Roadtrip: Day 7: Gulf Shores, AL

We woke up in Gulf Shores, Alabama with a plan. We set out for Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo. I had found online that they basically specialize in animal encounters. One of those encounters happens to be with sloths! How fun, right? They also have encounters with kangaroos, lemurs, reptiles, and tamanduas. If you went to all of them, it would cost $40 per person plus the $11 it cost to enter. We decided we couldn't really afford that so we just chose to meet the sloths. We also got a cup of food for the goats and deer and a couple other animals. That cost $2 and you get to keep the cup, which is kind of cute. If you clean it really well, you can drink out of it later.

As for the sloths, you walk over to that area and give them the ticket you got at the counter where you paid. You then sign a consent form, sanitize your hands, and wait on a bench for the next available employee to take you in to meet the sloth. There are only allowed to be 2 people in the little room with the sloths at a time so with our party of 3, one of us had to stand in the doorway at all times. That was no big deal though. We just took turns. They encourage you to take pictures and ask as many questions as you like. There was no one waiting behind us so we didn't feel rushed at all. The sloths were sleeping the whole time we were in there and there are only a few places you can touch them so don't go in with the expectation that you're going to hold them or anything. It was pretty fun.

There were quite a few animals that can be fed the food that you buy at the front counter. And there are signs. That being said, we had PLENTY of food in just the one container. I'm glad we didn't buy more than that. It was fun though. And my husband thought it was really cool that one of the animals available to feed was the capybara.

After the zoo, we went back to our hotel to change, and then set off for the beach. My son had been looking forward to this moment the entire trip! We parked behind The Hangout ($5/4 hours). We brought along our beach umbrella (which I found to be the best decision we made!) and a beach blanket, plus some drinks and a couple toys. We had so much fun fighting the waves.

Then, since we couldn't just call it a day, we drove up to The Yard, which is a milkshake bar. We did have to wait in line for a while and it was probably 45 minutes between the time that we got in line and when we received our milkshake. And trust me, I heard plenty of older people complaining about it. But we weren't in a hurry so we waited patiently. Luckily, by the time we did get what we ordered, there was an open table for us. And man! That was probably the best milkshake I've ever had! We got the quart-sized build your own milkshake for $17 that comes in a souvenir mason jar. We got mint moosetracks with chocolate chip brownie cookie dough in the bottom, crushed oreos, gummy worms, and a brownie! It was so good.

When we got back to our hotel, we played around in the pool for a while before showering off, ordering a pizza, and getting to bed after our long day of fun!

Roadtrip: Day 6: New Orleans, LA to Gulf Shores, AL

On day 6, we were officially starting the second half of our 10-day road trip vacation. We started out our day with a swamp tour with Cajun Encounters. It was awesome! We chose to drive ourselves since it was actually on the way to our next destination. Plus, this made it about $20 cheaper per person. We saw a ton of alligators. And our guide fed one a hot dog so we got to see it jump out of the water. That was fun. We also saw some swamp raccoons that were so cute. Our guide told us lots of information. He seemed very knowledgable. If you have time, I would definitely suggest this tour for anyone near the New Orleans area.

Then we drove to Gulf Shores, AL. We stopped at a couple roadside attractions along the way.
1. Giant Rocket from Apollo 19
Discovery Circle, Pearlington, MS
The area around the rocket was under construction so we couldn't really get close to it. But it's just so big that you can definitely see it. Plus, there were some other things to see outside. It's a nice little stop.

2. Crooked Feather, a 30-foot-tall Indian Head
500 Bienville Blvd, Ocean Springs, MS
This is a nice little stop as well, but there's nowhere really to park so we had to park at the hotel down the street and just walk to it. There's also a streetcar right next to it you can look in.

We checked into our hotel and then went out to get some dinner. We stopped at The Hangout.
101 E Beach Blvd, Gulf Shores, AL
It's definitely a tourist place, but the food was still okay. There's always something going on. There was a band outside, lots of photo ops, a sand hill for kids to play on, and a guy inside that talks a lot. I'm sure some people found him entertaining. I thought he was king of annoying. They have a bunch of cool drinks. I got the shark attack. Our waitress told a fun little story about a shark and then poured grenadine from the shark into the blue drink. It was fun! And my son got a vanilla milkshake with chocolate syrup in a big souvenir cup.

