My Family Travels | Latest Articles
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Drive Up To This New Jersey Overlook When You Want Mountain Views Without A Long Hike

Love mountain views but not particularly interested in spending three hours climbing toward them? Fair enough. There's a certain...

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She Took Her Grandmother’s Chicken Recipes and Turned Them Into a $6 Million Georgia Food Destination

Fried chicken that cracks loudly under your teeth and stays hot and juicy all the way through is worth driving across town for. Georgia has a family kitchen that started in 1986,...

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This Pennsylvania Meat Market Sells Whole and Half Beef Packages for Families Looking to Fill Their Freezers

One butcher shop near the Adams County line will process the hogs your own family raised. It will also walk you through the cuts for a whole or half beef, one choice at a time.

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This Legendary Virginia Diner Has Served More Than 9 Million Customers Since Opening In 1935

Nine million customers is a lot of meals. But this Virginia diner has been serving them since 1935, which means it has had decades to perfect the formula.

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This Virginia Ramen Restaurant Simmer Its Broth For At Least 20 Hours To Capture Authentic Japanese Flavor

Ramen is not a quick dish. The broth alone can take hours, and the best versions take even longer. This Virginia ramen restaurant...

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This Texas Cafe Is Quickly Becoming One Of The State’s Most Interesting Brunch Spots

Brunch can easily become a boring routine of the same eggs and toast, but this Texas cafe is shaking that up with a menu that takes familiar dishes and pushes them somewhere more...

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After Years of Repairs, This California Cliffside Snack Bar Finally Reopened Above Highway 1

A humble burger stand on a cliff top helped turn a windy bend of road into a full stop for road-trippers. The ocean sits hundreds of feet below.

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This Missouri Burger Joint Puts Peanut Butter And Double Bacon On A Cheeseburger

Peanut butter on a cheeseburger sounds like a dare, until salty bacon makes the whole idea click. In Missouri, one burger...

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Ohio Shoppers Are Filling Their Carts at This Discount Grocery Store That Buys Food Other Retailers Can’t Sell

A whole cart of groceries, name brands included, for a fraction of what the big chains charge. That's the everyday promise at one small store that buys food other retailers couldn't...

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You Can Tour A Giant Lake Freighter That Once Carried Cargo On The Great Lakes

Six hundred feet of steel, and this time the only cargo you’re hauling is curiosity. Climb aboard and wander through the...

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One Look At The Donut Selection Turns A One-Donut Stop Into A Haul At This Oklahoma Shop

I only meant to grab one donut on the way to work. Then I saw the glass case, glowing with pink frosting, cartoon faces, and fritters bigger than my hand, and my plan fell apart...

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A Pennsylvania Drive-In That Opened in 1958 Still Lets Families Watch Movies Under the Stars

Three giant outdoor screens, movie sound piped straight through your car's FM radio, and a snack stand serving made-to-order burgers and pizza. That lineup has been running in...

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The Tiny Indiana Bakery Where Foodies Will Happily Wait In Line For Sourdough

The problem with buying good sourdough is that it makes the rest of the grocery list seem less urgent. Dinner can wait. The bread...

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The Charming Historic Alabama Town That Belongs on Every Weekend Road-Trip Itinerary

The sunset has a schedule. Apparently, everyone else does too. In this Alabama town, people start wandering toward the water...

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10 Indiana Towns That Keep Their Rich German Heritage Alive Through Massive Street Food Fests

Indiana's German heritage has survived generations of change. It has also survived a lot of mustard. Across the state, annual...

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This Unassuming Alabama Pizzeria Competes Directly With NYC’s Legendary Slice Shops

Pizza usually asks one question. “Red sauce or white?” This Alabama pizzeria creates a more difficult one. “Are you really willing to drive an hour for it?”

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This Indiana Ranch Lets You Step Inside The Pasture To Hand-Feed Santa’s Real Live Reindeer Herd

Santa's reindeer have apparently developed a side hustle in Indiana. And yes, visitors get to feed them. On a working family...

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The Missouri Bookstore Where Rare And Unusual Finds Make A Quick Browse Last For Hours

A quick bookstore stop can turn into a full-on browsing adventure. One shelf leads to another, and suddenly your “just looking” plan has disappeared.

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After a Fire Shut Down This Ohio Diner, Its Family Still Managed to Make 1,000 Thanksgiving Pies

A fire closed the doors of a beloved diner right before Thanksgiving, and the family still turned out around 1,000 pies. That's a holiday rescue mission with flour on its sleeves.

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This Maryland Bakery Has Been Turning Ordinary Days Into Something Sweeter With Its Old-Fashioned Treats

Some bakeries chase trends. New flavors, fancy designs, whatever is popular this month. This Maryland spot has done none of that....

