This article is meant to inform fiancés of United States Military Academy at West Point cadets before post night, as well as be used as a resource for couples that are looking at post options before PCSing.
The demographic information has been compiled through a brief ethnographic survey and is solely meant to provide individual accounts of experiences, not judgements of units or posts as a whole.
Fort Lewis/Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
I have heard many people describe it as high tempo, but that hasn't been our experience. Units here (especially infantry) tend to be in the field a LOT, but one year in and we've had a single one-month training, plus a few 3-10 day trainings. NTC rotations are super common. No deployments in the foreseeable future for us, but that's mostly due to the fact that there's currently no action in the region their unit is focused on.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
I work remotely in marketing, but I think job prospects are pretty good here compared to many posts. You're close to Olympia (the capital), Tacoma (the 3rd biggest city in the state), and a huge number of smaller cities in between. It's not unheard of to work in Seattle (which obviously has fantastic job opportunities), but you'd have to live north of post and be prepared for a 2-hour commute each direction due to the traffic.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
Tons of housing options in the surrounding area (in all directions, really), but housing is notoriously pricey and goes super fast. As of now (2019) I'd highly recommend buying because real estate is a hot commodity and mortgages are in line with rent costs anyway.
Towns I'd recommend:
- Lacey
- Olympia
- Yelm (more rural)
- DuPont (closest to post)
- Steilacoom
- University Place.
C R I M E R A T E
Day to day I feel mostly safe. We live in Yelm and I go for walks and hikes with no major concerns. Lakewood and Tacoma definitely have areas I would not choose to live due to crime. Most of what I hear here in Yelm is people's mail getting stolen or stuff taken out of sheds and stuff. I'm more on edge than I was in the small-town Midwest, but I feel mostly safe.
G A T E T R A F F I C
My husband works on North Fort and we really only use the Liberty Gate and North Fort Gate. Excluding interstate traffic, at PT time, it's maybe a 15 minute wait at worst, usually less than 3 minutes. From Yelm/Roy, you can also take the East Gate to avoid I-5 completely which is great when traffic is crazy.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
- Trappers Sushi (all you can eat!)
- Duke's
- Gather Gastropub
- Masonry Cafe (takeout)
- Jenny's Barnhouse (breakfast)
- Topside/Topside Coffee Cabin
- Moonrise Cafe (breakfast/brunch)
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
Tacoma has a lot of fun bars & breweries (7 Seas is so fun!) and Olympia has some bars with more character/ambiance. Seattle obviously has more clubby spots.
F A V O R I T E A C T I V I T I E S
Hiking, kayaking, skiing, literally anything outdoorsy is within a short drive. Lots of fun day trips, festivals, farmer's markets, etc. We just like exploring the area honestly!
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
Mt. Rainier, Seattle, Portland, Mt. Saint Helens, Leavenworth, Lake Chelan, Olympic National Park, Vashon Island, anywhere in the Cascades, the Tulip Festival in Skagit
A C C E S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
Easy! SeaTac Airport is about an hour away normally, maybe 2 hours at rush hour. Plus you're so close to so many other easy trips. Vancouver and Victoria Canada are only a ferry ride from Seattle!
Fort Stewart, GA
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
Because of my husbands specific unit (92nd Engineer Battalion (20th Engineer Brigade) , he hasn’t had to go NTC at all and did one rotation with JRTC in 3 years. My husbands unit is also doing a 9 month deployment right now but it’s their first one in a long time. I have friends though that are a part of 3ID (3rd Infantry Division) and they have been to NTC 3 times and have done a 6 month rotation in Germany and a 9 month rotation in Korea in that exact same time frame.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
Somewhat difficult. It's easy to get a job in healthcare, but other than that, most people commute into Savannah (pretty far with traffic).
D E P L O Y M E N T | F R G E X P E R I E N C E
My husband’s unit is deployed currently to Kuwait for 9 months and he is a part of the rear detachment. Some of the FRGs in the battalion have been great while others are radio silent.
G A T E T R A F F I C
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
We have lived on post our entire time here and have had an amazing experience. We live in an awesome neighborhood and the neighbors are great. My husband’s commute is short which is great for PL time and Company Command.
An awesome Savannah blogger "Yankee in the South" notes:
Richmond Hill is one of the more popular areas to live near Fort Stewart due to the excellent school system. All schools in Richmond Hill earn a 9 out of 10 on Great Schools. Many retirees call this small town home. It’s also one of the fastest growing cities in Georgia due to its popularity with not only the military at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, but corporations headquartered in Savannah such as Gulf Stream.
There are all levels of homes available in Richmond Hill, from apartments and luxury condominiums to 7-figure estates, although the cost of living is higher than in other cities near Fort Stewart. While Richmond Hill technically borders the northeastern boundary of Fort Stewart, it will take you 25-45 minutes to get to the main post depending on where in town you live. Traffic is not an issue, however as all routes from Richmond Hill to Fort Stewart are backroads and do not get congested.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
On Post is pretty safe. Richmond Hill and Midway are safe. Avoid Hinesville.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
Chick-Fil-A, Longhorn Steakhouse, Chili’s (all local to hinesville). There’s also a Melting Pot in Savannah along with tons of other great local places.
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
Tanger Outlets
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
- Hilton Head Island
- Tybee Island
- Jacksonville
- St. Simon’s Island
- Savannah
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
We stayed at the La Quinta in Hinesville and it was incredibly affordable and very nice.
