Family Travel

Enjoying Spring in the NC Mountains – Pictures

April 19, 2012 by Jennifer 2 Comments

Living in the mountains, you just never know what the temperatures will be each day. We can go from 70s to the 30s in just 24 hours. We did have a very mild winter this year so the flowers were all confused and actually bloomed early this year. Here’s hoping a hard freeze will not damage the Spring beauty.

The sunsets in the Spring are just breathtaking too. My husband will call out my name most evenings and I will join him on our front porch to enjoy our beautiful sunsets. Now, this is the life!

What do you enjoy about the Spring season?

Why is Gaylord Opryland so beautiful?

March 9, 2012 by Jennifer 1 Comment

Recently, I was able to see firsthand why the Gaylord Opryland was so beautiful. The Blissdom Conference is held there every year and who can blame them? The scenery will leave you weak at the knees. It is so beautiful inside the hotel. You never even have to leave the premises because the beauty will keep you captured for your entire stay.

Let’s start our journey with the Grand Staircase, modeled after the Tara from Gone With the Wind. This staircase is just one of the reasons why this property is so beautiful.

There are 2,881 guestrooms, including 174 suites and five themed presidential suites. Now, that is a lot of rooms right? Let’s take a peek inside my room…

The rooms are so spacious and my personal favorite amenity, you are given two bottles of water daily. Perfection!

Once you are inside of the Gaylord Opryland, take a couple of hours and stroll inside the property. Make sure you have your camera. There are nine acres of lush indoor botanical gardens, cascading waterfalls and a ¼ mile-long river under signature glass atriums that are kept at 72 degrees year round.

Can you see why this property is so beautiful? I am not finished yet!

There are several restaurants on-location. Sitting down and eating with a scenic view makes the meal even more bliss. There are twelve locations throughout the property that serves anywhere from snacks to formal meals.

Most meals would last more than a hour because I was enjoying the view so much. The food is delicious too. The pictures allow you to see how stunning the property is firsthand. The scenery is amazing and the Gaylord Opryland does a splendid job with the upkeep.

Gaylord has partnered with the Dreamworks Experience as you may remember from my post around Christmas from the Gaylord Palms in Florida. Several family events are going on that includes fun for the entire family. This allows you to experience the beautiful property up close and personal too.

If you will be in the area, check out their specials and packages before you book your stay. You will not be disappointed.

Now you know why the Gaylord Opryland is so beautiful!

Family Fun at Blowing Rock Winterfest

January 29, 2012 by Jennifer 1 Comment

Living in the mountains of NC allow so many festivities right in our backyard. This weekend was the Blowing Rock Winterfest. We have been attending this festival since M was a year old. It was bittersweet showing her the pictures of when she was a year old. Where does the time go?

The big hit each year of the Winterfest is the polar plunge. I am trying to talk my dad into jumping with me next year. We shall see? 🙂

Close to 100 people jumped for a cause this year. All money raised was going to Wine to Water to ensure people in Ethiopia have clean water. Such a remarkable cause to jump in freezing water for right?!

We headed over to Blowing Rock Park to partake in the kids activities. So many kids were filling the room from wall to wall. I loved seeing all the families come together for the kids and showcase so many smiles. The kids were enjoying designing their own snowflakes, making winter crafts and listening to a local artist do a group story-telling.

All of the designed snowflakes were used in an afternoon snowflake parade. After a quick bite of lunch, we headed over to watch the ice carving. I cannot wait to get back over to the park and take a sneak peek at all the finished carvings. The artists are so talented each year.

The fun doesn’t stop there. There is a chili cook-off, pet show, build your own snowman contest with real snow, bonfires, hayrides, shopping, game shows, concerts and more. Make sure to put it on your calendar next year and come visit beautiful Blowing Rock, NC.

Orlando Vacation Home Rentals + GIVEAWAY

January 8, 2012 by Jennifer 80 Comments

As my readers know, we travel to Florida frequently. My husband’s family lives there so that is one reason we travel frequently, but the other reason is we love visiting Florida. One of our destinations that we thoroughly enjoy is the Orlando/Kissimmee area. We have stayed in several hotels that we absolutely have enjoyed, but it is nice when traveling with extended family members to have a choice that will give you more room. We were able to experience this with a recent stay in Orlando, Florida with Global Resort Homes. You will want to read all the way to the bottom of this post for an awesome giveaway!

From our first emails with their marketing team, I knew we were in professional and great hands. All my questions were answered with grace and very detailed. Also, they were very willing to get on the phone and talk as well. Customer service really plays a positive role in today’s society. So many companies only look at the bottom dollar and forget that people like to be treated with respect. Believe me, Global Resort Homes will go the extra mile for you.

As we drove the 10 hour trek to Florida, we were so ready to walk in and just relax. We were greeted with an amazing house. It really is your home away from home.

It was just so nice to walk into a beautiful decorated home with so much space and know you can just relax the entire time with your family. This particular house had 5 bathrooms and 4 bedrooms. There were two master bedrooms downstairs complete with their own bathrooms. Hubby and I both agreed we have not ever slept so soundly as we did while on vacation here. The beds are absolutely refreshing and so welcoming for a great night’s sleep.

There is also a third bedroom downstairs with a bathroom attached.

Each bedroom has it’s own television so there is no fighting over the show. Even though, with all the family and the pool outside, there probably will not be much television time unless late at night.

Also, the home comes complete with an awesome game room. See, I told you, who has time for television? The girls were having a blast with foosball while my husband was enjoying playing pool with family.

Upstairs includes two more bedrooms which one room is dedicated to Mickey Mouse. You are in the land of Disney after all.

The living room is spacious and has plenty of room to catch your Sunday football game with an afternoon nap on the sofa. Just speaking from experience!

One thing that is hard to do when you go on vacation and stay in a hotel is cook meals. You can spend so much money each day in meals. If you stay in a vacation home rental, then you are able to cook your own meals and save money. The kitchen was very spacious and you either had a choice of the dining room or sitting out by the pool with a huge table. We opted for the outside table most times to take in the beautiful sunshine but it was nice to have a full dining room for everyone as well.

Global Resort Vacation Home Positives:

* Only 10 to 15 minutes from the Main Gates of Disney
* Very quiet neighborhoods
* Great for extended family vacations
* Resort Parks with Clubhouse Activities
* Security Alarm
* Security Guards at the Gatehouses
* AWESOME Customer Service

As you can see, we were very impressed with our stay and very much recommend a vacation home rental for your next family vacation. Speaking of next family vacation… You can WIN accommodations for your next vacation right here!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader is going to win a 3 nights/4 days vacation rental from Global Resort Homes. Your home will be of your choice from a 2 -3 bedroom condo or townhome. You will select your dates. The vacation needs to be before December 20, 2012. Blackout dates include: March, April, June – August 15.

ENTER:

It is very easy to enter to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow Global Resort Homes on Facebook to stay updated with all their latest news and deals.

Disclosure: Global Resort Homes provided us with a Vacation Home Rental for our stay. No compensation was given. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

Family Travel

Footer