Author Archives: micki@joneshwy.com

June 9

I attended the Arlington South Rotary meeting for breakfast as Jay fed the boys. We packed up and headed out of the D.C. area with our final stop at Mount Vernon.  We arrived in plenty of

A hot, muggy day at Mount Vernon

A hot, muggy day at Mount Vernon

time to tour the interactive exhibits and the grounds before our tour of the mansion. We visited the graves of George, Martha and their family members. We have been so fortunate with weather but today we experienced heat and humidity! We stopped outside Richmond for the


Visiting Erik & Erin Mims

Visiting Erik & Erin Mims

night at the home of a friend from Sea Cadet days. He and his wife have a dog the boys loved playing and running with in the yard. We enjoyed the warm evening sitting on the porch and catching up.

June 8

imageArlington has always been a special place for Jay to visit and today was no different. We took the tram ride through the national cemetery stopping at J.F.K.’s eternal flame and the Tomb of the Unknowns. The boys were thrilled to see the Honor Guard and of course had to practice marching. A tour of Arlington House, former home of Robert E. Lee, was significant as we had just visited Gettysburg and heard so much

Lincoln is monumental

Lincoln is monumental


about him. After an afternoon at the pool we packed a picnic which we ate at the Navy Memorial where we met our bus for a twilight tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining. We stopped at the White House, MLK, Korean, Marine Corps, Lincoln and Vietnam War Memorials.

June 7

We dedicated the entire day to the Air and Space Museum! Keegen and Jay split off and did their airplane thing while Braeden and I focused on the kids’ area and activities. We met up for an

Braeden enjoyed exploring space

Braeden enjoyed exploring space

IMAX movie and lunch. Keegen joined us to do some activities and we all entered the airplane flying contest which Jay won. Braeden loved seeing the 1903 Wright Flyer that he had made a model of for a school project. Keegen learned a lot from Jay especially about landing on an aircraft carrier. We finished our day at the flight simulators. The boys had

Hands on activities are the favorite

Hands on activities are the favorite


never seen a James Bond movie so we spent a quiet evening watching Goldfinger.

 

June 6

We got an early start today so we could get tickets and tour the Bureau of Engraving first thing in

Braeden loves anything spy

Braeden loves anything spy

the morning. We loved seeing the process of how our money is made. The boys learned it is not paper but made of cotton and linen. We walked through the Museum of Natural History seeing exhibits including the Hope Diamond. We toured the U.S. Capitol and walked the Mall. The highlight for Braeden was the International Spy Museum. Upon entering we received an alias and given instructions for our mission. It was a


Keegen is wiped out after a full day of D.C.

Keegen is wiped out after a full day of D.C.

fascinating history of espionage and even had an exhibit on James Bond.

June 5

We left Hershey and made a quick stop in Hanover, PA to tour the Utz Potato Chip Factory.

The chips are almost ready

The chips are almost ready

We all were fascinated by the mounds of chips as they gathered on the conveyor belt waiting to be bagged. We snacked on chips as we pulled into Gettysburg. At the Visitor’s Center we saw a movie about Pickett’s Charge and viewed the 360 degree Cyclorama. The best way to tour the battlefields is with a licensed guide who goes in your car for a personalized tour. The boys loved learning how to fire a gun and


Cannon firing lesson

Cannon firing lesson

cannon. We visited many monuments and memorials, viewed battlefields and ridges. To keep the boys engaged, they did a Junior Ranger program and loved the bingo game where they had to spot things throughout the day. We concluded our experience in the cemetery where so many stones were inscribed “Unknown.” We pulled into D.C. in time to visit the pool before bed.

June 4

Watching our own Hershey bars on the factory line

Watching our own Hershey bars on the factory line

We have done Chocolate Town! We spent the morning once again at Chocolate World. We saw a 4-D movie complete with lemon and chocolate flavored mist and moving theater seats and we each had a chance to make our own chocolate bar even designing the wrapper. We spent the afternoon and most of the evening in the pool taking a few

Here are our personalized Hershey bars

Here are our personalized Hershey bars


breaks to eat, snack on chocolate and do laundry. We have been staying at the Suites at Hershey, a Bluegreen resort, only one mile from Hershey Park. It has been a great place to stay with both an indoor and outdoor pool, hot tub, complete kitchen and 2 bedrooms. We ended our evening with a family game of Monopoly.

June 3

Learning to twist pretzels

Learning to twist pretzels

Lancaster County is just south of Hershey so after a quick breakfast we headed out to experience a different way of life. Our first stop was the Sturgis Pretzel Factory in Lititz. We learned how the monks used pretzels to reward children for learning their lessons. The twist represents arms folded in prayer. We each practiced rolling and twisting the dough. This is where the hard pretzel originated so after sampling we bought bags of different flavors. We ate a family style meal and watched a panoramic movie about coming of age in the Amish culture. The highlight of the

We learned about Amish life

We learned about Amish life


afternoon was a buggy ride to a working Amish farm where we learned how they live and work. The evening ended with all of us in the pool and hot tub just before a storm rolled in. The boys were enthralled by the thunder and lightning.

The view from the pool as a storm rolled in

The view from the pool as a storm rolled in

June 2

Today was Hershey Park. Braeden had a great strategy to start at the back of the park and do the coasters we did not do the night before. He really prefers the wooden coasters and must have ridden the Lightning Racer 8 times. Keegen has no preference—he just “loves them all!”

This was the perfect place to spend a hot afternoon

This was the perfect place to spend a hot afternoon

Getting around was made very easy with the Hershey Park app. It let you know where you were and how to get to where you wanted to go. It even let you know wait times for the rides.  Preferred Parking was worth the extra cost as it put us close to the entrance. We had packed a picnic so ate lunch and picked up our swim bag and headed to the Boardwalk, the park’s water section. We started with Tidal Force, one of the world’s largest splash rides. Since we were soaked we headed for the Lazy River. After a nice easy float the boys headed into their favorite part of the park—Shoreline Sprayground where they spent the rest of the afternoon. We finished our day at the park in ZooAmerica where we saw animals


Sometimes it is not the big rides but simply nature that fascinates the boys

Sometimes it is not the big rides but simply nature that fascinates the boys

from around the county. Keegen loved the Swift Fox and Gray Wolves. Braeden was fascinated by the otters. He decided he would be a great otter as they are always on the go and very playful.

Back East With The Boys

We spent our first day in Hershey exploring. After an afternoon at the pool we went to Chocolate World for a tour of how chocolate is made and a trolley tour through the town Milton Hershey founded.

This is where chocolate is made

This is where chocolate is made

The boys loved learning the history of the town

The boys loved learning the history of the town


We got into Hershey Park for a preview evening on our ticket for the next day. It was perfect. Hardly anyone in the park and the boys (including Jay) took full advantage of no lines to do most of the 11 roller coasters.

Our view of Chocolate World as we left Hershey Park.

Our view of Chocolate World as we left Hershey Park.