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 […]
agritourism
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 […]
Mysteries of the Hudson Highland State Park: Cornish Ruins Hike
Why are ruins so fascinating? Do we expect to see the ghosts of the people who lived or worked there to suddenly appear? I don’t know the answer to that, but I’m fascinated by ruins. There’s something sad and creepy and symbolic about beautiful places that have been abandoned. There’s almost a fairytale set of […]
Cool Sights Along the Maryland Creamery Trail in Frederick County
Our goal was simple and sweet: head out to sample two stops along the Maryland Creamery Trail in Frederick County. Along the way we enjoyed the pretty farmland countryside, discovered some hidden Civil War history, found some instantly instagramable old trucks, and — oh yeah, enjoyed the best summer snack ever! About a decade ago, […]
Let the Road Take You Where It Wants to Go — Finding Yourself on a Barn Driving Tour
We were a little stir crazy from being quarantined for the pandemic, but weren’t comfortable heading out to a store or even to a park where there were likely to be a lot of folks around. So we decided to just go for a drive in the countryside… taking our car for a “stroll,” so […]
Let the Autumn Colors Inspire You to Daytrip Too!
We would see amazing things if we could learn to be travelers in our own neighborhoods, Henry David Thoreau said. Fall is a great time to explore your own neighborhood and see it with new eyes. Grab a camera and take yourself out for a fun afternoon daytrip! One of my favorite things to do […]
Longwood Gardens Bedazzles Itself in Holiday Lights
At Christmas, Longwood Gardens gleefully bedazzles itself with colored lights and whimsy. Adults can become kids again and kids may simply just be, living in the moment and delighting in the wonder of it all. Whether you’re in the Conservatory or walking outside in one of the many gardens, colorful arrangements of lights and trees […]
Boutique Winery at Halbrendt Vineyard and Winery
Halbrendt’s Vineyard and Winery is a small family owned winery in Orrtanna, PA (west of Gettysburg) specializing in artisan wines from estate and locally grown fruit. The winery offers varietal wines and blends made from Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Cayuga White, Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Chardonnay and local fruit. Sometimes the winery hosts plein air painting in its […]
Lovely Discoveries at the “New” Penn State Arboretum
The only constant is change, and that’s never more apparent than when you revisit a place you lived and loved for four years. I graduated from Penn State 30 years ago, and although the bones are all still there, new buildings and new features jar the walk down memory lane. The field hockey fields and […]
The Barns of Butler County
Beginning in mid-October, I started a series of posts about things to do and see in Butler County, PA. This is the second installment of this series. To see others in this series, click on the label “Butler County” below this post. Not on the barn tour, but it should be! Thanks to the barn […]
Autumn Drive Through Adams County Apple Country
Adams County is a picturesque rural county in south central Pennsylvania. Although synonymously known as Apple Country, it is most well known for the little town of Gettysburg, the site of the most famous Civil War battle. But as I’ve posted in this blog before, there is more to Adams County, and Gettysburg, than the […]
Painting Vineyards and Vistas
Wine. Lovely weather. Friends. Beautiful scenery. Painting. Seriously, those are all the ingredients for an incredible afternoon. Paint.Local.Social aims to bring this experience to everyone, no artistic talent needed! Vineyards and Vistas is a Plein Air painting experience at a local winery in Adams County. It will include all supplies and instruction along with wine samples. Andi […]
Smell the Lavender at Deep Creek Lavender Farm
…a magic and lavender space, unpinned from the world around it Unfortunately, this blog cannot share the scent of lavender on the breeze, the subtle aroma that surrounds the farm as the breezes sweep across the lavender fields. To experience that, you should go yourself to a lavender farm. I went to the Deep Creek […]
Lovely Urban Oasis at the US National Arboretum
Dogwood Alley. I’m always excited to discover an urban oasis — a place to retreat far from the madding crowd! In fact, I spent this past Sunday morning exploring just such an oasis: the U.S. National Arboretum. The National Arboretum is a garden, a park, and a research institution, part of the USDA. Its 446 […]
A Different Kind of Gettysburg Spirits!
Gettysburg is almost as known for its ghosts as it is for its Civil War battlefields. But increasingly, there’s a different kind of spirits lurking around this historic town! No exploration of Gettysburg would be complete without checking out one of its wineries or distilleries, so we headed to Mason Dixon Distillery (MDD), well within […]