D.C. Trip - Day 2

Mining for buried treasure was a big hit with the kids. We started by sluicing on the sluiceway. Basically, that means we got a bucket of dirt, dumped it into a sifter of sorts, and then put that sifter into a trough containing running water. They gave us a small garden shovel and a big grooming brush to help us with our task of sorting through the dirt to find our precious stones. We found beautiful stones. Whether they were precious, semi-precious, or duds, the kids valued everyone of them as unique and valuable finds.
After sluicing, shovel and bucket in hand, we headed off into the forest to dig for ourselves. We hiked to the designated digging spot, realizing on the way that Florida has done us no favors with low elevation and flat terrain. We are definitely out of hiking shape.
We filled our 25 gallon bucket and then realized that carrying it back was going to present a problem. There was only a thin metal handle that cut into fingers when carried due to the weight. My husband, being the boy scout that he is, figured out that if we used a stick threaded though the handle of the bucket that two people working together could carry the bucket with ease.
We dragged our bucket back to the sluice way and sifted our way through the mud. There were a few finds, but we honestly had more luck with Emerald Hollow Mine's prefilled containers. By this point, we were all covered in North Carolina clay, so the next mining technique, creeking, was a welcome one.
We gathered the kids, a small shovel, and a sifter and headed to the creek. It took about two minutes for the kids to have their shoes off, pants rolled, and be waist deep in the water. It is true that rolling up the pants had absolutely no effect when it came to keeping clothes dry. We eventually stripped the 2 year old down to the diaper and let her splash free in the "pool." The creek bed did offer up some good finds, but by this point the only ones looking any more were my husband and I.It took some time to gather everyone to the car, replace wet clothes with dry, and start on the road again. But it took no time at all for the moaning and groaning of hungry munchkins to start. We found the closest McDonald's with a playground we could. The kids fill themselves up, ran themselves down, and quickly fell asleep in the car. Oh, the joy of peace and quiet.
One nap later, the kids found themselves at a cute little farm filled with a lot of love and attention, not to mention dogs, kittens, horses, and plenty of room to run.We enjoyed a fabulous home cooked meal with family. Afterward, the kids took some time to explore inside and out, walkie talkies in hand, while my husband and I sat back and chit chatted. By the time the kids headed to bed, they had decided that we should just spend our whole vacation in Tobaccoville, NC.

D.C. Trip - Day 1

My dad started every family road trip with a rousing verse of Willie Nelsen's "On the Road Again." I started our trip with "On the road at last..." After months of planning, we were finally on our way and on the road all day.
We had a good laugh at our first gas station, but they had the cheapest gas prices and the bathrooms weren't too bad.
We found a pretty good BBQ place for lunch. It was a little mustard heavy for everyday eating at my house, but still tasty.
We divided the first drive length into 2 days. We told everyone we did this for the kids' benefit, but after an hour on the road we realized that we had been lying. Dividing the drive was definitely for our benefit. 7 and a 1/2 hours of "He's bugging me," "Leave me alone," and "Stop touching me," were more than enough for the parents. We figured that we could let the kids get all of their travel anxiety out in a hotel swimming pool. We checked into the Americas Best Value Inn only to find out that there was no pool. We, being the good parents that we are, found an alternative activity. We threw the kids back into the car and dragged them out for ice cream. We arrived downtown only to discover that most of Old Town Rock Hill, S.C. is closed on Monday nights. We did find one real thing of interest, a light pole with a sock or maybe it was a scarf. Any guesses?
So, we went to one of our favorite standbys instead. The kids eventually recovered from the pool disappointment.

Washington, D.C. - Local Recommendations

I love having insider information. With it, you don't have to worry about whether or not restaurants will be good or the entertainment will be age appropriate.

I mentioned before that my sister-in-law and brother-in-law lived in Washington D.C. for a summer. I also have a friend that currently lives in D.C. All of them gave me the exact same recommendations for restaurants, so here they are:
Cosi
au bon pain
Potbelly Sandwich Shop
There will be something for everyone one at these restaurants considering that the recommendations came from those with and those without kids. I like the idea that I won't have to compromise on taste in order to keep my kids happy.

My D.C. friend also recommended the best museums to visit with kids.
National Museum of Natural History
National Air and Space Museum
National Building Museum
The National Building Museum is not located on the National Mall, but close to it and I understand it is worth the slight detour. D.C. friend also recommended going to the Eastern Market to get a real for the city and buy "cool food." The market is also located off the mall to the east of the capital building and it has a Metro Station of it's very own.

Some Cheaper Eating Options

While traveling, one of our biggest expenses is food. Some of the ways we've found to save money are:

Extended Stay Hotels
If you know that you are going to be spending 3 days or more in one place, extended stay hotels are a great option. The kitchens or kitchenettes provide a great way to prepare your own meals at a fraction of the cost of eating out. Preparing meals can even include picnic lunches. With kids that are particular eaters, making your own meals provides a way to give them nutritious meals that they enjoy eating.

