My Family Travels | Latest Articles
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This Romanesque New Jersey Terminal Is Where Immigrants First Stepped Before Spreading Across America

Step inside a castle-like building right on the water in New Jersey, where millions of tired travelers first touched American soil.

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This Secret Alabama Train Is The Most Magical Way To See The State

There is something about a train that makes everything feel more alive. The rhythm of the wheels, the sound of steel on steel, and the way the landscape drifts past like a moving...

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What Makes Off-Road Driving In Arizona Deserts Risky

Most people think off-road driving in Arizona’s deserts is all about freedom, the wide-open trails, the rugged scenery, and the thrill of taking a vehicle where regular roads...

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This Hidden Alabama Boardwalk Is The Secret Portal To A Deserted Island Oasis

Most people come to Gulf Shores for the crowded beaches and busy strip, but I found something far more rewarding just a short drive away. This short loop trail inside Bon Secour...

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This Historic Cobblestone Passage In Virginia Still Carries Civil War Echoes

Tunnels are strange places. Dark, cool, and full of echoes. But this Virginia passage carries echoes of a specific time. Built...

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10 Historic Virginia Restaurants Where Southern Flavor Still Feels Classic

Southern cooking has a way of sticking with you. Not just the flavors, but the feeling, the warmth, the sense that someone in the kitchen actually cares whether you leave happy.

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This Charming Missouri River Town Is Famous for Bald Eagles, Antiques, and Peaceful Strolls

Some towns beg you to rush through. This one begs you to slow way, way down. Sitting pretty along the Mississippi River in...

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The Massive Shellfish Platter In Georgia That Always Comes With A Bib And A Warning

The warning comes before the bib. A friendly sign declares that anyone who complains about the sand or the smell of low tide will be politely asked to leave.

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This Small Nevada Town Attracts Visitors From Around The State With Antiques On Nearly Every Corner

What if the richest city in America was now a dusty ghost town where every creaky building hides a treasure trove of antiques? That is the strange magic of this small Nevada town,...

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The Food At This Classic Diner In Maryland Is So Good, Regulars Swear Nothing Else Compares

Some restaurants come and go, but diners have a way of sticking around like that one friend who always knows where to get the best fries at midnight.

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The Little Girl Ghost of This Rhode Island Library Refuses to Go Home at Closing Time

Rhode Island libraries are usually quiet. Books. Silence. The occasional shush. But...

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These Abandoned Bunkers and Secret Tunnels Beneath Connecticut Are Not for the Faint of Heart

Connecticut has a lot of history above ground. Colonial homes. Historic markers. The usual.

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This 26.4-Mile Oregon Trail Passes Two Hot Springs And A Swimming Hole So Blue It Looks Photoshopped

26 miles of pure Oregon trail magic waiting for boots and a sense of adventure. The path follows a river that changes color every few miles like it cannot pick a favorite.

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Hidden Texas Attractions That Somehow Still Aren’t Overrun By Tourists

Everyone races to the same famous spots every weekend. The parking lots fill up before noon. The lines get long and the patience...

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This Utah Corn Maze Has a Human Hamster Wheel and a 100 Foot Super Slide

Corn mazes are usually simple. Walk through stalks. Get lost for a bit. Find your way out.

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This Indiana Steakhouse Is The Last Of Its Kind Serving Its 50-Item All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

There are restaurants you visit, and then there are restaurants you make a pilgrimage for. This longtime steakhouse in Vincennes, Indiana falls firmly into that second category.

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You Can Stand Shockingly Close To Bald Eagles And Owls At This Secret Indiana Wildlife Sanctuary

There is a place in Valparaiso, Indiana where you can stand just a few feet away from a bald eagle and feel your heart skip a beat. I had no idea a wildlife experience like this...

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This Kansas Farm Hides 11 Acres of Tigers and Wolves Near a Famous Cider Mill

Kansas is known for wheat fields and sunflowers. Not tigers. Not wolves. But this farm hides both, 11 acres of big cats and canines...

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This Indiana Nature Preserve Has Ancient Trees Stuck In Time For More Than 300 Long Years

There is a place in Fayette County, Indiana where the forest still looks much the way it did centuries ago. This quiet nature preserve near Connersville protects a rare stretch...

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This Virginia Treehouse Lets You Sleep 2,700 Feet Above The Blue Ridge Mountains

Most hotel rooms have four walls, a bed, and a window. This one has a treehouse perched on a mountain, 2,700 feet above the Blue Ridge, with views that make your phone camera work...

