Travel

Comment # 27 Kristie G. was the winner. A huge thanks to everyone who entered and visited the site.

I am so excited!!! I have joined up with the Tennessee Aquarium to offer one lucky winner 2 FREE tickets. I love my hometown and I love the Tennessee Aquarium and I am sure you will too!

Enter now through November 27th at 6PM! 

The Tennessee Aquarium is a favorite place for families during the holiday season. For many, it has become a tradition to spend time reconnecting with extended family members while surrounded by some of nature’s most spectacular gifts. It’s an experience that’s enjoyable for all ages.
Families will have fun learning about the Aquarium’s generations because 2012 was an exceptional year for significant animal births. While aviculturists were busy caring for five penguin chicks, our herpetologists literally had their hands full rearing baby turtles from threatened or endangered species. Keepers also had plenty of baby epaulette sharks, seahorses, jellies and cuttlefish to watch over.
Special programming during Holidays Under the PeaksNovember 16th – January 6th,  will help connect Aquarium guests with creatures from around the world. Kids can quiz divers, penguin experts and other keepers about family units in the wild and learn how we care for baby penguins, turtles and tiny jellies.
Guests will also be delighted by special appearances by SCUBA Claus who will be making weekend appearances underwater from November 17th through December 23rd.
“Holidays Under the Peaks” daily schedule – Nov. 16, 2012 – Jan. 6, 2013
(The Aquarium is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.)
  • 10:30 a.m. – South Pole Penguin Program – Ocean Journey – Penguins’ Rock, Level 2
  • 10:30 a.m. – Generations of Butterflies – Ocean Journey – Butterfly Garden, Level 4
  • 10:45 a.m. – Special Presentation:Toucan Family Life – River Journey – Stage Program in Ranger Rick’s Backyard Safari
  • 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. – Quiz our SCUBA divers about reef life. Learn about sharks & sea creatures – Ocean Journey – Secret Reef, Level 2
  • 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. & 12:45 p.m. – Animal Adventure Programs – River Journey – Stage Program in Ranger Rick’s Backyard Safari
  • 11: 00 a.m. – Bubbles & Fins – Watch SCUBA divers in action – River Journey – Nickajack Lake or River Giants
  • 1:30 p.m. – Freshwater follies – Enjoy the playful antics of river otters during “enrichment” time.– River Journey – Cove Forest, Level 4
  • 1:45 p.m. – South Pole Penguin Program – Ocean Journey – Penguins’ Rock, Level 2
  • 2:00 pm and 2:15 p.m. – Animal Adventure Programs – River Journey – Stage Program in Ranger Rick’s Backyard Safari
  • 2:00 pm – Feast for the Fishes – SCUBA divers feeding freshwater fish – River Journey - River Giants or Nickajack Lake exhibits
  • 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. –Talk to saltwater SCUBA divers to learn about sharks and sea turtles – Ocean Journey – Secret Reef, Level 2
  • 3:30 p.m. – Seahorse Dads- Join an Aquarium expert to learn fascinating facts about seahorses and pipefish  – River Journey, Level A
  • 4 p.m. – Colorful Wings – Learn about partridges, a peacock pheasant & release butterflies – Ocean Journey – Butterfly Garden, Level 4
  • *See SCUBA Claus Diving at the Tennessee Aquarium Weekends from Nov. 17 – Dec. 23
  • Look for SCUBA Claus at 11 a.m. on Saturdays in the Nickajack Lake exhibit or 2 p.m. on Sundays in the River Giants exhibit

Additional Holiday Events

*The cost of the events  below are not included in Tennessee Aquarium Tickets Prize 

Polar Express 3D at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater
Dates: Nov 16th – Dec 24th
Time: Various, check website for showtimes
Venue with street address: Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater – 201 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402
Age-appropriateness: All
Admission fee: Adults: $12.95; Children 3-12: $9.95
Is advance registration required? No
Brief description of event/activities: Climb aboard the Polar Express for an extraordinary 3D train ride to the North Pole. During this magical journey, audiences grasp at snowflakes as a young boy discovers the wonder of life never fades for those who believe. Experiencing this giant-screen classic at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater has become a tradition for many families. *Note: On December 24th Polar Express 3D will be the only film shown at IMAX – Noon, 2pm and 4pm.
Phone and website: 800-262-0695  http://www.tnaqua.org/IMAX