FORT BENNING, GA - IBOLC, RANGER SCHOOL, Maneuvers CCC
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
I thought it was a joke about people “snow birding” down here. It’s not. At least, not for my husband. He’s nondeployable, he works basically half days unless he’s with a class. When he is with a class, he works maybe 3 - 24 hour days a week. He’s always home and I love it.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
At first, it was a struggle. Most of the people in the area know that you will not be here for long. But there did seem to be a lot of opportunities in retail and entry level positions. I was interested in working as a sales manager first and it did not go well. The culture here was very catty. I decided to go back to working in higher ed and went to work for one of the universities in the area. This has been an INCREDIBLE opportunity. If you are interested in higher ed or continuing your own education this is the place to be. In addition, Aflac, Synovus, and TYSY are all based here and have a TON of job opportunities. I would say that if you apply right away and you have an open mind you can find work here. It is not as remote as other posts. It is also such a transient base a lot of jobs become available because of people moving. If you are considering coming here for IBOLC but are worried about work I would take the risk. Chances are you will be able to find a great job for the year that you are here and you get to be with your partner.
I taught full time at our previous post, but because we moved in October, I decided to finish the school year as a sub here. They are in desperate need of subs on post.
There were lots of jobs in nursing available in the Columbus area. I found a job fast and they were understanding of our time line.
G A T E T R A F F I C
The worst traffic for the PT and morning commute onto post form off-post housing is usually from the Interstate 185 gate
Eddy Bridge Access leading to Lawson Army Airfield is usuall if there is a convoy returning around 9am
I will say most of the time I get through within 10 min. But there have been times that were awful and now we have to account for that regularly.
S C H O O L E X P E R I E N C E
The in home day care is super cheap and really good! The wait though is really long so when you first find out start doing research/applying.
Our daughter went to Lloyd Elementary on post and the teachers were wonderful.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
On-post housing is ok, some people feel you want to avoid the Villages at Benning.
Lived in Fort Mitchell, AL far away from shopping centers
We lived in the cutest two story stand alone in Custer Village. There was a huge park with soccer and basketball available.
If you can visit Columbus before you have to commit to a place do it. There are some hidden treasures here. There are also some nice and new complexes that are very buggy and have bachelor vibes. I would recommend looking at The Preserve off of exit 10 and The Historic District Downtown. We live in Heritage Place Apartments and it is wonderful for a couple. If you have kids it may be too small. The houses in the historic district are all really nice as well. They are also building new lofts and apartments on the river in downtown Columbus and they will be beautiful and a great place to check out.
We decided to live on post, because the only neighborhoods we were interested in were going to leave my husband with a super long commute out to Camp Darby. Even living on post, his commute is about 30 minutes each way.
The housing office here is notoriously awful. One day they tell you they’ll have a house for you when you get here, and then next day they’re telling you it’ll be an 8 week wait. I can’t complain too much though because we ended up in O3-O5 housing even though we were O2 at the time. That’s not the case for everyone though, and I know several people in my husband’s year group who are less than thrilled with the neighborhoods they were assigned to.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
Columbus is a lot nicer than it gets credit for. North Columbus is super safe and nice. There are parts, like victory drive that have a bad reputation. I would stick to areas where other military spouses live.
There are some SUPER sketchy areas!! I’ve heard a lot of people say not to go below exit 6.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
- JRs steakhouse, Fort Mitchell
- Plucked up - Breakfast - southern comfort food
- Barbeque House
- Gus's - looks like the most sketchy place you've ever been, but the best burger you'll ever have
- Macon BBQ
- Ruth Anne's - breakfast
- Country's
- Smoke
- 11th & Bay
- Epic
- Minnies
- The Black Cow
- Simple Greek
- The Loft
- All of the chains like Olive Garden. There is an abundance of great places to eat!
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
- Most places in uptown
- The Cannon Brew house
- Nonic - beers on tap
- Epic - date night
- 18th Amendment is cool though.
- Scuffie Murphys
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
- Rafting and kayaking on the chatahoochee
- Georgia aquarium
- National Infantry Museum
- River Walk Trail
- Walking around the riverwalk, shopping in Norther Columbus, Hanging out downtown- theres an awesome farmers market on Saturdays.
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
- The Gulf
- PCB
- AT - Appalachian Trail
- Atlanta; Auburn; Helen; Savannah (4 hours away)
- The MWR is wonderful and is always offering fun things. Fort Benning also runs an Army Recreation Area in Destin, Fl that is on the bay. It is beautiful and super affordable! Destin Army Recreation Area
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
So the best airport is ATL and then theres a shuttle: Groome, that is the best way to travel. The visitors center is pretty friendly. I would say it is fairly easy just expect about a 2 hour trip after your flight. There are a lot of interstates and if you are in the South it is VERY accessible.
When you first get there, don't stay at the Woodspring Suites//Anything on Victory Drive. Do yourself a favor. Stay at the IHG or somewhere in North Columbus or at the Marriot downtown.
A D D I T I O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N :
Fort Benning is an awesome place. Georgia/AL border is close to so many fun things to do. We traveled so much while here. Almost every weekend there was a new place to explore. Youre so close to FL, TN, AL, MS and SC. On top of that, Georgia has so many incredible places to visit. Go in with an open mind and find people that you want to hang out with. If you love fort benning it will love you back. The post has so much going on and Columbus is the second biggest city in GA so it also has plenty to do.
I’ve found it to be a little more challenging to make friends here. Everyone here is either here for a school, or they are with Ranger Reg or the SFAB. We are neither of those. My husband has a lot fewer peers/coworkers at this job, and most of our neighborhood is significantly older than us and has school-aged kids while we do not. It’s just been harder to find our “people” but everyone is super nice.
Hunter Army Airfield - Savannah, GA
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
They go to JRTC for a month once a year and deploy every other year. (3ID)
J O B P R O S P E C T S
It is difficult to get a high paying job in the business sector here. However, it seems that jobs in health, teaching, and the arts are plentiful.
G A T E T R A F F I C
All gates at Hunter are very easy to enter and exit at any time of day with less than a 2 minute wait.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
If you are stationed at HAAF then the best place to live is downtown Savannah, GA. As a general rule of thumb, you want to stay North of Park Ave, East of MLK, and West of Broad Street. The closer you get to the river or Forsyth Park, the better part of town you are in.
