First of two weekend outings

2 May 2019

Our first outing was to attend the Holiday Hills Music Park Bluegrass festival in Laurel Hills, FL. 

We first stopped for one night at a former state park campground which was turned over to the city of Florala, AL.  It is a small but very nice place to camp.  It seems that several campers are there for longer periods.  Everyone was very friendly; Anneke met a few ladies who play dominoes in the afternoon and she was invited to play with them.  Not having played this game before she still managed to win four out of the five games.  Since we were there for only one night, we do not know if she would have been invited back the next day.

It is nice park that makes a great stop over or extended stay.  It is a relatively short walk to town with shopping and restaurant choices.

This was our second time at the blue grass festival.  It is on a large private property with well kept grounds and RV spots in the grass fields with power and water.  In addition to the formal music performances in the covered pavilion, many people come to meet fellow enthusiasts and camp for the weekend.  You can walk the grounds day and night and listen to many gatherings of bluegrass ad hoc performances. 

Most of the stage performers were family groups with members as young as 10.  They were all excellent with amazing talent.  They play a mix of bluegrass and gospel.

We really enjoy the music and atmosphere.  

The Sowell family playing.

Camping with the grandkids

While the grandkids were on spring break, it was decided that we would take them camping, along with their mother.  The motorhome was still in the driveway after we had just returned from the FMCA Perry Rally. We headed to the Anchors Away campground in Foley, Al for two nights of camping.  Our first stop was to see the just opened Buc-ee’s gas station.  Haley and I waited in the RV.

The kids spent a lot of time having fun in the playground across from our campsite and riding their bikes.

While we have visited Foley numerous times, we have not done a lot of sightseeing since we were mostly here for RV club outings.  This time we visited some attractions that the kids could enjoy.  First was the Foley train station museum located next door to the visitor’s center.  The museum is in the Louisville and Nashville railroad station built in 1909.  The exhibits explore the railroads role in the thriving agricultural industry in the Foley area.  The kids most enjoyed the model train layout in the back section of the station.  The operators entertained the kids with explanations of how everything worked. It was a big hit with them.

Just a short walk down the street, we found the museum of the first hospital in BaldwinCounty that served the area from 1936 thru 1958. The museum is located on the second story of the building where the hospital was located.  The driving force behind it was Dr Holmes who founded it.  The city block that houses the museum is still owned by the Holmes family.

The last outing was to the Gulf Coast Zoo in Gulf Shores, Alabama.