Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina

Halfway through our vacation in San Diego, we decided to switch hotels. Our first hotel was paid for us by my husband’s company, but it was a little more than we wanted to spend so for the second part of our trip, where we paid for the hotel ourselves, we chose to stay at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.

The facts:
Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina
1380 Harbor Island Drive
(619) 291-2900
Check-In: 4pm / Check-Out: 12pm

Free WiFi
On-site parking is $36/day or $45/day for valet
Buffet breakfast for $26/day
Free bottled water in the room
Amenities: coffee maker, iron, bathrobe, hair dryer

Food:
Room Service
Harbor’s Edge
Contemporary American dining
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Quinn’s Ale House
Upscale, pub-style restaurant
Open for lunch and dinner
Harbor & Vine
Fine wines and artisanal flatbreads
Open for dinner
Marina Market & Cafe
Starbucks coffee, to-go snacks, wines and beers in the evening
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Bay Tower Lounge
Comfort food, specialty cocktails
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Activities:
Lagoon Pool
Lanai Pool
Bay Tower Pool
Whirlpool
Island Breeze Spa
Fitness Center

Our experience:
We stayed for four nights at the beginning of October. We had a king bed in the Bay Tower. Now, for some reason, I didn’t do my research well enough beforehand and didn’t realise that the Bay Tower was not just a tower off the main building. It was actually a completely separate building about a .5 mile down the road. That’s not really a huge deal, but it can be a little inconvenient at times.
There is a complimentary shuttle that is constantly running from the Bay Tower to the main building and to the airport.

The room itself was great. That’s actually the reason we chose to stay in the Bay Tower. The rooms in the pictures looked bigger and the king bed room came with a couch and a desk. Plus, we had a balcony overlooking the marina. It was everything we could have ever wanted.

Upon check-in, we were given vouchers for food or drinks. We ended up using them to buy food from room service our last night there. It was actually pretty good.

We never ran into any rude staff either. Everyone was very kind and helpful.
Tip: If you’re waiting on a shuttle and you’re super nice to the valet, sometimes they can radio to the shuttle drivers and ask how far away they are.

We only used the pool at the main building, but we used it twice. It was so much fun. The pool is huge. It was never busy while we were there, but even if it had been, I don’t know that we would have noticed. There are little sprayers that kids love to play in. There is a deep end, but most of the pool is just a couple (about 3?) feet deep. We also enjoyed the large hot tub located off to the side by the pool. The only downside of this pool was that it was located in the main building so we had to take one of the shuttle buses to and from our building.

Check-out was easy and we were able to take the shuttle bus to the airport upon leaving. It was very convenient for us. Overall, we loved this hotel and we would visit here again.

Visit to Nashville, TN

One of the last stops on our Mother/Son roadtrip was Nashville. This is frequently our last stop on roadtrips. Nashville is such a fun place, even if you only have a day to spend here.

We drove into town and immediately went to Hattie B’s Hot Chicken to stand in line and get some awesome food. Parking is crazy in Nashville. We’ve never had trouble finding a spot, but it comes at a price, that’s for sure. This place is so popular, you definitely need to get there 30 minutes before they open on weekdays and possibly an hour early on the weekends if you want a table. I ordered chicken strips (medium heat) with pimento mac and cheese and potato salad. Owen got the kids chicken strips (southern, which means no heat) with fries. We also really enjoy their lemonade. I think it’s made in-house and it’s absolutely delicious. They’re not over-priced and the food is definitely worth a trip. It was hot outside and the indoor seating is incredibly limited so we did have to sit outside. However, it at least is covered and has fans.

Then, we headed out to the Adventure Science Museum. The cost was $28 for my son and myself. It was amazing! I’m kind of over children’s museums because they all have the same exhibits. So, once you’ve been to one, you’ve been to them all. But this is so different. First of all, it’s not just for little kids. There is a section just for them, but I feel like this “museum” is geared toward the older child, which is a welcome change. We played music, defeated germs, walked on the moon, hung out among the stars, climbed a spine, and slid down the digestive system. It was seriously amazing. We only spent about 2 hours here, but it was a fun 2 hours.

