This was the year of doing some vacation catch-up. We didn't take a vacation in 2020 and actually spent Matt's week off repainting the back of our house (vacation would have been much more fun if it wasn't a pandemic). So this summer we took two trips and, since I realized I never blogged about our Michigan trip from 2019, I've got a travel post planned once a month for each of the next three months. Starting at the most recent and working backwards. I'd like to say lots of people have asked about my missing blog posts (I have gotten more than zero questions!) but I still like to be a complete-ist AND I find it so interesting to see where people go and get new ideas of where I WANT to go! So, let's go!
The Plan
We were looking for somewhere within about an 8 hour drive on the water where we could do basically nothing. Ideally have easy swim facilities, if the boys got to fish that would be a bonus. At least 5 nights and within a budget. Somewhere without a lot to do (which ruled out the Smokies) so it would be plenty relaxing but still maybe an activity or two.
I think I looked at every lake cottage available for Matt's week off in 6 different states, that were roughly in budget. It was darn near impossible to find one that had easy swimming. They all seemed set-up to be fishing spots. Which is not what we were looking for since only one of us is really interested in fishing (Luke). Then I had a revelation that KOA campground usually had swimming facilities and I regret that we haven't done more camping with the boys AND I have such fond memories of staying at them as a kid.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at a KOA outside Decatur, Alabama. It was approximately 8 hours away, on a lake so there was swimming and fishing AND it got a new state for Sam (Luke had been to Alabama already). I was really tempted by the Gulf but that would have added another 6 hours to the drive each way and prices and availability there was TOUGH. So northern Alabama, where it would still be hot but much closer it was.
Now, our favorite way to camp is in a cottage. Specifically, a deluxe cabin (I'm 95% sure we had the top one pictures even though we supposedly had one that was no pets). We stayed in one of these in Michigan and really liked it - the benefits of both camping and a hotel. We had our own private bathroom, real beds, AC, a mini fridge, and (since we were gone during the Olympics) a tv. But also the benefits of a campground like plenty of space to walk/run, a fire pit, a playground on site, a camp store, and the aforementioned lake. This one had a different layout than the one in Michigan - here we had a loft where the boys slept (they LOVED this) and our own private bedroom instead of our bed being in the main living area like in Michigan (where our boys would have FOR SURE climbed all over it with dirty feet). We didn't have an indoor dining table here but made do with the bar stools (perfect tv tables) and the outside patio table.
It felt like being on a houseboat (especially with water views right outside the door) or in a spacious RV. It was a little overwhelming unloading all our things the first night and trying to find places for it all (they needed about another 2 dozen hooks in there) but once we did it was so cozy and lovely. Our boys have tried MULTIPLE times since we've been home to pool their money so we could go back. The really, really, really loved that cabin. It was perfect worked perfectly for our family of 4 (we for sure could have fit a pack n play in the loft but I think they cap them at 4 people).
The campground was a bit more unusual. I've been to a lot of KOAs in my life and this one was different than many of those. It was very spread out - the camp store was ½ mile from our cabin (which I know since I ran 4 loops of the campground on two different mornings) and the beach was far enough that we drove almost every time we went there. The tent camping sites were along the water BUT no water or electric and for those you had to park your car quite a ways away. It was in the 90°s every day we were there, it seemed like miserable tent camping weather. They didn't sell any perishables in the camp store and the employees always made it feel like a hassle we were in there but the one time we did have a problem it was addressed pretty quickly. So a bit of a mixed bag but we really did enjoy our little cabin.
What We Did
Most of what we did was relax. We swam nearly every day, twice a few days. We slept in and watched the Olympics and read books and took walks and had campfires for s'mores and Luke fished and Matt & I ran. Ate a lot of baked goods from Walmart (we went there very hungry after mass on our drive to the campground and maybe spent more in the Walmart bakery than we ever have in the rest of our life combined). It was incredibly relaxing.
The real activity we did was going to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, about a 45 minute drive away. I had been there TWENTY-TWO years previously with my family, on our drive back north from the Gulf and remembered bits of it. We have gotten more interested in space travel in recent years (thank you, picture books) and figured a visit would be fun. It turned out to be a highlight of our trip.
The first part of the center wasn't all that impressive (although I did enjoy their display on space in pop culture, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s). Then we were outside in the 106° heat index looking at all their rockets and flight things outside (Matt really liked the Chinook). We've stopped at the "Rocket Rest Stop" along I-65 South on every trip past (including this one) but seeing a Saturn I and Saturn V up close here was truly astonishing.
Then we went in the second exhibit hall and I honestly gasped at the Saturn V on display there. GASPED. I immediately took a picture and sent it to my family, asking how the HECK I forgot about seeing that 22 years ago (turns out, my sister remembered seeing it outside laying on it's side and looking at our 1999 trip's pictures and a lot of googling confirmed this, it was restored and moved inside a few years after our last visit). That hall was the best part of the Center and I wish we had known so we could have allocated more time there. Also, we figured it was reasonable to assume they closed at 5 but it was 4 so our time was cut even shorter (we were far from the only ones being politely asked to leave at 4pm).
There was a kid playset in this building that the boys played at for quite a bit while Matt & I took turns going through other exhibits. There was an actual Apollo Command Module that really orbited the moon and the parachutes that helped it safely land in the ocean. A quarantine facility that was found sometime since 1999 (even though I KNOW I've seen one of those somewhere else and really thought it was here). A mock-up of a lunar module and a moon rover. It was amazing and incredible and so much fun. I definitely was doing a lot of googling after our visit to learn more since we didn't get to read all the displays.
We went to Alabama to relax and weren't even sure when we left if we'd do the Rocket Center but I'm really glad we did. I'm also glad we got a whole lot of time to sleep in and read. But I'd highly recommend the Rocket Center, it was a fantastic stop, just make sure you know their hours!
All in all, it was a fantastic trip that largely went exactly as we had hoped. A lot of family time and sleep and I finished a few books and read more to the boys. The drive felt like a piece of cake after our 20.5 hour drive home from Florida (this trip had NO driving after dark!). It was a really lovely trip that I'm glad we could do. We got home less than 2 weeks before school started so it was a perfect ending to summer!
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