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express
160 W Commerce Ave, Gulf Shores, AL
It was a nice hotel and while it's not on the beach, it is right off the main road that runs down Gulf Shores so it's very convenient to everything. I would definitely recommend staying here. Breakfast was good enough. The room was clean and modern. It was everything I expected from a Holiday Inn.

Roadtrip: Day 5: Baton Rouge to New Orleans

We decided to stop at the USS Kidd before we left town and take a picture. We didn't have time to tour it, but it's very cool to see the outside. Then we were on our way.

On our trip from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, we stopped at a couple roadside attractions along the way.

1. Frostop Root Beer
411 E Airline Hwy, LaPlace, LA
There is a large rotating neon mug. It looks pretty cool, but I bet it's even better at night. Plus, they have darn good root beer floats.

2. Giant Safety Pin
Victor Ave, New Orleans, LA
So this one is inside of a park that has beautiful sculptures. We walked around for a little while and looked at some of the other sculptures around the park. They're all very cool, definitely unique, pieces of art.

Lunch: Mother's Restaurant
401 Poydras St, New Orleans, LA
We decided to order the Combination Platter to split. It came with jambalaya, red beans & rice, potato salad, shrimp creole, and grits. It turns out, I still don't like grits. But everything else was really good! I definitely recommend stopping here to get some great southern cooking. You definitely need to pay attention when getting your food. First, the guy tried to bring someone else's food to our table (we told him it wasn't ours). Then, he brought our son's food to the wrong table (and they didn't say it wasn't theirs). A minute later, we got our food and it wasn't until 5-10 minutes had gone by, we see the other table's husband come back with their receipt that we realize what happened. That woman was an idiot! I mean, come on, you hadn't even ordered your food and you thought that they just brought you some chicken fingers and fries for fun? And you ate it? I wasn't mad at the restaurant. I was mad at that woman. You didn't order it! Say something! It's not a simple mistake when you didn't order the food he's putting in front of you. Especially when you haven't even ordered yet! She's a jerk. Well, anyway, the people that work there were very apologetic. And they brought him some cookies while he was waiting for his food. Definitely eat here if you come to New Orleans. The staff is friendly. The food is good. People are idiots.

(The food was so good, I forgot to take a picture before we split it up and started eating!)

We hitched a ride on the trolley that took us down to the French Market. We walked through it and bought a couple souvenirs.

We kept walking and ran into a band playing jazz music. That was really fun. We stood and watched them for a while. Further down the street was Cafe Du Monde. My husband tells me that he'd never heard of it before we stopped there, but I just don't see how. Eating beignets at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans is such an iconic destination. It's always been on my bucket list. Well, now it's crossed off. Everyone always recommends you get a cafe au lait while you're there too, but it was just so darn hot so we ordered a frozen one. And it was delicious!! We sat inside since it was a little cooler in there.

After we were done, we strolled past the Saint Louis Cathedral on the other side of Jackson Square. Then we met back up with the trolley, which took us to another trolley, which took us just a couple blocks from our hotel.

Tip: Get the app for the trolley on your phone and pay the $3 for a day pass if you plan to ride the trolley more than 1 time.

At night, we decided to take a Haunted History Tour. We chose the 5-in-1. It was so interesting. When I first mentioned going on a ghost tour to my husband, he thought that sounded really dumb, but when he realized it was true stories that are believed to haunt New Orleans, it was way cooler! They don't have any gimmicky jump scares. Even my 7yo son thought it was super cool. They stop half way through for a bar break. Definitely worth the cost. Just know that it's a 2 hour walking tour. You don't walk far, but if you don't like being on your feet, you might not like this one.

Hotel: Wyndham Garden Baronne Plaza
201 Baronne St, New Orleans, LA
This hotel was pretty nice. My husband was even “Guest of the Day”. We got a cute little bag with water, chips, some mardi gras beads, and some mnms. There's no breakfast and while we were there, the restaurant was under construction.
Overall, we just had a blast in New Orleans! It was one of the best days of our trip.

Roadtrip: Day 4: Dallas, TX to Baton Rouge, LA

We packed up the car and and drove from Dallas to Baton Rouge. It was a long and boring drive, but we made it by watching movies and playing games. Eventually, we did make it to Baton Rouge though.