New Year’s Eve Sleep in the Deep
Date: Monday, Dec. 31st, 2012 – Tuesday, Jan 1st, 2013
Time: 5:30 pm – 8:30 am
Venue with street address: Tennessee Aquarium – One Broad Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402
Age-appropriateness: Families with children AGE 6 and older, accompanied by an adult
Admission fee: Non-member: $55.00 per person, Aquarium members: $45.00 per person
Is advance registration required? Yes
Brief description of event/activities: Usher in 2013 at the Tennessee Aquarium by registering for  the New Year’s Eve Sleep in the Deep. Celebrate New Year’s Eve visiting animals and habitats from around the world and then raise a “midnight” toast with a sparkling non-alcoholic beverage. This night of adventure includes activities in both Aquarium buildings. Explore behind the scenes, get up-close with our critters, and at lights out, bed down in the Undersea Cavern of Ocean Journey. Includes overnight, guided tours, special activities, pizza and continental breakfast.

The Tennessee Aquarium inspires wonder, appreciation and protection of water and all life that it sustains.Admission is $24.95 per adult and $14.95 per child, ages 3-12. Each ticket purchased helps support Aquarium conservation programs. Advance tickets may be purchased online at www.tnaqua.org or by phone at 1-800-262-0695. The Aquarium, located on the banks of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, is a non-profit organization. Open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Aquarium and IMAX are accessible to people with disabilities.
If you are a local or planning to visit Chattanooga by 12/31/2013 these FREE Tickets are perfect for you!

Here’s how to enter:

Required: In the comment section below::Tell us if you have visited the Tennessee Aquarium and/or that you would love to visit.

More opportunities to enter below

Optional for even more chances to win: Once you complete these tasks below come back here and make a comment that you completed them. Please make a comment for each one since each one counts as a entry.

If you all ready like,  follow or subscribe just say so that counts too!

Like Tennessee Aquarium on Facebook

Like Ground Beef Budget on Facebook

Share This on your Facebook Page: Enter to win 2 TN Aquarium Tickets On Ground Beef Budget  http://wp.me/p1XLH5-MQ

Follow Tennessee Aquarium on Twitter 

Follow Ground Beef Budget On Twitter 

Tweet: Enter to win 2 TN Aquarium Tickets @ http://wp.me/p1XLH5-MQ #TNAquarium #win #giveaway

Subscribe to Ground Beef Budget Newsletter and get all the site updates and recipes to your inbox FREE

Follow Ground Beef Budget On Pinterest 

Pin This On Pinterest:
Pinit

Details:: You may enter now through 6 PM November 27th at 6 PM Eastern Time. The winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be notified via email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address. If no response within the 48 hours a new winner will be chosen. (so be sure your email address is accurate) Please note: These tickets expire 12/31/2013

Disclosure: Aquarium tickets were donated by the Tennessee Aquarium for this giveaway. No compensation was paid for this giveaway and all opinions are my own.

Good Luck, 

 


 

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Disney Bound? Navigating The Parks

by Shelley on July 10, 2012 · 0 comments

in Disney, Travel

There are 4 Disney Parks all with their most popular attractions without knowing how to make good use of the Fast Passes you can spend most of your time standing in line. Fast Passes are are available to anyone with a Disney Park Ticket not just to those staying onsite. Tour Guide Mike has a guide for each park, what fast passes to grab first and how to get the most out of your park visit.

Grab a park schedule:

Just inside each park you will find a printed schedule for the day. Be sure and grab one and you will know the times of the shows and parades for the day.

Fast Passes:

Fast Passes are for anyone with a park ticket. They are not reserved just for the people staying onsite. Using fast passes will make your park experience a much better one.

