ZannaTravels

Summer Adventures: Stone Mountain in Georgia

1 August 2014 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

On to part two of our epic Summer Family Road Trip – after the Georgia Aquarium, we planned to head to Stone Mountain to explore the state park and experience the famous laser light show at night. However, the leaving at 3am, driving 7 hours, and walking in an aquarium for about 7 more, it was starting to catch up to us. We checked in to our hotel for the night, freshened up and grabbed a quick dinner. It was kind of late, around 7:30, by the time we decided to head over to Stone Mountain, but I at least wanted to see it and see the laser show. I figured we could come back another time and spend the day here, because there really is a lot to explore and do.

As we drove down the road leading to Stone Mountain, we just curved a little bit and the giant mountain loomed before us. Now I know there are many, many mountains bigger than this, but my kids only remember living in flat flat flat Florida, and I haven’t been back to Massachusetts where I grew up, or Virginia where I lived briefly since 2004 and 1987 respectively. And although we had been to California and Disneyland, the San Gabriel mountains were far enough off in the distance that Stone Mountain was pretty impressive to us all. And really, it IS impressive in its own right. Less than 20 minutes from the hustle and bustle of Atlanta, lies this monolith of stone, surrounded by beautiful forests and lakes and natural beauty. After being in the car and inside for most of the previous night and day, we were all ready for some fresh air.

I really had no idea just how much there was to do at Stone Mountain. There are nature trails, a golf course, a quarry exhibit, a grist mill, a carillon, fishing in the lakes, the mountain itself and a sky lift up to the top, and on top of all that, a little amusement park area with kids activities and water fun, 3-D movies. mini-golf and more. On top of that, they have Duck tours, and a railroad for train rides. It really is at least a whole day’s worth of fun.

We got there right as everything was closing down, and though I would’ve loved to do the Sky Ride or the train around the park, it just didn’t work out. So we got our tickets for the laser show and went down to the huge lawn area in front of the mountain and waited for it to start. It really is a fun, family atmosphere at Stone Mountain, with families playing ball and frisbee, having picnic dinners on blankets, you could just tell that for generations, this was a family tradition to come here and enjoy the park and the nighttime show too. Coming from a world of theme parks, this was great to see.

There are many ticket options to enjoy the various activities and attractions at Stone Mountain, including tickets to see the laser show in special terraced seating, which includes drinks and snacks for everyone in your party to enjoy the show. There is another option for a dinner package, which includes a traditional southern dinner before the show starts. They even have a member pass which pays for itself in two visits, which I just may look into myself!

The laser show was a fun tribute to all things Georgia. Again, you definitely got the sense that it was a time-honored local tradition. Fireworks capped off the show with a very patriotic finale to the night. Then began the trek back to the car, similar to trying to leave Epcot after the 4th of July. Being theme park experts, we took that in stride, but those not used to that kind of a crowd and wait in the parking lot should be prepared. It was beautiful to see the mountain lit up at night.

All in all, I’m very glad we got to experience a little taste of Stone Mountain, and definitely want to return for the day to explore all parts of it. We had a wonderful whirlwind visit to Atlanta, and were now ready for a good night’s sleep before we began the next leg of our journey, into new territory, bigger mountains, and more amazing memories. Stay tuned for part 3!

Summer Adventures: Behind the Scenes at the Georgia Aquarium

30 July 2014 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Happy summer! We are now back home and enjoying the remainder of the summer break at home, reminiscing about our Great Family Road Trip of 2014. Here is the first part of our adventures, our day at the Georgia Aquarium. I had always wanted to visit this aquarium, having heard about the amazing whale sharks for years now. After our visit, I definitely wish I was closer to Atlanta to enjoy this amazing aquarium more often. If you haven’t been, it’s a must-visit.

