Skip to content

Hops and Skips

  • Blog
  • Categories
    • Destinations
      • All Destinations
      • Asia
        • Japan
      • Europe
        • France
        • Ireland
        • United Kingdom
      • North America
        • Mexico
        • United States
          • Midwest
          • Northeast
          • Southeast
          • Southwest
          • West
      • Oceania
        • New Zealand
      • South America
        • Colombia
        • Peru
    • Tennessee State Parks
    • Nashville Local
    • Books
    • Personal Essay
  • About
    • My Story
    • Work with Me
  • Press
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Categories
    • Destinations
      • All Destinations
      • Asia
        • Japan
      • Europe
        • France
        • Ireland
        • United Kingdom
      • North America
        • Mexico
        • United States
          • Midwest
          • Northeast
          • Southeast
          • Southwest
          • West
      • Oceania
        • New Zealand
      • South America
        • Colombia
        • Peru
    • Tennessee State Parks
    • Nashville Local
    • Books
    • Personal Essay
  • About
    • My Story
    • Work with Me
  • Press
  • Contact
Instagram Facebook Pinterest Envelope Rss Search

Category: South America

Colombia

Family Vacation in Cartagena, Colombia | Things to Do

Read More »
July 19, 2024
Colombia

Cartagena With Kids | Everything You Need to Know

Read More »
June 26, 2024
Destinations

Trekking Peru, Part 3 | Majestic Machu Picchu

Read More »
November 12, 2020
Destinations

Trekking Peru, Part 2 | Lost in the Andes

Read More »
October 13, 2020
Destinations

Trekking Peru, Part 1 | Entering the Sacred Valley

Read More »
October 5, 2020

Follow on Instagram

🌿 This city park has attracted people to its meado 🌿 This city park has attracted people to its meadows for over 10,000 years…

In the northwestern quadrant of our city, Bells Bend Park is (IMO) an under-utilized mecca of wildlife. During our morning visit, we were the only car in the parking lot!

⏱️2.5-miles on the River Loop Trail, but the park has about 9 miles in its small trail system. 
🚶‍♀️Natural, grassy surface
🏔️Very flat (all floodplain!)
🌳Mostly sunny—bring a hat!
🦋The nature center is closed on Mondays, but bathrooms and water are always available!

This park amuses me bc the trails are pretty much just a lawnmower path through meadows. So beautiful  and peaceful, and we saw so much wildlife on our walk!
.
.
.
#nashvilletrails #nashvilleoutdoors #hikingwithkids #natureplay #nashvillemoms
Dreaming about golden hour in Malibu…✨ . . . #disc Dreaming about golden hour in Malibu…✨
.
.
.
#discoverla #goldenhourphotography #californiatravel #fujifilmxseries #travelphotography
🌿 A crazy short hike with 10/10 views… The Narrow 🌿 A crazy short hike with 10/10 views…

The Narrows of the Harpeth is another hiking area of @harpethriverstatepark that has a lot to show off in under 2 miles of trails! 

⏱️3 out-and-back trail segments, each under half a mile—the whole trip is only 1.5 miles!
🚶‍♀️Natural surface
🏔️Minor elevation changes on the Harris Street Bridge and Tunnel Trails; steep incline with steep drop-offs on the Bluff Trail (⚠️take into consideration with small children)
🌳Mostly shaded
💦Creek stomping at the end of the Tunnel Trail but signs prohibit swimming (potentially dangerous currents and wildlife!)

For the best starting point, park at the lot by the Harris Street Bridge to minimize your trek to the trailhead!

👉 SAVE this post for your next family outing, and follow along for a new trail idea each Friday this summer!
.
.
.
#nashvilletrails #nashvilleoutdoors #hikingwithkids #tnstateparks #nashvillemoms
“At first the Mississippi seemed to recede from it “At first the Mississippi seemed to recede from its banks, and its waters gathering up like a mountain… It then rising fifteen or twenty feet perpendicularly, and expanding, as it were…the banks were overflowed with a retrograde current, rapid as a torrent […] And lately it has been discovered that a lake was formed on the opposite side of the Mississippi… upwards of one hundred miles in length…”
—letter from Eliza Bryan, March 22, 1816

I had known that Reelfoot Lake is the state’s only large natural lake; what I didn’t know is how recent that happened. On December 16, 1811, an earthquake shook northeast Arkansas. Over the next two months, two more major quakes and their aftershocks hit this area of the New Madrid seismic zone, the most powerful this side of the Rocky Mountains in history. 

It was the hottest week of summer so far, but a beautiful stay at @reelfootlakestatepark as we visited our 40th @tennesseestateparks!
.
.
.
#tnstateparks #naturaltennessee #lakelife #optoutside #outdoorfamily
🌿 I had no idea this shaded little neighborhood oa 🌿 I had no idea this shaded little neighborhood oasis even existed…

Deerwood Arboretum in Brentwood is a small nature reserve on the Little Harpeth River. It’s hidden within winding subdivision roads and is perfectly quiet. 

⏱️1-mile loop
🚶‍♀️Paved surface
🏔️No incline
🌳Mostly shaded
🚻Yes, restrooms
💦Access to the river bank for creek stomping and picnics!

We encountered people of all ages and so many dogs on our walk!Scooters and strollers are common, too. ⚠️ There is a parking lot but it only has about 12 spots. 

👉 SAVE this post for your next family outing, and follow along for a new trail idea each Friday this summer!
.
.
.
#nashvilletrails #nashvilleoutdoors #hikingwithkids #natureplay #outdoorfamilies
It’s just all too familiar. 🫠 @dominotracks and I It’s just all too familiar. 🫠

@dominotracks and I cracked ourselves up personifying all the wildlife while touring the @tennesseeaquarium. I hadn’t been since I was probably a 2nd grader, and it was such fun to add a dose of humor to the trip. Nature is awesome! 🐠

Thanks for hosting us during @witsummit!

#witschatt #visitchatt #momlife #parentinghumor #exploretennessee
We’re trying to visit the nearby cities that we’ve We’re trying to visit the nearby cities that we’ve never actually been to, so we spent the Juneteenth long weekend exploring Birmingham and its Civil Rights District! 

This area and the surrounding 4th Ave Historic District were once the vibrant hub of the Black community. In the first half of the 20th century, when Jim Crow laws prohibited Black access to white establishments, this neighborhood boasted over 300 Black-owned businesses. 

Our main destination was the @bhamcivilrights (free for kids 3rd grade and under!) It’s hard and complex subject matter, but presented in a visual way that, with guidance from an adult friend, is so wonderfully accessible for kids. 

Across the street is Kelly Ingram Park that served as ground zero for Birmingham’s demonstrations in the early 60s, when reports of brutal police response to peaceful protesters were televised for all the world to see. 

I am really, really happy with the experience we had with our kids on this trip, and there’s still so much we didn’t get to see. Highly recommend!
.
.
.
#BirminghamCivilRightsDistrict #InBirmingham #FamilyTravel #HistoryWithKids #blackhistoryisamericanhistory
@hopsandskips

HOPS AND SKIPS | Seeking Adventures Near & Far © 2023
Site built & hosted by my faves at LunarLincoln