The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Ok, this is going to be a long one, but it has a lot of information! I just love the wizarding world because you truly feel like you've stepped inside J.K. Rowling's brain when she was envisioning what she was writing. So, without further adieu:

Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure

Attractions:
1. Flight of the Hippogriff – Vekoma Junior Coaster – Over 48” or over 36” with adult
The posted time for this ride was 45 minutes, but with our Express Passes, we only waited 12 minutes. I love this coaster. It's so much fun! And perfectly themed. I love seeing Hagrid's Hut and Hedgwig.
Side Note: How great is it that there's a water fountain in this line?

2. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey – RoboCoaster G2 – Over 48”
I couldn't ride this (didn't fit in the test seat out front), but my husband and son had a great time. They thought it was awesome! Owen wanted to ride it again. The posted time for this ride was 60 minutes, but with our Express Passes, we only waited 15 minutes. It's a continuous loading ride, which I thought was pretty cool.

3. Hogwarts Express: Hogsmeade Station – Park Connector – Over 48” or with an adult
Our wait time on this one was only 10 minutes with our Express Passes. I just LOVE the Hogwarts Express.
Side Note: There is an awesome photo op with the Hogwarts Express (not the one that moves, but a permanent feature) and frequently, a conductor! It's located just inside Hogsmeade near Honeydukes.

I have some grievances with this ride and it has nothing to do with the ride itself. First, we rode the Hogwarts Express 4 times before finally being able to sit next to the window. This may not seem like a big deal to some people, but when you have adults leaning forward, not paying attention to the window, and blocking half of it, it DOES become a big deal to a sweet little 8 year old that just wants to see what's happening. Second, during one of our trips, there was a family in the same compartment as us and the adults spent half the time yelling at each other. We were very uncomfortable and I just felt bad for their kids. Please don't do this. Third, I overheard a woman saying that the Hogwarts Express wasn't a ride, it was just transportation (“but at least it was better than the monorail”). Really? If you truly feel that way, please just make sure you don't ruin it for the people that really feel the magic and see it as a fun ride in itself!

Dining:
1. Hog's Head – located in the back of Three Broomsticks – Butterbeer, Pumpkin Juice, beers, specialty drinks, wine, spirits, and mixed drinks

2. Three Broomsticks – 'Great Feast Platter', Fish and Chips, Shepherd's Pie, Beef Pasties, Turkey Legs, and fresh vegetables
We ate here the last time we visited in 2015 and it was delicious, but that line can get pretty long at peak eating times.

Shows:
1. Frog Choir – vocal stylings of this small choir of Hogwarts students, accompanied by the smooth bass rumbles of their giant croaking frogs

2. Triwizard Spirit Rally – cheer on students from Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang as they lead the excitement for the Triwizard Tournament.

Entertainment:
1. Ollivanders – 1 person (usually a child with a birthday button) is chosen to choose their own wand

2. The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts
We got so lucky when it came to watching this! First of all, it was SO crowded for the first showing. I just can't emphasize this enough. We chose to skip the first showing and ride Forbidden Journey instead. That turned out to be the best decision we could have made because as we were exiting the gift shop, the lights started. We quickly started walking to the bridge toward Jurassic Park and what do you know, it wasn't too busy! We weren't right up against the railing, but honestly, that wasn't necessary. It was truly amazing. I almost started to tear up. You HAVE to see the lights. It truly goes through every house and then ties them all together.

Shopping:
1. Dervish and Banges – Sneakoscopes, Sectrespecs, omnioculars, quidditch needs, clothes

2. Filch's Emporium of Confiscated Goods – apparel, house crest banners, stationary, toys
This shop is located at the end of the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. We bought a Marauder's Map here for a friend's son and I got an awesome Hogwarts frame. It's very cool because it really seems like you're in the basement where Filch would keep confiscated goods.

