Winterfest Festivities: Delights of Christmas at Carowinds

On a fall flight, Kim (K) flew to Charlotte, North Carolina, in the early morning.  Upon landing, she admired the lights glowing at Carowinds Amusement Park below, thankful that they had left the pretty lights on.  A little website wandering later, and she realizes Carowinds is hosting a holiday celebration called Winterfest, debuting in 2017.  Our family typically travels to Williamsburg, Virginia, for part of Christmas, taking in Christmas Town at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.  Christmas Town, however, has become exceptionally crowded, including during the "off days" of the week between Christmas and New Years.  Looking for something that was a little less overrun, we were very pleased to find Winterfest.  It was simply magical.

The park was bedecked in lights and had several festive zones, including a Dickens Christmas Carol display and a Peanuts land J found especially delightful.  Visiting was a lot about admiring the lights and enjoying experiences like strolling carolers, photo ops, and a nativity petting zoo.  We took in a fun Charlie Brown show and especially appreciated the references to the nature of the season, including a gorgeous display of Holy Family figures and a lighted Hanukkiah.  Rides were understandably limited by the season, but we immensely enjoyed ourselves on J's new favorite ride, Snoopy's Pirate Ship, and others.  This was our first visit to Carowinds, and we were extremely impressed with the friendliness of the staff, their engagement with visitors, and the fun they were sincerely having.  We hope to return--E was especially intrigued by the roller coasters (mainly closed for the season) and the planned expansion of Camp Snoopy looks like a ton of fun.

If you go, arrive at opening and plan to stay til closing.  The parking process is easy, but you want as much time as possible in the park. Look into preschool passes for anyone qualified in your party in advance, and enjoy the relatively flat landscape of the Carolinas, another difference from Williamsburg.  While in town, we also visited the awesome holiday display at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, IKEA, Charlotte Premium Outlets, and SouthPark's American Girl and Lego stores.  Hotels catering to business travelers were well-priced for the season.  We'll always recommend to you that you "holiday" during Christmastide, so see what you can do between December 25 and early January.  Virginians, get ready:  Cedar Fair Parks Kings Dominion is also hosting Winterfest in 2018!

If you are looking for really detailed pictures and videos of 2017 Winterfest, try the Coaster101 blog.

Simple and Delightful: Holiday Lights at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

If you follow this blog, you know Kim and E, age 8, traveled south in the early fall to see the Great American Eclipse.  On our way, we saw signs for the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden.  Kim checked them out online and decided having a membership would inspire a few trips to the Charlotte, North Carolina, area over the course of the year.  The rest is history.

This winter, we took a trip to Holidays at the Garden, an enchanting Christmas light display with fun features like model trains.  Lights can be enjoyed by walking about as well as by taking a short tram ride for a different view.  Kids can move station-to-station enjoying simple activities that further engage them--at one stop, we played color bells; at another, we learned about the seasons of the year, for instance.  The orchid building at the holidays is a little oasis complete with an imaginative fairy village also featuring model trains.  Don't miss the gloaming--arrive early and enjoy watching the lights come alive.  You'll get improved parking this way, too.  We've enjoyed similar enchantment at these gardens at their Chinese lantern display earlier in the fall.

If you go, consider getting tickets for the week between Christmas and New Years. Everyone is still in a festive mood, and crowds aren't too large.  Dress in layers for the weather and bring your camera--there will be outstanding photo ops, even for unskilled photographers like me.  Food and drink is available for purchase, although our traveling family also found nearby fast food and a relatively close supermarket for snacks.  It's a perfectly "sized" adventure for an evening out with the family in the Charlotte area, and for us, it paired very well for a trip to Winterfest at Carowinds.  And by the way, we are pretty pleased with Kim's membership--member guests receive discounts, so even given that visitors pay for some special events like the Holidays, the value is solid when you consider reciprocity to other gardens including the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, Virginia--it's on the to-visit list.

