I dream about traveling. Put me on a plane to anywhere and I would be happy. Stick me in a car with an open road ahead of me and I would be perfectly satisfied. Start an audio book on said road trip and I would think I’d died and gone to heaven. So, as one can imagine, I REALLY enjoy planning our family road trips – almost as much as I enjoy going on them!
So, what do we have planned for this summer? We only have three more summers before Sam moves out and our goal to see all of the states we can drive to. This summer we will explore the southeast. Here is a map of the way there: 
And here is a map of the way home:
And here is the itinerary for the month:
Leave June 22nd, Thursday – AMARILLO
Drive 13 hours 22 min- Take I-40
See Cadillac Ranch – car sculpture
Spend night in Amarillo – hotel
June 23rd, Friday – NASHVILLE
Drive 13 hours 36 minutes
Spend night in Nashville – Airbnb
June 24th Saturday
Explore Nashville.
Possible places: The Parthenon in Centennial Park, Hatch Show Print Shop, Andrew Jackson’s home (The Hermitage), Historic Belmont mansion, adventure science center
Listen to live music either at Bluebird café, Family Wash, or Station Inn.
Spend night in Nashville
June 25th Sunday – SMOKY MOUNTIANS
Leave at 5 to drive to Cades Cove 4 hours 15 mins –bring picnic lunches
Cades Cove 2-4 hours
Rich Mountain Road
Abrams Falls 1 hour
Laural Falls Trail on the way to hotel
Stay in Pigeon Forge
June 26th Monday – LAKE KEEOWEE
Eat at the hotel
Leave early (8 am) to hike to drive to Clingmans dome
Get donuts at Donut Friar (opens at 5) for an on-the-road snack
Do the Clingmans dome hike
Drive to Lake Keeowee (1 hr 45 min)
Stay with Gramma and Grampa
July 1st Saturday – ATLANTA
Drive from Keowee to Atlanta (2 hours)
Go to the Atlanta Aquarium
Take Zach and Nikki out to dinner
Get ice cream at their famous ice-cream place
Stay with Zach and Nikki
July 2nd Sunday – SAVANNAH
Drive to Savannah 3 ½ hours
Do a trolley tour of Savannah.
See historic district
Spend night in Savannah – hotel
July 3rd Monday – ST. AUGUSTINE
Drive to St. Augustine (2 hours 40 min)
Possible things to see: Pirate and Treasure Museum, Castillo de San Marco, St. Georges Street, Ft. Matanzas National Monument, Wild Animal Preserve
Go to Fudge Bucket
Spend night in St. Augustine – hotel
July 4th Tuesday – COCOA BEACH
Drive to Cocoa Beach (2 hrs)
Spend day at Kennedy Space Center
Bring our own lunch and keep it in the car. Start at the information desk to get rocket garden tour times. Then go to the beginning – Early Space Exploration Hall. Do the bus tour, but don’t wait until the end of the day. IMAX movie is a MUST see it around ten as the line gets longer in the afternoon.
Do something with fireworks for fourth
Stay at condo on the beach-VRBO
July 5th Wednesday – MAGIC KINGDOM
Be to Magic Kingdom by 8 am. (Leave by about 7 am.) Bring lunches and backpacks
July 6th Thursday – COCOA BEACH
Relax on the beach
July 7th Friday – FT. LAUDERDALE
Drive to Ft. Lauderdale (3 hours)
Stop at Blowing Rocks Nature Preserve, especially if it is high tide and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton for a few hours to visit the sea turtles, mangrove forest and butterfly garden. (Free, donations encouraged)
Stay in Ft. Lauderdale at timeshare
July 8th Saturday
Chill on the beach
July 9th Sunday
Go to church(LDS). Explore Hugh Taylor Birch Park in the evening and have a BBQ in the park
Go to Church by the Glades (Gironis’ church) – make sure we go when Pastor Dave is there
July 10th Monday – THE EVERGLADES
Tour the Everglades
Airboat ride
Ride along Shark River Valley (gator and bird sightings galore)
Return to Ft. Lauderdale
July 11th, Tuesday
Kids do baptisms in the temple
Afternoon, chill on the beach
Evening session the temple then grown-up dinner out with Dan and Laur
July 12th, Wednesday – THE KEYS
Go to the Keys for snorkeling – probably John Pennekamp State Park
http://www.floridarambler.com/florida-best-beaches/best-snorkeling-in-florida/
July 13th, Thursday– PANAMA CITY, FL
Leave for home drive to west coast of Florida
Take west coast route 9 hrs 9 min drive
Stay in condo at Panama City (tripadvisor)
July 14th, Friday – PANAMA CITY, FL
Swim with dolphins and explore Shell Island
http://www.bluedolphintour.com/
Spend night in Panama City
July 15th, Saturday– NEW ORLEANS
Leave VERY early and drive to New Orleans (5 hours)
Possible things to do: Take the St. Charles Street trolley. Visit French Quarter and French Market, Lafayette Cemetery, Jackson square, listen to Jazz somewhere that evening
Stay in Garden District – Airbnb
July 16th, Sunday – NEW ORLEANS
Possible things to do: Mass at Louis Cathedral, Gospel Brunch, Leave the city and see an old plantation
July 17th, Monday – SAN ANTONIO
Drive to San Antonio (8 hrs)
Stay near river – Hotel
July 18th, Tuesday
Spend day on the river walk
Visit the Alamo
July 19th, Wednesday – CARLSBAD CAVERNS
Drive to Carlsbad caverns (6 hours)
See the bat migration in the evening
Stay in city of Carlsbad – hotel
July 20th, Thursday – MESA VERDE
Take a tour of Carlsbad Caverns in the morning
Drive to Mesa Verde (8 ½ hours)
Get tickets for the next day
Stay in Cortez – hotel
July 21st, Friday – HOME
Take the first tour of Mesa Verde
Drive home 5 ½ hours
My thoughts about this itinerary: I think we are going to be EXHAUSTED by the end of the month. However, how can we not do any of these things? The world is so big. And exciting! I’m sure things will change a little before this trip. But for now, the planning of our summer excursion is preventing me from sinking into the winter doldrums. I’m not focusing on the grey snowy landscape outside. I am in Florida right now…swimming with dolphins…
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