United States Archives - World Traveling Military Family

Candytopia – Dallas, TX

October 6, 2019 By: Mrs Bcomment

Candytopia - Dallas, TX

Have you ever dreamed of a real life visit to Willy Wonka’s house? Visiting Candytopia in Dallas, TX was what I’d imagine visiting his house would be like! Sculptures made out of candy, swings, confetti blasters, and a huge pit of foam marshmallows are just a few of the amazing experiences! Not to mention free candy in each room as well. Candytopia is a traveling exhibit so watch for it in your area!

The prices seem to vary by location but for Dallas it was $30 per person (adult rate since all our kids are over the ‘kid’ age). We were there an hour and had lots of laughs and got some great photos and videos. It’ll be an experience that we’ll remember for a long time. We had gone after the Dallas schools had started so it really wasn’t crowded for our experience. There were probably 15 people in our group and we were often the only ones in the rooms during our experience.

There were some amazing sculptures made out of candy, as well as some fun experiences. You could take photos like you were falling, throw around ginormous balls, swing, get blasted with confetti, and jump around in the foam marshmallow pit!

There was so much to see there! We took a TON of photos and I loved all the photo ops they provided as well that were interactive.

This lighted tunnel provided us with some fun photos as well!

We laughed so hard playing around in the marshmallow pit! There is a spot to put your shoes for the marshmallow pit, we brought socks to slip on for those of us wearing sandals.

Each room has a different theme and matching sculptures and decor to fit that theme. Each room included some sort of interactive element. From smelling candy scents, to swinging, and even pigs farting confetti! So much confetti! It’s almost a month later and we’re still finding confetti around our new house! Take a bag/purse that zips up to help avoid bringing a ton home because months later we’re still finding confetti, LOL!!!

The gift store at the end had some cute gifts as well that offered some unique items.

And the final sculpture and wording couldn’t have been more fitting…

Overall we had a blast hanging out as a family at Candytopia and stepping into a world of candy for an hour!

Helen, GA – Bavaria of the US!

October 2, 2019 By: Mrs Bcomment

Helen, GA - Bavaria of the US

Did you know that Helen, GA is the Bavaria of the US? There is so much to see and do in the area. Tubing down the river, mini golf, eating German food, strolling through the themed down, browsing the shops, visiting an old mill, wine tasting, hiking, waterfalls, and more! This charming alpine Bavarian town has something for everyone!

Despite having lived in Alabama for 9 years of our life I had no idea about this place until recently. So while we were in AL this summer I was determined to get this crossed off our bucket list. One of the great things about the area is that there are a ton of cabins that you can rent for your stay. There are hotels too but we were going with 8 people and wanted to stay together. We also wanted to grill out at the cabin, have a hot tub, and game room so the cabin was the best option for us. Our stay at Kickin’ Back Cabin and had a great experience. The cabin decor was cozy and charming, plus it has screened in porches. Wifi was great too which helped me to research the local places to explore.

We knew we wanted to do tubing while we were there and used Cool River Tubing. Our stay was great because we were there right after school started GA and it really wasn’t crowded at all. I do recommend bringing your own push sticks if you have them as they are $5 each to rent, we took our own and used them. There are lockers there if you need them and they will hold your keys with photo ID. They also have straps if you want to strap 2 tubes together.

The river is quite low so it was good workout having to use the push poles and even jump off the tube a few times to get us unstuck. By the time we got to the end my tube had deflated and I looked like a taco, LOL! But we had a great time and I’d recommend it. It was $10 per person, and we chose to take the 2 hour route. The bus loads you up and you get off at the first stop if you want the 1 hour route or the second stop if you want the 2 hour route.

Walking through the charming Bavarian style town is a fun experience. Having been to Bavaria a few times I liked all the colorful buildings and architecture. Lots of shops with all kinds of things from home decor to yummy fudge.

Also make sure to check out the windmill at the Heidi hotel. This is down near the Country store and some other cute shops. If you visit the Country store at the back of the store you can see bees making honey.

There is also a working mill that you can visit and watch as well as shop for goodies. Next to it is a neat coffee place, Jumping Goat Cafe. Across the street is a 3 floor Antique store and a Wine tasting/store with fun gifts to the left.

Also make sure to visit the German restaurants for some german cuisine. I was so excited to have jaggerschnitzel!

We had a great time exploring this area and I’m so glad we heard about this hidden gem! I hope you get the chance to check out Helen, GA and see what the Bavaria of the US is like.

White Water Rafting – Banks, Idaho

September 18, 2019 By: Mrs Bcomment

White water rafting - Banks, Idaho

Our family is always looking for some adventurous fun! So while in Idaho my sister and I decided we needed to get everyone together to try white water rafting! We used Bear Valley Rafting in Banks, Idaho. It was a fantastic experience!

Our group consisted of 10 people, all which were newbies to rafting except one. We decided to do the Main Payette route which was Class II and Class III rapids since we were all beginners. It was so much fun, although I will stay I was a bit nervous about Mike’s hole, especially when she told us not to look at it, LOL!! The cost was $50 per person, ages 13 and up.

When you arrive at location parking can be a bit tricky as it seems like that’s a happening area. There is also cafe there and you need to avoid parking in the cafe parking. After finishing parking you head down the stairs to behind the cafe area where the office is. There are no lockers so bring no valuables, they do have a key board where you can hang your car keys.

After getting checked in and getting the safety talk, some quick training, and life vests it’s time to climb down some rocks into the rafts. You do need to be able bodied to do this, as it’s a bit steep but manageable.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect as I’ve never done anything like this before. While it was SO much fun it as also a huge workout and my sister and I laughed how we were sore for days after! It’s some serious arm and ab workouts for sure. As we rafted down the river the guide gave some some local information about the area and we chatted in between the paddling sessions. We also seen a hawk with a fish and a marmot on the bank. It was neat to see some wildlife along the way.

At certain points you can jump in the river and swim, the water was a bit chilly at first but it felt amazing! Hubby and I both jumped in for a swim at the halfway point, I think. We swam for a bit and then our guide had to haul us back into the raft. That was the most awkward part, LOL! She threw me in like a dead fish, it was ugly but it worked, LOL!!!!! I wish I had a video of it because it was hilarious. At the next one we decided just stay in the raft while a few others in the other raft got out again and swam. Little did they know they’d be swimming all the way down to the end, so they were tired when they got done.

There was also point where one person could get on the front of the raft and ride the bull for the last stretch down the river, our son did that and it was hilarious! There is also a photographer set up along the way at two points to get some great photos. You also got to do fun things like give each other paddle high fives after completing a rapid, it was such a fun experience.

Also at the end you have to help carry the raft up the embankment and up to the trailer on the bus. It was heavy, even with 7 of us carrying it! So we really did get an extra workout. When you get to the bus there is a restroom area and they provided free drinks in a cooler. It was nice to have a cool drink after being on the river for 2 hours. The bus ride back is about 10 minutes so it’s not too bad. I didn’t take my phone with me so I didn’t get to take any photos while we were rafting.

Back at the base camp they have changing rooms so you can change out of your wet clothes. Because even if you don’t jump in and swim you are GONNA get wet! Then you can go to the photo shack and check out our photos. There are several packages you can purchase. I think we got one that was 5 photos for $40, it was worth it for the great photo memories of the trip!

The guides were fantastic and I’d highly recommend checking this adventure out! Our next goal is to do a one with bigger rapids, although I’m not 100% sold on that yet 😉 We had ages 15-60’s and all had a great time.