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.

Back to Legoland: The Ultimate Halterman Weekend Returns

By early spring, Kim was realizing that the annual passes for Legoland Florida were about to expire. We had a great time last year, and it was time to plan a return trip for Kim and E--you know, we could not just let the passes go without a repeat visit and taking advantage of this great "sunk" cost.  As a reminder, we got our annual passes on a special email deal for just $99 each--admission to Legoland Florida and the associated water park (usually separately ticketed) for one year + park perks like an extra 30 minutes of play, a 10% purchase discount, and free parking.  What a deal!  If you are interested in going, comb their website and Google for deals and sign up for email alerts.  The park has been know to have whole months when, say, professional emergency responders enter free--so you never know what great find you'll get! While we're not yet Florida park connoisseurs, we think this one is a gem--good value and no complex trip planning involved.  This year, we met up with friends in the park and let our kids explore together--a great way to spend time with friends in Florida and also a perfect park for kids to enjoy on a playdate.

Again this year, we thoroughly enjoyed the park's family coasters, and this time, E was tall enough (44 in. +) to ride all four.  These coasters are magic for thrill seekers ages 5 - 9ish...they are not "baby" coasters but are not huge screamers, either.  Also on the "have to visit" list were Ford Driving School, a driving range of small cars kids really control and drive, and Lost Kingdom Adventure, a "dark" ride with only pleasant, gentle surprise elements that allows you to "shoot" light targets for points in a Egyptian-esque setting.  Kim also recommends some truly unique rides like the double-decker carousel, Quest for Chi water ride, Boating School where kids can pilot their own boats, and Island in the Sky, a sightseeing throwback to the previous Cypress Gardens park.  If in the park on a busy day, start at Driving School and Boating School first--these rides are worth it but are slow loaders, and you want to go when the lines are not tremendous.  Check out information about the rides here.

The waterpark is small--and separately ticketed unless part of your pass (it was part of ours).  We might take a pass on it if here on just a day trip, but for cooling off in the afternoon on a multi-day trip, it's a good stop. E's picks were the wave pool, lazy river, and large sprayground full of slides.  There are also tube slides, speed slides, and a small children's area.  Near the wave pool, you'll find some pretty fantastic water tables--including an amazing "build a boat" course that will delight anyone who enjoys Amazement Square's canal system water tables.  If you don't want to do the waterpark, it's fairly simple not to--the park is in the very back of the Legoland expanse.  Here's a link to the information on waterpark features.

While in the park, don't forget to take in Miniland USA, a wonderful set of Lego models of famed places with the footprint of a football field.  There's also an adjacent Star Wars set of Lego models that is quite impressively animated.  We suggest ending a day in the park in this area--at quitting time, you can amble out and enjoy the displays as the rides close down.  In other park tips, don't miss shopping at the small store by the Lego Factory.  You can buy Legos by the pound--and there's quite a variety of pieces and colors, all neatly organized like a candy store. Remember, you can bring in your own food here (only small coolers)--and there's a Publix grocery store very nearby.  Our experience of travelling in the spring has been if the park is a bit crowded, the waterpark is not...and vise versa.  We have not stayed at the Legoland Hotel, but someday, we might take an extra day, get a room, and just hang out there and enjoy the setting.  We tend to be tired after a day at Legoland, so simply stopping for fast food and heading back to sit in a hotel room and watch a little TV works for us, particularly given that we've had some odd timing on arriving/departing flights when coming in and out of Florida.  The Shergill Grand Hotel in Winter Haven is very close by, reasonably priced, and safe--but it doesn't fall in any luxury category if that is what you are going for.  Read reviews first and make sure it is a fit for you.  Yes, you could walk to the park from this hotel if you don't have passes that would comp your parking--but you will also walk a lot in the park, so keep this in mind.  For more on our trip in this area in 2016, please check out our blog entry on Clearwater Beach.

Clearwater Treats: Aquarium, Sunsets, Beach

So, Kim looked at those Legoland passes from last year and decided to make another trip before they expired.  Elijah and Kim were pleased to fly in to St. Pete-Clearwater (PIE) on another successful Allegiant flight.  We learned we prefer flying in to PIE to other area airports--beautiful landing!

Friends in the area suggested we use the time after our flight to explore the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a very interesting marine rescue and rehabilitation facility where you can, as the website name suggests, see Winter of Dolphin Tale fame.  We've been to several aquariums, and we're quick to tell you we are big fans of the Tennessee Aquarium in particular.  This aquarium, however, also stands out, but does so very differently--it is truly a medical facility for rescued sea life with a relatively small floorplan.  Winter's story is the most fascinating.  If you don't know, Winter lost her tail, and in the process, a prosthetic tale used for physical therapy was developed so that she could swim--and keep swimming!  The material that allows Winter to use the prosthetic tail, known as WintersGel, is now used to help humans more comfortably use prostheses.

The aquarium is currently under some renovations, but you can still access most exhibits--and even see marine hospital care, up to and including surgery, through viewing windows.  Rescued animals include sea turtles, sharks, otters, and dolphins.  There's a touch tank for sting rays, too, and a special exhibit about the filming of the Dolphin Tale movies at a nearby site.  This aquarium is a great size for small kids, kids who can really get excited about developing some simple "expertise" on a specific animal or situation (like E!), and/or for group trips with kids.

We then met our friends at the nearby beachfront restaurant Palm Pavilion for dinner--what a fabulous suggestion!  Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, this restaurant offers a legendary welcoming atmosphere and even more legendary views of sunsets on Clearwater Beach.  Our server was genuinely friendly and accommodating--and the salsas and mango slushies were truly awesome. Our kids then played in the surf, which was a delight to watch, of course.  And yes, there is nothing like a Florida sunset.

When returning to the area, we'll want to remember Dinosaur World is nearby.  We like Dinosaur Land, so I bet we'd like Dinosaur World!  We also heard we need to visit Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa--especially in the Christmas season when light shows are apparently involved.  While driving to Legoland afterwards, I also spotted a Hard Rock casino and signs for the famous Tarpon Springs.

If you go, know there are tons of Allegiant flights that go in and out of PIE.  We could have departed from several airports in the region but chose the convenience of our neighbor ROA.  The landing really is attractive, so look out the window.  This time, we found a better deal on a rental car at Hotwire, so check around.  You could also fly in to this airport and easily reach the Orlando area. Educators, bring your ID--you get in free at the aquarium.