious!) and Category 5.  We enjoyed 1 bottle of the rose on the fabulous shaded patio listening to live music.  The vineyards surround the patio and make for great scenery - I wish I had a few more pictures!  But we will definitely be returning  :)

That night, we decided to stay at Graylyn, a 55 acre property in Winston-Salem.  Graylyn was originally the home of Bowman Gray, Sr, the one time CEO of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.  It was completed in 1932 and was gifted to Wake Forest in 1946.  It had many different purposes over the years, but become and hotel and conference center in 1993.  They have maintained a lot of the original character of the buildings, especially the Manor House and the Mews, which were the original stables.  We stayed in the Mews in a quiet, comfortable courtyard room and felt like we were the only people there (although all the cars outside told us differently).

We were not able to take advantage of Graylyn's restaurant - it has a fabulous reputation - because of a wedding on property that evening.  We instead enjoyed room service by the pool (the one area at Graylyn I felt could have used a bit of a facelift) and then a bottle of wine in the Mews courtyard.  Our bed was incredibly comfortable, the bathroom was beautiful, and it was overall a romantic, relaxing evening.

The main Mews courtyard - make sure to sneak in to the room on the right where they have complimentary ice cream  :)

Looking back toward our room

Our room was the second from the right and this courtyard was glorious under the stars!

You can actually stay in the Silo Suite  :)

Walking to the pool

Out on property

Not a bad view to wake up to!

Walking up to the manor house the next morning.  The walk was gorgeous and about a half mile, but they do offer free shuttle service if you like.

The gorgeous manor house.  They offer a complimentary breakfast buffet here in a fabulous dining room, and also have croquet, bocce, and volleyball offered on the lawn behind.

After packing up at Graylyn, we headed to our last winery - Childress Vineyards.  Owned by Nascar team owner Richard Childress, it has been open since 2004 and has very nice grounds.  The front is beautiful landscaped, the main building is charming, and there is a huge patio and a lake out back.  They have a tasting room and a bistro, and they also offer tours of the property.

The concern we had with Childress is that it seemed to be very little about the wine and much more about the money.  We got to the tasting room as it opened at noon, and we were quickly inundated with people.  You need to buy a tasting ticket at the front cashier (which was not immediately obvious) and we flinched a bit at the $15 tasting fee for 8 wines (does include a souvenir class).  Our tasting hostess was knowledgable, but she seemed to rush through any information she was giving to hit on the wine club membership, which was mentioned no less than 10 times in our 15 minute tasting.  It put us off pretty significantly.  I will say that their wines were all drinkable and I really enjoyed the sangiovese.

After our tasting, we decided to enjoy a glass outside before driving home.  We weren't able to purchase these from our tasting host, but instead had to stand in a sizable line to do this at the cashier.  When I opted to buy a bottle before leaving, it was the same situation.  We were able to find an out of the way table to enjoy our wine before we left, but these were filling up with people as we were finishing.  All in all, it felt a bit like a cattle call and was not at all personal.  People who really enjoy Nascar might get the thrill of this, but we won't be back.  I DO think this would be a nice place to look at for a wedding or larger corporate event if it was closed to the public.

The main building

Our peaceful table at the end of the hall

Looking forward to our next trip to the Yadkin Valley!!  Can't wait to visit some favorites and try some new places  :)

Savannah, Georgia

Two firsts for this blog post - a recent trip and a trip with the kiddo!

We spent last Thursday to Sunday in Savannah, Georgia.  We had never been before, but it was a short 4 hour drive from our home and seemed like a wonderful place to entertain our five year old daughter the last few days of her spring break.

My daughter and I drove straight out to the Oatland Island Wildlife Center on Thursday to spend the afternoon.  They have a very small nature center inside, but the real attraction is the 1 3/4 mile trail outside with natural habitats interspersed.  I will say my one big mistake was worrying too much about sunscreen (virtually the whole trail is shaded) and not nearly enough about bug spray (the bugs were OUT).    Also consider that you will be walking on dirt/leaf lined paths - a maxi skirt, although ideal for driving, is not your best choice.  I'd allow about 2 hours total to go through the center and keep in mind that although they say they close at 5, some of the exhibits close at 4.  Picnic lunches would definitely be fun - there are tables out front.  Adults are $5, children 4-17 are $4, 3 and under FREE.

There is NOTHING like the coastal south.  The oaks, the spanish moss…  I die.

On the trail

The cougar was hilarious.  He was sleeping in the back of his enclosure when we came up, saw my daughter, and got into a pouncing position.  Then he immediately ran up to the glass.  It honestly seemed more playful than attacking, but I was still happy for the barrier!  He then posed for the kids.

Boardwalk over the marsh

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn on Bay Street, and I really loved the location.  We were right between City Market/Ellis Square - which is a wonderful mix of restaurants, shops, and open space - and the riverfront, which combines historic Savannah with modern charm.  The staff could not have been more pleasant or helpful, and the rooms were clean and comfortable.  Very nice pool and deck area as well, and the small gym is open 24/7.

