Most of my blogs about the C&O Canal recently have been about biking the towpath — a great way to explore the canal, but sometimes you can see more if you slow down a bit and see it on foot. That’s what we did last Sunday. I hadn’t planned on going on a day trip […]
heritage tourism
Hiking Maryland Heights, Part 1: Overlook Trail
Fellow blogger J. Hammer graciously agreed to guest blog for the Mid-Atlantic Day Trips Blog about hiking along Maryland Heights, near Harpers Ferry. This is part 1 of his two-part series. Worth a Voyage across the Atlantic Over 1400 feet high, Maryland Heights offers stunning views of the town of Harpers Ferry, WV, and the […]
Biking Between Fort Frederick and Hancock: C&O Canal Towpath and Western Maryland Rail Trail
Our goal, that cold April Saturday, was to park at Fort Frederick State Park, ride up to Hancock on the C&O Canal towpath, grab lunch, ride back on the Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT), and then tour Fort Frederick. Check out last week’s post for the narrative about Fort Frederick.I’d read about the WMRT in […]
Unexpected Visit to the Past: Fort Frederick
Our goal, that cold last Saturday (25 April) was to park at Fort Frederick State Park, ride up to Hancock on the C&O Canal towpath, grab lunch, ride back on the Western Maryland Rail Trail, and then tour Fort Frederick, mostly because we were there and I could get two blogs for the effort of […]
A Walk Through Time: Patapsco’s Grist Mill Trail
I’ve blogged about Patapsco River Valley State Park before (check out this post and this one), but this post will focus on the Grist Mill Trail, in the Avalon part of the park. I’m writing again about it because, of all the places I have been to or go to regularly, this is the place […]
Fort George and the War of 1812
Last summer we spent a week exploring the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and quaint Niagara-on-the-Lake. This is part of the 6-part series of posts about that trip and the fun times we had exploring the land up north! No other event has defined Niagara-on-the-Lake (NotL) than the War of 1812 (known by our neighbors […]
Niagara on the Lake: The Prettiest, Most Haunted Town in Canada
Last summer we spent a week exploring the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. This is part of the 6-part series of posts about that trip and the fun times we had exploring the land up north! Niagara-on-the-Lake (NotL) is a Canadian town located in southern Ontario Province where the Niagara River meets Lake […]
Exploring Richmond’s Rich History
Richmond is a lovely city, loaded with history. I enjoyed spending several days there last June. Bus tours or segway tours are both excellent ways to learn more about a city — especially if it’s a first-time visit. I decided to learn more about the city and its residents by taking a segway tour — […]
The Covered Bridges of Frederick County
My 16-year-old son needed more driving hours, so we headed out one Saturday afternoon last summer on an impromptu and entirely unplanned “day trip.” We ended up checking out the three covered bridges of Frederick County: Roddy Road Bridge, Utica Mills Bridge, and Loys Station Bridge. It was a win-win. He got some highway experience, […]
Wishlist of Adventure for 2015
I didn’t do too badly on my 2014 wishlist — of the 11 items I wanted to do, I did 8 1/2. Check out the entry from a year ago to read about what I wanted to do, and see what I actually did get to go see and do by following the new links […]
Feeling the Love for the City of Brotherly Love
Remembering a favorite destination this past fall during this Christmas week! A sunny but cool October Sunday lured us to Philadelphia, a city we really haven’t had a chance to explore. I’ve been there a few times over the years, as have my husband and even my boys, on school field trips. We decided to […]
Accidental Tourist: How Playing a Game Brought Me to New Places
My husband and I recently discovered Ingress, a game we can play on our phones, either during a day trip or as the goal of a day trip. We first started it while biking along the C&O Canal. For those of you not familiar with Ingress, it’s an augmented reality massively multiplayer online role playing […]
Two Days and Eleven Lights: Day Two
This is part two of Chesapeake Lighthouses, Southern Expedition, a two-day excursion to 11 lighthouses around the Chesapeake Bay. From Tangier Island, we headed straight over to Onancock, VA, arriving around 5:30 p.m. We unloaded our bags, and headed up the street to our respective inns (Captain Jack arranged rides for those in the group […]
Two Days and Eleven Lights: Day One
My sister and I had been on the shorter “Passage to Five” excursion offered by Chesapeake Lights in May; before we’d even gotten off the boat that day, we’d signed up for the once annual 2-day trip that takes place every August. Update May 2021: Unfortunately, Chesapeake Lights no longer offers lighthouse tours. The lighthouses […]
The Famous and the Blameless at Laurel Hill Cemetery
If you are at all interested in exploring a cemetery, then Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, is the one you should start out with — especially if you think it’ll be the ONLY one you decide to tour. Laurel Hill’s creators and organizers intended the cemetery to serve as a civic institution designed for public […]