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A Fun Trip for the Bored Alabamian + Road Trip Ideas
Have you ever thought to yourself, "I am so bored." or "There is nothing to do around here,ugh..." Yeah, me too. I love sitting at home and doing nothing but I get restless and want to go on day trips, go for hike, discover new coffee shops, and just drive around and sight see.Jarrett and I wanted to take a little day trip to spend some quality time together. We started driving and ended up in Fort Payne and Mentone. I have been there a few times just driving through and a lot of people suggested us going. I am so glad we finally decided to check it out.
Day Trip Ideas
Start off by driving through downtown Fort Payne
A must see stop is "The Spot", a little coffee shop with food, art, and cozy sitting ares. We were greeted with a smile and friendly service. We decided to sit on a couch by a cozy little fireplace (fake) and warm lighting around us. We got a little tired because we got a little too comfortable. You can definitely burn off an hour just by stopping here.
Our Drink Orders:
Mocha (loved it)
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Places to go in Fort Payne
- Alabama Fan Club and Museum and The Depot Museum
- Hammers (a personal fav)
-Thrift Stores
-Splash pad for kids
Outdoor Adventures
DeSoto Falls
We stopped by DeSoto Falls, the upside to it is that you don't even have to hike to see the view of the falls! There are trails that you can take to different views if you are up for hiking. We have done it before and it wasn't too bad of a hike.
Little River Canyon is close, too.
Links:
Next, drive up to Mentone.
We drove up to Mentone and we had intentions of hiking, but got distracted by all of beautiful houses and sights there. We drove around for about two hours just looking at the overlooks on the mountain. We stopped by a cool little store called "Moon Lake Trading Company." Unfortunately, we went on New Years day and almost everything was closed, but there were so many cute antique and general stores you could check out.
Lunch at Wildflower Cafe
We were so sad that Wildflower Cafe was closed, but just more of a reason to go back on another day! I can not give a review of the food, but I have heard so many good things about the food there. It was voted "Best Food in DeKalb County", "Best Cafe in Alabama", and featured as "100 Places to Eat in the South Before you Die" It has such a unique look to the outside so I snagged a few pictures of the outside and you can find their menu on their website (linked below).
Weekend Rentals
If you want to make a weekend trip out of it there are so many cute rental houses up on the mountain with beautiful over looks. The area is so quite and you barely have cell service so it would be a nice little weekend getaway. My parents have stayed there for their anniversary plenty of times, and we definitely plan on it soon,too!
Link: https://www.cabinsandrentalsinmentonealabama.com/
Winter Adventure
If you are making a weekend out of it in the winter you can check to see if the Cloudmont Ski Resort is open. You can go skiing and stay in cute little cabins nearby. They have a Facebook page that announces availability because...we live in Alabama so the weather is wack and it actually has to be cold in order for them to have snow.
Other Blogs/Links:
Fun Road Trip Ideas
- Have intentional conversations. Some of our best conversations and quality time together has been on road trips.
Here are some conversation starter Ideas:
- Listen to Podcasts: One of my favorites is "Behind the Scenes" Podcast by Audrey and Jeremy Roloff. They are one of my Christian couples and they have some amazing episodes talking about marriage and life.
- Use a map instead of the GPS, just don't get lost!
- Play Games:
Name that Tune:I have mentioned this before, but our favorite is playing old music and trying to guess who sings it and what the name of the song is. Each person could make a list of songs that they want to play for the other person. Especially if you have two different tastes in music. If you want to get competitive keep score and see who can get the most in a specific amount of time!
- A to Z: Try to look for something along the way that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Start off with A and go in order. This would be fun on a long trip.
- The License Plate Game. Interpret the letters in each license plate you pass. For instance, REG could stand for “Ron eats garbage” and CSB could be “Claire smells bad”.
- Would You Rather? Print off or save questions on your phone and take turns asking each other the questions.
- Scavenger Hunt: Each person makes a list that would commonly be seen on a road trip and everyone tries to spot the items. Who ever gets the most wins!
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