D E P L O Y M E N T E X P E R I E N C E
Yes. Deployment was 9 months to Afghanistan, but my husband only had to go for 5 months. I wasn't involved with the FRG at the time, so I didn't experience any support.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
Like any other metropolitan area, downtown Savannah has some crime. However, if you are smart and lock your car and don't walk around alone at night, you will be safe. I also recommend getting a house alarm.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
- Blowin' Smoke
- Sorry Charlie's
- The Old Pink House
- Vic's On The River, the list goes on and on!
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
- Congress Street Social Club
- The Perregrin Rooftop Bar
- McDonough's
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
Walking around Forsyth Park and downtown Savannah, visiting Tybee Island beach, and hiking local trails
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
Tybee Island, Wormsloe Historic Site, Jekyll Island
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
Very easy to drive to Charleston, Atlanta, the Carolinas, and Florida in a few hours. The Savannah airport is on the smaller side, but you can still find flights for under $300 to most destinations.
Most hotels and AirBNBs in downtown Savannah are great!
WIESBADEN, GERMANY
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
My husband flies c12s and there is no set schedule. He will get put on a flight an hour beforehand. Missions are very last minute and he is gone anywhere from an afternoon to three weeks (as a 1LT). Very understaffed so for example, our first month here my husband was already filling in for the company commander and briefing a colonel. Whereas he is supposed to be a Platoon Leader.
The FRG here is pretty non-existent. No one desires to partake/run it.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
Very difficult. If you want to make more than minimum wage, babysitting and dog sitting is common (if you don't have a degree).
As far as my friends that do have degrees, the ones that have found work are either teachers/medical field.
G A T E T R A F F I C
Any of the traffic during 8 am to head onto post is so bad. The roads are small and there are only a few main roads to get there. There are also a lot of closed off gates so you have to get onto different parts of the posts in a very roundabout way.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
If you are married, as of right now you MUST live on post. The apartments off post vary, and only single people can live off post for liability purposes. I have heard complaints for those living off post about landlords taking advantage/taking their time for repairs and waiting months to have wifi installed.
Small, but we are happy with our apartment. Rarely do we hear neighbors and the few repairs we have needed were fixed very quickly. The biggest complaint is people not cleaning up their pet waste. You can't walk through grass without seeing at least 1 pile. Also the public places don't get cleaned. Our tennis court is covered in mold and filth.
I don't have children. However they are building a new school and the highschool looks beautiful.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
Safe. We walk downtown from our apartment often and we have never felt unsafe. However on post there is an issue currently with teenagers hiding drugs/alcohol in the public places such as pavilions.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
Any German pub!
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
Scotch&Soda
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
Hiking, running through the farm paths (they are concrete!), Going over to Rudesheim and riding the gondola over the vineyards, playing tennis right in our backyard, all the festivals!
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
Eltz castle, Rudesheim, the suspension bridge
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
Pretty easy. We are only 30 min from Frankfurt airport.
The hotel on post is almost always booked up. We stayed at the Dorint off post and LOVED it.
A D D I T I O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N :
Just that community wise, this place feels very isolating. No one really socializes. However if you want to be here for traveling it's perfect! We have already been to Venice and Croatia. We booked a trip to Venice for only $600 total. So that's very nice.
Fort Riley - Kansas
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
Extremely fast optempo. They spend weeks at a time in the field and deploy to rotations in Poland and Korea with very little downtime in between. Dwell time is relatively nonexistent.
My spouse left for a Poland rotation for nine months. The FRG was relatively supportive but I had to reach out to them. My spouse was staff so it was more difficult to be involved in FRG. The FRG was pretty non existent. I was never contacted when we moved there. I know that there was one but whoever was in charge of it was not good at reaching out and connecting with spouses.
During the year we were at Ft Riley, my husband went on one 30 day field problem to NTC. His unit also went to Europe for a 9 month rotation. They rotate every 9 months for deployments depending on your unit.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
As an educator it was fairly easy to find a job in Geary county or Manhatttan/Riley county.
It all depends on what you’re looking for. I’m a dental assistant and I got a job about a month after moving. There is Kansas State University in Manhattan so a lot of entry level jobs are taken by students during the school year.
G A T E T R A F F I C
All of the gates are fairly quick as long as it is not peak pt/ arrival/ departure time. The best gate we have found is Estes gate off of highway 77.
There are 4 gates. I haven’t had more than a 5 minute wait to get on post during the day. My husband also said the gate traffic in the morning isn’t bad either.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
Patriot Point in Junction city and hunters ridge- I would highly recommend both. We have lived at patriot point for two years now. We like living in junction because it is both quieter and cheaper.
So Manhattan, which is about 20 minutes from post has nice houses. The west side is nicer than the east side. The east side has a lot of student housing. We lived in a townhome and never had an issue with it. The rental companies have no problem renting to military. But because they know BAH, renting is very expensive.
S C H O O L S Y S T E M S
I recommend the on post schools or Manhattan school district for children who are school aged. I work in Geary county and the on post school options are great but as a teacher I know that there are many schools in junction that are struggling.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
I would not recommend living on a numbered street inside junction city, but otherwise very safe. We have not experienced any issues at all.
We have always felt safe. The west side has nicer homes and is in a nice part of town. I haven’t heard of any crime. There are coyotes in some neighborhoods, so you do need to be more careful being out at night.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
- Keltic Star (pub and celtic food)
- Blue Moose (nicer and american/mixed food)
- Coco Bolos (for Brunch)
We enjoy trying different beer so The Taphouse is really good. Old Chicago, and AJs pizzeria.
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
Aggieville if you like to drink and party, the bowling alley on post is by far the most fun for friends/dates (has mini golf, batting cages, bags, and bowling as well as decent food at a good price)
Being near a college town, there are a lot of sports bars. Due to that, we didn’t go out a lot.
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
Bowling, mini golf, hiking the konza prairie, local town events/fairs
Golfing, hiking and if you’re into hunting or fishing, there are places to go for that.