There are fast pass machines near each fast pass eligible ride. You just insert your park ticket and it will spit out a fast pass with a time to return to the ride, enter into the fast pass line and the wait is much less that the standby line. Your fast pass will tell you when you will be eligible to get your next fast pass for the same or another attraction.

**Please note: On prior visits the return times where not strictly monitored and you could ride at anytime after the fast pass printed time but now I am reading that they are adhering to the fast pass return time or you will have to either get another fast pass or ride standby. I am also reading that they are distributing many more fast passes, making the fast pass lines a bit longer than they were in the past but they are still faster than the standby lines.

If you are planning a trip to Disney, Tour Guide Mike is a must have for my Disney trips and worth every dollar. I have no affiliation with Tour Guide Mike other than I have used his service for all my Disney trips. Just subscribe in time to read and study his recommendations for the time you are there.

For an index of all the post in this series go to Disney Bound

 

{ 0 comments }

 

I would love to take a cruise to The Caribbean (or to anywhere would be fine) and Norwegian Cruise Line  is offering an awesome deal.

So if you are thinking about a family cruise…..

Hurry this ends tomorrow! 

Kids sail free this fall on Norwegian Cruise Line! When you book a select Fall 2012 cruise between now and July 7th, kids under 18 sailing as a third or fourth guest in the stateroom sail FREE. Destinations include The Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii and more! This promotion won’t last forever, you have to book your cruise by July 7th in order to take advantage of this incredible offer.

 

 

 

Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Norwegian Cruise Line vacation exchange for this post.  No monetary exchange took place.

{ 0 comments }

They’ve been keeping a tight lid on this, I tell you!

One more awesome reason to visit The Great Smoky Mountain~Synchronous Fireflies! We live a hop and skip from the Smoky Mountais (well a 2 hour hop and a skip, but you know what I mean) and visit Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and/or the Smoky Mountain at least once, twice or more times a year and have never heard about this phenomenon until I happened across it when I was researching another thing on my Bucket List: The Sisters On The Fly!

Synchronous Fireflies can only be seen in two parts of the world The Great Smoky Mountains and somewhere in Asia. ( I am shooting for the Smoky Mountains, how ’bout you). These fireflies synchronize their flashing as a part of their mating ritual. This spectacular event takes place  during two weeks in June each year.  The fireflies are found in the area of Elkmont Campground, due to the increase in traffic to the area the campground area Park Rangers are assisting to manage traffic and now trolley service between Sugarlands Visitor Center and Elkmont operates during the first part of June each year. Advance reservations are required for the trolley. The reservation system begins accepting reservations for the year in April. Source. You also need to reserve your camping spot at Elmont pretty early if you want to get a good spot during this event.

From what I have read due to the early warmth we have had this Spring the fireflies mating season began early this year, so there just may be a lot of disappointed people trying to check off their bucket list….but there is always next year!

I missed it this year but I will get there one day and check this off my Bucket List!

What’s on your bucket list? Let us know we may want to add it to ours!

{ 0 comments }

Disney Bound: How Do We Get There?

by Shelley on June 14, 2012 · 1 comment

in Disney, Travel

Pinit

When thinking about Disney you have to figure out how you will get there~driving or flying?

With the price of gas flying seems cheaper and faster at times then when you throw in the new charges for baggage and seating arrangements it can be pricey!

Flying:There are a lot of things to consider.

Car Rental /Transportation: if you are staying onsite you more than likely will not need a vehicle.  Disney has transportation to and from the airport via Disney’s Magic Express as long as fly in and out of Orlando International. If you fly into the Orlando/Sanford airport you will have to find and pay for your own transportation to and from the Disney Resorts. Flying into Orlando/Sanford tickets are usually cheaper but when you calculate  in the cost of transportation  once you arrive flying into Orlando International may be a better deal. Also, unless you have someone to drop you off at the departing airport you will need to calculate parking while you are away as well, that adds up fast.

Time: Driving certainly takes longer but I live 9 hours away. The best price on flight was from an airport 2 hours away. By the time we drove to the airport, got there 2 hours early , arrived at Orlando International, boarded the Magic Express and arrived at the resort we may have saved 2 hours. Though the flight was only a little over an hour the process was around 7 hours, so it cost more for 4 of us and only saved us 2 hours. I will probably drive from now on.

