Untold Story #16: Smallest Church in America

This tiny church in South Newport, Georgia is the fifth I can remember visiting off the top of my head, and I have that niggling sense that I'm forgetting one. I can't say that this one is really the smallest church in America, but it is very small, and it was a convenient stop off I-95.

I read online that the church was virtually destroyed by arson in 2015, and if I remember correctly, there still isn't much on the inside. It's a lovely little structure, though, in a lovely location.

I have a soft spot in my heart for these little sanctuaries, especially the ones that are open to weary travelers around the clock. Agnes Harper, the grocer who built this chapel in 1949 or 1950, wrote the deed in the name of Jesus Christ.

Little Kids' Vacation 2014, Pt. 8

So. Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster. It doesn't hold a candle to Storybook Land, in my opinion. It's not as well maintained and includes many elements that are 1980's, like, spaceship old (i.e., not quite old enough to be cute). It does have some vintage offerings of a Dutch flavor, but fairy-tale offerings are slim pickin's. I was disappointed to learn that the giant shoe slide was decommissioned just last year.

Walk through and push a button to watch little people inside make candy.

Clockwise from Top L: Little Red School House, Wally the Whale ('63-''67), Old 99 ('74-'02), Swan Boat ('67-'75).

Dutch Wonderland's newest addition: animatronic dinosaurs. I wasn't really into them, or at least, I don't understand why the park didn't use that money to improve its rides and shows.

Having said all that, Dutch Wonderland was the little kids' favorite. Duke's Lagoon beats Storybook Land's splash park by far, and Dutch Wonderland has more than double the rides of Storybook Land.

Chip discovered a PlasmaCar: loved it! 

And Dutch Wonderland has roving and performing characters. The girls didn't so much notice that the non-dive shows left something to be desired...because Princess Brooke! In a pink gown!

I did appreciate The Adventures of the Frog Prince (the high-dive show we watched) very much. The girls sat in the splash zone, but Jim, Chip, my camera, and I sat above all that madness. I had a hard time getting photos from where we sat (We were under cover of some sort!), but I'm still marveling that no one broke his or her neck diving into that pool. You can watch a video of the frog divers, here, with the highest dive point at 0:22 or so. (I don't think anyone dives from the highest dive point in the video, but at least you can appreciate how very high the highest dive point is!)

Frog Prince Postcard We Bought at Dutch Wonderland

Again, I wouldn't personally choose Dutch Wonderland over Storybook Land, especially given the higher cost of Dutch Wonderland. Still, it's charming in its own way, and we enjoyed our time there. We saved a little bit of money by purchasing 7-Day Advance Tickets. We also took advantage of the Preview Plan and visited the park for three hours the night before our full day.

Before I close, I'm going to stick in a few random photos from the Lancaster area, thereby blogging out the rest of this particular vacation.

Sampled shoo-fly pie, here.

Found this dog statue on the campus of Franklin & Marshall College.

Strasburg, PA: Amos (Hershey Farm Restaurant and Inn) and Barefoot Boy Eats with Pigs (Katie's Kitchen).

And last but not least: The Haines Shoe House in Hellam. This may well be my dream house. I can't say with 100% certainty (It was closed when we drove by, so I didn't get to tour the inside!), but chances are good that--any day of the week and twice on Sunday--I'd trade our log cabin for a giant shoe house.

Little Kids' Vacation 2014, Pt. 3

After a third night in Annapolis, Maryland we headed into New Jersey. We passed this guy on our way, and I asked Jim to pull over so I could take his photo.

Then...on to Storybook Land.

I'd been dreaming of a visit to Storybook Land in Egg Harbor Township for years, and I'm so happy to report: it was even better and more than I'd hoped. Jim and I couldn't get over its pristine condition. I felt all warm and fuzzy over the love being poured into the maintenance of its vintage offerings, especially.

Many of the structures include buttons one can push in order to hear relevant nursery rhymes and fairy tales. I walked into the giant shoe, for example; looked through glass (or plexiglass) at the girl and the stork-smooched baby in the photos below; and pushed a button to hear the familiar rhyme. Not all of the characters are made from the same materials as the characters below; while I didn't get a clear photo of the wolf from Red Riding Hood, it was large and furry, and it moved during the telling of the fairy tale!

Listening to Snow White, Looking in at the Witch

Sleeping Beauty's Castle...and (inside) Sleeping Beauty and Her Prince

I loved the Alice in Wonderland part of Storybook Land. It includes a cut-out and characters on one side of a cave that empties, on the other side, into a "playing card" maze. The cave itself features black-light-responsive murals and scenes: just really magical.

The Chapel of Peace endeared Storybook Land to me, too. A sign inside explains that an eighteen-year-old man built the tiny structure on his parents' property in 1885. Benediction was held there until the property was sold, at which time the chapel was moved to a cemetery where it fell into disuse before being purchased by and moved to Storybook Land.

The little kids enjoyed the rides. Storybook Land offers at least fifteen, and Chip could ride most of them.

Don't miss Chip's little face against his daddy!

I should mention that Storybook Land includes a little splash park; it isn't much, but the kids appreciated the opportunity to cool off.

I look at these images and know they speak for themselves. In all the best ways, I was overstimulated by this fifty-nine-year-old, fairy-tale park. My heart was full; I've never loved a place more. I'm so glad we made the trip, and New Jersey wasn't done blessing us, yet.