Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t you should sit at home waiting for warmer weather! Here are eight winter day trips you should definitely try out this year!! Island Beach State ParkWinter is a great time to appreciate the wonderful natural environment of a beach, without the hordes of sun worshipers. Shaped by storm, wind, […]
heritage tourism
Barns of the Delaware Water Gap Photo Safari
This is another of periodic “photo safaris” of places we have visited! I hope you enjoy this visit to several of the barns within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area! Sadly, although we encountered a park ranger (who investigated us investigating the barns), we did not have the forethought to ask the names of […]
Cass Scenic Rail Road: Gorgeous Scenery at Bald Knob
Nestled in the mountains of West Virginia, Cass Scenic Railroad State Park offers scenic train rides to the top of Bald Knob. It also transports passengers back in time to relive an era when steam-driven locomotives played an essential role in local industry. The history of Cass follows the evolution of the lumber companies that […]
Having a Blast at the Hoover-Mason Trestle
Beginning in late November, I started a series of posts about Lehigh Valley, PA. This is the third of this series. To see others in this series, click on the label “Lehigh Valley” below this post. So long-time readers of this blog know that I’m pretty much fascinated by any history — whether it be […]
Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts
n late November, I started a series of posts about Lehigh Valley, PA. This is the second installment of this series. To see others in this series, click on the label “Lehigh Valley” below this post. In Bethlehem, PA, there’s a unique museum, inspired by a unique woman who was born just as the Civil War […]
Fabulous Phipps Conservatory
Pittsburgh — the butt of all the jokes we Penn Staters used to tell when I attended that university — constantly surprises me. It’s a lovely city, and possibly one of the prettiest places in Pittsburgh is Phipps Conservatory. Phipps offers a visual romp of color and surprises, between lovely blooms and foliage to the glass art […]
It Is an Excellent Good Pudding
If you really want to understand a time period that isn’t our own, then live it, even if only for a few hours. That was the thought as my sister and I signed up for a second open hearth cooking seminar at Gunston Hall. If ever you think preparing a full Thanksgiving meal, replete with […]
In Search of Audrey Munson: America’s First Supermodel
In this guest blog, Steve Rosenbach takes us on an unusual exploration of some of New York City’s secrets! In the first decade of the twentieth century, one young, beautiful woman became America’s first supermodel. Every sculptor wanted to sculpt her. Every painter wanted to paint her. She even appeard in some of the earliest […]
Strange Happenings at Miller House
There have been some strange happenings at Miller House, on West Washington Street, in Hagerstown, MD. The Miller House is now the home of the Washington County Historical Society, which was founded in 1911, the same year, actually, that the last family to live in Miller House — the Millers, appropriately enough — purchased the […]
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 […]
Ghost Hunt: Anderson Mansion
Located in the historic Manchester District in downtown Pittsburgh, Anderson Manor is unique and packed with history. Built in 1830 by Colonel James Anderson, with additions to the house in 1905, this home was a part of the elite district during the Pittsburgh Steel Industry boom. A western Pennsylvania paranormal investigations and ghost hunt event […]
Ghost Hunt: Carrie Furnace
The Carrie Blast Furnaces, overlooking the Monongahela River in the industrial town of Swissvale, PA, remain an eerie reminder of Pittsburgh’s steel industry past, and the conditions the workers there went through. When an opportunity came up to participate in an “intimate ghost hunt” of the former steel mill, I lept at the chance. Built […]
Grave Creek Burial Mound: Last Remnant of an Ancient American Culture
Long before the European invasion, in what is considered to be the “Early Woodland” period, there was a remarkable, pre-Columbian Native American culture, which existed between 1000 to 200 BCE, referred to as the Adena. Although all those who are considered Adena shared cultural similarities — such as sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system […]
Stonewall Jackson Winchester Headquarters
Beginning with this post, I’m starting a series of posts about Frederick County and Winchester, VA. This is the first installment of this series. To see others in this series, click on the label “Winchester and Frederick County” below this post. Between November 1861 and March 1862, Confederate Major General Thomas J. Jackson — more famously […]
Photo Safari at Gunston Hall
Janice, Danielle, and Rachel greeted us at the door. On a recent Sunday afternoon, I went on a second Washington Photo Safari, and it was amazing — I learned so much. The jaunt was led by David Luria, a professional photographer, who focused on getting us away from using the “automagic” setting on our cameras […]