Kids Eat Free
Many restaurants have nights that they let kids eat free with entree buying parents. There are even websites that keep track of these restaurants. Here are a few websites that I used when planning our Washington D.C. trip. These websites let you put in zip codes or addresses, so you can use them for more than just travel. Find deals close to home and enjoy a night out with your family.
Coupon Divas
MyKidsEatFree.com
Kids Eat For

Coupon Books
Look into getting local coupon books for the areas you will be visiting. This only works if you are planning on staying in an area for at least a week and you plan ahead with enough time to receive the books before you leave home. Coupon books provide coupons for local places that you wouldn't even know about otherwise.
Entertainment Book

Our D.C. processional...

We will be staying in Rockville, MD for our 6 days in D.C. We chose to stay outside of D.C. proper to save a little on the hotel stay. My sister-in-law, who lived in the D.C. area for a summer, suggested we do this and use the Metro to access National Mall. Our family of 4 can get 7 day unlimited Metro passes for $188 and have full access to Washington D.C. for our entire stay.
During our time in Maryland, we planned to spend most of our days in Washington D.C. with a side trip on Sunday to visit friends in Virginia. Our first thoughts were to spend our 5 allotted days all at National Mall. This is definitely doable considering the number of museums and memorials that are located there. The fact that admissions to most places are free also made that option very attractive. But once we realized the possibilities that the Metro pass offered, we looked for other options.
We debated visiting Arlington National Cemetery. It is such an impressive sight, very awe inspiring. It would also be a chance to really give our kids an idea of how many men and women have died in service to our county, our rights, and our freedoms. A friend suggested that it is much more impressionable if you find a person from your own family history that is buried there. Arlington National Cemetery is just a short distance from National Mall and has a Metro station nearby.
We talked about going to The Pentagon. Friends told us that the 9/11 Memorial is something to see. Part of the memorial can be view from the outside, but there is another part that can only be seen when touring the inside of The Pentagon. By the time we were thinking of doing the tour, all of the reservations for the entire time we were in D.C. were gone. If you plan on doing this tour, try to make your reservations as soon as you can.
We did decide that we needed to visit the National Zoo. We believe it will be a fun break for the kids to see living things for a day. The National Zoo is run by the Smithsonian Institute, so like most of their facilities, admission is free. If you are choosing to dive your own car, there is a parking fee. If you are using the Metro, there is a station located just outside the entrance.
We also decided that we wanted to see all or most of the memorials located at National Mall. When I mentioned this to a friend, she suggested that we see some of them at night. Most of the memorials have 24/7 access. However, Rangers are only on duty from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. for questions and if your kids are like mine, they like to ask people questions. Another important tidbit is that if you plan to go to the top of the Washington Monument you must have tickets. Admission is free, but you must have a ticket in order to reserve your time. Tickets can be obtained online for a small processing fee. Order these as soon as you know you are going to reserve your spot or they might sell out.

Proceeding on...

To drive straight to Charlotteville, VA, after a day touring in North Carolina, would leave no time that night to actually visit Monticello. We tossed around the idea of staying another night in Winston-Salem, NC, but that might make our drive the next morning a little lengthy. So, a decision was reached to find a mid point for the night. A stay in Lynchburg, VA would give us a shorter drive that night. A little drive the next morning would give the kids a chance to really wake up before the explorations began. When we were finished in Charlotteville, our extended stay hotel in Maryland would be a little over 2 hours away.

Still processing...

After choosing our buried treasure's location, I proceeded to call family members and arrange times to visit. A cousin of mine graciously offered her home to us for a night and her husband as a tour guide the next day while we visited Old Salem to learn more about the Moravian Culture. We knew that Old Salem, NC could take a few days to explore in depth, but we also knew we still wanted to spend most of our family vacation in D.C., so we chose the short but sweet visit with the Moravians. We would be able to get the condensed version of history with an expert tour guide (my cousin's husband) in our employ. We were determined that we needed more adventure in our lives though, so we opted to take a day to visit the home of Thomas Jefferson, Monticello.

The process continued...

Lucky for us my husband has a very flexible work schedule, because once we started telling family and friends the plan, they all had ideas of things we could do along the way. Friends from church suggested gem mining in North Carolina and my parents suggested visiting extended family in North Carolina. So...we decided that it would be a good idea to spend a couple of days in North Carolina on our way to D.C.
First, I stared researching gem mines. I never imagined I would be a treasure hunter, but it sounded like fun and there are so many options. My husband and I finally agreed upon Emerald Hollow Mine because it is the closest location to family and it seemed reasonable in price. Other mines that we looked at were: Emerald Village, Gem Mountain, Old Pressley Sapphire Mine, Elijah Mountain, Cherokee Ruby and Sapphire Mine, Gold City Gem Mine, and Rose Creek Mine.
The only problem with our mining scheme was that we needed to be well rested in order to dig for treasure. Tired kids digging for treasure might not be any more fun than bored kids raking leaves at home. So it was determined that we needed a resting point along our drive. Rock Hill, SC looked good for the final resting point (at least for day 1 of our trip). It shortened day 1's drive and it's not too far from buried loot.