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
Oz museum, Topeka, Kansas City
Kansas City is only 2 hours away and that is the big city. Professional sports, concerts, museums, big city life.
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
There is an airport twenty minutes from post if you're willing to pay a bit more, and MCI in Kansas City has a lot of good flight options. Not the easiest post but by far not the hardest.
Very easy to get to post. There is a regional airport in Manhattan that is close to post or if they fly into Kansas City, it’s a 2 hour drive to post.
G O O D T O K N O W
There is a lot to like here if you find good friends and have an open mind to finding fun things to do, but the optempo is rough. Kansas itself is beautiful. The weather is also very diverse. Windchill can drop to negatives in the winter and summers can break triple digits.
Due to the flint hills surrounding Manhattan and Ft. Riley, tornadoes go around the post. Winter is really cold and summer is hot and humid.
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS - HAWAII
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
OPTEMPO is definitely slower (8th MP Brigade). There are opportunities for LTs to do broadening assignments for short periods of time, but they’re usually less than a month and on a volunteer basis. There’s a 3 week training exercise on the big island once a year, and a week or two long field training exercise maybe every 3 months. They get a 4 day weekend every month, and deployments are rare.
OPTEMPO was pretty slow. There was usually one big training event a year (Lightning Forge, usually in the fall) followed by a JRTC rotation in the early spring. There was some field time in between, some of which were on a different island with limited communication.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
Very easy to find a job. Most jobs are downtown, but it is possible to find them in less crowded areas. Utilize temp agencies!
I worked in retail while on island and it was pretty easy to find a job. I was also offered a job with a resort on island but didn’t take it because of a strict scheduling system. Most job are in Honolulu, with up to an hour commute.
G A T E T R A F F I C
As a whole, gate traffic is not bad at all. Lyman gate can be congested leaving post at the end of the day.
In the mornings, it could take up to 30 minutes to get through the gates depending on when you leave.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
We love living on post! We get the most for our money here. A big backyard (for Hawaii), enough space to park, room for two dogs, detached garage, 3beds 2.5baths, around 1700 sq ft. Porter neighborhood is quiet and within walking distance to PX/commissary.
We lived on post, but heard people had great experiences living in Wailua, Mililani, Ewa Beach, and Kapolei.
On-post housing was ok. The cool thing about Hawaii is that you can live on any of the military installations. We lived on Helemano Military Reservation close to North Shore and had friends on Pearl Harbor. So there’s a ton of options. Though there’s not a lot of newer houses, and most places don’t have central air conditioning. .
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
Theft is big in Hawaii in general, but we haven’t had issues. Just be sure to always lock vehicles and make sure valuables are out of sight.
Pretty safe. There were small incidents (kids stealing stuff out of carports) and only one scary incident in our neighborhood the whole time we lived there.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
- Teddy’s Bigger Burgers
- Rajanee Thai
- Maui Mike’s
- Maui Brewing
- Haleiwa Beach House
- Haleiwa Joe’s
- Duke’s Waikiki
- Buzz’s Steakhouse
- Drive Thru Joe’s
- Koa Pancakes
- Kono’s
- Monkeypod
- Roy’s
- Cholo’s
- Elephant Shack
- Scratch Kitchen
- Teddy’s Bigger Burger.
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
Anywhere in Waikiki.
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
Hiking, Swimming, Snorkeling, Scuba, Camping, Whale-watching, Boating, Kayaking, Paddle-boarding, Surfing
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
The island is very diverse and great for day trips across the island, but I would plan to stay on the other islands at least overnight since you have to pay for a flight.
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
Very far from family and flights are expensive, but everyone wants to come visit Hawaii!
Schofield Inn is basic but on post. Hale Koa is the nice military hotel in Waikiki. Take the Hale Koa if you can
Schofield Inn isn’t great. The airport hotels allow pets and are reasonably better. If you don’t have pets, try to stay in Waikiki. The commute to post is long but the hotels are nicer.
This has been the opportunity of a lifetime. Get out and explore, especially the other islands if you can. Embrace the culture here, but never be afraid to share your own. We’ve learned so much in our short time here and seen so much- volcanoes, canyons, waterfalls, mountains, beautiful beaches...The only downsides are the traffic and the distance from family. But we are so glad we came here.
F O R T H U A C H U C A
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
- A lot of Fort Huachuca is TRADOC so no deployments.
- No deployment experienced. There for CCC. Most of Huachuca is known to have a very slow deployment schedule.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
- It’s a small post and small town so it is harder to find a job. I am in social work, so it did not take me very long. I’ve heard teachers and nurses can usually find a job quickly. I would highly recommend looking on post for jobs.
- Not a very good job market. Unless you work in healthcare or homeland security. However, Tucson is about a 45 minute drive away with a much better job market.
G A T E T R A F F I C
- There are only two gates so gate traffic can get bad.
- Some gates take 30 minutes to get through if you commute from off-post housing, others are easy breezy :) There are three gates but at night only one is open (Main Gate). It is such a small post though it doesn't take long to get on base at all. During the day East and West Gate are also options, but check current gate open times as they change regularly.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
- The BAH is low, which makes it hard to find a nice house off post. There are a lot of good areas. I would recommend avoiding the Fry area (north side of Sierra Vista in between Fry Blvd, Lenzer Ave, HYWY 90 and Buffalo Soldier Trail). Other than that, there are a lot of great areas, especially near the mall. For apartments: stay near the mall.
- Fort Huachuca has the best on-post housing I have seen. I highly recommend living on post, if possible. There is a waiting list so you need to apply for housing as soon as you get your orders.
- We lived on post and really enjoyed it! The base is smaller but the homes are very nice and kept up to date. Many of the off-post communities that come up in online searches are retirement communities so be careful of this!
S C H O O L E X P E R I E N C E
- Town and Country and Carmichael Elementary Schools receive enthusiastically positive reviews from parents. Tombstone High School also gets high marks. There are four Charter schools and three private religious schools in Sierra Vista for another option.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
- It’s a relatively safe area. There is one “bad” area that is referred to as Fry Town, but it’s mostly due to drug use.
