Posts tagged travel blog
Hiking Roaring Run Furnace and Waterfall in Southwestern Virginia

Roaring Run Furnace is the site of a former iron furnace that operated in and around the 1840s, and this site is the only spot within the massive George Washington and Jefferson National Forest’s jurisdiction that is registered as a historical place, making it unique and an interesting spot to visit!

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In Search of Warmer Climes: December in Orlando and the Florida Coast

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.

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In Search of Warmer Climes: December in Savannah, Georgia

My 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.

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Hiking Fenwick Mines and Waterfall in Southwestern Virginia

The silver lining of this year of Covid is, for us, more incentive to explore our local area besides the standard, well-known spots. Because of the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Roanoke, Virginia, vicinity, there are a lot of very popular hiking spots, particularly during the shoulder seasons and especially for the fall colors. A few weeks ago, we headed to one such spot and ended up simply eating our picnic lunch in the car before heading home. Being on a crowded trail right now? No thank you!

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Virginia, Southeast US, United States, Adventures in TravelLindseybest fall drives in the Blue Ridge Mountains, best fall drives in Virginia, best fall drives near Roanoke VA, best fall drives in Craig County BA, best fall drives in Craig County VA, best fall drives in Botetourt VA, undiscovered fall drives in Virginia, secret fall drives in Virginia, best drives in Virginia for fall colors, best drives in Virginia for fall leaves, best autumn drives in Virginia, best autumn drives near Roanoke, where to see fall leaves in Virginia, where to see fall leaves in Southwestern Virginia, Fall drives in Botetourt County VA, waterfall hikes in Virginia, hikes near Salem VA, hikes near Roanoke VA, Fenwick Mines hike, Fenwick Mines Recreation Area in VA, waterfalls in virginia, waterfall hikes near Roanoke VA, what to expect at Fenwick Mines in Virginia, trail conditions of Fenwick Mines in Virginia, hiking in Craig County VA, hiking near Covington VA, hiking in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, short hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains, hiking in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains, Travel Blog, travel blog couple, travel couple, travel blog, travel photography blog, travel photography, travel blog photography, To Make Much of Time, To Make Much of Time travel blog, To Make Much of Time hiking recommendations, best fall hikes in Southwestern Virginia, best secret hikes near Roanoke, best kept secret hikes in Virginia, off the beaten path hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia Comments
Exploring Central Virginia’s History: A Weekend in Appomattox, Lynchburg, and Poplar Forest - Spotlight on Lynchburg

In April 2012, my mother and I booked a long-weekend trip to explore some new parts of the state. We stayed in Lynchburg as a central point, explored that city as well as made short trips to both Poplar Forest (Thomas Jefferson’s home, a retreat from Monticello) and Appomattox, a small town most famous as the site where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865, officially concluding the American Civil War.

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Summer in the Great Smoky Mountains: Cades Cove

Cades 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.

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A Week in Malta & Gozo - Victoria, Gozo and Cittadella (Day 5)

We started the day returning to our new favorite breakfast spot in Valletta and ended it by finding our new favorite dinner spot on Gozo. Sandwiched between those meals (pun definitely intended), we explored a final spot in Valletta - the mesmerizing St. John’s Co-Cathedral - took a cross-country car ride to the Malta to Gozo ferry, and explored the walled Cittadella, perched in the middle of Malta’s smaller island of Gozo. With two days in Gozo, we made sure to quickly get our bearings to enjoy this portion of our trip.

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Our Travel Blogging Year in Review {2019}

2019 was a big year for us as we officially launched our blog with the first post on March 4th! We also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on July 4th in Scotland. With 2020 on the horizon, we decided to sit down and reflect on this journey we’ve been on.

In retrospect, it seems surprising we never thought about travel blogging given our love of travel, writing, photography, and reading (often travel-inspired or travel-related). Writing the blog, sharing our experiences and travel stories with our readers, and working together on this creative endeavor have brought yes, more work, but also more fulfillment to our day-to-day lives.

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Scotland: Accommodations

Scotland is a diverse country - from bustling cities to popular rural outposts and small towns. In planning our 10-day road trip through the Highlands and Isle of Skye, we realized we couldn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to the five different locations where we needed to book overnight accommodations. Because we have only been to this portion of the country, we cannot speak to accommodation options outside of this region.

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Scotland Road Trip: Callander (Day 10)

Wanting to stay near town and avoid a lot of driving before our long flight and trek home the following day, we spoke with the B&B’s owners to get some recommendations on local hikes. We decided on Bracklinn Falls hike, which begins just a little over a mile outside of the town of Callander.

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Scotland Road Trip: Fort William to Callander (Day 9)

The ninth day of our road trip took us out of the Corpach/Fort William area, through Glencoe Valley, to the village of Luss on Loch Lomond in the Trossachs National Park and finally to the adorable town of Callander, the last stop of our trip and where we would stay for two nights.

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Scotland Road Trip: Edinburgh to Grantown-on-Spey (Day 3)

We left Edinburgh first thing in the morning and drove about 45 minutes west of town to Linlithgow Palace, situated about a block up the street from the main downtown of the small town of Linlithgow. This palace is definitely one of the top highlights of our trip. After our stop there, we visited a fascinating living history museum as we entered Cairngorms National Park.

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Scotland Road Trip: Edinburgh (Day 2)

Since we wanted to get an early start for our first and only full day in the city and to make it to Edinburgh Castle in time for our timed entry, we had picked up some breakfast supplies at Sainsbury’s the evening before. Still on a kick of croissants, a remnant from our trip to Paris a few months prior, we had picked some up along with yogurt, and ate in our apartment.

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Paris: A Week in the City of Love: Day 2 - Père Lachaise Cemetery, Place des Vosges, and Other Wanderings

If you like wandering without a goal in mind, Paris is a great city for absentminded discoveries. Our first full day in the city can be summed up in that sentence. Along the way we explored a huge section of the city on foot, wandered much of the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery, lunched in the oldest planned square in the city at Place des Vosges, which dates to the 17th century, and dined casually along the Seine.

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A Day at Montpelier

Since 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.

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A Day at Monticello

Monticello 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.

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A path through Virginia presidential history

In 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!

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Charlottesville: a tourist in my old town

In April 2018, I visited Charlottesville for a long weekend and enjoyed spending time as a tourist in a town that used to be mine. But it also led to some interesting reflections on how the city has always been and how it has changed, as well as how my own view as an adult has evolved.

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Get to Know Local History: Blue Ridge Folklife Festival

The annual Blue Ridge Folklife Festival held at Ferrum College in Ferrum, Virginia, has been my window into learning more about the history of my local region: Appalachia. There is an entire culture of mule jumping, clogging, and more that I had no idea existed until my three visits over the last decade to this event.

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Camping in Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park has some amazing campgrounds that we have enjoyed over years and years. Read about our favorite spots and hikes here!

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