Winchester Mystery House Review!

 

For quite some time I've wanted to visit the Winchester Mystery house in person, even way before the movie it was a spot on my list of places to visit. The history of the house is quite interesting & I've always loved things that are spooky/supernatural so of course it was on my list of places to see. We were finally able to stop by in December on a family trip to California, thus we were able to be there when it was decorated for Christmas. 

I thought it was interesting that they allowed guests to take photographs, but we were all told we couldn't film inside of any of the rooms. Our whole tour lasted about an hour, and it took us through about a dozen rooms in the house. The house is much larger than that, but a lot of the rooms are closed off to the public. 

The tour might not be for everyone, the ticket prices are a little high & none of the furniture in the house is original from when the home belonged to Sarah Winchester. However the furniture is from the same time period, after she had passed away her niece inherited all of her belongings so she kept what she wanted & sold off the rest. I didn't want to visit for the furniture though, I can to see the house itself. It's story and the way it was built is interesting and something we aren't likely to see again, so the tour kept us interested and we had a good time. 

If I ever happen to be blessed enough to build my own home, I would definitely want an indoor green house like the rooms she had built here. It would be nice to have a whole indoor space to take care of my plants and protect them from the elements. Speaking of plants, the property has a large garden which you can also tour. We weren't able to do that this time around because we were on a schedule but we did opt to buy a photography package. You were given some period friendly clothing to wear over your own & then the photographer takes you inside of the house to take some photos inside of the rooms. 

We 100% thought the photography package was worth it because not only did we get to take photos inside of some of the rooms you aren't allowed to enter on the tour, but the photographer told us quite a bit of extra information and history of the house. The gift shop was lovely as well, they had a ton of stuff to look at if you are waiting for your tour time to start. I picked up a few small souvenirs to bring home with me, but I was sad that all of the penny press machines and such were not working.  All in all, it was a lovely visit and I can cross this off of my to do list! If I had a chance to see more of the house and explore the gardens, I would come back again. 

If you are planning a trip to California & are looking for other activities to do feel free to type in "Things to do in California" in the search bar of my blog so you can find some other great activities in California. You can also click the "Things to do in California" link located on the right hand side of my blog/in this post.

🟊 This is not a sponsored post, we paid for this ourselves. I just enjoy sharing awesome spots with my readers. 

FlagTagAZ - Family fun in Flagstaff, Az!

 

When we travel, I try looking for local family-friendly attractions to visit in-between seeing the typical tourist destinations, so that we can get the most out of our vacations. We wanted to beat the summer heat, so we decided to head up north to Flagstaff where the weather is significantly cooler than in Phoenix. The main three spots we wanted to visit were Walnut Canyon, the lava cave and Out of Africa. However, I knew we were going to have some downtime, so instead of hanging out in our hotel room we decided to look for something exciting to do together. We were looking for something that was indoors & out of the weather, FlagTag Az fit the bill. FlagTagAZ offers Axe throwing & Laser tag, plus they have a small arcade. I do want to note that this spot is geared towards pre-teens, teens & adults. We visited on a Saturday afternoon and were surprised by how few patrons were visiting at the same time. We were originally told that Saturday is their busiest day, so we were expecting packed throwing lanes. Needless to say, that surprise worked out in our favor as it was quieter than normal, and we didn't have to worry about feeling cramped next to other large groups.

You can purchase each activity individually or opt for one of their packages which give you a bit of a discount. During our visit we opted for the 'Groovy Combo' for $35 per person which includes thirty minutes of axe throwing along with two laser tag games. We've visited other Axe throwing locations & something that makes FlagTag stand out a bit from the others is that fact that they also allow you to throw knives & ninja stars.

The throwing lanes are equipped with a tablet that allows you to choose one of their digital games you'd like to play while throwing. The game is cast onto the wooden planks at the end of the lane using a projector. You can choose from games like battleship or just do regular axe throwing, it all depends on if you want to throw for fun or compete against a friend/family member. I do wish that they offered different weighted & sized axes, the larger sized axe they offered was a bit awkward for me to use compared to smaller versions I've used at other throwing lanes. I do not necessarily think it was due to the weight, but the length as I felt like the handle was too long for the way I tend to throw. 

Throwing the ninja stars was an interesting experience, they were so light weight compared to the axes. I am not going to lie; the first time I tried to throw the ninja star it flew up much higher than I was aiming for and stuck above the wooden planks, I almost couldn't reach it to get it back down! However, I know I am not the only one who has overthrown the ninja star because there were quite a few spots next to where I threw it & some marks even higher than where my star landed where others have hit. Your time on the lanes will go by faster than expected, so I would keep that in mind when deciding on which game you'd like to play. 