On post schools are the best. Off post I have heard Leman Academy (charter school) and Huachuca Mountain Elementary schools are the best. I do not know about middle schools. There is only one High School in Sierra Vista but you can send your child to the high schools in Bisbee and Tombstone.
- Although you are on the US/Mexico border, we never felt unsafe. I have been told to not hike near the border but other than that, the crime rate was low.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
- Rodolphos
- Pizzaria Mimosa
- There are a lot of chain restaurants in Sierra Vista.
- Santiagos in Bisbee
- Screaming Banshee Pizza in Bisbee,
- Bisbee Breakfast Club
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
- There are not a lot of bars here. International Keryoke is fun.
- There is a brewery in Bisbee that is fun but there isn't much nightlife
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
- Outdoor activities: hiking, trail runnning, mountain biking and horse back riding are huge here.
- The Farmer’s Market on Thursdays is a great place to walk, shop and chat.
- Hiking, Kayaking, Golfing, and exploring museums
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
- Bisbee (cute small town, great restaurants and night life)
- Tombstone (small western town- movie was filmed there)
- Sonoita (wineries)
- Tucson
- Tubac
- Chiricahua Mountains
- Seven Falls Hike
- Mt Lemmon
- Saguaro Natl. Park.
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
The closest airport is Tucson- about an hour and fifteen minute away. Everyone has to get a visitors pass to get on post.
The on post hotel is nice. Off post I would recommend the hotels by the mall.
A D D I T I O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N
Best OBGYN- Dessert Bloom or Southern Arizona Midwives. If you are high risk or don’t want a midwife, you will have to go to Tucson. The post doctors are super short staffed and it is hard to get an appointment.
If you have to go to the ER, go to Copper Queen in Bisbee. The ER in Sierra Vista always has a long wait.
Hair: Hairworks or Barnett salon.
Nails: Vista Spa or Angel Nails.
Eye brow waxing: Barnett Salon.
FORT WAINWRIGHT, ALASKA
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
The op tempo is fast. Lots of training is crammed into the months of April-September but this brigade is just now deploying in August 2019, the first time since 2012.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
The job market is really terrible here unless you’re in healthcare or a teacher. It took me 18 month to find a job in my career field, environmental work.
G A T E T R A F F I C
Basically non-existent
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
Off post housing reflects BAH. Rentals that are nice with 3 bedrooms are about $2000+ per month. Living in the hills provides the nicest neighborhoods along with temps that are usually 10-15 degrees warmer.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
I’ve only felt threatened once while at Walmart, but I avoid areas like South Cushman where many drunk and homeless wander. Crime stats are inflated for Alaska because of native villages.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
Chena Pump House
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
Nightlife doesn’t really exist but the Taphouse is fun to get together for drinks, HooDoo Brewery is where everyone goes, and we love to watch major sporting events at the Blue Loon.
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
Cross country skiing, hiking, boating, hunting, fishing, and horseback riding. If you don’t do outdoor activities, there isn’t much to do here.
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
Denali National Park (May-August), Chena Hot Springs, the Arctic Circle.
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
Travel is easy enough but it is expensive. Alaska airlines is the best for fares and service but prices are terrible around major holidays.
I’ve heard good things from folks about Pike’s Landing, the best western, and the west mark.
FORT POLK, LOUISIANA
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
Fort Polk is a fast paced post and a rapid deployment post as well. Up until now, the tempo has increased and he is constantly out in the field. He has an upcoming JRTC rotation where he will be out for a month.
I have not experienced a deployment. The FRG is very relaxed but definitely a great knowledge of information. Our SCO has meetings quarterly with everyone, which is super helpful and keeps everyone accounted for.
I personally do not have children but the school systems are struggling here. (I’m in the schools for my job.) Louisiana is ranked 49 out of 50 for school systems. There is a school on post for younger children that does really well. The schools outside of post are okay.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
I have my degree in Social Work and took about 6 weeks to get the position I’m in now. The job market is very low and it’s better to get something on post or a babysitting with the transition.
G A T E T R A F F I C
From where we live, it takes 5-8 minutes to get to the main post. It gets busy during PT hours but there are about 6 gates throughout the post to get it through.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
We live in Sycamore Point and have been loving it. There’s another apartment complex- Timber Ridge and they are right on the main road to the main entrance of post. There are rental properties as well in Leesville/New Llano and some live out in Alexandria or DeRidder.
Have not lived on post but have seen the homes. Corbin’s is struggling down here and continues to have problems.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
Very safe area! I’ve never felt unsafe being by myself when my boyfriend is gone.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
We love Cecil’s in DeRidder, Mexico Lindo, BJ’s Diner, Samsburger, Fatboy Skinny’s, a new one opened called Orleans.
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
Daiquiri Station is our spot!
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
We take our dog on trail walks on and off post! There’s not much to do but it allows us to spend time together
Alexandria and Lake Charles
Gallery One Eleven
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
We live about an hour from a small airport Alexandria and a little pricey but Houston is about 3 hours for a bigger airport. We are willing to spend the extra money to fly out of Alexandria versus Houston
There’s a Hilton and Hampton Inn in New Llano
Fort Polk isn’t as bad as everyone says it is. We have made some of the best of friends that we spend our weekends with and find other things to do. We plan out as well to have things to look forward each month and keeping ourselves busy! Who ever want to speak with us about Fort Polk we are open to it.
F O R T H O O D
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
NTC January 2016 & October 2016, Deployed in March 2017 to Middle East regions/Returned November 2017, field training for at least a week almost monthly in 2018, 4 weeks of broken up field training in September 2018, NTC January 2019, scheduled deployment to Korea Summer 2019.
During our 9 month deployment, we had a very supportive officer wives group while I was here under the Battalion commander we had, we met once a month to re-connect over wine or other fun activities.
