aria ellison author at My Family Travels
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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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Florida’s Creepiest Ghost Town Has a Bridge You Shouldn’t Cross at Night

The town has been empty for decades, abandoned when the railroad rerouted and the sawmill closed. Most of the buildings are gone now, just foundations and memories.

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Kentucky’s Abandoned Frontier Still Creaks at Night

The settlers built their homes here in the late 1700s, clearing land and raising families in a place that felt like the edge of the world. Now the cabins sit empty, their roofs...

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Three Sisters From Puerto Rico Brought Their Island to Rural Georgia and Nobody Leaves Hungry or Alone

They came from Puerto Rico years ago, three sisters who missed the food of their childhood. The rice and beans. The pernil. The...

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Forget the Bourbon Trail, Follow the Sugar Trail to This Kentucky Bakery

Bourbon gets all the attention in Kentucky. The distilleries. The tasting rooms. The souvenir glasses.

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You Thought She Was an Actress Inside This Tennessee Mansion Until She Faded Through the Wall

The tour was going exactly like you would expect. Old furniture. History lessons. A guide in period clothing explaining who slept...

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The Chapel That Burned Three Times in South Carolina but the Minister Still Walks With His Lantern

Some buildings just cannot catch a break. This chapel in South Carolina burned not once, not twice, but three separate times. Each...

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Louisiana’s Most Elegant Haunting Wears a Blue Dress and Smells Like Old Perfume

You are walking through the old building when the scent hits you. Something floral, something heavy, something that does not belong in a place that has been empty for years.

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You’ll Need a Napkin, a Nap, and a Prayer After This North Carolina BBQ Bowl

There are some meals that just stop you in your tracks, and the spread at The Redneck BBQ Lab in Benson, North Carolina, is exactly that kind of meal. Pulled up off NC-210 next...

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One Chicken, Two Islands, and a Whole North Carolina State Obsessed With Huli Chicken

Some meals just stick with you, and the first time I had Huli chicken at Huli Sue's BBQ and Grill in Asheville, I knew this was one of those meals. Tucked inside the historic Grove...

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The Wyoming Landmark That Has Been Sacred For Thousands of Years

You need a little patience to reach this spot in Wyoming. A drive up a mountain, then a walk of about a mile and a half. Nothing...

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This Louisiana Plantation Factory Still Hums With Ghostly Energy

The machinery stopped decades ago. The workers have all gone home. But something about this old Louisiana plantation factory...

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8 Maine Swimming Holes So Cold They’ll Wake Your Soul

Maine has plenty of beaches, but the real refreshment happens inland. Tucked between granite boulders and hidden in forest hollows, these swimming holes are not for the faint of...

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This Under-The-Radar Michigan Trail Is The Closest You’ll Get To Narnia In Real Life

Michigan has no shortage of beautiful trails. But this one feels different. The path winds through a forest where the trees lean...

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10 Ohio Carryout Windows That Put Lake Perch Front and Center

Ohio has a secret. You will not find it in a fancy restaurant with white tablecloths. You find it at a carryout window, usually...

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Forget the Barbecue, This North Carolina Hot Dog Is the State’s Real Star

North Carolina is known for barbecue. Eastern style. Lexington style. The debates can get heated.

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You Can Pick Sunflowers, Pet A Retired Racing Pig, And Launch Vegetables At This Florida Farm

Florida farms usually stick to one thing. Oranges. Strawberries. Maybe a corn maze in the fall.

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Pull Up A Chair At These 11 Family-Owned South Carolina Diners And Taste What Comfort Actually Means

Comfort food gets thrown around a lot. Mac and cheese. Meatloaf. Mashed potatoes.

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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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This Irish Pub In Washington Was Built Over Thousands Of Bodies And A Working Embalming Room

You walk into this Washington pub expecting the usual. Dark wood. Whiskey. Maybe some live music.

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Michigan Is Low-Key The Best State For Summer Food Festivals And Here Are 7 To Prove It

Michigan does not brag enough. Other states shout about their food scenes. Texas. Louisiana.

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Grab a Bucket and Head to Schwartz Orchard in Illinois for the Sweetest Strawberries Around

Illinois has plenty of orchards. Apples. Peaches. The usual suspects. But...

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There’s a Farm in Ohio Where You Can Pet an Alpaca and Feed a Capybara

Ohio has plenty of farms where you can see animals. Cows. Goats. The usual suspects.

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You Can Almost Smell the Strawberries as the West Tennessee Festival Kicks Off

You do not need a calendar to know when strawberry season hits West Tennessee. You can smell it. The whole town fills with...

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8 Wisconsin Buffets That Still Serve Portions Like It’s 1985

Wisconsin buffets are not for the faint of heart. They are for people who remember what portions used to look like before everything got small and expensive.

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Arizona’s Most Unexpectedly Amazing Shrimp Tacos Are At This Little Hideaway

Arizona is not the first place you think of for shrimp tacos. That would be Baja. Or San Diego. Or anywhere with a coast.

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The Best Weekend Ritual In Tennessee Happens At These 10 Farmers Markets

Tennessee knows how to do a weekend right. Sleep in a little. Grab some coffee. Then head to a farmers market where the parking...

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An Ohio Farm Serves Up Cuddly Animals By Day And A Haunted Circus That Will Mess With Your Head After Dark

Ohio has some weird spots, but this one takes the cake. During the day, it is all sunshine and soft fur. You can bottle feed...

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Lakefront Dining And Southern Comfort Food Await At This Beautiful Georgia Restaurant

You know that feeling when you find a restaurant that checks every box? Good food. Great view. A staff that actually seems happy...

