Our Summer Road Trip 2019

It has been a couple of week since we posted, but we are back! We had an amazing two weeks of traveling and fun. We meant to post while we were away from home, but we constantly doing something that there was just no time to sit down and write. That’s a good thing, though, we had an amazing time and we can’t wait to go back and see our Pittsburgh family and friends again.

Today we have for you a post that’s all about our trip and all of the fun stuff that we did!

On the first day of our trip we drove through a whole lot of Texas (seriously, Texas is huge) and into Arkansas. We spent the night in Little Rock. While in Little Rock we explored the Riverfront Park. Located along the Arkansas River, which while we were there was flooded, the park has two playgrounds, a sculpture garden, a Splash Pad, and is home to Le Petit Rouche which tells all about the little rock that the city is named after. Both kids enjoyed the playgrounds, but sadly because of the flooding the Splash Pad was closed while we were there. We all also climbed the up the steps (there’s an elevator, too) and walked about half way across Junction Bridge which was originally a railroad bridge that was transformed into a pedestrian bridge in 2008.

The next day we left Little Rock and made our way through Tennessee and Kentucky. We spent the night in Louisville. While we were in town we explored Waterfront Park which offers a playground and Splash Pad, picnic areas, bike rentals, and a swing garden. Both Christian and Bella enjoyed playing at the playground and cooling off at the Splash Pad. The main reason we went to this park, though, was because it is the home of Big 4 Bridge. This former railroad bridge crosses the Ohio River and if you walk all of the way across you’ll find yourself in Jeffersonville, Indiana. When we arrived at the park we ate a picnic lunch first, then crossed the bridge into Indiana and back again before cooling off at the Splash Pad and playing at the playground.

We also enjoyed a delicious, and filling (huge portions!) meal for a great price at The Irish Rover in Louisville. If you like Irish food and you find yourself in Louisville do yourself a favor and check this place out. We had the Cottage Pie, Bangers and Mash Bubble and Squeak, Kid’s Mac and Cheese and Bread Pudding! It was all amazing.

The next day we first the North bound part of your trip by driving through Ohio, a tiny bit of West Virginia, and into Pennsylvania.

We had a busy, but fun filled ten days in Pittsburgh. We attended a rehearsal dinner and vow renewal for my brother and sister-in-law, had a graduation (for my sister) and birthday party for Christian, and attended my sister’s high school graduation in Hershey, PA. Howard and I also got a new nephew and the kids got a new cousin the day before we started our trip back to Texas!

Other fun things that we did in the Pittsburgh area that you can and should add to your trip or check out if you live in the area:

Running at Martorelli Stadium and North Park

Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

Kennywood Park including the new Thomas Town

Jeep Fest

Spray Park in Troy Hill

We all had such a great time in Pittsburgh, getting to do Pittsburgh things, and hanging out with family and friends. As always it was sad to leave, but we had to start our trip back home so that we could get back to normal life, and work.

We made sure to have some fun planned for the trip back home as well. On the first day we drove through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and into Missouri. We spent the night in St. Louis! We stayed at the Drury Plaza at the Arch – you could see the Gateway Arch from the observation deck by the pool as well as the hallways. It was literally a 2 minute walk to the arch. We walked around the arch and the park before making our way back to the hotel where I went for a run, we enjoyed the dinner that was included (yum!), and went for a swim.

The next day we drove the rest of the way through Missouri, briefly into Kansas, and into Oklahoma. We stopped at the Missouri Route 66 Visitor’s Center which is a great place to stop, stretch, have a picnic lunch, and let the kid’s play at the playground.

In Kansas we visited Baxter Springs where we checked out Fort Blair. If you’re a military history buff you’ll want to stop by the small site.

And once we made it Oklahoma we went for a swim, I went for a run, and we played at both playgrounds and checked out the pond and fountain at E.C. Hafer Park in Edmond, Oklahoma.

On the last day of our drive we made it back to San Angelo! We all had a great time. The kids loved spending time with aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. They loved swimming at all five hotels, Christian loved doing science experiments with his grandpa, Bella loved playing with her cousin Scarlett (they are only 2 months apart), and everyone loved the amazing new climber that my dad built. We had such a great trip and can’t wait to go back again!

Next week we’ll be back to our regular Disney centered posts, but we thought it was important to share the amazing stuff there is to do out there – especially the free stuff!

Are you ready to start planning your next magical vacation? I’d be happy to help! Contact me at miriyawhitaker@worldofmagictravel.com for your FREE quote and to start planning your next trip on land or sea. For more Disney and travel information follow me on Facebook.