Patsy Cline's House in Winchester, Virginia

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I should change the name of my blog to, "I go on cool road trips and then remember to blog about them months later." Why am I so bad at posting regularly? One of the houses Patsy Cline lived in is now a small museum in Winchester, Virginia. So of course that was on our road trip schedule. There were no photos allowed inside, but it was the cutest house ever. 

It was a guided tour so check the webpage for the times, or you might be waiting around for a while. The tour was about 45 minutes. They took us around the house and told us stories about Patsy, and showed us all the things in her house. There was a good mix of things that actually belonged to her, and things that were added later. Her music was playing through the whole house. Everyone working there was super sweet and very knowledgeable. 

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Dinosaur Land in White Post, Virginia

 My sisters, best friend, and I went on an epic road trip over the last few days. Our first stop was Dinosaur Land in White Post, Virginia. We have been wanting to go for a while, and finally had the chance. It's a collection of dinosaur statues in the woods. I'm not sure if they are life size, but they were pretty huge. It was so hot that day, but between all the shade and our cute sun hats, it was totally manageable. The gift shop was fun too, we came away with matching cowgirl hats and fireworks. It took about an hour to walk through everything, and we could have easily stayed longer if we didn't have a busy schedule for the day.

Caverns, Abandoned Antique Stores, and Amish Romance Books

I'm not joking when I say there is so much to do in Natural Bridge, especially for such a small area. The last day of the road trip we went on a tour of the caverns. Taking pictures in a cave was kind of hard, everything just looked the same. I'm mildly claustrophobic so there were a few times I was regretting my decision to do this, but it was alright in the end. It was one of those experiences where I was glad I did it, but I'm in no hurry to do it again. 

It's a little ironic that we went all the way to Natural Bridge, and never actually went to the Natural Bridge. They were doing tours, but there were too many dangerous icicles on the formation so they weren't going to take people all the way to it. It seemed like a waste of money to not see it up close. On the way back to our cabin we saw a few signs for an antique store. We got close, but we never did find the entrance. That was the second store we stopped by where there wasn't a person in sight. At least there was a cool view and building.

 This was just a random picture of some books in one of the gift shops. I don't actually know what they're about, but the covers were cracking everyone up. There was a really creepy looking wax museum that sadly closed forever about two weeks before our visit. 

Birthdays are rarely a big deal for me, but I'm so glad I tried to plan something "big" this year, and it actually went off without a hitch. I can probably quit birthdays now, because nothing will ever top this trip. I can't recommend Natural Bridge enough if you're looking for quirky, weird, and fun things to do. Everything is so close together you could easily see everything in two or three days.

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Foamhenge: The Ultimate Road Side Attraction

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Foamhenge was built in Natural Bridge about 10 years ago by Mark Cline. It was the highlight of my birthday road trip. If it isn't obvious by the name, it is a life sized reproduction of the real Stonehenge, made of, you guessed it, foam. I'm really glad we went in the evening even though it was after a long day of driving, doing other activities, and very cold weather. The sun was setting, and it just made everything look that much cooler.

Foamhenge is on a hill, surrounded by a field on exit 180, right off Highway 11 South. There is no signage so you have to really be on the lookout. We could see it from the road, but if you go any time other than winter, it might be harder to see through the trees. Foamhenge isn't technically open anymore, and we may or may not have jumped a fence to see it. Take that into consideration and wear comfortable shoes if you try to see it.

This part of the trip was my sister's suggestion, so I personally wasn't sure what to expect, but it was just so much fun. I can't really even explain why running around a foam version of Foamhenge was so exciting. Maybe it was the surprise wizard. There are rumors that the land it is built on has been sold, so it's hard to say how much longer Foamhenge will even exist.

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The Pink Cadillac Diner

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The Pink Cadillac Diner was our second stop after the petting zoo. This place is my dream restaurant. The outside was pink and aqua (which I accidentally matched), and it had a pink vintage car parked outside. There used to be a giant statue of King Kong holding a small plane, but I think we missed it by a couple of months. I'm not sure why it wasn't there anymore.

 The inside had two sections, a room filled with Elvis memorabilia, and the other one filled with vintage posters and decorations as far as the eye could see. I literally would have eaten every meal there, but we settled on once for lunch, and once for breakfast the next morning. The people working there were really nice about us taking pictures of everything, I just wish we had taken more inside. We took a lot of panoramic pictures, but they don't post very well.  

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Kitschy Statues Everywhere

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Natural Bridge is just a fun, kitschy (and tiny) city. I think these were all made by Mark Cline, but I'm not positive. He also made Foamhenge and Enchanted Castle Studios, which is sadly closed and boarded up with some serious "no trespassing" signs. :( Mark Kline seriously just needs to be crowned King of Natural Bridge. 

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My Birthday Road Trip to Natural Bridge

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Well I'm already off to a great slow start on my new blog. My birthday happened about six months ago, but I'm posting about it now so I'll remember it forever. Plans for my birthday originally consisted of me visiting a friend for the week and pretending it wasn't my birthday. Then one night I found out about this ridiculously over the top 1950s diner. It was near Foamhenge, and a bunch of other cool places. My sister, friend, and I joked that we should road trip there. Birthday plans quickly went from hiding out to going on an epic road trip with my sister and two of my best friends. 

After a late night slumber party, bundling up for freezing temperatures, and a few hour car trip, our first stop was a petting zoo. I have mixed feelings about zoos, and this one really wasn't the best. It was nice to stretch our legs though, and taking silly pictures and feeding goats/sheep/alpacas was fun. This post is going to get long, so I'm milking it for all its worth and dividing it up between activities. Until next time!

  

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