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Fun things to do in Green Bay, Wis

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The Midwest is full of beautiful countryside, warm and welcoming people, and lots of interesting places. To me, Wisconsin is the crown jewel of the Midwest. It’s a beautiful state with a lot of places to explore! I am a little partial, though, since it’s my home state.

The city of Green Bay, Wis., is a wonderful place to have an adventure whether you are traveling as a family or having a couples getaway.

Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse

Green Bay, Wis., is probably best known for the Green Bay Packers and for cheeseheads. I can tell you that there is much more to this small town! It is located at the base of Door County in the northeast part of the state. The city is also located at the head of The Bay of Green Bay(which feeds into Lake Michigan), and at the mouth of the Fox River. The population of Green Bay is about 107,000, which makes it the third-largest city in Wisconsin. My list showcases some of the highlights of this wonderful city.

10 Fun Things to do in Green Bay

  1. Tailgating
  2. Green Bay Packer Game
  3. Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame
  4. National Railroad Museum
  5. Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
  6. The NEW Zoo & Adventure Park
  7. Heritage Hill State Park
  8. Green Bay Botanical Garden
  9. Neville Public Museum
  10. Fox River Tours

1. Tailgating outside Lambeau Field

Lambeau Field is known for great tailgating! Tailgating has been around since 1869 and started at a college game between Rutgers and Princeton, but the term “tailgating” was first used by the Green Bay Packers in 1919. You can find anything there, hamburgers & hot dogs, ribs & steaks, brats & sauerkraut, cheese curds, and much more! I think that almost everyone going to the game enjoys some kind of tailgating. Of course, the beer also flows! Even though it’s not my thing, Wisconsin has plenty of beer!

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Sponge Docks Boat

Tarpon Springs Sponge Boat Tours

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Tarpon Springs is a city on Florida’s gulf coast. It’s about 30 miles northwest of Tampa. It has a population of about 24,000. The city has the highest number of Greek Americans anywhere in the United States which means some great Greek cuisine! The city is on a series of Bayous which feed into the Gulf of Mexico. The first settlers spotted Tarpon jumping out of the waters so it was named Tarpon Springs. It is also known as the Sponge Capital of the World! It’s a beautiful place to spend the day!

Historic Sponge Docks

We took a stroll along the docks and saw boats that had been gathering natural sponges. In 1880, the first sponge business was started, at that time they would hook the sponges and then process them for use. In 1905, John Cocoris introduced the technique of sponge diving to Tarpon Springs and recruited divers and crew from Greece. By the mid-1930s there were 200 boats working the Gulf of Mexico harvesting sponges. Unfortunately, in the late 1930s, a bacterial blight killed the sponges and destroyed the industry.

Today they are making a comeback with a small active sponge industry in Tarpon Springs.

Sponge Docks Boat
Boat at the Sponge Docks

St. Nicholas Boat Line

Established in 1924, the St. Nicholas Boat Line started providing Sponge Boat Tours and is still giving tours today. They are the second oldest attraction in Florida.

Tarpon Springs Sponge Boat Tour

  • Location: 693 Dodecanese Blvd., Tarpon Springs
  • Hours: 10:00-4:30 Daily, the St. Nicholas IV leaves the sponge docks every 40 minutes on a round-trip cruise the Anclote River.
  • The Tour: Includes the history of the Sponge docks and a live sponge harvesting demonstration
  • Cost: Adults $10
By Canva

Sponge Diver Memorial

A statue of a fearless sponge diver stands along the docks of Tarpon Springs. Dedicated in 2002, “In Memory of the Spongers of Tarpon Springs”, the statue depicts a young man in a full rubber diving suit, holding his helmet in one arm. A lot of these spongers died on the job. Today there are safer methods to harvest the sponges.

Fearless Sponge Diver
Fearless Sponge Diver
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Airbnb tips for guests

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Have you ever considered staying at an Airbnb?

