Month: March 2016

After a busy day Exploring Rock Island State Park in Rock Island, Tennessee, we spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach, building a driftwood fort along the banks of the Caney Fork River! The kids gathered wood, constructed a fort, and then pretended to be a wild family; hunting their food, planting their gardens, cooking their meals, and tending to their daily homesteading duties. Some of my most precious moments as a mother are watching my kids engaged so deeply in creative, imaginative, cooperative play that lasts for hours! I love witnessing their imaginative wheels turning; listening to…

There are so many waterfalls to explore in Rock Island State Park! And one is even more beautiful than the next! Walking, hiking, scrambling… Even just breathtaking vistas from the parking lot overlooks! The Caney Fork River Gorge is a stretch of rugged, rocky river bed like you’ve never experienced before! Trust me, my photos don’t do it justice! All levels of ability can enjoy nature, geology, science, natural history, and human history in this stunning unit of the Tennessee State Park System. Check out ALL of Our Family’s Adventures in Rock Island State Park! We’ve been working our way…

My little monkeys… They almost got the See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil Monkeys down pat! Sometimes you’ve just to stop and be silly! See Silly, Hear Silly, Speak Silly! Oh, and something about The Falls City Cotton Mill and the gorgeous waterfalls below! Check out ALL our adventures in Rock Island State Park in Rock Island, Tennessee! We’ve been working our way through the beautiful units of the Tennessee State Park System. Today’s adventures took us climbing, hiking, scrambling, waterfalling, and playing on the beach at Rock Island State Park in Rock Island, Tennessee! What a…

In the heart of Rock Island State Park, Spring Castle is a quaint little late 19th century-era structure, that remains today, looking quite magical, and even fairy-like, upon the hill on which it towers! Back in the day, it’s much more practical purpose likely consisted of providing refrigeration for the workers of the adjacent Falls City Cotton Mill. But, for now, it is, indeed, a majestic Fairy Castle deep in the enchanted woods! We’ve been working our way through the beautiful units of the Tennessee State Park System. Today’s adventures took us climbing, hiking, scrambling, waterfalling, and playing on the…

We’ve been working our way through the beautiful units of the Tennessee State Park System. Today’s adventures took us climbing, hiking, scrambling, waterfalling, and playing on the beach at Rock Island State Park in Rock Island, Tennessee! What a wonderful collection of adventures, and the kids had such a great time enjoying their hands-on fun in The Great Outdoors! I think we could all use a little more unstructured time outside, just playing, exploring, digging, building, pretending… Just living naturally…

One of our most valued traditions… Easter Egg Hunting! With over 400 chocolate-filled eggs hidden on 4 acres of land, it’s always quite the adventure!

Let the Easter Fun begin! Build-a-Bears! LEGO Minecraft! NERF Guns! Eeboo Games! Bubbles! And a whole lot of chocolate goodness! Ribby loves her new Bunny Babies, and Trillian dove right into her LEGO set! I’d say the Easter Bunny treated us well!

Tennessee is full of beautiful State Parks, and so many of them are very close to us. Pickett CCC Memorial State Park is right down the street, as a matter of fact! We’ve spent so much time here over the years. They recently added a new nature-themed play structure specifically for younger kids, and we had to check it out! I think it’s a hit! If you’re looking for an off-the-beaten path, absolutely gorgeous getaway, take a look at all that Pickett State Park has to offer. Hiking, camping, paddling, fishing, and more, all in the beautiful forested highlands of…