LATEST ARTICLES:
You Can Tour One Of New Jersey’s Most Famous Haunted Towns By Trolley This October
A charming seaside town with beautiful Victorian houses sounds innocent enough. Add a trolley, centuries of local stories,...
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Two Million Gallons of Dangerous Waste Sat Inside This South Carolina Warship Until a $31 Million Cleanup
Aircraft carriers rising out of a harbor look like steel islands, and one in South Carolina grows bigger the closer you get. This floating museum draws crowds for its planes and...
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Kicked Out of School at 17, This Pennsylvania Teen Ended Up Running a Roadside Restaurant
Flashing your headlights is how you order at this drive-in, and the first time I did it, a carhop appeared at my window with a smile. The simple signal felt like a secret handshake.
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This Virginia Bagel Bakery Is Open 365 Days A Year For Your Fresh-Baked Breakfast Fix
Most bakeries close for at least a few holidays. This Virginia bagel bakery does not. It is open 365 days a year, which means...
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This Virginia Trail Feels Like A Journey Into Narnia With A 400-Million-Year-Old Sandstone Maze
Some trails feel like a walk through the woods. This one feels like a journey into another world. The sandstone maze at the end...
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A South Carolina Man Promised His Wife Their Move Was Temporary, Then Built a Restaurant That Lasted 80 Years
Tired and hungry, I left the interstate in South Carolina and walked into a small-town restaurant. Love story was waiting inside. Young...
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9 No-Frills Missouri Restaurants Locals Would Rather Keep Off Your Radar
A fancy dining room can’t rescue a forgettable meal. But a simple restaurant with a good plate of food can earn a permanent place in your dinner plans.
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A California Restaurant Chain Once Had 145 Locations, but Only One Remains in the Bay Area
Warm muffins with soft, buttery tops can stick in memory for years. California once had this cafe in nearly every big shopping area.
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This Minnesota Butcher Shop Sells More Than Meat, Including House-Made Sausages And Unusual Cuts
Hanging links, a case full of cuts most grocery stores wouldn’t dare stock, and a counter where the butcher actually wants to talk about dinner.
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These Fluffy From-Scratch Pancakes Make This Small Oklahoma Diner Worth Setting An Alarm For
Some of the best breakfasts in Oklahoma hide behind plain storefronts you could pass a hundred times without a second look. I almost did, until a hungry stomach and a quiet main...
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An Ohio Family Opened a Candy Shop in 1995, Then Turned It Into a 1950s Roadside Diner
Nutcrackers stare down from every wall, their painted eyes fixed on red vinyl booths and a checkered floor. I had walked into a small Ohio diner hungry and curious, and within...
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The Wild Story Behind The Cheap Fish Cut That Absolutely Took Over Indiana Friday Nights
There is a very specific sound that makes people forget whatever they were talking about. Crunch. Especially when it comes from...
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This Little West Virginia Mountain Town Packs A Whole Weekend Into One Short Main Street
A legendary princess may still be the most famous name in this tiny river town, and she reportedly lived here long before it had a courthouse. The town even carried her name for...
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Indiana’s Oldest Bar Is A 21+ Haven Serving Up History, Late-Night Eats, And Soul-Shaking Blues Every Night
The bullet holes are not decorative. Neither are the meat hooks. And the blues band is definitely not there to provide background...
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This Indiana Sanctuary Lets You Hike Forest Trails And Hand-Feed A Cute Alpaca Pasture Herd
A scenic hike is nice. A scenic hike that starts with alpacas is better. Especially when those alpacas can be hand-fed and look...
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This Missouri Farmers Market Keeps Saturday Shopping Going All Winter With A Heated Pavilion
Winter doesn’t have to put your farmers market basket into hibernation. There’s still dinner to plan, something delicious to bring home, and a Saturday morning worth getting...
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This 1953 California Motel Sat Empty for Years Before Finding an Unexpected Second Life
Mid-century motor courts once lined California highways, their little rooms rented to road trippers who parked right outside their doors. One such motel, built in 1953, has quietly...
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This Easy Hike In Texas Is So Picturesque You’ll Be Thinking About It For Days
Some hikes stick with you long after the soreness fades, and this easy Texas trail has a way of lodging itself in your memory with scenery that keeps replaying in your head days...
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These 6 Abandoned Oklahoma Places Still Stand Silent Along Forgotten Back Roads
Some of the best stops in Oklahoma never show up on a billboard. You turn off the highway, the pavement gets thin, and suddenly a stone wall or rusty tower appears out of nowhere...
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This 102-Year-Old Ohio Amusement Park Opens to the Public Just Four Days a Year, and the Family Still Runs It
Clack of an old wooden coaster echoes through tall shade trees, and the sound alone signals something special. Ohio has a small park that has been around since 1924, and it still...
