On Friday, a lovely, powdery snow fell, and I knew I wanted to go on one particular hike the next morning: to see the ruins of St Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church in the snow. To get there, we’d have to follow the Alberton Road Trail in Patapsco Valley State Park into the ghosttown of Daniels. […]
heritage tourism
Four Must-See African-American Sites in Alexandria, VA
Alexandria, VA is a city steeped in African-American history since its founding in 1749, but much of this history has become hidden over the years. Forgotten burial grounds, a former slave jail, and the Alexandria Black History Museum will help start your journey to discover Alexandria’s hidden history. In 1790, when the first federal census […]
Fort Monroe by Segway
For almost 200 years, Fort Monroe has guarded the navigation channel between the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads — the natural harbor, or roadstead, at the confluence of the Elizabeth, the Nansemond and the James rivers. Surrounded by a moat, the seven-sided star fort is the largest stone fort ever built in the United States. […]
First State Heritage Park
The First State Heritage Park at Dover is Delaware’s first urban “park without boundaries,” linking historic and cultural sites in the historic city that has been the seat of state government since 1777. First State Heritage Park includes the Biggs Museum, the John Bell House, the Johnson Victrola Museum, Legislative Hall, the Old State House, […]
Fabulous Fort Ligonier
Fort Ligonier is a French and Indian War-era British fortification that served as a staging area and a post of passage for fortifications further west, such as Fort Pitt. Native American and French forces attacked the fort just once during the French and Indian War. In the Battle of Fort Ligonier, also known as the […]
Vroom, Vroom! Harley-Davidson Factory Tour
Even if you’re not into motorcycles, taking a factory tour of the Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations Factory in York, PA is fascinating. If you’re into motorcycles, and especially if you’re into Harley-Davidsons, then even better. This is also a great tour for your teen-aged children. I’ve always enjoyed factory tours, which demystify the world around us. […]
Historic Annapolis by Candlelight
Have you ever wondered what those historic homes look like inside? I do! Thus, when I hear of a tour of private residences in a historic city, I leap at the chance to tour them! A home on a previous year’s tour. Photo courtesy VisitAnnapolis.org. Once a year, you get to find out how a […]
Exploring Laurel Highlands
With historic forts, outdoor activities such as hiking or white water rafting, historic homes by one of America’s foremost architects, art museums and the Flight 93 Memorial, there is much to do for kids and adults alike in the Laurel Highlands region of Pennsylvania. Whether you dart over there for a daytrip, plan a long […]
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop
It’s not every day you can go into an old-time apothecary shop and see it, exactly as a customer in the early 1900s would have experienced it. But you can do just that, at the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop Museum in Alexandria, VA’s historic district. This historic apothecary shop has been preserved as a museum. During […]
Pennies for Poe at the Westminster Burying Ground
You can often learn who’s important in a region by going to an historic city cemetery, and no where is this more true than at the Westminster Burying Ground in Baltimore. Established in 1787, a who’s who of Maryland and Baltimore are, or at least, WERE (several seem to be missing) buried there. For 60 […]
Beach Town, Off-season Fun in Lewes, DE
My favorite time to visit a beach town is AFTER the summer hordes have departed. And what I’ve discovered is that off-season is the best time to visit some beach towns! There is so much to do in Lewes, DE, a quaint beach town that sits at the entrance of Delaware Bay along the Atlantic […]
Have a Hauntingly Great Time in Lewes DE!
Lewes, DE is rich with historic happenings, legends, and tall-tales, many of them involving a touch of the paranormal. From the founding of Lewes in 1631 and the massacre of its settlement the following year, to the unknown sailors’ cemetery at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, some residents never seem to depart. Lewes is more than […]
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 […]
Riversdale House and Stories of the Stiers, Calverts and Plummers
This is another wonderful daytrip destination that’s been lurking within less than an hour’s drive of Baltimore, and 30 minutes from Washington DC but which is often overlooked. And that’s really sad — touring it helps folks understand an important part of Maryland state history. Riversdale is a five-part, large-scale late Georgian mansion with an […]