Cape May, NJ, is the original beach resort on the East Coast. Its collection of authentic Victorian mansions makes it a destination for anyone who prefers the intimate setting of a bed and breakfast inn over those horrible beach hotels found at other beach resorts. I’ve visited Cape May a handful of times over the […]
Author: Jody Arneson
Delaware Bay Lighthouses
Seagulls stand watch above the Miah Maull Shoal Lighhouse. Lighthouses stand as solitary sentinels signaling unseen danger — the peaks and valleys that map the geography under water. Mysterious, silent, and now lonely — almost all lighthouses are automated, and almost all are slowly deteriorating back into the waters they have protected our sailors and […]
A Maryland Story: The Booths, the Assassination of a President, and Tudor Hall
There’s a lovely little Victorian house tucked into the suburban neighborhoods surrounding Bel Air, MD, called “Tudor Hall.” It is a 1 1⁄2-story Gothic Revival cottage built of painted brick. The house was built as a country retreat by Junius Brutus Booth. Junius Brutus Booth, in case you don’t know — was a famous English […]
C&O Canal at Williamsport
Most of my blogs about the C&O Canal recently have been about biking the towpath — a great way to explore the canal, but sometimes you can see more if you slow down a bit and see it on foot. That’s what we did last Sunday. I hadn’t planned on going on a day trip […]
Hiking Maryland Heights, Part 2: Stone Fort Trail
Fellow blogger J. Hammer graciously agreed to guest blog for the Mid-Atlantic Day Trips Blog about hiking along Maryland Heights, near Harpers Ferry. This is part 2 of his two-part series. Last post I mentioned that I hadn’t hiked the Stone Fort Trail section of Maryland Heights due to a lack of time. Well, I […]
Hiking Maryland Heights, Part 1: Overlook Trail
Fellow blogger J. Hammer graciously agreed to guest blog for the Mid-Atlantic Day Trips Blog about hiking along Maryland Heights, near Harpers Ferry. This is part 1 of his two-part series. Worth a Voyage across the Atlantic Over 1400 feet high, Maryland Heights offers stunning views of the town of Harpers Ferry, WV, and the […]
Biking Between Fort Frederick and Hancock: C&O Canal Towpath and Western Maryland Rail Trail
Our goal, that cold April Saturday, was to park at Fort Frederick State Park, ride up to Hancock on the C&O Canal towpath, grab lunch, ride back on the Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT), and then tour Fort Frederick. Check out last week’s post for the narrative about Fort Frederick.I’d read about the WMRT in […]
Unexpected Visit to the Past: Fort Frederick
Our goal, that cold last Saturday (25 April) was to park at Fort Frederick State Park, ride up to Hancock on the C&O Canal towpath, grab lunch, ride back on the Western Maryland Rail Trail, and then tour Fort Frederick, mostly because we were there and I could get two blogs for the effort of […]
A Walk Through Time: Patapsco’s Grist Mill Trail
I’ve blogged about Patapsco River Valley State Park before (check out this post and this one), but this post will focus on the Grist Mill Trail, in the Avalon part of the park. I’m writing again about it because, of all the places I have been to or go to regularly, this is the place […]
Morven Park and the Davis Mansion
My sister suggested we tour Morven Park one day after she attended a riding competition there (Morven Park is well known among the horse set). The grounds of Morven Park encompass 1,000 acres of lawns, fields, wooded areas and boxwood gardens, including the mansion, stables and a show ring(s), and a museum of coaches. As […]
Ellicott City: Quant and Small, There’s Something for Everyone
For a town* that stretches barely a mile long, there’s an impressive array of things to do. Booze it up in the bars, sit down for fine dining (preferably before you booze it up), spend an afternoon shopping the variety of boutiques that line Main Street, explore local rail history at the B&O Museum, take […]
Trail Rides in Canaan Valley, WV
One way to experience Canaan Valley, as well as some of the relatively nearby mountain attractions, such as Seneca Rocks, is on horseback. If you don’t have horses of your own — or you’re a novice rider — no worries. The local riding outfits can accommodate you easily. And although the rides are kid friendly […]
The Famously Wed and the Very Dead: Touring Greenmount Cemetery
Longtime readers of this blog know I love visiting cemeteries — especially the lovely “rural garden” or “garden park” cemeteries of the mid to late 1800s. So when I learned of historic Green Mount Cemetery, in northern Baltimore, I was excited. Green Mount Cemetery was established a the very beginning of the rural garden cemetery […]
There’s Lots to Dig about Crystal Grottoes Caverns
Guest blogger Melinda writes about taking her family to Crystal Grottoes Caverns. What a great day trip for any time of year! When my family and I returned two years ago from living in Europe, we decided that if Central Maryland was going to be home for the foreseeable future, we might as well get […]
Craving Cave: Exploring Penn’s Cave
For all the natural wonders above ground, I’ve always been fascinated by the ones below! But I’m not a spelunker: scary dangerous dark places and heights — and both exist in caves — are not for me. There are some 55 thousand caves in the United States, and most of them have not become tourist attractions […]