Owen’s Notes: “Oh my gosh! My favorite thing that we did there was doing the moon gravity thing. There was a machine that picked me up, lifted me into the air, and then put me back down again. I had to try to walk over to a flag on the ground and walk back. It was so fun, but way harder than it sounds.”

When we were done at the Adventure Science Museum, we headed downtown again to check out the Johnny Cash Museum. The cost was $20 per adult and $16 per child. It is ranked the number one music museum in the world. This museum is fairly small, but still worth a visit. We only spent about an hour here, and even that was pushing it. It seemed crowded, which was a shame, but we still had a great time. There was a ton of memorabilia and informational text you could read, outfits from famous moments and records displayed. But my favorite thing about the entire museum was that there were performances you could watch, a video history of Johnny Cash’s career, songs you could listen to with headphones, and a couple places where you could sit to do these things. They also offered a green screen photo you could buy. Overall, it was a decent museum that I’m glad we visited, but I don’t feel the need to go again during our many trips to Nashville.

Owen’s Notes: “My favorite part of the Johnny Cash Museum was taking a picture in front of the green screen and then getting a picture of me with Johnny Cash.”

Then, before heading back to our hotel, we popped into the Goo Goo shop to pick up some Goo Goo Clusters to bring back home with us. If you’ve never heard of a Goo Goo Cluster, you’re missing out. They are a regional treat that we discovered on our travels and we keep going back for more. It is a disc-shaped candy bar that contains marshmallow nougat, caramel, and roasted peanuts and then covered in milk chocolate. My family’s favorite is the peanut butter, though. Basically, they replace the marshmallow nougat with a soft peanut butter nougat. The Goo Goo shop is located right downtown across from the Johnny Cash museum so it’s pretty convenient when we’re in town. You should give them a try if you’re visiting the area. They also have a little cafe inside their store.

Owen’s Notes: “I love Goo Goo Clusters. We bought the peanut butter ones!”

Our hotel was the Wingate by Wyndham out by the airport at 1 Century Blvd. They have free wifi, free breakfast, a mini fridge, and a microwave. What else you could you want? It was clean and perfect for our needs. We always stay out by the airport when we visit Nashville. It may be farther from the action, but it is significantly cheaper. And saving money on our hotel allows us to spend money elsewhere.

Our trip to Nashville was a great one. I will always suggest this place to people planning a weekend getaway or as a destination on a roadtrip.

Visiting Knoxville, Tennessee

Towards the end of our Mother/Son roadtrip, we decided to take a couple stops in Tennessee. First stop, Knoxville.

We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Knoxville Downtown at 210 W Church Ave for 2 nights. I chose this hotel because it’s so close to downtown. It’s close to public transportation. They have free wifi and a mini fridge. And I’m so glad I did. This hotel was pretty nice! It was probably one of the nicest places we stayed during our trip. Self parking costs $15 a night, which is what we did. There is no breakfast included, but I think you can purchase some. However, we decided to go to a place just a couple blocks away.

We ate brunch at the French Market Creperie Downtown. We started by waiting in line, which was fairly slow moving. After we ordered, we found ourselves a table and waited for our food. It did take a couple minutes, but that’s because it’s made from scratch! I had a mushroom, spinach, bacon, and swiss crepe while Owen ordered a s’mores crepe. They were both delicious! But I don’t think any kid could sit there without a huge smile on their face while being presented with that awesome s’mores crepe.

Owen’s Notes: “I love crepes and when I had a s’mores crepe, I just thought it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had in my whole life. I want to go there again!”

Then, we walked to the visitor’s center to watch some live music. Every day, they broadcast live on the radio from this location so it was fun to see the two acts perform, knowing that we were watching something that other people around the world were listening to. We really enjoyed the Bird and the Bear. They were pretty good. Inside the building, they have bathrooms, brochures for things to do around town, and a local gift shop. There’s also a great mural on the side of the building that you should check out before or after you see the acts.

