All in Vacations
Beach 2018
Brad and I were planning to try and go to the beach around Labor Day. We really wanted to go back to Tops’l in Destin, FL. My parents were hoping to get to do a beach trip with us as well, so we decided to share a condo with them and my brother at Tops’l. We ended up going August 20-24 because it worked best with everyone’s schedules.
Tennessee Aquarium
One of the things we wanted to do when visiting Chattanooga for JoeCon was the Tennessee Aquarium. Brad and I went about 7 years or so ago, and we thought Melody might enjoy it.
The Ice Cream Show
During my research of restaurants in Chattanooga, I found two places we could potentially go for dessert near our hotel. One of those places was The Ice Cream Show. We decided to go visit it on Friday night after having dinner at The Blue Plate. It appeared to be an easy walk from both our hotel and the restaurant.
The Blue Plate
Before going to Chattanooga, I did some research of a few restaurants near our hotel and the convention center. One of those restaurants was The Blue Plate. The menu looked very intriguing, and it was only two blocks from our hotel. After our first full day of JoeCon, we decided to go here for dinner.
Seasons Restaurant
While visiting Chattanooga back in June, we ate at our hotel restaurant Seasons. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. We ate here because it was our arrival evening, and we wanted something quick and easy but semi-nice. So we thought the hotel restaurant would be just that.
JoeCon 2018
The main reason for our trip to Chattanooga was to attend JoeCon. Brad has always wanted to go, and this year was the last year for it. Since it was so close to home, we decided this was the year to attend. I have broken down each day from my general perspective below, but Brad has more detail and knowledge on his blog which is included under each day.
Hilton Garden Inn Chattanooga
When we went to Chattanooga back in June, we decide to stay at the Hilton Garden Inn that is in downtown. We had a lot of Hilton points from a recent stay during our home repairs, so we wanted to use them on this trip. Therefore a Hilton property was a requirement for us. Since we had so many points, we decided to stay in some sort of suite. Two hotels offered suites, but one was sold out by the time we opted to book. So we ended up at the Hilton Garden Inn in a Junior Suite.
Creative Discovery Museum
Since our primary reason of visiting Chattanooga was for Brad to attend JoeCon, we wanted to make sure and do a few things for Melody while there. I did some research, and we decided to try the Creative Discovery Museum. It was literally right next door to our hotel {we shared a parking lot}, and by visiting the Tennessee Aquarium first, you can save a few dollars per admission. It looked like something Melody would absolutely love, so we decided to try and fit it in our schedule.
Camping with Nana and Grandpa
My parents recently went on a RV trip to Safe Harbor RV Resort in Nashville, TN. Their first night happened to be on a night Brad was traveling for work. I decided to tag along for the one night since he wouldn't be home, and it would give Melody and I something fun to do. We've been camping with my parents to a few campgrounds, but this was the first time we have been to this one.
City Cafe Diner
Back in June, we went to Chattanooga for JoeCon 2018. It was hosted at the Chattanooga Convention Center at the Marriott Downtown. I did some research on surrounding restaurants since we would be there during lunch hours for a few of the days. One of the restaurants I read about was the City Cafe Diner. Most of the reviews I read online were fairly positive. So I wrote it down as a possibility if we found ourselves looking for somewhere to eat.
Bluewater Grille
When we went to Chattanooga back in June, we ate at Bluewater Grille. We actually debated between it and Big River Grille, but we ultimately decided on Bluewater because of its menu. It had more options that sounded better to us at the time.
Our Trip to Chattanooga
Back in late June, we took a short vacation to Chattanooga. It is only about a two hour drive which makes for the perfect length with a toddler! And what truly initiated the trip was that JoeCon 2018 was there. It was the final JoeCon, and with it being so close, I wanted Brad to go. It is something he always wanted to do. We wanted to go last year because it was at Disney World, but we skipped it because Brad was traveling for work. So this year was going to be our only opportunity, so we took advantage of it and made it a family vacation too! I plan to post more about our experiences individually, but below is our general trip report!
Biloxi with Nana
My mom (Melody's Nana) travels for her job every week. She is able to bring family along with her on trips when it works out. Brad was out of town for work in early April. I knew far enough in advance that my mom was able to plan to be somewhere we could go. This is only our second trip with my mom. It is hard to travel with her with Melody because she doesn't have the best work hours for Melody's schedule. It is also best to travel places with driving distances too. We wanted to go somewhere on the coast, and with the options my mom had, Biloxi made the most sense. I really like going to Biloxi, but I hadn't been in about 5 years. So it was fun to revisit.
TOPS'L Beach and Racquet Resort
Back in March, Melody and I went to the beach with my best friend Emily and her daughter Lydia. We stayed at TOPS'L Beach and Racquet Resort. It is located in Miramar Beach, FL. I have stayed here many times over the last 7-8 years. Brad's parents used to actually own a condo there, so we traveled there often during those years. Brad proposed to me there, and we got married there too. It has a truly special place in our hearts for sure.
Mommy, Baby, Best Friend Beach Trip
Back in March, both Brad and my best friend's husband, Justin, were out of town for work purposes (separate trips however). Both of our husbands travel for work but they have never traveled at the same time. So we decided we should just go on a girls trip together while the boys were away.
Another Beach Happy
Emily and I went to the beach with just our girls back in March. Both of our husbands were out of town the same week (super rare for them to both be gone at the exact same time). Well as a treat for our girls, I decided to make them each a small happy (I made a slightly larger one a while back). I didn't want to do anything super big for two reasons. One we only were going to have so much room in the car, ha! Two since we would only really be going to the beach one day, there wasn't much point to buy a whole lot of things to take. Check out all the fun things I added to this one!
Memphis Zoo
In early March, we went to Memphis to visit Brad's family. His dad was turning 60, and his mom was surprising him with a birthday party that weekend with family. While there, we visited the Memphis Zoo. I don't recall ever visiting here before. As a kid we went to the Birmingham Zoo, but I never remember the Memphis Zoo. And this was an obvious first visit for Melody. My brother in law and sister in law have season passes, so they were extremely familiar with the zoo and what Melody would be interested in. So because of this, we followed their lead, and I didn't do any research before hand. As an avid Disney planner, this was difficult for me, but I knew I could trust them and their guidance!
Port Orleans French Quarter Review
When mom and I went to Disney back in January, we opted to stay at Port Orleans French Quarter. We had Annual Passes so we had a little extra money to spend on this trip since we were not buying tickets. So we decided to stay moderate in the end. With the construction at Caribbean Beach Resort and Coronado Springs, those were not an option. I have already stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, and the cabins at Fort Wilderness do not appeal to me. So that left Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ). I have actually always wanted to stay here, so it worked out. And we were able to get a discount using our AP.
Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory Review
My mom and I stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter when we went to Disney in January. While we spent a majority of our time visiting and eating in the parks, we did visit the food court at our hotel a few times. The formal name is Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory, but I will be referring to it as Sassagoula or the food court, ha!