adventures | Sunny Slide Up

eating around the outer banks

We love the beach. The fun with family, the relaxation (if you can get it) and the escape from every day life!

One of our favorite beach spots is the Outer Banks. It is a bit of a drive from our hometown of Charlotte, NC, but totally worth it. You may remember Heather’s post from a while back. Horses, relaxing, eating and more. Life is slower there, you do not get the overly crowded beaches and it is, in our opinion a great place to escape to.

Last month I packed up our new family of 4 and headed to Nags Head for a family trip. My dear friend was getting married and I knew I couldn’t miss it! We stayed at this adorable house we found through VRBO – my favorite way to travel as you may remember – and enjoyed the beach, local spots and amazing food.

When we vacation or visit any new city, we always look to YELP for recommendations on restaurants, things to do, shops, etc. We are RARELY disappointed. We eat at dives that get great ratings and below I have shared a few spots we really enjoyed.

THE SPOT

When my sister lived in Hawaii she turned me on to acai bowls. You guys, these are bowls of amazing blended fruit topped with anything from fresh fruit, to coconut and granola, or even peanut butter. They are refreshing and filling at the same time. So when I saw there was a local spot walking distance from our vacation home in OBX, I knew we had to go. This place was everything I was looking for. Acai bowls, smoothies and even poke on the weekends. My husband now has me make bowls at home and my two year old LOVES them. Add it to your OBX places to go. Photo: The Spot

the spot

TORTUGA’S LIE

So.. confession time, my husband and I love watching the Food Network and one of our favorite shoes is Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. So, we figured if Guy had been there, why not give it a try and just like that we found Tortuga’s Lie. This place is just what we wanted, low key, amazing food, great atmosphere and easy for our boys. I am currently staying away from dairy for my 4 month old’s allergies and they were more than accommodating! If you go, try the beans and rice… I am not sure what they do to those beans, but they are the best we have ever had! Photo: tortuga’s lie

tortugas lie

FOOD DUDES KITCHEN

Finally I’ll share this small, hidden in a shopping strip, piece of heaven. This was another yelp find and was probably our favorite. The freshest sea-food, great local beer selection and great for families. It was tight, but our boys handled it well. I got a tuna burrito that was one of the best I have ever had. It was the special of the day, so maybe try that as they work with what is in season. Don’t forget those rice and beans – seriously the OBX has those down pat.

food dudes

What about you? Do you try yelp? Do you have any favorite places to eat in the Outer Banks? Any favorite places to stay?

in one month i will be driving across the country

by heather | adventures, personal

Exciting news! My little sister is moving to Portland, Oregon next month and I am going to drive with her to get there. Of course, I am a little sad that she is moving so far away to the west coast, but I am so excited for this new adventure for her.

I have always wanted to drive all the way across the country. Definitely an item on my bucket list. I have been to the Southern California many times and a few cities in between, but have barely seen the mid-west/north-west. Little did I know my sister would bust out the news a few months ago that she was moving across the country! I quickly jumped on the opportunity to make the trip with her. And did I mention her sweet one-eyed “Jack” is going to make the trip with us… he is the cutest!

We have planned our trek, booked our hotels, booked my flight back home and we are ready to explore! Last month we spent the morning at a coffee shop with maps, a computer and calendar. We used my favorite road trip planning guide – Road Trippers. You can set your destinations and search on the interactive map for extraordinary places, unique hotels and sightseeing must-sees. Then, you can pin your stop to keep up with milage, timing, etc. To keep a 3,000+ mile trip interesting, you want to see some cool stuff for sure! Here is our planned trek as of now…

Some of the highlights we are planning to see along the way…

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St. Louis Arch. Showing you this at night because that is how we will see it when we roll into town. Trying to drive all the way the first day here from Charlotte. That’s over 700 miles. Wish us luck….and no traffic.

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The Corniest Stop we will make goes to the Corn Palace in South Dakota. Because, why not. I mean, I’m sort of excited about it.

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Prairie Dog Town USA. Can you believe their is such a thing? I can’t wait. According to this website, they will eat peanuts out of your hand! Cue cuteness overload!!

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Mount Rushmore. How can you not take a trip through South Dakota without seeing this magnificent rock sculpture!

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Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, South Dakota. This vintage road side attraction is a must for some great photo ops!

Yellowstone National Park. This is definitely one we are really looking forward to. Driving through Yellowstone is going to be a dream! Hoping to see this amazingly beautiful Grand Prismatic Spring. Mandi’s sister has been traveling through Yellowstone this past week (on her way to Alaska!) and has shared some crazy cool photos. I need to chat with her and get some road trip tips for sure.

From Yellowstone, we are pretty close to Oregon. We will stay over one more night and see some cool roadside sights like this giant red wagon slide….

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Can’t wait to see Portland too! I have never been and neither has my sister. Pretty exciting and brave of her to move to a city she has never been to, right? Love it! I am so proud of her. She rules.

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And you had better believe we are planning some sweet road trip tunes and lots of entertaining activities for the car trip….

So in just about a month, my sister and I will hit the road for this very exciting trip! More details to come on how you can follow our adventure on Instagram. And if you aren’t already, be sure to follow Sunny Slide Up on Instagram so you don’t miss the photos!

Have any travel tips or places not to miss to share? Please comment below and let us know!

Cheers to our adventure sister!

roadtrippers

by heather | adventures, fun finds

Happy Summer Everyone! Time to start planning your next getaway – jump in your car and go away for the weekend!

I for one am always wanting to do something new – discover new cities, try new restaurants, stay at a new resort, check out a new attraction. I love to travel – from week long vacations to quick weekend getaways. I am always up for a new adventure!

I recently stumbled across Roadtrippers on Pinterest. I was immediately drawn to everything they were about.

Eccentric roadside attractions, breathtaking natural wonders, or mouthwatering foodie feasts. Whatever your interests, you’ll discover your America on Roadtrippers.

Follow Roadtrippers on Facebook – daily they are posting about crazy cool places you never knew existed. My travel bucket lists keeps getting longer and longer!