3. Honeydukes – acid pops, exploding bonbons, cauldron cakes, fizzing whizzbees, chocolate frogs

4. Ollivanders – wands

5. Owl Post – stationary, quills, seals, ink, stamps, and owl-related toys and gifts – mail your letters complete with a special Hogsmeade postmark here
We bought a fun Hufflepuff lanyard, postcards, and some stamps here. Make sure you go out the door by the covered area with benches to get them stamped and mailed. Everyone we sent one to really loved them! We also sent some to ourselves to keep as souvenirs.



Diagon Alley in Universal Studios

Attractions:
1. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts – Roller Coaster & 4D dark ride – Over 48” or over 42” with adult
I personally couldn't ride this one (didn't fit in the test seat out front), but my husband and 8-year-old son rode it. This was our first ride of the day during Early Admission so we only waited about 5 minutes. They said it was really neat and they truly felt like a side character in the movie.

2. Hogwarts Express: King's Cross Station – Park Connector – 48” or with an adult
We ended up riding this twice: once in the morning and then once at night. And neither time we rode it, did we wait very long. Granted, we had Express Passes, but they didn't really seem necessary either time. The first time, we waited 5 minutes. The second time, we waited 10 minutes. Please see grievances above!
All of that being said, have a great attitude, and definitely ride it going both ways. It's a little different each way which makes it just that much more fun!

Dining:
1. Eternelle's Elixir of Refreshment – small beverage kiosk with Gillywater and specialty elixirs

2. Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour – soft-serve with fantastic flavors like Butterbeer, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Earl Grey and Lavender, etc. plus pastries, crumble cake, and shortbread.

3. Leaky Couldron – Bangers and Mash, Fisherman's Pie, Toad in the Hole, Ploughman's Platter
We ate here the last time we visited in 2015 for breakfast and it was awesome! I definitely recommend it.

4. The Fountain of Fair Fortune – serves beer

5. The Hopping Pot – walk-up counter serving beer and other drinks

Shows:
1. Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees – singing sensation of the wizarding world

2. The Tales of Beedle the Bard – trunk show of wizarding fairytales

Entertainment:
1. Gringotts Money Exchange – ask a Gringotts goblin any question you want, and trade your currency for Gringotts bank notes

2. Knight Bus – talkative shrunken head and driver
Make sure you walk around to the back of the bus to take a look inside

3. Ollivanders – 1 person (usually a child with a birthday button) is chosen to choose their own wand
I was hoping that my little man (8) with his Birthday button was going to be chosen, but there was a slightly older girl (probably 12) also with a Birthday button so she was chosen instead. He was a little sad, but maybe next time (fingers crossed)! Anyway, it was still a great show. This was our second time here and it just never gets old! Whether child or adult, I totally recommend waiting for this show. We ended up waiting 15 minutes from the moment we got in line to the moment we were brought into the wand room. I really enjoyed how they made sure to have the shorter people in your party (kids) in front with everyone else filing in behind them.

Shopping:
1. Borgin and Burkes – Death Eater masks, skulls, costume replicas, apparel, accessories, jewelry, and collectibles.

2. Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions – hats, authentic Hogwarts uniforms, ties, scarves, sweaters, as well as jewelry

3. Magical Menagerie – Crookshanks, Fang, Buckbeak, Scabbers, owls

4. Ollivanders – wands
It is always super crowded every time we've been in here so you really have to hold on to your loved ones and maneuver around all the people. And the lines to buy a wand a usually pretty long.

5. Quality Quidditch Supplies – sweaters, brooms, Golden Snitches, Bludgers, Quaffles, and more

6. Scrubbulus – writing supplies, ink, inkwells, feather quills, parchment, notebooks, journals, bookmarks, backpacks, stationary sets and seals, envelopes and postcards

7. Sugarplum's Sweetshop – candies, fudge, Every Flavor Beans

8. Wands by Gregorovitch – wands

9. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes – novelty joke shop, Pygmy Puffs, U-No-Poo pills, Skiving Snackboxes, Puking Pastilles
My son bought an awesome pink Pygmy Puff here! He just treasures this thing and while I'm not a huge fan of stuffed animals (because they just don't get played with in our house), it just seems like a completely different story when it's a cute little Pygmy Puff.

10. Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment – crystal balls, telescopes, hourglasses
This is where we bought our Hufflepuff stein! I love it! I think it's adorable and I can't wait to find a spot to display it!

Travel Snacks

I researched a lot for our road trip, especially since we were going to be in the car for approximately 40 hours total. One of the things that I probably read a good 10 blog posts or more about was Travel Snacks. I wanted to know what everyone else brought so that I could use their food/snacks as inspiration for what we should bring. I started making a list WEEKS before we left. My husband helped me come up with some ideas. I noticed that a lot of people that made these lists were really focused on healthy food items. And while I don't like to eat like crap on my vacations, I like to have a nice mix of healthy and junk foods. Otherwise, I'll be craving something sweet and end up buying something way worse than a cookie. Here's what we came up with!

Meats:
1. summer sausage
2. beef jerky
3. beef stick (slim jim)
4. pepperonis
Crackers:
5. Seasoned crackers
6. wheat thins
7. roasted garlic triscuits
8. chex mix
In The Cooler:
9. Veggies (broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumbers, red peppers)
10. Dill Dip (for the veggies)
11. Fruit (bananas, raspberries)
12. Go-Gurt
13. Laughing Cow Cream Cheese Wedges
14. cheese cubes
Desserts:
15. Milano cookies
16. zebra cakes
17. chocolate chip cookies
18. Pudding
19. Jell-O
Other:
20. applesauce
21. variety pack of chips

We also brought things to make sandwiches for when we were on the road during lunch. We didn't want to stop at fast food restaurants so we figured sandwiches would be cheaper and healthier. And these snacks lasted us our entire trip! We definitely didn't go hungry.

What are some of the snacks you bring on a road trip?

Bacon & Beer Festival

So January 2nd, around 2:30 in the afternoon, I get a text from my husband with a link to an article in the local paper written about a new festival coming to town that features Bacon and Beer that will occur February 16th. Those two things are probably in my husband's top 10 favorite things in the world (along with our son and tacos, of course)! There wasn't a whole lot of information in this article besides that it's an event for 21 and over, will feature “thousands of pounds of bacon and more than 100 craft beers from local and national breweries”.

A base ticket was $30 in advance and $35 at the door and included:
– admission for 7pm-10pm
– Pint Glass
– all bacon and beer samples

A VIP ticket was $65 in advance and $70 at the door and included:
– admission for 6pm-10pm
– Pint Glass
– VIP gift (which ended up being a high-quality coaster with a built-in bottle opener)
– Exclusive BLT bar
– Exclusive Bloody Mary bar
– all bacon and beer samples

We also learned that there would be a bacon-eating contest, live music, related games, and awards for Best Bacon Dish and Best Brewery.

One thing I thought was an amazing idea that I haven't seen any other beer festival in town implement was a discounted (around half price) designated driver ticket for people that wanted to come and just sample bacon. I think all the other festivals should take note and follow suit!

Here's how the festival went!
I decided to buy two VIP tickets for my husband and myself and surprise him with them as a Valentine's present. He was so excited because I made him think that we weren't going. They definitely weren't cheap. I ended up spending $154.10 after fees and taxes. I was able to get our tickets on my phone with the Ticketmaster app.

Since we got the VIP tickets, we were able to get in at 6pm. Not knowing how many VIP tickets were for sale/sold, we wanted to show up early to get a parking spot in the parking garage located right next to the venue. We arrived around 5:40 and made our way to front entrance to wait in line. We were within the first 10 people that arrived so it clearly wasn't necessary to arrive too early. I'm not sure why they chose to do things this way, but they sent a couple people out to ID all the people waiting outside in the cold and didn't end up letting the VIPs in until around 6:10.

After we entered, we made our way down to the floor. We knew we wanted to get as many samples as we could before General Admission arrived. And boy are we glad we did. We ended up getting our last few samples around the same time that they opened the doors for everyone else.

