Don't Pass Up The Art Institute of Chicago

Living a few short hours from Chicago, I couldn't even tell you how many times we've been to the city. We make leisure day trips there 3 or 4 times a year, usually opting to do kid friendly activities like bike Lake Shore Drive or visit the free Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicago offers an endless amount of activities, you definitely need multiple trips to squeeze everything in. We have toured the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, and Shedd Aquarium which are all family friendly, but now that the girls are a bit older, we thought they might enjoy a trip the The Art Institute of Chicago. I'm sure we've walked by the museum hundreds of times over the years, but never took the time to go in and explore. We decided that on our last trip that we'd go in to see what it had to offer.

We received a program guide of what exhibitions were on display and what floor we could find each on as soon as we bought our tickets. There are 4 floors to explore, so I would suggest giving yourself at least 4 hours to get through all of the exhibits. The Indian and Asian statues and artifacts are quite impressive to see in person, and I would have loved to have had more time to browse through them all, but we only had about 2 hours open in our schedule and had to rush through this section.

The girls were thrilled to get an up close look at famous paintings from well known artists such as Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh.

 
While the kids liked the paintings, I liked the pieces that were a bit on the odd side. 

I always find a trip through any museum interesting because art is so subjective. There were some pieces that made us question what made something so special to earn a spot in such a prestigious museum, like rolled up carpet, blurry photographs, and this very plain piece...

I had to remind myself that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what may seem ordinary to me is fascinating to another.

The admission is right around $25 for adults, and it is included as an option in the Chicago City Pass for reduced rates. Whether you are new to visiting Chicago or a returning tourist, make sure you schedule a trip to the The Art Institute. You won't be disappointed!

What's is your favorite form of art? Paintings, sculptures, photography, ancient jewelry? Let me know in the comment section below!

The Lost Sea Adventure

When we were planning a trip to Tennessee this summer, we thought it would be cool to do a little cave exploring. My father in law mentioned a place he took Jason many years ago (so many that Jason didn't even remember it) called The Lost Sea Adventure. I'm a sucker for tourist traps, so I made sure it was added to our itinerary.

The tour is 3/4 mile long, and lasts about an hour. We started our adventure by walking through a long tunnel to get into the caves.

Once inside, I was pretty happy to see that it was very open, and you don't feel like you are being sucked into small tunnels. We learned quite a bit about the cave stalagmites and stalactites, how the Indians used the caves as a place for meetings, and how later, the Confederate soldiers used it as shelter. It's definitely rich in history, and you'll learn about how people have used the caves for many different purposes over the years.

I'll admit, the novelty of walking through a cave kind of wears off quickly. To me, once you've seen a few stalagmites and stalactites, you're pretty much over the experience. However, this tour offered a few extra perks that kept us entertained. First, they shut off all the lights, pitching us into complete and total darkness. I believe our guide said caves are only one of two places in the world where you can experience this. The other perk is The Lost Sea is home to America's largest underground lake. It's located 140 feet below ground and spans 4 acres. You'll board a glass bottom boat, then float out for a trip around the lake.

The guide encouraged us to dip our hands into the crisp mineral water, which left our skin feeling really soft. We didn't leave our hands in too long since the lake houses massive rainbow trout that they feed on every tour. The fish do lose about 20% of their eyesight in the lake, and they cannot reproduce, so The Lost Sea does have to replenish the fish supply every so often.

When we wrapped up the tour, we did stop at their Old Sweetwater Village to have a look around. Here you can pick up some souvenirs in the glass blowing shop, stop for an old fashioned ice cream cone, or hike through the nature trail.

The Lost Sea Adventure is located in Sweetwater, TN, and offers tours daily, except for Christmas. We paid roughly $20 per adult and $10 per child. While it's not something we ever need to go through again, I thought it was fun and the experience was well worth the cost.

Have you ever been cave exploring? If so, where? If not, would you ever consider a cave tour?

Smoky Mountain Vacation & A Giveaway

Since we went to Disney last fall, didn't make any grand summer vacation plans this year. But by the time July rolled around, we were all getting a little bored sticking close to home. We've been talking about making a road trip to Tennessee for quite some time, so we tossed around some ideas and decided we would take the girls to The Smoky Mountains. I'm so glad we had a last minute summer vacation before the girls went back to school. Even though I spent a lot of time in TN on my grandma's farm as a child, I forgot how breathtaking it is there. It's a trip my girls will definitely remember forever!

Our first morning, we did a little bike riding through the mountains. In Cades Cove you can rent comfort bikes by the hour. It is a one way road and you do have to ride along with the cars, but it's still pretty safe for all ages. The trail is 11 miles long, but since it was sooo hot out, we only did the 8 mile loop. We did the 8 miles in about 2 hours, so the bike rentals only cost around $50 for the 4 of us.

