“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ~ L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables My husband and I love going leaf peeping every autumn, and try to come up with interesting itineraries for a one- or two-day trip. This year we planned an overnight trip, leaving mid-morning to drive […]
Virginia
Arlington National Cemetery: Quick Visit and Detour to Robert E Lee’s Historic Mansion
When Mike’s out-of-town guests requested to see some of DC’s lesser known attractions, they helped him take another look at local attractions he’d been taking for granted. He cheerfully agreed to blog about this — to encourage others to do the same! As someone who has lived in Maryland for close 20 years, I tend […]
Tredegar Ironworks and the Confederate White House
When we were planning our time in Richmond, I put visiting the Confederate White House on “the list.” I’d toured it years (and years) ago, but wanted to see it again — I love old houses, and an old house with some history attached is like icing on the cake. The Museum of the Confederacy […]
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 […]
Civil War History Galore at Hollywood Cemetery
Hollywood Cemetery is a classic example of the Victorian notion of creating park-like cemeteries, where families could go spend the afternoon or picnic in a picturesque and natural setting, contemplating nature’s beauty amidst reminders of life’s certain ending. Hollywood Cemetery is definitely a destination cemetery for sight-seers, even if you are not into tombstones. History, art, and […]
“Mystery Trip” Ends Up in Monticello, Jefferson’s Masterpiece Mountaintop Retreat
Gail writes about a recent day trip she took with her retirement community: The day was one of those rare ones this past March that was warm and pleasant for our day at Monticello, in Charlottesville, VA. We were on a retirement community trip – a “Mystery Trip that we’d signed on for not knowing where […]
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 […]