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Vintage Sewing Machines Are The Star At This Small Museum In Oklahoma

Some of the best afternoons in Oklahoma start with a plain little building you almost drive right past. I walked in expecting a few dusty machines on a shelf and maybe ten minutes...

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This Pennsylvania Candy Shop Lets You Fill a Box With Childhood Favorites You Thought Were Gone Forever

Rubber chickens hang from the ceiling of one candy shop, and a toy train circles right above them. That alone would earn a second look.

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Oregon Has A Restaurant Where Balkan Flavors Take Center Stage

Smoky grilled meats, warm flatbread, and a table crowded with small plates that vanish faster than anyone planned. Balkan cooking...

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Regulars Can’t Tell These Fluffy Oklahoma Donuts Are Vegan And Mostly Gluten-Free

I only stopped because the smell of warm sugar drifted out onto the sidewalk and my stomach made the decision for me. The little counter looked like any donut shop you have ever...

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This Little Texas Fabric Shop Is the Creative Escape Quilters Didn’t Know They Needed

Quilters are always on the lookout for a shop that feels like it was made for them, and this little Texas fabric store has become exactly that, offering a curated selection of...

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One Man Built His Dream Ohio Farm Where Bogart And Bacall Married, And Today It’s A State Park

I went looking for a quiet country drive and ended up standing in the very house where two Hollywood legends said their vows. This Ohio state park looks like an ordinary working...

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Oklahoma’s Best Chicken And Dumplings Simmer In These 6 Small-Town Spots Every Fall

The first chilly morning of fall always sends me hunting for one thing: a bowl of chicken and dumplings that tastes like somebody's grandma made it. In Oklahoma, the best bowls...

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Oklahoma Families Stock Their Freezers For Less At These 9 Old-School Meat Markets

The first time I walked into a small-town butcher shop in Oklahoma, I only wanted a pound of sausage. I left with a cooler full of steaks, a bundle deal I could not pass up, and...

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Did You Know Old Frontier Ruins Still Crumble Quietly In Oklahoma’s Woods

Some of the best afternoons start with a two-lane highway and a sign you almost drive past. In southern Oklahoma, one of those signs leads to weathered stone walls, old log cabins,...

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The Historic B&O Railroad Roundhouse Complex Still Stands Beside The Tracks In West Virginia

A circular railroad roundhouse framed in cast iron after the 1860s still stands, and historians call it the oldest of its kind left in America. Trains still rumble right past it...

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This Little-Known Maryland Village Lets You Explore Historic Workshops and a World From Another Century

Some historic sites feel preserved. Others feel alive. This little known Maryland village falls into the second category, with...

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A Whole Pioneer Town Was Rebuilt Board By Board Inside This Small Oklahoma Museum

I pulled off the road expecting a quick look at a few old photos and maybe a dusty wagon wheel. Two hours later, I was still wandering, peeking into a one-room schoolhouse and...

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Spruce Mountain Near Riverton Holds West Virginia’s Highest Point, And You Can Drive Almost To The Top

The highest spot in West Virginia sits at 4,863 feet, and you can park just a short stroll from the top. No ropes, no multi-day trek, no blistered heels required.

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This Texas Restaurant Serves an Old-Fashioned Family-Style Feast That Feels Like Sunday at Grandma’s House

Some meals feel less like dining out and more like being welcomed into someone's home, and this Texas restaurant captures that feeling by serving old fashioned family style feasts...

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This Missouri Deli Builds Its Sandwiches On Homemade Bread And Saves Room For Something Sweet

A great sandwich starts before the first bite. Here, the bread comes fresh from the oven, giving lunch a head start that’s hard to beat.

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This Spring-Fed Oklahoma Swimming Hole Charges $3 And Is Worth Marking Down For Next Summer

Out on the open Oklahoma prairie, where the wheat fields stretch forever and the heat bounces off the highway, I found a swimming hole that costs less than a gas station coffee....

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This Quiet New Jersey Preserve Hides Five Ponds Between Its Woods And Open Fields

Five ponds, quiet trails, and plenty of room to hear yourself think. Ah, now that's a refreshing change. There's something...

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Over 60 Years Of Racing Have Roared Around This Paved Track In Ona, West Virginia

Richard Petty once won on a little oval in the West Virginia hills, and you can still buy a ticket to watch racing there today. Kids twelve and under even get in free.

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This New Jersey Sweet Shop Serves Guilt-Free Dessert Rolls Under 300 Calories

Dessert cravings have absolutely no respect for your carefully planned afternoon. You're minding your business, thinking about...

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Stop Scrolling: This Indoor Adults-Only Waterpark Suite in Indiana Has a Private 92° Pool for the Ultimate Fall Escape

Indiana in October is not exactly swimming weather. Unless the pool is indoors. And heated to 92 degrees. And belongs entirely...