Next, we headed off to the Knoxville Zoo. It cost us about $37 for my son and myself. Parking was $5 (but we paid for that at the gate along with our tickets so I’m not sure what’s to keep people from lying and saying that they didn’t bring a car). It didn’t seem to be too busy, but we were only there for a couple hours in the afternoon due to the heat. We saw so many great animals! It was an absolute blast. Owen even got to ride a camel. The elephants were inside, but Owen bought himself a wax one to bring home. They had these wax animal machines all over the zoo. My favorite part to walk through was definitely monkey area. There were multiple different levels to walk through so it was like you were up high with them swinging on branches. Overall, we had a great time. I would definitely recommend a stop if you’re in town.

Owen’s Notes: “Knoxville Zoo was a great zoo. I loved that we got to see so many animals. My favorite one that we got to see was the sleeping tiger. He was so cute. He kept opening one of his eyes.”

Then, we decided to go for a hike to the Bluffs. So, first of all, I was super confused where I was supposed to park. I had heard that you’re supposed to park in one place (so we did) and then, after walking a ways, I learned I could have parked closer. That was annoying. I would definitely recommend googling the bluffs in Knoxville to find out where they are. There are a couple things you should know before going though. The road/path is large rock gravel. So, even with tennis shoes, it was painful to walk on. It’s not a very long hike, but it was pretty uphill so at the end of our day, after we’d already walked A TON, this was a little difficult for me. However, the view that you get is beautiful. Now, while I don’t necessarily recommend going past the sign that says not to go any further, that is what we did to see the amazing views. And clearly, almost everyone else does as well.

The last thing we did that day was to catch a free trolley to the Sunsphere. We took an elevator to the observation deck and walked around it a couple times. The Sunsphere is a free attraction and there is a ton of informational things to read while on the observation deck. Plus, it gives amazing views of the city. There were a couple other people up there at the same time as us, but I definitely wouldn’t say it was busy at all.

Owen’s Notes: “Sunsphere! At first I was really scared because I’m afraid of heights, but once I got used to it, I really really liked it. You could see the whole city from up there. So cool!”

We decided to walk around the World’s Fair Park for a while before walking back to our hotel. We took a couple pictures with the water. Owen’s favorite part was definitely the fountains. He ran through them multiple times and got completely soaked! He was just so happy, though, so how could I possibly complain. Then, we decided to walk back to our hotel and call it a night.

Owen’s Notes: “My favorite part was when I got to go through the fountains. I went through the fountain like 15 times. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to get even wetter, but I had to stop.”

We were definitely exhausted from our day and slept really well that night!

Virginia Beach

During the two week road trip I took with my son, we visited cities, mountains, the country and we went whale watching, did a factory tour, visited a theme park, went hiking, learned about history, etc. My point is that I tried to really put a little bit of everything in this trip. So we couldn’t get through this trip without visiting the beach. I looked around and decided on Virginia Beach.

After seeing how much a nice, beachfront hotel cost, I lowered my standards! So, I just needed a clean, close to the beach hotel. That’s when I found it. We stayed at the Days Inn by Wyndham Virginia Beach at the Beach at 1000 Atlantic Ave. They have free wifi, free breakfast, mini fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. Plus, it’s right across the street from the beach. While the room did look a little dated, it was pretty clean, so I can’t complain. Overall, it was a decent place to stay, especially since we only stayed for one night. And I would absolutely stay here again. But it’s definitely not a 5 star hotel. Or a 4 star hotel. Or a 3 star hotel. But you get what you pay for, right?

When we woke up in the morning, we got our swimsuits on, packed our bag of beach stuff, and headed out the door. We crossed the street, walked across the boardwalk, down the stairs, and across the beach to the ocean. It was a little chilly, but we got used to it. The water itself isn’t very clear here like it is in the caribbean, but it’s still fun for kids. There weren’t very many people there at 8:30 in the morning. However, when we left at 10am, it was starting to get pretty packed. I’m not big on spending hours upon hours at the beach so we left pretty early. Plus, I wanted to get back to the hotel and take a shower before we had to check out.

Owen’s Notes: “Shells! Beach! Sea! The waves were really strong there. Some of the waves, I dove under and sailed away with it. I really liked that.”

