derek holloway author at My Family Travels
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This Wisconsin Thrift Store Doesn’t Let You Go Until You’ve Earned Your Find

Most thrift stores are easy. Walk in. Scan the racks. Grab what you like. This...

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Maine’s Donut Festival Just Got Sweeter And It’s Headed To Rockport

Maine loves its donuts. That is not a controversial statement. But the state has turned that love into a full blown festival,...

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9 Tennessee Seafood Markets That Put Coastal Shops To Shame

Tennessee is about as far from an ocean as you can get. No crashing waves. No salt air. No fishing boats unloading at the dock.

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North Carolina Has A Place Where You Can Hand Feed A Tiger And A Giraffe Might Kiss Your Forehead

North Carolina is full of surprises, but this one might be the wildest. I walked into an open field holding a long stick with a chunk of meat on the end.

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This Florida Italian Market Has Preserved Its Traditional Sausage Making Craft For Over A Century

You can smell it before you see the building. Pork. Fennel. Garlic. A little...

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America’s Oldest Candy Company Is Still Churning Out Sweets Right Here In Massachusetts

Massachusetts has a lot of history. Old buildings. Famous battles. But this piece of history is sweeter.

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This West Palm Beach, Florida Trampoline Park Offers More Than Just Jumping With Ninja Courses And Dodgeball

You think you know what a trampoline park offers. Kids bouncing around. A foam pit. Maybe some basketball hoops.

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This New Mexico Tribal Casino Was Built On Sacred Ground And The Spirits Are Not Happy

The lights are bright. The slot machines chime. People laugh and drink and chase wins. But underneath all that noise, something...

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This Florida Cafe With Mouthwatering Pops Is Hiding Inside An Adorable Bus

I have eaten a lot of popsicles in Florida. The heat demands it. But most are forgettable. Sugar water on a stick.

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Get To This Simple Florida Seafood Spot Before Everyone Finds Out About The Blue Crab

I almost did not write about this place. Not because the food is bad. The opposite. It is so good that part of me wants to keep...

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Arizona’s Most Haunting Ghost Town Is A Place Time Forgot But Fear Didn’t

The buildings are still standing. That is the strange part. Wooden storefronts. A saloon with the swinging doors half rotted...

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Ohio Bargain Hunters Can’t Get Enough Of This Giant Warehouse Bin Store

The rules are simple. Grab a cart. Find your spot. Pay the daily price no matter what you grab. No scanners. No price checks. Just a flat fee for everything you can carry. Some...

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Walleye Season Opens May 2 On Iowa’s Great Lakes And Anglers Can’t Wait

You can feel the energy building around here. Fishermen are checking their gear. Boats are getting prepped. The local bait shop...

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Phoenix, Arizona Just Received A Devastating Report And The Metro Is Now One Of The Most Polluted In The Nation

You look up at that big blue Arizona sky and it is easy to assume everything is fine. Sunscreen weather. Pool season. Beautiful...

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This Ohio Lake Between Columbus And Pittsburgh Has Incredible Fishing And Peaceful Trails

Sometimes you just need a body of water that asks nothing from you. No big crowds. No loud speedboats buzzing past every five...

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Without This Tiny North Carolina Island, A Whole Town Gets Wiped Out By Hurricanes, And It’s Vanishing

You would never guess it by looking at it. Just a thin strip of sand with a few scrubby trees and some birds. Nothing special...

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This New York Thrift Bookstore Hasn’t Changed In 40 Years And That’s Why We Love It

I walked in and honestly felt like I had time traveled. The carpet is the same brown swirl pattern your grandma had. The shelves...

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Florida’s Forgotten Coast Springs To Life With Redfish And Trout Biting At Every Turn

Spring on Florida's Forgotten Coast feels like the whole world woke up at once. The water turns that clear green-blue, the air smells like salt and pine, and the fish seem to know...

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The Chicken Parmesan At This Tennessee Institution Will Make You Weep Real Tears Of Joy

You know a meal has won you over when the smell alone almost does you in. A little Italian spot tucked along a busy Knoxville road has been quietly earning its reputation one plate...

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A North Dakota Thrift Store So Big Your Wallet Will Beg for Mercy

A thrift store in North Dakota stopped me cold the moment I pulled into the parking lot. The sheer size of the building gave me a hint of what was waiting inside, but nothing prepared...

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A North Dakota Thrift Store So Big Your Wallet Will Beg for Mercy

A thrift store in North Dakota stopped me cold the moment I pulled into the parking lot. The sheer size of the building gave me a hint of what was waiting inside, but nothing prepared...

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Alaska Has Underground Zombie Fires That Smolder All Winter And Wake Up In Spring

Beneath the frozen surface of a northern wilderness, fires are quietly burning right now. Invisible. Patient. Waiting for the...

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This South Dakota Hotel Hosted Six Presidents And A Hitchcock Movie, But The Ghosts Never Checked Out

A hotel in the Black Hills feels like it holds secrets in every corner. The moment I stepped through the front doors, I noticed the heavy wooden details, the Native American inspired...

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These 5 Tennessee Thai Restaurants Taste Like A One-Way Ticket To Bangkok

A bowl of fragrant Thai curry waiting inside middle Tennessee caught me completely off guard. I had no idea one state could hide so many spots genuinely rivaling Bangkok street...

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Gatlinburg, Tennessee Was A Quiet Mountain Gateway Then 12 Million Tourists A Year Showed Up

A town nestled in mountain foothills used to be a place you stumbled upon rather than planned for. I remember first driving into town on winding roads with pine tree smell and...

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Forget Maryland’s Seafood Shacks This Spot Has Fairy Lights And Real Flavor

Forget Maryland's seafood shacks because fairy lights twinkle above wooden picnic tables where real flavor shows up without any pretension. No plastic lobsters hang on walls and...

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Top 7 Small Lakes In Wisconsin Where Fish Populations Are Quietly Collapsing

Three hours of pulling an empty line from a Wisconsin lake hits different. Growing up, you heard stories. Legendary walleye catches....

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Granite State Scenic Railway In New Hampshire Where The Hobo Picnic Lunch Steals The Ride

A train whistle echoing through the White Mountains has a way of changing the mood of an entire journey. Granite State Scenic Railway in Lincoln, New Hampshire, runs along the...

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Michigan Pub Elevates Comfort Dining With Steak Frites, Truffle Fries, And A Brunch That Runs The Weekend

Some places just click the second you walk in, the kind of spot where the mood settles instantly and everything feels easy. Warm lighting, low chatter, and that subtle buzz of...

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Kentucky Amish Gem Where Sandwiches Steal The Spotlight And Word Travels Fast

Somewhere along a quiet stretch of highway in southern Kentucky, there is a small roadside stop that does not ask for attention, yet somehow holds it completely once you step inside....

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