Discover the Hidden Beauty of the New Cathedral Cemetery

The New Cathedral Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery, with 125 acres, located on the westside of Baltimore. Established in 1871 in the Victorian rural garden cemetery style, it is the final resting place of 110,000 people, including numerous individuals who played important roles in Maryland history.   As you explore this cemetery, you can’t […]

What Haunts the Widow Jane Cement Rock Mine?

Quirky daytrip destinations are fascinating and one of the quirkiest — and most interesting — is the haunted Widow Jane Mine in Rosendale, NY.  Rosendale once was famous for being the source of “natural cement,” i.e., cement made from rock without the addition of a slew of chemicals. Natural cement is produced in a process […]

The Best Kept Secrets of Laurel Hill State Park

Like its sister park, Linn Run State Park, one county to the west, Laurel Hill State Park area was a desolate mess a hundred years ago. The lumber boom that swept through the hills and forests of Pennsylvania missed Laurel Hill Valley until 1886. But the lumber industry came for the old-growth forests of hemlock and […]

Doing Time at the Old Fauquier Jail

Over two centuries ago, a four-cell brick jail was constructed in Warrenton VA, in 1808 to house the county’s indigent and criminal residents. The four cells were multi-person cells, not an uncommon for that time. Also not uncommon, children often accompanied their mothers into the jail. The stairs in the kitchen up to the jailer’s […]

Could There Be a Qainter Town Than Shepherdstown WV?

Shepherdstown dates back to 1762; Thomas Shepherd founded Mecklenburg, as it was known then, was a bustling little town of 100 by 1775, filled with millers, tanners, potters, smiths and other artisans who appreciated the six natural springs which feed Town Run as it enters the south of town. This small stream meanders through backyards, under […]

Yuengling Brewery Pilgrimage to Pottsville PA

As a home brewer for more than 30 years, my husband Michael’s bucket list includes some unique destinations. This one is in Pottsville, a town in Pennsylvania coal country, along the banks of the Schuylkill River.  Carol Palla is guest blogging this week about a recent visit to America’s oldest brewery: Yuengling. The brewery offers free […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]