We were so full after consuming so much beer and food in such a short amount of time. There were samples of drinks that weren't beer as well including Kinky brand bottled drinks and Not Your Father brand drinks. Food samples included pulled pork sliders, bacon donuts, bacon wrapped chorizo filled dates, bacon wrapped duck, bacon wrapped sausages with 6 sauces to choose from, bacon cheddar chips topped with nacho cheese and bacon, and bacon scones.

During VIP:

After GA started:

The main floor got full fast so we headed up to the VIP lounge where they had an unlimited BLT bar. There were 4 or 5 different kinds of bacon set out, a cheese tray, what looked like toasted slices of baguette, chopped lettuce, and chopped tomatoes.

There was also a Bloody Mary bar. Each VIP ticket holder received 2 tickets for this which could either be used to make 2 Bloody Marys or 1 double. You got the choice of regular or cucumber vodka, the choice of original, loaded, or hot & spicy Bloody Mary mix, and a large selection of “toppings” including bacon, lots of different salt options, celery, pickles, pearl onions, and so much more!

There were a couple places where they had bags/cornhole set up to play including 2 sets in the VIP lounge. Since there was nowhere to sit in the VIP lounge, we took our drinks and food and sat in the stands for a little while. Then we made our way back down to the floor to get seconds of stuff we really liked the first time around!

There was live music during the entire event. It was nothing overly entertaining, but it was great for background noise. Online, it had said there would be a bacon-eating contest, but we never did see it or hear annything about it.

At the end of the night, we got our pint glasses. They're great! And it will be an awesome reminder from the night.

Ending Thoughts: Even though they were a little pricey, we will definitely be getting the VIP tickets every time we go to this event. After having them, I can't even imagine NOT having them. We saw how busy it was and were very thankful to have had that hour with no lines.

Travel Gifts

This is a fun family tradition that was passed down from my mom to me and I hope that my son does this for his kids when he has them. First of all, I love to travel. I make it a point to try to go on a vaction at least once a year. Sometimes I end up taking far more than one. For example, in 2017, I went to Scotland, a roadtrip through the Southeast United States, Wisconsin Dells, and Las Vegas! It was a crazy year and we spent way too much money! Now, for every vacation with my son, I get/make small gifts to be opened while we're travelling. These don't have to be anything huge or great. They're usually either something he can use while on the trip or small toys he can play with to entertain himself while we travel.

Here is a list of some of the things I have gotten for my son:

Games:
1. "What Am I?" Guessing Game
2. Kids travel game book

Toys:
3. Stress Ball

4. Magnetic Me

5. Lego Box

6. Catch Ball (you know, the one that you attach to your wrist and throw and then it bounces back to you so that you can play catch with yourself!)

7. Play Packs- there are so many different ones to choose from. They have everything from Star Wars to Hello Kitty to Minions to Inside Out.
8. Candy- Clearly, we don't want our son to be on a sugar-high while stuck in the car, but a fun candy necklace is entertaining and delicious!
Useful Items:
9. Sunglasses
10. Dry Erase Markers (to draw on the windows of our car during our roadtrip)

11. Personal Fan

12. Conversation Cards- this sounds silly, I know. But it helped time go by. We got him this set that was pretty much a version of kids 'would you rather' questions and we used them to talk and entertain ourselves for over an hour!

Now, travel gifts don't have to just be for kids. They can also be for adults! I know my husband enjoys these just as much as my son. That being said, I usually only get him 1 or 2 presents. Here are some things I have gotten him in the past:
1. Magazine- My husband doesn't subscribe to any magazines so it's nice for him to be able to thumb through Wired when we travel.
2. Portable charger- He uses his phone more than anyone I know so of course, it's always dying when we're out doing stuff all day. These are GREAT for vacations.
3. Travel Press- This is one of the coolest things I've bought him to date! My husband loves his french press at home so when I got him a travel version? Oh, he was in love!
4. Puzzle book- My husband just loves crossword puzzles. And he thinks it's so fun to get me involved in them with him. So we try to solve all the puzzles together. It's nice while in the car because I can drive, he's giving the hints, and it keeps both of us entertained!
5. Headphones- because sometimes, I'm fine with everyone else in the car listening/watching something else while I drive and jam out to the music I want to listen to! lol