Based on recommendations from a colleague, we drove about 20 minutes to McAdenville (say Mc-Add-enville) after our visit to enjoy this town's delightful light displays.  Almost every home and business is decorated with particularly beautiful lights in trees and festive set ups of carolers, nativities, and the like at homes and churches.  We visited on a cold night, so we drove instead of parking and walking, but walking the town is an option and will afford you some nifty photo ops.  There's no charge and the atmosphere is very community and family oriented (picture kids riding hayride style, passengers making videos from their sunroofs, etc.).  We had a relatively long wait in our car, so have a full tank of gas for your own peace of mind. By 9ish, crowds were dying down, so perhaps time your visit for later as well. Check the dates and times at the website--we caught the lights on December 26, which may have been the last "official" night!  How fortunate.

Chinese Lanterns are Tremendous: Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

Having seen a Chinese Lantern botanical garden installation at Norfolk Botanical Garden a few years ago, Kim became quite excited passing a billboard for a similar installation at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden while on a road trip to see the Great American Eclipse.  K, G, and Nana Lana were inspired to make the trip to see the lantern display in October, enjoying delightful weather for roaming outside in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area evenings.

The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden's installation featured a ton of animal displays and some pieces that were animated, delighting G.  This garden has several fountains, which made for gorgeous reflections. This type of exhibit encourages you to walk, talk, and stare, being equal parts art, culture, and simple delight.  The lanterns are illuminated as the name implies, of course; what is less obvious is how sculptural the displays actually are.  K adored the construction of the immense, tall jellyfish; G was unusually fascinated by the dinosaurs; and Nana liked the birds placed on the fountain ponds. This garden also highlighted Chinese culture, putting on shadow plays and hosting a more elaborate marketplace than we'd seen at similar events.  G was so enchanted by the shadow plays we even bought a handmade duck puppet.

If you go, know that the gardens are still beautiful but the installation at this location has moved on.  However, you might check out LanternAsia, a similar temporary display in spring 2018 at Norfolk Botanical Garden.  Expect crowds--these exhibits are amazing!  Go early, including early in the "life" of the exhibit and early in the evening to catch the twilight if you can.  Buy tickets in advance--try not to take the risk on a sellout.  You'll need a camera that takes good pictures at night, like the one on your phone, and take your time--plan to stay for most of the duration of the evening.  These exhibits are high interest and certainly help new audiences connect to art and botanical gardens, and you could even get a membership for a discount and return for next year's Garden of Lights at a discount as well. Check out our prior visit to LanternAsia for inspiration!

Old-Fashioned Fun: Holden Beach Waterslides

This year on the annual beach trip, E had reached the requisite height to slide on the Holden Beach waterslides, officially known as the Magic Mountain Waterslide of Magic Mountain Fun Park.  The waterslides, just about as old as Kim herself, are in great repair and are a heap of good fun.  They may not be a thriller water park to feature on the Travel Channel, but they are very enjoyable classics with a wonderful retro cool factor.  They remind Kim of the three slides that were on the vintage Myrtle Beach oceanfront near what is now Family Kingdom (they were taken by Hugo and replaced by more modern, honestly less cool slides) and honestly reminiscent of the Water Boggan. She was too young to go to those slides then but not too old to go to Magic Mountain now.  And the height requirements for these slides?  It's not posted in inches--you walk up to a sign and check your height.  We estimate it is around 42-44 inches, but don't quote us.

There are three slides that wind down the hillside including Thunder, the gentlest slide; Lightning, the fastest slide; and Tornado, the slide with the most opportunity for you to bank, or "slide up" on the fiberglass sides, of the slide.  While Thunder features small tunnels, the slides are not truly enclosed at all and serve as a pleasant introduction to water parks for younger kids.  We had a hard time picking a favorite slide, but it was probably Tornado, as Tornado was long enough to make for a nice ride but fast enough to add a little thrill.  The climb up the hill to the slides is a great aerobic activity in and of itself, with the adults present obviously tiring a little more easily.  We did, however, see sliders of all ages.  Kim is glad she went and did the slides herself--the memory of E getting out of the pool, smiling and jumping up and down, hands aloft, waiting on Mom to splashdown will not soon fade.

