Tag Archives: road trip
West Coast Dreaming: The Upcoming Summer Roadtrip
I know. We are still in the dead of winter and here I am already talking about summer. But, you know, that’s how we do it. Wanderlust is a crazy, crazy thing. You set your mind and heart on the place where your finger landed on the map and it’s all wheels in motion from there to make it happen.
Truth is, we’ve had to cancel our plans for a West coast road trip once before, but 2013 is our year. Reservations have already been made, and tickets are “this close” to being purchased.
Holidays at Hershey, PA
Since my family and I visited Hershey, PA a summer ago, we have been wanting to return. For my kids, as for most people, Hershey, PA is all about Hersheypak and the rides. But we found that even when most of the rides are closed during the colder months, there is still enough to do to fill up a weekend visit.
The ride to Hershey, PA is about 2 hours from our NJ neighborhood (2.5 from NYC). There is no colorful foliage anymore during this time of year, but when there is the drive can be quite lovely.
The small town of Hershey, PA was founded by Milton S. Hershey in the early 1900s. The town was built for his employees and their family and included various housing structures at affordable prices as well as parks, schools, community center, theater, sports arena and stadium, as well as The Hershey Hotel.
A Visit to Princeton, NJ
One of the things that I am loving about living in New Jersey is how easily and quickly it is to access smaller, cute towns that make for either great family getaways or romantic destinations.
What most people know about Princeton, NJ is limited to the university that share it’s name. And though Princeton University, the fourth-oldest college in the United States, is certainly a sight to behold and a wonderful place to walk through, the township of Princeton itself has a lot more to offer.
Fall Road Trippin’ to the Finger Lakes
Sometimes one just needs to get away.
These past couple of months I have been home working and dealing with all the fun of getting the kids acclimated to school and schedules and routines. In between, my days have been consumed with work and emails and deadlines.
At the end of the day, when kids are in bed, my husband and I are left with very little to give each other other than warm cuddles on the couch in front of the television falling asleep to polar bears on the Discovering Channel. After a few weeks of this, one starts to feel a little older, a little less exciting, a shadow of who we used to be a few years before.
Fall Fun at Blue Mountain Ski in The Poconos, PA
Many of us are planning short road trips in search of the perfect foliage, and the perfect pumpkin. One fun destination, full of Fall colors and Halloween fun, is the Poconos in PA. While there, you should check out the Mountain Harvest Festival at Blue Mountain Ski Area taking place every Saturday and Sunday till Oct. 31.
Visitors who attend the Mountain Harvest Festival are most drawn to the “Amazing Maize Corn Maze,” which commemorates the original Lehigh Canal, a 46-mile stretch of towpaths that ran from Jim Thorpe to Easton, Pa. Visitors entering the 2-mile long maze will embark on a twisty adventure, collecting eight Maze Map pieces from Lockboxes in each of the maze’s eight dead ends. When pasted correctly onto the “Amazing Maize Maze Gameboard,” these pieces will form a map of the Corn Canal to help lead guests from the first dock to the “Victory Aqueduct.”
Favorite Apple & Pumpkin Picking Spots in NY & NJ
‘Tis the season for apple and pumpkin picking! Are you as giddy as we are yet?
I wanted to list all of the orchards and farms that we have discovered over the years, places that have been the most fun, the most kid friendly, and which have helped to create a beautiful experience for us. Some are in NY, some are in NJ. Except for Pumpkinville in Toano, VA, which we came across on a weekend trip to Colonial Williamsburg (not to be confused with Pumpkinville in Great Valley, NY, which is also a blast!)
Visiting farms is a favorite pass time this time of year for us, and as the kids get older our list continues to grow! We will be adding more to this list, so make sure you bookmark it and keep checking back!
Philadelphia with Kids in Tow
I haven’t been to Philadelphia in years, and my husband – who is from Wisconsin – has always wanted to check it out. Because we had such a great 4th of July in Washington, DC a couple of years back, we thought it would be fun to celebrate the 4th in yet another very patriotic US city, so we made plans to check out what Philly has to offer.
It was quite possibly the hottest few days of the season, but with so many museums to visit we actually managed it all fairly well. The crowds were never too much, lines never too long, and Center City, where we stayed, is pretty manageable by foot.
The Six Best Surf Towns in the U.S.
Surfing is different from other sports in that it can’t be done just anywhere. It’s so dependent on the weather and the waves that only a handful of beaches stand out as excellent surf spots. This exclusive nature turns hardcore surfers into nomads, traveling the world in search of the next big swell. There are a lot of beaches out there, but for the die-hard surfers, these are the six best surf towns to visit in the United States.
Indulging the Foodie at Finger Lakes
I recently wrote about my girlfriend getaway to the Finger Lakes – where we had a wonderful time – and now I wanted to highlight the few places where we ate.
I have been told that Finger Lakes has quite a food scene going on, and I would have to say that based on just the few places I tried, they truly have something great going on.
There’s a lot of respect and consideration for the local farmer and purveyor of food, and the Upstate New York region has a lot to offer the foodie wanting to vacation in there. They also host an annual Finger Lakes Wine Festival (July 13-15 in 2012), and other culinary events that bring together chefs, experts and food lovers from all over.
In my trip, I got to check out individual eateries and locations that are must-sees when visiting.
Adventures Galore at Finger Lakes, New York
The first time I heard about the Finger Lakes in upstate New York was while sipping on one of their delicious red wines and laughing it up with one of their lovely tourism representatives – the ladies are indeed lovely, but the wine definitely helped bring on the laughter.
At first I thought it was no more than just a lovely wine area with its over 100 world class wineries, making it the country’s top wine producing regions known for its Rieslings, Gewurztraminer and Ice Wine.