Dinner: The Chimes Highland
3357 Highland Rd, Baton Rouge, LA
They are located pretty close to LSU so I'm sure it can get pretty rowdy during game days, but since we were there during the summer, it wasn't crazy at all. We got alligator, hush puppies, and crawfish etouffee. Everything was very good. They have some great options here. Plus, they have a pretty good kids menu so it's definitely family-friendly.

Dessert: Insomnia Cookies
It's located right around the corner from The Chimes Highland
I know this is a chain company, but we just really wanted some cookies! They're all so delicious. It is a little on the pricier side for just a cookie, but they're just so darn good.

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express
400 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA
This was a really nice hotel. We enjoyed it a lot. The only downside was that our room was right next to the breakfast area so it was kind of loud in the morning. Also, the only parking they offer is valet. It was $16/night.

It was a long day, but we ended up not doing anything super exciting while we were in Baton Rouge. I'm sure it has more to offer than what we did, but were more excited to get on our way to New Orleans the next day.

Roadtrip: Day 3: Dallas, TX

The first thing we did that morning was drive out to Fort Worth to watch cowhands drive a herd of Texas longhorns down Exchange Avenue. It was actually pretty cool. These are very well behaved cows. They still ask that you hold onto your children and make sure that you stand on the sidewalk at all times. And this is apparently a very big deal. It was surprisingly busy! We had no idea there were going to be that many people that would show up for this parade of cows.

After they were done, we walked over to the cattle viewing area and saw some longhorns close up. It's a very neat experience that I would definitely recommend.

Lunch: Pecan Lodge
2702 Main St, Dallas, TX
We parked behind the building which costs $5. We then waited in line for about an hour. But don't worry. It was worth it! We ordered burnt ends and brisket and mac and cheese and 3 rolls. And everything was so juicy and delicious. That was some seriously good mac and cheese. It was a little spicy, but I really enjoyed it.

After lunch, we stopped to take some pictures.
1. American Flag Mural
2730 Commerce St
It's about a block away from the parking lot behind the Pecan Lodge.

2. 30 ft eyeball
1601 Main St
You can't actually get up close to this one because it's located inside of a private fenced off area. But you can still take a picture with it outside the fence.

We thought it would be fun to ride the trolley around town. We got off at a stop to see the Spiral Cathedral in Thanksgiving Square and then rode the trolley back to our car.

Dinner: Dallas Grilled Cheese Co.
310 W 7th St, Dallas, TX
Parking was a little difficult to find, but we eventually found a place really close. We each chose a grilled cheese from their menu and they were both super good! Our son got the chili. It was a little spicy, but he still really enjoyed it.

Dessert: JOY Macarons
There are 2 locations. We went to 839 W Davis St, Dallas, TX
We ordered a mint chip ice cream macaron. It was really tasty. And we weren't that hungry after dinner so 1 was plenty for the 3 of us to share. It hit just the right spot in that hot Texas heat. We also got a 6-pack of macarons to take with us that we ended up eating at the beach on a different day of our trip. They were also super good. This little shop is just so cute! There's basically a glass box inside so that you can watch them making the macarons. It's very modern-looking. It's a little on the pricey side, but that is to be expected with any high-end bakery. They have some normal and abnormal flavors so there should be plenty to choose from regardless of how picky you are. They're open 'til 9pm and when we showed up around 7:30pm, they still had all of their flavors available which I feel like is a big deal for most bakeries.

Overall, we had a great day in Dallas.

Roadtrip: Day 2: Sikeston, MO to Memphis, TN to Dallas, TX

On the first half of the 2nd Day of our road trip, we travelled from Sikeston, MO to Memphis, TN.

First Activity: Gibson Guitar Factory Tour
145 Lt. George W Lee Ave, Memphis, TN
We parked behind the building. It cost $10 to park, but we left our car there the whole time we were in Memphis so it worked out well. We bought our tickets online which guaranteed us a spot first thing in the morning for the 10am tour. It was a Saturday, so the workers weren't there. If you prefer to see the factory when they're actually making the guitars, you'll need to go during the week. We were more than happy to see it during this off-time since we had our 7yo son with us. The factory can be pretty loud when operating, but since it wasn't, the factory was very quiet. The tour was very cool and informative. We loved learning about how Gibson guitars are different from other guitars. Plus, we just loved how they pass around pieces so you can see how it's made throughout the process. Definitely take this tour if you're in Memphis. I only found 1 downside to this whole tour: You can't take pictures inside the factory. And that's not even a huge downside! Lots of factories have that rule.

