Kristen Woolsey

Showing posts with label state park. Show all posts

For my nephew's Spring Break this year, my family spent a week in the FL Keys! We all needed this vacation sorely. My brother and his wife flew in from New Orleans, we caught a flight too, and my sister drove down.

Our rental was in Marathon, but we spent time in a few places including Key West. Here are the highlights:

Pigeon Key - My great grandfather was an engineer who worked on the original 7 mile bridge, and was stationed on Pigeon Key - so this was a cool stop! They have cute little train ride, a history tour, a museum, and a great beach to sit on.

Three State Parks - Blake and I have the goal to visit all of the State Parks in Florida. We were happy to check 3 off the list while we were in the Keys. We visited Bahia Honda (Great for the beach and for a view!), Curry Hammock (Great for peacefulness and kayaking), and Ft Zachary (Just great! I would spend every day here if I could. They rent chairs and umbrellas!).

Sushi Sunset Cruise - We took a pontoon boat tour out in Key West to watch the sunset and they served a buffet of sushi. Just a delight!

Butterfly Conservatory - Highly recommend the butterfly conservatory in Key West to everyone. It's a beautiful greenhouse that is home to thousands of beautiful butterflies - and flamingos!

Hemingway House - One day in Key West we all went in different directions, and Blake and I went to the Hemingway House. It was such a cool home, and I loved the setting. If you are a cat person, it's a must.

The only bummer for me this week, was not being about to go out to the Dry Tortugas. I had no idea it was so competitive to get on the ferry, and by the time I checked it was booked for the whole summer. We checked every day, and tried to do the walk up wait list. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for us, so we will just have to go back so we can check this National Park off our list!

-Kristen

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Spring Break in The Keys

Friday, April 24, 2026

Blake and I had a free Saturday and decided to go take a hike! Providence Canyon has been on our radar for awhile and this seemed like the perfect chance to go check it out. Providence Canyon is a man made canyon in South Georgia made from poor farming practicing over a 100 years ago. It's super unique.

We did the Canyon Trail and saw canyons 1-5. 4+5 were probably more photogenic, but 1-3 were worth exploring too. I think 1-3 would be more impressive in the winter when the greenery has died back. It was very hot, so I actually think the winter is the better time to do this park.

Don't skip the overlook at the picnic area! The colors were awesome!

@kristen_woolsey
📍 Providence Canyon State Park
♬ Heatstroke - Khalid

-Kristen

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Providence Canyon State Park in Georgia

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Blake and I both had the day off last Friday, so we decided to go on a little adventure! Actually, hiking trails is one of our favorite things to do together and we try to make time for it when we can. Especially now that the temperatures here are more bearable. I use the All Trails app to bookmark future trails we want to try. One that has been on my list for quite awhile was the Garden of Eden trail in Bristol, FL. Bristol is just about the middle of nowhere, but it's very cool in that it actually has elevation. You'd never know you were in Florida.

I won't lie it was actually very challenging. Lots of steps, washed out areas, and trees down along the route. There was at least one point we had to crawl on hands and knees under a tree to get through. The challenge is absolutely worth it when you get to the peak of the bluff and get to see the view! It's just beautiful. Even a few pops of fall foliage! (Big deal for Florida)

Things to note:

- There are no facilities at the head of this trail. There is a water station, which I think is very important if you are going to attempt this during the summer.

- Highly recommend a walking stick or hiking poles because you will need something to hold onto both descending and ascending in several spots. Fortunately for me, my husband makes a great hand hold, haha. He helped me a lot and I would say I'm not exactly out of shape.

- If you want to cut down on some of the difficultly, go right when you reach the river loop. The scenic photo op is not too far from the entrance of the loop. We, on the other hand, went left. It was absolutely the least maintained part of the trail. Although, that may have made the view even more of a reward.

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-Kristen

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Garden of Eden Trail - Bristol FL

Thursday, November 16, 2023

One | Disney!

My mom, sister, and I took my nephews to Disney for a couple of days! It's been so long since I've done the parks, I felt super rusty! We live an extra hour away now, so it's not likely we will become passholders again.

Things have changed so much, and I have to say, I was pretty nervous about navigating Lightening Lane and the other new planning features. It ended up being a really awesome trip and we 100% recommend going ahead and buying a Genie+ pass for the day. We bought it on a Tuesday, and got to do ride after ride after ride - which was perfect with the kids.

I had to make us matching tank tops too for the occasion. 😊

Two | Blake's Parents Visit

This was my in laws first trip to visit us since we've moved! It was so nice to have them and we enjoyed giving them a mini tour of our city. We didn't have long with them here, but we squeezed in quite a few sites and spots! I wish it wasn't so hot, but then again it's July in Florida.

Three | New Dog Bed

I'm going to have to buy 2 more of these beds, because our pugs are obsessed! It's so comfy, and it's obvious they love it so much. Funnily, they've always shared their beds with each other, but this one it's clear they are going to want to hog the whole thing individually!