As Floridians, we are deeply envious of our northern neighbors who have leaves that actually fall during Fall and not simply due to hurricane force winds. So each year, our family takes a trip.
I am rocking on the porch, crisp 50 degree rainy weather wafting between the trees, penning my thoughts on this particular trip as we speak… well, as you read.
I read once that children make the majority of their lasting core memories while on family trips, and so I am determined to fill mine to the brim with memories of connection and belonging through travels such as these as often as schedule and budget allow.
As parents, we are more than mother and father; we are memory makers. We have the holy opportunity to present for our children the world beyond their home, exposing them to experiences through open roads, new towns, and different people. With each new trip, we widen their understanding and deepen their scope of perspective and possibility. With every place, we share with them a bit of skin in the game when reading stories of faraway places, perhaps they have been, or know someone who has.
“Schema” is the teacher-word for it. A schema is the mental framework of what a reader or learner already knows, believes, and has experienced. It is the background knowledge they bring to a text or story, helping them make sense of what they read or hear. This prior understanding allows people to draw upon personal connections, anticipate what might come next, and better comprehend the meaning of the text, life, and others. When we take trips, we are giving them that schema, helping them relate more to people they meet, in story and in life.
Intentionally paving my children’s memory lane, brick by brick with repetition and reliability, there are places we visit once and there are places we return to again and again.
This nook of the Blue Ridge Mountains is certainly a place of returning.
Each October we drive the short distance up to North Georgia to see the turned color leaves and pick apples. We hide away within the walls of a cabin bordered by a babbling brook and skirted by fog and mountains. At dawn we hold our breath when deer dare to graze near our windows, and by dusk we roast marshmallows around a fire.
The drive is easy, and the stay is worth it every time. Just the change in climate shifts our hearts and minds into reset, settling us even deeper in connection with one another as we huddle in blankets, hold hands down orchard paths, and spend lots of time sitting, eating, and exploring.
Where to Stay: Ellijay, GA
When to Go: You just have to get there in the month of October while apple season is in full swing.
What to Do
- Burt’s Pumpkin Farm for the absolutely gigantic pumpkins.
- Amicalola Falls is right next door to Burt’s Pumpkins and an absolutely gorgeous sight to behold. You can drive to the top of the falls and then walk on a little bridge to see the tallest waterfall in Georgia.
- Lilly Pad Village for putt-putt and gem mining. This is a bit of a rustic stop, but putt-putt on the woodside of a mountain was super fun for everyone.
- Mercier Orchards for apple picking and gorgeous views.
- Hillcrest Orchards for the pig races, farm festival-style activities, and the best apple cider donuts in Blue Ridge. (Trust me, we have tried them all and none compare.)
- Downtown Blue Ridge for the scenic train ride, general store, and walkability (worth doing just once).
- Fall Branch Falls is an easy, less than one mile roundtrip hike to a double waterfall and is in between Downtown Blue Ridge and Lilly Pad Village.
Making Memories That Last
Making memories that last requires intentionality and courage, but they come in all shapes and sizes. Frequency, distance, and cost are not prerequisites for a meaningful trip.
Places We Return To
Like North Georgia for us, find a place that is easy to get to, a slow and simple stay once you arrive. Accrue local stops that become tradition when you visit, retrace paths of familiarity, and photograph moments that you revisit as time collects year after year. Those photographs will be like bookmarks reminding you of your place in this town and the stories that have been lived with each visit.
Places for Adventure
Once a year, adventure somewhere new. This summer we are stamping our brand new passports and visiting Canada for two months. A trip like this requires many months of planning, but I am all for it. With hopes of French immersion, my kids will attend local French summer camps, we will dine and shop locally, and travel within neighboring provinces on the weekend. Though we have never been to Canada as a family, I can already imagine how the memories will stack up and be recalled long after we are stateside again.
Simple Experiences We Share
Quarterly, share new or returned to experiences near home. These do not need to be overnights, but they should require planning, intentionality, and a bit of distance between home and the destination (45 minutes to 2 hours). Day drives take the pressure off while creating just enough space between daily routine and uncharted territory to be exciting.
Museums, beaches, hikes, amusement parks, themed sit-down restaurants, drive-in movies, springs, bowling, arcades, libraries, and really anything or anywhere for 2 to 5 hours. The options are endless.
The Home Away section of my blog is not a place for me to guilt you into taking more trips with your kids or pressure you into spending money being extravagant with vacations. No money needs to be spent for memories to be made if you are intentional and make a plan. Pull out your family calendar for the year and write down:
- One away place of adventure
- Four day drives (one per quarter)
- One place to return to each year for family retreat
As our annual North Georgia family trip comes to a close and we repack for the travel home, I pray that the words of the wind rustling the leaves, the feel of my hand pressed within theirs as they kept their footing along a steepening hike path, and the nearness of us wherever the roads take us keep my children company as they grow. And I pray that the memories we are collecting together, mile upon mile, nestle deep within and keep them firmly rooted in belonging, joy, and wonder.
