My Family Travels | Latest Articles
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Bigfoot Clues and Haunted Objects Share the Same Rooms at a Tiny North Carolina Museum

A small museum on a North Carolina main street holds a mix of strange clues, local stories, and objects that seem to stare back.

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This Gorgeous Indiana Town Absolutely Proves You Do Not Need A Big Budget To Live Well

“Do we really have to leave yet?” That is usually how you know a place has worked its way into the day. The answer gets harder when the street outside is lined with old brick,...

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This Historic Indiana Rail Trail Is Completely Perfect For A Crisp September Bike Ride

There is a certain sound a bike makes on an old railroad grade. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

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This Virginia Cruise Lets You Search The Shore For Wild Ponies And The Water For Dolphins

The boat glides across the water, and everyone on board is scanning the horizon. This Virginia cruise lets you search the shore for wild ponies and the water for dolphins, a combination...

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11 Virginia Observation Towers With Incredible Views

Some views are best seen from above. And in Virginia, some of the best above-ground perspectives come from observation towers. This...

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Hidden Deep In West Texas Is A Swimming Hole Few First-Time Visitors Believe Exists

A swimming hole in the middle of the desert sounds like a myth. But it exists. Deep in West Texas, this spring-fed pool is...

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A Georgia Restaurant Pairs Scottish and French Cooking on Top of a Mountain

A Scottish and French restaurant sits right at the edge of a cliff in Georgia, about 2,300 feet above sea level, and the dining room looks straight out over the valley below. I...

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We Found The Perfect Little Oregon Beach Bar For Laid Back Waterfront Views (Just Bring Cash)

There's a certain kind of freedom in a place that doesn't take cards. No swiping, no tapping, just cash and a cold drink with a view that makes you forget your phone exists. This...

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A North Carolina Preserve Leads to the Waters Where Blackbeard’s Final Battle Ended

The trees twist over sandy ground, birds move through the marsh, and the sound opens wide at the end like a page from an old sea tale. I found that quiet trail on a small North...

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This Texas Deli Has Quietly Become One Of The Best Lunch Stops In The State

A deli that does not shout about itself is often the best kind. This Texas spot is proof. It has quietly become one of the...

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A California Restaurant Has Been Serving Seafood Since the Gold Rush Era

A restaurant that started in 1849 as a simple coffee stand makes it the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the state, and that name kept jumping to the top of my California...

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This Hidden Indiana Mexican Restaurant Serves The Best Margaritas And Loaded Nachos

The leftovers get assigned before anyone has finished dinner. That is how big the portions are. Somebody claims the tacos. Someone...

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This Hidden Alabama Market Has A Secret Bakery And A Sprawling Sunflower Field Everyone Is Stopping For

The children were bored. The adults were watching the miles tick by. Then somebody spotted the sunflowers. That was enough...

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This Vibrant Alabama Latin Kitchen Serves Portions So Huge You Will Take Leftovers Home

The waiter puts the plate down, and for a second, the table disappears. Rice is piled high. The main dish spreads across the...

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A Georgia Soul Food Joint Once Fed a Broke Rock Band That Went on to Become Legendary

Biscuits drifted through the air on a cool Georgia morning, and Forsyth Street smelled like breakfast before I even found a parking spot. I had no real plan except to swing by...

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This Maryland Garden Center Is So Massive It Feels Like a Botanical Attraction

Garden centers are usually practical. Potted plants, bags of soil, and a quick trip. But this Maryland spot is something else...

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A New York Tavern Has Been Serving Guests Since Before the American Revolution

Stone front that looks like it was built by hand, dark heavy beams, fireplaces that are actually lit, and floorboards that creak in a way that feels earned rather than staged....

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This Minnesota Coastal Town Is Slowly Becoming A Favorite For People Who Hate Crowds

Some places don't need a welcome sign to tell you you've arrived somewhere different, you just feel it. The air gets quieter, the pace slows down without anyone asking it to. There's...

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Ohio hides a huge indoor sandbox museum where toddlers never want to leave

Tucked away in Dayton, Ohio, there is a museum where kids can dig, build, splash, and explore for hours without wanting to head home. The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery mixes science,...

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Thick, Gooey Cookies With Crisp Edges Have Made This Texas Bakery A Must Visit For Dessert Lovers

A cookie with a crisp edge and a gooey center is a perfect dessert. This Texas bakery has mastered that balance, earning a loyal following.