Ellis Square Water Spray - so much fun for kids!  My daughter went in in her clothes, but I saw tons of kids better prepared in bathing suits.  There are restroom facilities available there for changing.  There is also a nice open park here that we played in every evening - always a great mix of people.  One night there was even a speed Scrabble game going on!

If you are looking for an easy and FREE way to get around the city, check out the DOT buses, streetcars, and ferry.  They go all over Savannah and we couldn't believe they didn't cost a thing!  The buses were pretty standard and we always felt safe.  The one complaint I have with Savannah is that virtually all parking is paid.  We ended up leaving our car with the hotel for most of the weekend.

Friday, we headed out to Tybee Island.  Tybee is 20-30 minutes out of Savannah and WELL worth the trip.  People familiar with the SC coast might compare the feel to Myrtle Beach, but on a much smaller scale.  The beach is pretty wide and the water is knee deep for quite a way out, making it very kid friendly.  I would try to get as far away from the pier as you can - that is where the crowds tend to congregate - but even with Spring Break in full force, we didn't feel crowded.  Great for shell hunting!  Be prepared to pay for parking anywhere on the island - signs will guide you to good places.

The pier does have small booths for food and drink, if you are interested.  Fishing is available at the far end.

Glad we didn't have to deal with any of this!

No pictures of this, but we also visited the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.  We feel good about the fact that our donations went towards conservation on the island, but at $4/person, we spent about 15 minutes inside - the exhibits are very limited.  They do coordinate beach walks that might be much more interesting, but for what it provided, I would probably skip it the next time.

We grabbed quick drinks and appetizers at Fannie's (great shrimp, casual outdoor beach dining) before heading out, planning to stop at The Crab Shack on our way off island.  This place is nothing but cheesy, but it's a lot of fun for the kids.  Lots of cool pirate themed decorations and photo ops, small gators you can feed with a fishing pole, and the genius idea of trash cans in the middle of the table for your seafood scraps.  Think nothing of coming here in swimsuit coverups and full of sand.  CASUAL is the word.

Other places to consider in the direction of Tybee - UGA Aquarium and Marine Education Center, Skidaway Island State Park, and Fort Pulaski.

Back in Savannah - more old oaks.  They are everywhere.  Any good trip to Savannah will include time to just wander through the many squares.

Wandering back into City Market.  Definitely a fun place to explore!  There was live music every night we were there and often other types of performances.

Savannah Candy Kitchen in City Market (they also have a location on River Street).  This place is candy HEAVEN with any type you could imagine.  The arm in the picture above was dropping freshly  made peppermint taffy in the container for purchase.

And if you were lucky enough to be there, you would get a fresh peppermint taffy sample tossed at you!

The Chart House on River Street.  Didn't eat here, but was stunned by the gorgeous building on our way down to explore.

Sculpture on the river front

Saturday morning, we were happy to discover that the scheduled rain had not arrived, so we could explore the city!  We had brunch at the Cajun inspired Huey's on River Street - be prepared for a line but it's worth it!  The food is delicious, especially the authentic beignets!

City Hall

After brunch, we headed up to the famous Forsyth Park by way of the squares.  Anywhere you walk in Savannah, be sure you are on the alternate streets where the squares are.  Not only are they more pedestrian friendly, you don't want to miss the beauty!  They are all a little different but all so charming.

Pulaski Square

Chatham Square

We finally made our way up to Forsyth Park and were not disappointed.  What a gorgeous place and quintessentially Savannah  :)

The Fountain

Much of Forsyth Park is wide open green space - great for impromptu games of ball or just lots of running!  There are also two sizable playground structures and a cafe.

We took the DOT bus back to our hotel and again home from dinner that evening.  On the way to dinner, we grabbed a pedi-cab (possibly my daughter's favorite part of the whole trip).  These are a great way to get around, but will not always be there when you need them  :)  We ate at The Pirate's House, which is an old pirate treasure storehouse.  Wonderful history here, which the roaming costumed pirates will happily fill you in on, and very good food as well.  All kids get free pirate hats! You can make a reservation and I'd recommend it.

Sunday, we sadly packed up and left our hotel.  On the way out of town, we stopped at the Georgia State Railroad Museum and the Savannah Children's Museum, which are on the same grounds.  If you want to hit the children's museum, pay at the gift shop at the railroad entrance - they will give you a bracelet and a code for the gate.  You can do both museums together or either separately.  Keep in mind that they are both completely outdoors except for the inside of the train cars.

Exploring in the train cars

Overview of the children's museum.  It is built in the remains of the old railroad buildings, and is has an absolutely amazing aesthetic.   They also have tons of activities for little ones and lots of coming attractions!

The maze structure might have been my favorite part, although I also loved the garden area and reading nook.  Our daughter wanted to stay forever!

Overall, we thought Savannah was an entirely charming Southern city and we are very excited to go back someday.  I am looking forward to exploring more of the historical aspects of the city (when the little one is able to walk more) as well as exploring more of the coastal areas.