My Personal Favorite Vacation Spots From My Fourteen State Trip

This summer, I had the joy of experiencing a road trip. My father, son and I set off on a 10 day trip across 14 states. The only planned stay for the trip was a hotel in the French Quarter for 2 nights, the rest were spontaneous stays wherever we ended up at dusk. From my travels, I picked my top 5 favorite spots we stayed or explored, and the reasons why I would visit them again!

5. Ormond Beach, Florida

Outside of Florida’s amusement parks and party spots, there are places like Ormond Beach. The northern neighbor of the well-known Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach is a quiet suburban, yet touristy, area with a beautiful view of the Atlantic. Ormond Beach reminded me of everything I remembered Florida being as a kid: lovely beaches, amazing wildlife and the quiet neighborhood feeling of home. While in Ormond, we stayed at a hotel on the ocean, with a breathtaking view. The area we stayed in was quiet, while just up the road there were plenty of great restaurants and shops to enjoy. Ormond Beach is a great family spot that will have you feeling at home while keeping you on vacation!

Ormond Beach, Florida

4. Land between the Lakes, Tennessee/Kentucky

The Land between the Lakes is an amazing adventure with so much beauty and scenery to offer. While driving through this area, we encountered everything from buffalo to butterflies along with lovely scenic views. While passing through we were able to stop at information centers and learn more about the area we were in. The history in this area was awesome to learn about, considering my grandmother (father’s mother) had family from the area. However, anyone can enjoy the beauty of nature from hiking and bike trails to fishing and parks, The Land between the Lakes is a wonderful place to visit.

A bush covered in butterflies in the park.

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3. Galveston, Texas

Galveston is an awesome tourist oriented island filled with everything from haunted mansions to boardwalks. This area of Texas is a great place to spend time with the family. The streets of Galveston seem to always be filled with smiling faces at least that is what I remember most from my visit! Friendly locals loved to chat, while the beaches and sidewalks were filled with people enjoying their visit. Galveston’s board walks, beaches and swim up bars made this city an all-around fun place to be for people of all ages.

The view from our deck at the Commodore Hotel in Galveston, TX.

2. St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine, also known as the oldest city in the U.S, is an awesome place for anyone to visit! From history tours through Castillo de San Marcos to a fun visit at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, there is so much to see and do in this historic city. People of all ages can enjoy the amazing history of St. Augustine and the awesome attractions it has to offer. Fine dining, beautiful beaches and history at every turn, St. Augustine is a city I would gladly go back and visit again.

Alligator at the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL.

1. New Orleans, Louisiana
The good ole Big Easy! New Orleans offered so much fun and history to our trip. From taking a tour of the Mississippi on a steam boat, to walking the famous Bourbon Street, New Orleans was an adventure for everyone in our family. I loved the fine dining offered by so many restaurants in the French Quarter, and of course the energy of the streets that never seemed to sleep. New Orleans was an experience that I hope everyone gets to enjoy in life. The locals were so friendly and the neighborhoods were full of beauty, I cannot wait to go back again!

A snapshot of Bourbon St. New Orleans, LA.

While my trip lead us to many more adventures then the above mentioned, these spots will forever stick out to me and I truly hope to revisit them all someday!

Vacation Crafts: A More Personalized Souvenir

A painted 10x10 canvas decorated with
photos and leaves from a camping trip.

I'm not sure about you, but one of my favorite parts of any trip is the souvenirs! As much as I enjoy my key chains and fridge magnets, I found a way to make my souvenirs even more personal and fun by crafting them up myself. I have always enjoyed crafting and making personalized gifts, so it is no surprise that you will find crafty seashell or rock projects in my home from places I have traveled. I have posted photos of some of my own personal projects to show some ideas for those random pretty leaves you see or rocks and shells you collect. Crafting souvenirs makes for a great way to remember your special trips!

A small decorated mason jar filled with
seashells.

 There are plenty of ways to get creative with these types of crafts, from doing them with children to making something special to give as a gift. I found a couple of videos for craft ideas that I would love to do in the future; this seashell caterpillar and this seashell owl were a couple of my favorites to keep in mind for my next collection of shells.

A small decorative glass bowl filled with
scent beads, seashells and a painted rock.

Scrap booking is another way I love to make memories last a lifetime. However, after a long trip I barely seem to have time to get myself organized, more or less photos and memorabilia organized into a book. I recently began taking up offers from sites such as Snapfish and Shutterfly for free photo books. This was an easy and inexpensive way to organize my photos into a fun book. My son loves looking through his own personalized picture book from a trip. They are also a great way to show off your trip without a pile of photos or scrolling through the tons of pictures on your phone.

While buying a key chain or magnet is simple, crafting your own souvenirs makes for a much more personalized memory of your trip. All of my travels are special to me in their own way, so I enjoy putting things together to help keep those special memories alive. So, next trip you are on, collect those random items and get creative with them!