the entrance to the caves!

This past Saturday we headed out to Indian Echo Caverns in Middletown, PA.  It's a beautiful place for people of all ages.  You can take a tour of their huge caverns, check out a small petting zoo, pan for gold and gems, and shop in their huge gift shop.

me holding my ticket

When we arrived, the first thing we did was take a tour of the caverns.  It was beautiful inside.  We had to go down a huge flight of stairs to start though.  I mean like 100 steps!!  The caverns at certain points are 100 feet under the ground!  Our guide instructed us not to touch any of the rocks or walls because the oils from our skin can make the rocks stop growing!!!

Me in the caves

The rock formations inside were beautiful!  It was a nice balmy 50 some degree temperature and it was very damp and drippy but not so much so that it ruined our time.  I actually enjoyed it.  There was even a little underwater pond! 

The guide explained what some of the formations look like, which had all the kids laughing.

Towards the end there was a little area that a man used to live in.  He lived there until he died.  She even showed us where he slept.  I was amazed that someone honestly lived in a cave.  I guess he ran away from some life problems he had and then when he didn't show up to the farm he worked at one day, they went looking for him!  He slept high up on this rock ledge, and it's a wonder he never fell off!

After the tour, which was about 45 minutes, we headed up to pan for gold and gemstones.  It was called Gem Mill Junction and basically, you purchase a bag of sand of your choice.  Some have gem stones in them, some have fossills, and some have a mix of both.  You pick up a panning box and head to the water area.  It was so fun that me and my boyfriend couldn't stop smiling and chuckling!

Honestly, I think I saved money because if I would have purchased rocks from the gift shop it would have been way more expensive.  I dumped sand in mine and began to sift and immediately saw some gem stones.

I got some really cool stones! And we even had brochures to explain to us what each stone was.  Johnny had a blast doing his as well!!

After we placed our findings in our baggies, we headed to the petting zoo because you know I can't pass up the opportunity to see an animal!  There were goats, sheep, and roosters and chickens! They were pretty lazy probably because all they do is eat.  But we did get some cool pictures.

Overall, I had a blast and for the price, it was great! There's even a playground for kids and a huge area to picnic at, which is where we ate our hotdogs after our cavern tour! If you are ever in the central PA area I highly recommend you check it out!

Alicia Klein Media Pocket Review & *Giveaway* Ends 7/31

Alicia Klein is a company that offers handbags and travel bags that are luxurious and easy to bring along when travelling or just getting around from place to place on a daily basis.  Some of us feel like we are world travelers the way we run all over town for errands or for our jobs.  Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to do that while looking fashionable and stylish still.  

One of their travel items is the Media Pocket.  It can be used for someone who is technology savvy, or for someone who just wants to keep coupons, bills, and receipts organized.  The great thing about the Media Pocket is that whatever you carry in it will be kept safe, and also away from inclement weather like pouring rain or a snow storm.  Whether it’s a camera or GPS, or just your passport and some money, the Media Pocket is roomy and easy to put inside any other bag.

I received a Media Pocket from Alicia Klein! Mine is pink, although it also comes in many other colors and designs.  I love how smooth it opens and closes.  It’s so soft and you can tell it’s made from high quality REAL leather.  Since I don’t ALWAYS bring my gigantic purse with me, I used the Media Pocket when I just wanted to bring cash, credit cards, a license, camera, and my phone with me.  Maybe it’s just into a store, or over to a friend’s house, but either way, I really loved this adorable little envelope!  It measures 7x5x1 inches, so it’s plenty big for anything you need to store in it! 

And stay tuned next month when I feature the Taxi Wallet!

One winner will receive a Media Pocket of their own!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer Bucket List: Hershey Gardens

So this weekend was a total blast!!  On Saturday, we went to Indian Echo Caverns and then decided to head on over to Hershey Gardens since we were only 10 minutes away.  It's only $11 admission a person and you get to walk all over their gardens and there's even a butterfly house.  It's so worth the money and it's a great opportunity to take pictures!

Me by the pond

Taking time to smell the flowers :)

We started off by a pond and a bunch of rose gardens.  Because the heat was so nasty lately the roses weren't as healthy and vibrant as they could be. They still were beautiful though and it smelled wonderful.

Here little piggy!

Relaxing in a lounge chair in one of the gardens

Along the way there were these watering cans that were painted by students from the Milton S. Hershey schools. They were pretty awesome!

I really loved the interactive seating and the fun displays near the kids garden.

Beautiful Koi that came up as we walked over the bridge

Messing with the statues!

This awesome old tree that a bajillion people drew on!

Then we went to the Butterfly House and it was honestly one of the coolest things ever.  You have to be super careful where you walk so you don't step on a butterfly!  There were so many and there was a guide we got to tell us what each kind was.  I took so many pictures!!

There was a rock garden and a Japanese garden that had a huge pond with Koi fish! They all came up to the top and some were so huge that I was a bit nervous!!

Then there were some statues and a big area of trees.  It was very relaxing to walk through everything, and it really helped clear my mind from the busy day. 

How funny is this. Summer Fashion Intorduced 1986 (my birth year!)

Then the annuals came, and they were vibrant and beautiful with amazing colors and beautiful displays!! 

I hope you enjoy all of my pictures!

What did you do this weekend?