Category: East Coast, USA

East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Museums

CHILDREN’S GARDENS OF THE US- THE NORTHEAST

I have been visiting Children’s Garden up the East Coast since 2008, when my co-worker Emily Clack and I presented in Delaware at the Annual American Horticultural Society’s Youth Gardening Symposium. Since then family trips have take us from Winterthur Garden & Museum in Delaware up to Coastal Maine Botanic Garden. Find More Children’s Gardens:Children’s Gardens of the SouthChildren’s Gardens of the WestChildren’s Gardens of … Continue reading CHILDREN’S GARDENS OF THE US- THE NORTHEAST

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East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Outer Banks, North Carolina

Roanoke Island, North Carolina

North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island North Carolina Aquariums have three campuses; Roanoke Island, Pine Knoll Shores, and Fort Fisher. The Roanoke Island museum features indoor exhibits and a large outdoor nature trail. The museum hosts the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation Center, with each rescued turtle’s information displayed. In the next space, children learn about sea turtle conservation through a series of interactive exhibits. … Continue reading Roanoke Island, North Carolina

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East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Maine, USA, Most Recent Travel, New England, USA, Uncategorized

1750 Miles, 14 Days, FROM Virginia to Maine- Summer 2021

, Day 1- Norfolk, VA TO Philadelphia, PA via EAstern Shore Day 2- Philadelphia, PA TO Waterbury, CT via Winterthur Museum & Gardens, Philadelphia Botanical Garden & Cold Springs, NY Day 3- Waterbury, CT TO Harpswell, ME via Freeport, ME Day 4- Harpswell, ME Day 5- Harpswell, ME TO North Conway, NH Day 6- North Conway, NH TO Mount Washington area, via StoryLand Day 7- … Continue reading 1750 Miles, 14 Days, FROM Virginia to Maine- Summer 2021

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East Coast, USA, Uncategorized, Washington DC

Washington DC- Smithsonian History & Culture museums

Take some time to visit the Smithsonian Museums to learn about the many stories that come together to create the American experience (spoiler alert: it’s ain’t all apple pie and baseball games). Not all of the Smithsonian Museums have fully reopened in 2021. Please check the Smithsonian website for the most up to date information. American History Museum The National Museum of American History holds … Continue reading Washington DC- Smithsonian History & Culture museums

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East Coast, USA, Family Travel, National Parks, Uncategorized, Washington DC

Washington DC- Memorials & places For Remembrance and reflection

All off the National Memorials are free to visit (the only place on this blog that requires a fee to tour is the Washington National Cathedral), and most are easy to see in less than a full day. The circulator bus is $1/person/ride and provides easy access to all of the monuments around the Tidal Basin and Reflecting Pool. Use the National Parks Jr. Ranger … Continue reading Washington DC- Memorials & places For Remembrance and reflection

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East Coast, USA, Uncategorized, Washington DC

Washington DC Science Museums

The National Mall is home to three science museums, including The National Air and Space Museum and the Museum of Natural History, two of the most iconic Smithsonian Institutions. At the East end of the Mall, next to the Capitol, is the United States Botanic Garden. From the Smithsonian Metro station, you can easily get to the Zoo with just one switch to the Red … Continue reading Washington DC Science Museums

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East Coast, USA, Uncategorized, Washington DC

Washington DC- Art Museums

The National Mall is flanked on each end by The Capitol building and The Lincoln Memorial. The Mall is home to four Smithsonian Museums that have primarily art collections: The Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, The National Museum of African Art, and the National Museum of Asian Art. The National Gallery of Art is also on the Mall, with two buildings connected by a tunnel … Continue reading Washington DC- Art Museums

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East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Jen Stays Home, Most Recent Travel, Virginia

Historic Jamestown, Virginia

I have an extremely long history of visiting the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown, dating back to a “field trip” from Ohio in 1992. (I remember I was reading Silence of the Lambs at the time, as every “normal” sixth grader was at the time.) My second trip was as a high school sophomore for my history class. My third was in 2006, … Continue reading Historic Jamestown, Virginia

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East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Jen Stays Home, Most Recent Travel, Virginia

