Audra Rogers, Encouraging TravelingMom, Author at Traveling Mom

Water Park Heaven: Wilderness at the Smokies Resort

Posted by Audra Rogers, Encouraging TravelingMom | Jul 5, 2017 | 0 |

Need a one stop shop destination for a family vacation? The Wilderness at the Smokies Resort in Sevierville, TN can help. The resort offers big, colorful water slides for the thrillists in your family and separate water park accommodations for infants and toddlers. Free shuttle service to everything and multiple eateries within walking distance make things easier for families. If you’ve ever taken kids to a water park, you know how important that is! When we spend hard-earned money on a family weekend getaway, I appreciate having everything we could ever need on-site. That’s especially true during long days...

7 Indoor Family Adventures in Pigeon Forge

Posted by Audra Rogers, Encouraging TravelingMom | Jun 27, 2017 | 1 |

It’s important to have both indoor and outdoor activities on the list for on a family vacation in case of bad weather. Light rains in the Pigeon Forge, TN area are common. The recent rains on our road trip led one TravelingMom to check out several cool indoor family adventures during her Smoky Mountain weekend. Here’s an honest list of the attractions we would visit again. There is no shortage of things to do anywhere in Pigeon Forge, TN. But on our last trip, the rain moved in, leading us to seek out indoor family adventures. There are plenty...

Downtown Nashville: Johnny Cash Museum

Posted by Audra Rogers, Encouraging TravelingMom | Jun 12, 2017 | 0 |

If you take a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, you’ll hear country music pouring out of the honky-tonks downtown on Broadway. While you’re there, take an opportunity to pay homage to one of the classic country legends that helped start it all. Johnny Cash embodied all of the well-known traits of classic country music: rebellion, heart, fame and pain. And the Johnny Cash Museum, within easy honky-tonk walking distance, captures it all. My in-laws traveled all the way from small-town Kansas to visit us in Nashville, Tennessee. It can be difficult to choose activities that make multi-generational groups happy. But...

Husband Heaven: Floyd Garrett Muscle Car Museum in Sevierville, Tennessee

Posted by Audra Rogers, Encouraging TravelingMom | May 26, 2017 | 1 |

Moms plan most family vacations, including the activities. We love things to run smoothly and efficiently, but sometimes the unplanned, spontaneous finds, off the beaten path, churn out the best memories. If you are planning a road trip in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area, don’t be afraid to scope out things beyond the norm and let other family members make suggestions. The Floyd Garrett Muscle Car Museum in Sevierville, Tennessee proved to be a low-cost entertaining stop for all of us. It could also make a great outing for Father’s Day in the Smokies. Tennessee Road Trip: Floyd...

8 Ways to Entertain Kids on a Road Trip to Disney

Posted by Audra Rogers, Encouraging TravelingMom | May 18, 2017 | 0 |

A family vacation to Walt Disney World is one of the most exciting ways to spend time as a family. But sometimes getting there in one piece is half the battle! It takes a little planning and finesse to make a road trip to the Happiest Place on Earth run smoothly. We came up with Disney-themed twists on the old family travel standby’s for entertainment on a road trip to Disney. You’ve done all the planning. You crunched numbers and scoured hotels and attractions and restaurants and all of the best deals. The tickets are loaded and the Magic...

Remember Pearl Harbor at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies

Posted by Audra Rogers, Encouraging TravelingMom | May 13, 2017 | 0 |

The December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor hurt more than humans. It also had a devastating impact on the environment. The Pearl Harbor exhibit inside Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies explores the attack and its affect on aquatic life. December 2016 marked the 75th anniversary of the attack and the exhibit’s creation. The Pearl Harbor exhibit in Gatlinburg, TN continues through the end of 2017. It’s one of the first things you see as you drive into downtown Gatlinburg. I knew about Ripley’s Aquarium long before we arrived and it was high on the list of attractions with kids in...

Titanic Museum Features Movie’s Costumes for 20th Anniversary

Posted by Audra Rogers, Encouraging TravelingMom | Apr 9, 2017 | 2 |

Who could forget “Iceberg right ahead!” and “I’ll never let go, Jack” from James Cameron’s iconic Titanic movie? In honor of the Titanic movie’s 20th anniversary, the Titanic Museum For a limited time, attractions in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri, will feature actual movie costumes. If you can’t catch the new exhibits, don’t worry there’s still plenty to see at the Titanic Museum. The museum does a wonderful and careful job of telling the real-life stories of the crew and passengers aboard the RMS Titanic. You can even touch an iceberg. Titanic Museum Attraction I remember waiting in...

9 Reasons Disney Wonder Cruise is Worth the Splurge

Posted by Audra Rogers, Encouraging TravelingMom | Mar 27, 2017 | 0 |

The family budget plays an important role in planning a family vacation. It’s good common sense to save money, but other times, it’s just as good to live a little and splurge. Disney vacations are known for magical memories and a hefty price tag. So when deciding on a cruise vacation, is a Disney Wonder cruise worth the splurge? A family vacation aboard a Disney Cruise Line is typically out of financial reach of my family. But I strongly considered the opportunity to splurge as an attendee of the 2017 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. Part of the conference...

Sternberg Museum: A Lively Kansas Road Trip Destination

Posted by Audra Rogers, Encouraging TravelingMom | Mar 21, 2017 | 2 |

Think there’s nothing to see along I-70 on a road trip through western Kansas? Think again! The Sternberg Museum of Natural History is the perfect Kansas road trip destination, offering a few hours worth of entertainment with dinosaur skeletons, live animals and an animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex. Liven up your next trek through Kansas with an interstate rest stop at the Sternberg Museum. Why is the Sternberg Museum a special Kansas road trip destination? There was a lot of buzz on the Fort Hays State University campus in the early 1990’s about a new home for the university’s large,...

See 100 Years of Tennessee History at Cannonsburgh Village

Posted by Audra Rogers, Encouraging TravelingMom | Mar 7, 2017 | 0 |

Need a free, educational getaway in the great outdoors? Historic Cannonsburgh Village is a hop, skip and a jump away from Nashville, TN. It’s sure to give you an appreciation for modern-day amenities and the pioneers that paved the way for the conveniences we have today. It’s one of the many hidden gems in Murfreesboro, TN. Don’t miss it! What is Cannonsburgh Village? If you need a break from screen time and a fun, free outdoor space where the kids can run around and learn something in the process, stop by Cannonsburgh Village. Cannonsburgh Village represents 100 years of...