Jennie Ventures takes a hike to Midnight Hole in NC and explains the ins and outs of talking to your neurodivergent child about their diagnosis.
[Editor’s Note: This is part of Cardinal & Pine’s ongoing “Neurodiversity in Nature” series, centering on a North Carolina mom and her neurodivergent family’s explorations in nature. For more, go here.]
Let’s take a hike to Midnight Hole, stop by Hot Springs Resort, and talk about what it really looks like to tell your child about their diagnosis — joined by @jennieventures.
Midnight Hole is one of my all-time favorite swimming holes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If you plan to visit, you’ll need a $5 day-use parking pass — there’s a kiosk in the lot right before the campground where you’ll start the hike.
The trail is about 3 miles out-and-back to Midnight Hole, or you can add an extra mile and check out Mouse Creek Falls too.
After the hike, we drove about an hour to Hot Springs Resort & Spa in Hot Springs, NC. You can reserve private cabanas by the hour (definitely recommend booking ahead). It’s the only natural mineral hot spring in North Carolina — naturally heated, sourced from a nearby spring, and overlooking the river.
I’m a big fan of hot springs in general, but this one? Such a good group activity and honestly worth the trip.
