A former ore pit quarry, now covered by vegetation. Oregon Ridge Park is a 1,043-acre park in Cockeysville, Maryland. The park features walking and hiking trails, nature center, picnic and recreation areas. The Loggers Trail is a 2-mile loop trail around the park that takes you past some of the It’s an easy hike, although […]
budget-friendly day trip
Incredible Scenery While Biking in Cape Henlopen State Park
I wished the Gordons Pond Trail would never end. The scenery — marshes on one side, and sand dunes and the ocean, and then Gordons Pond and the ocean on the other — was refreshing and beautiful. Although a crowded trail, everyone we encountered was friendly and just plain happy to be there. The Gordons […]
Turkey Point Lighthouse Hike at Elk Neck State Park
Cliff-side views of the Chesapeake Bay, lighthouses, and a walk through the woods, the hike to Turkey Point Lighthouse has it all. As have several other state parks in Maryland, Elk Neck State Park was the result of the generosity of a major landholder. In 1936, naturalist Dr. William Abbott bequeathed his holdings along the […]
PA Military Museum
The Pennsylvania Military Museum preserves and honors the state’s military history from 1747 to the present, interpreting the story of the Commonwealth’s ‘Citizen Soldiers,’ civilian activities on the home front, and the contributions of Pennsylvania industry to military technology. The first thing you notice is the Sherman Tank near the road, sitting still in a […]
Hiking on Hallowed Ground: Cemetery Ridge Hike
Most of us possess at least a basic understanding of the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, fought July 1-3, 1863. Union Maj. Gen. George Meade’s Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate General Robert E Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, effectively rebuffing Lee’s invasion of the North. There were up to 51,000 casualties from […]
National Gallery of Art East Wing
Edward Hopper, “Cape Cod Evening,” 1939, oil on canvas Art museums are different things to different people: must-see obligations for some, art education for others, places of reverie and contemplation for others. For me, the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art is a place to visit some old friends — the first modern […]
Winter Hike in Catoctin Mountain National Park
Catoctin Mountain Park, located in north-central Maryland, is part of the forested Catoctin Mountain ridge−range that forms the northeastern rampart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the Appalachian Mountains System. Despite the federal government shutdown, the sunny, 50-degree day was too nice — especially in January — not to go hiking. This national park has […]
Color on Carroll Creek on Frederick’s Frosty Friday
Every year, a wintery flotilla sails through the solstice on Frederick’s Carroll Creek. This year, nine boats, ranging from a viking boat to other brightly lit ketches, yawls, and even a three mast schooner silent sail along the creek, raising money for five charities through your votes! Whether by daylight or at night, the boats […]
Martin’s Potato Chips Factory Tour
Have you ever wondered how the food you eat — a potato chip, for example — goes from being a potato to a chip? You can find out on the Martin’s Snacks Factory Tour. For children and adults alike, factory tours demystifies the manufacturing process. During the tour, you get to see the start-to-finish process […]
Poe House Museum in Baltimore
The International Edgar Allan Poe Festival will take place October 6-7 at Edgar Allan Poe Square/203 North Amity Street, Baltimore. This is exciting to me: Poe was my first favorite author — his dark tales of gothic horror resonated with me at an early age. One of Poe’s most famous poems, “The Raven” (for which […]
A Ghost Walk Through Ellicott City’s Mount Misery
It is astonishing to me the amount of murder and mayhem a sleepy small town can endure over the years. Ellicott City — once called Ellicott Mills — has seen more than its fair share. A town important enough in the 1800s to have America’s first railroad track connecting it to Baltimore (just 13 miles […]
Centre Furnace Mansion
Minutes from the Penn State campus in Centre County is an historic mansion that helps tell the story of the iron industry in America, how the county got named, and Penn State itself was founded. An artist’s interpretation of Centre Furnace Mansion in the early 1800s. The mansion is a restored and furnished ironmaster’s home […]
Chanticleer Gardens Offers a Profusion of Delight
Chanticleer Garden is a 48-acre botanical garden built on the grounds of the Rosengarten estate, which was built in 1912 as a “summer cottage” for Christine Penrose and Adolph Rosengarten, Sr., owner of a Philadelphia pharmaceutical company specializing in producing quinine. The garden isn’t as old as the estate — it’s only 30 years old, […]
Elk Life Day Trip
Elk Country says it all. Elk Country, straddling Clearfield and Elk counties, is home to the largest elk herd in the northeastern United States. And that’s where you go to catch a glimpse of these incredible beauties! Elk Country is by definition in the middle of nowhere. The best place to start this daytrip is […]
The Smithsonian Castle Serves as the Gateway to the Smithsonian Museums
The Smithsonian offers eleven museums and galleries on the National Mall and six other museums and the National Zoo in the Washington, DC area. The iconic — and original — Smithsonian building, known as the Castle, is a helpful information center — and therefore should be your first stop if you’re new to the Smithsonian […]