Fort Washington, MD

Place Visited: Fort Washington, Maryland, USA
Date: April 2016

My 10-year-old self was too excited for words by this place, an actual old military fort you can wander around almost everywhere in. The view is amazing, but mostly I just enjoyed tromping around, seeing every inch. I'll definitely be going back.

Fort Foote, MD

Place Visited: Fort Foote, Oxon Hill, Maryland, USA
Date: April 2016

Fort Foote Park has some ginormous cannons and a gorgeous walk down to the river. There wasn't a soul around when I was there.

Oxon Hill, MD

Place Visited: Oxon Hill, Maryland, USA
Date: April 2016

Oxon Hill Farm was pretty quiet and chilly when I visited, but all the buildings were open so I got to see the cows, pigs, and horses. Though I grew up in the Midwest, I've never lived or worked on a farm, and yet for some reason I still feel a little nostalgic at the smell of hay.

Manassas, VA

Location: Manassas, Virginia, USA
Visited: January 2016

Manassas is right next door to my hometown but I don't visit often. I will, however, have to go back to Grounds Central Station sometime. The coffee is good, the staff is super friendly, and the atmosphere is cozy.

Charles Town, WV

Location: Charles Town, West Virginia, USA
Visited: January 2016

Historic downtown Charles Town is pretty much closed on Sundays, I discovered. I had a decent waffle at Grandma's Diner, was a little concerned what Needful Things (which was closed) might actually sell, and saw some nice art at the visitors center. On my way there I also stopped at the Collectable Treasures indoor flea market. Didn't buy anything, but it was fun to browse.

Artomatic

Location: Hyattsville, Maryland, USA
Visited: December 2015

Artomatic is a lovely art show with over 500 artists, taking over an entire building. I attended the last show, in Crystal City, and I'm glad I made it to this one as well. And just barely - I finally managed to attend on the next-to-last day of the show. I was sick as a dog and it was probably a terrible idea, but I'm glad I went all the same. Very inspiring.

Charlottesville, VA

Location: Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Visited: November 2015

We spent the weekend in Charlottesville to visit friends and to attend a Cider Week event in Richmond. We had a lovely time and drank some very tasty cider. Also that weekend we tried some kind of weird tea and ate some delicious food at Firefly and Lampo (you can't read it anymore, but at the bottom of the receipt it says, "Heroes in a Half Shell. Turtle Power."

Millwood, VA

Location: Millwood, Virginia, USA
Visited: November 2015

My original plan was to visit the estate at Long Branch but it seemed pretty closed so I wandered down the road to nearby Millwood. The Burwell-Morgan Mill was a nifty little tour, and then I had lunch at the Locke Country Store across the street, where I ate cornbread made from flour ground at the mill. Very tasty.