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10 North Carolina Farmers Markets That Locals Love And You Will Too

North Carolina knows how to do a farmers market. Not those sad little setups with three tables and some wilted lettuce. Real...

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This Small-Town Iowa Restaurant Serves Soft Serve So Good, You’ll Plan Your Road Trip Around It

I have driven a long way for a lot of things. Concerts. Hikes. Visiting friends.

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No Amish Farms For Miles But Florida Still Has A Beloved Amish Market

Florida does not exactly scream Amish country. No rolling pastures. No horse drawn buggies. No sprawling dairy farms.

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In Nevada The Night Sky Is Disappearing As Light Pollution Steals The Stars

You used to look up in Nevada and see everything. The Milky Way stretching across the sky like a river of light. Thousands of...

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Shoppers Keep Spending Entire Days At This Connecticut Flea Market

I made a huge mistake. I showed up to this Connecticut flea market with only one hour to spare. That was nowhere near enough...

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This Ohio Coffeehouse Feels Like Stepping Into a Renaissance Painting With Every Sip

I have been to themed coffee shops before. Fake vintage signs. Maybe a chalkboard with a pretentious quote. This is not that.

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In This Georgia Town Time Stands Still And Rent Never Skyrocketed

You hear so much about places becoming unaffordable. Cities where rent has doubled in five years. Towns that got discovered and...

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Pomegranate Market Highlights Eco-Friendly Practices At Its South Dakota Farmers Market

Farmers markets are supposed to be green, right? Local food. Less driving. Reusable bags.

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This Memphis, Tennessee Pie Is So Good That North Jersey Just Lost Its Title

North Jersey has been bragging about its pies for years. And honestly, fair enough. They have good stuff up there. But then I...

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This Colorado Town Almost Became A Ghost Town, Then A Local Came Up With Something Brilliant

The town was quiet. Too quiet. Storefronts sat empty. Main Street felt more like a hallway than a destination.

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This Baltimore, Maryland Steakhouse Served Legends And Plenty Of Prime Rib

The door barely closes behind you before you understand what the fuss is about. Dark wood. Low lighting. The smell of freshly-made...

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First Amish Restaurant In Hamden Connecticut Brings Pot Pie To Pizza Country

Connecticut is pizza country. Everyone knows that. Thin crust, coal fired, the whole deal. So when an Amish restaurant opened...

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You’ll Need A Second Stomach For The Homestyle Southern Cooking At This Georgia Gem

The plate arrived and I actually laughed out loud. There was no way one person was supposed to eat all of that. But then I started....

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This Frozen Sea Of Lava In New Mexico Will Make You Feel Very, Very Small

I have stood on some pretty dramatic landscapes before, but nothing prepared me for this scene in New Mexico. Walking onto a field of sharp, jagged black rock that stretches as...

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Florida’s Secret Birdwatching Paradise Is A Free Boardwalk Through 100 Acres Of Pure Wetland Magic

Step onto the boardwalk and the world immediately softens. A place in Florida does that to you without warning. The low, rhythmic...

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Utah’s High-End Steakhouse Just Dropped A Happy Hour So Affordable It Feels Illegal

There are moments when a meal genuinely surprises you, and this was one of them. A sleek steakhouse in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah quietly rolled out a happy hour that made me...

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Dekalb Illinois Just Got Sweeter With Homemade Mini Cheesecakes

A tiny round dessert stopped me cold at a farmers market in northern Illinois, and I have not been the same since. The moment I caught a glimpse of those perfectly portioned mini...

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Forget Colorado, This Tiny Maryland Town Just Became Your New Outdoor Obsession

Somewhere between a rugged mountain range and a winding river, a small town rewired how I think about outdoor travel on the East Coast. The moment you roll in, something shifts.

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Small Town Massachusetts Has Prime Rib Bigger Than Your Head, Made With A 60-Year-Old Recipe

There’s a certain magic in a restaurant that doesn’t chase trends, just slow-roasts perfection for nearly seven decades. And hidden on a quiet two-lane road is a prime rib...

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The Nebraska Goodwill Where Shoppers Wear Gloves and Wait Behind Yellow Lines

A certain Goodwill in the Midwest does not look like any thrift store you have walked into before. The moment you step through those doors, you notice yellow lines taped across...

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New York Has Waterfalls That Have Been Cut In Half Turned Off And Stolen

New York hides jaw-dropping surprises along rocky gorges and quiet creek beds. Waterfalls with wild stories wait in forgotten corners of the state.

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This California Restaurant That Serves One Pizza Daily Built A Cult Following

You do not forget a place that makes one pizza a day. One pizza only. No sprawling menu. No decision fatigue.

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Hidden Speakeasies In Nevada That Feel Like Secret Worlds Behind Ordinary Doors

Pushing open an ordinary door to find a world built just for you hits different. My first speakeasy stumble in Las Vegas hid behind a fake refrigerator door.

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This Hidden Ohio Spot Serves Fried Clams You’ll Be Thinking About Long After The Last Bite

Some meals just stick with you. Not in a dramatic way. Just in a way that makes you think about them days later. A little while...

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This Hidden Ohio Spot Serves Fried Clams You’ll Be Thinking About Long After The Last Bite

Some meals just stick with you. Not in a dramatic way. Just in a way that makes you think about them days later. A little while...

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Plantation’s Italian Comfort Food Gem That’s Pasta-tively Winning Over Florida Locals

The dining experience at this Plantation, Florida, destination stays with guests long after the plates are cleared. Tucked along South University Drive, the establishment possesses...

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Antique Decor Warehouses In New York State That Feel Like Movie Sets

There is something almost magical about pushing open a heavy door and finding yourself surrounded by decades of history stacked floor to ceiling. New York State is full of these...

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