Central Florida (without the hoopla)

We are going to Florida for Easter week this year.  This is our plans. We have a relative that lives in Winter Haven so I focused our fun around there.

This is an 6 day trip...leaving from Milan, TN.

D1) Friday

7am - Leave Home

1230pm to 230pm - Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site - 450 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA
Free
Visitor Center, Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, Firestation No 6 and Freedom Hall Daily 9-5
Birth Home 10-4
JR Program

9pm - Hotel - Days Inn - 2930 Polynesian Isle Blvd, Kissimmee, FL
(We stayed in room 251. The a/c didn't work great but it wasn't terrible.  The hotel wasn't spectacular but it suited our needs and was comfortable)

D2) Saturday

8am -Leave Hotel

930am to 1pm - Canaveral National Seashore - Playalinda Beach - 17 Olsen Rd, Sharpes, FL
$5 per car
6am to 6pm
JR Program
Visitor Center 9-5, Eldora Statehouse (Fri-Sun) 12-4, Seminole Rest (Wed-Sun) 12-4

Follow (FL- 3) 
Stops:
*Manatee Observation Deck
to (US Hwy 1)
*Seminole Rest
to left on (FL A1A)
*Eldora Hammock Trail - 0.5 mile
*Canaveral National Seashore Visitor Center

230pm to 530pm - Lori Wilson Park - 1500 N Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL
Beach, Boardwalk, Sand Dunes

540pm to 830pm - Cocoa Beach Pier - 401 Meade Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL
Dinner-Shop-Relax
Hours: 7am to 10pm

D3) Sunday

Easter

D4) Monday

8am - Leave Hotel

930am to 330pm - Clearwater Marine Aquarium - 249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, FL
Hours: 9-6
Admission: A$21.95, K$16.95
Winter's Dolphin Tale Adventure - Free with General Admission
Feed Rufus (4x6 Photo) $30
Photo w/ a Dolphin (2-4people) $60
Photo w/ Winter (2-4people) $160
*other combos and opportunites on website

515pm - Dinner/Hotel

D5) Tuesday

430am - Leave Hotel

600am to 9:30am - Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge - 1502 SE Kings Bay Drive, Crystal River, FL
Visitor Center 8-4
Free
*Three Sisters Spring Boardwalk Tour - 

$15 Adults $5 Kids

*Swim with Manatees Tour 6:15a-9:15a $65 person

River Ventures Tour Company
November 15-April 30 1030a-330p
*Kings Spring

10am to 10:30am - Picnic Lunch

1030am to 2:30pm - Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park - 4150 S Suncoast Blvd, Homosassa, FL

Hours: 9-530
Admission: A$13, K$5
Pepper Creek Birding Trail - 0.75mile
Visitor Center
Boat Tours- Free with General Admission
Nature Trail - 1.10mile

 

4p - Hotel

D6) Wednesday

Drive Home

Washington DC

This trip is 9 days.  I could have filled it up with at least another week but because I am not independently wealthy, we have jobs to get back to and bills to pay!

Day 1)
7AM - Leave Home
2 - 30 minute Gas/Rest Stops
8PM - Arrive at Hotel in Bethesda, MD

Day 2)
9AM - Leave Hotel

915AM to 11AM - Rock Creek Park - Nature Center and Planetarium - 5200 Glover Rd NW
Free Planetarium tickets available 30 minutes prior to show
Open: Wednesday thru Sunday 9-5

1115AM to 1145AM - Peirce Mill and Barn - 2401 Tilden St
Free
April-Dec, Wed-Sun 10-4

12PM to 1230PM - Old Stone House - 3051 M St NW
Daily 11-6
Free

*Rock Creek Park Headquarters - 3545 Williamsburg Lane NW

1235PM to 1PM - Francis Scott Key Memorial Park - 34th and M St
Free
*Star Spangled Banner Monument