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This Old Iron Furnace Hidden Deep In A West Virginia Forest Once Employed A Surprising Number Of People
Around 200 people once worked at a single stone furnace that now sits a mile down a rocky trail in the woods. Today, the loudest sound around it is a creek.
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Oregon Has A Bakery Specializing In Korean Salt Bread With A Buttery Surprise Inside
Crisp on the outside, soft and buttery in the middle, and a sprinkle of flaky salt that makes the first bite a tiny surprise. Korean salt bread has a way of turning a simple roll...
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This Ohio Butcher Shop Is So Clean and Fresh, One Regular Has Been Coming for 31 Years
I'll admit it: I used to think meat was meat, and the grocery store package was good enough. Then a small butcher shop on a quiet Ohio country road changed my dinner plans, my...
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The Mercantile In Kenton Is A Tiny Oklahoma Panhandle Cafe Worth The Long Drive For Pie
Some of the best meals in Oklahoma are hiding where the pavement feels like it might just give up. I went looking for a slice of pie and a hot lunch at the far end of the map,...
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Stand In The West Virginia Park Where The Shenandoah Pours Into The Potomac And Three States Wave Back
Two big rivers crash together right below your feet, and three states share the same view. That's not a riddle. It's a real overlook...
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This Old-School Texas Cafe Serves Chicken Fried Steak, Catfish, and Homemade Desserts Surrounded by Railroad History
Classic Texas comfort food tastes even better when it comes with a side of history, and this old school cafe delivers both with chicken fried steak, fried catfish, and homemade...
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A dentist spent decades hand-building a stone castle on the river near Loveland, Ohio
I'll admit it: I expected a quick roadside oddity and maybe ten minutes of mild curiosity. What I found instead was one of the most surprising little places in Ohio, a real stone...
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Route 66 Runs Right Through The Exhibits At This Oklahoma Museum Families Stop For
We only pulled off the interstate to stretch our legs and maybe grab a cold soda, but somewhere between a vintage diner booth and a painted VW bus, the whole afternoon slipped...
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Indian Tacos Outsell The Burgers At This Old-School Oklahoma Drive-In Locals Still Talk About
I almost drove right past the little walk-up window with the faded sign and the line of cars idling out front. Then I smelled warm frybread drifting across the parking lot, and...
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Folks Stock Up On Wagyu Steaks Straight From This Family Cattle Farm In West Virginia
Wagyu beef, the same famous breed behind steakhouse menus, is coming from a small family cattle farm in West Virginia. No white tablecloth required.
Read More 9 min read
Say It Like A Local: Six Words West Virginians Pronounce Differently Than Everyone Else
Ask someone from the Mountain State to point you toward a small valley, and you may get sent up a holler instead. That one word can tell a listener more about where you grew up...
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A Giant Texas Fabric Store Has So Much To Explore That One Visit Might Not Be Enough
Some fabric stores can be browsed in ten minutes, but this Texas spot requires an entire afternoon and probably a return trip, because the selection is so extensive that one visit...
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Buffalo Soldiers Once Served On This Oklahoma Ground, And Its 1869 Frontier Fort Still Stands
Some places look like nothing special from the road, just a few old stone buildings around a patch of green grass. Then you step inside one, and suddenly you are standing where...
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This Quiet Mountaintop Camp In Clifftop Was Where West Virginia’s Black Families Finally Had A Place To Swim And Picnic
Some places hide their stories behind a quiet gravel road and a stand of tall trees. You pull in expecting a nice picnic spot, and you leave feeling like you just walked through...
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This Texas Meat Market Has a Massive Selection That Makes an Ordinary Grocery Run Look Boring
A grocery store meat counter has its limits, and this Texas market blows past every one of them with a selection that makes a standard shopping trip feel dull by comparison.
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The Enchanting Small Town In Missouri You Might Not Have Heard Of
Your weekend doesn’t need another packed itinerary. A river town with quiet streets, interesting shops, and a trail beside the water can do the job beautifully.
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This New Jersey Clam House Is So Fresh People Drive An Hour Just To Stock Up
An hour in the car for seafood? That sounds perfectly reasonable once you hear what shoppers are bringing home. Forget the...
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Six West Virginia Mountain Restaurants Where Ramps Still Taste Like A Grandma’s Spring Supper
Some springs, you can smell the ramps before you ever see the sign out front. In West Virginia, that sharp, garlicky scent has meant warmer days and full supper tables for generations.
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This Haunted 1811 New Jersey Prison Opens Its Cells For Halloween Tours Starting October 16
Most people spend October decorating their homes with fake cobwebs. This place already has the atmosphere covered. Thick stone...
