Laughing Lindsay

Travel Reviews, Giveaways, & More!

Tweetsie Railroad Guide with Tips for Visiting

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Tweetsie Railroad was the first theme park I ever visited! After 27 years, I finally returned and I’d love to offer a quick overview with tips for others considering a visit.

Tweetsie Railroad

Tweetsie Railroad

Tweetsie is a wild west themed park located in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Opened in 1957, it features historical steam locomotives and lots of fun for the whole family to enjoy. I think it’s the perfect park for a first time park goer. It’s much simpler and smaller than the parks in Orlando. There’s no pre-planning required for enjoying a day here. There’s not even a skip the line offering here!

The main draw of this park is the train ride. I was pleased to discover that the story on the train ride has been updated in recent years to reflect more modern views. As of May 2025, they appear to be working on the third stop on the train for an additional story update. So, it’s hard to say exactly what story you will witness if you visit.

Park Overview

Tweetsie doesn’t have an app. However, they do have paper maps at the park. There’s four main sections or lands at the park. You enter on Main Street, similar to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. This is where you encounter a small western town and the train depot. It’s also where you board the train ride. There are lots of fun photo opportunities here.

Next up is the Tweetsie Junction section. I highly recommend catching a show at the Tweetsie Palace and grabbing some chocolate treats at Fudge Works here. Next, you can walk over to Country Fair or ride the chair lift (or bus) up to Miners Mountain. You have to ride Mouse Mine in Miners Mountain! It’s an amazing/trippy show about mice loving cheese in a mine! Also, the deer park at the top is a fun little thing to experience as you get to see and feed (for a small price) some animals.

Shows

The park map currently lists four shows, but there’s some fine print I didn’t catch about one not starting until mid-June. So, we caught all of two shows and part of one. We watched all of Diamond Lil’s Can-Can Revue as well as the Tweetsie Magic Show at the Tweetsie Palace. The show times rotate so you can technically visit once and catch both shows. The magic show was really neat to watch.

We also watched a little bit of Hopper and Porter’s Musical Celebration at Miner’s Mountain Theater. This show is great for young children. We watched a few minutes just to see what it was about, but left when they got up and started dancing around. Ha! The Country Clogging Jamboree is also held at this theater, but the park map says it doesn’t start until mid-June. I’m sure it’s fun as I used to enjoy clogging some as a kid.

All of these shows are a great way to get out of the sun and enjoy a break. You can even get some food and sit down to eat at one of the tables at the Tweetsie Palace!

Tips

  • You can visit for more than one day with one ticket – If you enter the park after 3 PM, you can use your ticket to re-enter the park the next day at no charge! So, that’s like 1.5 days at the park for the price of one day! We didn’t do this, but it’s nice they offer it.
  • Do the chair lift early – The chair lift will shut down for high wind and storms. So, if you want to ride it, ride it early in the day. It would actually make good sense to head straight up the mountain to ride stuff before others come up there and then come back down later in the day.
  • Sit on the right-hand side of the train – If you want a good view of the show, then you need to sit on the right side of the train, facing the engine/front. That’s the side the show takes place on. However, the left side can still see the show and gets great views of the trees/nature.
  • Eat food in the Palace – The Tweetsie Palace has tables and chairs. They also sell some food there. So, it would be cool to watch a show while eating your food. We had some BBQ chicken sandwiches when we visited and were happy enough.
  • Grab some fudge or chocolates – The Fudge Works has the best food in the park. You have to try some of the fudge or other chocolate goodies here!
  • A whole pizza can be an affordable way to feed a family – Theme park food is notriously expensive. While we found the prices to be reasonable (compared to other parks), I understand that it can be pricey for people with children. You can get a whole pizza for around $30 and feed several people. So, that’s probably the most economical way to feed a family here.

Should you visit Tweetsie Railroad?

