Campground(s) we stayed    

Braunig Lake RV Resort is located about 15-minutes from down town San Antonio. They have a total of 266 camp sites that can accommodated all sized rigs with full hook-ups. Besides being so close to downtown San Antonio they also have serval other features including; catch & release fishing, weekend meals, horse shoe courts and a pool/spa. The site we were placed in was a little tight for our sized rig. Most of the sites in section E & F sites are fairly close together. We suggest arriving during day light to park to help with any tight turns if you have a big rig like us. Their weekly rate was reasonable and they also accept Passport America if you happen to be a member with them too. We would recommend staying here while visiting San Antonio.

Things to do

The River Walk – was our favorite part while visiting San Antonio. This semi-natural/ semi-man made retreat winds along the San Antonio river. It is located below street level where cypress trees line paves paths. It curves around the city center and houses tons of restaurants, ‘cultural hot spots’ and historic sites. As we strolled along the River Walk there were so many things to see… beautiful stone bridges, colorful umbrella’s, and wildlife (ducks, other birds and fish). We had a ton of fun exploring the walk, finding stores and restaurants each with their own character and flare.

Kala standing on one of the bridges overlooking the Riverwalk.

The River Walk Boat Tours – are a great way to see the entire River Walk while also getting information about the city’s history. There are tree tour options to choose from, the Dinner / Cocktail Cruises, the Narrated River Walk Tours or the River Taxi’s (not really a tour but a cool way to get from one stop on the River Walk to another). We choose to do the Narrated River Walk Tour which was about $9.00 per person. The tour is about 35-minutes long and you travel one and a half miles of the San Antonio River Walk. During the tour your guide provides an entertaining narrative about the history of the River Walk. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at varies ticket booth locations along the River walk. We enjoyed the tour as it was a great way to get a lot of information about the River Walk in a short amount of time. Check out our video above to get a sneak peak of the views you would see during a tour.

The Alamo & Other Historic Missions – There are five 18^th century Catholic missions along the San Antonio River. These missions and the friars that led them created an ethnically diverse society that continues to influence the city even today. The five missions include; Mission San Antonio de Valero (The Alamo), Mission San Jose, Mission Concepcion, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada. These missions have been named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) because it represents the largest concentration of Spanish colonial missions in North America.  We only had time to visit one mission – The Alamo. It was so interesting to see this old building that holds so mush history. Looking at all the pictures and reading the stories on how the battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolutions. It made us very grateful for what we have and that we were not at the Alamo back in 1836.

Tower of the Americas – While we didn’t have enough time to visit the Tower of the Americas, it was on my list to see. With an observation deck, revolving eatery, stationary bar and 4d adventure ride. Being the 2^nd tallest observation tower in the U.S. it’s a great place to view the city – if you go let us know how it is!

Places we ate

Boudro’s… great spot on the Riverwalk to enjoy a dinner while watching the boat tours float by. We enjoyed their Sea Scallops and Tuna Tartare appetizers followed by Black Angus Flank Steak and Blacken Gulf Fish Fillet. AND don’t forget to try one of their prickly pear margaritas’! It was so good, a must have it you like margaritas 🙂

Kala enjoying a Prickly Pear Margarita at Boudro’s

Joe’s Crab Shack… if you are looking for some funky drinks and a place where you can eat with your hands! We got a few of their crab buckets, where we had some fun cracking and eating crab legs. If you get a ‘window seat’ it has a great view of the Riverwalk. Nothing fancy here, just a fun spot to enjoy some seafood.

Sushi Zushi – Colonnade… every so often we get a real craving for sushi and Sushi Zushi did not disappoint. We come on a Wednesday night and the service was friendly and quick. We ordered a few more rolls then I would like to admit, but some of their signature roles that we would recommend are the LIR Roll and the Yummy Yummy Roll. They also had a big selection of Sake (e.g. hot, cold, sparkling and infused). If you are into Sushi and Sake we suggest giving Sushi Zuski a try.

Worth the Visit?

San Antonio is a great city to visit with a ton of character and history. We really enjoyed ourselves when visiting the Riverwalk. There are so many places to visit and areas along the river walk to explore. We could have spent several weeks there and still would not have seen them all! The combination of rich history and a party city vibe, we would definitely come back to San Antonio.

