My Family Travels | Latest Articles
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10 Virginia Factory Tours That Make For An Unbelievably Fun Day Trip

Factory tours sound boring. You imagine conveyor belts and safety videos. But the tours on this list are different. They are...

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Why This Florida Coastal Sanctuary Is Ranked As A Premier Place To Retire In All Of America

You wake to the sound of gentle waves and the sun warming your shoulders before your coffee is even ready. That is the daily rhythm in this Florida coastal sanctuary, repeatedly...

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New Jersey’s Grandest Wooden Landmark Was Built By Shipbuilders In 90 Days And Still Wows Audiences

What do you get when you hand a bunch of shipbuilders some hammers and tell them to hurry? A wooden wonder that still steals...

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This Old-School Maryland Tavern Has Been Serving Locals’ Top Bar Pie For Decades

Bar pizza can be hit or miss. Sometimes you get a sad, greasy mess. Sometimes you get pure magic. This Maryland tavern has...

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What Moves Inside That Arkansas Aviation Museum After Dark

The airplanes sit silent during the day, polished and still, with no hint of what happens after the lights go out. But the night staff at this Arkansas aviation museum have stories....

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This Oregon Diner Housed In A Former Gas Station Packs Cozy Charm That Melts Away Gray Skies

You know that feeling when a gray Oregon sky threatens to ruin your whole day? This cozy diner, tucked inside a former gas station, has been melting those clouds away for decades.

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This South Carolina Landmark Serves A Coastal Seafood Feast so Inexpensive You’ll Check The Menu Twice

You know those places that make you laugh a little when the food comes out because there is just no way that much seafood should land on a table that fast and still feel this unfussy?...

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The Legendary Late-Night Bite in Oklahoma Where Cheese Fries, Burgers, and Chaos Come Together

It is past midnight, you have no business eating this. Your body will complain tomorrow. But none of that matters right now because somewhere in Oklahoma, a yellow building is...

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This Historic Train Car Restaurant in Missouri Serves Smoky, Slow-Cooked Barbecue You’ll Dream About

Most barbecue joints come in two styles. A metal building with plastic chairs. Or a converted gas station that still smells like yesterday's fuel. Sedalia, Missouri, refused both...

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The New Jersey Crab Shack Where Your Dinner Comes In A Steaming Bag

You ever show up to a restaurant and realize the best utensil is your own two hands? Welcome to my kind of meal.

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This Tennessee Shop Serves Churro Lattes and Pure Joy

The line starts forming before they even open the doors. People who have never met share tables and compare notes on which flavor hits hardest.

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This Breathtaking Alabama Sanctuary Was Built Entirely Around A Massive Mountain Boulder

Some places carry a weight that goes beyond their size. This tiny wooden chapel in Mentone, Alabama is one of those rare spots that stops you in your tracks the moment you see...

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Rare Lemurs Will Literally Climb Directly Onto Your Head At This Quirky Alabama Zoo

There is a zoo in Gulf Shores, Alabama where a lemur might walk right across your shoulders and settle on your head like it owns the place. That is not a joke.

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The Gentle Three-Mile Hike In Virginia That Leads You Right To A Waterfall

Some waterfall hikes are brutal. Steep climbs, rocky scrambles, hours of effort for a few minutes of spray. But this Virginia...

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10 Shockingly Affordable Virginia Cabins That Feel Illegal To Rent

Cabins are supposed to be expensive. You pay for the privacy, the views, the chance to wake up in the woods. But the cabins...

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Maryland’s Hidden Bookstore Treasure Trove Where Every Book Is Completely Free

No fancy signs. No coffee shop inside. Just building after building filled with free books waiting for someone to love them....

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North Carolina’s Loneliest Chapel Welcomes Only the Wind

The chapel sits at the end of a gravel road in North Carolina, surrounded by nothing but fields and sky. No houses nearby. No...

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7 Arkansas Spots Where Trout Jumps From River to Plate

The White River in Arkansas runs cold and clear, perfect for rainbow and brown trout that grow fat in the tailwaters below the dams. Some restaurants here have figured out that...

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Oregon’s Most Unusual Historic Site Is A Mining Ghost Town With Just Four Buildings Standing

Imagine a ghost town so quiet that the only sound is the wind rattling through a church door that hasn't opened in a century. That is exactly what you will find at this forgotten...

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This Texas Restaurant Feels Like The Kind Of Place Somebody Should Have Told You About Years Ago

A person should not have to spend years in a city before someone finally whispers the name of the best spot. That is exactly what happened with this Texas restaurant.