As I said above, I think Tweetsie is the perfect theme park for a first time theme park goer. It has a great assortment of rides that smaller children will enjoy. It’s also good for adults who want a relaxing park day for a change of pace. It is located in between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. So, the location may be a bit of a hinderance to some folks. It’s mostly a locals park, I think. However, it’s a quaint little park that I’m glad I was able to visit again.

Have you ever visited Tweetsie Railroad?

The Best Things in Epcot at Walt Disney World

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Continuing with my series on “the best of…”, I thought I would cover the best things in Epcot!

The best things in Epcot

The Best Things in Epcot

Having already covered the best of two other Walt Disney World parks: Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, I thought it was time to do another. Epcot is best known for its World Showcase, which highlights a variety of different countries. There’s themed buildings/facades as well as lots of food here. There’s also some cool shows and rides to experience. It’s easy to spend a whole day here.

The Best Ride

While people typically think of the food in this park, there’s also some great rides here. My family really likes Soarin’ and Test Track. Soarin’ is great for people who get motion sick easily as it’s a less challenging ride. Plus, it’s fun to fly over different locations. Test Track is currently being refurbished. However, we’ve enjoyed going fast in the car. We also liked Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure with its cute theme and trackless ride. I know the Frozen ride and Guardians of the Galaxy ride are also popular rides here.

Best Table Service Restaurant

Unlike some other parks, Epcot has a plethora of good food options. If you want a good basic sit down meal with characters, Garden Grill is great. It’s always a crowd pleaser. Adults who like to drink and/or dance, might enjoy Biergarten. If you like pizza, then Via Napoli is pretty good. I’m hoping to try the table service Japanese restaurant Teppan Edo the next time I go.

Best Quick Service Restaurant

Once again, Epcot has lots of options in this category. However, my personal favorite is Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie. It’s a bakery found in the back of the France pavilion. I love having a sandwich from here for breakfast. Although, I also enjoyed some crepes from the Crepes a Emporter stand for some quick service crepe meals. Basically, I really enjoy the food in France.

The Best Snack

Once again, there are so many food options in this park! If there’s a festival going on, it makes picking one snack even harder. However, my mom and I really enjoy picking up a bag of freshly made caramel popcorn from Karamell-Kuche in Germany. I’ve been known to travel with a large ziptop bag just to carry my popcorn back home. Another favorite in this category is the patisserie I mentioned above in France. I’ve enjoyed every single pastry we’ve gotten there.

What are the best things in Epcot?

These are my favorite things in Epcot. What are some of yours?

Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach Review

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While visiting South Carolina in April, my mom and I decided to visit Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach. So, I thought I would post a little review with some tips in case anyone is considering visiting.

Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

Years ago, my mom and I visited the aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN and enjoyed that experience. However, it was during Covid protocols still and we wanted to experience the aquarium during more normal times. So, when we visited Myrtle Beach back in April we decided to visit Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach. We ended up spending a few hours here and really liked it.

It was fun to wander around the aquarium and not know exactly what was around the corner. My favorites were the penguins and spotting a sea turtle in the Dangerous Reef! I also enjoyed watching the sloth sleep in their tree. I think that since these are live animals, you never know what you are going to see. So, it definitely makes it more interesting and increases repeatability.

Tips

  • Arrive early – We rope dropped the aquarium and had it pretty much to ourselves for the first half hour or so. It was nice to look at the penguins without a crowd.
  • Use a coupon – There are loads of coupons to be had for this place. There’s some online codes as well as physical coupons in booklets in Myrtle Beach. I highly recommend using one to save a few dollars.
  • Take your time – This aquarium had lots of benches and places to sit and take a break. My mom had a hard time getting around this trip, so the benches were perfect for us. She was able to sit and rest while I continued looking at things of interest.
  • Consider add on experiences – They have several add on options available from meeting animals to riding a boat. We didn’t participate in any of those things, but they look cool.
  • You can be snacky – We noticed a few snack carts around the aquarium selling various snacks. So, you don’t have to worry about getting hungry here. You can get a snack and continue enjoying the aquarium.
  • Consult the schedule – I love penguins, so I was tickled to be able to watch them feed the penguins during our visit. You can learn so much and see something new by watching them take care of the animals here.
  • Spend the day at Broadway at the Beach – My mom and I spent a little more time exploring Broadway at the Beach after leaving the aquarium. It has lots of stores and restaurants. Plus, there’s a carnival type area with rides. You can easily spend a day here. We also appreciated that it was close to our Courtyard Myrtle Beach Oceanfront hotel.