Driving: The cost of gas keeps going up and down but regardless it is up! Calculate the cost it may be a cost effective way to travel verses flying but that is all based on the number of people traveling and what airport you are flying into. If you have a dependable vehicle and plenty of time make it a road trip for your family and make some stops along the way.  There are toll roads in Florida so have some change handy.

 

Just take these things into consideration and calculate what would work for you best, time wise  and dollar wise.

 

 

 

Unless you are South of Tennessee you will probably be passing through Chattanooga. Click on over and read more about my hometown, Chattanoga and make that a stop along the way. 

 

 

Pin It

{ 1 comment }

When do you want to go? How long do you want to stay? 

There are a lot of things that dictate when you can go and when you want to go to Disney World. School schedules, available vacation days, costs and much more can make the choice for you.

Most Crowded and Least Crowded Times To Visit:

Summer and Christmas time are the busiest seasons. At Christmas the park is decked out from head to toe for the holidays and it even snows  on Magic Kingdom’s  Main Street and at Hollywood Studios. The closer to Christmas day the more crowded it gets! (Use Tour Guide Mike and follow his recommendations and you will be ok can you tell….I am a fan?)

Fall usually is less crowded and the resort rates are less expensive. Typically Free Dining is offered in the Fall but I have went at Christmastime and received Free Dining.

Whenever you choose to go Disney is magical and there is always something going on.

Children and School:

Some schools will work with you and allow your children to miss school. They may require a special report from your child, check with their school and see what they may require or if they will allow those days to be missed. Disney is a learning experience as well as fun. Animal Kingdom and Epcot are the most educational parks. Animal Kingdom of course has the animals to learn about but they also have an environmental theme. Epcot has all the countries that you can visit, eat their foods and learn about their traditions.

I know in my area most schools have a Fall Break as well as Spring Break so that would be a great time to go.

How Long Do You Want To Stay? 

There are 4 parks and 2 water parks and Downtown Disney. I would suggest staying at least one day longer than the number of parks you want to visit. Why? To rest. Take your down day sometime in the middle of your trip. Get some rest, you won’t regret it. Your trip will be more enjoyable.  Disney can be totally exhausting. Sleep late, hang out at the pool, explore your resort, explore other resorts (they are amazing) head out to Downtown Disney for dinner. You will be invigorated for the rest of your trip and not so exhausted when you return home.

*Once you get past the cost of three or four day park tickets additional days are only a few dollars, additional costs would come from the room and food. You can also upgrade to a season pass and that may be a good deal if you plan on returning within a 12 month time period.

For links to all the posts in this series head on over to the first post in this series, Disney Bound?

{ 0 comments }

Where can I get more information?

FREE Online Resources

Disboards: One resource with an abundance of information is DisBoards. DisBoards in an online forum that is free to join. There you will find a ton of  information on the resorts, codes and discounts, touring plans even Disney crafts and ideas.

Mouseforless: is also a forum that is free to join

AllEars: has a wonderful list of restaurants and includes prices and menus and what category they are on the Disney Dining Plans

Disney.go.com: Disney’s site to price your vacation and make your reservations, plus much more.

Passporter.com: Another online site jam packed with information and forums that are free. They also have a book about Disney that I recommend scroll on down for my WDW book recommendations.

Online Subscription Services: 

Tour Guide Mike: It is not expensive and worth every penny. The one service that I would not go to Disney without is Tour Guide Mike! Awesome, this site will lead you through the parks with ease, get on rides with minimal wait. What days are the least crowded days to attend during your vacation. He doesn’t meet you there you have to do some reading and learning but if you do it and follow his plan you will have a much better WDW trip I can assure you. When you see people standing in lines with wait times of 90 minutes you know they didn’t follow Tour Guide Mikes Plan! To make this even better The Mouse For Less has a $3 off discount code.

Touring Plans: Touring plans is a toned down simplified version of Tour Guide Mike. Cost less but to me less information (there is also a smart phone app to use on site for Touring Plans.