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This Unique Virginia Boat Ride Feels Like A Wild West Adventure On The Water

A boat ride that feels like a cowboy movie. That is not a sentence I expected to write. But this Virginia cruise company has...

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This Nevada Geyser Was a Drilling Accident Now It Shoots Rainbow Colored Water Five Feet High

Nevada was looking for water. They drilled. They missed. And now a geyser shoots out of the desert floor, not with clear water,...

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This Oregon Lava Lookout Is a Stone Castle with a Mountain-Framing Window and a Brass Compass Too

A stone castle built from lava rock sits right at the top of a windy pass. The walls are rough and dark and feel like they belong to another planet entirely.

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The Salt Flats of Utah Are So Flat and White You Lose All Sense of Distance

Utah has a lot of landscapes that mess with your head. Slot canyons. Red rock arches. But nothing prepares you for the salt flats.

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This Tiny Texas Smokehouse Has Become A Favorite Among Serious BBQ Fans

Show up early or go home hungry. That is the rule at this tiny smokehouse. The pitmaster used to fight fires, and now he fights...

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One Bite of These Ohio Subs and You’ll Taste Five Decades of Perfection

Ohio has a lot of sandwich shops. Some are old. Some are new. A few have been around long enough to figure things out.

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Saturday Morning Just Got Better as the Logan County Farmers Market Comes Back to Ohio

Saturday mornings in Ohio just got a serious upgrade. The local farmers market is back, and people have been counting down the days.

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You Can Pick Blueberries Then Sit Down for Lunch Right in the Field at This Ohio Farm

Ohio farms usually make you choose. Pick your own fruit, then leave. Or sit down for a meal, then buy produce on the way out....

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Skip Dinner, Just Eat Cake at This Colorado Restaurant Like the Locals Do

Colorado has plenty of restaurants where you can get a full meal. Burgers. Salads. Steaks.

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A Historic Oregon Waterfront with a Romantic Love Locks Spot

A wooden pier stretches out over the water with old pilings and salty air all around. Couples have found their way here for years with little padlocks in their pockets.

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The Best Food Hall In The U.S. Is Hiding In Massachusetts With 20 Distinct Food And Drink Concepts

Boston has a way of surprising you when you think you already know where the good food lives, and this spot in Massachusetts really got me because it feels tucked into a part of...

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8 Texas Burger Joints That Don’t Look Famous But Absolutely Should Be

You could drive right past these places and never think to stop. They hide in strip malls, old gas stations, and buildings that have seen better days.

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This Idaho Airbnb Is A 24-Foot-Tall Flower Pot That Offers The Ultimate Whimsical Getaway

Imagine climbing a spiral staircase inside a giant terra cotta flower pot, a cozy loft waiting at the top with a record player spinning your favorite vinyl.

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One Small Bakery In Washington Bakes The Most Incredible Donuts Of Your Entire Life

That aroma, warm, sweet, and yeasty, weaving through the market's arcades will stop you mid-stride long before you find its source.

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This Giant Crystal Lagoon Near Houston Feels Like A Beach Vacation Without Leaving Texas Soil

You want a beach day but you do not want to drive for hours or fight ocean waves. This place gives you the best of both. The...

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This Texas Rescue Center Is Giving Sea Turtles a Second Chance at Life in the Wild

You expect to see sick turtles in a rehab center, but you do not expect to see them floating in kiddie pools with little life jackets on. That is how they recover from getting...

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This Oklahoma Highway Cafe Serves Homestyle Breakfast Plates and Bottomless Coffee That Keep Early Crowds Rolling In

The sun is barely up, the highway is quiet, and the parking lot at this small town Oklahoma cafe is already half full. That is how you know you found the right spot.

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10 Mesmerizing West Virginia Crystal Shops For Collectors, Seekers, And Dreamers Alike

Somewhere between picking up a shimmering rose quartz and accidentally spending two hours in a shop the size of a closet, I became officially obsessed with crystal hunting.

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This Indiana Bin Store Refills Every Friday With High-End Tech For Deeply Discounted Finds

If you love the thrill of finding something amazing at a price that feels almost too good to be true, this liquidation bin store in Portage, Indiana might become your new favorite...

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This Indiana Tavern Is Known For A Breakfast Pile That Feeds You Twice

Some spots just feel like they belong to a neighborhood in a way no chain restaurant ever could. This east side Indianapolis, Indiana tavern is exactly that kind of place.