If you go, plan to spend at least an hour, probably 90 minutes to two hours or so, at this piece of Roadside Americana.  You purchase slide time, and at the time of our visit, the rates were $15 for 90 minutes with all-day and three-hour options available for not much more.  In addition to the three big slides, there are two smaller, very basic slides reserved for small children.  Sliding is done with few rules, except not plummeting on your stomach feet first and being sure to slide solo, and with flexible sliding mats.  After sliding, you emerge in about three feet of water and can easily navigate to the exit of the pool as the water becomes increasingly shallow.  Kim was submerged a few times; E less so. The lifeguards and staff, while serious about important safety like height requirements, are not uptight in the least about managing the lines and pool exits--we never felt rushed, which kept everyone in the friendly, community mood that is appropriate for Holden Beach.  There seemed to be a lull on the day of our visit, owing either to lunch or a slightly overcast sky, that made for essentially no waiting (although waits were generally short anyhow).  If hungry, you can call ahead and place a lunch order at Mankin's across the street or enjoy the small snack bar, which had plenty of ice cream. While we think night slides would be fun, this attraction is closed evenings--the owner, local legend and businessman Jimmy Hobbs, just indicates it is a daytime thing.  All told, this is a great outing--and would be especially splendid for older siblings or new beach friends.

Upstate Carolinas: More than Just Driving Through

It may be common in our social circle to travel to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and to Atlanta, Georgia, as well as to have a layover flying in Charlotte, North Carolina.  However, we don't hear friends talking fondly of the drive through the broader nearby region--and that's really a mistake. On a recent surprise destination trip for G to Babyland General Hospital (the home of Cabbage Patch Dolls), we decided to do some exploring.

On the way south, Kim took Nana Lana, along with us, to Charlotte's Billy Graham Library.  Kim, Justin, and E had been a few years ago, but we figured Nana would particularly enjoy this site and that it would make a lovely stop again.  The Library makes an interesting (and free admission!) stopover easily accessible from the interstate system for anyone interested in recent movements in Christianity and/or recent American history.  The museum includes significant biography of Billy Graham and pictures of Graham meeting with various world leaders, although we've been disappointed twice not to see a picture of Graham and Pope John Paul II.  Do expect the site to encourage conversion to Christianity.  Kim, a "Heinz 57" Christian of multiple denominational backgrounds, does feel comfortable being from a non-Southern Baptist denomination there.  There's a gift shop as well as lovely, compact grounds to explore, including a simple grave site memorial to Ruth Graham, Billy's wife, which you see G admiring above.

On the way back north, we stopped to explore Greenville's much-photographed Falls Park on the Reedy, a truly lovely serpentine urban park showcasing the natural beauty apparent in the city.  We found a small, free parking lot right at the beautifully-engineered Liberty Bridge, affording awesome views of the falls. Yes, Kim and G climbed out on them--and you can, too, especially if you wear non-slip water shoes (slippery river rocks) and clothes you are comfortable getting wet.  Open 7 AM - 9 PM daily, the park has winding paths, manicured green spaces fitting for a picnic, and attractive benches as well as inventive seating like porch swings.  If you take time to do a little research in advance, you can also easily connect to restaurants and accessibility features like elevators.

Simply put: Don't let the interstate system numb you from the beauty and culture around you.  Stop driving every now and then.  You might even find less-unique but still fun and value-laden shopping stops like the Gaffney Outlet Marketplace, which we "found" twice on this trip as well.

One BIG Children's Museum: Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC

If you need a kids' day out in a large size, Marbles Kids Museum is a great place to be!  A truly large children's museum, Marbles is also extremely economical--it's just $5 to enter in any case, and it is an ASTC Passport museum, so your membership gets you in free if you have one! We went on a trip with friends, and our group of 5 kids, ages 3-9, all had a great time and spent about a full day in the museum.

Marbles is full of imaginative play spaces that truly encourage kids to interact and cooperate.  Our favorites include Kid Grid and Moneypalooza, both of which have transport systems for disks and balls that are just plain fun.

