As I look back on 2016, I’m really amazed at where we have been and the things we have experienced! It truly was an amazing year for our family.
If I wanted to describe our 2016 travel year in one word I would choose – enlightenment. Does my choice seem strange? As I reflected on all the great places that we have been blessed to visit, this one word kept coming up, enlightenment.
Here are our top 5 experiences from 2016…
5. Disney’s – Fort Wilderness – We have been so blessed to have stayed here at least once a year for the last few years. Fort Wilderness never seems to disappoint!
In 2016, we used it in numerous ways. We kicked off our year of camping here by celebrating Justin’s 4th birthday, used it as an overnight stopover on our way to South Florida for our son, Storm’s, High School graduation and
we are currently at Fort Wilderness celebrating Christmas and the New Year. Not mention celebrating my bride’s birthday in one of her favorite places to visit, Disney!
4. Cape Cod – We were wowed by the entire Cape Cod area. From our visit to
the Groton Submarine Museum,
walking along the National Seashores, to the bayside beaches of the Cape. Not to mention some of the best Lobster (or phonetically speaking….lobstah) Rolls we have ever tasted.
3. Washington D.C. – The monuments – visiting our nations’ capital is always a unique and personal experience
From the Martin Luther King Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial, we could feel the history. Sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and gazing out at the water on the mall.
I told our young boys that this is the very place that MLK gave his ” I Have a Dream” speech. This is the place that their grandparents as young college students trekked to protest injustice. We all could feel the gravity of all the monuments, including the War Memorials. All of them there to honor the sacrifice of those men and women who paid the ultimate price for all of our freedoms.
2. Arcadia National Park – From the moment we crossed over into Maine, we knew we were in for a treat.
This national park needs to be on everyone’s must visit list. From Sand Beach to the Thunder Hole, there is something for everyone. Our Oceanside campsite hosted some off the most beautiful sunsets we have ever seen!
1. International Civil Rights Museum – Greensboro, NC was our first major stop on our epic 75-day summer trip and we couldn’t have picked a better place to start. We experienced two outstanding children’s museums, great city parks and some incredible food.
The International Civil Rights Museum however, made a lifelong impression on our family. To visit a place and see first hand a historical site that figured so prominently in the fight for civil rights was breathtaking.
So as we leave 2016, facing an uncertain 2017, we look forward to continuing to travel, to learn, and create experiences we will remember for the rest of our lives. With 2016 bringing our family enlightenment, we are excited to see what 2017 will bring..
God bless you all and see you out on the road soon…
Happy New Year from
Keith and Tia
Soulful RV Family
Hey! I know this is kinda off topic however I’d figured I’d ask.
Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest authoring a blog post or vice-versa?
My blog discusses a lot of the same topics as
yours and I think we could greatly benefit from each other.
If you might be interested feel free to shoot me an email.
I look forward to hearing from you! Excellent
blog by the way!
Hey Chloe,
Your proposal sounds very interesting. What’s your blog site? I would love to read some of your posts and then get back to you.
Thanks
Keith
What a great year you guys have had! It will be hard to top that but I’m sure y’all are up to the challenge! Have enjoyed “following” you around😀. See you out there somewhere in 2017. Safe travels!
What a great year, these times with your kids you will always treasure.
Thank you for our informative post. Its the best way to summarize the year. My family has been camping for years but in 2016 purchased our first recreational vehicle and are looking for even more outstanding wonders of the world to visit. Acadia National Park is definitely tops on our list for 2017. Please continue to post so that we can live vicariously through your family. Peace and Blessings.
Thank you for the kind words. We know we are blessed to be able to travel and give our children these wonder experiences and are so happy we can share them with others. Stay safe and God Bless you
The history in and around Washington, D.C. is amazing. I remember when I was in high school or college, there was a good deal of talk about a Vietnam Memorial. Then the plans for the memorial became public. I thought at that time…that’s really too simple and why commission an artist for this?
I had been to D.C as a adolescent so I had previously seen the mall and appreciated the significance of it’s contents . So, in 1988 while on a business trip, I walked across the street to the mall on a lunch break. I started heading toward the Lincoln Memorial and saw a statue on a sidewalk corner of the soldiers near the Vietnam Memorial. At the statue, I turned my head and the wall was right there. I couldn’t see the Memorial as I walked across the street, so…it HIT me. It was emotionally overwhelming to see all those names on a huge wall. I’m not old enough to remember much about that war but I can sure get the sacrifice. This Memorial was incredible and a fitting tribute.
You comments is the reason we feel the strong pull to continue to bring ourselves and our children to D.C. We all honor the bravery of those who paid the ultimate price for this country.