Remember how I said this list wasn't just for kids? Well, it's not just for husbands either! Sometimes, I even buy myself some travel gifts! Sad? Maybe. But fun? Of course! Here's what I get:
1. Nail polish- not for use while in the car, clearly.
2. A new waterbottle- preferably one that will keep my drink cold for 24 hours!
3. Journal- so I can write down everything about our vacation to report back to you guys!
4. Adult coloring book (and some colored pencils)

We love putting together little presents to make the actual traveling part of our vacations (which isn't always fun) a little more tolerable. What are some things you get your kids as travel gifts?

Waterproof Cell Phone Pouch

A couple years ago I bought THIS WATERPROOF CELL PHONE POUCH at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. Since then, I haven't seen it there again. So it's a good thing you can find it on Amazon because it's the best travel accessory I've ever purchased! I use this thing ALL the time! I mean, we go swimming on every vacation (even it's just the hotel pool). Plus, I bring it to the pool during the summer frequently. And even outside of travel and the pool, I bring it along if we're going to be outside while it's raining! You always need to protect your phone from the elements. And I just love getting those underwater shots. Plus, if you accidentally let go, the pouch floats! For $10-$20, it's way cheaper than an underwater camera and you can use it for years!

Roadtrip Roundup

We went so many places and had so much fun on our road trip through the Southeastern quarter of the United States. Here is a roundup of all of my posts.

Day 1: Bloomington, IL to Sikeston, MO
Day 2: Sikeston, MO to Memphis, TN to Dallas, TX
Day 3: Dallas, TX
Day 4: Dallas, TX to Baton Rouge, LA
Day 5: Baton Rouge, LA to New Orleans, LA
Day 6: New Orleans, LA to Gulf Shores, AL
Day 7: Gulf Shores, AL
Day 8: Gulf Shores, AL to Panama City Beach, FL
Day 9: Panama City Beach, FL to Nashville, TN
Day 10: Nashville, TN to Bloomington, IL
If you visit any of these places that we traveled to, you will have such a great time because they're all such fun locations.

Fort Wayne Zoo Overnight

A couple months ago, we had the great pleasure of spending the night at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. It was a complete blast!

Ordering tickets:
At the beginning of the year, we spent the night at the aquarium in Chicago. The only downside was that it was quite expensive. We had so much fun though that I decided to search the internet for other experiences that are similar. That's when I found the one in Fort Wayne. I was able to fill everything out online. There were a couple different dates to choose from so we picked the one that worked best for us.

Itinerary:
-Introductions, Rules, & Expectations for the evening
-Dinner in Australia
-Evening Zoo Hike
-Animal Demonstration
-Behind the Scenes in the Zoo Kitchen
-Bedtime Snack
-Prepare for bed and take final restroom break
-Lights out!

-6:30am Wake up!
-breakfast
-Gallery Final Clean Up
-Animal Demonstration
-Wrap-Up & Review
-9am Exit zoo or continue on your own

Here are some elaborations on the above itinerary:
We started our night by bringing all of our things to the upstairs area of the shark tank. Then we visited Stingray Bay where the kids got to touch the stingrays and learn a little about them.

After everyone was done, we went back to the room with our stuff. For dinner, we ate pizza, carrots, soda, and water.

The evening zoo hike is a guided tour to some of the attractions. Along our walk, we saw the penguins, otters, sea lions, lemurs, komodo dragon, and red pandas.

Then, we walked over to the restrooms near the employee only area to the right of the main entrance before the tunnel to Africa. There, we had our animal demonstration. They brought out an adorable hedgehog. We loved learning about it while they walked around and let people pet her.

Then, we did our behind the scenes tour of the kitchen where we learned all about what the animals at the zoo eat and how they prepare everything. Then, we made our way back to the shark area to set up our sleeping bags. After we were done, we went upstairs for our late night snack. This snack included a juice box and goldfish.