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This Arkansas Original Has Served Fried Chicken With Spaghetti for Over 75 Years

Fried chicken and spaghetti do not belong on the same plate. That is what I thought before I walked into this Arkansas restaurant. But...

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This Free Indiana Fossil Park Lets You Hunt For 440-Million-Year-Old Treasures

Imagine reaching down into a pile of ancient rock and pulling out something that lived nearly half a billion years ago. That is exactly what you can experience at a fossil hunting...

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10 Hidden Indiana Restaurants With Picture-Perfect Views For A Sunny June Outing

Indiana has a way of surprising you when you least expect it. Some of the most breathtaking views in the Midwest are not found at famous tourist spots but right outside the windows...

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This Stunning 33-Foot Stainless Steel Monument Is One Of Indiana’s Most Striking Sacred Sites

Some places quietly earn a reputation for being extraordinary, and this St. John, Indiana religious site is one of those places. A towering stainless steel monument of the Virgin...

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This Virginia Italian Restaurant Crafts Handmade Pasta So Authentic, You’ll Swear You’re In Rome

Most Italian restaurants in America serve pasta that comes from a box. It is fine, nothing special. But this Virginia restaurant...

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This Secret New Hampshire Oasis Was Just Named America’s Best New Spa

I almost did not write about this place because I wanted to keep it for myself. But the secret is out now anyway. This New...

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Virginia’s Adults-Only Spa Resort Features Soaking Pools And Endless Relaxation

Some spas are for quick visits. An hour here, a treatment there, and then you are back in the car. But this Virginia resort...

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This Oregon Natural Wonder Looks Like The Ocean Is Being Swallowed By A 20 Foot Hole And It’s Wheelchair Accessible

The ocean swells, crashes over a rocky ledge, and then disappears. A twenty foot basalt hole drinks the sea like a giant drain, swallowing wave after wave in a wild, relentless...

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9 Texas Places Tourists Keep Missing But Locals Visit All The Time

Every state has its famous landmarks, the ones that end up on postcards and bucket lists. But the real magic often hides in the spots that tourists just drive right past.

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Oregon’s Most Mysterious Rock Formations Have Giant Boulders Balancing On Top Like Hats

Some places look like nature decided to show off just because it could. These mysterious balancing rocks are exactly that kind of stop-and-stare sight, with chunky stone caps perched...

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This Tiny Texas Town Feels Like It Hit Pause Sometime In The 1950s

The only real landmark is a weathered building that has been standing since the late 1800s, housing a general store, a saloon, and a defunct post office under one creaky roof....

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This Iconic Texas Biker Bar Is Known For A Wild Roadside Vibe And A Loyal Crowd

Bikes rumble into the parking lot by the dozen, especially on weekends when the live outdoor stage is shaking. This place is more than a bar, it is a full on motorcycle empire.

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This Texas Diner Feels Like A Time Capsule Nobody Ever Updated On Purpose

The vinyl booths show their wear, the neon sign has been buzzing overhead since 1984, and the menu proudly serves burgers made from elk and bison right alongside classic Blue Bell...

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These 11 Oklahoma Getaways Are Made for a One-Night Escape From Everything

A single night, that is all the universe asks of you. One sunset, one sunrise. And somewhere in between, a bed that does not remind you of all the emails waiting back home.

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This West Virginia Fabric Wonderland Is Where Quilters And Crafters Lose Themselves In 7,000 Bolts Of Color

You know that feeling when you walk into a room and forget why you came in? Multiply that by about seven thousand. I stood...

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Many People Don’t Know This 105-Year-Old Indiana Hot Dog Stand Is Secretly A Part Of American History

Some restaurants are just places to eat. Others carry the weight of an entire community’s memory. This Gary, Indiana hot...

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This Massive Multi-Million Dollar Gated Car Village Is Driving Indiana Car Lovers Crazy

There is a place in Westfield, Indiana, that car lovers are talking about with serious excitement. This gated luxury garage community is built entirely around the passion for automobiles,...

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This Massive 30,000-Square-Foot Indiana Store Is The Legendary “Amish IKEA”

There is something genuinely special about walking into a place where craftsmanship meets affordability, where every cabinet door and furniture piece reflects a strong tradition...

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One Of The Most Unexpected Sights In Texas Is A Massive Temple That Feels Like Another World

Right in the middle of a suburban Houston office park, a 200-year-old Indian temple appears like a beautiful mirage. The massive...

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This Middle-of-Nowhere Oklahoma German Restaurant Feels Like A Bavarian Village Stuck In Time

You do not expect to find Bavaria in the middle of northwestern Oklahoma. And yet, here we are. A German restaurant planted itself...