The post Our 24 Hour San Antonio Adventure appeared first on LivinLite.net.

As we made our way rather quickly from San Antonio, Texas to Tucson, Arizona. We decided to check out a few landmarks while traveling New Mexico. If you are planning on doing the same trek on 1-10 West through southern New Mexico, we strongly recommend stopping at Carlsbad Caverns and the White Sands of New Mexico which are both National Treasures.

Campground(s) we stayed    

There are tons of places to boondock or dry camp in southern New Mexico. If you have time research some BLM lands that allow dry camping. Since we had to work during the week we ended up making a quick stop at Carlsbad Caverns on a Saturday. Carlsbad Caverns allows day RV parking while you explore the Caverns. We then continued our drive to White Sands, NM were we stayed at Edington RV Park. We stayed here for a week while we worked and visited White Sands National Monument.

Edington Garden RV Park is in the town of Alamogordo, New Mexico, about 25 minutes from White Sands National Monument. We found this park through our Passport America membership. If you’ve never heard of Passport America (PA) this membership offers 50% off camping, but make sure to check each campgrounds “PA” rules as they tend to have restrictions on when the discounts can apply. The Edington Garden RV Park was big rig friendly, clean and offers full or partial hook ups. In all it was a good price, on our route and close to the White Sands National Monument which was what we wanted.

Things to do

Carlsbad Cavern’s– is located in the Chinuahuan Desert of the Guadalupe Mountains in the town of Carlsbad, New Mexico. We drove our RV to the Visitor Center which was up Carlsbad Cavern Highway (a windy, slow climb road). As I mentioned above they allow RV parking at the Visitor Center, so we were able to park the RV and explore the caverns for the day. Make sure to get there early, especially if you have a big rig, the lot filled up quick and we were lucky to get a spot.

The hike down into the caverns was unlike anything I’ve seen. As a first time cavern visitor I couldn’t believe something like this actually exists. We walked around and admired rock formations that were created over millions of years by drops of water. From the Natural Entrance we hiked 750 feet down to the Big Room. We also walked around to the farthest part of the carven to stare down into the Bottomless Pit. It was amazing to see the formations and how different they are – each unique in their own way.

A shot from inside the cavern. Make sure to bring your camera!

Years of the earth changing, erosion, and exposition to different gases and water, created this underground wonder. It is also home to some dessert animals, one being the Mexican Free-tailed Bat. While we didn’t get to see one, you are reminded of their presences by a rather strong smell when entering the cave. It was an experience I will not forgot and it was a good workout! During our visit the elevator was out of order so we had to hiked both down and back up this rather steep cavern. Check out the video above as we explored the caverns and timed our hike back to the top. Guess how long it took us?  Better watch the video to find out! A reminder to check their website for additional information about the caverns and alerts that may effect your visit.

White Sands at sunset

White Sands National Monument – is located at that northern point of the Chihuahuan Desert in the Tularosa Basin (a mountain ringed valley). In the center of this basin is 275 square miles of white sand desert made of gypsum. When we heard about these massive dunes of only white sand we wanted to check it out. The entrance of the National Monument is off Rt. 70 about 15-miles from Alamogrodo, NM. Our visit was late in the day in early March and it was absolutely amazing. The further you drive into the park all you see are huge white sand dunes. There are a few picnic areas located along Dunes Drive and there are hike tours available. We didn’t take a tour but the sun set tour sounded fun, if we had more time we would have probably done that one. We suggest asking the visitor center upon arrival and they will be able to give you information about what is available during your visit.

One of the “coolest” things about the White Sands are that the sands never get hot. Unlike usual beach sand that gets hot to the touch since the sun is beating on it all day. This white sand made of gypsum never gets hot, so sitting and playing in the sand is unlike any experience we both had. We took some fun pictures and enjoyed the sunset over the dunes. ALSO make sure to check the White Sands Missile Range scheduled, the White Sands Missile Range surrounds the monument and the park is closed during testing. Check out the link above for more information about White Sands National Monument along with alerts about the area.

