The year of 2013, my family set out on an expedition across the United States. We have always been obsessed with traveling, yet we craved something more thrilling and challenging. What goal could we set for ourselves and what was a plausible timeline? So began our trek, striving to achieve all fifty States in five years.
Narrowing it down to some of the most memorable and wild trips, first up is the Aloha State. Hawaii is beyond one of my most favorite family vacations we have taken. In Oahu, we stayed at the beautiful Disney Aulani Resort where we had a room overlooking the pools, the beach, and the sunsets! While there, we visited the Dole Plantation, birthplace of the unmistakable kiddie fruit cups and everything pineapple. Their gift store was loaded with pineapple cookies, ice cream (a.k.a Dole Whip), shirts, jewelry, cooking supplies, and much more bright yellow merchandise. On the Big Island, we took a Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tour over Volcanoes National Park. It was incredible to fly over old craters and volcanoes trickling smoke and lava.
Disney Aulani Resort Volcanoes National Park Blue Hawaiian Helicopters
Next is Pennsylvania. One of the most awesome places we visited was the city of Hershey. Yes, Hershey, as in the chocolate bar. Unsurprisingly, everything in the city seemed to be related to chocolate. There were Hershey Kiss streetlamps, candy bar statues, and a Hershey bar half the size of myself! An entire amusement park was dedicated to the famous brand, along with a factory where one can create their own chocolate bar - yum!
Jumping over to the Lone Star State, we were in for a real treat. First came Austin, a city full of activity. A more unique tour that we took was on a Lone Star Riverboat. At dusk, the boat sailed underneath the Congress Bridge, giving us front row seats to a gigantic number of bats soaring into the sky. Then there were the Gourdough Donuts, a restaurant that sold a crazy menu item: a hamburger stacked between two doughnut halves! I wasn't able to finish mine! We also visited Dinosaur Valley State Park where we saw preserved dinosaur tracks situated in a flowing river. Now, that was cool!
Bats of Congress Bridge Gourdough Donuts Hamburger Tower of Americas
After Austin, San Antonio was next on the list which included several historic sites. The most well-known one is the Alamo. It was amazing to see an old building that held such a symbolic image, resulting in inciting Americans to fight for their home and their people. For lunch one day, we ate at the Tower of Americas, a space needle housing a rotating restaurant inside! With a spectacular view and delicious entrees, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Furthermore, our hotel was situated along a beautiful river walk where there were shops, restaurants, and other hotels lining the sides. We ate ice-cream, rode on a sight-seeing boat cruise, and went on a stroll several times during our stay!
The final State I'll mention is somewhere I have been dying to return to - Tennessee. Specifically, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The city held a variety of activities that we ventured into. Jaw-dropping Smoky Mountain National Park, an exhilarating and lit up Alpine "roller coaster," and a brain-puzzling escape room all occupy happy Tennessee memories in my mind. Additionally, we attended a show called the Medieval Times where audiences are seated in an arena, served a "medieval dinner," and are entertained by humorous jesters, knights, and majestic horses. Chattanooga was another city we traveled to. There, the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel granted us the pleasure of sleeping in an old train car! Though the insulation wasn't the best, it definitely was a fun experience!
I wish I could go on and on about all the wonderful places we have been blessed to see, yet I will have to wait until the next blog. I am extremely lucky and grateful to be able to travel so extensively, and I can't wait to share many more experiences with you!