We then made our way back toward the beach to find Cherie’s Bike Rental. It was right between the beach and our hotel. The company actually has 15 locations along the boardwalk. We rented a surrey bike! It cost us about $25 for the hour. We rode up and down the bike trail that runs along the boardwalk. There were a lot of groups on surrey bikes on the trail so we were definitely not alone. It’s super easy to drive, especially when multiple people are pedalling.

Owen’s Notes: “It was actually pretty hard to pedal all that way. It was pretty tiring. I also liked it.”

After we returned our bike, we decided to eat lunch at the place right next door called Calypso Bar and Grill. Seriously, we never travelled any more than a block to do anything! It was great. We decided to sit outside so that we could be close to the beach and still see the ocean. That was definitely my favorite part. I ordered crab hush puppies as an appetizer. They were really good. I’m a huge fan of hush puppies though. They basically tasted like a regular hush puppy, but with a piece of crab in the middle. For my main meal, I ordered the lobster mac and cheese. It was a huge portion and there was no way I was going to eat the whole thing, but it was absolutely delicious. If you’re in the area, for sure check this place out.

Overall, we had a great time in Virginia Beach, even though it was a short visit. I would absolutely return and choose these same activities again!

Hershey's Chocolate World and Hershey Park

On our 2 week road trip in early August, my son and I made a stop in Hershey, Pennsylvania to visit Hershey World.

Our Hotel: We decided it was too expensive for us to stay onsite, so we chose the Comfort Suites Hummelstown-Hershey at 320 Milroy Rd. It has free parking, free wifi, and free breakfast. What more could we ask for? The room seemed clean and the staff was friendly enough. Our breakfast was pretty standard (waffles, fruit, eggs, sausage, cereal, muffins, etc.).

We decided to head to Hershey’s Chocolate World before heading to Hershey Park. Well, little did I know that this was going to be the highlight of our time in Hershey. Seriously! It was amazing. Right away when you walk in, there are multiple photo opportunities. We were even lucky enough to bump into Miss Hershey Kiss herself! It was great. I love a good meet and greet. Then, we walked over to the Hershey Tour Ride. It’s like a mix between a slow amusement ride and a factory tour. Clearly, you’re not really in a factory, but you definitely get the idea about how chocolate is made.

We walked over to the ticket counter to add some fun to our time here. We chose to do the Build Your Own Chocolate Bar experience and the 4D Mystery Movie.

First was our Build Your Own Chocolate Bar experience. And while we still had to wait in a fairly long line even though we had tickets (everyone had tickets), it was still an awesome experience. It isn’t cheap, but I would definitely recommend doing this one! You start out by putting on a hairnet and an apron. It’s a really great look for absolutely everyone! (sarcasm) Then, when it’s your turn, you are led to a screen where you decide what you want in the chocolate bar you’re creating. I decided on a base of dark chocolate with pretzel bits, chocolate cookie bits, and butterscotch chips topped with sprinkles. (I just ate my chocolate bar recently and first off, it was huge and secondly, it was delicious!) Then, you wait in another line and when it’s your turn, they cue up your chocolate bar to be made. (I think they do it like this so that 1. You can watch your bar being made and 2. To keep families together.) Then, you walk along the line, watching the machines add all the pieces to your chocolate bar. It was fun to see it get filled with the items we chose, covered in milk chocolate, and then dashed with sprinkles. After that, you walk over to another set of screens where you design the wrapper. It’s so cool! You can put your name on the front, add stickers, change the background, and so much more!

Then, you wait for your chocolate bar to come out of the cooling rack. It is packaged, put into a Hershey tin, and then wrapped in the custom wrapping you designed. My son had the time of his life at this experience. Plus, when we walked out of the “factory”, Reese was there, so we were able to get a picture with him.

Owen’s Notes: “Chocolate Bar! I really really really liked making my own candy bar! It had a dark chocolate base with chocolate cookie bites, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and crisp rice and on top, there are sprinkles! I loved it. I loved making it.”