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This Indiana Neighborhood Spot Crafts Giant Pierogi Platters That Could Rival Warsaw
The potato pancake has entered the room. Nobody is looking at the menu anymore. At this Indiana spot, the homemade Polish food...
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Your Grocery List May Not Survive This Indiana Shop Jam-Packed With Imported Italian Favorites
Dinner was supposed to be simple. Pasta. Sauce. Done. Then an Italian grocery...
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This Small-Town Missouri Restaurant Serves Hand-Cut USDA Prime Steaks Worth Planning A Drive For
A good steak can make the GPS earn its keep. Suddenly, dinner deserves a drive, and your usual takeout plans can wait. This small-town...
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This Texas Bakery Has a Completely Gluten-Free Kitchen and Makes Its Pastries From Scratch
Finding a bakery where you can order anything on the menu without asking a single question is a rare luxury for anyone avoiding gluten, and this Texas spot delivers exactly that...
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This New Oregon Bistro Is Bringing French-Inspired Comfort Food Back To A Beloved Neighborhood Spot
Butter sizzles, a baguette cracks open, and a neighborhood corner that missed its favorite flavors is suddenly smelling like home again.
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This Missouri Country Store Keeps Old-Fashioned Pantry Shopping Alive With Country Butter And Local Preserves
A basket of country butter, local jam, and pickled vegetables is a pretty good reason to take the scenic grocery route. In Missouri, this country store stocks those pantry favorites...
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A New Jersey Developer Built A Six-Story Elephant Just To Convince People To Buy Land
Selling beachfront property is one thing. Building a gigantic elephant to get everyone's attention? Now that's marketing with...
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This New Hampshire Bakery Won A Legal Battle Over A Pastry Mural That Was Almost Forced Down
A mural of doughnuts and muffins painted above a bakery entrance sounds like a harmless piece of small-town charm. For one owner in New Hampshire, it became a three-year legal...
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This 8,000 Square Foot Maryland Antique Mall Has Vintage Treasures and a 1950s Diner Inside
Some antique malls are just rows of booths. This Maryland spot goes further. At 8,000 square feet, it is packed with vintage...
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An Oregon Restaurant Is Bringing Old-School Italian Comfort Food Back Into The Spotlight
Somewhere a pot is simmering since morning, and the whole kitchen smells like a grandmother’s Sunday. Red sauce, tender meatballs,...
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This New Hampshire Diner Chain Lets Kids Eat Free On Mondays When Adults Order Dinner
Family dinners out can get expensive fast, and one restaurant group in New Hampshire has found a simple way to ease that burden. On Monday nights, kids eat free when an adult orders...
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This Laid-Back New Hampshire Tavern Is Known For Soup Flights That Let You Try More Than One Bowl
Ordering soup usually means committing to one bowl and hoping it was the right choice. One tavern in New Hampshire has solved that problem entirely.
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Way Out In The West Virginia Hills, This Little Country Store Serves Brisket Worth The Drive
You almost drive right past it, and that would have been a real shame. Out on a quiet road in the West Virginia hills sits a small country store that looks like a spot for a soda...
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One Of New Jersey’s Most Scenic Waterfront Restaurants Has Been Here Since 1924
Dinner tastes a little different when the waterfront is practically part of the dining room. There's the changing light, the...
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A North Carolina Lighthouse Was Moved Nearly 3,000 Feet to Keep It From Falling Into the Atlantic
Lighthouses are supposed to stay put. This one did not. In 1999, a towering brick beacon on the North Carolina coast was lifted...
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This Sprawling Alabama Meat Market Is Where Folks Stock Their Freezers Cheaper Than Any Chain Store
The receipt is long. The freezer is happier. That is the basic trade-off at this Alabama meat market, where shoppers come for...
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This Oregon Cemetery Holds A Piece Of The Wild West Most Visitors Never Look For
Dusty trails, saloon doors, and tales of frontier legends usually live in movies. Sometimes they rest quietly under old trees instead. Winding paths here lead past weathered stones...
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This New Hampshire Restaurant Turns Dinner After 7 Into An Adults-Only Lakeside Escape
Dinner changes after seven o'clock, and one spot in New Hampshire has built its entire evening around that idea. The dining room sits right on the water, with windows that frame...
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A New Jersey Millionaire Built Himself A Medieval Castle Because Ordinary Mansions Were Not Enough
Apparently, a regular mansion wasn't quite dramatic enough. When a wealthy silk manufacturer decided to build his dream home,...
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This Maryland Bookstore Has Over 60,000 Titles and an Entire Museum of Hollywood Movie Costumes
Some bookstores are content to sell books. This Maryland spot decided that was not enough. With over 60,000 titles, it already...
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