Kid Grid is particularly manageable in size--and our kids got into the theme, declaring there was a power outage and they had to restore power quickly.

There are also imaginative play spaces like a pirate ship and submarine.  Exploratory places include a large maker space that is well-stocked for a variety of age levels and an "art loft."

Another big hit for our kids? Power2Play, a workout area with a trampoline, log rolling, pulleys that allow you to lift yourself, a small hockey rink, a basketball area, and some additional gym equipment.  G really enjoyed the "swings"--gym rings.  We started at the "top" of the museum at Moneypalooza and worked our way "down" and through--ending at Around Town.  This worked well--and ended our day with a quieter section of the museum before we headed to the car.

If you go, this is another place where you can pack snacks--just plan to eat them outside.  We found surface parking nearby at a reasonable cost ($2 an hour) and ate at Pogo inside the museum courtyard.  Expect crowds in the museum no matter the day of week or time in the summer.  While in the area, also consider visiting the Museum of Life and Science in nearby Durham, NC--we made an overnight trip of the two this time.  For our previous visit to Marbles, click here.

Another Make-a-Day-of-It Museum: Durham's Museum of Life and Science

On a road trip with friends, we went to Durham, NC's Museum of Life and Science, an expansive indoor/outdoor museum campus that's great for kids approximately age 12 and under. In fact, we were there around 4-5 hours, and we probably covered somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of it.  This would make it a great pick for a membership museum--so if you live in Raleigh/Durham, we'd suggest that!  If you are from out of town like us, an ASTC Passport will get you in.  Our kids, ranging in age from 3-9, all had a delightful time.

We came for Hideaway Woods, the fantastic new complex of treehouses, and found a lot more. 

G, age 3, recommends the train ride (purchase tickets for $3-$4 each ride when you check in at the front desk); E, age 7, recommends the sailboats at Catch the Wind.  The adults in our group found Into the Mist, a unique misting/playing area, pretty magical. 

There are also bears, wolves, and darling lemurs, and in several cases, these exhibits have video cameras you can control so that you can see the animals when they are in more secluded exhibit spaces.

The outside area is pleasantly peppered with small indoor attractions like a butterfly garden and a particularly accessible insect zoo. We played in the Hideaway Woods creek and the adjacent playground just before our 3-hour drive home, which was a good move.

If you go, dress for the outside weather--and consider bringing a change of clothes/shoes for kids.  Wear clothing that can get dirty/wet and shoes that can climb. It's fine to pack in some food and drink in single-serving containers, and Sprout, the café inside, is a good place to eat as well.  Expect walking, and if taking in a stroller, take in one that can "off road" if you have it.  We didn't know much about Durham, NC, but we were pleasantly surprised by a variety of things to do, so go to TripAdvisor and take a look.  It's a city worth your time!

Ghost Walk in the Carolinas: Ocean Isle Beach Date

For this year's beach date, J and K hopped an island or so over on the Brunswick coast, leaving Holden Beach for a short time at Ocean Isle Beach.  The main attraction?  Ocean Isle Beach Ghost Walk, a summer activity available two evenings a week at present.

OIB Ghost Walk is a small operation with owner-storytellers who recount ghostly experiences had by individuals they've met personally.  The owners are also educators by day, so they carefully analyze the stories as they craft them from sources for recounting on the tour.  This gives the tour a special first-hand feel and an openness to questions, discussions, and deeper connections to local history that's not characteristic of all ghost walks.  Quite honestly, we really admired them for their zeal for their community and their scholarship.  Our favorite tales included connections to WWII submarines off the North Carolina coast and an absolutely fascinating story from Hickory Hall Mansion in Calabash.  The tour is also a great deal--just $10 per person, and a small book of stories is also available for purchase.  What's this?  Clearly, it's part of a non-existent military training mission. Take the tour to learn more.