Fort Hood is massive and the tempo completely depends on the brigade/unit that the soldier is in. In general I’ve seen when the soldiers aren’t in training, they have a lot of down time here. There’s a lot of different rotations at Hood happening now. All the units seem to be taking turns going to NTC. If you come here expect that your husband will be sent somewhere within a year of arrival, but while you’re in Texas the 2LT job is very slow paced and they don’t have too much training in the off season.
For the Korea deployments, I’ve been told they are allowed to apply for accompanied and bring wives with them. There are definitely supportive FRGs. I am not very involved but they reached out during NTC.
Belton is 20 mins from Hood and has great schools in their district. Baylor University is one hour away so a good option for spouses who may not want to be doing online education.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
My field and degree are in museum curation. Anything museum related would have to be found outside of Ft. Hood. There were very small positions available locally that paid minimally, so I resorted to finding a remote job for a research company based out of San Francisco
Very easy to find opportunity here. I’m in the health field and there’s a huge hospital on and off post and many clinics in this area.
G A T E T R A F F I C
High volume of traffic during peak hours, but my husband only needed to factor in an extra 10-15 min or so.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
Harker Heights for sure!! Near the elementary school was great
Small spaces from what I saw from other families on post
Killeen is known to not be the best area although there’s great gated apartment complexes just outside of post. We chose to live 25-30 mins away in Temple. It’s a much bigger and nicer city. A lot of soldiers live in Harker Heights which has newer affordable housing is is 15 mins from post.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
Killeen isn't the safest or nicest area, but if you drive 20 min to Harker Heights it was plenty safe.
I haven’t experienced any crime at all. People warn that Killeen isn’t a safe area but if you avoid bad areas then there’s no problem.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
- Dead Fish Grill in Belton
- The Vineyard at Florence
- The Gin at Nolan Creek
- Arepitas
- The Gyro Nook
- Taqueria Mexico in Harker Heights
- Galaxy Burgers and Breakfast
- The Garage
- Stagecoach in Salado
- Megg’s Cafe in Temple
- Italian Cuisine in Killeen
- The Russian House in Austin
- Abel's on the Lake in Austin.
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
Barrow Brewing Co and Chupacabra in Salado
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
Making signs or other crafts at AR Workshop in Temple. Traveling around Texas!! So many things to see or do. Loved having dinner or visiting museums and parks in Austin. Kayaking on Lady Bird Lake.
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
Austin or Waco, Texas are an hour away. Dallas and San Antonio are about 2.5 hours. Fredericksburg (Wine country of Texas) is about 3 hours away.
Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Austin are all big cities nearby. Salado is a super cute town nearby too.
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
Regional airport has flights that connect to DFW, otherwise flying into Austin, Waco, or DFW is your best bet.
Candlewood Suites Building 144 on post was so nice
I stayed at a hotel in Waco. There’s plenty of options here for hotels. Nothing like West Point. It’s huge lol
FORT CAMPBELL
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
My husband was ALWAYS gone while we were here. His unit was at already JRTC when he arrived, but he still deployed with them 6 weeks later. He never did go on a JRTC rotation, but was constantly out in the field for live fire trainings, or doing night ranges. A 14 hour day was considered and an average work day for him.
He did deploy very soon after arriving at Campbell. It was a 9 month deployment and I made some great friends during that time. However, we were only dating at the time and the FRG would NOT include me in a single thing. Even after my husband requested I be his contact person, they still refused.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
I’m an elementary school teacher, and found a job I loved immediately! Still heartbroken that I had to leave it.
G A T E T R A F F I C
THE WORST!! They are constantly shutting gates down and it’s terrible. They closed all gates one evening and a friend of mine who lived on post ended up having to come spend a few hours at our house. She had gone off post to go to the store and couldn’t get back on post to get home.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
Off-post housing was really hit or miss. We did find a great neighborhood that we really enjoyed, but I wouldn’t suggest renting/buying site unseen. For sure ask someone to go check out the neighborhood for you if you can’t do it yourself.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
I felt safe where we lived, but there was definitely crime in surrounding areas.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
In Clarksville: Black Horse for the craft brewery type place, Johnny’s for burgers, Dos Margaritas for Mexican, and Sam’s Greek Cafe (the one at exit 1) for Greek.
Nashville is so convenient too and the possibilities there are endless. My personal favorite is Butchertown Hall.
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
Nashville is about it for day trips.
For weekend getaways you are pretty close to lots of different places like Louisville and Lexington, St. Louis, Atlanta, Memphis. There’s a ton of possibilities for weekend trips
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
It actually wasn’t too bad! Nashville airport is a quick drive and most major airlines offer lots of flights to and from there.
I found it SUPER easy to make friends here. I had friends whose husbands were infantry, aviation, MI, and engineers. Everyone’s husbands were so busy all the time, we always had something to bond over and I ended up creating an amazing support system. I’m so sad I had to leave them, but that’s the army and we’ll run into eachother again.
VICENZA ITALY
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
While there were no lengthy deployments during our time in Italy, the OPTEMPO is intense. It is common for the various brigades to leave on 3-week training rotations/be home for a month on and off. My husband was tasked to join another brigade on a short 5-6 month "deployment", but they were allowed visitors twice and came home for the holidays. Approximately half of our 3 year tour, my husband was away on training rotations.
