Lindsay, Author at Laughing Lindsay

My Favorite Summer Activities

May 29, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

It’s hard to believe that yet another season is upon us. That means it’s time for my favorite summer activities post!

I’ve now shared my favorite activities for each season: fall, winter, and spring! So, it seemed appropriate to kick-off the unofficial beginning of the hottest season with a list of my favorite things to do!

Favorite Summer Activities

Read – While it’s hot outside, I like to stay in the air conditioning with a good book. In fact, I love participating in the local library’s summer reading program for a chance to win prizes! It’s something I’ve done most summers since I was a child! I think most libraries host one.
Eat berries – I love strawberries and this tends to be the best season to enjoy them. Lots of restaurants will have seasonal berry treats this time of the year and I like trying as many as I can.
Sunflower festival – This is a relatively new one for me, but I enjoy visiting a local sunflower festival in the summer. There’s actually a couple here in Virginia. They are fun to photograph. Plus, it’s nice to take the time to appreciate the beauty of each individual flower.

BBQ – Who doesn’t love some BBQ?! I’m lucky enough to have a couple of good BBQ places where I live. We eat it year round but tend to gravitate towards it the most in the warmer months as it’s not heavy.
Ice cream – It’s wonderful to cool off with an ice cream or frozen yogurt with plenty of toppings!
Stay home – Given my propensity for travel, this probably comes as a surprise. However, I’ve taken to intentionally staying home during the hottest months of the year recently. I sweat too much to go too far in the heat.
Do a puzzle – A puzzle is the perfect indoor activity.

S’mores – We bought a firepit a few years back and love to make s’mores on Saturday nights.

Summertime Fun

I know lots of people like to take vacations to the beach or camp during this time of the year. What do you like to do in the heat of the summer?

Jamestown Settlement Guide with Tips for Visiting

May 22, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Having just returned from a trip to explore Virginia’s Historic Triangle, I thought I would post a Jamestown Settlement guide.

Jamestown Settlement

For those who are unaware, the first permanent English settlement in the US was at Jamestown in 1607. The Jamestown Settlement is a living history museum featuring three re-creations from that time period. Each area has several costumed historical interpreters for visitors to interact with and learn from. This is separate from but located beside the historical fort area.

The settlement can be broken down into four areas: the indoor museum, the Paspahegh Town, the James Fort, and the Ships. This guide will take a closer look at each of these areas.

Indoor Museum/Gallery

When you first arrive at the settlement, you go inside to purchase tickets. After purchasing tickets, you can stay indoors to look at the gallery and various exhibits. We actually headed outside first and then came back to look over things at the end of our visit here since the weather was questionable. It’s a lovely and very informative museum about colonial times. However, it’s probably a bit dry or boring for younger folks. There are things for children to interact with in the museum, but it’s also a text heavy area. Additionally, they had a sign posted about limiting photos here, so I didn’t take any.

Paspahegh Town

Once you leave the building and head outdoors, you encounter the Indigenous community re-creation or Paspahegh Town. The Paspahgeh were a tribe under the Powhatan chiefdom. Here you can explore what their community may have been like. You can enter their homes and learn about their way of life. There are several costumed historical interpreters here to tell you about different aspects of their lives. We saw someone burning out a canoe and my husband got to help scratch some of the burnt wood away. So, it’s also interactive here.

The Ships

Once you leave the town, you can head down to the water to visit the ships. These ships are re-creations of the three ships to bring the first permanent English settlers to this country: Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. My husband really liked this area as he found the ships to be really interesting. We were even able to board the Susan Constant! It was neat to imagine what life would have been like on the long voyage from England to America in 1607! There were a few costumed interpreters here as well to answers questions about daily life on the ships.

James Fort

Lastly, there’s a re-creation of the James Fort itself. Once again, there were several costumed historical interpreters available to showcase life in the early 1600’s. My husband was even able to learn about some of the recreational games they played. We also learned about various surgical equipment and saw some folks fixing food. It was especially interesting to see the difference between the governor’s home and a working class person’s home. It seemed like the activities available may vary from day to day, depending on an interpreter’s schedule.

Tips for Visiting Jamestown Settlement

Eat breakfast before you arrive – We ate a lovely meal at the adorable Carrot Tree Kitchens and it fueled us for hours!
Eat lunch at the Jamestown Cafe – We took a mid-day break to eat lunch at the on-site cafe. They had lots of options and everything was fresh. The prices weren’t too terrible considering it’s a museum.

Plan to spend half to a full day here – We could have stayed all day here. We did about half a day, but could have stayed longer.
Look for special events – We were lucky enough to be visiting on Indigenous Arts Day and got to witness some fantastic dancing! We also tried frybread from the Hungry Hungry Arrow food truck!