(To get this picture, you need to go to the West side of the building. It's a great photo op!)

Lunch: Pig on Beale
167 Beale St, Memphis, TN
When you walk in, it looks like kind of a dive bar, but don't be fooled. We ordered the BBQ sampler and it was simply the most delicious BBQ I've ever had! It's a small little place on Beale Street that serves amazing BBQ. I mean, if this is what Memphis BBQ tastes like, I feel like I've been missing out my entire life! I've been eating all the wrong types of BBQ. But now I know better.

Second Activity: Old Dominik Distillery
305 S Front St, Memphis, TN
We ordered these tickets online in advance as well. This tour was actually way cooler than I expected. We started with a taste of Memphis water which is apparently the key to any great Memphis alcohol. Then we were shown around the distillery and told how vodka and whiskey and Memphis toddy are made. It was very cool. Plus, there was a tasting at the end. And that toddy was the best! It is truly a drink that I could have frequently.

Overall, we had a great time in Memphis. And I learned that I really enjoy Memphis BBQ and Memphis Toddy.

Then, we drove to Dallas. We stopped at a couple roadside attractions along the way.
1. The Half-n-Half Post Office
500 Wood St, Texarkana, AR
There's a cute little photo op where you can stand in Texas and Arkansas at the same time.

2. 15 Foot Cows
1200 W Houston St, Sulphur Springs, TX
These cows are huge! And so much fun to take pictures with. Who doesn't love a big cow? Especially in Texas.

Hotel: Best Western Cityplace Inn
4150 N Central Expy, Dallas, TX
It wasn't really convenient to anything, but it wasn't out of the way. The entrance felt dangerous every time we entered because it was only 1.5 cars wide, with a sharp right off a busy highway onto a sharp incline with a speed bump at the top. And there was no elevator. I mean, we were only on the second floor, but it would have been way easier to carry all our stuff to our room. Also, there was no working ice maker. To some, no big deal. But the most annoying part about that was that my husband called the front desk and asked where it was and they said there was one by the lobby (which was out of order) and behind the pool area (which no longer existed), but they failed to mention both of those facts. So clearly the hotel staff was not very knowledgable. The room itself was okay, but nothing special.

Overall, we had a great day.

Roadtrip: Day 1: Bloomington, IL to Sikeston, MO

On Day 1 of our awesome road trip, we travelled from Bloomington, IL to Sikeston, MO. We waited for my husband to get off from work before leaving so we didn't end up getting on the road until about 3:30/4pm.

Roadside Attractions:
1. Giant Catsup Bottle (800 S Morrisonville Ave, Collinsville, IL) – This is a working watertower. There's no really great place to take a picture of it. We stopped at the gas station right next to it.

2. 15-foot-tall bowling pin (6045 W Outer Rd, Imperial, MO) – This one is right outside of a bowling alley. It sits at the top of a hill and is very easy to get a picture with.

Dinner: Lambert's (Home of the Throwed Rolls)
2305 E Malone Ave, Sikeston, MO
We walked around 8pm and were seated right away. They took our order and it didn't take too long for our food to come out. I just love the atmosphere at this restaurant. There are license plates and signs all over the walls. The staff really seem to enjoy themselves (well, most of them anayway). There was a person in the other room playing the piano. It's just fun! Plus, I really enjoy watching people trying to catch their rolls. That's right, there's a guy that walks around with a cart full of rolls and if you stick your arm up in the air, he'll throw you a roll! Don't worry, if you're not a great catch, he does walk around so he'll throw it to you from a foot away if you want him to. Otherwise, all the way across the room is way more fun! And no worries if you drop it. He'll throw another. They serve down-home cooking. And it's all delicious. Plus, there are the passed sides. People walk around with big bowls of fried okra and potatoes and black-eyed peas and all sorts of other things (at no extra cost with your meal). It's a great value. I definitely recommend it.

Hotel: Best Western Plus
120 S Interstate Dr, Sikeston, MO
Our hotel was great! We didn't spend a lot of time here because we checked in around 9pm and checked out around 8am. But the room was clean and modern. Our room was at the end of the hallway so it seemed like it was bigger than an average room. It had a king bed and a sofa bed. It was perfect. The bathroom was huge. I would definitely ask for a room at the end of the hallway.

Overall, our day went pretty smooth. We had a great time and it was just the right way to start our road trip.