We had a great week with granddaughter, Grace, Mike’s youngest daughter.  When we started the tradition of taking our grandchildren on vacation at age nine, Mike was sure we’d be in a wheelchair by the time it was Grace’s turn.  Fortunately we proved him wrong!

Monday, June 23  We headed east from Greenfield, spending the day driving.  We spent the night at Evergreen Lake Park in Conneaut, OH, the same park we visited when taking granddaughter Shelby in 2007.  We met some folks from Alabama who were also headed to Niagara Falls.

Tuesday, June 24  We arrived at Niagara Falls Campground, Niagara Falls, NY about noon, just behind the folks we’d met in Ohio! 

After lunch we drove to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and Grace was thrilled with her first glimpse of the falls and her first international adventure! Our first stop was the Canadian floral clock; it is quite pretty. 

We enjoyed the “Journey Behind the Falls” tour, a journey deep below and behind the heart of Niagara where we stood in the mist of the mighty Horseshoe Falls as it tumbles from 13 stories above.  It was an awesome experience and something new for the three of us.

We took the incline railway from Table Rock Welcome Center up the hill to dining, shopping and more beautiful views of the falls.

Wednesday, June 25  After spending time in the campground pool, we spent the day visiting New York state parks.  We visited Devils Hole and Whirlpool state parks where we enjoyed beautiful views of the Niagara River. 

We spent the rest of the day in Niagara Falls state park, where we snapped a picture of Grace with the Nikola Tesla statute, an ongoing family tradition, prior to taking the trolley to the falls.

Our plan had been to ride the trolley the entire route before deciding how we wanted to spend the rest of our day, but Grace was so excited about the Maid of the Mist boat tour we decided to start there. 

This was Grandpa & Grandma’s third time on the tour, but it was just as fun and exciting for us as it was for Grace.  It’s definitely a must-do when you visit the falls. Video

We enjoyed dinner and beautiful views at Top of the Falls restaurant, did some shopping and headed home.  One more pool visit before we headed to our next stop.

 Thursday, June 26  Another driving day as we headed to Hershey, Pennsylvania, our next stop and a surprise for Grace.  We arrived at Hersheypark RV Resort late afternoon, and after checking in, Grace and Grandma headed to the pool.  The facilities are excellent, very clean and accommodating to families.  The pool was very nice, warm and relaxing after our day of travel.  We enjoyed brats, hotdogs and s’mores over our campfire and made plans for tomorrow.

 Friday, June 27  We took the complimentary shuttle to Hershey’s Chocolate World, where we enjoyed the tour, did the chocolate tasting (not one of Grace’s favorites) and made our own candy bars (definitely one of Grace’s favorites!).

We had a light lunch, did a little shopping, and took the shuttle back to the campground for swimming and relaxing before heading to Hershey Park this evening.  Grandpa & Grandma aren’t amusement riders, but Grace had a GREAT time!  She rode the Skyrush and the Comet coasters multiple times, making friends each time she rode.  She also enjoyed other adventure rides and we all had fun with the bumper cars.  We stayed until closing, then took the shuttle back to the campground.  A busy but fun day!

Saturday, June 28     After a morning visit to the pool, we started our drive back to Columbia, Tennessee.  Grace was impressed that we drove through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia before stopping at Natural Bridge in Virginia for the night.  We stayed at a Jellystone Park, which had a nice pool, two large water slides, a swimming lake and miniature golf as well as other amenities we didn’t take time to try. 

 Sunday, June 29  Another day of driving before stopping at Deer Run RV Resort in Crossville, Tennessee for the night.  It is a nice Passport America park with large sites and very friendly staff.  Grace and Grandma spent time at the swimming lake, where Grace made more new friends.  This would be a nice place to spend some time, but we needed to continue our drive tomorrow.

 Monday, June 30  We managed to pack up and head out between rain showers and arrived in Columbia, Tennessee about 11:30 AM.  After dropping the RV at Campers RV Park, we took Grace home.  She was happy to be home, but truly had an awesome getaway!  Grandma & Grandpa had a great time too!