Virginia Destinations

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FloydFest: A Musical Journey

06-03-2013

I peek through the window of my tent and see it’s morning. Ross, my 17-year-old, lies...

Foodie Weekend in D.C.

05-01-2013

Traveling wakes up the senses, and what better way to explore tastes, smells, and textures than...

Time Well Spent at Virginia State Parks

04-02-2013

Here amid unspoiled wilderness, the sound of the wind whistling through the treetops is all you...

Summer in the Rockies - Pt. 2

04-02-2013

A palpable sense of energy surrounds Colorado’s capital region. Here where the Great Plains end and...

Summer in the Rockies

03-03-2013

Imagine a perfect summer day. A gentle wind washes over you as the sun beams down...

Riding the Rails in Europe

02-03-2013

The first time I used a Eurail Pass was in 1982 when I was visiting Europe...

Where Dreams Come True: Palm Beach

01-03-2013

As the late afternoon drifts downward, Peter and I quickly change into our suits and rush...

Rolling Round D.C.

11-24-2012

“This is fun!” says Maria, my Dutch friend as she zips around in circles on her...

Alexandria: Connected to the Past

11-02-2012

The door creaked open on the second floor of the Stabler-Leadbetter Apothecary Museum in Alexandria’s Old...

The Simple Pleasures of Spain

10-02-2012

Vacationing is all about balance for me. My goal is to balance adventure and exploration with...

Flavorful Valencia

09-05-2012

It was obvious we were lost. It was so obvious in fact that a well-dressed couple...

Nature’s Playground: Iceland

08-02-2012

Nature’s Playground: Iceland Blue skies and sunshine would have been nice, but when we landed in Iceland...

The Pride of Crystal Coast

06-30-2012

Like a shimmering mirage, the wild horses of Shackleford Banks seem to float on the waters...

Talbot County: An Idyllic Escape

06-01-2012

The open door beckoned. Inside silver jewelry glittered like crystals. My friend, Alexis, and I were...

African Safari Adventure

05-01-2012

Goodness reaches out. She extends her hand in welcome, her handshake soft, tentative, her skin, as...

Lost and Found in Chicago

05-01-2012

I stood in front of the Buddha statue at the Art Institute of Chicago and learned something...

Charlottesville: In Pursuit of Happiness

04-01-2012

The ghost of Thomas Jefferson presides in the rolling hills around Charlottesville—under the eaves of Monticello,...

Extraordinary New Orleans

03-19-2012

It’s no secret that New Orleans is one of my favorite cities. Its unique small-town vibe,...

Ireland: Off Track

03-13-2012

Impressive, daunting, and vast, Europe’s capital cities can be overwhelming, especially to first-time visitors. Faced with...

Ireland: A Place with Heart

03-13-2012

Every place has a history, but in Ireland the past seems more tangible. Maybe it’s because...

World-Class Cincinnati

02-07-2012

Whenever I travel, I always seek the unique qualities of a place. I taste its flavors,...

Artful Discoveries in Taos

02-05-2012

His name was Michael. I met him in New Mexico on a drizzly night in spring....

Utah! Greatest Snow on Earth

02-05-2012

I stand near the top of a steep mountain in Utah. The scenery is stunning—white-capped mountains...

Happy Endings in Seven Springs

02-05-2012

I’ve never skied in Switzerland. Yet as I zigzagged across the Alpine Meadow, my husband a...

Adventures in Ecuador - Pt. 2

01-30-2012

The animal market in Otavalo, is a tapestry in motion, a colorful, textured, noisy tapestry that...

Winter in the South of France

01-11-2012

I have always been enamored of France. I love Edith Piaf, the art of the Impressionists,...

A Treehouse in Jamaica

01-09-2012

“Mom, it’s a mongoose!” Ross says in a hushed voice. We watch the slender creature slink...

Cancun Rhythms

01-09-2012

I’m swimming in darkness, but I’m not afraid. The flowing water—black, slightly cool—carries me effortlessly along....

Into the Wild: Yosemite

01-09-2012

“Look out for the bears,” the hiker said as he passed Judy and me during our...

Adventures in Ecuador - Pt. 1

01-04-2012

Verdant, flowering shrubs lined the path as my husband, Peter, and I strolled under Ecuador’s evening...

Romantic Amsterdam

11-18-2011

A warm rain began to fall moments after my husband and I sat down on a...

USVI: Edge of a Dream

10-24-2011

I was floating somewhere between Tortola and Jost Van Dyke, where the Atlantic and the Caribbean intermingle...

Connecting in Panama

10-02-2011

I always believed I was my father’s favorite child. I’m sure each of my siblings believed...

Pizza To Die For in New Haven

09-11-2011

Stand in line for pizza? You must be kidding, I thought as I approached Pepe’s Pizza...

Enchanting Puerto Rico

09-11-2011

Large raindrops pelted the roof of our van as it climbed up a mountain road, deep...

Jordan: Lessons from the Holy Land

09-11-2011

Just before dawn, the dark streets of Amman feel more cool than dusty, like the...

Rafting Adventure in West Virginia

09-02-2011

Sometimes when you travel you have to face your fears. At least that’s what people say....

Ritzy Girlfriend Getaway

08-13-2011

Silky notes from a golden harp float across the sun-dappled dining room, where fine settings of...

