Following in the Footsteps of a Virginia Pioneer Woman: The Ann Bailey Trail

The hike begins and ends with an outstanding view. With delight, we realized we were the only ones on the Ann Bailey Trail, which carries hikers 3 miles to a scenic view overlooking the Greenbrier River valley. This delightful trail in Watoga State Park almost guarantees you solitude as you follow an old roadbed across […]

1912 Historic Hoover House Ghost Hunt

A few weeks ago, we joined Inspired Ghost Trackers in a paranormal investigation of the 1912 Historic Hoover House in Waynesboro, PA, now operated as a bed and breakfast by Pamela and Steve Barry, themselves members of the Keystone Paranormal Society and avid paranormal enthusiasts. Reportedly, the house is haunted by “warm and gentle” spirits.  […]

Blooms and Butterflies at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Despite its location in the heart of northern Virginian suburbs, few know about this wonderful garden oasis. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens is part botanical garden, part sculpture garden (there are a number of striking sculptures around the grounds, part arboretum. There are pretty little ponds with lotuses and waterlillies, and other water plants growing in and […]

Cranberry Glades Boardwalk, One of the Coolest Spots You’ll Encounter!

You should definitely check out the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area if you’re in Pocahontas County, WV. One of West Virginia’s largest wetlands, this 750-acre area features open bogs, with the surrounding moutains — Black, Cranberry and Kennison — creating a natural bowl. With an elevation of 3400 feet, the Glades resemble an Artic tundra, only […]

Kayaking Lake Marburg in Codorus State Park

Codorus State Park is a 3,500-acre Pennsylvania state park in southwestern York County, PA, with Lake Marburg as its center piece — and that’s where we headed to go kayaking. The waters are clear — you can see underwater grasses flourishing. The park was created around Lake Marburg, an artificial lake covering 1,275 acres, and […]

Seven Fabulous Forts in the Mid-Atlantic States You Should Visit!

Everyone’s probably heard of famous Fort McHenry in Baltimore, which tells the story of the War of 1812 and is immortalized in Francis Scott Key’s “Star-Spangled Banner.” But seven other fabulous forts are worth exploring in the mid-Atlantic region: three in Maryland, and two each in Delaware and Pennsylvania. Each fort has a unique history […]

Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Site

The Walkway over the Hudson is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie on the east bank and Highland on the west bank. You’ll enjoy beautiful views 212 feet above the Hudson as you walk across the span. When the train bridge opened in 1889 it connected to a nationwide network of […]

Bear Pen Hike Is All About the Journey

This enjoyable hike in Watoga State Park, near Marlinton WV, is all about the journey and not the destination. Some hikes show-off their payoffs — gorgeous views, outstanding waterfalls, ruins and the like — but this loop hike is all about the walk itself.  You start just off of Watoga Park Road, near Cabin 11, […]

Southern Carroll County Barn Quilt Driving Tour

This four patch quilt block on a bank barn in Westminster was popular in the early 1900s.This block was chosen by the farm owners to represent the soybeans and corn grown on their80 acre farm. Four generations of the Nelson family have farmed this land since the farm was established in 1868.  If you love barns, […]

Eight Great Hikes, Kayaking, Ruins, Forgotten Cemeteries and even Ghost Hunting in Patapsco Valley State Park

Maryland’s first — and largest — state park (not to be confused with much larger state forests) is strung out like glittering glass beads on a necklace along the Patapsco River south and west of Baltimore.  Established in 1912, the Patapsco Valley State Park (PVSP) was Maryland’s first state park. It’s also Maryland’s most visited […]

Rosendale Trestle and Wallkill Valley Rail Trail

When it opened to rail traffic on April 6, 1872, the Rosendale Trestle was the highest span bridge in the United States. We’d seen the entrance for the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail along Binnewater Road, as we were driving to check out the Widow Jane Mine in Rosendale. I wished we’d brought our bikes along […]