Books That I Recommend :


PassPorter’s Walt Disney World 2012: The Unique Travel Guide, Planner, Organizer, Journal, and Keepsake!
Design magical vacations with this award-winning travel guide and planning system for everyone’s favorite playground. With four major theme parks and 20 hotels packed into 47 square miles, planning a trip to Disney World can be a daunting task. This indispensable travel planner simplifies the process, keeping travelers on schedule, within budget, and ready for fun. Each of the four major parks — Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom — gets an in-depth layout, complete with full-color fold-out maps and a description of every ride and attraction. Exhaustive profiles of Disney-owned resort hotels feature detailed maps, color photos, and room layouts. The guide also covers all of the park’s 300+ dining options. A concise, up-to-date review with average meal cost is provided for each venue, from full-service restaurants to counter-service eateries. Fourteen handy organizer pockets store maps, passes, receipts, itineraries, notes and to-do lists.

Source: Amazon

Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2012


Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World
, the most respected and well-known name in travel guides, takes readers to the world’s most popular tourist attraction. Since ours is the only guidebook that’s official, this book includes the most accurate information on prices, changes, and new attractions for 2012. Highlights include complete coverage of Walt Disney World’s newest resort-in-the-making: The Art of Animation; expanded information about the ever-popular Disney Vacation Club, including details on Aulani, a deluxe Disney resort and spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii; and an insider look at Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Disney Fantasy—a luxury ocean liner based out of Barcelona, Spain.
Fans of Fantasyland will be thrilled to hear that is it now the center of the greatest growth-spurt in Magic Kingdom history! We’ll deliver all the info on this happy expansion—including a description of new attraction featuring The Little Mermaid. Also, come here for the scoop on Star Tours II–an immersive 3-D journey into the beloved Star Wars realm.

As always, Birnbaum will provide strategic sample itineraries; an insider’s look at the newest attractions, stage shows, and restaurants; and tips for travelers of every age! And with more money-saving coupons than ever before, this guide is a must-have for every Disney World guest!

Source: Amazon
**Please note that the Amazon links above are for the 2012 season that are current at the time of this post. If you are finding this post at a later time or plan to visit in 2013 or later please look for the current versions once you arrive at Amazon.  Things change at Disney from year to year. These book if outdated will still give you some valuable information but may not be as current as you would need. 
For the index to find more from this series head on over to the original Disney Bound? post.
Pin It

{ 3 comments }

Where do you want to stay? 

Where you want to stay at Disney depends on many things, onsite or offsite, how much you are willing to spend, how many is in your party, what kind of  experience you want to have?

Personally unless I had family in Orlando I would choose to stay on property or at least accommodations that have dependable transportation to and from Disney I would stay onsite. Disney hotels have all that you would need, from laundry services to dining choices and offer guests many amenities such as the dining plan (sometimes FREE), extended park hours and free transportation to and from the parks.

There are lots of perks to staying onsite.

Onsite Resorts:

Disney offers resorts that fit any budget from Value resorts to just plain fancy! I have stayed at a moderate and value resort and I must say I love Pop Century which is a Value Resort.

You can price your stay based on time of travel and resort choice at http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/

***Paying a few extra dollars for a preferred room is worth every penny in my book! Preferred rooms are usually closer to the main building, dining and bus stops. These resorts are HUGE! Walking to a room in the back forty after a long, fun but exhausting day at the park can be a killer. I would suggest asking for a room near (but not right next to) an elevator. Each building is HUGE the elevator is usually centrally located and once you ride up or down you may have a long walk. Trust me you will get plenty of walking done in the parks!

The Value Resorts are: You can rent a fridge or get in on a *fridge swap

Pop Century~Has a theme of popular oversixed icons through the centuries

All Star Sports ~Sports Themes

All Star Movies~Disney Movies Themed

All Star Music ~Music Themed

Disney Art of Animation ( Brand New, opening in stages) ~ Disney Animated Movies Themed

The Moderate Resorts: Slightly larger rooms that have a mini fridge and pools are a little more elaborate and have slides. 

