CategoryVacation Ideas

Spur of the moment BEACH DAY!

Sometimes you just need to get away to the beach and the salt filled air can fix anything. Well that might be just me but a friend of mine lives in Pompano Beach so it can’t hurt to check right? I hoped on Orbitz and saw that flights from Chicago were about $100! Yes you’re reading that right $100 round-trip! I decided to book a 6 day getaway and also catch a hockey game while I was in town. Last year at this time I was living in St. Augustine and came down for the same hockey games and had blast. But back to the beach …

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After fetching my rental car that cost more than my flight I picked a spot on the map and drove straight to the beach. Fort Lauderdale was the closest. I grabbed a slice of pizza from a beach side cafe and just sat in the sand for at least an hour. After that I drove to my fiends house changed into my suit and found a beach a little closer to her house.

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That’s where Deerfield Beach comes in. I navigated myself to A1A and knew I would find something. This place was great. It has these huge rocks on the shore and the waves were crashing onto them. That might be one of my favorite sounds on the planet. Sure is relaxing.

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Ruby Falls – Tennessee

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I found a delightful pit stop off the I-24 highway when I was headed south. You see quite a few signs for Ruby Falls when you’re on the highway and might think that its a tourist trap but it was actually pretty cool. In 1928, Leo Lambert and a team of excavators found a breathtaking waterfall located over 1,120 feet below the surface of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, TN. Lambert named the falls after his wife, Ruby, and opened the area as a public attraction in 1930. Today, Ruby Falls welcomes thousands of visitors each year. Come tour the falls for yourself and see why it has been one of the best Chattanooga attractions for over 85 years. – Via www.rubyfalls.com

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The cave when you walk in is so low that I could touch the ceiling without being on my toes. I am 5’6 but it was very easy. I know that my Dad who is 6’4 would have had some issues walking around and even getting to the waterfall.

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Ruby Falls Cave, unlike Lookout Mountain Cave, had no natural openings and could not be entered until the 20th Century; it therefore does not have the various artifacts which are often associated with caves in the southeastern United States. In 1905 the natural entrance to Lookout Mountain Cave was closed during the construction of a railway tunnel. In the 1920s a chemist and cave enthusiast named Leo Lambert thought that he could re-open the cave as a tourist attraction, and formed a company to do so. He planned to make an opening further up the mountain than the original opening and transport tourists to the cave via an elevator. For this purpose, his company purchased land on the side of Lookout Mountain above Lookout Mountain Cave and in 1928 began to drill through the limestone. In doing so, they discovered a small passageway about 18 inches high and four feet wide. Exploring this opening, Lambert discovered the formerly hidden Ruby Falls Cave and its waterfall. On his next trip to visit the cave, Lambert took his wife Ruby, and told her that he would name the falls after her.

In 1954, the pathway around the basin was cut in order to allow tourists a better view of the falls. This began the tour-related quip regarding not drinking the falls’ water. Though pure and thus safe to drink, it has large concentrations of magnesium from the strata of the mountain, which makes it a natural laxative. Via en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Falls

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Covington, GA – Food

Covington, GA City Map Mystic Grill Bradley's BBQ Bar-B-Que

I have visited Covington, GA twice now. Both times I have been to this delightful town it makes me want to keep going back. Along with the southern charm they have a host of local restaurants all located inside the town square. I have eaten at Bradley’s Bar-B-Que and the Mystic Grill. Both were great but in their own ways. I heard about Bradley’s while I was on the Vampire Stalkers tour and the Mystic Grill is famous all on its own thanks to The Vampire Diaries. Bradley’s was exactly what I was looking for when I thought about getting some Bar-B-Que for lunch. Little did I know that they were also fans of the show The Vampire Diaries. If you ask they will Vamp your sandwich for you complete with fangs and blood. – www.bradleysbbq.com

Bradleys BBQ Vamp Sandwich Vampire Mystic Falls Covington Georgia

I learned on my tour that the Mystic Grill was something that was created by the show and then years later after the building suffered a fire the town Mayor took it upon himself to build what all the fans of the show wanted, a place to actually eat. “Inspired by two communities: the family and fans of The Vampire Diaries and the small town community we call home. The television series, filmed here in Covington, inspired partners John & Angi Beszborn and Ronnie & Kelley Johnston to bring the on screen restaurant to life.” – www.mysticgrill.restaurant

The Vampire Diaries is the reason I heard of the quaint little town called Covington, GA the people and the food are the reasons why I will be back.