Fun and learning in New York with kids

Like many Capital Region residents, our family makes an annual pilgrimage to Florida. Sometimes we fly in, but more often we drive to avoid the expense of multiple airline tickets and car rental. Even without the cost savings, I prefer to drive from Albany to Florida just to see what we can see along the way.

Day 3: Sapelo Island, Georgia

On our third day of driving to Florida, I was eager to get there already.  In the past, I’ve always done this as a two day road trip, so I had stretched this long enough.  Instead of planning a detour, I let our fuel needs and my bladder determine our pit stops.

A short distance after bypassing Savannah, GA (a mighty fine place to visit!), I spied a sign for the Sapelo Island Visitor just as I started thinking that I would need soon need a restroom. In my experience, Visitor Centers are usually a great place to find a restroom, with the added benefit of providing a little education and room to move. This Visitor Center was no exception, but it is closed on Sundays.

Fortunately, the nearby ferry dock provided a bathroom, and I was able to ask the waiting patrons for restaurant suggestions.The pointed me to Darien, “Georgia’s Shrimping Capital”, located just a few miles south on Rt. 17 (parallel to I95.)

The former fort town is a picturesque setting, teeming with historic sites.  Driving by, we noticed Fort King George Historic Site, a rice plantation, and the docked shrimping fleet. But, we didn’t pause to sightsee, choosing to grab a quick and early dinner so that we could continue on to Florida.

Most businesses were closed on this Sunday afternoon, but we discovered Skipper’s Fish Camp hopping with early bird dinner patrons. This casual, family-friendly restaurant is worth remembering for future trips, when we can follow a leisurely meal with a walk in the park next to the dock. Best of all, the town center is easily accessed within minutes from the I95 highway.

At dinner, we were short on time and short on epicurean courage. My son ordered the fried shrimp meal and I got a blackened fish with cheese grits.  Nome of us were game to try the gator tail, “the other white meat.”  Maybe next time.

That was our last stop on the scenic route to Florida. Three and a half hours later, we arrived at my sister’s home in Orlando.

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Like many Capital Region residents, our family makes an annual pilgrimage to Florida. Sometimes we fly in, but more often we drive to avoid the expense of multiple airline tickets and car rental. Even without the cost savings, I prefer to drive from Albany to Florida just to see what we can see along the way.

Day Two – South of the Border, South Carolina

After spending most of the second day at Harper’s Ferry, WV, I was reluctant to add a new destination to our road trip. I’d also picked up a head cold, and all I really wanted was to crawl into bed and stay there for at least a week.

Looking at the map, I calculated that if we went on to the head of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, I’d be adding at least an extra 5-6 hours to our road trip.  Or, I could take the shortest route via I95, and we would arrive in less than 15 hours.  The choice was obvious.

I drove through Virginia without pause, but my energy was flagging as we entered North Carolina.  That is, until I saw the first sign for South of the Border.  Those cheesy, ridiculous signs kept me giggling all the way to the border.

In my travels on the highways and byways of America, I’ve seen many tacky roadside attractions.  Last year, we cruised the road that hosts the most spectacular assortment of American kitsch, Route 66. And yet, I’d never ventured on the exit for this most tantalizing beacon on the road to Florida.

The kids were so excited when they spotted the brightly lit metropolis that they dubbed it the “Mexican Vegas.” We didn’t even have to visit the tourist trap attractions for them to feel that this was the highlight of the vacation. They just wanted a few photos and to bask in the atmosphere.

I stopped at the Pleasure Dome, the main building of the Motor Inn, and booked us into a room. ($55/night for a very spacious room with two standard bed.) It wasn’t luxurious, but I found the room to be acceptably clean and comfortable, and the price can’t be beat.

Before heading to dinner, we stopped for a photo shoot.  First, we captured “Big Fella”, the 97 foot neon sign in the shape of the sombrero wearing mascot, Pedro. Next, both kids wanted to be captured dangling from King Kong’s paws.  Photos with giant pink flamingos and other odd creatures were postponed until the morrow.

Dinner was a disappointment.  They were out of tequila, and didn’t stock Coronas or any other foreign beer.  That alone was sufficient to mar a Mexican feast. However, despite Roadside America’s claim that “Sombrero Room Restaurant, serv(es) the best Mexican food in northern South Carolina”, the food was awful. My son ordered a hamburger, but received only half a bun.  The Mexican cuisine was what you might expect in a 1960s home where recipes were learned from the back of a taco box purchased in the ethnic aisle of the supermarket. Nachos that were little more than white cheese melted on chips. A quesadilla made with barely melted cheese, lettuce and tomato, and a dash of taco sauce, between limp tortillas. We left with our food barely touched.

