One of the wonderful advantages of Hensley's school is the week long breaks throughout the year! One of those weeks fell in February this year and we were planning a fun trip!
Hensley had asked to go snowboarding and skiing for quite a while. He had seen it during the Olympics on T.V and was very interested in trying it. So, we planned a trip to a ski resort in West Virginia to ski. This winter wasn't a particularly cold or snowy one unfortunately. There are several ski resorts in our state as well as nearby Virginia, however none of those had any snow in February! It was crazy. Several places were making their own snow but we decided to go further north.
In true Whitt family fashion, the weekend we were going skiing the temperatures were more like beach weather. I think it actually hit 80 degrees one day in our hometown! But, we weren't going to let that stop us!
The trip up to West Virginia was beautiful! One of the most beautiful drives I've ever been on!
The few tunnels we went through were really neat and Hensley thought it was very cool we were driving through a mountain.
I had researched several places to stay in the area and landed on a page about The Resort at Glade Springs. It wasn't your typical hotel. It is located on a gold course within a gated community. It came with lots of amenities because of this. There was a separate building with a gym, arcade, giant heated pool, movie theater, tennis court and bowling alley. There were several really awesome restaurants on the property as well as a little coffee shop and cafe. They had also just built a really nice playground. All these were available to the residents of the gated community, and since it was winter there were very few people staying in the hotel since it does cater to golfers. However, we did run into the Harlem Globetrotters while we were staying there!
The grounds were beautiful!
The rooms were extremely comfy and we stayed on the 3 floor and had a great view. It was really a very upscale place and the employees there went above and beyond to make us very welcomed and comfortable.
We planned to go skiing the first day we got there at Winterplace Ski Resort, and I am glad we did. The weather so warm and that was a bit disappointing. However, the ski resort had made snow but it was really slushy and the employees said they weren't even sure they would be open for the rest of the week. We had planned to be there three days so it was a real let down. We decided to make the best of it and rented our gear and signed up for a class. The three of us were completely CLUELESS to anything and everything ski related. We figured an instructor would be the best way to go.
Don't let the coats and ski pants fool you, we were sweating and mostly wore these because we were trying to avoid getting soaking wet when we fell.
Poor Andy was the only one of us that fell that day!
Our instructor was very nice and very knowledgeable. I am glad we took the class. After it was over (about 2 hours) we were exhausted. Skiing is no joke and it's very physical. We were all hot and tired, not only from skiing but from the drive that morning as well.
If we ever try again at snow sports I think we will try snowboarding. But for now, skiing isn't our thing. Check it off the box. We did it. We learned. We tried. It was an experience.
After a short rest in our room we went out to check out all Glade Springs had to offer. The basketball court and arcade were more Hensley's speed!
Since we had two more days here, and skiing wasn't happening we tried to make the best out of our surroundings.
The weather couldn't have been more beautiful and if I would have known that in advance we would have headed for the coast instead!
There two guys can have fun anywhere. We spent several hours outside, exploring and playing.
After dinner that night we played a few rounds of bowling! We had the whole place to ourselves which was really nice.
We explored the city, checked out the mall and really took this time to relax. We swam in the pool and enjoyed our time just us three. It's rare to have time away from home with no plan or responsibilities so we soaked it all in.
Soon we were off again with lots of great memories of West Virginia to carry on with us forever :)
Next stop, swinging by home to grab Hensley's friend Emerson for the next leg of this adventure.
Great Wolf Lodge!!! We haven't been there since Hensley was a little tiny baby and we couldn't wait to see his excitement!
This place is HUGE. Full size water park inside and lots of extra fun things for the kids. It is very family friendly and kids are encouraged to run around the hotel and explore all the fun that is to be had.
Have to test out the beds!
As excited as they were, they could NOT wait to get in that arcade!
The very first thing we did was go down the biggest water slide they have there with all four of us on a raft. It was truly terrifying for all of us but Andy! I thought we were all going to die!
That evening we were exhausted. We ate at the hotel and hung out to play some video games in our room. It was nice to be back in NC (only an hour from home).
The next day it was time for a big breakfast at the Waffle House and a full day of swimming and fun!
This obstacle course provided a ton of fun for the boys. There were lots of races back and forth across!
This huge bucket took about 10 minutes to fill up and when it was full it would dump hundreds of gallons of water on those standing underneath.
This is my favorite photo of the whole trip! Hensley and Andy always have so much fun together.
I pray they always have this super close friendship with each other as Hensley grows older.
After some lunch it was time for round two at the arcade. We stopped in briefly the night before but promised the boys more time there to work on earning some jackpots!
I saw this super cute llama as soon as we walked in and it took Emerson one try to get it for me!
The games were really up to date and fun for the boys!
A claw machine of all the Pokemon cards you could ever imagine.....life goals!
There is no bigger child then Andy when it comes to these places. He loves to play and when he wins a jackpot....it's even better!
Jackpot! 1000 tickets!
There is a candy shop and ice cream parlor in the hotel! You never have to leave!
We stumbled across this game which is sort of hidden down a hallway that looks just like hotel rooms. You pay to play and each person is assigned a color. For three minutes you run around like crazy tapping as many dots of your color as you can! The one with the most at the end wins! The boys LOVED this game!!!
We ate dinner at the buffet located inside the resort on our last night. It was awesome. Usually we don't expect much from a hotel buffet but this one had wonderful food and service. They really catered to kids and adults so we could eat something delicious while the boys ate the usual french fries and chicken tenders!
When I saw this outside of the buffet area I knew we had to take advantage of the photo opportunity. Unfortunately for me these two guys are at an age where photos aren't their favorite, this is what I got!
The awesome part of having a huge water park just downstairs is that when they decide after dinner that they just haven't had enough, they can go right back!
Knowing we were leaving the next morning we decided to cash in all the tickets! Hensley and Andy had really racked up considering they both won several jackpots on games. As soon as Hensley saw this dog bed on the tip top shelf for like 5000 tickets, he had to have it. There was only a few weeks to go until his pug puppy would be arriving and he knew it would be the perfect gift. I was so proud of him for using all his tickets for something not for himself.
Check out time.....
Going away for a week is fun but knowing your on the road to home is pretty sweet too!
Before heading home we stopped at the biggest mall around in Charlotte which is right across the street from Great Wolf. It is in the shape of a circle and over a mile long once you walk around it.
There is also a Bass Pro Shop there which the boys love!
We went to the Lego store and spent a while looking around and playing with Lego's. We picked up this awesome set for Hensley to build at home!
The trip was nice and full of new experiences for all of us. It was a busy week and we were thankful to be home. It was now time to focus on our new arrival in a few weeks! The Ellie the pug countdown was on!
Until then Hensley will keep the dog bed safe :)