Caribbean Beach

Coronado Springs ~ Aztec themed

Port Orleans-French Quarter

Port Orleans-Riverside

The Cabins At Fort Wilderness

The Deluxe Resorts: larger rooms, full service restaurants, larger more elaborate pools. Some of the themes carryover to the outside with the Boardwalk and the animals you will find just outside your window at Animal Kingdom. Some are situated on the monorail or have park transportation by boat.

BoardWalk Inn

Contemporary

Wilderness Lodge

Polynesian

Animal Kingdom Lodge

Yacht Club Resort

The Deluxe Villas: Can be found at most Deluxe Resorts.

If you have a family of 5 or more you will probably need to choose a Family Suite at one of the Value Resorts and/or Port Orleans Riverside offers trundles that can accommodate a younger child.

Do the Disney Math! 

Sometimes Disney offers FREE dining! Yes, you read that correctly. For the Value Resorts that usually includes counter service meals, for the Moderate and Deluxe Resorts that usually includes Table Service meals, so do the math if you are wanting table service meals it may be in your best interest to upgrade to a Moderate Resort than to pay for the upgrade for the Full Service dining plan at a value.

Please feel free to ask any questions and get a conversation started in the comment section: What has been your favorite resort? What did you like best about your resort. Did you stay offsite? What was your experience like?

*Fridge swap- A mini Fridge is not included in the price of a value room unless you have medications that require refrigeration, such as insulin or antibiotics (Disney can let you know what documentation you will need). Some forums have fridge swaps going and you may be able to get in on one, the first people pay for the fridge a few dollars each, when the first person leaves the fridge will go to storage at the resort and it will be available for the next person to pick up, return it to storage before you leave for the next arrival.

For the directory of all posts in this series go here.


Pin It

{ 2 comments }

Disney Bound?

by Shelley on May 24, 2012 · 0 comments

in Disney, Travel

 

When I became a mom one of the things that was on my agenda was to take my daughter to Walt Disney World. I wanted to wait and take her at an age that she would remember it and little did I know I would become a single mom and it would take me until she was 15 before we would ever make it…but we did and it was a truly magical experience.

Disney is a truly magical place but it is overwhelming, expensive and can be utterly exhausting and I am creating this series in hopes to  help you plan a magical time while you are there. I am not a Disney expert but we have visited a few times and I am a planner so I read and read and read. What I learned worked for us so I hope this series will help you.

I will cover:

Join me in this series as I share all the information that took me hours and hours to learn. Feel free to ask any questions in the comment and I will try my best to answer them or find the answer for you.

 

Pin It

{ 0 comments }

The National Cornbread Festival

by Shelley on April 23, 2012 · 1 comment

in Travel, Who Knows?

I am so excited,  I am getting to go the National Cornbread  Festival. I have been wanting to go and I work every weekend and have for years. I just realized that it is this coming weekend and I another nurse has offered to work Saturday for me so that I can go.

Here is their press release:

– Excitement is in the air as preparations begin for the 16thAnnual
National Cornbread Festival, which will be held here April 28 and 29, 2012.

A 5-K Road Race will kick off the festival on Saturday, April 28 at 7 a.m. Activities for the
festival are held in the downtown area of South Pittsburg, with cornbread cook-offs, arts and
crafts vendors, food vendors, day long entertainment and agriculture displays.
The cook-off competitions begin on Saturday, April 28th at 9:30 a.m., with the 4-H Cornbread
Cook-off and The National Cornbread Cook-off at 1 p.m. in the competition area on 2nd
Street.

Additional activities include singers, dancers, buttermilk chugs, dry cornbread eating and ice
cream eating contests at Citizens Park Stage on 4th Street and in the newly renovated Princess
Theater.

Be sure to visit Cornbread Alley, where customers buy and sample nine different cornbread
dishes. Great activities are available for the entire family with a Children’s Corner, midway-style
carnival, food court and live entertainment.

For updated information, schedules and other information, please connect to the Festival website
at: www.nationalcornbread.com. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

{ 1 comment }