Reach for the Stars at the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum

Growing up, my favorite museum was the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. My family made annual pilgrimages downtown to the Smithsonian Museums. I was really excited when, in 2003, the Udvar Hazy Center, an annex to the National Air and Space Museum, open. Multiple trips ensued, with the kids, with out of […]

Exploring the Art, History and Science of Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass

Still Life with Two Plums, 2000, Flora Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick The Corning Museum of Glass should be on your bucket list, if it’s not already. Carrona (Carrion), 2011, Javier Perez, blown glass chandelier, assembled, broken; taxidermied crows, wire, monofilament; this provocative sculpture evokes opportunistic birds eating carrion in a pool of blood by the side […]

Fire and Ice: A Longwood Christmas Celebration

We started our Christmas season with a visit to one of our favorite lights displays: Longwood Gardens. We took a year off from our now almost-annual visits because of the pandemic, which made returning this year even better. We arrived during the daylight, the better to appreciate the last rose bloom …  … and the […]

The Secret Flower in Skyline Caverns You Must See to Believe!

Skyline Caverns is a series of geologic caves and a tourist attraction located in Warren County, Virginia, one mile south of Front Royal. Unlike other caverns in the area, Skyline Caverns were discovered on purpose — a retired geologist went searching for them. Walter S. Amos went sniffing around for caverns that could be commercialized […]

The Waterfowl Festival Continues 50-Year Tradition of Celebrating Maryland’s Eastern Shore Heritage

The quintessential festival of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the Waterfowl Festival just celebrated its 50th year November 12 – 14 in Easton, a town that still retains its old-timey charm and is known for its vibrant culinary and arts communities, as well as its historic downtown. The town’s charm translates to the festival itself — the Waterfowl […]