After we finished our half an hour of axe throwing, we went over to the laser tag. The space they have for the laser tag is actually pretty large and even includes a second story. I didn't go into the laser tag, so I cannot personally comment on the laser tag experience however my family members who played had a fantastic time! While we waited on our laser tag group, the rest of us had a look around the facility. 

There is a cafe area where you can pick up snacks, or drinks including alcohol. You'll also find a small selection of arcade games plus a row of claw machines. I had also noticed that they have a small corner set up with a number of family board games and a giant version of connect four. The last activity they offer is Dart throwing, where you can use either regular plastic tipped darts or metal tipped darts. We had fun checking out everything FlagTagAZ had to offer, and I think it is a fun spot to bring your family. FlagTagAZ is currently located at 1801 W Rte 66 #102 Flagstaff,AZ 86001 however, by the end of summer they are hoping to be in their new location, so please check their website to verify the address before visiting. 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. (Click on the name or locate it on the right-hand side of my page).

Disclaimer-  FlagTagAZ provided us a discount in exchange for a review, no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

San Simeon Elephant Seal Viewing Area - Free to visit!

 

If you happen to be driving along Highway 1 in California or end up in the San Simeon area whether to visit Hearst Castle, or just simply driving by to get to one of the towns along the coast there is a Elephant seal viewing area which is free to visit. While the Elephant seals may not be on the beach the entire year, it is worth stopping to check especially if it is during breeding/birthing season. We were lucky & visited during the winter which is one of the times they can be found. 

There is actually a pretty decent sized parking area that is easy to access & everything is marked clearly. When were arrived there were two state park workers who had a table set up, answering questions and talking about Elephant seals. You won't be able to go down on the beach next to the Elephant seals of course, for their protection and yours, but you'll still be able to see them fairly close. 

In three separate spots you can see the Elephant seals just over the railing lined up along the beach. When we stopped by a few of them were quite loud, a few were fighting and many were sleeping. There were even some sleeping babies which was adorable to see! The weather was perfect on the day we visited, so we had some great views. It was well worth the stop. 

Not far from the main Elephant viewing area is the Friends of the Elephant seal visitor center which offers a boardwalk and more viewing spots, along with a souvenir shop. The visitor center is located at 250 San Simeon Ave Suite 5A San Simeon, California 93452 and the viewing area we visited is just south of that right off of the highway. 

If you are planning a trip to California & are looking for other activities to do feel free to type in "Things to do in California" in the search bar of my blog so you can find some other great activities in California. You can also click the "Things to do in California" link located on the right hand side of my blog/in this post. 

Yosemite View Lodge Review!

 

During the holidays we have shifted from splurging on presents to taking small family trips to explore places close to home. This year our trip took us to California where we stopped by a few places including visiting Yosemite National Park which you may have seen me post photos of earlier this week. The night before we were due to be in the park we wanted to stay somewhere close so we could head out first thing in the morning & get as much time in the park as our schedule allowed. We ended up staying at the Yosemite View Lodge which is just a short drive from the entrance of the park along the 140/El Portal Road. Yosemite National Park is a spot that thousands of people visit every year and of course families will be looking for lodging so I wanted to share our experience with the hotel we picked out. It had a lot of positives & a few negatives, but during our travels I've found most hotels have a balance between the two. 

Over all we had a pleasant stay in our room, like most hotels it is just a place to rest for the night. We had a party of six so we were in one of the bigger family suites, it was nice to have the extra space to stretch out and relax together in one big hotel room instead of getting two smaller rooms. There were a few minor negatives about the suite which included terrible water pressure in the showers, some of the dishes in the kitchen were still visibly dirty from the last guests, a little bit of wall paper in the kitchen was coming down and the spa tub switch was hidden behind the towels. Otherwise the room was cozy & welcoming, we felt relaxed and comfortable. I also liked the little travel toiletries that were provided, they had a nice smell to them. There were four queen sized beds along with a pull out sleeper sofa, so depending on how many people you had sleeping in each bed you can fit up to ten people in this family suite. It included two bathrooms so there is no need to worry about fighting over a single bathroom which is nice especially for bigger families. 

The property has a lot of fun amenities like an indoor pool & hot tub along with an outdoor pool & hot tub. It was nice to relax in the hot tub after a long day of travel. There was also a game room just a short walk from our room which had some board games, random books, two living rooms with sofas and TV's along with a big room that had a pool table, air hockey and more. A few of the electronic games in the room weren't on/working but there was still plenty to do! We hung out in the game room for quite sometime. 