New Mexico Museum of Space History – is located in the city of Alamogordo, NM which is in the Tularosa Basin. The Tularosa Basin is said to be the “birthplace of modern rocketry” and the Museum has several exhibits that show and educate you on man’s “race to space.”  We enjoyed taking pictures with the old rocket ships in front of the museum along with watching a 40-minute show in the IMAX Dome Theater on stars. While we wouldn’t recommend making a special trip just to see this museum it was a fun place to explore while in the area.

Funny shot in front of a rocket ship at the New Mexico Museum of Space History

Blakes’s Lotaburger – We grabbed lunch here before heading to the Space History Museum and White Sands. It’s a cute little building on N White Sands Blvd. We each had a LOTA Burger and shared a bag of fries. We sat outside and enjoyed the sun with our burgers. They were good and hit the spot for a quick lunch.

Caliche’s Frozen Custard – I love my ice cream so when I saw that an ice cream, or custard shop in this case, was #1 on Trip Advisor in Alamogordo we had to make this stop. I ordered the Mount Brownie Sundae, salted with no marshmallows, and OMG did it hit the spot. Good thing we are only staying here for a few days because I would have become a frequent visitor here.

Overall Opinion

Although our trip through Southern New Mexico was quick, our stops at Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands National Monument were fun and memorable. We would definitely recommend making these locations stops in your journey west …and most importantly don’t forget to stop at Caliche’s for a Frozen Custard – that Brownie Sundae was amazing! Wish I could have one right now!

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Area Summary

The New Jersey shoreline is a great place to enjoy outside summer fun! The cost line is 130 miles long starting at Sandy Hook and ending in Cape May. The shore is know to have something for everyone to enjoy from surfing, tanning, boating, gambling, historic sites, eating, shopping or for just walking along the boardwalk and enjoying a beautiful sunset.

Campground(s) we stayed

During our month long visit we stayed at two campgrounds:

Lake and Shore RV Resort in Ocean View, NJ. This campground is a short 5-minute drive from the Jersey Shore with a large selection of sites and tons of amenities. This campground is family fun focus with a large water park, mini golf, volley ball, fishing, ice cream stand, base ball diamond, and a large in ground pool just to name a few. Unfortunately, we stayed before the season started (and the pools opened) but it was still a beautiful and fun place to relax by the campfire and enjoy the sun while sitting by the lake. This is an Encore & Thousand Trails Park.

Sea Pines RV Resort in Swainton, NJ or also know as Cape May Court House. Is located about 5 minutes down the street from Lake and Shore, about 2 minutes from the Garden State Parkway and a 10-minute drive from Cape May. It has a pool next to a large pavilion and stone fire pit. The campground name is very fitting as this campground is certainly a ‘sea’ of pine trees. While finding a spot for our big rig was a bit of a challenge, especially the week before a Memorial Day weekend, we were able to get into a site and had a great time while staying at this RV Resort. This park is also an Encore & Thousand Trails property.

If your looking to do some extended stay camping for very little cost check out a Thousand Trails membership. You can travel between both Lake & Shore and Sea Pines which are located only a few miles from each other. For Thousand Trail Elite members this means you can travel between these two parks for the entire season for only the cost of your annual membership dues.

Things to do

Ocean City Boardwalk – is a great place if you are looking for a family fun experience. Since this is a dry town in NJ this particular boardwalk is geared more toward kids. It is filled with great shops for souvenirs and tons of places to grab a bite to eat; our personal favorite was the world largest pizza. Rides, mini golf along with a beautiful beach and boardwalk for walking, biking or running.

Wildwood Boardwalk – has roller coasters, waterparks and bars! This boardwalk is 38 blocks long with a carnival-like atmosphere. You can rent a bike or ride on the Sightseer Tram Car that takes you from one end of the boardwalk to the other. Or you can always relax on the free admission beaches. We recommend you go during the day or with a group as this place can get a bit rowdy!

Atlantic City – has something for everyone. Festivals, comedy shows, gambling, concerts, relaxing at the bar by the beach to name a few. For a full list of events at Atlantic City check out the link above.

