Casino Camping

After exactly a month in Texas, it was time to start working our way back north and east. Our flight reservation from New York back to Sweden for the summer was just over a month away and we wanted some time with family and friends in Pennsylvania before we left the country again. It was sad to leave our friends……

I’m Not 20 Anymore

I’m definitely not 20 anymore. But it was fun to pretend for a while. It’s a real thing documented by social scientists – when adult children visit their parents, for example, everyone reverts to their old familiar roles. You know you’re not a teenager anymore but find yourself acting like one. Similarly, when you are hanging out with your friends from……

Houston Area Thousand Trails

We truly enjoyed the two weeks we spent in the Houston area, visiting friends and some of the city’s many attractions. In our previous post, we shared more about our favorite family-friendly activities. Thousand Trails members looking to visit the Houston area have two choices of member campgrounds in the Houston area: Colorado River in Columbus and Lake Conroe in……

Family-friendly Houston

There are so many fun and interesting things for families to do in Houston! It was hard to choose how to spend our time while we were there, but based on tips from friends, our kids’ interests, and chances to visit with friends, we chose to visit the Children’s Museum, the Houston Zoo, and Hermann Park. Children’s Museum of Houston……

Sam Houston Jones State Park

Our next destination after leaving Gulf Islands was Houston, Texas. But it’s a very long drive to Houston from Ocean Springs, MS. To break it up we spent a night at a wonderful state park in Louisiana, also named for Sam Houston. Or rather, named for someone who was named for Sam Houston. Sam Houston is a man with a lot……

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Our next two stops were both at Gulf Islands National Seashore. This beautiful area of protected coastline along the Gulf of Mexico is found in both Florida and Mississippi. The two sections of the park are very different in character from one another, but both well worth visiting. Gulf Islands Florida Across from Pensacola is a long strip of island……

Camel Lake Camping and Florida Caverns

Updated February 2018! Touring a cave always feels like an adventure! Something about leaving the warm air and sunlight behind and knowing you’re deep underground just gives it an other-worldly feel, and yet every cave seems to have its own personality. We like touring caves! When we heard about Florida Caverns State Park, we knew we wanted to add that……

Making the Best of It at Horseshoe Beach

If you were looking at a map of the Gulf Coast of Florida, and you saw a town labeled “Horseshoe Beach,” what would you expect it to be like? What images would come to your mind? If you, like me, were picturing a beautiful west Florida beach community, then noticed that there was a county park right along the water……

Our Favorite Things – Homeschool Resources

I started out homeschooling determined to do it for free, or as close to it as I could depending on how you count supplies like paper, crayons, scissors, etc. There are so many resources available for free online and whatever I couldn’t find I could just create. It would be like college! Spending hours creating fun, creative lesson plans on……

Swimming with Manatees

One of the many advantages of spending time with other people who travel full-time is finding out about places to see and things to do that we wouldn’t have known about otherwise. Swimming with manatees at Crystal River in Florida was one of these things for us. We met another family during our stay at Peace River who told us……

Boondocking at Flying Eagle Preserve

Once we had spent a few days in the Everglades without hook-ups, we were itching to further explore boondocking opportunities. Florida is a great place to do that, both because of weather and availability, so after a few days of resting and recharging back at Peace River, we chose a boondocking site near our next destination. What is boondocking? Definitions vary……

Exploring the Everglades

  The Everglades region in southern Florida is a place we’ve always wanted to visit. The nature and ecosystem of the southern tip of the Florida peninsula is so unique and important that most of the land area down there is protected by two national parks and a national preserve. We spent four nights in the area and were able……

Highlands Hammock State Park

Over and over again it happens: we pick a random park along our route to stop and camp so we can break up a long drive to our next destination. Usually we’ve never heard of it before and we don’t even research it much since we’re only staying for one night. We’re looking for a place to sleep that isn’t……