A nice state park about 50 miles south of the center of Atlanta. Close enough to make it easy to get to, yet far enough to feel like you've gone somewhere.

The campground is along the river and has a playground and plenty of restroom facilities. We enjoyed camping; there was a mix of tents and RVs in the campground -- while we were there it was a fairly quiet place.

The park has fairly easy hiking trails along the river and also has boats to rent. There is no swimming allowed in the lake, but there is a pool. There are lots of turtles swimming around in the river too!

On one of our trips to Myrtle Beach, we visited the Ripley’s Aquarium at Broadway at the Beach and stumbled across MagiQuest. As my girls love fantasy, making up adventure games and Harry Potter, they were immediately intrigued. At home, they went online and learned all they could about this interactive role-playing game involving magical creatures and wizards. Both girls insisted that we had to return to Myrtle Beach so they could go on quests.

In the end, we decided that Camille could have a “destination birthday party” and took along three friends. All the kids had a fabulous time and insisted on going back for a second day.

When the girls heard we would be returning to Myrtle Beach once again, they brought along their wands, and on one chilly afternoon, we returned yet again. The girls picked their quests via the computer screens, ran around waving their wands at the appropriate places inside the “kingdom” and had lots of adventures.

MagiQuest is not for everybody. Kids who like fantasy games, though will likely love it! Chloe, age 8, had a bit of trouble with her wand not working which was frustrating, but mostly she was able to complete her quests on her own. Younger kids will likely need more assistance with picking out and completing quests. Thankfully, my girls were able to play unassisted while I sat quietly and relaxed.

On our inaugural camping trip in our Poptop EuroVan, we spent three nights at Myrtle Beach State Park. As it was February, the park was not very crowded and quiet (other than the occasional commercial flight landing at the nearby airport). The facilities were all well-maintained - I could even use the campground wi-fi from our campsite! The gorgeous beach was a very short walk from our site. In addition, the park is close to shopping areas with groceries and anything else you might need.

Cliche, I know, but the girls and I hummed and sang that song the whole time we were at the zoo....

Despite the freezing temperatures and many of the animals hiding out indoors, we loved the zoo. The separation of the various areas, the oddities, and the interactive exhibits all added up to make it a great visit for us.

As with New Orleans in general, vegetarians may have a bit of a challenge finding food, but we ended up with a nice lunch after a couple of tries. The zoo is definitely on our list as a place to return to the next time we head to New Orleans.

We visited the Insectarium as part of the "Audubon Experience" combo package. Overall, we enjoyed our visit, but I don't think I'd say it is a *must see* in New Orleans unless there is a budding zoologist in your family. The girls both enjoyed it and were happy to have gone, but agree that it is a "one-time" kind of place.

Pretending to be an ant, watching butterflies emerge from chrysalises, and walking through the butterfly garden was fun for us all. We skipped the insect cafe (we're vegetarians!). The 4-D movie was entertaining, but one little kid panicked, not understanding what had just poked her.