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Maryland Restaurant That Quietly Serves the Best Comfort Food in the State

Comfort food is personal. Everyone has their favorite spot. But this Maryland restaurant quietly serves some of the best in...

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Here’s how a rainy day turns into a highlight at this Ohio indoor water park

When gray clouds roll over northern Ohio, most vacation plans get soggy fast. But at Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, a downpour barely matters because the fun moves indoors.

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This Hidden Texas Coastal Sanctuary Combines Peaceful Walking Trails With Stunning Gulf Coast Scenery

A hidden coastal sanctuary with peaceful trails and stunning scenery is a quiet escape. This Texas spot is a place where the only sounds are the birds and the waves.

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This Oklahoma Airport Restaurant Serves All-Day Breakfast Worth Arriving Early For

Some people race through airports with a coffee in one hand and a rolling bag in the other, barely noticing the food options as they rush past.

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This West Virginia Arboretum Has Old-Growth Trees Over 200 Years Old And 3.5 Miles Of Trails

There is a spot in West Virginia where you can park beside a busy boulevard, walk about two minutes downhill, and suddenly hear nothing but birds and leaves.

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This Hidden Indiana Mud Pit Features Tight, Wooded Loops for Trail-Ready UTVs

First comes the splash. Then comes the mud on the windshield. Then somebody decides to go back through it faster. That is roughly...

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This Cozy Indiana Cat Lounge Let Rescue Felines Choose Their Own Humans

Somewhere in this Indiana cafe, a cat is currently deciding whether you are worthy of its attention. There is no application process.

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Everything at This Texas Cafe Is Completely Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free

A cafe where everything is gluten-free and dairy-free is a safe haven for those with dietary restrictions. This Texas spot proves that avoiding these ingredients does not mean...

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You Can Eat Inside A Former 1940s Oklahoma Movie Theater With Its Original Neon Marquee

If you are the kind of person who slows down when an old neon sign starts glowing at dusk, a former movie theater in Oklahoma will pull you in fast. The whole place still feels...

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This Charming Minnesota French Restaurant Feels Like a Cozy Parisian Bistro

Some restaurants make you forget where you are. This one does that within seconds of walking through the door. Soft candlelight, clinking wine glasses, and the smell of butter...

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This Missouri Vintage Market Is Packed With Mid-Century Furniture Retro Clothing And One-Of-A-Kind Decor

I pulled open that door on a slow Thursday morning and instantly forgot what year it was. Warm wood credenzas, racks of printed dresses, and shelves of glassware stretched further...

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This Five-Acre Oklahoma Flower Farm Was Built By A Couple Who Left Their Careers To Chase A Dream

A couple who left their careers to chase a dream built a five-acre Oklahoma flower farm from scratch. Pauline and Justin Harrison...

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Go Make Something Instead Of Just Looking At Art At This New Jersey Pottery Studio

A place where you can finally prove to your friends that you have more talent than just scrolling through Pinterest. This...

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This Charming Covered Bridge In New Hampshire Is Worth Adding To A White Mountains Road Trip

The wooden structure spans the river, and the water rushes beneath it. The surrounding trees frame the scene perfectly. This...

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This Hidden New Jersey Park Has A 100-Acre Lake Most People Don’t Know About

A lake this big has no business being this quiet. You would think a 100-acre lake would attract crowds, but this one keeps its mouth shut.

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This Maryland Historic Estate Has Gardens Trails and Centuries of Stories Hidden Across Its Grounds

History feels considerably less distant when the house, gardens, and landscape are still sitting right where the story unfolded.

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You Can Order Pastries From a 24-Hour Vending Machine in Oregon

Vending machines usually mean chips and stale candy bars, nothing worth getting excited about. This one completely breaks that expectation, dispensing actual pastries instead.

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This Oklahoma Campground Lets You Float For Hours And Sleep Along Half A Mile Of Private Riverfront

You step out of your tent and the river is right there, a half-mile stretch of private shoreline waiting for you to launch a kayak or just sit and watch the water move.

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This New Hampshire Beach Has Soft Sand Ocean Views And An Easygoing Coastal Feel

Here's a thought that might ruffle a few beach towels. New Hampshire owns the shortest stretch of coastline in the country, yet somehow it hides one of the calmest, prettiest sand...

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This Roadside West Virginia Gem Serves Epic Comfort Food That Keeps Locals Coming Back

Some of the best stops in West Virginia don't show up in glossy travel guides. They're the kind of places you almost drive past until something catches your eye and pulls you in.