The Spirit of Arizona

08-01-2011

As I sit in the desert twilight, swirls of sunset colors wash the air in shades...

Summer at Wisp Resort

08-01-2011

“Any day I get to be on a bike is a good day,” said Clark Lanthier,...

Oh, Shenandoah!

08-01-2011

Taking a teen on vacation is always a gamble. If you’re lucky and your teen is...

The Aloha Spirit

07-15-2011

My sons and I awoke before sunrise and slipped out of our cottage at Turtle Bay...

Enchanting Kauai

07-15-2011

I almost lost my husband in Kauai. I already lost a friend there. No, I don’t...

Nemacolin Woodlands Resort

07-15-2011

Ross digs diligently in the sand, swift strokes that probe deeper and deeper. “I found something,”...

Haciendas by Horseback

07-15-2011

Think Mexico. Do you conjure up images of waves breaking on sandy beaches and gleaming resorts...

D.C. Girlfriend Getaway

07-08-2011

As I stood in the Experience Shower at D.C.’s Mandarin Oriental Spa staring at all...

Friendly Philly

07-07-2011

I’m always wary of friendly strangers especially in another city, especially when I think the...

Texas Hill Country

07-07-2011

A flower-scented courtyard surrounded by lush tropical plants reveals glowing torches and five waist-high, linen-draped tables...

Mythic Arizona

07-07-2011

I couldn’t believe my eyes. A blanket of white fog shrouded one of the world’s...

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

07-07-2011

Last fall I petted a bear cub, rowed a tranquil river, climbed historic lighthouses, and biked...

Created from the Heart

05-11-2011

Just north of Pittbsurgh, where interstates give way to rolling hills, farms, and thick forests, I...

Escape to Boar’s Head Inn

05-11-2011

When someone handed me a glass of pinot gris at the beginning of the 10 a.m....

Wine Country Weekend

05-11-2011

When I received noticed that I’d won the Grand Prize in a Virginia Tourism contest I’d...

Escape to the Desert

04-03-2011

In the Pima language, there is no word for hello or goodbye. Tribal members greet...

Phoenix by Light Rail

03-04-2011

Many Phoenix visitors barely glimpse downtown as they speed from the airport toward one of...

Connecting with Cleveland

01-03-2011

Fair breezes waft gently down from nearby Lake Erie as I tour a small farm...

Soul-Stirring Santa Barbara

11-29-2010

Among the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains, I strolled along a wooded path, my...

Germany: The New Europe

11-03-2010

Inside a cylindrical glass tower 20 stories high, my husband, Peter, and I twirled in...

California Dreaming

11-01-2010

People who live in California must have good karma. That’s what my husband, Peter, and I...

Virginia’s Eastern Shore

10-01-2010

How would you describe Virginia’s Eastern Shore? If you’re like me, the southern side of...

Celebrating the Cocktail

09-01-2010

Imagine New Orleans in July. You can almost feel the sweat forming on your brow and...

Busch Gardens

08-01-2010

Before you even enter the gates, you hear the shrieks of sheer elation reverberating among...

Roaming Around Richmond

07-01-2010

Ross, our 14-year-old, is a typical teen who plays too many video games, watches too...

Prince William County

06-01-2010

Just up the road a piece, a tranquil county spreads across Northern Virginia. Most of us,...

Mexico Musings

06-01-2010

Drive to Mexico? When I proposed a trip to Mexico by car during Christmas break...

A Good Time in San Antonio

04-01-2010

Best known for its lovely River Walk area that cuts through the downtown area along the...

Daydreaming in the Keys

03-01-2010

Kick off your dress shoes and grab a pair of flip flops. Toss your work attire...

Louisville, Kentucky

02-03-2010

“We don’t strut here. We’re just folks...,” says Louisville music reviewer Mat Herron. It’s an...

Prague: Full of Passion

02-03-2010

The first time you visit a new place, as you stroll along its streets, taste its...

Impressions of Half Moon Bay

02-03-2010

Whenever I travel to a new city, I find myself trying it on for size, seeing...

Southern Sweden

01-03-2010

It’s every parent’s nightmare: you’re on vacation and your child has an accident. Last summer in...

Charming Czech Republic

01-03-2010

After we returned from an eleven-day trip to Europe last summer, my husband remarked, “That was the...

Grenada, the Spice Isle

01-02-2010

As the sun dips down in a tangerine sky, I drop my sandals under a sea...

Weekend in Williamsburg

01-01-2010

Any time you try to mix education with fun on a family vacation, you’re never quite...

Normandy, France.

12-03-2009

When most Americans think of Normandy, WWII battle scenes of soldiers storming the beaches come to...

Mid Coast Maine

12-03-2009

Did you know that lobsters—those tasty crustaceans synonymous with Maine—used to be considered garbage? “They were first...

A Natural Escape

10-01-2009

I’d never seen anything like it. As soon as I cast my line out into the...

Phoenix: Find Your Pleasure

09-03-2009

One morning I awakened just before sunrise and pulled on my hiking boots. Half a mile...

Under Mexico’s Spell

09-01-2009

Choosing to visit Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city, was a bit like closing my eyes...

Escape to Chicago

07-03-2009

In the shadow of a giant Picasso statue on Chicago’s Daley Plaza, cyclists gather. It’s...

D.C. With Kids

02-03-2009

Dressed to the nines, my youngest son admired his image in the mirror of our room...

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