The Florida Keys

I kind of had a sick day yesterday and spent most of the day in bed going back and forth between consciousness and dreamland. I didn't post on the blog  but thought about it all day and came up with another one of my favorite places to travel to..... The Florida Keys.

Pure paradise. One of the few tropical paradises that we can get to by motorcycle. The ride to Key West is spectacular to say the least. There are a ton of  good places to stop and take a picture or take in a view. There are also many good  places to eat like one of our favorites, The Seven Mile Grill. Located at mm 47.5 on the overseas hwy coming out of Marathon,This place has a great atmosphere, awesome staff and a killer fish sandwich. Check them out at http://www.7-mile-grill.com/

I love history. I love travelling to historic places and have been fortunate enough to have traveled to many across our great country. Key West is one of my favorite historical places. The sunsets are majestic, the atmosphere laid back and the history runs rampant through every part of the island.
Hemingway had a house there, presidents have vacationed there, and Jimmy Buffet has sang about it.
Unique food  such as Conch Fritters, and the world famous Key Lime Pie gives travelers the signature taste of The Keys. While there be sure to get a margarita on Duval Street at Margaritaville
http://www.margaritavillekeywest.com/, then stop by Sloppy Joes http://sloppyjoes.com/ ,and see what was Hemingways favorite bar.

So much to see and do and the best part is once your on the island you don't really need a car. You can walk most places or there are Pedicabs and a cool trolley that takes you around town http://www.trolleytours.com/key-west/old-town-trolley-tours.asp.


Sunset at Mallory Square on Sunset Pier is a must.  The Sunset celebration every night is very entertaining with street performers performing as you watch the gorgeous sunset.

Key West is definitely one destination that you can go to over and over again and it never gets old. Definitely a relaxing laid back kind of place. Until next time...... 

Gods Country... The Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains are near and dear to me for many different reasons. My love for them began as a child and continues to grow every time I visit. I am certain that at some point in my life I will have at least a vacation home there.

My late mother began my love of these ancient mountains by taking my sister and I there on several annual vacations as children. The first time I saw the sun rising up over a mountain was truly magical for me. It was probably the first real spiritual awakening that I have ever had. I remember going to places like Santasland In Cherokee NC (http://www.santaslandnc.com/) and petting a deer for the first time in my life. Very good memories. We also visited Ober Gatlinburg in  GatlinBurg Tn (http://www.obergatlinburg.com/) to ride the Alpine Slides.  What a blast!!  My mom always made sure to buy the picture of my sister and I riding the ski lift up the mountain to ride the slide. 

Fast forward to my adult years and riding my Harley through the mountains and up the Blue Ridge Parkway. Talk about a spiritual experience! The first trip I took up there on my 2008 Harley Road King was in May of 2011. My best friend Al informed me as we were on our way up that while I am a good rider I need to be very very careful because of the sensory overload I was about to experience in what we truly believe is Americas most beautiful place to ride. I don't think I really realized the magnitude of that statement until we rolled up into Maryville,Tn in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. Coming up over the first little hill and seeing the mountains in all of there mystique on the horizon totally numbed my brain. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, my skin started tingling, and I again experienced another one of those spiritual awakenings. What a first motorcycle trip in the mountains. 

We rode all over those mountains. We of course rode the popular Tail of the Dragon which in case you don't know is 318 switchback curves in 11 miles over 3 mountains. A must thing for us 2 wheeled enthusiasts. While there we also stopped at Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort (http://www.dealsgap.com/) to check out the tree of shame which consists of a bunch of wrecked and broken motorcycles and parts claimed by the dragon. 

The Blue Ridge Parkway is seriously one of the most beautiful roads in America. I have ridden from the beginning in Cherokee, North Carolina up past the highest point in through the middle of Virginia.

The road and the views and the mountains are so special to me that I spread the ashes of my late mother on the parkway in honor of her love of the mountains that she shared with me. Her spirits view forever:

The post is getting really long so I think Ill wrap it up for now. Many many more stories to tell and develop from this my mountain paradise.  Until we meet again.... I Love you Mom and again thank you for the gifts, this one truly is for you. 

Viva LasVegas!!!

Ok so I have to go ahead and write one of probably many blog posts Ill write about my second favorite place to travel to.... Las Vegas.

We have been fortunate to have traveled to Las Vegas 5 times in the last 2 years. Now we do consider ourselves discount savvy travelers but Ill tell you everytime we go out there we find a way to do it cheaper than the last time. Its almost like a game of lets see how much we can save on this trip. 

