It’s been a hot minute since I’ve checked in here! I fully intend to get this blog up and running properly soon. It’s an idea that I was super excited about but then life kinda happened and I had to take a while to get back on track.
See you soon!
-Brandy
So on the first weekend of April, I visited Savannah, GA for the first time. Unfortunately, I didn't have a whole lot of time to go exploring; my sister is on a special needs cheer team and they were competing in a national event at the Savannah Civic Center that weekend. We did have a little downtime though, so we hit up a few different places.
Obviously, the first stop was our hotel: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Savannah - Midtown. The important stuff: the hotel was very clean and the staff was friendly. The staff always had a kind word of encouragement (without being patronizing) for the members of the cheer team. The breakfast provided was good as well. I can't say that I recall hearing excess road noise or noise from other rooms either. Overall I would not mind using that hotel again.
Flying Fish Bar & Grill, Savannah, GA, taken 2017-04-01
Our next point of interest was our one major restaurant visit: Flying Fish Bar & Grill. I spent quite some time looking for a place that featured both crab and fish; I like fish (my dad doesn't) and my dad likes crab legs (I don't though) and most places focused either exclusively on seafood or didn't have crab at all. Anyway, my dad was kinda ehhhhhh based on the location (it was kind of an odd spot) but the food was great! My sister and I got the grilled salmon and fried mahi fingers and my dad got (of course) the crab legs. We didn't have to worry about leftovers at all, haha.
Tybee Island Light, Tybee Island, GA
Next up is the Tybee Island Light Station and Museum in Tybee Island, GA. The Tybee Island Light is a 144' lighthouse located near the Savannah River. It is the oldest and tallest lighthouse in Georgia. The lighthouse and surrounding grounds are all part of the museum. Tickets are $9/person and include admission to the lighthouse, grounds, and the museum located in nearby Battery Garland. The location was nice and peaceful despite how crowded the nearby area seems (but it was a really nice Saturday afternoon at the beach, so yeah). All of the locations were fairly easy to navigate, though none of them were handicap-accessible.
Overall I really enjoyed my visit to the lighthouse and the museum. I had not ever climbed a lighthouse before. It was pretty nice being up there, just enjoying the view and the breeze. The museum was fairly interesting as well. It used what remained of the old battery and had a lot of information on how the battery protected the area as well as history of the Grand Strand area between Myrtle Beach and Savannah.
View from the top of Tybee Island Light, Tybee Island, GA
The rest of our time was largely spent at the Savannah Civic Center or the hotel. The team took first in their division! We did drive around Savannah a little but it was so busy we couldn't find parking.
I would definitely go back to Savannah though.
-Brandy
Taken 2017-03-08
Hooker Falls is a 14' waterfall located on Little River in DuPont State Recreational Forest near Brevard, NC. It is named after Edmund Hooker, who operated a nearby mill in the late 1800s.
The hike to Hooker Falls is 0.8mi round trip, in and out from the Hooker Falls Access Area. The trail is a fairly easy one, with minimal elevation change. There are two places where the waterfall can be seen - an upper platform situated near the top of the falls which is handicap accessible and the lower beach area. Apparently it's a popular place for swimming during the summer months as well, though the Forest Service does not provide lifeguards nor do they recommend swimming near the falls.
The trail itself is not particularly handicap-friendly, but the Forest Service will provide transportation upon request.
Overall I really enjoyed the walk to Hooker Falls. I'd hesitate to even call it a hike because the trail was so easy. My dogs enjoyed the walk as well. It was not terribly busy when I visited, but it is most likely very busy during the summer months.
-Brandy
Taken 2017-03-08
Looking Glass Falls is a 60' waterfall located within Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, NC. It's named for a nearby landmark (Looking Glass Rock) and lies along Looking Glass Creek.
This waterfall is super easy to reach - it's literally right beside US-276. Parking is street side. I was actually really surprised at how easy it was to get to considering the hikes required to reach other waterfalls in WNC. I'd always heard about Looking Glass (both the falls and the rock) but had never actually been out there.
It's stairs all the way down, so not too bad on the knees. The falls can be clearly seen from the top of the stairs as well so you can visit and enjoy seeing the falls even if you have mobility issues.
I was also somewhat surprised at how busy it was despite it being early March at the time I visited. I didn't stay too long because my dogs aren't crazy about lots of loud people but there were plenty of people and dogs there enjoying the water.
There weren't any kind of on-site facilities, but that is to be expected from a site within a National Forest (pack in it, pack it out!). However, the city of Brevard is just a short drive away so no worries there.
I'd like to have taken some more photos, but at the time I was juggling two dogs (one had to be carried up and down the steps). Maybe I'll go back sometime over the summer and stay longer if it isn't too crowded.
-Brandy