115PM to 3PM - Arlington House & Arlington Cemetery - National Park Service
Free
Daily 9-530
*JFK Grave
*Tomb of the Unknowns
*National Cemetery Visitors Center

310PM to 330PM - LBJ Memorial Grove - Lady Bird Johnson Park
Open 6a-10p
Free
NPS

335PM to 345PM - Pentagon Memorial - 1 Rotary Rd, Arlington, VA
Free

415PM -Greenbelt Park - 6565 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD
Camp - $16

Day 3)
730AM - Leave Camp

8AM - Park @ East Potomac Park - 1100 Ohio Drive SW

National Mall - National Park Service

815AM to 845AM - Jefferson Memorial
Free
Open 24 Hrs

915AM to 10AM - Washington Monument
9-5
Free tickets online

1015AM to 1215PM - US Holocaust Memorial Museum - 100 Rauol Wallenberg Pl SW
Free - Advance $1 Online
1215-1230 - grab a sandwich at museum cafe and walk to next destination

1245PM to 130PM - White House Visitor Center - 1450 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Free
730-4

145PM to 2PM - Layfayette Park - Northern Trail

220PM to 245PM - The Ellipse

3PM to 315PM - WWII Memorial

330PM to 345PM - Albert Einstein Memorial - 2101 Constitution Ave NW

345PM to 415PM - Constitution Gardens
*Reflecting Pool
*56 Signers Memorial
*Vietnam Vet Memorial
*Lock Keepers House
*DC War Memorial

430PM to 445PM - Lincoln Memorial
Free
24 Hrs

5PM to 515PM - MLK Jr Memorial

530PM to 6PM - FDR Memorial

615PM - Back to Car

645PM - Greenbelt Park - Campsite

*Bring Snacks
*Food Vendors Available

D4)
8AM - Leave Camp

Park @ Colonial Pepco Parking Garage - $15
Walk to Gallery Place Chinatown, take the Green to L'Enfant Plaza - Arrive 836AM
10 Minute walk to...
845AM to 930AM - Smithsonian Castle
FREE

945AM to 12PM - National Museum of American History
FREE

12PM to 1230PM - Lunch

1235PM to 230PM - National Museum of Natural History
FREE

245PM to 315PM - National Archives
FREE
10-530

330PM to 345PM - Peterson House
FREE

4PM to 530PM - Fords Theatre - 511 10th St SW
$2.50
One Destiny - 35 min. @ 430PM
Museum - 30 min. @ 4PM

7 min walk to car

615PM - Greenbelt Park Campsite

D5)
830AM - Leave Camp

9AM - Park @ Colonial Pepco Parking Garage

905AM to 11AM - International Spy Museum - 800 F St NW
9a-7p
A$21.95, K$14.95

1105AM to 1PM - National Museum of Crime and Punishment - 575 7th St NW
9a-7p
Web tickets A$18, K$14

110PM to 120PM - Gallery Place Chinatown Metro

130PM to 230PM - Carter G Woodson Home NHS
Free

245PM Shaw Metro
249PM Arrive Gallery Place
3PM Car

310PM to 330PM - Lincoln Park
*Emancipation Statue
Free

4PM to 5PM - Theodore Roosevelt Island - George Washington Memorial Parkway
FREE
NPS
6a-10p
*Theodore Roosevelt Statue

520PM to 530PM - Woodrow Wilson House - 2340 S St NW
No Entry-Just Photo

6PM - Greenbelt Park Campsite

D6)

8AM - Leave Camp

Park @ Colonial Hall of the States $15
12 min walk...

