A few years ago, we stayed at the Sailport Waterfront Suites in Tampa, Florida. The hotel is located off W. Courtney Campbell Causeway on North Rocky Point Drive. It’s a waterfront hotel, with great views of Tampa Bay! The decor was a little dated but the balcony and views of the Bay made up for that.
*Not sponsored, these opinions are my own*
The cost was reasonable for the room with a kitchenette and a balcony. We paid less than $100/night, it might be a little more now. The bedroom was good and the bed reasonably comfortable. It had a bath with a shower/tub combo. The kitchen had everything you need.
Maryland is one of America’s smallest states, it sits on the Chesapeake Bay and is not far from Washington DC. The state has some big cities like, Baltimore and Frederick, as well as sandy beaches, forests, and waterfalls.
Cunningham Falls State Park
Cunningham Falls State Park is just west of Thurmont, MD, and has the state’s largest cascading waterfall. The Park is located in the Catoctin Mountains. The Catoctin Mountains along with the Bull Run Mountains, form the Easternmost mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The Park is divided into 2 separate areas;
he William Houck area is 3 miles West of Thurmont, Maryland on Route 77 and has the Lake area, Falls, and camping area.
The Manor area is 3 miles South of Thurmont, Maryland off Route 15 and has “Scales and Tales Aviary” camping, and the historic Catoctin Iron Furnace.
A while back, we took a “stay-cation” and we were looking for things to do close to home. One place we found was the Greensboro Science Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, which is about 31 miles from our house. Years ago, when I first moved to North Carolina with my children, we lived in Greensboro. My youngest son volunteered at the Science Center in the snake department. I remember one story he told me; when he came into the Center one day to volunteer, they told him about something that had happened the night before, one of the snakes had gotten out of his enclosure and went into another and ate that snake! What made this interesting is that the snake that got out was named, “Peanut Butter” and the snake he ate was named, “Jelly”! That’s the kind of story you can’t make up!
At that time, which was about 15 years ago, the Science Center was getting kind of run-down although it was still a fun place to visit. Well, I had heard that they completely renovated the place and I was curious to see what it looked like now. So we headed to Greensboro. The cost to get in was $14.50, which I thought was very reasonable. They have exhibits inside and a Zoo outside.
Inside exhibits;
Prehistoric Passages
Komodo Dragon
Extreme Weather Gallery
Healthquest
Aquarium
Herpetarium
Omnisphere theater
and more!
Aquarium
The Aquarium was my favorite area, mainly because of the Penguins! We were just in time to see them be hand-fed. They were so funny! They were very particular about the food they wanted to eat. Some of them would eat certain fish and reject other fish. Just like we might do! Each Penguin was wearing a band that had their names on it. I could have watched them all day!
I had always heard about The Poconos and the resorts there with the heart-shaped tubs and champagne glass jacuzzis. It was at the top of my Bucket List for many years. I didn’t realize how beautiful the scenery would be!
The Pocono Mountains or “The Poconos” as they are commonly called, are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. This area is a popular recreational area, with skiing, hiking, boating, and fishing. The location is great, it’s only about a 2-hour drive for people who live in New York or Pennsylvania. It’s about an 8-hour drive for us from our home in North Carolina but it was well worth it!
Mt Pocono Overlook – Nicholas A Tonelli / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
How the Poconos became the “Land of Love”
During World War II, many GI’s took their leaves with their girlfriends and wives in the Pocono Mountains. This area took on a romantic appeal for them and many returned after the war on their honeymoons or vacations. In 1945, Rudolf Von Hoevenberg opened lodging in the area which consisted of some cabins and the main lodge, called The Farm on the Hill, this was the first honeymoon resort of the Pocono Mountains. Many other resorts sprung up in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1963, after a story in Life Magazine, it was labeled the “Honeymoon Capital of the World”.
Unfortunately, in the 1990s, “Honeymooners” had started choosing other locations and some of the resorts were forced to close.
A New Century, a fresh new look
In 2005, the Great Wolf Lodge opened in Scotrun, Pennsylvania, which renewed people’s interest in the Poconos. Several of the resorts started renovating and couples(and families) started coming back to the area. Several more indoor waterparks have opened as well as new resorts. The small towns in this area are quaint and charming, with small shops, antique stores, and great restaurants!
Great Wolf Lodge – Carlos Pacheco from Toronto, Canada / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
Our time in The Poconos
We stayed at Paradise Stream in Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania. There were others to choose from but frankly, I found savings on Groupon and I wanted to take advantage of that. Mt. Pocono is about an 8-hour drive from our home in North Carolina. The drive through Pennsylvania is quite beautiful, very green, with rolling hills and mountains. We arrived late in the afternoon and quickly checked in.
NOTE: the taxes and fees are quite high as well as a daily resort fee(please read the small print). At least this is my experience booking through Groupon.
It was worth it for us, we were so happy to finally be there! There are several room options at Paradise Stream; Cupid’s Suite, Diana’s Oasis Suite, Garden of EdenApple Suite, Champagne Tower Suite, and, the one we chose, Lakeside Villa Suite. Our room was on Lake Eden and was more like a small cottage.
Our Cottage
We had a deck with a table and chairs, overlooking the lake, which was very relaxing and had great views of the lake!
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