Luray, VA

Place Visited: Luray, Virginia, USA
Date: March 2018

I hadn't been to Luray Caverns in a few years, and I'd never visited the Luray Valley Museum. All in all a pleasant outing.

I'm not sure I've ever even seen an entire episode of the Dukes of Hazzard, but I was not about to pass up a tacky tourist trap like Cooter's. The show memorabilia was kinda cool, but my Boss Hog sandwich (barbecue and mac'n'cheese) was a revelation.

Lynchburg, VA

Place Visited: Lynchburg, Virginia, USA
Date: November 2017

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for old cemeteries, but the Old City Cemetery was a special treat. The station house, pest house, and other buildings were closed so early in the morning, but had recorded narration at the push of a button. November is not the best time to visit gardens, but I certainly enjoyed myself. The children's guide was an extra touch of entertainment.

Hagerstown, MD

Place Visited: Hagerstown, Maryland, USA
Date: December 2018

Hagerstown is a pleasant little town but unfortunately very little seems to be open on Sundays in December. I did have some very nice coffee at Rooster Moon and admired the architecture of some local churches, but by and large I didn't stay long.

Leesburg, VA

Place Visited: Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Date: June 2018

I spent a few hours in Leesburg on a lark one summer Saturday, to visit the Loudoun Museum and some of the downtown shops. Delirium Cafe holds a special place in my heart because I visited one in Brussels back in 2004. I took advantage of the free beer & butter mussels but oof that's something that's meant to be shared, not eaten solo.

Philadelphia, PA

Place Visited: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Date: November 2018

The Saturday of our weekend in Philly was horrendously cold and rainy, but we still browsed the Holiday Market and Christmas Village, which were charming. The Wanamaker Organ at Macy's was neat to look at, but it was hard to see around all the Christmas lights (which were, to be perfectly honest, pretty underwhelming).

The Sunday was sunny and pleasant, perfect for visiting a perennial favorite: Eastern State Penitentiary. I have nothing new to say about this. I just love it.

Winchester, VA

Place Visited: Winchester, Virginia, USA
Date: June 2018

Kernstown Battlefield isn't especially different from too many other battlefields, but my personal guided tour (this happens a whole lot at lesser-known attractions) was fantastic, and the not-yet-restored mansion satisfied my love for urban decay.

Unlike a lot of historic houses, the Patsy Cline House was more about the individual than the time period in which she lived, because she lived so recently. I don't know much of her music, but she had a lovely voice and was surprisingly prolific during her short life.

Hershey, PA

Place Visited: Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
Date: May 2019

I was in town for Sweet Adelines regional competition, but drove up a day early to explore the town. The Museum of Bus Transportation was a feast of all kinds of automobiles, including the bus from Speed. Then I rode the free factory tour ride (that is neither a tour nor a factory) at Hershey's Chocolate World. At the end of the weekend, a fellow chorus member and I took advantage of our free tickets to The Hershey Story museum, which is more or less a shrine to Milton Hershey, but an interesting look into the history of chocolate confections in general as well.

Galena, IL

Place Visited: Galena, Illinois, USA
Date: June 2019

I drive through Galena to get to my grandmother's house, and while visiting her I decided I wanted to see Galena for real. The bus tour was fantastic, Poopsie's was silly fun, and the scenery was outstanding. A lovely little day trip.

Ellicott City, MD

Place Visited: Ellicott City, Maryland, USA
Date: August 2019

After a weekend in Baltimore, I visited the storied Clark's Elioak Farm. The petting zoo part was fine but I was enthralled by the fairy tale statuary of the Enchanted Forest. This is exactly the sort of bizarro attraction I live for.

Erie, PA

Place Visited: Erie, Fairview, and North Springfield, Pennsylvania, and Conneaut, Ohio, USA
Date: July 2018

To celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, we rented a bunch of cabins at Virginia's Beach right on Lake Erie. It was beautiful. We enjoyed touring around Erie proper, but the highlights were the Erie Maritime Museum and feeding the giraffes at the Erie Zoo.