We did not experience a deployment, but many frequent training rotations. My FRG in particular had monthly meetings that were informative. We also had a monthly BN coffee group that were social and fun. Our FRG also was involved in fundraising events. We had a handful of FRG leaders and each one ran things differently. Overall, not a bad experience.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
It's pretty difficult to get a job in your area of expertise due to the limitations of only working on post without giving up military rights. Post is small and a percentage of jobs are given to soldiers as well as the Italian locals, leaving a small percentage left for military dependents. We are also limited from working any personal businesses due to SOFA restrictions - it is one of the highest complaints about living overseas.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E Housing in Vicenza is set up differently than almost any other military post. You don't know what you'll be offered or get until you show up. On post housing is limited and typically saved for lower enlisted families. Government housing available options are given to families depending on what is available upon arrival. Private housing is available should government housing not be available or be turned down. Personally, we lived in government housing (a military owned home in an Italian city) and thought it was the best of both the government/private housing worlds.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
Overseas is generally rather safe. Our biggest crime came from gypsies who attempted car or house breaks-ins (not uncommon) looking for gas coupons, loose change, or jewelry. We were lucky to never have any run-ins with crime during our time in Italy.
G A T E T R A F F I C Although there were limited gates to each post (there are 4 different posts in Vicenza that our soldiers used daily), we rarely experienced the gates being overflowed with traffic. Things always moved relatively smooth!
S C H O O L S Y S T E M S The DODEA system in Vicenza was well-liked as far as I knew. We didn't have children, but I was a substitute at the Elementary School. However, many families chose to send their children to Italian Asilo (preschool) or grade schools to immerse them into the Italian culture.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S SO MANY. Seriously, I can't list them - it's Italy for crying out loud. Anything in downtown Vicenza is amazing, but each surrounding smaller city has wonderful restaurants. You really could not go wrong anywhere that you decide to go.
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
The rooftop bar at Basilica Palladiana was our favorite night time spot, as well as all of the little bars spread throughout the main square downtown.
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
Wine tasting, cooking classes, grape harvesting, olive oil tasting, boating around Lake Garda, food festivals, Vicenza soccer games, strolling through downtown, visiting neighboring cities and countries, jet-setting around the world. I could go on and on.
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
Verona and Venice are the most popular, but Asiago, Bassano Del Grappa, Marostica and Nove are all nearby favorites.
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
You need a plane ticket! :) But once you're there, you do need a DOD ID holder to sign you in at the gate/acquire you an extended pass for your stay with your passport! It is an easy process.
The Ederle Inn is most convenient as it is located on base. There are a handful just outside of the gate - Hotel Mary being one of the most used. All are pet-friendly and easy transportation around Vicezna via foot, bus, or taxi.
A D D I T I O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N : If you get the chance to go, don't pass it up. I kicked and screamed and cried when my husband told me our orders had changed to Vicenza, Italy, but I am forever grateful we took the opportunity to go, especially pre-kids/newly married. We had the time of our lives and got to experience so many things during our time there. However, it's not for the faint of heart. Families are left alone without their soldier often, so you need to be able to be okay staying alone or be willing to take advantage of travel opportunities. The nice part is that BN's all leave together, so other spouses/families are also alone with you, making it easier to get together and keep occupied during your time away from your soldier. We'd go back in a heartbeat!
F O R T S I L L
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
While units at Fort Sill are not OPTEMPO, they are regularly on rotation to Korea. If your spouse is sent to Sill, odds are they will go to Korea at least once
The deployment experience is not bad here. Granted, it was our 2nd deployment. Our FRG was supportive and sent out regular emails to keep us updated.
J O B P R O S P E C T S The job market is not great out here. I would say the best fields to be in are medical, retail, teaching, and higher education. If your goal is one of those industries, you will probably have an easier time finding a job.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E I recommend looking on either the east or west side of lawton. Cache and Elgin are towns where many families stay due to the better school systems. Do not live on post
C R I M E R A T E Lawton is way bigger than people think it is. Yes, there is crime but I spent the entire deployment living off post by myself and never felt unsafe. There are certain areas I would not go at night but I have never been concerned for my safety.
G A T E T R A F F I C
I usually take Sheridan Gate. The traffic can pick up but I haven't waited more than maybe 10 minutes to get onto post.
S C H O O L S Y S T E M S
Cache or Elgin have the best school districts in the area
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
- Back Porch Brewing
- Silver Spoon
- Plantation Restaurant
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
We usually go to either OKC or Wichita Falls if we want a big night out
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S Exploring the Wichita Preserve, hanging out with friends on lake latonka, going hiking
Day Trips in the Area OKC is a ton of fun! There is so much to do and there hardly any traffic on the road to get there.
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L
You can either fly into OKC airport and drive or you can fly into lawton. I have usually found that flights are cheaper out of okc.
F O R T R U C K E R
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
This battalion (and post) is a training post which means it is not deployable. My husbands days are pretty set from 9-5 unless he's flying or has backed up paperwork on his desk.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
I work in Healthcare IT Consulting - very difficult to find my field here. BUT I have friends who have had great luck with medical fields (LPN, RN, CNA, Techs, etc.) as well as education.
G A T E T R A F F I C
We live right off outside of the Rucker Blvd gate. Even during rush hours (8-9, 11:30-1, 4:30-6) it will take you at most 10 minutes to get through the gate.
I have been told that the Daleville gate can get a little more backed up, however that is the main gate that all visitors without IDs have to go through as well so perhaps that is why.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
There is a lot to choose from around post. From townhouses to houses. Depends on length of stay and what your family requires. We originally had a 2bdrm townhouse that was well under BAH costs, however with 2 dogs - once CCC was complete and we found out we were staying at Rucker for command time we upgraded to a 4bdrm house just off post at BAH price.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
I feel safe in the area. Obviously you have to be aware of your surroundings wherever you are but I have not had a problem here at all.
S C H O O L S Y S T E M S
I do not have any kids of school age but what i have been told is that on post elementary is better than off post. But that the off-post middle school and high school are adequate.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
Taqueria la Michoacana - THE BEST TACOS in the area by far!
The Landing - American Food
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
not gonna lie... this is not the place for nightlife.
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
Posts are all about what you make of them, but we have struggled at Rucker at points because this is not a post that is surrounded by an area that has constant events and activities. The beach is about a 2hr drive away. Atlanta & Birmingham are about 3-4 depending on traffic.
Typically people that come to Rucker are only here for a "short" period of time in their army lives that unfortunately the city has not really been built up as more permanent posts have.
