Forever Florida, Check this place out!

Our first zip lining experience was right here in Florida. That's right I said Florida, I know your thinking how is that possible Florida is flat.  Well, that is true for the most part but we can still zipline.

We ventured down to Forever Florida just outside of Orlando.  Their ziplines are perfect for your first time.  You don't need to break and your not that high off the ground relative to other zipline options.  They build towers in the wooded preserve to allow for the necessary height to for the ziplining activity.  So you do need to be prepared to walk some stairs.

Their amazing staff will fit you for your equipment and you can even rent a go pro to record your experience like we did here.  Then you will get two guides to take you out to the ziplines.  You will take a ride out into the preserve where you will climb the towers to begin your adventure.

There are stopping blocks that are put out by the guides to make sure you stop without the need to break.  Most of the time you can see your landing platform, and you can always see the ground.  It really is a great experience for your first zip line adventure if you are afraid of heights or are just worried you won't like it.

My son and I are both hesitant about heights we both became more comfortable as we progressed through the zips.  Between the staff and other adventurers, it became easy for us to let go of our fears and enjoy the experience.  By the end of the trip, my son was asking when we could schedule another one.  Which we have and I will share that information as well, please stay tuned.



If you enjoyed this article you might also like:
Recent Adventures in NYC
Planning our NYC Vacation
Planning A Disney Cruise
An Adventure in Washington DC
The Florida Caverns
Little Talbot Island 
Stone Mountain

Remember to Follow me for new articles

Things to do at Stone Mountain Georgia

Stone mountain was such a great family trip for us. Located just outside of Atlanta we drove up for a long weekend during our Thanksgiving break and spent the night nearby and then spent the day at Stone Mountain.  We were not able to enjoy all the activities at the park but the activities but we went for the winter season activities that were offered which were amazing.

What is there to do in Stone Mountain?

There are a lot of things to do during any season at the Stone Mountain Park.  They have hiking trails, a cable car ride to the top of the mountain, scenic railroad, Confederate memorial carving, and seasonal activities at the park.  

Some of the seasonal activities include fireworks and tubing.  We went to enjoy the tubing which was amazing especially for us southerners that don't get the opportunity to enjoy the snow. Stone Mountain calls this activity Snow Mountain. There was a great family tube ride, double tube ride, and individual tube ride.  For a flat rate fee, you are able to spend 2 hours tubing and all day playing in the snow open play area.  This was plenty of time tubing for us.  They limit admission for each time slot so you don't spend a lot of time waiting in line, you get to use your full 2 hours on the snow.  The family raft is pulled to the top and you just hop in.  The double raft and the single raft you have to pull up on your own but they are light enough and slide along behind you.  The all-day snow play is also a lot of fun.  They have snow falling and a place to build a snowman or even create a snow angel.

What should you bring?

If you are planning to attend the Snow Mountain like we did you should bring some snow pants, sunscreen, and some waterproof comfortable shoes, and a comfortable long sleeve shirt.  A heavy jacket isn't needed.  The snow itself is cold but the weather is usually is not.  In fact, we took the jackets we used for skiing and we were hot.  But you need the snow pants and waterproof shoes because the snow will get in your pants and shoes and you will have wet clothes if not. I know sunscreen seems weird to bring in the winter but the UV rays will reflect off the snow and you can get sunburn.  

Advise for your next trip

Buy a day pass that includes both the tubing and the all-day play in the snow plus a meal option.  This will be your best price.  The food at the park is pretty expensive as are the drinks.  If you are like me and like to have pictures of your trip you can buy the pictures that the park takes for you.  The price for these pictures is actually priced pretty well compared to other places.  The quality of the pictures is good as well.  

Staying in a nearby hotel outside of Atlanta is a great option if you need to stay overnight as well.  The prices are reasonable and the hotels are nice. As well as eating outside the park will save you some money to use elsewhere.  