The Virginia Living Museum, May 2021

Indoor Animal Exhibits The bulk of The Living Museum’s collection is made of of live animals (hence the name), highlighting the animals that live in Virginia (and its coast and waterways). Galleries are divided into ocean, nocturnal, western piedmont, and underground habitats. The exhibits all connect to atriums that each have a canopy walkaway and aquarium path underneath. The highlight of every visit for our … Continue reading The Virginia Living Museum, May 2021

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East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Outer Banks, North Carolina

OBX, May 2021

Salt Box Cafe & Dessert Salt Box Cafe, hidden in the Colington section of Kill Devil Hills has been our take-out option for the last year. This trip we dined in person. The restaurant is small, so reservations fill quickly, but the screened in patio takes walk-ins. We followed our serene upscale dining experience with a stop at the tourist trap, Sugar Kingdom. At the … Continue reading OBX, May 2021

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Art Museums, Family Travel, Jen Stays Home, Museums, Norfolk, Virginia

Barry Art Museum, May, 2021

The Barry Art Museum is on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk. Admittedly, despite living within walking distance, this was our first visit as a family. With just an hour we only had time to dive into three of the four galleries. Orchids: Attraction & Deception ODU and Norfolk Botanical Garden partner to share the University’s orchid collection in the Garden’s Tropical Display … Continue reading Barry Art Museum, May, 2021

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Family Travel, Jen Stays Home, Most Recent Travel, Norfolk, Virginia

The Chrysler Museum of Art, May 2021

The Chrysler Museum of Art offers free admission with timed tickets. I’ve always considered the collection at the museum to be disproportionally large for a city the size of Norfolk. It wouldn’t do it much justice to cover in just one post. The glass collection is the most prominent, so we will start there with our May visit. Disclaimer; I have no expertise in art. … Continue reading The Chrysler Museum of Art, May 2021

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East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Outer Banks, North Carolina

Walking OBX, April 2021

Hatteras Village- Frisco Our jumping off point for Hatteras has always been Hatteras Landing by Kees Vacations. The small “resort” is a series of small condos, each individually owned and decorated. Our most recent accommodation was completely updated. The resort is a quick walk across the road to a public access beach. If you have a more sandworthy vehicle than our Subaru Forester, you can … Continue reading Walking OBX, April 2021

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East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Outer Banks, North Carolina

Portsmouth Island, North Carolina

Portsmouth Village Portsmouth Village has been abandoned since 1971, and the remaining buildings are managed by the National Park Service. There were no volunteers or staff during our visit, but many of the the structures have been turned into museums and were open to tour. The Theodore and Annie Salter House and Visitor Center features exhibits that provide a cultural history of the people of … Continue reading Portsmouth Island, North Carolina

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Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, National Parks, Virginia

Appalachian Foothills, Virginia- March, 2021

airbnb Prior to 2020, we stayed almost exclusively in hotels and at resorts. With social distancing we began using AirBNB. This weekend, severe storms thwarted our trip to OBX, so we decided to look elsewhere. Phenix, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge foothills, would never have been on our travel list if it weren’t for AirBNB. Our rental was confirmed at 8:30am and two hours later … Continue reading Appalachian Foothills, Virginia- March, 2021

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Family Travel, Most Recent Travel, Virginia

Occoquan, Virginia February 2021

We have somehow passed Occoquan countless times on our way to Washington, D.C. without knowing it existed. Alex was scheduled to travel to D.C. for a meeting (the first trip in almost a year of what was a regular occurrence prior to COVID). We used the short trip as an opportunity for Alice and I to tag along. (One of the few virtues of virtual … Continue reading Occoquan, Virginia February 2021

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East Coast, USA, Family Travel

Georgia Coast, USA

Savannah We’ve visited Savannah over a dozen times and it never disappoints; it’s an easy city to see without much of an itinerary outside of parking your car and going for a walk. On our first trip, we started at Savannah History Museum, and it provided a good overview of the city. It also houses Forrest Gump’s bench and the statue from Midnight in the … Continue reading Georgia Coast, USA

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East Coast, USA, Family Travel, Most Recent Travel

Okracoke Island for the Holidays

November & December, 2020 Ocracoke Island is at the southern tip of the Outer Banks of North Carolina and can only accessed by ferry. A Beach (Mostly) to Yourself In 2020, I set the lofty goal of walking 20.20 miles in one day by the end of the year. I accomplished my goal on Ocracoke Island, with a series of walks up the entire coast … Continue reading Okracoke Island for the Holidays

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