It really shouldn't have been a good camping trip. 95-degree days in the Carolina low country, with an average of 85 percent humidity? Two kids, one a toddler, who had never camped before? I expected it to be kind of a grind but we had a surprisingly great time during our three-day stay at Lee State Park over the eclipse weekend.

We decided to camp because literally all of the hotel rooms and Air B&Bs in the whole area were booked up by the time we made our reservations. We chose Lee State Park as our camping spot just because it was near Florence, where our friends were staying. But once we were there, and saw all the park had to offer, we were glad we chose it. First of all, Lee State Park is home to some of the largest numbers of hummingbirds in the state of South Carolina. We saw so many different varietes of them, whirring about like little jewels. Did you know they make a clicking, chirruping sound as they fly? At some points we were surrounded by what seemed like a full on swarm of them.

Besides that, we saw a ton of other wildlife during our stay. Anouk's nature journal features several different frogs, spiders, centipedes, fish (in the kid-friendly swimming hole on the grounds), lizards, and a bobcat (that we heard yowling outside our tent one night, eek!)

But probably the most interesting things we saw at the park were the artesian wells. I had never seen one before and didn't know what they were so if you're in the same boat: Basically, an artisean well is a pipe stuck down into groundwater reservoir that's under pressure so that it flows up to the surface without a pump. The water is uncontaminated so it is clear and cold and clean. In the 1930s, the CCC drilled several of these wells at Lee State Park and most of them are still pumping over 80 years later! The kid were able to splashed and played in them like fountains. It was a nice way to cool off.


If you are looking for tips for camping with kids in extreme hot weather, here are some things that helped make our trip a little easier. First, frozen water bottles. Before we left, we froze 24 water bottles and loaded them into our cooler. At night, we all took bottles to bed with us. If you wrap them in a sock adn stick them under your neck and arms, it can bring the temperature down enough so that you're comfy enough to sleep.

Second: head lamps. Anouk kept losing her flashlight in the dark and freaking out, but once we stuck the head lamp on her, she was fine and bonus was able to use her hands to make smores.

Third: the Story Nory podcast. Before bed the kids wanted bedtime stories but it was dark and by the end of the night the grownups were pooped. We put on the Story Nory podcast and let somebody else read to them instead and didn't have to haul a bunch of books around in our packs.

Four: You can never have enough toilet paper. Bring several rolls.

Five: Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellant Lotion. (You're welcome!) It has literally no smell, doesn't feel greasy, and works just as well as DEET. It evaporates more slowly than DEET though so you don't need to reapply as often. It also doesn't carry the same neurotoxicity concerns as DEET, according to my pediatrician. Sold!

Are your little ones happy campers or do they prefer to stay indoors? What tips/recommendations can you offer for camping with kids? Hit us up!

Swamps get a bad rap for being hot, humid, and stinky and a terrible place to be in summer. But don't believe it! Swamp Stomp at First Landing State Park this summer has been a blast. For those who aren't familiar with the concept: the program involves a short hike through the woods, under trees laden with Spanish moss. The park ranger hauls up big netfuls of muck from the bottom of the swamp and spreads it on the boardwalks. Then you root through it to search for the water bugs, amphibians, and invertebrates that live there.

This event is super hands on, and kids are encouraged to touch and explore, to gently hold and examine the things they find and compare them to pictures and information provided by the ranger, who does her best to make sure that everybody finds something! Anouk found a tadpole (with legs, halfway through metamorphosis!) and a couple of water scorpions and man, you would have thought she'd found gold nuggets. I love to see her getting less squeamish with bugs and squiggly things and to learn about the landscape that she lives in.




Besides learning about swamp life, we also heard, as we hiked, some fun facts about the dune ecosystem of the park, the variety of trees and vegetation (did you know this is the farthest north Spanish moss can grow?), and water quality (did you also know that the tannins in leaves make the swamp water super pure to drink? -- but I'm not going to try it any time soon).

Swamp Stomp is held at the park every Tuesday and Friday throughout the summer and is only one of the fantastic programs that First Landing puts on. Check out the full roster of offerings here.

PS: BUG SPRAY. We've found picaridin to be the best against mosquitoes, ticks, and those awful biting flies.

When I mentioned to a friend that we were planning a trip to the Mariners Museum in Newport News, she told me that the little kids might find it a bit boring, or over their heads. But because I'm curious and because admission is only $1 during the summer months (!), we went anyway, and I'm so glad we did! Either we are boring or the Mariners Museum has changed, because it has been one of our favorite outings of the summer so far.

The exhibits in the museum cover all things having to do with sailing, navigating, naval wars throughout history, boat building, even the intersection of the space program and the sea. There is enough information given in each exhibit to satisfy the nerdiest adults but also tons of kid-friendly parts of each exhibit as well. There were ships to go in and climb on, barrels of seafaring goods to poke around in, wheels to turn, ropes to knot, and all sorts of hands on fun.






Anouk's favorites from the trip were: the computer games that simulated a sea battle and allowed her to trace trading routes around the globe, the exhibit on Polynesian voyagers (more on that in another post), the model of the ironclad USS Monitor and all of the information on that wreck and the artifacts that were brought up from it. Gus loved: the rooms of model ships (from the Titanic to ancient Egyptian barges), pressing the buttons in the WWII submarine, the spinning globe in the navigators library, and climbing in the wooden play boats in the small park outside.

We ALL enjoyed the exhibit on the America's Cup race, and all of the technological innovations that go into making these sailing yachts lighter, faster, and more aerodynamic. There were a ton of things to touch and play with, and seeing the catamaran that won the race hanging from the ceiling (it's so big!) was really cool.

We spent two hours plus at the museum and still didn't see everything. So we'll have to take advantage of the dollar deal and go back before Labor Day!