Save on admission – We purchased Virginia resident annual passes good for here and the museum in Yorktown for the same price as a one day ticket. So, I recommend looking at all specials before buying a regular ticket.
Be open minded and ask questions – A visit here goes best if you visit with an open and curious mind.
Wear comfortable shoes and clothing – It will be a good bit of walking, so dress accordingly. Also, I recommend checking the weather before heading out.
Stay in Williamsburg – It was a short and peaceful drive over from our Colonial Williamsburg tavern room.

So, have you ever visited the Jamestown Settlement? What was your favorite part?

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Review

May 15, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Today, I’m finally highlighting the remaining moderate resort at Walt Disney World, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort!

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is a sprawling tropical paradise. Its size and moderate category designation makes it similar to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and Disney Port Orleans Riverside Resort. However, one big difference here is the addition of the Skyliner! In fact, this resort is the Skyliner hub where everyone has to get off and switch lines. So, it makes it really convenient to head to Hollywood Studios and Epcot!

This resort has a very laid back vibe. There are several sandy beach areas and vibrant hues around every corner. It’s perfect for the beach fan who is visiting a theme park.

Standard Room

I’ve had the pleasure of staying at this resort several times. My mom loves the beach, so she really enjoys the theme and landscaping here. I like the access to the Skyliner. However, we dislike how spread out the resort is. There’s an internal shuttle as well as multiple bus stops. If it wasn’t for that, we’d probably pick this resort more often.

The rooms here are pleasant enough. It’s a pretty typical moderate resort room to be honest. Nothing particularly exciting in terms of room decor. They used to have Pirates themed rooms and I was supposed to stay in one back in 2022. However, a hurricane forced me to cancel those plans. Now, they have some Little Mermaid themed rooms in that area of the resort. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, you can’t specifically book one of those rooms. I’ve heard that you can increase your chances of receiving one by booking a 5th sleeper room (standard or pool/water view) and then requesting to be near the Skyliner. I’m sure it’s a very popular request though.

Here are a few pictures of a standard room from my last stay at this resort in 2018.

Pros

Skyliner – I love taking the Skyliner for park transportation. It’s much quicker and easier than taking a bus.
Beautiful theme – who doesn’t enjoy a Caribbean theme?
Sebastian’s Bistro – I haven’t eaten at this restaurant since the pandemic, however I enjoyed a lovely solo meal here in 2019. I’d love to go back and it seems to be a good value as far as Disney dining goes (for paying out of pocket).

Relaxing – It’s quieter than a value resort and doesn’t host as many groups as Coronado does.
On-site perks – I love being able to just hop on a bus (or the Skyliner) and arrive at the parks! Also, being able to book dining 60 days out is helpful!

Cons

Spread out resort – It’s another sprawling resort. In fact, you may end up closer to Riviera Resort than to the lobby of this resort.
Multiple bus stops – If you are headed to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, or Disney Springs, then you will have to ride a bus. That means multiple bus stops here. So, allow extra time to reach your destination.
Theme may bore some – The standard rooms are pretty low-key in my experience. If you have kids, consider booking the 5th sleeper and requesting the Little Mermaid rooms. Otherwise, your Disney character loving folks might not appreciate the simplicity of this Caribbean escape.

Is Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort worth it?

As I’ve said in most of my hotel reviews, I think “value” is highly subjective. However, this is a great choice for people who want to use the Skyliner for transportation. It’s also good for beach loving folks who can’t afford Beach/Yacht Club.

Have you ever stayed here? What did you think?

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food and Wine Festival Guide

May 8, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

My husband and I just returned from a trip wherein we got to experience the Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food and Wine Festival for the first time! So, I thought I would do a little guide to help others plan their visit.

Williamsburg Food and Wine

Every spring, the theme park hosts this annual festival. It claims to be the largest spring food and wine festival in the state of Virginia! I have no idea if that’s actually true, but this year it features 18 booths with 150 samples to try! Plus, they have special entertainment around the park! So, it certainly sounds impressive to me.

Similar to the Dollywood Seasonal Events, you can save money on food and beverages by purchasing a sampler card. However, since this one includes alcohol it’s a good bit more expensive. There’s the 10 item sampler for $70 and a 15 sampler for $85. You can use it over the course of multiple trips, but only on festival offerings. Upon seeing menus and prices, we opted to simply pay out of pocket for our items. We only purchased food and non-alcohol drinks, so it didn’t make sense to pay extra for the pass. Additionally, passholders receive a discount on food and beverages that made it even cheaper to pay out of pocket.

The Food and Drinks

I will start by saying that everything we tried at the festival was good. We purchased food from two booths: South Korea and Virginia. At the South Korea booth we got the Chicken Bulgogi, Korea BBQ Pork Ribs, and Dalgona Korean Coffee. I found the chicken to have a good flavor and was juicy. The pork rib was dry. The coffee was a disappointment. It tasted like a regular iced coffee to me. There was very little foam on top. It wasn’t bad, just not much different from a simple iced coffee.

