Lost in an Adventure: Lost World Caverns, Lewisburg, WV

Kim adores a good cave, commercialized ones included.  There's something about living in the mid-Atlantic and seeing all these fascinating underground spaces.  In the Lewisburg, WV, area, there are around 2,500 known caves--what awe that thought can inspire!  E has been to several caverns, as historic readers of this blog know, but he recently reported he had no memory of those visits.  G, well, she hadn't been to any.  So, really, we all know what happened next.

Enter Lost World Caverns, a family-owned tourism treasure just over the state line from Alleghany County, VA, on I-64.  To arrive, you turn off the paved road (almost always a good sign).  Their self-guided cave tour is a perfect adventure for a "first cave" and young visitors to the cavern scene.  The pace was perfect because we could control it, allowing Kim to explain to G that caves were a magical world, not a scary one, and allowing E to shine a flashlight they provided into many interesting crevices.  The visitor paths are winding and full of stairs, also adding to the kid-interest factor.  We particularly enjoyed the Smurf Village formations (yes, they look like Smurf houses) and Goliath, a massive column like the name suggests.  (E wanted to name a nearby smaller formation David.)  We spent a little over an hour in the cave and about thirty minutes in the spacious gift shop.  And the gift shop? There were several reasonably-priced items, including Kim's favorite souvenir Christmas ornaments, as well as a small fossil exhibit with items loaned from the Smithsonian.  The science of this cave is truly in progress, and a prehistoric bear skeleton, significant in dating the location of various animals in the area, was found just a few years ago.  It's also a place of popular culture legend for those interested -- the home of Bat Boy, which you can buy in plush form in the gift shop.

If you go, know that this cave is beautiful with lighting that adds to the splendor (similar to Lost Sea Adventure).  You will descend to (and leave from) the cave via a long, steep tunnel with stairs, and the visitor pathways are a bit narrow, uneven, and often feature stairs.  In short, while there are no steep drop offs or similar heights, this is a cave for the surefooted.  We took a stroller into Shenandoah Caverns--you wouldn't do that here.  Really, though, this is all part of the charm and engagement, especially for young kids.  Kim has been caving in wild caves twice, and the overall effect of Lost World Caverns is that it closer to a cave adventure feel than most commercialized caves can accomplish.  Visitors with kids a bit older than us can enjoy wild cave tours; same-age visitors will probably be equally fascinated with the flashlight they loan you for touring.  On the day of our visit, there were people rappelling into the cave from the natural entrance--very nifty.  We've not seen a lot of ads for this attraction, but their digital brochure is helpful in planning.  Also, check Groupon for discount entry--and also consider adding the frequent Groupon coupon codes on local activities for a steeper discount.  Remember jackets as needed for comfort--the cave is about 50 degrees F.  For your interest, here's another family's take on the cave.  Nearby Lewisburg, WV, is an interesting town on its own and has been proclaimed one of the nation's best small towns--just get away from WalMart and to the small town part.  Visitors are also in reach of Alleghany County, of which there is a LOT on this blog, but one of our favorites for kids there is the C & O Railway Heritage Center.

And E?  Well, he remembered visiting caverns once he arrived in this one.

Desert Refreshment: Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ

K was not always a fan of botanical gardens, but of late, she's had several occasions to visit them.  Turns out that she's found new treasures in all of them and plans to be a more consistent garden explorer.  There was the special Lantern Asia exhibit at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, there were fantastical sculptures at Airlie Gardens, and now, there were beautiful cacti aplenty at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ.

Simply put, if you want to see stunning desert landscapes, this is the place for you.  The cacti are beautiful, and in various seasons, there are plenty of flowers and butterflies.  Within the garden, there is a "desert living" home decorated with opulent landscaping for the arid climate.  The paths encourage wandering and the "finding" of such fun treasures.

Various areas of the garden depict different desert areas around the world, and we saw a fair amount of small wildlife, including numerous birds.

Was it hot?  Well, yes. It was Phoenix in July. Bring water and sip it constantly--there are plenty of water bottle refill stations, and garden employees were even driving about with trucks that could refill your waterbottle. The gardens are open relatively early and late if your schedule can so accommodate.

Be alert for special events.  A Bruce Munro lighted art exhibit had left recently, and while we snagged gift books picturing it in the gift shop, we missed it by some weeks.  Our understanding is that the garden is a fantastic venue for special events that include open-air concerts.  On this trip, K stayed late, hanging out near closing.  A special night walk event was planned, and we were able to enjoy parts of it, including conversations with great volunteers who were very welcoming locals who gave great dinner recommendations, just because we were in the right place at the right time.

Speaking of the right place at the right time, head to the Sonoran Desert area at sunset--specifically the seating area known as Pratt Ramada.  You won't regret it.