If you want more space than a standard hotel room, along with a full kitchen, deck or patio, and an entire place to yourself, maybe an Airbnb is right for you. But how do you find a good Airbnb? I’m going to give you some tips.

It can take some research to find the right Airbnb for you. The Airbnb in this photo was in Wilmington, NC. Even though I did my research and checked out the photos and reviews, the “Waterview” was not quite what we expected and the entrance was 3 stories up using these outdoor steps.

It turned out to be a great place, but sometimes you don’t get exactly what you think you are getting.

NOTE: This post is not sponsored by Airbnb, these tips and opinions are my own

Airbnb Wilmington NC
Airbnb in Wilmington NC

History

After moving to San Francisco in 2007, roommates Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia came up with the idea of putting an air mattress in their living room and turning it into a bed and breakfast. In 2008, Nathan Blecharczyk joined them as the third co-founder of “AirBed & Breakfast”. They created a website to offer short-term living quarters and breakfast for those who were unable to book a hotel room during a time when they were hard to find. Their first website was; Airbedandbreakfast.com, which was shortened to Airbnb.com in 2009.

Reasons to choose Airbnb

We have almost exclusively changed from hotel visitors to Airbnb renters. Why? It’s because of the endless choices and possibilities! Here are some of our reasons;

  • Unique and interesting spaces
  • Great locations
  • You can get all the amentities you are looking for
  • It’s your own private space
  • Many include a patio or balcony
  • You can blend in and become a “local” for awhile
  • The pricing will fit your budget
  • Some SuperHosts treat you like Royalty

We only rent “entire places” and we have only rented with Airbnb in the US, so that’s what I will be talking about here. Airbnb also offers other options such as; Private rooms(sharing common spaces), Hotel rooms, Guest rooms, or Shared rooms.

**If you would like to read more about our adventures and travel tips, please subscribe HERE to receive our newsletters directly in your inbox!**

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Things to do In Occoquan VA

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Have you heard of Occoquan VA? It’s a Charming and Historic Town on the Occoquan River. It’s also a suburb of Washington DC and has a population of about 1200. Occoquan is located in Prince William County. Prince William County includes Washington DC and is the largest county in Virginia.

While planning our vacation this year we wanted to stay close to home but still have a new adventure. The states surrounding our state of North Carolina are; South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. We researched places in about a 6-hour driving distance from us. We were also researching reasonably-priced Airbnbs at the same time. Our goal was relaxation in a town with a waterfront, great restaurants, and a reasonably priced place to stay.

We found all that and more in Occoquan!

Occoquan History

Occoquan is derived from an Algonquian Doeg Indian Word meaning “at the end of the water”. It’s located on the Occoquan River and was home to several indigenous people. The Dogue Indians were the first to settle in the Occoquan Valley. In 1608, the first Europeans arrived and found the Tauxenent tribe. Their main village was at the mouth of the Occoquan River.

In the early 1600s, Captain John Smith(he established the first English settlement at Jamestown, VA) sailed and explored the Occoquan River

By 1755, the Anglo-American colonists had established an industrial settlement at Occoquan, with bakehouses, grist mills, tobacco warehouses, and dwellings.

In 1759 the Merchants’ Mill was built and became one of the first fully automated grist mills in America. It’s said that they produced cannonballs for the Revolutionary War!

The Mill was destroyed by fire in 1924, all that remained was the Mill House. The Mill House soon fell into disrepair until the Alexandria Water Company purchased the Mill House in the middle of the 20th century and restored it for use as office space. The company’s successor, the Fairfax Water Authority (now known as Fairfax Water) eventually turned the structure over to the Town of Occoquan, which leases it to the Occoquan Historical Society for use as a museum. 

Mill House and Museum


Things to do in Occoquan

  • Stop by the Visitor’s Guide
  • Check out the Mill House Museum
  • Kayak rentals
  • River Mill Park
  • Rockledge Mansion
  • Shopping at the many stores
  • Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge
  • Take the Occoquan Ghost Tour
  • Scuba dive, Patriot Scuba
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