Our favorite activities around here are having bonfires in the backyard with friends or the occasional hike on post near Lake Tholocco.
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
We have a lot of friends that go to the beach ALL THE TIME. We typically make our way north to Birmingham or Atlanta for bigger city atmosphere.
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L Closest airport is 40 minutes away (DHN) and is a Delta feeder to Atlanta. Because it is a feeder, it tends to be expensive to fly in and out. Typically if we are looking for a better deal we look at Pensacola (2hr), Montgomery (1.5hr) Birmingham (3hr), or Atlanta (4hr). We have stayed at the Candlewood Suites and Fairfield Inn and Suites over by the movie theater on Boll Weevil Circle and they have been nice. Haven't heard of any others good or bad from friends.
A D D I T I O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N : The majority of people that are coming to Ft. Rucker are here for flight school or captains career course, which means its a pretty temporary posting (relatively speaking). I think as long as you go in with a good attitude and remember that every post is what you make of it - you won't pull your hair out with some of the things this area lacks. Plus if you are one of the few that are going to be here a little longer and have the time, money, and dream to invest something into this little town - you could be the person that makes Ft Rucker that much more exciting!
FORT BRAGG - FAYETTEVILLE, NC
R A T E O F T R A I N I N G | F A M I L Y L I F E
The OPTEMPO is FAST here. The work days are long. That being said, the community here is great. Being part of the 82nd is extremely fulfilling. They are constantly cycling from gunnery, JRTC, deployments, and live fire exercises. Many weekends are spent in the field and I think the training schedule is harder here than any other post from what I hear. Within 30 days of redployment they were in the field doing gunnery again full force. Average days run about 14 hours as a 2LT and 16+ hours if your hubby becomes an XO or Company Commander.
The FRG's are much more active as a result. From everything I have heard, and my own personal experience, the FRGs have been a positive thing instead of a negative place for gossip and tearing others down.
J O B P R O S P E C T S
Finding a job is difficult here if you are in a unique field. Many people opt to live on the North side of post because many spouses commute to Raleigh or Southern Pines for work. Nursing, Healthcare, and Education fields usually have no difficulty finding a job. My background is neuroscience and project management and it has proved rather difficult without traveling to Raleigh. Friends with graphic design and marketing degrees have also struggled.
G A T E T R A F F I C
Be sure to check the recent open gate schedules that they post on the Fort Bragg Post FB page. From time to time they change which gates are open 24 hours a day; we commute onto Honeycutt and its only about a 5 minute wait to get onto post during PT hours. Its 24 hours and most times throughout the day I am able to get in with about a 4 car wait.
All American and Yadkin gates, although the gate that many people commuting from off-post apartments and downtown housing use, is SO CONGESTED. Especially at lunchtime, be careful if you have to get back onto post through these gates -- it is often a 30 minute + wait.
H O U S I N G E X P E R I E N C E
People hate Fayetteville, but I think it gets a bad rap. There are a bunch of nice apartment complexes and housing areas nearby. If you want a slightly upscale, cultured experience definitely consider moving to Southern Pines. It is so much nicer than Fayetteville and quiet and safe. Raeford is where many families move to -- there are good schools and sprawling neighborhoods. Haymount is also beautiful is you can find a fixer upper or a beautiful old home. Many officers live here and the private school are in this area.
As far as apartment complexes go, Addison Ridge is GORGEOUS. It's expensive, but I think it is definitely worth it.
C R I M E R A T E | S A F E T Y
Fayetteville has streets that you just don't go past. If you are in Haymount, don't look at anything on the South side of Raeford Road. Spring Lake is a very sketchy area if you are not in one of the big developments (those are nice). Southern Pines is VERY safe. There have been attempted abductions at the mall on Skibo Rd, and it is definitely a post where I would just be aware at all times when you're in Fayetteville. That said, we have never had any issues with safety and I feel safe running with my dog or working/taking walks downtown with no worries during the daytime!
S C H O O L S Y S T E M S
I do not have any kids of school age but a lot of people send their kids to Fayetteville Academy or the local public schools. The Pine Forest and Gray's Creek School Districts are also great.
There are many wonderful local daycare options available as well as some Montessori options as well.
F A V O R I T E R E S T A U R A N T S
- Mac's - American food and BBQ
- Circa 1800
- Luigi's - unbelievable italian food and wine
- Umami - THE BEST SUSHI
- Thai Essan
- Bubba's 33
- Fowlers
- Latitude 35 Bar & Grill
F A V O R I T E B A R S | N I G H T L I F E
- Bright Light Brewing Company -- there is rock climbing right behind it!
- Mac's
F A V O R I T E L O C A L A C T I V I T I E S
LeClair's General Store (coffee and antiques)
Raleigh Farmers Market - 365 Days a Year, such good local veggies
Smith Lake Park - Lake, Mountain Biking Trails, Boating
Triangle Rock Club - Indoor Rock Climbing
Cape Fear River Trail - Running Trails, Waterfall
Fayetteville Farmers Market
F A V O R I T E D A Y T R I P S
Wrightsville Beach
Wilmington NC
Hanging Rock, NC
Raleigh NC
Raleigh Arboretum
Southern Pines, NC
Pinehurst NC
Carolina Beach
Freeman State Park
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y | T R A V E L Fayetteville airport has a lot of flights through American. The likelihood of a direct flight is highly unlikely, but transfers through Charlotte take you anywhere. The Fayetteville airport is super great. Other than that, Raleigh is 1 hour away and is also very convenient.
If you're just arriving, try to stay in one of the hotels on Skibo road instead of the ones in Spring Lake -- they are super sketchy.
A D D I T I O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N :
Best OBGYN - A Woman's Place
Best Massage - Pinehurst Resort
Best Coffee Shop - LeClairs or The Coffee Scene
That's it folks! If there is a specific post you want to learn more about or questions about these posts please comment below.
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