Sugarloaf Mountain is a small mountain and park about 10 miles south of Frederick, MD. The peak of this relatively low mountain is approximately 800 feet higher than the surrounding farmland. The blue trail, also known as the Northern Peaks Trail, travels approximately 5.9 miles to several peaks and along the ridge of Sugarloaf Mountain. […]
Ferry Farm: A Living History Museum That’s Great for Kids
“I cannot tell a lie. I chopped down the cherry tree,” George Washington said as a kid, according to Parson Weems, the author of some of the best known stories about Washington’s childhood. Whether he actually chopped the tree down is debatable. But if it HAD happened, it would have happened at Ferry Farm, where […]
Murals of York Photo Safari
One of the murals in the Royal Square District. I went up to York, PA recently to explore the city. I was surprised by the murals I kept encountering, seemingly around every corner. Sure, there are boutiques and antiques stores, art galleries, some really nice restaurants, and plenty of history — all this makes York […]
PA Military Museum
The Pennsylvania Military Museum preserves and honors the state’s military history from 1747 to the present, interpreting the story of the Commonwealth’s ‘Citizen Soldiers,’ civilian activities on the home front, and the contributions of Pennsylvania industry to military technology. The first thing you notice is the Sherman Tank near the road, sitting still in a […]
Government Island and the Capitol Quarries
Famous for the quarry from which the stones used to build the U.S. Government’s most famous buildings were sourced, Government Island is now a county park with a lovely, history-filled under 2-mile hike that you really shouldn’t miss. Although its referred to as Government Island, the park is really a peninsula. I love a great […]
24 Things to Do in 24 Hours in Fredericksburg VA
Back in the day — colonial days, that is — Fredericksburg was an important port on the Rappahannock River. At the time, it was at the farthest point navigable by large ships laden with treasured items from Europe and beyond. The city soon became a key trading center for the plantation owners and farmers nearby, […]
Hiking on Hallowed Ground: Cemetery Ridge Hike
Most of us possess at least a basic understanding of the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, fought July 1-3, 1863. Union Maj. Gen. George Meade’s Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate General Robert E Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, effectively rebuffing Lee’s invasion of the North. There were up to 51,000 casualties from […]
National Gallery of Art East Wing
Edward Hopper, “Cape Cod Evening,” 1939, oil on canvas Art museums are different things to different people: must-see obligations for some, art education for others, places of reverie and contemplation for others. For me, the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art is a place to visit some old friends — the first modern […]
The Bride, the Butcher and the Little Boy: Ghost Hunting at Hotel Conneaut
The ghosts of Hotel Conneaut welcomed us for a hauntingly romantic Valentine’s Day weekend overnight stay and ghost hunt. First opened in 1902, much of the hotel remains in its vintage state – and lacks some modern conveniences. There is no elevator, but there ARE ghosts! In 1893, the Exposition Park Co. built a new […]
Snowy Hike to a Maryland Ghosttown
On Friday, a lovely, powdery snow fell, and I knew I wanted to go on one particular hike the next morning: to see the ruins of St Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church in the snow. To get there, we’d have to follow the Alberton Road Trail in Patapsco Valley State Park into the ghosttown of Daniels. […]
Four Must-See African-American Sites in Alexandria, VA
Alexandria, VA is a city steeped in African-American history since its founding in 1749, but much of this history has become hidden over the years. Forgotten burial grounds, a former slave jail, and the Alexandria Black History Museum will help start your journey to discover Alexandria’s hidden history. In 1790, when the first federal census […]
A Hike Through Snow and Ice to Chimney Rock
Nothing compares to the crisp, clean air of winter and the magnificent view of a snowy landscape — sometimes offering quite a nice surprise from the scenes you are more used to. We were looking for a strenuous hike, so we decided upon the Chimney Rock – Wolf Rock Loop, frequently called the best hike […]
Fort Monroe by Segway
For almost 200 years, Fort Monroe has guarded the navigation channel between the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads — the natural harbor, or roadstead, at the confluence of the Elizabeth, the Nansemond and the James rivers. Surrounded by a moat, the seven-sided star fort is the largest stone fort ever built in the United States. […]
Bilger’s Rocks Update
I’ve visited Bilger’s Rocks twice now. The first time was cold, icy and foggy, and in February. But I was fascinated by this rock formation. It was fun exploring from on top, looking down into the crevices. But this second visit was all about experiencing it from within the rock formation itself. When I visited the first time, […]
A Tale of Two Cemeteries
If you visit Petersburg National Battlefield to learn about the Battle of the Crater, then you should take some time to visit two local cemeteries, Poplar Grove National Cemetery and Blandford Cemetery, as the young men on both sides who fought and died in that battle (as well as others in the area) are interred […]