Family Road Trip | Tennessee
We are back from a little early summer family road trip. We rented a bus minivan, packed up, and headed south for a few days. We are a relatively short drive from Nashville and thought the boys would have a blast staying at a gigantic hotel, exploring the music scene, and making some new memories. And they did. We did too. Here are a few pics...
road trip essentials: movies + basket of snacks + children in separate rows + ice cream
{yes, that last one was messy}
We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel.
Everyone knows hotels are half the fun of any trip and
what could be more fun that one with a river and boats running through it?!
The pools were great too and there was plenty of room to get lost exploring.
{phone pic}
We spent a long afternoon enjoying the music and scene on Honky Tonk Row.
Charlie could have listened to the musicians and bands ALL DAY LONG.
Andrew and I did a little shopping in between acts...
He left the store with a cowboy hat and I left with a pair of boots!
We also made a trip to nearby Franklin, TN just outside of Nashville.
Oh my goodness, is it charming!
Plenty of cute shops for me and fun shops for the boys.
Please note Andrew is still in cowboy hat!
We stopped for lunch at this yummy and cozy bakery.
Blue and white checked tablecloths on the tables, the smell of fresh baked bread heavy in the air.
Notice that sign?? Yep, 107 degrees! It was STEAMY.
The best part of lunch though, was getting to spend it with Linsey and her gorgeous family.
Linsey and I became friends a couple years ago through our blogs and getting to meet in real life was exactly as I expected. She is, in person, just as sweet, pretty and genuine as she is on her blog.
She recently moved from Houston to Franklin and is busy turning their incredible new farmhouse into a home. I wish we could have had more time together but we talked as much as we possibly could from children to paint colors and hopefully we'll see each other again! I'm so bummed I didn't take a picture of our families together! {We both had our cameras too! bad bloggers!}
We managed to take one of us {thank you, JD}...
On or way back to Cincinnati we stopped halfway to do a little cave exploring...
{when nature calls... which is often when you are 3...}
{Very appropriate foot attire for a hike in the woods. I can hear my Dad saying that right now! In my defense, it was too hot for socks and sneakers! I only slipped once!}
Thankfully the cave tour was by boat.
This particular cave had once been the hide out for Jesse James, and earlier in history, a place that housed camps from both Union and Confederate soldiers. There was lots of folklore and terrific stories about a man eating swimming hole, missing bodies, lost horse drawn carriages and such.
Perfect for boys!
Now we are back and resting up. We had a great time, however don't be fooled, traveling with kids is tiring, shared hotel rooms and musical beds even more so {I might have contemplated taking a pillow out to the mini van at 4:00AM just to get a little peaceful sleep}, but well worth it!
Lots of good family time! If you are close, I do recommend Nashville for a family trip. The people are so welcoming and there is plenty to see and do. Liking country music is essential!
xo