Ocean Isle itself was a pleasant visit.  The character of the beach put us in the mind of Wrightsville--a little more bustling than Holden but not approaching Myrtle in its busy-ness.  On the tour, you'll be outside--and you'll get to step a bit on both sand and streets.  Dress comfortably.  There are no gimmicky sound effects and no visually scary moments; this is a fine tour for interested older kids. You'll meet the walk very near the place that emergency vehicles can enter the beach near the pier just over the bridge on the island.  We arrived early, and we asked some local business folks if we were at the right place--they didn't know, but we were.  Then, the tour operators reassuringly arrived in OIB Ghost Walk T-shirts.

If you go, consider also visiting the Museum of Coastal Carolina, a history/science museum started by local volunteers that has evolved into a facility broader in scope than most similar local museums. We haven't been yet, but there's at least one story from the museum on the ghost walk, so visiting would tie nicely to the ghost walk experience.  The museum is very near the pier where you can meet your ghost walk crew, as are several beachwear/surf wear shops, restaurants, and a well-tended modest putt-putt course. We ate at Provision Company, famous for bad parking, good food and great views, before leaving Holden.  "Pro Co" is a fine place with kids, but the atmosphere is currently lost on our young ones, so we find it better for a date.

A New Visit to Old Salem, NC: Easy Day Trip

For Memorial Day weekend, we wanted a calm outing that nonetheless got us out of town. Brainstorming places we had not been, we decided to head to Old Salem Museum and Gardens, a living history museum of a Moravian village from the late 1700s and early 1800s.  Smaller than Colonial Williamsburg but with similar charm, Old Salem is easily visited in a day or so.  We purchased tickets that allowed us one day, "all stops" access--but there are options for memberships that are reasonably priced if you are visiting for multiple days or across the year.  Like Williamsburg, you can walk the street for free--but you will need tickets to enter buildings.

The walk through town is delightful on a temperate day--you'll begin by leaving the visitors' center across a covered bridge built in 1998 but that nonetheless sets an historic tone.  You "land" in Old Salem right at MESDA, a small decorative arts museum that will make you feel like you are living in a particularly classy episode of Antiques Roadshow.  We stopped off to see the interior of the tavern for non-Moravian visitors and the Single Brothers' House, both of which provided pretty fascinating glimpses into Moravian life of the time and associated trades.  The Single Brothers' House is particularly interesting: it's where single boys and men, aged 14 - at least upper 70s, lived in community and completed work until they were earning enough money to support a family and marry if they chose.  Keep walking out to God's Acre, an active Moravian Cemetery that is simple in tone and a beautiful reminder of the design of the Moravian community.  One strange aside you can find--a marker for the site of the first Krispy Kreme (it's gone), right in the middle of this historic district. You can also see Salem College.

If you go with kids (as we did), consider going on a day when Old Salem is having a special event. The special events, which range from seasonal visits with Santa to small-scale performances, add a little something extra to visits with children.  We visited on History Meets Horsepower day, so with the price of our tickets, the kids also got to try out a M & M NASCAR racing simulator, and we all got a free covered wagon ride.  There are many of this type of event on their calendar of events feature on their website--click links for more detailed information than you will receive if you navigate to special events in other ways.  Check these details to see what will be included in your ticket price.  In our case, the special event did not add substantively to crowds. For food, it would be easy to pack a picnic and eat on the grass in the town square, or you can eat at The Tavern in Old Salem or gorge on sweets and breads at Winkler Bakery where you can see a wood-fired oven in action for cooking cakes.  Be prepared for walking on hills and uneven sidewalks, expect stroller parking to be outside of historic buildings, and check operating hours--if they say they close at 4:30, they mean 4:29. If you are staying in the area overnight, Marbles children's museum is not too far away.

Greensboro Science Center: Good Deal, Day of Fun

K, E, G, and family friend A took off for the Greensboro Science Center in Greensboro, NC, a perfect distance from Roanoke for a day trip.  Recently renovated, the center includes a zoo, an aquarium, and a science museum with play area.  It's all very attractively presented, and on the weekends, we found lots of competent teen volunteers able to provide some interpretation.

