August, September and October are the season most folks check out ghost walks and ghost tours — one of my favorite activities! Ghost tours are always intriguing — they’re a little bit of sight-seeing, a little bit of ghost story, and usually a lot of history. Ghost tours are a good way to get to […]
Year: 2021
Remembering American Heroes at the Flight 93 National Memorial
The Flight 93 National Memorial commemorates the crash of United Airlines Flight 93, which was one of four aircraft hijacked in the September 11 attacks. The Memorial is the nation’s permanent memorial to the 40 passengers and crew of Flight 93. It’s their final resting place and their remains are still present — this is […]
The Hidden Catskills Waterfalls Along the Vernooy Falls Hike
The Vernooy Kill Falls Hike is a short, out-and-back hike — either 2 miles or 3.6 miles, depending where you pick up the trailhead — to a very pretty waterfall. The falls is a series of picturesque little waterfalls with pools, dropping about 30 feet in 4 stages. During the warmer months, this would be […]
Exploring West Virginia’s Best State Park: Watoga State Park
There is so much to see and do in and around Watoga State Park, that it seems like the ideal location to set up a home base for your exploration of the area. The park covers more than 10 thousand acres, and began as a state forest designated as a wildlife and timber preserve. Franklin […]
Two More Delicious Creameries Along Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail
A sunny August afternoon lured us out again for some more ice cream — this time we decided to drive out to northern Baltimore County and Harford County MD, to Broom’s Bloom Dairy and Prigel Family Creamery respectively. About a decade ago, Maryland dairy farmers came up with a creative – and delicious – plan […]
Cool Ruins and a Waterfall Along the Madam Brett White and Red Trail
Madam Brett Park is a tranquil little park on Fishkill Creek in Beacon NY, alongside the Hudson River in Dutchess County, not far away from the Hudson Highlands Park. We were there to hike the “Madam Brett White and Red Trail, an out-and-back trail to a waterfall and marsh overlook. This area is noteworthy because […]
Larger than Life Sculpture Garden at Grounds for Sculpture
Seward Johnson, “Daydream” Grounds for Sculpture (GFS) is an outdoor art museum in Hamilton NJ, where you can walk around the beautifully landscaped grounds and experience the art from all angles. During a visit to GFS, you can stroll among the more than 500 works, nearly 300 of which are exhibited on the grounds year […]
Fort Mill Holds the Best Preserved Civil War Battle Trenches
Believed to be the best preserved examples of Civil War earthworks still in existence, the Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches are battle trenches just outside of Romney WV that were dug between 1861 and 1863. The onsite signs on site indicate that the earthworks were dug in 1863; however, other sources claim that the […]
Take the Shawangunk Scenic Drive to Enjoy Autumn Color!
Going leaf peeping is one of my favorite fall activities — and last year’s pandemic just made going on long drives sound even better! We were in upstate New York — in the Catskills — at just about peak autumn foliage color, and, because of the pandemic, a number of our intended hiking destinations (lovely […]
Two Hikes You Shouldn’t Miss at Linn Run State Park
Once an ecological disaster — as with many areas of the East Coast that were clear cut by the lumber industry during the late 19th and early 20th centuries — Linn Run State Park is now a thriving second growth forest. Mountain laurel and native rhododendron cover the slopes — we caught the tail end […]
Unique Barns in the Laurel Highlands: “Just for Pretty”
This lovely old red barn, #4 on the Somerset Barn Tour, is adorned by a medallion star, serving as ventilation. I’m never not on a barn tour — as I’m out and about, if I see a picturesque barn, I’ll pull over and photograph it. A close up of the barn star medallion. Note the little […]
Old Forge Loop Trail, Foundry Park and a Little Surprise Civil War History!
The Old Forge Loop Trail was billed in AllTrails.com as being great for kids, and so I was about to dismiss this walk, until I noticed that there were ruins and a waterfall. The Hudson River from Foundry Dock Park They had me at ruins. Turns out, the waterfall is meh, but the history and […]
West Virginia’s Best Kept Secret: The Highland Scenic Highway
The Highland Scenic Highway — WV 150 / WV 39-WV 55 — runs 43 miles through the Monongahela National Forest, meandering along the mountain ridges, reaching an elevation of more than 4500 feet. Along the northeastern part of the scenic highway — where it’s more a parkway than a highway. Like its more famous sisters […]
Exploring Maryland’s Iconic Casselman Bridge State Park
“We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” — Isaac Newton Like Thomas Shoals Lighthouse outside of Annapolis, the Cassalman Bridge in western Maryland is an iconic Maryland image. Casselman Bridge once carried the National Road across Casselman River in Garrett County. It remains one of Maryland’s most picturesque places, instantly Facebook and Instagram […]
The Virginian Hotel: Experience Lynchburg Luxury in Beau Arts Style
The Virginian Hotel does not disappoint — we spent a luxurious few days there while we explored Lynchburg, discovering all the wonderful things to see and do there! When it opened in 1913, the hotel was Lynchburg’s premier grand downtown hotel. Built in the glamorous Beaux Arts style, no detail was missed. Throughout the years, […]