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This New Jersey Christmas Store Is A Year-Round Tradition, Even When It Is 80 Degrees Outside

Christmas in September? Why not. This New Jersey shop keeps the holiday spirit alive every single day of the year. Ornaments,...

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10 Mysterious Historic Ruins Hidden In Plain Sight Across Rural Alabama

The ruins do not look ruined at first. A stone wall looks like a stone wall. A grassy field looks like a grassy field. A pile...

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A Pennsylvania Restaurant Keeps Dutch Recipes Alive in a Town Most Food Tourists Drive Right Past

Candles glowed in every window of that brick building with the blue awning, and I had taken the exit off a Pennsylvania highway on a hunch, following a road sign into a hamlet...

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One Oregon Restaurant Is Famous for Turning Wild Mushrooms Into Fine Dining

Foraged ingredients rarely make it onto fine dining menus without losing something in translation. This Oregon restaurant somehow keeps that wild character intact, plating mushrooms...

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This Magical New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival Turns Downtown Into An October Wonderland

The streets of downtown are about to transform. Thousands of carved pumpkins will line the sidewalks, casting a warm, flickering glow across the old brick buildings.

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This Cozy Small-Town Maryland Diner Serves The Kind Of Breakfast Folks Happily Drive Out of Their Way to Savor

Some breakfasts are about convenience, while others make adding extra miles before coffee seem like a perfectly rational choice.

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This New Jersey Japanese Restaurant Serves All-You-Can-Eat Sushi That Keeps Locals Coming Back

A stack of empty plates, a pile of sushi rolls, and that moment when you lose count of how many you have ordered. That is...

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This Ohio Tavern Has Welcomed Travelers Since the Stagecoach Era

That low log building on an Ohio main street stopped me mid-step, looking like something out of a history book with its door wide open and the smell of fried onions drifting out...

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Minnesota Has a Restaurant Hidden Inside a Former Theater

Old theater seats don't usually come with a dinner menu attached. Here, though, the whole building still carries that performance energy, just redirected toward food instead of...

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This Oklahoma Café Makes Cinnamon Rolls Without Gluten, Dairy, Or Eggs

The cinnamon roll arrives at your table, and you might not believe it is gluten-free until you take a bite. A bakery in Oklahoma...

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This Family-Owned Missouri Mexican Restaurant Has Sold More Than Eight Million Tacos

Worn booths, faded portraits of old Mexican presidents, and fluorescent lights that have been buzzing the same way since 1975. That is the scene inside this Missouri spot, a place...

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This Hidden West Virginia Forest Trail Leads Straight To A Forgotten Dam Almost No One Remembers

Some of the best places in West Virginia never make it onto a map or a billboard. Tucked behind a small-town swimming pool, a quiet forest path winds through the trees until an...

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You Can Hunt For Vintage Treasures At This Historic Textile Mill Turned Artisan Market

A historic textile mill from 1908 now houses local artists, vintage treasures, and the kind of finds that make you cancel your afternoon plans.

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This Iconic West Virginia Italian Restaurant Has Served Unforgettable Pasta For Over Half A Century

Some of the best meals in West Virginia hide behind the plainest doors, and this little roadside spot is proof. From the outside, you might just drive right past it, but step inside...

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9 Secret Strip-Mall Eateries In Alabama Locals Try To Keep To Themselves

There is a certain look a restaurant gets when nobody bothered to make it look like a restaurant. A blank storefront. A neighboring...

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A South Carolina Restaurant Serves Dinner Inside a Building That Once Held Both Town Hall and Jail

That sturdy brick building from 1904 used to serve as the town hall and the town jail, and now it serves shrimp and grits. I...

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You Can Eat Dinner in a Former Blacksmith Shop in Oregon

Old iron tools don't usually double as dinner décor. Here, they're part of the charm, mounted on brick walls that used to shape metal instead of hosting dinner guests.

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These 10 Virginia Attractions Keep Kids And Parents Happy All Day Long

Keeping kids entertained for a full day is a challenge. But Virginia has attractions that manage to keep both kids and parents happy from morning until evening.

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This Virginia Restaurant Makes The Atmosphere Almost As Memorable As The Food

The setting is elegant, the lighting is warm, and the service is flawless. But the food is what brings people in, and this Virginia restaurant makes the atmosphere almost as memorable...

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The Pasta At This New Jersey Restaurant Is Made Using A Method Found Nowhere Else In America

Who knew a cold heart could be a good thing? Turns out, it is the secret behind the most unique pasta in America. This New...

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