Should you visit Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach?

I think this is the perfect activity for animal/marine lovers. Plus, it’s a great way to spend a rainy day at the beach since it’s indoors. It can also be a great way to get out of the hot sun. Either way, I think people of all ages will enjoy visiting this location. Have you ever been?

Universal Epic Universe Tips

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It’s hard to believe but Universal Epic Universe is officially opening today! Having recently attended a preview, I thought I would share some tips to help make your trip better!

Universal Epic Universe

Universal Epic Universe

As I stated in my preview review, I spent two days at Epic while it was in technical rehearsal. So, while I assume some operational changes will occur, I think I can still provide some general tips to help your trip go smoothly. For readability purposes, I am dividing my tips out by category.

What to Bring

  • Water bottle – This park has lots of water bottle refill stations around the park! I love that, personally. So, I highly recommend bringing your own water bottle and refilling it whenever you see a station.
  • Hat and Sunscreen – Celestial Park has virtually no shade and you have to walk through it to get to the other lands. So, I highly suggest packing a hat and sunscreen. I even saw some folks carrying a UV umbrella. I wear a UV jacket whenever I’m outside.
  • Phone charger – You will be on your phone a lot here. The park map, mobile ordering, and virtual queues are all in the UO app. Between using the app and taking pictures, you will drain your phone’s battery pretty quickly. Bring a phone charger.
  • Comfortable shoes – This one is pretty standard for theme park visits. Just wanted to remind everyone. Also, please wear deodorant. I smelled several people during my last visit.

Eating

  • Have a card saved to the app – During previews, they were forcing guests to mobile order food. Having a credit/debit/Visa gift card saved to the app ahead of time saves you time and effort in the park.
  • Use the restroom and wash your hands before entering restaurants – I wish this wasn’t a tip I was giving. However, for whatever reason, the decision was made to not put restrooms inside most of the restaurants. So, if you need to go, you have to leave the restaurant. It’s best to go before entering the restaurant.
  • You might have to eat outdoors – If the indoor restaurants are busy, they might not let you sit inside without ordering food from that restaurant.

Tips for Scheduling

  • Arrive early – It’s not as hot earlier in the day. Plus, you might able to ride stuff before it goes down in the middle of the day.
  • Take your time – This is a very highly themed park. Slow down to appreciate all of the little details.
  • Take a mid-day break – I feel so much better when I get out of the heat during the hottest part of the day (sometime between 1-4 PM) by taking a break in my hotel room. I love to grab a snack from the park or hotel, head up to the room for a quick shower and nap. It’s very refreshing.

Epic Universe Tips

So, those are my tips for visiting Universal Epic Universe specifically. Did I miss anything? Also, feel free to check out my general theme park bag post for other suggestions of what to bring.

Epic Universe Preview Review

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On May 1st and 2nd, I was lucky enough to attend the Epic Universe Preview at Universal Orlando Resort! This new park officially opens on May 22nd. However, there are still two week left of previews. So, I thought I would do a little review for anyone considering going.

Epic Universe Preview

Epic Universe Preview

I don’t currently have an annual pass to UO. So, when they opened previews to hotel guests, I booked a two night stay at Stella Nova Resort (review to come later) a week in advance and headed down south! However, before I could get there, they opened the event up to the general public. So, the remainder of the days are available for anyone to visit. I paid $144 and $149 for each day. I think that’s pretty typical for the prices they are charging for this.

