Mom and kid trip 2021

At the end of each school year I love planning a trip with just me and the kids! I buy them little toy treasures (gift giving love language) and plan some fun adventures while following their suggestions of what to do! I think as they continue to get older this will look differently as they suggest more of what they want and I have to take a backseat to what I want from our adventure! But isn't that the beauty of growing a relationship with your children? Realizing and following their passions is something I'm looking forward to!

Past trips have been 2020 to Alabama, 2019 to Cumberland Gap, and 2018 to the Animal Safari and Paris, TN

In 2021 we revisited some of the same places we saw in 2018! Here's our itinerary:

Day 1 - Eva, Tennessee and Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park

Day 2 - Paris Landing State Park, Land Between the Lakes, and Fort Donelson

Day 3 - Dunbar Cave State Park and Port Royal State Park

The planning of this started when Eva Mae asked to go camping in an RV. Searing AirBNB I found this one that looked really nice and in an area that I knew we wanted to explore again! 

On our way to the RV there was a little town called Eva, TN. Every time I've seen it on the map I knew I wanted to go there and get a picture of Eva Mae in Eva, TN!

Nathan Bedford Forrest Park is in Eva and they have a wonderful history center and beach! This area on the Tennessee River is rich in fishing for mussels and the pearl industry. I highly recommend spending a few hours at the museum site at Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park! I learned so much (my kids were more interested in watching the snakes and using their cameras to take pictures! LOL!)

Eva, TN used to be a bustling town with industry because the railroad originally went through the town. In the 1940s they moved the railroad north several miles and many of the businesses dried up so when you visit now, it is a very quiet and quaint area.

We enjoyed getting our passport stamped at each of the State Parks we visited! Not far from Nathan Bedford Forrest is Paris Landing State Park. We enjoyed day 2 at Paris Landing by kayaking in the morning and then swimming and fishing in the afternoon!

When I could tell that the sun had taken its toll, I told them to get in the car and we would go for a drive! We drove through some of Land Between the Lakes and missed getting a ticket for the Homestead Tour by 30 minutes! :( Next time we will plan ahead and spend more time in this National Recreation Area!

Since Fort Donelson is nearby we drove there to pick up a Jr. Ranger guide and review our Civil War history from this past school year!

If you plan a visit make sure to give yourself a couple hours so your children can complete the packet and get sworn in as a Jr. Ranger with the special badge!

Our day was full of outdoor fun and I'm so thankful the weather was perfect! We enjoyed dinner from some food trucks in the Eiffel Tower Park where they have a wonderful splash pad, playground, and outdoor concerts!

We checked out of our RV airbnb in the morning and went to Dunbar Cave State Park and Port Royal State Park to get a few more passport stamps and learn about the area. We'll be going back for a cave tour with some friends later this summer! My homeschool mama heart grew an extra size when they recognized a song playing in the visitor's center at Dunbar Cave. This year one of our folk songs was Wabash Cannonball. This song was written by Roy Acuff who used to own the cave! Eva Mae enjoyed listening and singing along while we were in the museum! Port Royal State Park has a really interesting history about tobacco and the Trail of Tears. I hope to go back when we can take a tour with one of the park rangers!

I love my kids so much! I'm thankful we have the opportunity to go on these adventures and look forward to what next year will bring!