 

These photos were taken in the NEON District, exactly one year ago, the height of the Pokemon Go! craze. The NEON District in downtown Norfolk was (and possibly still is?) a fantastic place to hunt Pokemon. If you care about Pokemon, there are Poke stops all over, and if you don't care about Pokemon (raises hand) there are all sorts of other things to see, namely, the gorgeous murals that pop up on the side of every other building.

We love murals. And the NEON Distrct is covered with them. From little pops of color on the sidewalk to huge walls of stripes and hearts, no space is too big or too small to become art. They are diverse and eclectic and there's a story behind each one.

Coming up in August and September, you can tour the NEON District and learn the history of these murals with a local art aficionado! Check out the NEON District Facebook event page for dates and times, and tell us: what's your favorite NEON mural? (Geometric colorblock on Bob's Gun Shop is ours!)

Do you LOVE Norfolk Botanical Garden but find yourself visiting the Children's Garden, Butterfly House, and Airport Overlook over and over again? If you haven't had the chance to ramble, and making your way through the map seems a little daunting here is a quick list of five of our favorite kid-friendly places at NBG.

Baker Overlook: The coolest place in the whole of NBG, in my humble opinion. Literally and figuratively -- it's always five degrees cooler there than anywhere else. There's a two-tier deck/tree platform in a giant oak that makes you feel like Swiss Family Robinson, comfy padded porch swings, and a view of the waterway, to watch the tour boats go by. (The photos in this post were taken at Baker Overlook on a Sunday Pokemon hunt a few weeks ago.)

Hunter Savage Colonial Garden: Part ornamental garden of the 18th century, part medicinal and culinary garden. The walkways are paved in oyster stones, and each herb and plant is marked with tiny handmade markers. We love to run our hands over the herbs and name each smell. Speaking of scents...

Fragrance Garden: Located next to the main building, each plant in this garden was selected because of its scent. Each season has something to stop and smell, from Allspice in summer to Bayberry in winter. We like to do a sensory tour of the garden and find as many different things to touch, smell, and see in this spot as we can.

Tropical Display House: the Tropical Display House is a riot of color year round. It's a steamy spot (going in there always makes Anouk's hair extra curly), which is nicer in winter than in summer. BUT there is so much to see in there, palm trees, birds of paradise, strangler figs, and even that kid-friendly fave: BANANAS. A good place to practice your monkey sounds. Be careful of wet floors.

Enchanted Forest: Two easy trails wend through this secluded spot (one is paved for strollers). Among the tall trees, it's almost possible to pretend that you're somewhere else entirely. There's a picturesque footbridge, whimsical tree-stump benches, and a magnificent fountain spiraling up into the middle of Lake Whitehurts! One of the best places in the Garden to look for turtles.

Honorable mention (Anouk told me to add this, so it's straight from the horse's mouth): Fern Glade, which can be found adjacent to Baker Overlook. "It looks like there are elfs there, Mom."

Did you know that the Outer Banks has its own Paul Revere? In 1775, Betsy Dowdy of Currituck, North Carolina, rode fifty miles one cold December night to warn patriots of an impending British invasion at Great Bridge (yep, that Great Bridge). Not only was Betsy's ride several times the length of Mr. Revere's but she was only in her teens when she made it!

Anouk recently got a Felicity doll and has been super interested in Revolutionary war culture, so when I saw The Ride I snapped it up thinking at least it would offer some fun historical flavor.  But it is even more than that. I love how The Ride points out that even things that seem small can be of great importance. As Betsy tells herself over and over, all she has to do is ride, but as she stumbles and falls and tackles cold and fear you realize that it isn't so simple after all. The contributions of women -- especially young women -- are missing a lot of the time especailly from Revolutionary history (a fact Anouk laments every time we listen to Hamilton), so it's nice to see Betsy take center stage.

Kitty Griffin's writing is a pleasure to read. As the story picks up the words begin to gallop over the page like Betsy's horse, Bess. The swirling Starry-Night-esque illustrations by Marjorie Priceman give a sense of urgency. Will Betsy make it by morning? Of course she does, and you know she will, but you still breathe a sigh of relief when she finally arrives.



No one really knows whether or not Betsy's ride happened like it does in the book or who Betsy herself really was, but her story is no less inspiring for lack of detail! To read more about Betsy Dowdy and what her ride might have been like, click here. And to buy a copy of The Ride, click here.  The Kindle version is only $2.99 and the audio version is even less!

We were on our way home from a weekend in Farmville when we saw a sign for the Crewe Railroad Museum off the highway. The little town of Crewe is in south-central Virginia, about two-and-a-half hours away from the Hampton Roads region, maybe a little far for a day trip but worth it for the look of joy on your tiny train lover's face when you arrive. And it's definitely worth a pit stop if you find yourself traveling out that way. 

The tour of the place starts with a look at old fashioned artifacts from the town's railroad days. Anouk had NO idea what the typewriter was, which was hilarious. Also hilarious: watching her try to dial an old school rotary phone. (The telegraph machine seemed completely obvious to her, "It's how people sent texts in the olden days.") From there, you move into the model train room, which was Gus's dream come true.

But the real amazing thing about the place are the train cars outside. You can climb up and go in them, sit in old passenger car seats, pretend to shovel coal in the engine, tour the caboose. The kids had so much fun looking at and touching everything and I have to admit that J. and I did, too.





It doesn't take long to see everything but after we had finished the official tour we found a shady place and let the kids play. I wish we'd had a picnic basket and maybe a stack of train books to complete the trip. I also kind of wish that I'd gotten a Norfolk & Western coffee mug from the tiny but well-stocked gift shop.

Did I mention that admission to the Crewe Railroad Museum is FREE? And that they do a huge holiday display every December?