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This 40-Year-Old Indiana Farm Market is a Pure Foodie Wonderland Hidden on Highway 31

An old refrigerator, some eggs, and a roadside stand. That was the beginning. Forty years later, the food situation has gotten...

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This Missouri Seed Store Sits Inside A Pioneer Village That Feels Like Another Century

Seed shopping rarely comes with a pioneer village attached. That’s the fun twist here. In Missouri, the store sits among handcrafted...

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8 Texas Towns With Bizarre Stories Even Lifelong Texans May Not Know

Texas has plenty of famous history, but some of its strangest stories never make it into the textbooks, and the eight towns on this list are proof that even lifelong residents...

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11 Oregon Pie Shops That Could Make You Change Your Entire Road Trip Route

Flaky crust, bubbling fruit, and a sudden urge to tell the GPS to recalculate. Plans change fast when pie is involved. Across...

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11 Small-Town Missouri Restaurants Where Country Cooking Still Steals The Show

A plate of country cooking can turn a quick road-trip stop into the meal you remember all week. In Missouri, small-town restaurants keep the focus on familiar flavors, generous...

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This New Jersey Theater Is Turning 100 And Bringing The Roaring ’20s Back With It

Tickets to one big birthday party cost exactly nineteen dollars and twenty-six cents. That price is a wink at the year the theater first opened its doors.

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This New Hampshire Diner Was One Of The First Late-Night Spots Of Its Kind And Has Been Open Since 1922

Homemade pastries that taste like a grown-up Twinkie, filled with cream and topped with chocolate, are waiting at 3 a.m. That alone made me sit up.

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Maryland Factory Store Filled With Homemade Apple Butter, Preserves, and Old Fashioned Pantry Favorites

Pickled beet balls, apple butter, and jars of fruit preserves all compete for attention at this Maryland factory store. There's even honey, relish, and hot sauce nearby.

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Visitors Can Dig for Oregon’s State Rock at This Remote Mountain Mine

Some rocks look like plain brown lumps until you crack them open. Then a swirl of agate, crystal, or color appears that nobody has ever seen before.

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This New Hampshire Tea Room Serves Authentic British Afternoon Tea With Fresh Scones And Devonshire Cream

A tea room with the official tagline "a simply delightful excuse to eat cake at noon" already has my full attention. Add warm scones with Devonshire cream, and I'm reaching for...

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6 Huntington, West Virginia Restaurants Locals Keep Sending Their Out-Of-Town Family To

One drive-in on my list wears a giant root beer mug on its roof like a crown. That's the kind of landmark you can give as directions, and your relatives will still find it.

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Holiday Shoppers Walk Into A Different World When This New Jersey Garden Center Goes Full Christmas

A pool builder runs New Jersey's largest Christmas store. Yes, the same folks who dig inground swimming pools also fill a showroom with towering nutcrackers and life-sized Santas.

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An Ohio Family Turned a Glassmaking Tradition Into a Factory Where Visitors Can Watch Molten Glass Become Finished Pieces

Glowing blobs of molten glass get pressed by hand into Christmas trees and candlesticks, and you can stand close enough to see it happen. Then you can walk next door and buy the...

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This Massive Alabama Fabric Warehouse Is A Hidden Paradise Full Of Discounted Materials

There should probably be a warning at the door: Bring a list. And measure the trunk. The second part matters because this Alabama...

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This Oregon Roadhouse Is Known for Smoked Meat, Fire Pits and Weekend Music

Some of the walls at this mountain barbecue joint are built from salvaged stained glass. That alone made me want to see the place for myself.

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This New Hampshire Fall Farm Is Famous For Corn Mazes So Big You Can See The Designs From Above

A giant chipmunk is hiding in a cornfield, and you can walk right through it. The 2026 maze design is a chipmunk, carved across five to six acres of corn.

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Frank Sinatra Loved This New Jersey Bakery’s Bread So Much, He Had Suitcases Of It Flown To California

Frank Sinatra once had suitcases stuffed with bread and flown across the country to Palm Springs. Not jewels. Not records. Bread.

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This Maryland Vintage Shop Is Packed With Old Furniture and Unexpected Decorative Finds

Mid-century furniture, old jewelry, and oddball garden ornaments fill a Maryland shop that recently survived a devastating fire. That's a pretty dramatic comeback for a place where...

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This 205-Acre Missouri Lake Is Made For Fishing, Wildlife Watching, And Taking Things Slow

Gas outboard motors are allowed on this 205-acre lake, but motors exceeding 10 horsepower must operate at slow, no-wake speed. That...

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A Pennsylvania Meat Company Still Uses Old-Fashioned Smokehouses to Make the Bologna That Made Its Hometown Famous

Real hardwood fires still smoke the bologna at this place, inside wooden smokehouses that look like they belong in another century. No liquid smoke shortcut.

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