For the zoo,  think "bigger than Mill Mountain but smaller than Asheboro; for the aquarium, bigger than aquatics in  Roanoke but smaller than Chattanooga; for the museum itself, around the size of the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville.  This all combines to make a very manageable day for young kids.  We adored the pneumatic tubes in the play area, the tigers in the zoo, and the expansive sting ray touch tank. Taking bigger kids?  Consider the Skywild aerial ropes course add on (must be at least 10 and 70 pounds).  E and A enjoyed an add-on dome theater show about stars.

If you go, know you can pack a picnic--there are tables in the zoo and at Greensboro's Country Park (it literally backs into the property).  There's a fountain you can play in and animals to pet at the zoo, too.  The public park also has playgrounds and paddleboats.  Educators, take your ID--basic admission to the center is free.  ASTC Passport holders are also free, or if based regionally, discounted.   We were able to combine both programs for a great deal.  You may come and go, using your receipt for re-entry.

Moores Creek Battlefield: Pleasant Walk, Well Interpreted

You know those brown road signs that point you towards attractions?  You should follow them every now and again.  On a recent trip back from Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, we passed a sign for Moores Creek Battlefield, an American Revolution site.  The battle at Moores Creek had significant implications for British strategy and caused North Carolina to be "all in" for independence at a new level.  You may not have heard of it before, but it is worth your time.

The National Park Service has done a fabulous job making the story of Moores Creek easy to access in a very pleasant commemorative setting.  Many battlefields are either undeveloped or full of monuments--this one is a nice mix of natural setting and human-made memorial.  There are short, stroller-navigable trails, including a boardwalk over a swamp-like area.  Pause at the monuments, especially the monument to Cape Fear women of the revolution and the Scottish loyalists who fought on site.  Allow an hour or so and walk a trail or two--the paths are pretty flat, the main walk is paved, and you'll see lizards, long-leaf pines, turtles, and the like.

If you didn't already know, North Carolina is the site of several revolutionary battles.  On the way to the Brunswick County beaches and/or the Grand Strand?  It's pretty easy to work in Guilford Courthouse near Greensboro and Moores Creek.  If you go, consider packing a picnic--it's a great site for a pit stop while driving, and plus, there's no site entry fee.  If you are interested in taking in the small exhibit and gift shop in the visitor's center, be sure to check visitor's center hours before stopping.  The park is in a rural area about 15-18 miles from the main road.  You'll travel paved secondary roads to get there, passing some churches, homes, and the occasional gas station--but there are no fast food outlets or stores.

Airlie Gardens: Simple Splendor Near Wimington/Wrightsville

On a quick weekend family trip to the Wilmington area, G and Kim found themselves with some free time.  They chose to spend two hours at Airlie Gardens, a very short (eight minute) drive from Wrightsville Beach.   Airlie is a relatively small garden with sculptures and wildlife.  Smaller than Brookgreen Gardens, it was easy and enjoyable to cover Airlie in a few hours on an overcast afternoon.   There are manicured and "wild" areas, and while the paths are a bit confusing to follow at times, it's fun to meander.  Plus,  there are plenty of trees with hanging moss, giving you the splendor of anywhere in the deeper south.

Kim will tell you not to miss the Bottle Chapel, an incredible (and large) folk art installation that's simply stunning in detail and color.  Made from repurposed glass and including some shells, old colorful mugs, and similar hidden delights, the Bottle Chapel can engage you for a while.   Nearby,  find a small butterfly garden (included in the admission price), and keep your eye out for animals in general (spiders, swans, squirrels, etc.). G enjoyed a temporary exhibit of Guardians of the Garden, various metal creatures lurking throughout.

Airlie is an inexpensive way to spend a few hours (Kim paid $9, G was free--the garden is "public" but there are entry fees).  There's a small gift shop, a nature trail we didn't explore with our stroller, and even an old Episcopalian cemetery on property.  There's a small pier, some fountains, and scattered benches throughout.   We hear the special events, including Christmas lights, are quite nice.  If you go,  you are extremely close to Wrightsville Beach, a wide strand beach with a mix of rental, resident, and hotel properties.  Not an urban beach but not a fully quiet one, the views of small craft and ocean are stunning.  Stop by.