I have to say, I think this is one of my favorite day trips so far this year! Since its founding 30 plus years ago, the Wolf Sanctuary of PA has provided wolves and wolf hybrids a way out of institutionalized lives and deaths. Today, Wolf Sanctuary of PA has renovated infrastructure, beautifully expanded living […]
kid-friendly
In Search of …. Kayaking to Assateague Island to See the Ponies
Photo courtesy Assateague Explorer This day trip would take us on a kayaking trip from Chincoteague across Assateague Narrows to Assateague Island to see the wild ponies. We’d have to get up very early — Chincoteague is just over 3 hours away from where we live, near Baltimore, and I knew I’d have to get […]
Butterflies and Gardens: Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens
I wasn’t prepared for excitement and wonder I felt in the butterfly garden. And if I hadn’t suddenly realized that our staying in the garden longer was preventing some folks from entering, I would have stayed a lot longer! So even though butterflies are really just (creepy) bugs with gorgeous fairy wings, it was a […]
Beach Combing at Calvert Cliffs State Park
It can be really fun to go fossil hunting — at least, it sounds fun to a 12 year old. It sounded fun to me too. That’s why an early summer Saturday found us on our way to Calvert Cliffs State Park. Calvert Cliffs State Park is unique among hiking opportunities in the region for its […]
Brookside Gardens: Oasis in Suburbia
I decided to write this blog as a Mother’s Day special — for all those looking for a lovely place to bring their mums! An overcast Saturday afternoon found us heading over to check out Brookside Gardens, in Wheaton, MD; I had my new macro lens in hand and was eager to experiment. Thunder bumper […]
Battles of Bull Run: Manassas National Battlefield Park
When we headed to Manasses, VA on a spring day, I realized we were not the first tourists to have visited and wandered the battlefields there. In fact, the very first sight-seers were those rather naive Washintonians and Congressmen, who, in mid-July 1861, followed Gen. Irvin McDowell’s army of some 35,000 green Union soldiers on a […]
Exploring Two Castles of Whimsy and Treasures
There once lived a man who, in the early part of the 20th century, built two castles. He was a visionary, for he recognized the importance of preserving items of a fading way of life for future generations. He was a artist, creating tiles that were reknown for their beauty. And he was a bit […]
Eastern State Penitentiary
How do you describe a place that is intentionally ugly, intentionally horrible, intentionally built that way? How do I describe a place that having visited a couple of years ago, still haunts me? The Eastern State Penitentiary Museum and Historic Site initially captured my interest in the early 1990s, when I worked at the American […]
American Museum of Visionary Art
One of the burdens of motherhood is wanting to expose your sons to experiences that will enrich and expand their outlook, and having that desire go not just unappreciated, but aggressively scorned and despised by the intended beneficiaries of your maternal wisdom. But I continue to fight the good fight. That’s why, when I learned* […]
Visiting the Ponies at Assateague Island
Visiting Assateague Island isn’t just a summer day (or weekend) trip — the island offers a lot of interest for all seasons. When the ocean-dipping crowds depart, the island really comes alive for me. Cooler weather means pleasant walks along the island trails, and of course, no bugs! Map courtesy of AssateagueIsland.com Assateague Island is […]
Harpers Ferry: Stepping Back in History
My husband and I probably spend a day or an afternoon at Harpers Ferry at least once a year, generally just walking around and then we’ll have lunch. Sometimes, such as on this most recent visit, we’ll bring a beagle or two. I’ve also taken my sons there multiple times — sometimes focusing more on […]
How ’bout dem apples?! The National Apple Harvest Festival
Pennsylvania has a long history of growing apples — and is the fourth largest producer in the U.S. Adams County, in south Pennsylvania, where the National Apple Harvest Festival takes place two weekends each year, apples are taken seriously!Apples are everywhere. In fact more than five million bushels of apples are harvested in this one […]
A Happy Visit: Longwood Gardens
He who plants a garden plants happiness, according to an old Chinese proverb. Both Pierre S. du Pont and his wife Lilian planted a lot of happiness, as they planned and developed their estate, Longwood Gardens. I felt so very spoiled walking through the gardens. From the visitors center we turned right, into the formal Idea […]
A Day on the Bay: Tilghman Island, St. Michaels, and Sailing on the Selina II
What started out as a romantic day on the Bay for the hubby and I turned into a day trip for the entire family the following week — that’s because there was plenty to do for just the two of us, and plenty for the boys to enjoy as well. The plan for the romantic […]
Lady Liberty and Ellis Island
Every once in a while I’m going to throw in some favorite day trips that the boys, Ed and I have taken, like the one we took to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. That was a year ago — Liberty was being renovated, and unfortunately, we couldn’t go up to the top. Then, […]