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7 Oregon Fire Lookouts You Can Rent Overnight For Less Than A Motel Room

The alarm clock is a woodpecker, the room service is a self-lit wood stove, and the only neighbor for miles is a family of deer. That is the overnight experience waiting inside...

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This Missouri Castle Has Been an Orphanage, Prison, Military Hospital, and Now a Paranormal Hotspot

This building has lived many lives. Most castles only get one. But the one sitting in Missouri, decided to collect careers like other people collect stamps. It started as an orphanage....

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These 10 Scenic Mountain Escapes in Oklahoma Belong on Your Bucket List

Oklahoma does not boast about its mountains. Perhaps it should. Scattered across the state, ancient rock formations rise from...

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One Small Donut Shop In New Jersey Prepares Donuts That Look More Like Dessert Sculptures Than Breakfast Pastries

I stared at a donut for a full thirty seconds before I dared to bite it. That never happens. Usually I inhale these things...

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This New Hampshire’s Adults-Friendly Spa Resort Features Soaking Pools and Endless Relaxation

I did not realize how much I needed a break until I arrived at this New Hampshire spa resort. The drive up was stressful, my mind was full of lists and worries, and I was already...

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Top 10 New Jersey Towns Being Recognized As The Healthiest In The State

Let me be honest. When I think of healthy towns, I picture sad smoothies and people jogging with serious expressions. But these...

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This Maryland Lavender Farm Will Convince You You’ve Wandered Into Rural France

Purple fields stretching to the sky, that sweet floral smell floating on a warm breeze, and not a single Eiffel Tower in sight. Somehow this Maryland farm pulls off the French...

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9 One Of A Kind Oregon Museums You Won’t Find Anywhere Else In America

A museum dedicated to barber poles and another one filled with life sized concrete dinosaurs hiding in the trees. I have visited quirky collections all over the country but Oregon...

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This Underrated Oklahoma Lake Feels Like a Locals-Only, No-Crowds Escape Where Time Slows Down Completely

You know that feeling when you show up to a popular Oklahoma lake and it looks like half the state had the exact same idea? Coolers everywhere, jet skis fighting for space, and...

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10 Jaw-Dropping New Hampshire Mountain Trails Tucking Spectacular Waterfalls In The Woods

The best hikes in New Hampshire are the ones that surprise you. You are walking through the woods, listening to the birds and the wind, and then you hear it.

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11 Amazing Missouri Restaurants Outside St. Louis That Are Worth the Drive Every Time

Look, St. Louis has great food. No argument there. But sometimes you need to get in the car, point it away from the city, and...

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This Haunted West Virginia Hospital Has Become A Must-Visit Destination For Paranormal Hunters From Around The World

I am not the kind of person who chases ghosts. I get spooked by my own closet door. But even I felt a strange tingle walking...

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This Former Stagecoach Stop In New Jersey Now Offers Stunning Lake Views And A Menu Full Of Comfort Classics

Let me set the scene. Horses used to clatter up to this place, tired passengers tumbling out for a hot meal and a stiff break from bumpy roads.

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This Legendary Oyster Bar Proves Alabama Seafood Gives Louisiana Serious Competition

Some restaurants earn their reputation over decades, and this Mobile, Alabama Gulf Coast institution is exactly that kind of place. Since the late 1930s, it has been serving fresh...

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North Carolina Locals Wake Up Before Sunrise for This Diner’s Breakfast and They Don’t Regret It

The alarm goes off at an hour that most people only see if they are still up from the night before. But this North Carolina diner has people setting their clocks early on purpose,...

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The Only Place In Oregon Where Ocean, Desert, Mountains And Forest Collide In One Unreal View

A single spot where you can see the ocean, the desert, the mountains, and the forest all at once. I stood at the edge of a dry lake bed and turned in a slow circle as my brain...

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New Hampshire’s Fabric Treasure Trove That Brings Makers Back Again And Again

If you sew or quilt or make anything with fabric, you already know how hard it is to find a great store. Most places have a small selection and high prices.

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10 Mind-Boggling New Hampshire Antique Barns Packed Full Of Hidden Treasures

I have spent countless weekends driving around New Hampshire in search of old things. Not junk, but real treasures hiding in plain sight.

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The Historic Michigan Waterfront Resort Where Grand Lake Views Match A Timeless Menu

A thousand feet of porch and not a single car in sight. That is the first clue that this historic Michigan waterfront resort operates on a different rhythm entirely, one where...

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12 Off-The-Radar Maryland Restaurants Every Food Lover Should Visit

The famous restaurants get all the attention. Long lines, packed parking lots, and a two hour wait for a table. But the best...

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