Southern US
Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina
-
On top of Arkansas: Mount Magazine
The thing I love so much about this highpointing goal is that it encourages me to travel to places I’d never visit otherwise. Case in point: Mount Magazine, the highest point in Arkansas. Sure, there’s a state park here, and some trails and a river and other scenery. But it’s a big world full of… Continue reading
-
A snowy visit to Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
If ever there was a time to visit a national park where you’re allowed to actually soak in its natural hot spring water, it was the end of January 2026. We arrived in the aftermath of a massive winter storm, snow and sleet and ice still coating the sidewalks and even some of the roads.… Continue reading
-
A long weekend in central Arkansas
I have a tendency to plan trips when I’m bored. Most of the time, these planning sessions don’t lead to an actual trip, but rather an itinerary for some hypothetical time in the future… which is always nice when said hypothetical time presents itself and most of the planning is already done. At some point… Continue reading
-
LBJ National Historical Park and Presidential Library, Texas
Despite falling somewhat in the middle of the “which state is home to the most US presidents” list, Texas actually tops the list of “which state has the most presidential libraries” with three. Of those three, though, only one commemorates a president who was actually born in Texas: Lyndon Baines Johnson or, as he’s commonly… Continue reading
-
Hiking in Texas Hill Country: Inks Lake State Park and Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge
In the past few years, my uncle has rediscovered his love of hiking and has pretty thoroughly explored the trails around Austin. Sharing some of his favorite hikes with us was one of the things he was most excited for during our visit, and my mom and I were looking forward to getting out into… Continue reading
-
Spanish colonial history at the San Antonio missions
If you say the words “San Antonio” and “missions,” the first thing to come to mind for most people would probably be the Alamo. And while the Alamo is indeed a former mission, it’s just one of the more than twenty Catholic missions built by the Spanish in the early 1700s. It’s also – and… Continue reading
-
Springtime in Austin, Texas
My aunt and uncle moved to the suburbs of Austin, Texas almost six years ago, and they’ve been trying to get us to come visit ever since. But my extended family is spread across multiple states. Add in my inlaws, and now we’re up to over a dozen. In other words, they’re everywhere, which makes… Continue reading
-
Uncovering my inner umbraphile – total solar eclipse 2024
When I asked my husband what he wanted to do for his birthday this year, he answered immediately and without hesitation: travel to see the total solar eclipse! For perspective, I typically ask him this question months in advance because he’s usually quite indecisive. Given the certainty in his answer this time, I started planning… Continue reading
-
Westward Bound, part I – New England to Kentucky
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I hadn’t planned to spend so many years in New England. And I certainly never expected that I’d be sad to leave. Admittedly, I wasn’t sad to leave behind the humidity and the brutal winters and the traffic and the rude drivers (because yes, New England drivers really… Continue reading
-
On Top of: Tennessee & North Carolina
During the course of our two days in the Smoky Mountains – in addition to all the hikes I talked about in last week’s post – I managed to check two more state high points off my list. Admittedly, not in the “proper” way. After all, to be a high pointer don’t you have to… Continue reading
-
Appalachian Adventures, part II: Great Smoky Mountains National Park & the Blue Ridge Parkway
After returning from our three days on the AT, we headed off for the final couple days of our trip in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This was actually a last-minute addition… as my uncle explained in last week’s post, our original plan was for a longer backpacking trip, but that went up in flames… Continue reading
-
Appalachian Adventures, part I: backpacking the Standing Indian Loop in North Carolina
I’ve never been much of a backpacker. I went a few times as a kid but they weren’t great experiences, so I’d come to the conclusion that backpacking wasn’t for me. Part of growing up, though, is to come to terms with your past and not allow it to dictate your future. I may not… Continue reading
-
Ten Hours in Miami, Florida
You’d think after so many years together, my boyfriend would know better than to leave me unsupervised with vacation planning. Apparently, he still hasn’t learned that lesson. Or maybe he secretly enjoys when I book things at 10:30pm and then he finds out about it the next morning. This was one of those things. One… Continue reading
-
Exploring the State Parks of North Carolina
Following our lovely few days in South Carolina, we began making our way back north, stopping next in North Carolina to visit some more family. My uncle had recently gotten back into hiking after many years and was very excited to take us out on the trails with him! He chose Raven Rock State Park… Continue reading
-
Historic Architecture, Torrential Rains, and Flooded Streets – Charleston, South Carolina
After loading up on tea and filling our brains with tea-related facts, we hopped back on the road and continued our drive to Charleston. On the way, we made a brief stop at the Angel Oak – a giant southern live oak tree that’s 66 feet (20 m) tall, 28 feet (8.5 m) around, and… Continue reading
-
Everything you ever wanted to know about tea… and more! – Charleston Tea Plantation, South Carolina
Once we were in South Carolina, we left it to my aunt and uncle to plan things out. And they did a fabulous job! In a million years, I don’t think it would have occurred to me to visit a tea plantation. I didn’t even know there was one. We also all naively thought there… Continue reading
-
Birthday on the Beach – Beaufort County, South Carolina
The Rocky Mountain west has many things. Lakes, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, boating, skiing, and opportunities for just about every recreational activity you can think of. But it doesn’t have oceans. I didn’t grow up going to the beach. In fact, I never set foot on a beach until I was a kid and we went… Continue reading
-
Sunset over the Chesapeake Bay – Kiptopeke State Park, Virginia
After exploring Assateague Island, the NASA Visitor Center, and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (yes, we did all of this in one day), we continued south down the Delmarva peninsula to our campground for the night at Kiptopeke State Park. This was a nice campground and our site was extremely spacious; my only complaint is in… Continue reading
-
I Want to Be an Astronaut – Wallops Island Flight Facility, Virginia
Well, not anymore. At least not overwhelmingly, though some small part of me will probably always dream of looking back at Earth from outer space. But I did want to be an astronaut, from the time I was a little girl until the day the space shuttle Columbia exploded upon re-entry and I decided I… Continue reading
-
Lemurs, Lavender, and Palm Trees: Texas + a (not so) quick layover in Orlando
A few years back, a family member was graduating from college, so I headed to Texas for a few days for the ceremony. Some other family members also made the trip, so it was a mini family reunion. Obviously, we spent one day on campus for graduation. On the other days, we squeezed in some… Continue reading