buzznwoodysmom
11-28-2012, 04:01 PM
This year our family decided to take a Thanksgiving trip to a new place. We teamed up with my hubby's sister and her family. We were a group of 9, two couples, and 5 children ages 16, 13, 12, 10, and 7! We had a wonderful time. The initial plan was to go to Branson, Missouri, but we decided to take a short side trip to Mount Magazine State Park in Arkansas on the way there. Here are some of the details.
First of all the drive was very scenic, but very beautiful once we got into Arkansas. There were times there were no gas stations for miles and miles. We also had to take a detour from our route to find a place to stop for the night on the drive up there. Since we left after work on Tuesday evening we weren't able to make it all the way to our destination in Arkansas, and ended up stopping in Texarkana, Texas the first night. My kids thought it was super cool that on Monday night they slept at home in Louisiana, Tuesday night they slept in Texas, Wednesday night they slept in Arkansas, and Thursday night in Missouri. So cool to sleep in 4 different states in as many nights!
Wednesday we finished up the beautiful drive to Mount Magazine State Park in Arkansas. The views along the drive were wonderful. We saw lots of fall colored leaves, something we don't get much of in Southern Louisiana. Lots of pretty fields with old barns and a backdrop of trees in every shade of fall! Lovely!!
Mount Magazine State Park was also very beautiful. We stayed at the Lodge at Mt. Magazine, which was perched at the top of the mountain. The views from the lodge were stunning. It looked like you could see the curve of the earth from the lodge. And the lodge itself was very beautiful. Rustic and charming in just the right way to go along with it's surroundings.
We had lunch at the restaurant at the lodge (the most delicious burgers ever), settled into our rooms, and then went for some hiking on the trails. We found several trails right from the lodge. We hiked up to the highest point in Arkansas. We also drove to the the information center and enjoyed a little museum type room with lots of information, pictures, and models of the mountain we were on. The boys even ate a box of cheddar bacon crickets they purchased from the store at the info center. :sick: They said they tasted like sunflower seeds. LOL.
There were lots of driving routes and lookout points around the info center and the lodge so we did that for about an hour. We saw tons of deer all along the road. They weren't the least bit afraid of us. Just standing there watching as we drove along. Some of the lookout points were just breathtaking!
Back at the lodge we took in the amazing views from the rocking chairs on the back deck as the sun was setting, had dinner in the lodge restaurant, walked the grounds a bit, then took the kids to the indoor pool for some swim time. The 3 boys spent a bit of time in the arcade before we all called it a night.
Arkansas, from what we saw, is a very beautiful state. Lots of natural beauty! The lodge at Mt. Magazine is a place we'd definitely like to return to. It was so peaceful and quiet there. There are adorable cabins you can rent rather than stay in the lodge. We already decided, along with DSIL and DBIL, that we'll return one day and get a cabin to share, and stay for more nights!
Our entire time in this location was wondeful. The kids were free to run, play, and roam. There was such a slow, quiet, peaceful feeling. We didn't have to hurry or rush around for anything. It was the perfect start to our great Thanksgiving getaway!
Next: Missouri and Big Cedar Lodge (my new favorite resort)
First of all the drive was very scenic, but very beautiful once we got into Arkansas. There were times there were no gas stations for miles and miles. We also had to take a detour from our route to find a place to stop for the night on the drive up there. Since we left after work on Tuesday evening we weren't able to make it all the way to our destination in Arkansas, and ended up stopping in Texarkana, Texas the first night. My kids thought it was super cool that on Monday night they slept at home in Louisiana, Tuesday night they slept in Texas, Wednesday night they slept in Arkansas, and Thursday night in Missouri. So cool to sleep in 4 different states in as many nights!
Wednesday we finished up the beautiful drive to Mount Magazine State Park in Arkansas. The views along the drive were wonderful. We saw lots of fall colored leaves, something we don't get much of in Southern Louisiana. Lots of pretty fields with old barns and a backdrop of trees in every shade of fall! Lovely!!
Mount Magazine State Park was also very beautiful. We stayed at the Lodge at Mt. Magazine, which was perched at the top of the mountain. The views from the lodge were stunning. It looked like you could see the curve of the earth from the lodge. And the lodge itself was very beautiful. Rustic and charming in just the right way to go along with it's surroundings.
We had lunch at the restaurant at the lodge (the most delicious burgers ever), settled into our rooms, and then went for some hiking on the trails. We found several trails right from the lodge. We hiked up to the highest point in Arkansas. We also drove to the the information center and enjoyed a little museum type room with lots of information, pictures, and models of the mountain we were on. The boys even ate a box of cheddar bacon crickets they purchased from the store at the info center. :sick: They said they tasted like sunflower seeds. LOL.
There were lots of driving routes and lookout points around the info center and the lodge so we did that for about an hour. We saw tons of deer all along the road. They weren't the least bit afraid of us. Just standing there watching as we drove along. Some of the lookout points were just breathtaking!
Back at the lodge we took in the amazing views from the rocking chairs on the back deck as the sun was setting, had dinner in the lodge restaurant, walked the grounds a bit, then took the kids to the indoor pool for some swim time. The 3 boys spent a bit of time in the arcade before we all called it a night.
Arkansas, from what we saw, is a very beautiful state. Lots of natural beauty! The lodge at Mt. Magazine is a place we'd definitely like to return to. It was so peaceful and quiet there. There are adorable cabins you can rent rather than stay in the lodge. We already decided, along with DSIL and DBIL, that we'll return one day and get a cabin to share, and stay for more nights!
Our entire time in this location was wondeful. The kids were free to run, play, and roam. There was such a slow, quiet, peaceful feeling. We didn't have to hurry or rush around for anything. It was the perfect start to our great Thanksgiving getaway!
Next: Missouri and Big Cedar Lodge (my new favorite resort)