Top 8 Favorite Travel Destinations of 2019

As we look back on 2019, we think about some of our favorite travel destinations. We love to travel, so that is always the highlight of our year. The year 2019 was not our best travel year. We had several trips that were by necessity and not by choice. Even so, we ALWAYS make the most of our travel time! In March and April, we took road trips to Wisconsin, first to pick up my Mom’s car and tow it back to North Carolina and the second time, to pick up our new Travel Trailer and haul that back to North Carolina. These trips were not our favorite but we did enjoy the time away from home and the time together. The summer is a time when my husband Terry goes on Mission trips through his ministry, Christian Adventurers so we rarely take our vacations in the summer. I did go on one of these mission trips last summer, it was to Georgia and I really enjoyed it! Seeing my husband in his element, doing his thing, makes me very happy and I fall in love with him all over again! But, I digress, my post is about our favorite travel destinations of 2019. Our biggest vacation/road trip was in September, and then we ended the year with a little “getaway” for my birthday in December.

8 Favorite Destinations

1. Camping in Lynchburg Virginia
2. Blue Ridge Parkway – Virginia
3. Greensboro Science Center
4. Great Bend Park/Haw River
5. Starved Rock State Park & Lodge, Oglesby, Illinois
6. Two Rivers, Wisconsin
7. Lambeau Field Tour, Green Bay, Wisconsin
8. Dillsboro, North Carolina

1. Camping in Lynchburg, Virginia, KOA Campground

We bought our new camper in April, so this was our first camping trip with the new camper. We decided that we only wanted to travel about 2 hours from home. The gas cost when pulling the camper is quite high, sometimes we only get 7 miles per gallon. I looked on the map for a city about 2 hours away, and then I tried to find a campground. We had traveled through Lynchburg, Virginia before so I picked that and found a KOA campground. KOA campgrounds are usually a good choice. The Lynchburg/Blue Ridge Parkway KOA Campground is in Monroe, Virginia which is about 19 miles northwest of Lynchburg. What we liked about this KOA campground:

• The location, which is right by the Blue Ridge Parkway
• The campsites, which were large and had fire pits, picnic tables, and lots of shade trees.
• The campground itself, which had great amenities(pool, playground, store, laundry, & showers)
• The cost, which was very reasonable

2. The Blue Ridge Parkway – Virginia

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway noted for its scenic beauty. It is America’s longest linear park and runs for 469 miles. It runs through the states of North Carolina and Virginia from the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. It is a very beautiful drive! The speed limit is only 45 so it’s a very relaxing drive. We drove it for a short while, pulling off on scenic overlooks to take photos.

We took an exit and headed to the town of Lexington, Virginia to find something to eat, not knowing the significance of this little town. This town was home to Stonewall Jackson, Confederate General in the Civil War. We found his house on East Washington Street. It was sold to him in 1858 and was the only house Jackson ever owned, he lived there with his wife until the Civil War in 1861. The Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital was housed there from 1907 until 1954, it was then converted to a museum. We didn’t have time to go to the museum this trip, but, we will be back!

3. Greensboro Science Center

Going to the Greensboro, North Carolina Science Center was a “stay-cation” for us. It is located only 31 miles from our house. I had wanted to get back there for years since it had been remodeled. I hadn’t been to the Science Center since my son volunteered there over 10 years ago. We really enjoyed the Aquarium, which had my favorite, Penguins!

If you read my previous post about the Science Center, you will see that there were many areas that we did not get to see. We will definitely be going back!

4. Great Bend Park/Haw River

We found this waterfall not far from our own backyard! The Haw River Trail and Great Bend Park are just a few miles from our house. I learned a lot about the history of this area from going to this park and the Textile Heritage Museum. At one time, there were many textile mills on the banks of the Haw River. They used the river to power their machinery. Unfortunately, most have been closed for years, leaving many empty buildings, although, some have been turned into museums, restaurants, and condos. The county has been developing some of the property on the Haw River into parks and river access.

We had no idea that these beautiful parks and waterfalls were just minutes from our house! I now have a better understanding of the history of the County I live in.

5. Starved Rock State Park & Lodge

We chose the Starved Rock State Park Lodge because it was on our way to Wisconsin. It’s in Oglesby, Illinois. Wow, what a surprise to find this place in the middle of Illinois! The hotel has 2 wings; the Old Lodge wing and the New Hotel wing. We stayed in the New Hotel wing. It was originally built in the 1930s. We loved the rustic feel of the hotel & lodge. Our room was very nice and comfortable, and the pool/hot tub area was great!

When we first arrived, we took a trolley ride which took us on a tour of the nearest town, Utica, Illinois, and then to Starved Rock Lock & Dam and the Illinois Waterway Visitor Center.

The restaurant in the Lodge was very good and breakfast was included. We also checked out the gift shop and spent time in the Lodge great room. I haven’t even mentioned the State Park, which has 18 canyons to explore, many of which have waterfalls in Spring. There is also a campground which we didn’t have time to check out.

6. Two Rivers, Wisconsin

Two Rivers was the second place we stayed on our trip to Wisconsin. We stayed at the Lighthouse Inn on Lake Michigan. We enjoyed our time in Two Rivers! While there, we went to the Ethnic Fest, and Rogers Street Fishing Village.

An interesting side note on Rogers Street Fishing Village is that they will “Flash the Lighthouse” on a certain date in memory of a loved one. I am having this done on February 12, 2020, in memory of my Dad. They will Flash the Lighthouse on that date and post it on their Facebook page.

7. Lambeau Field Tour, Green Bay, Wisconsin

A definite highlight of 2019 for my husband and myself was our Lambeau Field Tour in Green Bay, Wisconsin. We are both Huge Green Bay Packer fans! We were able to get a behind the scenes tour of the stadium, from the roof to the player’s tunnel, and out on the field. We really enjoyed this tour! The cost of the tour was minimal but it was a “bucket list” moment for us!

We went to parts of the stadium not normally seen. The luxury boxes, the roof, the field, and the player’s tunnel. We ran through the tunnel from the player’s locker room to out on the field. We were in awe of how many great players we had seen running through that tunnel over the years!

8. Dillsboro, North Carolina

Our final trip of 2019 was to the charming little town of Dillsboro, North Carolina. Since my Mom moved in 3 months ago, it’s more difficult to get away. She really doesn’t want to travel and is physically challenged, so we had to find someone to stay with her at home. Now that we found a “Mom-sitter” we are hopeful that we can travel more often. We really enjoyed our trip to the mountains of western North Carolina and the day we spent in Dillsboro.

Dillsboro had some great little shops and wonderful restaurants!

That is our “Top 8 List” of favorite travel destinations for the year 2019. I would love to hear your favorite destinations of 2019 and what your plans are for 2020!

You might also enjoy reading these:

• Staycation
• Great Campground
• Starved Rock State Park
• Fun in Two Rivers!

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