After touring some of Savannah’s Spanish-moss ridden highlights, we hit the road for the drive to Orlando, about 4 hours in length as a straight shot. For a portion of the way, we took a coastal road as we approached St. Augustine, Florida.
Read MoreMy favorite part of Savannah is the feeling it evokes - the Gothic architecture of its historic houses, Spanish moss, wrought iron fences, and statues. Even in the winter, there is a sense that the heavy southern humidity is on the fringe, waiting to slither back in at its first opportunity and rest its heavy weight upon your chest.
Read MoreCades Cove is a valley that had been frequented by Cherokee hunters and was settled in the 1820s by Europeans who built a community in the valley. About 100 years later, the states of Tennessee and North Carolina were purchasing land for what would become the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and Cades Cove was in the middle of the area. Some of the community sold their property willingly, others signed agreements whereby they could live out their lives on the land and that it would be granted to the national park posthumously, and other families fought the efforts in court.
Read MoreTo celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary in 2012, we booked a long weekend at a cabin in the mountains near Gatlinburg, TN, with the primary purpose of exploring the Great Smoky Mountains which neither of us had visited before.
Read MoreIn April 2016, we spent 4 days in Charleston with a day-trip to a really cool island off the coast. We actually had to cut the trip a day short because we got sick and so got to miss seeing a few other sights but still had a wonderful time.
First, a short geography lesson - Charleston is a 17 mile long peninsula sandwiched between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. At its tip is Charleston Harbor, an inlet just off of the Atlantic Ocean. In the downtown portion, the width of the peninsula is about a mile, with the downtown area in a 4-5 square mile area. In short, it is incredibly walkable. And with so much to see, walking around the city is a great way to go!
Read MoreIf you were playing a game of word association and someone said ‘Bermuda’, the words that would likely come to mind would be warm-weather related words like beach, ocean, and snorkeling. Bermuda also has a good number of off-season options if you prefer to explore the other activities provided by the island nation and - better yet - to avoid crowds.
Read MoreSince James Madison died at his home, Montpelier, in 1836, the home has gone through renovations and updates - most notoriously by the DuPont family. In more recent years, time has been unraveled as archaeologists and historians have sought to remove the more modern updates and return the home to the most accurate version of James and Dolley Madison’s home.
Read MoreMonticello is more than a quick house tour - we spent most of a day there exploring the house, museum, gardens, and Mulberry Row, the center of the world for Monticello’s enslaved population. Read more about our visit and discover tips for yours.
Read MoreIn April 2018, I spent a long weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, with my mom. We both have an affinity for history and archaeology. If you have similar interests, you will find this itinerary to your liking and a long weekend a perfect amount of time!
Read MoreShenandoah National Park has some amazing campgrounds that we have enjoyed over years and years. Read about our favorite spots and hikes here!
Read MoreLooking to explore some of Virginia’s small towns? Bedford is an easy drive from Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Smith Mountain Lake.
Read MoreHigh on a bank looking eastward over the Potomac River sits Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home. The setting is so beautiful, it’s a wonder he was ever lured from there to engage in the founding of and leading a new country. Washington’s father owned the land, which had some smaller buildings on it. By 1758, Washington started building an expansion to the existing building and by 1774, he started adding the wings onto the house, the cupola, and other elements that define it today.
Read MoreThe Battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg? The battle is referred to both ways, and it’s not uncommon for Civil War battles to have two names, one named by the North, one by the South. Learn more about our trip to the site, how photography impacted our experience of the hiking trails we took, and why Antietam is known as the bloodiest day of the Civil War.
Read MoreDue to the aligning of certain factors, Waterford ended up uniquely preserved with many homes and buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Read MoreTo understand Biltmore, you must first understand the breadth of the estate and the size of the house. The house was completed in 1895 and is the largest home in America even today with a whopping square footage of over 178,000 sq feet split into 250 rooms, including 43 bathrooms in an era where any indoor bathrooms were uncommon. The estate includes the home, gardens, a shopping village with winery, and more.
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