845AM to 1030AM - US Capitol Building - 1st St & E Capitol St
830-430 Monday -Saturday
FREE
*Capitol Visitor Center
Book Tour Online in Advance

1045AM to 12PM - US Botanic Garden
FREE
*Ulysses S Grant Memorial

1215PM to 1PM - Lunch

115PM to 130PM - Library of Congress - Photo

145PM to 2PM - US Supreme Court - Photo

215PM - Union Station Metro
*DC Visitor Center - 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW
*Old Post Office Tower
*Washington DC Gift Shop - 801 K ST NW - Mt Vernon Square
*Union Station - Destination DC Gift Shop

Greenbelt Park Campsite

D7)
8AM - Leave Camp

845AM to 145PM - George Washingtons Mount Vernon - 3200 Mount Vernon Hwy, Mt Vernon, VA
8-5
A$17, K$9

215PM - Prince William Forest Park - 18100 Park Headquarters Road, Triangle, VA
Camp - $20

D8)
9AM - Leave Camp

10AM to 12PM - Steven F Udvar-Hazy Air/Space Museum - 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, VA
FREE
10a-530p

7PM - Hotel in Knoxville, TN

D9)
9AM - Leave Hotel

Visit Sunsphere - Leave Knoxville -10AM

3PM - Home

Other Interests:
President Lincoln's Cottage - 140 Rock Creek Church Road - A$15, K$5
Monday-Saturday 930-430, Sunday 1030-430

Great Falls Park

Tennessee State Parks #1

**FREE - Everything we did on this trip was free except the campsite!**

Day 1:

7am - Leave Home

10:30am to 1pm - Burgess Falls State Natural Park - 4000 Burgess Falls Dr, Sparta, TN

136 Foot Lower Falls (Big Falls)

River Trail/Service Road Loop - 1.5 mile
The hike wasn't bad at all. There are a few areas of ups and downs but mostly it was easy walking.

20 Foot Cascades

  
30 Foot Upper Falls and 80 Foot Middle Falls...both photos taken from the path.

2pm - Standing Stone State Park - 1674 Standing Stone Parkway, Hilham, TN
Gift Shop Hours: 8am to 4:30pm

Camp (Site 21) $25.95

I always reserve campsites ahead of time which is sometimes hard to do because the campsite maps are never very informative.  I try to get just the right distance away from and near to the bathhouse without being in a congested area.  I felt good about this choice but when we got there is was so much better.  The campsite was huge, it was the only one with a swing bench, the bathhouse was the perfect distance away and there was a horse shoe game right next to the site.  We stayed 2 nights and loved every minute of it.  We drove around the whole campground and in our opinion we had the best site!

The park itself has a lot to offer...hiking trails, a seasonal pool, gift shop, cabins and campground, a recreation center, at least 2 playgrounds, fishing and boating as well as the main attraction, the Standing Stone Monument.

Day 2:

9am - Leave Camp

9:40am to 12pm - Cordell Hull State Historic Park - 1300 Cordell Hull Memorial Dr, Byrdstown, TN
Overlook/Cave Trail - 2.5 mile loop - We hiked the trail but did not go down to see the cave.
Picnic Lunch

1pm to 5pm - Cummins Falls State Park - 1081 Cummins Mill Road, Cookeville, TN

This park was AMAZING!  It is a crazy strenuous hike threw the river and over rocks and steep ups and downs but 1000% worth it!

If you can stand the workout...

 
 ...than this is what greets you at the end!

 
 

6pm to 7pm - The Pharmacy Burger Parlor - 731 McFerrin Ave, Nashville, TN
9pm - Home

**The above trip was the original plan, but we had some extra time so we decided to leave a day early. We left around noon on Friday and arrived at Standing Stone State Park around 4pm. We explored the park and hung out at our campsite the rest of the day. The rest of the trip was basically the same other than we did everything in reverse (Cummins Falls, Cordell Hull then Burgess Falls). Also we skipped The Pharmacy Burger Parlor, ate sandwiches from our cooler and stopped at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park instead.

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park - 600 James Robertson Pkwy, Nashville, TN 37243

This was a nice park in the middle of downtown Nashville, a lot of room for kids to run around, some water to cool off in and the Farmer's Market is right next door.