At the Virginia booth, we got the Chesapeake Style Crab Cake Slider, Bacon & Cheddar Hushpuppies, and Strawberry Lemonades. I used the free festival item coupon passholders receive for each day of the festival for the crab cake slider. While it was a great use of the coupon, I would have been disappointed if we had spent $10 on it. It was tasty but really small.

The hushpuppies were really good. The bacon and cheddar gave them a unique taste. The addition of the honey butter elevated the dish. The hushpuppies were our favorite item of the festival. The strawberry lemonade was tart and refreshing. It was a moderately warm day, so it was a much appreciated cool beverage. Although, after several sips I tired of the bitterness. My husband ended up finishing mine as he really enjoyed it.

The Entertainment

The park also brings in some local artists to perform during the festival. It makes for a nice touch to walk around and enjoy some food while listening to music. I wish there were some big names as well or perhaps more entertainers spread throughout the park. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to enjoy the entertainment as they performed only a few times a day. I wish the park would bring in more entertainment options and spread the times out.

Is the Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food and Wine Festival worth it?

I think the food and drinks at the festival are good. I think it definitely adds something to your park day. The food made our visit to the park worth the trip over from Colonial Williamsburg. I appreciated the addition of non-alcoholic beverages to several of the menus as well.

Have you ever experienced this festival?

Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria at Epcot Review

May 2, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

On my most recent visit (February 2024) to Walt Disney World, my mom and I ate at Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria at Epcot one night. So, here’s my review of that experience.

Via Napoli Ristorante

Pizza is a very common meal that most people enjoy. As such, I’ve seen lots of lists featuring the best pizza at Walt Disney World. Nearly every single one lists Via Napoli Ristorante at or near the top of the list. I’ve been meaning to try it for several years. In fact, I had a history of booking this restaurant 60 days out and then cancelling it for various reasons. However, this time I finally ate here to see if it’s the best pizza!

Technically, Via Napoli is an Italian restaurant with lots of food choices. However, everyone goes here for the pizza. At the front of the restaurant are wood-burning ovens that cook the pizzas. So, it gives the pizza a crispy crust that you don’t get at many other places. The ovens are the centerpiece of the restaurant and it’s fun to watch the pizzas being made.

Dining Plan

If you want Disney Dining Plan tips, you can check out my post on it. That being said, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this restaurant when on the dining plan as it wasn’t the best use of credit. However, it’s a place we’ve been wanting to try for a long time and we made better use of our other credits. For one table service credit, we were able to select an individual pizza, a drink, and a dessert.

The Pizza

I went with the Margherita Pizza as I wanted to try the traditional pizza here. It’s in the image above. It had a really crispy bottom, a tasty tomato sauce, perfect mozzarella, and a little bit of basil on top. It was a pretty good pizza. Personally, I don’t care for smokey or burnt things. So, the crust was a bit of a miss for me personally. The rest of it was good. I’m very fortunate to have a couple of independent Italians restaurants where I live. As such, this pizza wasn’t as good as the pizza I can get locally. If you only have chain pizza locations, then you are in for a treat!

My mom went with the Meat Lover Pizza. It featured a generous amount of pepperoni, ham, and sausage! Her pizza is the first image in my Instagram post below. My mom seemed to like her pizza. The crust was a little too hard for her and she didn’t eat the end pieces. However, she demolished the toppings.

Drinks and Desserts

Since we were on the dining plan, we also got drinks and desserts. We aren’t big alcohol drinkers, so we were tired of the alcohol by this point in the trip. I got a Shirley Temple, which was sweet and delicious! My mom got a Strawberry Acqua Fresca. It was a light yet sweet drink.

For dessert, I again went with a classic. I chose the tiramisu. It was a very light dessert with lots of mascarpone cream. The lady fingers were pretty dry though. Also, there was way too much cocoa powder on top for me. I actually blew some of it off. After that, it was a nice dessert.

My mom went with the gelato. She couldn’t decide on which flavor, so the amazing cast member was nice enough to bring her a small scoop of all three options: vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry! That was a nice touch. She enjoyed it a lot.

Is Via Napoli Ristorante worth it?

I found Via Napoli Ristorante to be a unique place where most people can find something to eat. I think the quality of the ingredients used makes its pizza some of the best on property. However, to me it’s still expensive pizza. It’s not a great use of dining credit though. Your best bang for your buck here is to order one of the bigger pizzas to split and pay cash. I think this may be a one and done experience for me, but I don’t regret it. It was a good meal that I enjoyed with my mom.

Have you ever eaten here? Is this your go-to restaurant at Epcot?