Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Hidden Outdoor Treasure in Mississippi

Nestled between Natchez and Brookhaven, MS is Homochitto National Forest. This outdoor haven is perfect for Frugal Family Travelers who enjoy camping, hiking and mountain biking! Did you know that Homochitto National Forest is one of 6 National Forests in the state of Mississippi and provides over 1.2 million acres of exploration? With that being said, our day of exploration was spent in the heart of Homochitto at the Clear Springs Recreational Area. Clear Springs is situated around a spring fed lake, which was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corp. (CCC) in the 1930's. Adjacent to the lake is a small campground (with water and electricity), pavillion, restrooms, and playground. In this area you will find several beautiful trails for both the hiking and mountain biking enthusiast. The map below outlines the trails to be explored with the pictures featuring the 1 mile loop trail directly around the lake area. Whether, camping, hiking or biking, your Frugal Family Travelers are sure to enjoy this little slice of heaven in Mississippi. It's a little bit like being in the mountains without the extensive drive to get there!

Fees/Directions:

Clear Springs Recrearional Area has an honor box and offers no reservations. Those wanting to park an RV or pop a tent should be aware that the system operates with an honor box and in a first come first serve basis. Also, there are several bathrooms, near the campground, with showers.

$20 for developed sites with water and electricity

$7 for primitive camping

$5 for day use area

Take caution when using GPS. It may lead you to the national forest itself but not directly to the Clear Springs area. Remember, the forest is huge so it is advised to route the GPS to Meadville, MS and then the follow the directions on the picture below. These will get you there safe and sound!

Disclaimer:

All content provided on Frugal Family Travelers blog is for informational purposes only. The owners of this blog make no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owners of Frugal Family Travelers blog do not share personal information with third-parties and are not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without permission. As with all travel, operating days, times, costs, etc., should be verified prior to departure.

View FrugalFamilyTraveler's photos on Trover

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Seven Pianists? Six Grand Pianos? Free?

PIANOel is an exciting FREE concert event held annually on the Northshore!

The concert features 7 professional pianists playing 6 grand pianos!

Frugal Family Travelers have attended this event for several years now and we wouldn't miss it! Hear your Christmas favorites while starting a new family tradition at PIANOel!

Sunday, November 26, 2017 - 6:00 PM

First Baptist Church of Slidell, LA

4141 Pontchartrain Drive

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Geysers in Mississippi?

Geyser Falls is a themed water park just northwest of Meridian, MS in Choctaw. Our Frugal Family Travelers enjoy visiting this park when traveling through Mississippi to the mountains. Sure we have Blue Bayou in Baton Rouge, LA and Gulf Islands in Gulfport, Ms., however, on a smaller scale, Geyser Falls reminds us of something Disney would create. When entering the park visitors pass through geysers and streams before entering the main portion of the park with the slides. Visitors will find an environment well landscaped and an amazing lazy river which traverses through concrete carved walls to resemble something one would find among the geysers in Yellowstone National Park. The park has numerous slides, a nice water area for smaller kids, a wave pool and a beautiful sandy beach attached to a chlorinated pool, complete with cabanas and bridges. This tropical area is beautiful! Although, not as large as some other water parks, the beautiful environment and friendly staff make Geyser Falls an overall great experience!

Geyser Falls often offers special discounts but you need to check before you leave home so you can bring the required items for the discount. While were were visiting, the park was offering discounted admission for any student with an "A" on on his/her report card. It was a $15 discount PER child! A discount of $5 was also offered for anyone who brought in a Pepsi product. However, this offer could not be combined with the one provided for the report card grade but the adults were able to take advantage of the Pepsi discount. These offers made the trip very reasonable for our Frugal Family Travelers.

Cost:

Check the prices and current offers on the web-site. Call to find out what incentives and discounts are being offered by checking the pricing link. Perhaps they are offering something similar to what was mentioned above. Carefully read the disclaimer on the discount as the discounts we utilized were not available on Saturdays.

Directions: (Click below for Google Map)

Geyser Falls Water Theme Park

209 Black Jack Rd

Choctaw, MS 39350

Disclaimer:

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Travelin' the Trace to Tishomingo

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a designated National Park and rightfully so. Spanning 444 miles through 3 states and encompassing 10,000 years of history, the Natchez Trace Parkway is a treasure trove for those who love nature, history and have a hunger for exploration! Along our journey to the beautiful Tishomingo State Park (located in the northeastern quadrant of Mississippi), our Frugal Family Travelers stopped at several locations on the northern end of the Mississippi section of the Natchez Trace Parkway. The pictures and discriptions below will provide you with options for places to visit in this area, should you choose to add any of these areas to your bucket list.

As mentioned earlier, Tishomingo State Park was the main travel target on our journey and it did not disappoint. Being that it was only 5 hours from New Orleans, this park was the perfect "get-away" for our Frugal Family Travelers. With canoeing, hiking and history wrapped up in a mountain setting, Tishomingo gave us the feeling we were nestled in the mountains when we were actually in the foothills of the Great Smokies. We enjoyed our stay in one of the rustic cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) and spent our evening there grilling and making smores! By day we explored a trail leading over a swinging bridge (also built by the CCC) and hiked yet another to a pioneer cabin. The highlight of our experience here was a 6.25 mile canoeing trip on Bear Creek. With cypress tree littering nearly every inch of its banks, Bear Creek literally looks like something out of a movie. The patches of white water kept the trip exciting but were not overwhelming for our younger paddlers! We loved our entire visit here and highly reccommend this park!

Outside of rustic cabin. Approximate price is $60 per night.

Swinging Bridge

A view of Bear Creek!

Indian Trail Tree encountered while hiking.

Trail to pioneer cabin.

Scenes while canoeing on Bear Creek. There is a $30 canoe rental fee. Make a reservation with the park office (662-438-6914). Younger paddlers 7 and under may ride in the center of the canoe. Lifejackets and paddles are provided along with transportation to the beginning of the float trip.

The following are scenes from the Northern Mississippi portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway and the towns surrounding the parkway.

Elvis' birthplace in Tupelo, MS: We stopped a viewed everything from the outside however there is a museum and tour of the home offered for a fee.

Cave Spring is a stop right off the Natchez Trace Parkway very close to Tishomingo State Park.

Indian Mounds off Natchez Trace Parkway

(Click here for Google Map)

We viewed a great movie regarding the history of the trace and also saw an exhibit at the Parkway Visitor's Center, milepost 266, Tupelo, MS

Disclaimer:

Monday, July 13, 2015

White Water Tubing!!

Our Frugal Family Travelers love the water! In fact, any chance we get to be in the water, on one of our adventures, we take advantage of the opportunity! On a recent visit to Tennesse we discovered River Rat Tubing, which is located in Townsend. Townsend is adjacent to the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas and is just a short driving distance. River Rat is a family owned and operated business which offers the best tubing experience in the area, including mild or wild tubing trips on the Little River! Being that our Frugal Family Travelers are younger, we chose the mild trip! Our float trip did not disappoint and was very adventurous! The mild trip begins right at the main outpost in Townsend with transportation provided back at the end of the trip! Check it out if you are in the area. You won't be sorry ou did!! Enough said......the pictures below are worth a thousand words!!

Cost:

$15.00 per adult, $12.00 for children 6-12. Children five and under are FREE! Rates include free transportation, life jackets and ALL DAY tubing fun on either or BOTH the upper and lower Little River.

Tips:

Pack sunscreen, a small net to carry a bottle or two of water or sunscreen on the water

Directions: (click below to open Google Maps)