Then it was time for bed. We were able to sleep fairly well.

The next morning, we started off our day with breakfast, which included donuts, cereal, and fruit cups with juice and coffee. Then we helped open the farm. Every single child was given a job. They had so much fun! We got to see and touch the giant tortoises up close.

My son's job included feeding hay to the donkeys, the cow, and the sheep. All of the kids really enjoyed having a job for the morning.

Then, we headed back up to the room above the sharks where we had a second animal demonstration. This time, it was a dove. They brought her around to all the kids again so that they could touch her.

And that was the end of our overnight experience! We did end up going back inside after we put all of our stuff in the car. But as for the zoo sleepover, that was our trip. I think the only thing I would have added would have been just one more thing, like a craft or game or something. But other than that, it was a very cool time that I think we would really like to do again!

Tips:
1. Bring those squirt bottles or mix-ins to add to a water bottle. You'll want to stay hydrated and your easiest option is to bring a water bottle to refill.
2. Bring a blow-up mattress or pad. We didn't, but I imagine the people that did were much more comfortable. You are sleeping on a concrete floor.
3. If you are a picky eater or just like to eat frequently, bring some snacks with you.

Roadtrip: Day 10: Nashville, TN to Bloomington, IL

We woke up this morning and ate a huge breakfast at our hotel, ready for the last day of our vacation.

We figured we couldn't come to Nashville just for a concert and not see anything while we were there so we headed to The Gulch to check out a few things. First, we went to Biscuit Love to see what the fuss was all about. Now, just a warning to anyone that is visiting, from the time that we got in line to the time when we got our food was literally about 1 hour 15 minutes, and we got it to go. The line was huge and wrapped around the sidewalk outside. I know this was a Sunday, but just keep that in mind if you plan to get some delicious bonuts!

While my husband waited in line for us, my 7yo and I decided to walk around the corner to see the beautiful #WhatLiftsYou wings that are painted on the side of a wall just ½ a block from Biscuit Love. They are so beautiful! And I love that there is a huge version and a tiny version. And, there was a nice little line that had formed before we got there. Everyone was so polite and took turns taking pictures. It was very organized for a random line that no one was in charge of. I love seeing that!

After we got our bonuts, my husband bought me a flower from the most adorable little flour truck across the street! I had never seen anything so cute in my whole life. I could just picture a couple taking their engagement photos in front of this truck. Ah! I just love it.

After our adorable little morning in The Gulch, we had to be on our way home.

Roadside Attractions:
1. Superman Statue
517 Market St., Metropolis, IL
I love this statue. First of all, it's huge. Second of all, it's all fenced off with walking access so it's easy to take a picture with. And finally, because there are a couple other photo-ops within a hundred feet of it. My husband had always wanted to stop here, but I wasn't about to drive all the way there just for a photo. But since we were driving right past it, why not? It was awesome.

2. Road Sign Art
200 Potomac Blvd, Mount Vernon, IL
This is a very interesting art piece that sits outside of a visitors center. It wasn't open when we drove past, but we were still able to get a couple cute pictures with this sign.

Bonus: We noticed on our drive that there was another big cross (not nearly as big as the other one, but still cool) that you could see from the highway in Effingham, IL.

We finally got home and went straight to bed. We were completely exhausted, but we had an amazing trip! And we visited a lot of places that we'd never been before.

Roadtrip: Day 9: Panama City Beach, FL to Nashville, TN

We took our time getting out of bed this morning since we knew we had a big, long day ahead of us. We took a couple pictures by the beach before we left the gulf for our trip back up North. Then we got in the car.

We stopped at a couple roadside attractions along the way:
1. Big Peach Statue
2300 7th Ave S, Clanton, AL
This is actually in a little park at the end of the parking lot between a gas station and a market. It's a pretty cute little statue. And the park is a small little area to stretch your legs.