If you enjoyed this article you might also like:
Recent Adventures in NYC
Planning our NYC Vacation
Planning A Disney Cruise
An Adventure in Washington DC
The Florida Caverns
Little Talbot Island 

Remember to Follow me for new articles

Florida State Parks - Little Talbot Island

The Park 

My family and I love visiting state parks here in Florida as well as other states in the United States.  One of the state parks that we frequently visit is Little Talbot Island.  It is a wonderful park and offers a great beach to swim and enjoy the wildlife all in one place.  The best part is the beach here is never crowded, you almost never see trash on the beach, there are no developments on the beach, plus the state park has a rule that you can not take anything from the beach which leaves all the natural dunes, driftwood, and wildlife untouched by humans.  It really is a beautiful place to go and take in all the beauty the beach and nature have to offer. 

Little Talbot Island has a beautiful shoreline with nice sandy beaches and blue surf.  you are always sure to see some kind of wildlife while your visiting.  Sometimes we see a starfish or shoe horse crab, and sometimes you see turtles.  You can also find some amazing shells and even shark teeth.  The best part is all the natural driftwood on the beach.  That is very unique from other Florida beaches.  Because most of Florida beaches are public people take things off the beach taking away from the beauty of it.  The state park protects that and preserves the beach. 

There are picnic tables, bathrooms, showers, and pavilions with BBQ's at the beach.  These amenities are not directly on the beach you must walk on boardwalks over the dunes to reach them.  However, it is nice to have these amenities available.  There are also biking and hiking trails available at the park.  You can even rent a campsite, off the beach of course. 

What to Bring

We like to take a beach cart to help us take all of our items down to the beach from the car.  We can put all of our beach chairs, towels, sunscreen, cooler, and body boards in the cart and make just one trip without anyone having to carry anything.  We can enjoy our day at the beach and then put everything back into the cart.

 it's always important to take sunscreen and water with you.  The average burn time is about 15 minutes, sometimes less.  You can become dehydrated as well and not even realize it because the wind and surf make it feel very comfortable when in reality it's over 95 degrees.  Sunglasses are usually a good idea as well they will protect your eyes from the harmful sun rays but also help you see the beauty of the park. 

Get out there

So next time your planning a weekend trip check out your local state parks or even Little Talbot Island in Florida.  They are beautiful, safe, and fun to explore.  Just don't forget to bring the proper equipment for whatever activity you are engaging in. 

Spontaneous Trip - Florida Caverns

Caves in Florida? 

You say we're in Florida there is no way you have caverns to explore, think again! We took a trip to the Florida Caverns run by the Florida State Parks department.  Unless you're looking for it on the State Park website or you know it exists by word of mouth you have probably never heard of the Florida Caverns even if you have lived in Florida your entire life, I hadn't. So, when I found this place on the Florida State Parks website we just had to visit.

The Florida Caverns State Park 

We had to make a 3-hour car ride to this beautiful state park that is located near Tallahassee Florida.  However, the drive was definitely worth it. We had an amazing time with our park ranger guide that took us down into the caverns. My husband and I have been to caverns in other states, many of which restrict your ability to touch the formations. In addition, other caverns run the risk of falling from great heights.  The Flordia caverns allow you to touch one of the formations so the kids loved being able to feel what it was made of and to be able to put their hands on it.

Here in Florida, our land is pretty flat so these caves that are formed really don't have much depth to them so the risk of sliding off to your death is very low. I know you all think about it when you think of Mammoth Cave and Luray Caverns so I just wanted to put that out there.  Although, I'm sure the larger caverns are very safe otherwise they would never be able to take tours into them. Despite the lack of depth, the Florida Caverns are still very stunning.

Tips For Your Vist

The cave tours sell out quickly so you should call ahead of time to make sure they have availability and arrive early to buy your tickets.  The tour is about 45 minutes and you can expect to walk and or stand the entire time.  I would not advise going during the summer months as it gets pretty hot here in Florida.  Walking, hiking and cave exploration is rough in 98-degree temperatures with a heat index that feels like 100+ temperatures.  The best time to visit would be December to February that is usually our cooler months.

Come check it out for yourself

In addition to being able to explore the cave, you can hike several trails while you are visiting the park. There are lots of picknick areas to have lunch. In addition, they have an area to kayak and fish if you are interested. They have a lot of other activities at the state park you can take advantage of, we did not due to the 3-hour drive but next time we may plan to do some camping there so we can explore the entire park.

So if you're looking for a great nature area to visit here in Florida you should definitely go check out the Florida Caverns State Park.  It is a beautiful place, great for families, and is very unique to Florida as most of the caves we do have are submerged.