This Is What Success Looks Like

Many people decide to go on vacation with an elaborate scheme and itinerary of events to follow. While I definitely have done that in my pre-marital days I can also say with certainty that those days are definitely over. Instead, our vacations tend to involve lots of relaxing time and quick little day trips that we incorporate into our days as we travel. This year's trip to the beautiful Presque Isle was no exception. While, I certainly didn't have time to lay in the sand working on my tan, I did enjoy lots of time splashing in the waves with D&Z. We stayed at Sara's Campground located right outside of Presque Isle State Park. There is no camping allowed in the park, but this campground is literally right next to Presque Isle so we could walk there from our campsite if we wanted to. While researching this vacation I discovered that Presque Isle is visited more times each season than Yellowstone. After visiting the park I can see why.

Here are just a few of my favorites:

• The campground was clean (including the bathrooms!)
• There is a nice restaurant with the best ice cream right at the campground. The creamsicle ice-cream is delicious!
• No fee for admission to the state park
• No fee for parking at the state park (as a native New Yorker I am used to being charged for EVERYTHING! Not being charged to visit the beach was a major advantage to me.
• Beach #11 was perfect for little ones or little guys that aren't the best of swimmers. The waves were nice and small and the bottom was sand. (Beach #1 in contrast has a rock bottom that made my feet extra sore!)
• Some beaches have wheelchair lookouts for accessibility. You have to watch out though, not all beaches offer this feature.
• Presque Isle is located right in Erie PA. You are literally a 15 minute ride from pretty much anywhere you would want to visit in the city.

Campground CONS:

• The campground is located somewhere near a train. It drives by at all hours of the day and night (sounding off it's horn, of course!) I am a light sleeper and was woken up every time it drove by. In contrast, my husband (who sleeps like a rock) didn't believe me until he heard it during the daytime. The train horn didn't bother him one bit.

We also ventured to the Erie Zoo. I was amazed by the accessibility found throughout Erie, PA. The Zoo had ramps and elevators everywhere. We were never "stuck" wanting to go somewhere without the ability to reach it. I was very impressed by this. The zoo offered great views of the animals and lots of cute centers for the kiddos (the train was a favorite!) I would definitely return to the zoo again. It was cute, clean, and a whole bunch of fun! We had so much fun over vacation that we even began to plan for next year. Now the only question is.....North Carolina or South Carolina?