Later that afternoon, we planned an hour long horseback riding session. This activity isn't cheap, costing around $130 for the 4 of us. However, riding horses through The Great Smoky Mountains is such an amazing experience, it's well worth the cost!

As soon as we returned back to the stables, who should appear but a hungry black bear! We didn't see much wildlife, short of a few turkeys, so we were pretty excited to see a bear out in the open! He wasn't too concerned with us humans, he just wanted a little of the pony grub. The stable boys chased him off before he became a nuisance.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed we didn't see more wild life, but maybe we just weren't looking hard enough. On our way out, I somehow spotted this little beauty camouflaged in the trees and made Jason go back so I could snap a quick photo.

We were intrigued by the cabins and churches in the park because they were all leveled onto heaping piles of rocks. It looked weird, but they were all very stable.

We were only able to stay a day and a half, but we are dying to go back soon. There is so much more we want to explore, you just can't enjoy it all on such a short time frame.

Barely awake. Very early morning and the smoke/fog is just rolling through the mountains! Simply stunning views!

Have you been to The Great Smoky Mountains? Where is your dream road trip destination?

Since summer is winding down, I thought I'd host a little giveaway for my readers for their back-to-school shopping. Now through 8/8, enter to win $15 to Amazon! Giveaway is open to my readers worldwide! Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning email before a new winner is selected.
 
*All entries are verified, so please make sure you are properly entering for the entries you claim. 
**Amazon is not a sponsor/affiliated with this giveaway.

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Diagon Alley At Wizarding World of Harry Potter

So, this post is a little over due. I had intentions of sharing our Diagon Alley visit last fall, but I had way too many photos to weed through. Since Mariah is a huge Harry Potter fan, I wanted to capture every little detail in photos for her, and I ended up with roughly 700 pictures. I crafted her a photo book from our first visit to Wizarding World of Harry Potter several years ago, and wanted to make another photo book for her birthday this year.

Before heading into Diagon Alley, you'll get the chance to take your photo with the Night Bus. There's a little bobble head guy inside the window, and behind the scenes, there is someone making him speak to all the guests. He's quite funny!

Through an opening in a set of buildings, you'll enter Diagon Alley, But first, check out King's Cross Station and Sirius Black's house. If you look up in the window to the house, sometimes Kreacher will make an appearance!

As soon as you cross over into Diagon Alley, you'll see the impressive fire breathing dragon on top of Gringott's. He roars and blows out a puff of fire every 5 minutes.

Then, get lost in exploring the magical world of Harry Potter! Our first stop was Quality Quidditch Supplies and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Mariah had most of her money spent in the Weasley's buying up snacks like U-No-Poo and Chocolate Frogs.

Allison had a blast shopping in Magical Menagerie. There you can buy plush of all your favorite magical beasts! And, head to the back and get a glimpse of Nagini!

Head over to the money exchange building, and you can get your real money ripped off turned into Gringotts Bank notes. I think the exchange rate is $50 U.S. for $30 in Gringotts cash. Don't quote me here, though. We didn't buy any and my memory is a big foggy on the deets. I just remember it isn't a 1 for 1 kind of deal. You don't have to exchange any money to go in and have a chat with the banker, though. *I stand corrected, it IS a 1 for 1 exchange. Thanks for the update lady in the photo :)*

Expect to wait quite a while for the Escape From Gringotts ride. We waited about 2 hours to get on, but they did have plenty to look at to keep us entertained during our wait.

Lack of benches and seating makes it really difficult to get in good photo opps at the popular spots, like in front of Gringotts Bank, so I suggest you seize the opportunity to get some snaps as soon as you see no other tourists resting on those spots.

Cross over into the dark side, and explore Knockturn Alley. The girls and I had a bit of fun sporting some Dark Mark tattoos I made us before we went. Check out the wardrobe in Borgin & Burkes, as well as a slew of other creepy treasures.

 

At Olivander's Wand Shop, you can buy a wand that will let you interact with special effects through the park. The wands are a bit pricey at $50 a pop, so the girls had to share one. The interaction is a lot of fun for the kids, but do be warned there are many adults who take more than their fair share of time at each stop, so you could be waiting a bit to use your wand when this happens.

making it rain

 

If you want to ride the Hogwarts Express, you'll need a ticket to Universal's Islands of Adventure. Sneaky, but brilliant way for them to get you to purchase admission to both parks. The ride lasts about 5 minutes, and the screen in the train cabin keeps you entertained during your ride. You also might get a visit from some Dementors!

There are so many things to see and to at Diagon Alley, and we didn't even get to the dining options! Come back later this week and I'll fill you in!

What area would you explore first in Diagon Alley?