 This summer was the year of mini-vacations for my family, and everywhere we went there was no shortage of hometown food favorites. I enjoyed my first visit to historic markets in Philadelphia and Washington, DC, along with discovering an amazing summer outdoor food venue in New York City. Of course, since we were in New York, we also had to make a stop at our favorite candy shop, Dylan’s Candy Bar. Read on to find out more about these popular destinations for food lovers and the local specialties that make them great.
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 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 to take my family and go. I was excited to see how National Geographic would bring to life the popular movie series, so we headed into DC one recent afternoon. For all you Hollywood fans, explorers and adventurers, here are several reasons to check out this unique exhibit, and unleash your inner Indiana Jones.
 Are you ready to celebrate? In August, 2016, the National Park Service turns 100, with special events and programs all year long. There has never been a better time to visit our wonderful National Parks, and if you need more convincing, here are 5 amazing reasons to visit your favorite park.
 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,” Smith Mountain Lake has over 500 miles of shoreline, and combines the best of lake life with the scenic backdrop of the Blue Ridge mountains. It’s the ultimate family bonding experience when you are all together on a 39’ boat for a few days! Here’s what I discovered during our 3-day houseboating adventure on Smith Mountain Lake, including 6 helpful tips for first-time houseboaters.
*This post was updated April, 2023  Summer is in full swing and as the days get hotter, it’s a wonderful time to visit what I consider to be some of DC’s most interesting attractions. As a bonus, they are all inside, so its perfect for those dog days of summer. Although the city is filled with the fabulous and free Smithsonian complex of museums, I think these three gems are worth the price of admission.
 Taking a short mother/daughter road trip right after school gets out might be my new summer tradition! Last week I posted about our Urban Adventure Tour in Philadelphia, but I wanted to follow that with a more detailed post about the rest of our mini road trip. 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 days doing something special with my youngest teenage daughter. The trip was a combination of farm fun (my daughter loves animals), local foods, history, a haunted prison tour and a day shopping in NYC. Other than the really hot weather, it was awesome!
*This post was updated June, 2020  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 up close look at all the wonderful sites Philadelphia has offer, while keeping a teenager engaged. After doing some quick research on the internet, I was able to book a “History in HD” tour with Urban Adventures. Here are 5 reasons you should consider an Urban Adventure tour on your next trip to Philly.
 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 over 20+ years, there are many places and activities that I have yet to try. So, with the help of the “Virginia is for Lovers” website, I have put together 10 fun things to do in Virginia this summer. I’m excited to have a go-to list so that when my teenagers have a few days free here and there, we can take off and try something new.
This post was updated May, 2017
Now that summer is almost here, 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 colonial times in historic Williamsburg and experience life as it was back in the 1700’s? Here are 5 fun ways to make history come alive on your next family vacation. Depending on where you live, these places would be fun for a long weekend or a 3 or 4 day mini vacation. 
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 explore the small town, along with nearby Acadia National Park. It was the first of many national park road trips that we took as a family. Upon arrival in Bar Harbor, we had an unexpected glitch with our accommodations. The good news was it led to an upgrade to the Harborside Hotel, centrally located in downtown Bar Harbor. This certainly made our stay even better as we now had walking access to local restaurants and the harbor. Here’s our list of cool things to do when visiting Bar Harbor. *This post was updated April, 2022 |
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