When we are planning a long road trip, we always try to build in stops to eat, stretch our legs, and take potty breaks. It makes long stretches more bearable. When the opportunity presents itself, we like to see what might be on the way and take in the sights or visit new places. On our trip from Baltimore to Charleston, SC, we found a museum that we just can’t say enough good things about, The Airborne and Special Operations Museum. With Fayetteville being just outside of Fort Bragg, NC it seemed appropriate to experience some armed service history in this military town. And besides, we just wanted a quick…

I have always been a sucker for a great story! And history to me has always been more than just words on a slick, white textbook page. Those books were chronicles of lives. Real lives of real people whose legacies survived time for one reason or another. Some good, some bad. In fact, I would argue that history is one of the most poorly taught subjects in school. It is typically dry and nothing more than a memorization and regurgitation of dates. But for me, a self-professed history nerd, I love being places where I can walk in the footsteps of founding fathers or suffragette mothers. I love to feel…

Nestled in the valley, off a little country road in Berks County, Pennsylvania is the little Christmas town, now tradition, known as Koziar’s Christmas village. This delightful little hamlet has welcomed families for over 70 years. This family farm didn’t set out to be an attraction, but through the years people couldn’t help but stop. The Spring Lake Dairy Farm, as it was known in 1948, was home to William M. Koziar and his family. William began to decorate the house with lights for the joy and amusement of his wife, Grace, and their four children. Each year, he added on to his festive display, until it covered the barn,…

A trip to Dollywood is like stepping back in time. The streets are filled with penny drug stores and ice cream shops, and the Team Members are decked in nostalgia, complete with vest or pinafore. This one of a kind family oriented theme park didn’t always boast the name of it’s namesake, the unmistakeable Ms. Dolly Parton. In the 1970’s is was known as Silver Dollar City. Tony remembers visiting with his parents and his little brother. With all the possible things that could have stuck in his little boy mind, from a steam engine to the blacksmith shop, his most profound memory of this family vacation is pork rinds.…

The horizon line of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee captivates for two reasons. First is the Great Smoky Mountains with their mystical mist. The Cherokee called the vapor “blue smoke” and considered the area to be a sacred place. The second is the 200 feet of The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel at The Island at Pigeon Forge. We stumbled on The Island purely by accident in our travels around Pigeon Forge. Fall was in full bloom and the sun was warm and inviting. So we turned into the huge FREE parking lot, complete with running shuttle trams, on a whim. That is one of the things that we enjoy most about road…

Fifteen miles east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the streets are lined with silver “KISS” lamp posts and the smell of chocolate permeates the air. The small fourteen and a half mile town bears the name of it’s founder, humanitarian and philanthropist, Milton S. Hershey. Welcome to Hershey, Pennsylvania, the “sweetest place on earth.” Mr. Hershey originally opened his Hershey Park in 1907 as a place for workers and residents of the factory town to enjoy with their families. A large expanse of landscaped ground allowed for picnicking, as well as boating and canoeing on Spring Creek. In 1908 rides and attractions started to be added, beginning with a merry-go-round with a…