Amidst the dozens of museums in DC, you’ll find the National Geographic Museum quietly tucked away on 17th and M Street, NW. The museum hosts a wide array of traveling exhibits and live events, and when I heard an advertisement on the radio for Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology, I knew I had…
Is a houseboat vacation rental on your family travel bucket list? Houseboating was always something that caught my attention, with dreams of relaxing on the water and watching the sunset from the boat deck. In Virginia, there’s no better place for houseboating than beautiful Smith Mountain Lake. Often called the “Jewel of the Blue Ridge,”…
Taking a short mother/daughter road trip right after school gets out might be my new summer tradition! I thought the trip would be a good idea after the last few months of dealing with college application craziness and then graduation. Since my two older kids already had travel plans, I wanted to spend a few…
I recently took my teenage daughter on a short mother/daughter road trip, stopping in Philadelphia and New York City. Since I hadn’t been a tourist in Philadelphia for many years, I thought it would be fun to take a group tour of this historic city. I was searching for something that would give us an…
For the first summer in a long time, my family will probably just be taking some mini-vacations, and we are looking forward to exploring our beautiful home state of Virginia. Although I have lived in this state for now over 25+ years, there are many places and activities that I have yet to try. So,…
(Updated May 2026) When summer rolls around, most families are ready to forget about school and homework and head off on vacation. But wouldn’t it be cool to not only learn about George Washington in school, but to visit Mount Vernon where he lived, and walk through his garden? Or step back to…
One of our first big family road trips was a drive from Boston, Massachusetts to Bar Harbor, Maine. Along the way, we stopped at the giant L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport, ate lobster rolls in Wiscasset, and stayed overnight to explore scenic Boothbay Harbor. We were excited to arrive in Bar Harbor and…
Everyone knows that DC is a popular tourist town, filled with history and wonderful free museums. When the weather is nice, there are more options for outdoor enthusiasts or tourists looking for something a bit more adventurous. Here’s a short list to explore. Next time you visit DC, consider adding one of these 5 outdoor…
Photo: FamilyTravelsUSA As I was writing this article, I was feeling pretty good thinking about the number and types of museums that our family has visited over the years. These include places like the small town Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum in Winchester, Virginia, (a family favorite which recently expanded), to the amazing free Smithsonian Museums…
The official start of winter is just around the corner, and there is no telling what Mother Nature has in store. But if you love winter activities like skiing and snowboarding and live in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country, there are a surprising number of family-friendly ski resorts within a 3-4.5 hour…