New Hope lies on the west bank of the Delaware River at its confluence with Auqetong Creek. It is an old town — colonial era — and is located along the route of the Old York Road, the former main highway between Philadelphia and New York City. Because it was the halfway point, its inns and hotels would […]
Year: 2016
Day Trip on a Budget: Best Summer Day Trip for Kids!
It’s definitely that time of year again — and with summer just around the corner, you may be looking for some interesting places that will both entertain and capture the imagination of your kids. There’s a long summer ahead… so consider this day trip on a budget! If you’re trying to day trip on a […]
Out Door Adventure in Farmville, VA
Prince Edward County, VA is about an hour southwest of Richmond and about four hours from Washington, DC. In country referred to as “Southside” in Virginia (traditionally, the term Southside refers to the portion of Virginia east of the Blue Ridge Mountains and south of the James River), this rolling countryside is an ideal destination […]
Taking Pride in the C&O Canal and a Couple of Recipes
This year the Blog officially volunteered for the Ninth Annual Canal Pride Days, a program sponsored by the C&O Canal Trust to work on projects, in coordination with the C&O Canal National Park, to improve or help the park. Projects such as pulling out invasive plants, planting gardens for the lockhouses, cleaning garbage and debris […]
Virginia Renaissance Faire
Looking for something a little different to do for Mother’s Day, we found ourselves headed to the Virginia Renaissance Faire, at the Lake Anna Winery in Spotsylvania. It’s cozier, more intimate than at least two of its cousins to the north: the Maryland Renaissance Festival, in Crownsville, and the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire at the Mount […]
A Lot of Hot Air
May the winds welcome you with softness. May the sun bless you with its warm hands. May you fly so high and so well that God joins you in laughter and sets you gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth. — Balloonist’s Prayer The annual hot air balloon festival promised to be amazing, and since we’d […]
Reaching for the Moon: the Story of Barbara Johns and Prince Edward County Public Schools
Photo of a photo displayed in the museum shows Farmvile in the 1950s. Each winter, school children celebrate snow days. But despite missing many days in a row, when the snow again begins to fall, school children again celebrate. But what if the schools simply closed and didn’t reopen? What if the “snow day” was […]
Six Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses You Need to See!
These are six of my favorite lighthouses in the Mid-Atlantic region — from a variety of locations, including the Atlantic Ocean, the Chesapeake Bay, and Delaware Bay. During the summer months you can find boat tours of both the Chesapeake and Delaware bays that will take you to the various lighthouses; many lighthouses you can drive […]
The Doctor Mudd House
Dr. Samuel Mudd was a lucky man: he missed swinging on the gallows by one jury vote, although he was sent to Fort Jefferson, in the Dry Tortugas, for over 3 years. The jury pivoted on a key fact: whether he knew the man he treated that dark and stormy night in April was John […]
Day Trip on a Budget: Checking Out an Historic Mansion in a State Park
If you’re trying to day trip on a budget, your best bet is to check out the state parks. Nominal entrance fees — even if you’re from out of state — make these a great go-to resource for anyone watching their bottom line. One of my favorite day trips was to Susquehanna State Park. I […]
Mary Surratt: Guilty as Charged? Or Innocent?
You don’t have to be a history buff to be interested in exploring some of the places that figure in the plot to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. If you haven’t traveled down to Washington DC to see Fords Theater and the little house across the street where Lincoln died, you really should try to do […]
Living History at Lander Lock House
From 1828-1924 the C&O Canal functioned as a transportation route for goods and passengers on the 184.5 mile route from Cumberland, MD to Washington, D.C. Now it’s a great day trip destination for millions of people each year. They come to bike or hike along the canal while enjoying the beauty of the Potomac River. Locks, lock houses, such as […]
A Visit to Hell House in Howard County, MD
This morning my husband surprised me with an adventure I probably wouldn’t have gone on alone. A view over the Patapsco River valley to St Mary’s hill. Many mornings we grab our beagles and go walking along the Grist Mill Trail in Patapsco Valley State Park — we usually access it from the swinging […]
Ghost Hunting at Belmont Manor
We visited historic Belmont Manor, in Elkridge, MD, in search of ghosts, as part of Howard County Parks & Rec programs one evening in March. This wasn’t a ghost tour, where you’re led around and told ghost stories. This was a ghost hunt. We were excited about the opportunity to see this lovely historic manor, […]
Light City Baltimore Festival
Today’s post is a special event post, because the Light City Festival is happening RIGHT NOW! So pull this post up on your phone, download the Light City app, and get going down to Baltimore! Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited to a media preview of Baltimore’s first ever light festival — being a […]