Time was just about out for Carolinians trying to outrun Hurricane Florence. We have been watching the storm tracking and news since Sunday to determine what was best for our family and whether to evacuate or not.

Evacuation

Jeff and I had kept our eye on Hurricane Florence as it formed, grew bigger and faster and more powerful and saw how a lot of the early predictions had it coming very close to hitting us in Myrtle Beach, SC. We had stayed here two years ago when Hurricane Matthew hit and even though it was only a Category 2 it was still scary for all of us. I knew for our kids sake, we needed to get out of here. Knowing how catastrophic this storm could be, especially if it was to hit us as close as some predictions had said, we just couldn’t risk it and decided to evacuate.

We were too late deciding to get boards for our windows. Florence had the whole state in panic and I was worried that with my family’s lives in my hand that the wrong decision could cost us dearly. I remember my tear filled eyes as I looked at my husband and said “we need to evacuate.” We had to leave, but where to?

We decided to head South Wednesday morning, not really knowing where our final destination would be but anything was better than being at the beach. Jeff quickly got the car loaded, I got the kids all ready, and the dogs supplies packed, we said our good byes and backed out of the driveway. It’s kind of surreal moment…looking at your house one last time, wondering how it’ll weather the storm and what you could possibly come back home to.

Sandy Springs, Georgia

I finally received an email saying that we were being provided a room in the Hawthorn Suites By Wyndham located in Sandy Springs, GA. Sandy Springs is a modern Southern city with its own unique identity as Georgia’s sixth largest city. Bordered by Atlanta to the south and the Chattahoochee River to the north.

Two kids, two dogs and traffic from other evacuees made for a longer trip than normal. We finally arrived and believe me I’ve never been happier to walk into a hotel room in my life. Hot meals, hot water, cold AC, cold fridge and beds for all of us! We were welcomed by Hawthorn Suites and Sandy Springs, GA with the utmost southern hospitality.

Accommodations

We finally checked in and were pleasantly surprised to find out we had a Loft Style room! It had 2 bedrooms, a living area with a fireplace and kitchen! Perfect for the 4 of us and two dogs! Yes they are pet friendly also!

The room had a full kitchen with refrigerator, stovetop, microwave, and dishwasher!

There were two bathrooms, one downstairs beside the room with 2 double beds that the girls used and another one upstairs with the king bed!

We received more than we expected when we walked in to this room and were very thankful for the extra space! The set up is just like an apartment. We all loved it!

Keeping Busy

We wanted to make the most of our impromptu vacation although of course we always had our friends and families back home in the back of our mind.

When we woke up Thursday morning we went to check out the free breakfast buffet provided by the hotel, and it was delicious! After breakfast we decided to take the kids and dogs out to play at the park, we all had energy to burn!

Abernathy Greenway Park

Imagination becomes reality at the Abernathy Greenway Linear Park. Atlanta Magazine named The Playable Art Park a “Best of Atlanta 2014″ park.

The girls just loved this cool park and it was so different from anything we had seen before!

It is a new kind of playground for children of all ages, one filled with real art to play on, play with, or inspire imagination! Definitely a must see!

Lunch

After the park we all were ready for lunch. We found the most amazing restaurant that not only was pet friendly but they opened their doors to evacuees and were offering specials on food and kids even ate free!

Lucky’s Burgers and Brews provided the best service and had the most delicious food! And we loved that the dogs could sit right beside us and nobody even batted an eye! They actually welcomed them with a fresh water bowl! Definitely much-needed after their time at the park!

I can’t say enough about how kind everyone was to us! After lunch we headed back to the room for a little relaxation for the rest of the day!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Hurrication coming up soon!

*This blog post was sponsored by Visit Sandy Springs, GA but all opinions are my own.