We began our trek in the wee hours of the morning (3am) in order to let the kids sleep and enjoy the whole day in Atlanta. While we may have been a little tired, we were all still excited to arrive, stretch our legs and encounter something new. Now, when we arrived, it suddenly hit us that it was a Saturday, in the summer, in a large city. So it was a bit crowded at the aquarium. However, being used to Disney crowds, we took it in stride. However keep that in mind when planning your visit. The wonderful folks at the Georgia Aquarium had set aside tickets for our admission, a dolphin show and a behind-the-scenes tour at the end of our day.

Our first stop was to see the whale sharks. There are several different places to see them; as you walk around the tank, on a moving walkway as the fish and sharks swim above you, and a viewing area with a giant window where you can just sit and enjoy the views. It was crazy to see how huge these sharks are, as well as their tank-mates, giant manta rays and other sharks and huge fish. I loved seeing my older kids taking photos on their phones and with their cameras and sharing them on social media, which is of course what the adults were doing too! We then saw the rest of the exhibits in that area and moved on to the beluga whales and penguins. Little Gio loved crawling through these cool tunnel-like crawl spaces where you could view the animals in their habitat from behind glass. We then stopped for lunch and on busy days like that was, the aquarium’s ballroom is open for seating on the floor above the food court area. So we got to enjoy our meals with a great view of beluga whales from the window in the ballroom.

Next up was the Dolphin Show – Dolphin Tales. Coming from the theme park capital of the world with SeaWorld down the street, we felt right at home with this show. It was full of songs and performance and a very dramatic tale told along with the dolphins act. The main song totally got stuck in our head, it was great.

To wind up our day, we met with our guide for our behind-the-scenes tour. Let me say, if you are planning a visit to the aquarium, you simply MUST do this. I think we may have been given a special tour based on what the kids said they were interested in, and we really got to see a little bit of everything, but there are many options depending on your budget, time, and ages in your group. But on a day like we went, it made all the difference to be away from the crowds, seeing above the various tanks and exhibits, and learning so much more on a one-on-one basis. We were able to see the veterinary, research, and commissary areas for the aquariums many creatures. The photo to the right shows 3 teenage penguins, getting accustomed to their habitat before joining the group. Penguins are flatfooted, so they place stones down to mimic the areas they would be walking on in the wild, to make their little flippers shaped the right way. The little guy was quite interested in Gio (and vice versa!)

The highlight of our tour was definitely the feeding of the whale sharks. It was so interesting to see how this is actually accomplished, and learn so much more about the sharks themselves. Everyone loved it. They also have additional programs where you can actually swim with the whale sharks, or beluga whales, or dolphins. Any of those would be amazing to do on a return trip.

Most of all, what we came away with was the feeling of how much the people who work for the Georgia Aquarium truly care about where they work, the animals they help on a daily basis, and sharing knowledge and education with all those they encounter. Every person working, from the admission window to the cafeteria to the workers in the exhibits, were unbelievably friendly and helpful. I’m so very thankful that my family got to experience this great place and I cannot wait to return some day.

Here’s a gallery of the highlights of the rest of our day:

The Georgia Aquarium is a little over a 6 hour drive from the Orlando area, but certainly a lot closer by air! They have extended summer hours and many ticket options for savings when purchasing in advance or online. You can learn more about the various exhibits in the aquarium, including Ocean Voyager, Cold Water Quest, Tropical Diver, River Scout and more. They really highlight all the different regions that our aquatic wildlife come from and what we can do to keep them safe and cared for.

Disclaimer: Very special thanks to the Georgia Aquarium for setting up our admission and tours. We had such a wonderful time – but my opinions and thoughts are my own.

The Grand Family Summer Tradition – Road Trip!

9 July 2014 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

I never like to peg myself into any one blogging ‘niche’, as I’ve written about many times here. I’m not a mom blogger, I’m not solely a Disney blogger or even Orlando blogger. Over my 5 years here at Zannaland, I’ve still never found exactly the “one thing” I should stick with. I began Zannaland to share my thoughts on my personal history of coming to Walt Disney World as a girl through adulthood, which morphed into covering new things to do and merchandise of interest at Walt Disney World. I branched out to cover other area theme parks but I am now keeping that coverage to places that I feel personally passionate about, and resorts in the area that I think are worth staying at. Now, I am in the position to travel more in my life, and I find myself wanting to blog more about travel and exploring some of the other great destinations out there. But I don’t want to leave Disney behind, or my newly beloved Diagon Alley. So I’ll continue to not fit into a specific blogger mold, and keep sharing my personal views and experiences with you all here. My next adventure is one I am very excited about chronicling here.

