"Are we there yet?"
We were headed to Noccalula Falls in Gadsden. It was a beautiful place, but with a sad legend (as most Native American tales seem to be).
Princess Noccalula was to marry another brave - one of another tribe who was very well off. Noccalula was in love with a brave in her own tribe. She begged and begged to have the wedding called off so she could be with the one she loved. Her father basically said "no way." So, instead of having to be forced into a marriage she didn't want, she decided to end her life by jumping. Her father was so brokenhearted by this that he named the falls after her.
Sad beginning to this post - sorry. But, trust me, it is an amazing place. Once we got to our desitnation, we stopped for a quick lunch before heading into the park. Apparently, we have made Jack's a tradition. The last time we made a little day trip in our state we ate at Jack's LOL. Anyhoo, it was a good lunch, but there was a bit of a mess...
Look a little closer... Click on the picture to make it bigger, if needed. Keep looking.... YEP! A straw poked through the cup! Water was EVERYWHERE! Good thing there was a hand dryer in the bathroom. Note to self - bring a change of clothes for the big guy... LOL
Let's get to the park now! Good times! And, there are about 20 pictures - enjoy!
Pit stop to see the ducks, of course :)
Ok, we realized that we should have come AFTER the tropical storm passed through. But, still. Very cool.
Showing Andy the waterfall. That is Noccalula behind them.
Poor girl. See? Money doesn't equal happiness. Did you read the whole legend (not my chopped up version)?
Church & School in the Pioneer Village
I just had to get a picture of this.
Grist Mill
Daddy and the little guys checking it all out :)
Walking down to the bottom of the gorge and looking up. Awesome.
The Falls - again, if we had come AFTER the storm...there would be more water falling. See how horribly dry it has been??? CAN'T WAIT FOR THE RAIN TONIGHT!
Daddy & Alex
Ugh, the trek back up. Ouch. Can you say thigh burn? I should have thought this through...I took Alex down, but took Andrew back up. Alex is 18 lbs (yes, and only 4 months old...lol). Andrew is 28 pounds. OUCH. Guess that was the workout for the weekend :)
After that, we needed a drink/snack break. Andrew and I took a train ride while Alex got a bottle with Daddy. Awesome side note - the train is included with the admission ticket and you can ride it as much as you want. FUN! Andrew loved it! Especially when we picked up Jason and Alex.
While we were on the train we passed by a petting zoo/animal habitat. So, once we got off we had to go see. We heard there was a tiger. It was a lioness, though. Still, she was cool - no, she looked really hot. I am glad she was laying in the shade. Luckily, Jason reminded me that lions don't hang out in the A/C in Africa. LOL Thanks, honey :)
This guy is really cool. He likes to say hello to people.
Hot bug :)
He cracks me up. He's hot, I know. I asked him to stand there so I could take a picture of him with the train. He stood there and whispered "cheese" LOL Thanks for humoring me, buddy.
This is a really great place to visit if you live nearby or just passing though! We loved it and will definitely be going back when it is cooler! Now then, time for bed. I'm exhausted!
Looks like your family had a lot of fun! I think it's so important for families to spend time together outside exploring. It can be a challenge though went it's hot outside!
ReplyDeleteWe did!! We are making it more of a priority now to have 1 full day of just us since the kids are growing so fast. :) And, yes, it has been so hot, but hopefully the fall will get here soon!
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