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.

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.