Now dont start thinking Im gonna tell you how we successfully win our way through our trip because that has yet to happen (maybe next time). What I really want to do is start by sharing a few of the places that we have found that can save you some money without having to sit at a machine waiting for a drink. 

Getting there 

We have flown 4 times and rode our Harley once.  Our airline of choice is Southwest airlines.

The best day to fly for the best rate is Tuesday. We have a pretty standard airfare we get on a nonstop flight out of Orlando for $199 per person roundtrip. The flight usually leaves around 7am and we get into Vegas around 1030 am PST. Awesome experiences flying with Southwest.  For current airfares from your area visit their website at http://www.southwest.com/

Now onto the fun stuff!

Best Happy Hour 

Ballys Tequila Bar & Grille 

2 dollar Tacos, 2 dollar Margaritas,2 dollar Shots of tequila(Jose Silver) this is one of our favorite places to warm up for the night out while visiting Las Vegas. They have an excellent friendly staff and the service is impeccable. Definitely a must visit. Check them out at

 http://www.ballyslasvegas.com/restaurants/tequila-bar-and-grill.html#.VE-elPnF_94

Cheapest ATM on the strip 

Casino Royale 

Ever been in a casino and gone to the atm for more cash ? Do you remember the shock you felt when you saw that the transaction fee was $5.99 ? I sure do. Not to worry though, I have your right in the middle of the strip solution. The Casino Royale.The best atm deal out there yet. $1.00. Yep thats right a buck. They also have $1 bottle beer and yummy frozen drinks as well as a nice food court.
Without a doubt a a necessary survival tool in Las Vegas. http://www.casinoroyalehotel.com/

Ill leave you with that for now. Ill dabble into some of the ways we have gotten rooms comped or heavily discounted next time. 

Monday in Paradise

I have to say,after living in Central Florida for nearly 30 years,The weather this time of year does not get old. Cooler mornings with bright blue skies and mild mid 80s highs in the afternoon make for a true late October paradise.

Visiting and vacationing here this time of year surely is a smart thing to do. Right now all of the theme parks are just moderately busy at times (It's really never truly is empty) making for shorter lines getting into the more popular attractions.

Arriving early at theme parks can really help utilize more of your vacation time and frees you up earlier in the evening for dinner and the area nightlife.

Everyone generally ends up at the main theme parks at some point so, I wanted to highlight a couple of the other attractions that maybe get overlooked but are absolutely worth a visit.

Capones Dinner Theater

Want more bang for your buck and be totally entertained in a funny,cheesy,silly kinda way?

Capones will do just that.Located on Irlo Bronson Hwy in Kissimmee, I recently went for the first time ever with my wife first and then our kids another night and both times we had such a good time. $29.99 for adults and $19.99 for kids gets all of your food,drinks and the show. Beer, Wine,Soda,and other alcoholic beverages are included and truly bottomless during the show. The food is an Italian Buffet complete with a nice carving station and salad bar. The show is staged in 1930s Chicago with the old speak easy theme. The cast is very talented and entertaining.  Really truly a gem that I overlooked for 20 years. We will be back. 

For tickets show times and info check them out at http://www.alcapones.com/

Old Town Theme Park 

Located about a mile east of I 4 on Hwy 192 in Kissimmee. Day or night Food,Shopping,Rides for the kids at FunSpot  http://fun-spot.com/K_Kissimmee.aspx   which is right on property. Saturday nights they have a big classic car cruise that is one of the oldest in the southeast. This 50s themed attraction takes a walk down memory lane with its old style storefronts and brick boulevard. Saturday nights there are 50s style bands playing before and after the car show and there are a couple of nice bars where you can get an adult beverage if you so choose.

Old town for us has proven to be a nice inexpensive date night any time of year. For more info please check them out at http://www.myoldtownusa.com/

Thats all for now. We will talk about other fun things tomorrow!! 

Welcome to our new blog

Welcome to the blog. For our first post I wanted to give a little rundown of what we are trying to accomplish here. We love all things travel. We love checking into hotels and finding things to do in the area we are visiting as well as uncovering little known or off the radar eateries and of course the attractions.  

We have been fortunate to have been able to travel all over this beautiful country and we want to share with you some of the ways we have found to save money without  sacrificing a quality experience. So please check back often as we will update the blog regularly.