Growing up, it was rare that we would fly from Massachusetts to Florida to visit Walt Disney World. We would drive and my parents would build many stops into our trips over and back, visiting all the major spots down the eastern seaboard on our way. I have so many wonderful memories of visiting Baltimore and Philadelphia and Washington DC, Charleston, and Savannah on these trips. It’s a great way to get to know the history of this great country of ours. I always wanted to continue this tradition with my own children, but things never really worked out in the whole summer vacation department. Things have changed and I’m now in a place where I can make up for lost time with showing my kids America. I’m also now with someone who has spent his life visiting National Parks and seeing a whole other side to our country that I haven’t really experienced myself. So we decided for our first family road trip to combine the best of both worlds; the natural and the man-made, to get our feet wet in the family travel ocean and see where we want to go from here.

At the end of this week, we’ll be embarking on our first trip together and we are all very excited. We decided to stay pretty close to home for this first venture, since with two teenagers and a 5 year-old, we aren’t really sure how the whole car-ride experience will play out. (Earplugs have been purchased)

Our first stop will be Atlanta, a place I’ve only ever been once myself (aside from airport layovers). I’ve always wanted to visit the Georgia Aquarium so I thought this would be a great place to make our first stop and be fun for everyone. The kids are super excited about seeing the Whale Sharks and all the other amazing creatures there. We’ll be taking a behind-the-scenes tour in addition to all the regular shows and exhibits, so I know I’ll have so much to share here after our visit!

After our day at the Georgia Aquarium, we’ll be heading over to Stone Mountain. There we’ll see all there is at this amazing park (I was shocked at how much there was to do here – I knew about the laser show, but I thought that was it!). We’ll end our day of exploration with the famous laser show on the mountain, and then spend the night in Atlanta before heading out on the road again.

Then the scenic driving will begin as we make our way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I’m super excited about this and think it’s a great introduction to our National Parks for the kids. I’ve only ever been to Acadia briefly, but I also used to live near the Blue Ridge Mountains, so I’m excited to see all the wonder of nature around us. We’ll be staying in a cabin in Gatlinburg, TN for a few nights, doing hiking and exploring during the day, even taking time to visit some friends while there. I cannot wait to wake up to sights like this:

After spending most of the week in the Smokies, we’ll make the short journey to Asheville, NC. We’ll then explore the amazing Biltmore Estate. I am thrilled about seeing the estate and grounds and the kind folks at the Biltmore have set us up with a full audio tour, vineyard tour and even the new kids audio tour for our 5 year-old so he has as much fun as we do. I grew up visiting the mansions of Newport, RI, and my oldest children don’t remember their visits there at all, so I’m happy they’ll get to experience something like this on such a grand level.

The last portion of our trip will be a scenic drive up part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, to just leisurely take in those beautiful sights up to around Boone, NC before making the journey back down to Florida. On our way back, we decided to take the coastal route home, and may make spontaneous stops at either Charleston or Savannah – we’ll see how things go!

Along our road trip, you can expect lots of instagrams, tweets, and updates to my facebook page, but I may wait to blog until I return, so I can make sure I experience everything first hand and not behind a computer or phone screen. I’m excited to share this trip with my family, and then here with you, sharing any tips I find along the way and get some ideas for next time.

So have you done many road trips either solo or with your family? I’d love to hear some of your favorite memories or experiences and if you’ve visited the places I mentioned above, I’m definitely up for your recommendations and must-dos while we’re there!

You can follow along on instagram or twitter with the hashtag: #zannatravels. See you on the road!