This was our very first Okoren Family Road Trip. I am not the biggest fan of long car rides, but I have always wanted to see the sights in North Carolina. Tyler just graduated with his Masters degree and had a month before work started, so we thought it was the perfect time to explore.
We started off at Duke University which was so gorgeous. The grounds and buildings are unique and beautiful. I might even forgive Jabari Parker for choosing to play basketball there instead of BYU. We were lucky enough to have the Basketball building open to explore. Afterwords we visited the gardens and many fishes.
Lyla is currently in a Princess loving phase of life. One of her favorites is Queen Else from Frozen. In order to make the trip more fun with her we tried to include princess sightings on all of our stops. For example, at Duke University Chapel we said it was the place where Elsa had her coronation ceremony. Naturally Lyla was in heaven after that. She said the songs all through the grounds of duke or "Elsa's House."
Our next stop took us through the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains to Asheville, NC. We got there a little earlier than expected so we found a 100 foot natural water slide in the mountains and had a ball. Lyla didn't love it cause the water was too cold, but it was lots of fun!
My mother is an interior designer so I have always had a great interest in touring homes. I've have wanted to see the Biltmore estate for a long time. I am happy to say that this mansion exceeded all of my expectations. Lyla loved seeing what she called "Rapunzel's House". It was very well designed and had a classic elegance about it. Learning about the history of the Vanderbilt family was also very enlightening. Definitely worth the trip and the money.
The town of Asheville is very charming and of course our trip full of lots of pillow fights. On our way out of Asheville we stopped at Chimney Rock State Park and did a great hike to a waterfall. We told Lyla we were going to see Pocahontas's house.
Our last stop was the beautiful town of Wilmington, NC. I have always wanted to see a preserved Victorian town and this one is incredible. The night we got there we walked down the pier and explored. The next day we went on a long bike ride around the town and listened in on some of the Horse drawn carriage guided tours. I can see why Hollywood films so many movies here because the town is so breathtaking!
After our ride we went and got some of the very famous BRITS donuts on the pier. If you are ever in Wilmington you have to eat these donuts. They are life changing. The next morning we ate a good southern breakfast, visited a princess store, and drove a long way home. It was great family road trip and I look forward to many road trips to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment