Located on the west side of Atlanta in Lithia Springs, Sweetwater Creek State Park offers 9 miles of wooded hiking trails. The highlight is walking by the ruins of an old textile mill burned during the Civil War.
We took our dog and hiked along the red, historic trail to see the mill ruins. The 1/2 mile to the mill ruins is relatively easy and follows Sweetwater Creek. (more…)
On January 4, we attended Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day) at the Atlanta History Center. This annual event is sponsored by the Mexican Consulate and the Insituto de Mexico.
Besides the free admission to the museum and the grounds, a large celebration was held in the ballroom. Children were sporting royal crowns and they could get their picture taken with the three kings. There were live performances on the stage, as well as tamales for sale. (more…)
“We’re going to be sore tomorrow!” my husband announced as we left Center Ice Arena this afternoon with our two children.
He is right, but the adventure was well worth it.
Seeing that this weekend’s weather was going to be cold, rainy and gray, we decided to try out the new ice skating rink that opened ITP – Inside the Perimeter (Atlanta speak for inside the I-285 loop). The facility opened just in time for the winter holidays.
My husband, who played hockey as a kid, was looking forward to skating on a “real” skating rink. In the past, we’ve skated at Centennial Olympic Park and Park Tavern, which offer smaller scale, temporary rinks during the holiday season. Not only was this a permanent, regulation size rink, but they offered a choice between regular skates and hockey skates. (more…)
Natchitoches is the oldest town in Louisiana, the Bed & Breakfast Capital of Louisiana and home of the famous Natchitoches Meat Pie. On our way back from Houston, we decided to make a detour through Natchitoches (pronounced Nack-Uh-Tish) to catch the Christmas Festival of Lights before it ended on January 4. Although this is the 88th year of the festival, I’ve only been to see the lights once before – suprising considering I grew up only 60 miles away in Shreveport.
However, it wasn’t until the Christmas lights were featured in the 1989 blockbuster movie “Steel Magnolias,” starring Sally Field and Julia Roberts, that people in Shreveport started paying attention to Natchitoches – the sleepy (yet Lousiana’a oldest) town situated on the Cane River. Although I enjoyed the lights when I saw them for the first time in 1991, things can change in 23 years. Would the lights be worth this crazy jaunt? (more…)