Near the front desk is a large living room type area with plenty of seating where you can relax if you wish. There is also a pretty decent sized store & gift shop were you can find souvenirs, clothing and even do some light grocery shopping. The prices weren't bad, and they had a lot to choose from. We actually ended up buying our breakfast from their little shop, because surprisingly with how expensive the rooms are they don't even include a basic breakfast. If you want actual breakfast they had a small buffet in their on site restaurant, we didn't get breakfast there but looking at other reviews it was almost $22 per person which is pretty high. 

We did visit the restaurant for dinner while we were there. The property has two places to eat aside from the little grocery store they have there is a restaurant & a pizza place. For some reason the pizza spot is closed during the winter so the only option was the restaurant. Service was very slow, it took a while to get seated even with it being mostly empty and it took a long time to order then get our food. The tables were also very uneven and wobbly but I think that may be due to the floor. However the food was very good & the waiter in charge of refilling drinks was on top of making sure our glasses stayed full. 

The view of the river outside of our room was gorgeous and I loved sitting outside in a chair just listening to the sound of the running water. The hotel was over all pretty quiet at night so it was just you and the sound of nature which was peaceful. We also sat out near the river itself at a little firepit area they had set up. The view of the stars at night was spectacular. The short drive to Yosemite National Park from this hotel was also a plus because you can get into the park as soon as they open for the day and try to beat some of the crowds. 

If you are planning a trip to California & are looking for other activities to do feel free to type in "Things to do in California" in the search bar of my blog so you can find some other great activities in California. You can also click the "Things to do in California" link located on the right hand side of my blog/in this post.

🟊 This is not a sponsored post, we paid for this ourselves. I just enjoy sharing awesome spots with my readers. 

Hearst Castle California State Park!

 

If you've never heard of Hearst Castle, that is understandable! I didn't know much about it either before visiting on a recent trip to California. But, I am very happy we did stop & I would 100% visit again, the 'castle' is breathtaking especially if you love old artwork and unique architect. Before I get into my short review of the property, let me give you a little history on this location. Hearst Castle isn't actually a castle & wasn't originally intended to be, it actually received the name after the state of California received it after the original owners passing, it was originally called La Cuesta Encantada and was simply the home and estate of William Randolph Hearst. He was a publishing tycoon whose publishing company still exists today, during his time he owned dozens of newspaper & magazine companies as well as some radio stations. This estate was built between 1919 & 1947 with help of his architect Julia Morgan. She was the first woman to study architecture & have her own practice. 

The Estate is located in San Simeon, California & was built onto of a hill which over looks the ocean. Prior to building his home on the hill, William Hearst's family owned 40,000 acres of land surrounding the hill which they used as camping grounds. After he began building this estate he kept purchasing surrounding lands until he owned 250,000 acres! While the property isn't nearly as large today the property still sits on 127 acres that the state of California owns & the Hearst family still owns another 82,000 acres surrounding that which is under a land conservation agreement with the state to keep it in is natural, beautiful & undeveloped state. The property has the main house which gigantic, along with three huge guest homes, lush gardens, a gorgeous outdoor pool, a indoor roman bath, tennis courts & more. During the time William Hearst stayed here he also had his own private zoo on the property which included zebra, polar bears & more. If you ever wanted to visit the home during the time he lived here, you'd need an invite from the man himself. He invited & had guests of the highest caliber including dozens of actors & actresses of the time who would come and stay in his guest homes. If you look at the image below, you'll see a huge house & it is one of the first buildings you'll see upon pulling up for the start of the tour. This large house, isn't the main house it is simply one of the three guest homes on the property & is larger than most peoples actual homes. 

William Hearst was a collector of art, antiques and artifacts. He collected everything from signed books, to paintings & statues all the way up to huge original carved wood ceilings which are centuries old. He would actually purchase full rooms from castles & estates in Europe and have them brought back to the states for his own home. The amount of antiques in this estate are absolutely mind blowing, we took just the Grand Rooms tour and in the four or five rooms we were shown, I saw more than I have at other museums. In fact there were even pieces that were older than when Christopher Columbus landed in America. He owned pieces from all over the world & from different points in time from places like Germany, Egypt, Spain, Italy & more. 

This property is huge, so large in fact that the state parks offers seven different tours where you'll explore different areas of the house. Even if you take all seven tours, you will still not have seen the entire estate as parts of it can not be viewed on tours. We booked the Grand Rooms Tour in which we were able to see the outside of the guest cottages, the outdoor pool, four rooms inside the main castle, the movie theatre which he had inside of his house along with seeing the indoor roman bath. 

The tour as a whole lasted about an hour & there was a short 15 minute drive up and down the hill side to the tourist center. If you were lucky you might see a few animals on the drive, while most of his zoo animals no longer reside on the property there are still some deer, mountain goat and even zebra herds which are descendants from his personal zoo that roam the property. It is also still a fully functional ranch so you'll see the huge heard of cows they have on the property. 