Breakfast wasn’t any better.  At the diner, the food was alright, but it’s hard to enjoy a morning meal when surrounded by patrons chasing down eggs and grits with a cigarette. Morning is just not kind to South of the Border.  Whatever tawdry charm it emits at night with all its neon splendor, is easily dispelled by the light of day.

It wasn’t hard to bypass the attractions in the morning.The rides or the new reptile exhibit couldn’t compare to Disney parks or Gatorland, and shopping never interests me. My daughter tried to persuade me that she really, really needed to buy a sombrero. I almost stopped, but didn’t want to make the effort when I realized that the shop was across the street.  (And I really, really didn’t want to spend the rest of the road trip peering out past a huge sombrero!)

We’ll be back someday for the cheap rooms, but I think we’ll dine and play elsewhere.

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Like many Capital Region residents, our family makes an annual pilgrimage to Florida. Sometimes we fly in, but more often we drive to avoid the expense of multiple airline tickets and car rental. Even without the cost savings, I prefer to drive from Albany to Florida just to see what we can see along the way. 

This time, I had a half-baked idea that I wanted to do a couple of hikes along the Appalachian Trail, and I didn’t want to drive more than 7 hours per day.  I met one of those goals.

Day One – Harper’s Ferry, WV

By our standards, we got an early start on the road, heading out just before noon. We didn’t get very far before the Frappuccinos kicked in and my eldest began begging for a restroom stop.  That was fortuitous because it led us to Franklin Lakes Pizza & Restaurant, where we found a spotless bathroom and a delicious meal. While the kids ordered plain pizza, I was torn between many unusual topping options before selecting the Salad Pizza (Baby Field Greens and Fresh Mozzarella on a whole wheat crust.) Yum!

In less than seven hours, we arrived at Harper’s Ferry, home of the Appalachian Trail headquarters.  However, since we started out late, we didn’t arrive until after the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Visitor Center closed. No matter.  The lovely, historic town was as good a place as any for an overnight visit.

We found a vacancy at The Town’s Inn, a pre-Civil War stone residence (circa 1840), where the kids and I shared the honeymoon suite. The historic setting and romantic atmosphere was wasted on them as they claimed that the hotel was creepy.  It was probably a good thing that we chose to skip the Ghost Tour in favor of dinner!

Selecting a restaurant was simple since it was a matter of  choosing between the two or three places still open at 7:30 PM on a Friday night.  We chose Private Quinn’s Pub for its terrace and view of the train station and surrounding hills, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover gourmet entrees listed among the pub fare. We were lucky.  After we received our order, other would-be diners filled the surrounding tables only to discover that the chef had left for the night.

The next day, I didn’t want to spend too much time in town as we had to get back on the road, so we skipped most of the museums and the historical reenactments.  There were many to choose from, from a tour with a Thomas Jefferson impersonator to Civil War battle simulations.  We peeked into a Lewis & Clark display, followed by a quick tour of the John Brown museum; and we stopped to listen to the Thomas Jefferson character as he sat by the Jefferson Rock explaining the origins of the town. Harper’s Ferry will merit another visit, with a more educational focus.

Sticking to my plan, I wanted to explore the Appalachian Trail Headquarters and perhaps do a little hiking. I didn’t have a map, and I didn’t ask how to get there because I saw a sign that I thought would point me in the right direction.  Well, the sign did put us on the trail itself and we hiked on it a bit before we ended up wandering the town, further and further from the headquarters which turned out to be located along the same street as our hotel.

I’m not sure what I expected to find at the AT headquarters. I guess I thought it would be bigger, with the most definitive library of books about the trail. Instead, the Visitors Center is located in a small white house where thru-hikers drop in to be photographed and added to the album log. There is a small display about the trail, and a gift shop that offers one small bookshelf of books about the trail. The best resource of the center is the friendly and knowledgeable staff who ably assist veteran and would-be hikers.

I don’t think I’ll ever be featured in this photo album, but who knows. Never is a long time. After our visit, we’re all set to tackle the Appalachian Trail as a series of day hikes (over the course of a lifetime), but that’s a story for another day.

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“It was a fun vacation,” said Teen Daughter as we headed home from the White Mountains of New Hampshire. 

Vacation accolades from this picky child are a rarity, so you’ll appreciate just how flabbergasted I was to hear this compliment about this particular expedition. Rain, hail, sweltering heat, and incredible feats of strength and endurance were just a few of the challenges that we faced on one on the most grueling family adventures that we have ever experienced.

It was difficult, but also exhilarating.

I’ll tell you all about our family travel adventure tomorrow,  just as soon as I catch up on the laundry.

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