2. 125-foot-tall Cross
316 Mountain Crest Parkway, Gardendale, AL
So, we didn't actually stop for this one because we just wanted to get to our destination. But you can see it very clearly from the highway so stopping isn't entirely necessary in my opinion. It is absolutely huge and very cool to see though.

Bonus: You can see a very cool rocket at the side of the road on your way near Elkmont, AL.

3. Giant Chicken with Chef Hat
1371 Bryson Rd, Elkton, TN
Now, this one was a pretty good stop. It's right outside of a gas station. There's food, gas, restrooms, and a cute photo-op. How can you go wrong?

After our huge, long 7-hour trip from Florida to Tennessee, we were exhausted so we just checked into our hotel. But we didn't have any time to hang around. We were off to our next adventure. We decided to take our son to his first concert: Dashboard Confessional and All-American Rejects. Now, he wasn't overly interested in this, but he did enjoy himself. Ascend Amphitheater is actually pretty nice! There were a couple food trucks (which was awesome since we didn't have time for dinner beforehand). We sat on the grass in the back of the amphitheater. However, we got there early so we were able to get a spot right behind the break between the grass seating and the reserved seating. That was pretty cool. We were able to see pretty well. And of course, we really enjoyed when they played their old, nostalgic music. We did end up staying for the entire concert, so by the time we got back to our hotel, it was pretty late, especially for a 7yo.

The Hotel: Drury Inn and Suites
555 Donelson Pike, Nashville, TN
So this hotel wasn't really close to anything (except the airport), but we looked and looked and everything in the heart of Nashville was ridiculously expensive. So we figured we would pay half the price and stay a little outside of the center. We were only there for 1 night anyway. The parking was really stupid. There were a ton of people there apparently and we ended up parking as far away from a door as you could get. Oh well. Breakfast was pretty good. I would call it slightly better that your average hotel breakfast. Everything seemed clean and modern so I really can't complain.

Overall, we had a pretty good day.

Roadtrip: Day 8: Gulf Shores, Alabama to Panama City Beach, FL

We only stopped at 1 roadside attraction on our way from Gulf Shores to Panama City Beach.
15-foot tall Coca-Cola bottle
152 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE, Fort Walton Beach, FL
This one is behind the building. We parked in the parking lot next to strip of buildings and walked behind them to take our picture.

So I had read multiple places online that we should go to Shell Island. So that's what we did. We took the Shell Island Shuttle (which departs from St. Andrews State Park). We were originally planning to snorkel, but they said that it was low visibility while we were there because the current was a little strong, so ended up not doing that. So in the end, in my opinion. It wasn't worth it. We paid over $50 for the 3 of us to take a boat to an island where all we did was sit on a beach. They don't have a lot of shells, we didn't get to snorkel, and you have to pay just to get into the State Park. The whole thing just seemed incredibly unnecessary. If we ever go back, we'll make sure to check the snorkel conditions before wasting our money. Oh well. My son still had the time of his life playing in the water.

Dinner: I was really craving a buffet so we went to Captain Jack's Family Buffet.
8208 Thomas Drive, Panama City, FL
It was stupid expensive ($100 before tip) for the 3 of us, but it was at least delicious and I think my son ate more here than he did anywhere on this whole trip. At least there's that! Plus, our waitress was so friendly and attentive. If you get the chance to eat here, do it during lunch. Unless you're going for the crab legs, lunch is a way better deal.

Hotel: Boardwalk Beach Resort Hotel & Convention Center
9600 S Thomas Dr, Panama City Beach, FL
I wish I could say that this was a great hotel. But honestly, it's not. First off, I just hate any hotel that has 2 double beds instead of 2 queen beds. But beyond that, they allow dogs which means at some point, you're bound to hear some yippee dog barking for a long period of time. It is right on the beach, which is clearly the main draw to the hotel. There is no breakfast. It mostly seemed clean. The door to the bathroom looked like it had been eaten apart by a dog, but for one night, the hotel did it's job in providing a place to stay. There was an abnormally early 10am check-out time, though.

Overall, this was probably my least favorite day of our entire trip. Everything was unimpressive and over-priced.