Sea Isles City – Is the closest beach we found to Lake and Shore Campground. It’s a cute ‘beach’ city. With some fun clothes shops, a few pizza joints, a hoggie and grill cheese shop along with many others. Or if you are in the mood for some seafood check out ‘Fish Alley’ a great place to grab dinner and watch the sun set.

Cape May – Is the last town on the New Jersey coastline and where we spend most of our time. Check out our full video review.

Cape May County Zoo – Who knew there was a free Zoo in Cape May, NJ. We were pleasantly surprised that
when we decided to stop at the Cape May Zoo that admission was free. All cash contributions to the Zoo are on a donation basis. I know what you’re thinking a free zoo it must be awful inside, but no… it was amazing! The animal medley was very large from exotic birds to lions to giraffes to all kinds of reptiles. There were even free roaming peacocks. The zoo was clean and the animals looked happy and well kept. With rest areas located around the zoo for snacks and refreshments along with a large play area and animal marry-go-round located next to the front entrance. The Zoo is a great place to visit for the day with kids or your signification other.

Places we ate

Stuffed Burger and Deli (Seaville, NJ) … we stopped here for a late lunch one day and were not disappointed. The burgers are literally stuffed with different ingredients. We ordered the Mushroom, Bacon & Swiss and the Prosciutto, RST Pepper & Mozz stuffed burgers both were very good.

O’Donnell’s Pour House (Sea Isle City, NJ) … after a long week we wanted a cold beer and a tasty dinner, O’Donnell’s delivered! They have a neat menu where you can build your own meal. You have the option to pick a meat or fish, choose what it is cooked with, and than choose a side. We both choose this option getting the Mahi Mahi with mango salsa & mashed potatoes and the NY sirloin strip steak with roasted garlic demi-glaze & rice pilaf. Yum!

Beach Creek Oyster Bar and Grille … this place is amazing and I would recommend coming here for a “fancier” dinner date night. The out door bar and seating overlooks the ocean and the food was unique and delicious. We didn’t plan to come here but as we were driving to the Wildwood boardwalk we just happen to see a lot of people parked out front. So we took a chance and went in for dinner. We both had their fish dinner specials for the night and they were pile high and packed with flavor.

George’s Place (Cape May) … A friend recommendation we eat here and it is also featured on the show Diner, Drive in’s and Dives. We came with my sister and a few friends and the food was great. (Thanks Gina!) This family owned Greek restaurant has a diner style atmosphere. We all shared the hummus platter and the Saganaki (grilled kefalograviera cheese flambéed with ouzo with grilled pita). Everyone enjoyed the appetizers and their meals but it’s a small place so reservations are definitely recommended.

Hot Dog Tommy’s (Cape May) … is located right on the corner of Jackson St. and Beach Ave. This is a great place if you are hungry after a long day of sitting on the beach. This grab & go hot dog place is very good. They offer two types of hot dogs with all of their Signature Favorites. The Bigger Bad Dog, an all-beef angus dog or the Leaner (smaller) Wiener, an all-meal pork & beef dog. We got the Shaggy Dog (sauerkraut/ shredded cheddar cheese) and the Reuben Dog (Swiss cheese/pickle/ Sauerkraut/ Russian dressing) both with the Bigger Bad Dog. They were great! They also offer a few other non-hot dog options, if hot dogs aren’t your thing. I would come back to Cape May for another one of these puppies.

Union Park Dining Room (Cape May) … is located inside the Hotel Macomber on Beach Ave. I choose Union Park Dining Room as the spot for my Birthday dinner. Like most places in Cape May it is BYOB but this particular place offered a local wine selection. We enjoyed the Duck Hash Confit and Burrata for starters. Followed by North American Lobster and their Cod Fish dinner special. A Birthday wouldn’t be complete without a dessert. The ice cream sandwich with French chocolate meringue cookies filled with nutella ice cream and salted caramel was decadent.

Overall Opinion

The Jersey Shoreline particularly Cape May County is an exciting and fun place. With amazing beaches, boardwalks, amusement parks, great restaurants, rich history and picturesque sun sets but make reservations because the late spring and summer book up fast.

Would we Recommend?

We strongly recommend visiting the Jersey Shore for some summer fun!

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