Ohio's Historic Covered Bridges: Ashtabula County is a Road Trip Gem
Ashtabula County, Ohio, is a hidden gem for covered bridge lovers. This corner of Northeast Ohio boasts nearly 20 covered bridges, including the nation’s longest. The county covers 26 miles along the Lake Erie shoreline, making for a unique, picturesque, and historic road trip.
Read full storyExplore Music History at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame holds a unique and modern collection of memorabilia and artifacts celebrating music history. Even as a native Midwesterner, it took me a long time to finally visit the museum in Cleveland, Ohio, which opened in 1995. Had I known then what I know now, I would have visited sooner.
Read full storyDiscover Cuyahoga Valley: A Hidden Gem in the Midwest
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a hidden gem in Ohio worth visiting. Located 30 minutes south of Cleveland and Akron, this park has a diverse landscape of forests, meadows, wetlands, and rivers and a rich history and culture. Being an urban park, it’s not entirely like other big national parks because it’s intersected by small towns and somewhat disbursed. However, that means cell service is plentiful, roads are paved, and locations are easier to navigate. Visitors find waterfalls, a spectacular river, and more than 125 miles of trails.
Read full storyExplore PA: Fallingwater and the Wilds
This season, take a weekend getaway to visit the Pennsylvania Wilds, the Laurel Highlands, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. I drove through Pennsylvania to Fallingwater in the fall while the leaves were changing from green to gold, orange and red. Still, the drive in any season would be spectacular, whether it’s green leaves and summer sunshine, white and snow-covered, or the cheerful blooms and rushing waters of springtime.
Read full storyMichigan Coastal Road Trip: A Unique Adventure
If you’re looking for a unique adventure and beautiful drive, a Michigan coastal road trip should top your list. Why? There are 129 lighthouses in Michigan and 3,200 miles of Great Lakes shoreline. Plus, Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state, with dozens in the lower portion alone.
Read full storyExplore Acadia: 10 Ideas for Fun in Maine's National Park
Acadia National Park is unique because of being one with the community, sections of it interspersed and overlapping small towns with deep coastal heritage. It’s a place to see if you like hiking, biking, climbing, swimming, camping, boating, fishing, or watching the sunrise. If the rugged coastal landscape, abundant forest, and natural scenery beside the ocean sound appealing, this may be the place for you.
Read full storySee Martha's Vineyard on a Day Trip
Taking a day trip to Martha’s Vineyard is great if you’ve been to the island before and just plan to walk around on a beach, get lunch by the water, or stroll through a few shops. However, you’ll want more time to explore if it’s your first visit.
Read full storyHow to Spend One Day on Nantucket
Having done it, I can say with confidence one day on Nantucket is not enough! I wish I had stayed a week and will definitely return to do just that. However, if you’re in the area and have one day, visiting Nantucket will make the most splendid summer day trip.
Read full storySummer Fun: Drive Cape Cod to Provincetown
A road trip through Cape Cod to Provincetown is a lovely drive immersed in trees and ocean breezes. You can’t go wrong with the sunshine guiding you to the peninsula’s end. Along the way, you’ll find over 40 miles of pristine national seashore, quaint New England towns and roadside stands, and a ton of American history to satisfy any traveler.
Read full storyTour Homes of these Four Famous Concord, MA Writers
When I pulled up in front of the Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, I didn’t plan on going inside. I didn’t even know you could go inside. But as luck would have it, there was a small group of people on the front porch when I approached, and they asked if I was there for the tour. “No, but I’d like to be,” I said. Thus, they invited me in.
Read full storyPlymouth Rock: 7 Things Visitors Should Know
Visiting Plymouth Rock is worth it if you’re in the area and have some time to debunk history. When I visited, I had no idea there was so much controversy about this rock. It’s a rock, after all. I was surprised to learn so many stories about it, the surrounding area, and the people who once lived there.
Read full storyHow to Spend a Day on Walden Pond like Thoreau
Nearly half a million people from around the world visit Walden Pond yearly to see where Henry David Thoreau lived and penned “Walden,” and I recently joined them. Now a state park, the Walden Pond State Reservation area is an internationally famous National Historic Landmark and is considered the birthplace of the conservation movement.
Read full story5 Lesser Known Facts About Concord's Sleepy Hollow
You’ve heard of Sleepy Hollow and the headless horseman, but do you know about the other Sleepy Hollow Cemetery? This one is in Concord, Massachusetts and there are so many famous authors buried there they named a section “Author’s Ridge.” As a taphophile, I had to visit.
Read full storyGo Inside the Strange Mark Twain House
The Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut, is a strange and unique place, reflective of one of America’s most beloved and extraordinary people. Samuel L. Clemens, aka Mark Twain, was born in 1835 in Hannibal, Missouri, when Halley’s Comet soared by overhead, making two phenomenal events forever marked in history. Twain, though nearly as well traveled as the comet, spent much of his life in Hartford. His cherished Gothic Victorian house is now open for tours. If you’re a fan of ornate gothic architecture or American writing, visiting the home is worth a trip.
Read full storyThe Devil's Den is a Great Hike in Fairfield County
The Devil’s Den Preserve in Connecticut is over 1,700 acres of pristine forested New England land perfect for hiking and spending time in nature. I visited the preserve during my two-year road trip as a nomad traveling in my van, hiking, seeing historic areas, and staying in short-term rentals, and I returned several times.
Read full storyExperience the Beauty of Nature Through Art at this National Park
You’ve probably heard of Yellowstone and Yosemite, but did you know there’s a national park for art? Most people are familiar with the popular scenic parks, but the National Park Service manages more than 400 national park sites dedicated to commemorating history, people, and events. These preserve archeological sites, architectural structures, landscapes and ideas like art.
Read full storyExperience Pop Culture Nostalgia at this PEZ Museum
PEZ candy dispensers have been an iconic part of childhood since the 1930s, but did you know there’s a PEZ Visitor’s Center museum dedicated to their history and cultural relevance? Not too far from New Haven, Connecticut, inside the PEZ factory, you can see hundreds of different PEZ dispensers and watch the famous candy being made.
Read full story10 Iconic Things to Do in Philadelphia
Finding things to do in Philadelphia isn’t hard; deciding what you’ll do will be a challenge. Philadelphia is worth visiting because it’s the birthplace of the United States, where the founding fathers formed a new country. It’s also a UNESCO-designated World Heritage city.
Read full storySee What Remains on a Tour of Eastern State Penn
Eastern State Penitentiary is haunting; energy lingers and clings, calling for notice as you walk past empty, ruined cells. Block after block; these small, featureless rooms now hold only impressions of those who once dwelled there, locked in perpetual isolation.
Read full story11 Unique Things to See in Baltimore
I spent a week looking for fun things to do in Baltimore, and it wasn’t difficult. As I journeyed up the east coast on my long road trip, I looked for places with history, charm, art and architecture, and Baltimore did not disappoint. This historic harbor town provided all of that and more. Plus, it reminded me of my home – Detroit, Michigan, where I was born and raised.
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