Then, we went to the 4D Mystery Movie. First, you stand in line. Then, you stand in a little room, waiting. Eventually, you do go into the theater. But let me tell you something, there really is no reason to get there early. It’s a theater so there aren’t really bad seats. And everyone that purchases a ticket will get in. Besides, there’s no reason to stand for a long time, especially with kids. The show itself was a fun, interactive mystery. I won’t spoil any of it for you. You’ll just have to experience it for yourself. Plus, it’s a great time to sit and relax if you’ve had a long day or know that your day is going to be exhausting like us.

The last thing I’ll say about this place is to continue looking over by the Build Your Own Chocolate Bar area for meet and greets. It rained on and off while we were at Hershey Park and we didn’t see a single character out so before we went to our car to leave for the day, we stopped back in Hershey’s Chocolate World to see if any characters were out and about. We were able to find Jolly Rancher. And where? By the Build Your Own Chocolate Bar area!

We eventually made our way over to Hershey Park. The forecast wasn’t looking so great so we tried to get in as many rides as possible before the rain came. I’m not a huge fan of walking around wet. It’s just not comfortable. Here’s how our day went:

Tilt-A-Whirl: This was the first ride we rode (mostly because it was right by the entrance, but also because it was a good way to ease into rides). I love a good classic ride.

Reese’s Cupfusion: We happened to get to this ride at a great time! At first, we didn’t want to go to this ride yet because the app said the wait was 2 hours long. But we decided to chance it anyway and wait. Well, not 15 minutes after we got in line, it started raining. And not just raining, it was pouring! Lucky for us, 90% of the ride line is covered! We didn’t get wet at all. And to top it off, even though the app said the wait was 2 hours, we really only waited about an hour. And the ride was so much fun! We really enjoy the shooting games where you try to collect as many points as possible so this was sure to be a winner for us. And it was.

Trailblazer: This was the only rollercoaster my son would ride so we clearly had to ride it three times!! It was a blast though. I’m a big fan of this coaster. It’s probably the most tame one in all of Hershey Park so if you have a child that is a little scared of coasters, start here for sure.

Kissing Tower: This was a nice little ride that takes you pretty high up in the air while rotating slowly, giving you great views. I recommend this ride as a nice break from everything else to just sit and see the views. Don’t forget to give your loved ones a little smooch when you get to the top!

Coal Cracker: We went on this ride twice. It was one of Owen’s favorites! It was just a fun little log flume ride with a nice drop at the end. We even got this awesome photo.

Tea Cups: It had just started lightly sprinkling when my son decided he wanted to be on this ride so he actually got to ride it all by himself! But he had a blast. It’s a small, little kid ride, and it’s tucked back in a corner, but it’s still cute.

Pirate: Our last ride was a good one. My son and I both really enjoy these types of rides. They’re the ones that swing back and forth and give your tummy that funny feeling as you drop back to the other side. We rode this one twice as well.

We did end up buying one of those refillable cups where you pay once and get free refills all day. (including ICEEs!)

Owen’s Notes: “I really liked this roller coaster called the Trail Blazer. It twisted around a bunch. We went on it three times. I also really liked this shooting game called Reese’s Cup Fusion. Hershey Park was the best place that we went on the trip!”

For the record: I am a large, plus-sized woman (size 24 pants) and I had no problem fitting on any of these rides. That being said, I did look up what others had said and didn’t even try to ride the ones that people said were tight fits.

We didn’t spend a long time at Hershey Park, mostly do to the rain, but the time we did spend, we had a lot of fun! I definitely recommend giving this place a visit!

Last Day of Homeschool: Field Day

Even though my son is homeschooled, he is still friends with other kids that go to traditional school. So of course, they were telling him all about their Play Day (also known as Field Day to others) and he was jealous. I really didn't have anything planned for the last day of school yet, so I decided to make my own version of Field Day that would meet our specific homeschooling needs. They needed to be things that we could do just the two of us.

Here's what we came up with!
1. Soccer
2. HORSE (basketball)
3. Egg Race
4. Chalk Art
5. Crab Races
6. Lunch Outside (we had burgers!)
7. Water Balloon Toss
8. Blowing Bubbles