If you go, check Groupon and similar sites for possible ticket discounts.  The Desert is also near Scottsdale, AZ, and it would be easy to head there for dinner after a visit.  We recommend Olive and Ivy near Scottsdale Fashion Square, an upscale mall.  The mall area is open late, but many of the shops in "old" Scottsdale are regrettably closed in the summer "off season." In the garden itself, there's also a cool gift shop and an esteemed restaurant.  Park for free onsite, but reach the area by driving if at all possible (public transportation would have been much more complicated).  Plan to spend several hours.  In our 2+ hour visit, we estimate we saw around one-third of the garden.

Red Rocks: Stunning Sedona

K was told not to miss Sedona while in Arizona--and that turned out to be exceptionally good advice! After a long day of conference sessions in Phoenix, K and some colleagues were determined to find the McDonald's with the turquoise M...and of course, enjoy views of the Red Rocks.  We stopped at Bell Rock--no, we didn't climb it, but it was still a great stop.  If we had more time, we may have done the hike or found a local canyon, too, in a nearby state park...but driving and hiking distances would have required more time.  Nonetheless, sunset visits to the area are spectacular--even with some clouds.

Views were so breathtaking that this is how we behaved, everywhere...

We also learned that wrong turns into neighborhoods bring solid views, too, including this awesome one of the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

We ate a leisurely dinner in one of the Gatlinburg-like small roadside mini shopping areas--substantially more upscale than Gatlinburg, but with similar parking challenges and quirky architecture.  We found lots of quirky outdoor sculptures and grand views.  Shops close down early, but the boutiques in several places we walked made for delightful window shopping. We particularly enjoyed wandering through Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village, even if everything was closed for the evening.  In case the last shopping area you visited didn't resemble some opulent version of a Spanish mission...

If you go, the drive from Phoenix to Sedona is a treat for East Coasters--you take in some views of changing desert topography.  In the summer, you also experience a substantial temperature drop...we went from 106 degrees F to the 70s.  We know summer is not high tourist season in Sedona, but in K's humble opinion, it's still not a bad time to travel there.  You will find good overall travel rates--if some closed attractions and early closings on others.  Just take plenty of water.  When driving in the desert, keep your tank full--we found that our car's "miles remaining" decreased rather oddly and rapidly, probably due to the driving conditions, and this made for a little adventure in an area where service stations are few and far between and most apparently close at 8 PM.  Our night was a bit cloudy, but stargazing in the area is described as generally spectacular--even on a cloudy night from a car, a sense of grandness is apparent.  There are even stargazing tours--but they are best taken outside of July/August monsoon season.  And there really is a McDonald's with a turquoise M...

Castle for Kim: Montezuma Castle (and Well)

Since fourth or fifth grade social studies, I (K) had always wanted to see some cliff dwellings.  When I realized I'd find myself in Phoenix, Arizona, in July 2016, I was inspired to go find some.  So, after my plane landed mid-day on a Sunday, I found Montezuma Castle, a, 800-year-old well preserved set of dwellings in a naturally-occurring opening on a cliff face.

A small National Park Service site, Montezuma Castle is easily accessible and a wonderful glimpse into the ancient past in the desert.  The castle is not one family's dwelling--it's housing for more like 30-50 people. Misnamed as an Aztec site at one point (hence the Montezuma), this Sinagua native site helps the visitor understand desert survival. There's a short sidewalk-style trail that is relatively flat that will give you a view of the castle and some pretty desert landscape.  No, you can't enter the castle--it's too challenging to preserve--but the view from the ground is grand.  There's also a wonderful diorama to view to give you a sense of the "inside"--and I have been trained by hubby J to appreciate these delightful touches that help interpret such sites. And there's a gift shop (with an educator discount)!

Run up the road a few more miles and you'll find the less busy but quite splendid Montezuma Well, an interesting "lake" made by a spring that's home to unique species of leeches and other such nifty-ness.  Take a short "hike" (also on a sidewalk, but with some stairs with decent steepness) .25 mile up to the top of the lake (and looping back around to the parking lot).  Venture off the beaten path (but still on a marked trail) down to the lake edge if you wish--this was also pretty terrain. For diver shots from 2006, the last research dive into the well, click here.  There's no gift shop at the well, so be sure to pack water.  It's the desert--if it is summer, basically walk around sipping water.

If you go, the drive from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is north about 90 minutes and will afford you some excellent desert scenery.  You could easily visit the small town of Jerome or the Red Rocks of Sedona in the same little road trip--admission here also gets you in to Tuzigoot National Monument for the week, too, and it is easily accessible from the same drive.  For some thought-provoking reading on archaeology, historic preservation, and plunder, check out Craig Childs's Finders Keepers.  If you are interested in other things K was inspired to see thanks to elementary school social studies, check out our blog on Town Creek Indian Burial Mound in North Carolina.