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This Indiana Spot Serves Hand-Pressed Smash Burgers For $5, But Only If You Beat The Clock

There are places you visit once and forget, and then there are places that pull you back every single time. This Indianapolis, Indiana sports pub is firmly in that second category...

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Texas’ 11 Best Hidden Gems Every Foodie Must Try

You open your food app and see the same ten places over and over. The real good stuff never shows up there. These hidden gems...

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This Quirky Small Oklahoma Town Is Known for Antlers, Diners, and Big Personality

Some towns have fancy boutiques and art galleries. This one has antlers. Lots and lots of antlers. Local tradition says deer...

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Pack A Picnic And Hit This Oregon Scenic Byway That Just Reopened For The Season

The road took its time melting out but now it is finally welcoming drivers again. A scenic byway with more lakes than anyone can count on their fingers easily.

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Everything at This Oklahoma Restaurant Costs Less Than $10, And the Portions Are Huge

You read that right. Ten dollars. For everything. In a world where a sad desk lunch costs fifteen bucks and a fast food combo...

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13 Botanical Gardens And Arboretums In New Jersey To Explore This May

Somewhere between getting lost on a winding path and accidentally stepping into what felt like a scene from a fairy tale, I realized that spring in New Jersey hits differently....

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This Hidden New Hampshire Breakfast Spot Feels Like Home From The First Bite

You know that feeling when you walk into a restaurant for the first time and within five minutes you are already relaxed, like you have been coming here for years instead of just...

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This Bakery In New Jersey Serves Up Freshly Baked Buns Locals Can’t Get Enough Of

This New Jersey bakery started as a pandemic whim and a single Facebook post asking if anyone wanted cinnamon buns. Five years...

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This Famous Arizona Shop Along Route 66 Houses A Treasure Trove Of Nostalgic Stories And Rare Finds

You can still smell the old barber's talc when you step through the door, a ghost of the days when this was just a simple pool hall and a barbershop. But something remarkable happened...

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8 State Parks In Maryland That Feel Like National Parks But With Way Fewer People

You love the idea of a grand national park but hate the traffic jam to get to the trailhead. Same here. These parks deliver the...

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The Renowned Minnesota Supper Club Where The Friday Fish Fry Draws Hundreds Every Week

The parking lot looks like a small city council meeting every Friday night somehow. Hundreds of people show up for the same fish fry week after week endlessly.

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9 Magical Oklahoma State Parks for People Who Hate Crowds

Oklahoma has a quiet side that most people never get to see. While the big tourist spots fill up fast on long weekends, there are state parks scattered across this state that feel...

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This Peaceful New Hampshire Boardwalk Opens Onto A Strange Ancient Floating World

I did not expect to feel like I had stepped back in time when I walked onto a boardwalk in New Hampshire, but this place is different from anything else I have seen in the state....

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This 75-Year-Old Missouri Steakhouse Is a True Small-Town Institution Still Serving Massive Comfort Meals

Some restaurants barely survive a decade. This one has been going strong since before your grandparents probably met. In the...

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The Most Popular Food Hall In New York Is Tucked Away Featuring Dozens Of Diverse Food And Drink Spots

The iron gates of a former biscuit factory still stand at the entrance, a quiet nod to the millions of Oreos once baked on this very spot.

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This Market In West Virginia Is A Local Favorite For Fresh Finds And Community Spirit

What do you get when you turn an old freight depot into a food lover's paradise? This West Virginia market.

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This Wildlife Area In New Jersey Is A Haven For Hikers And Nature Lovers

Imagine a place in New Jersey where the loudest noise is a frog belching. That's this wildlife area. With over 12,000 acres...

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The Stunning State Park In South Carolina That Is Perfect For Challenging Mountain Summit Day Trips

Your legs are already burning, and you have only just passed the trailhead sign. That is the honest welcome at this stunning South Carolina state park, where a 2,000 foot climb...

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The Slow Decline Of A Forgotten Michigan Park

You know that feeling when a place doesn’t announce itself, it just sits there quietly and you can sense the story under your feet?

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The Legendary Tomato Pie At This Alabama Cafe Has A Cult Following

Some places earn their reputation one plate at a time, and this small mountain cafe atop Lookout Mountain is exactly that kind of place. Perched in a quiet, charming town, it has...

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