The Park is Gorgeous

Let’s start with the obvious: this park is simply beautiful. I love the attention to details and impeccable theming around every corner. I encourage everyone to slow down and really appreciate how great everything looks. As a theme park fan, it’s a one of a kind park with every land being so highly themed. It’s even better if you are a fan of the different IPs represented, but you don’t have to be to enjoy a visit.

Unreliable Experiences

Universal warns when you purchase a ticket and when you enter the park that it’s in technical rehearsal. As such, not everything will be running at all times. However, I don’t think that necessarily prepares you for the amount of downtime and long waits you might face in the park. At one point, every ride (minus the carousel) was a 55+ minute wait! Minecraft Madness experiences lots of downtime and delayed openings (as happened on my day). Monsters Unchained also experiences lots of downtime.

The Ministry of Magic ride is almost impossible to ride. I tried several times over the course of two days to enter the virtual queue, but never was successful. I was able to select a time once but then it failed. So, no tips for that one. Maybe just don’t count on being able to ride it.

I got lucky with the two shows. I’ve read that the Fantastic Beasts will sometimes go down in the pre-show. I’ve also heard about technical issues with Toothless in the How to Train Your Dragon show. Thankfully, I was able to watch both shows without incident on the first try! I enjoyed both shows and found them to be fun.

The Food Ordering Situation

For whatever reason, they are forcing everyone to mobile order their food. Then, you wait to have it brought to your table. Personally, I dislike mobile order because I like to use resort gift cards and/or cash to pay for things. I ended up using a Visa gift card and had only one issue.

At Toadstool Cafe I ordered spaghetti and waited 40 minutes before flagging a Team Member down to inquire about my order. They left to check on it and never came back. I waited another 20 minutes before flagging someone else down. He went to check and came back. Apparently, they were out of pasta. They offered me a burger, but I wasn’t interested. So, they offered a refund, which I was happy to take. Unfortunately, they can’t refund a gift card. I had to offer up my debit card to receive payment and that took a few days.

Another glaring issue with mobile order is the lack of indoor/shaded dining. I had to stand out in the sun to order in Isle of Berk. Then, they would prefer you ordered food to eat inside Mead Hall. I had ordered Yaknog and had to get approval to sit inside with my outside food to drink my drink.

Hopefully, they allow guests to order at a register when they officially open. Also, the indoor restaurants don’t currently have any napkins or silverware out. So, you will have to flag someone down if you don’t have any.

Sidenote: Similar to the other UOR parks, there’s only two sit down restaurants in this park (akin to Lombard’s Seafood Grille). Unfortunately, Blue Dragon isn’t open yet and I didn’t want to pay big bucks to eat at Atlantic by myself. However, I look forward to trying them in the future.

Tips for Attending Epic Universe Previews

  • Arrive early – Take advantage of Early Park Admission if you are a hotel guest. The wait times only build during the day.
  • Bring a hat and sunscreen – There’s very little shade in this park. I even saw some folks carrying umbrellas for shade and that may not be a bad idea.
  • Bring a water bottle – This park has a water bottle filler at every bathroom and beside most water fountains. It’s great for staying hydrated!
  • Pack your patience – Rides have delayed openings and go down frequently. I don’t know when things will start to work more consistently. I doubt the grand opening will fix these issues either. Just be patient.
  • Have a card attached to your account – You will be required to mobile order food. Having a card (debit, credit, or gift) attached makes it quicker and easier to order.

Should you attend a Epic Universe preview?

Personally, the ability to see a theme park before it officially opens was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don’t regret my decision to go at all. It was hot and more crowded than I expected. I rode way fewer rides than I anticipated. However, I still had a good time and have good memories from the trip.

So, have you attended this soft opening? What was your experience like?