As I had mentioned, prior to visiting I hadn't known a lot about the property or Mr. Hearst. We stopped by on a family vacation with my parents, and I am sure glad we did because my kids, my husband and myself were all blown away by this property. I'd love to go back and take some of the other tours to see what else lays behind the walls of this gorgeous estate. We learned a lot on our tour, the tour guides provide a ton of information and are happy to answer questions. The state is doing an amazing job keeping everything preserved and maintained on this property. Even the original gardens and fruit trees are well kept, the fruit growing on the property looked tasty! Plus while you are up on the hill top at the property, you will want to look out at the stunning views of the ocean that the estate offers. I can only imagine how spectacular it must have been to be invited to this property during its heyday. 

If you ever happen to be in the area, I suggest stopping by to take one of the tours and see what Hearst Castle has to offer especially if you love art and antiques. Each of the tours has different prices & different tour lengths, when you go to purchase a ticket they will provide all of the information on the website. 

If you are planning a trip to California & are looking for other activities to do feel free to type in "Things to do in California" in the search bar of my blog so you can find some other great activities in California. You can also click the "Things to do in California" link located on the right hand side of my blog/in this post. This was not a sponsored review, we paid to get into the state park ourselves. I enjoy being able to share spots like this with my readers who may not be able to visit in person but are still interested in learning more about these spots, or for anyone planning vacations in the area. 

San Diego Zoo Review!

 

I love animals so any chance I get to visit a new zoo or animal spot, I am up for the adventure! For the fourth of July weekend we took a short vacation to San Diego to enjoy a beach day and made plans to visit the San Diego Zoo. They also have the San Diego Safari park which is a sister park to the zoo & is located within an hour drive from the zoo, we plan on visiting that one in the future. We arrived to the park just before opening, so we were lucky to snag a parking spot up from and we were able to get our tickets quickly. The Zoo puts on a small opening ceremony where they bring out a big box full of large parrots that they raise up above all the zoo guests & open it to let all the birds fly out. It was fun to see the assortment of colored parrots. Tickets into the zoo are a bit high compared to other zoos we've explore coming in at $74 for ages 12+ and $64 for ages 3-11, however that is mainly due to the size & number of animals they have at this zoo. The San Diego Zoo is one of the twelve largest zoos in the US.

This zoo is huge! When visiting you should schedule out several hours if not most of the day to explore everything they have to offer and to really take your time seeing the animals. One of the cool things about this zoo is they have several animals that few zoos in the US have such as the polar bears & the newest inhabitents that will be on display soon are the new Panda bears that just moved in. If you would like to leave the zoo to eat lunch at your car or simply go somewhere such as back to your hotel to take a break the zoo does all you to get your hand stamped & you can come back later in the day to show your stamp + ticket to get back into the zoo. This is actually something we took advantage of as it was very humid the day we went so after seeing half the zoo we needed a break, so we went to get lunch and cool down at the hotel for a bit before heading back to check out the other half of the zoo. 

The San Diego Zoo has a few enclosures that are the biggest I've seen at a zoo, such as the Elephant enclosure and the Baboons who had massive areas to live an explore. When we were looking at the Elephants, I also noticed that they have many more enrichment toys then other zoos I've been to. Each area of the zoo is set up to reflect a theme such as the reptile walk, or Asian passage. A few of the bird aviaries are also quite large, one of them towered above you with several levels to explore - we couldn't even figure out how to get to the lowest level. I loved the number of birds, waterfalls, exotic plants and spots to sit they have throughout the bird areas. 

While on your adventure around the zoo, you'll also find plenty of areas with souvenirs and spots to grab food + drinks. They have a souvenir cup you can purchase that comes with free refills all day; you just need to show them the receipt when you get a refill. They are $15 each, however if you buy more than one you will get a discount on all of them. We thought the cups were worth it, we were able to get a few lemonades and a few times I asked for just ice so I could get water & you get to keep the cup to take home which is a bonus. The zoo itself had lots of shady spots, plenty of benches and was over all a very clean park. They also have a small splash zone where kids can play and cool off, when it isn't super-hot out there is also a play area. 

We had a great time at the San Diego Zoo, it was quite the adventure! We spent a total of around six to six and a half hours exploring the zoo. I was very happy with the photos and videos I was able to get as well, I will of course be adding quite a few of them to my nature photography accounts on Instagram & Tiktok - So if you love seeing wildlife and nature content and don't follow me yet, please head over and follow my pages. We can't wait to visit the safari park the next time we are in this area of California. 

★ This is not a sponsored post, we paid for this on our own. I enjoy sharing new places we explore with my followers.