My Family Travels | Latest Articles
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The Texas Thrift Giant Some Shoppers Swear By And Others Are Turning Away From

People either love it or avoid it completely, and there is rarely anything in between. Conversations about places like this pop up all over Texas, especially among regular thrift...

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This Oceanfront Escape Lets You Fall Asleep to Waves and Wake Up to Whales on the Oregon Coast

This oceanfront getaway on the Oregon Coast instantly felt like hitting the pause button on life. Falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing is somehow more relaxing than I...

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9 Stunning Waterfront Dining Experiences You’ll Only Find In Oklahoma

I used to think waterfront dining meant ocean views and coastal cities. Oklahoma was not exactly on my radar for that kind of experience.

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This Easygoing Alabama Spot Serves Seafood That Locals Claim Is Hard To Beat

Why do locals keep coming back to this Alabama seafood spot when they have plenty of other places to choose from? The answer starts getting obvious the second the food hits the...

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This Underrated New Jersey Town Is A Secret Most Locals Don’t Even Know Exists

New Jersey has plenty of towns you’ve heard of, but this one feels like it slipped through the cracks on purpose. It’s...

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This 5-Mile Indiana Paddle Takes You Through a Flooded Cypress Swamp

I never expected to find something that felt this wild in Indiana. When I first paddled out onto this lake, the sight of bald cypress trees rising straight out of the water stopped...

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Washington Has A Radar Detector Rule That Surprises Drivers Immediately

The surprise hits before the road trip really even gets going. Washington has a radar detector rule that catches drivers off guard fast, mostly because it involves one of those...

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This Vibrant Virginia Marketplace Is A Haven For The Purest Street-Style Flavors

Virginia has no shortage of grocery stores, but every once in a while, a place comes along that makes you rethink what food shopping can actually feel like. Forget sterile aisles...

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This Ohio Market Is Housing A Hearty Family-Style Feast Inside A Massive Country Store And Bakery

How does a quick country store stop turn into the kind of meal people end up planning their day around? This Ohio market answers that the second you get inside.

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This Quiet Texas Town Blends Frontier Charm With Small-Town Treasures And Famous Local Pies

You come for a quick stop, and somehow it turns into hours without noticing. Word about places like this travels quietly through Texas, usually from someone insisting it is worth...

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See a 300-Year-Old Sitka Spruce on a 1-Mile Oregon Trail

Walking this one-mile trail in Oregon, I wasn’t expecting to be stopped in my tracks - but then I saw the 300-year-old Sitka spruce. Its massive, twisting branches make you feel...

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A Haunted State Pier In Maryland That Locals Won’t Stroll Alone

Why does a simple walk along the water start feeling a lot less casual when a place has a haunted reputation? This Maryland state pier answers that pretty quickly.

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This Oklahoma Adventure Lets You Glide Above the Osage Hills Like a Bird

Imagine standing on a wooden platform high above the treetops, the wind picking up, your heart doing something between a drumroll and a full sprint. Below you, the Osage Hills...

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The Small-Town Restaurant In Montana With Legendary Steaks That Locals Swear Are The Best In The West

Why do locals talk about this Montana steakhouse like it settled the argument a long time ago? The answer gets a lot clearer once dinner hits the table.

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This High-End New Jersey Landmark Is A Modern Culinary Masterpiece

They say New Jersey invented the diner, but this spot proves it also mastered fine dining with a wink. Imagine dishes so artful you hesitate to eat them, then cave because they...

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This Hidden Indiana Peak Is the State’s Highest Point, And It Hides a Secret “Highpointer” Mailbox

I never expected Indiana’s highest point to feel like a secret worth keeping. Hoosier Hill sits quietly amid the farmland of Wayne County, easy to miss if you don’t know where...

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This Welcoming Buffet In Virginia Serves Hearty Nostalgic Home-Cooked Meals

Somewhere along South Crater Road in Petersburg, Virginia, there is a place that smells like Sunday dinner and feels like a warm hug the moment you walk through the door. Locals...

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This Pennsylvania Bakery Run In Amish Country Turns Fresh Pies Into A Perfect Road Trip Reason

The second fresh pies enter the road trip conversation, the rest of the plan starts feeling a lot less important. This Pennsylvania bakery run through Amish Country has exactly...

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The Massive North Carolina Seafood Buffet That Serves A Caribbean-Inspired Feast

Vacation appetite and self-control do not exactly survive long in a place like this. This massive North Carolina seafood buffet comes loaded with the kind of Caribbean-inspired...

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Haunted Hotel Stays Across Texas That Guarantee A Night Of Chills

Texas has a way of holding onto its past, and nowhere is that more obvious than in its oldest hotels. Some of these places have seen so much history that the walls seem to hum...

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This Oregon Underground Lava Cave Hike Belongs On Your Bucket List

Few hikes in Oregon come with a story as wild as this underground lava cave trail. Walking through the twisting tunnels feels like stepping into another world, where shadows dance...

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The Haunting Ruins Of This Legendary Louisiana Theme Park Are Finally Facing A Massive Transformation

An abandoned theme park already sounds eerie enough, but this legendary Louisiana site comes with the kind of reputation that makes the whole place feel even heavier and harder...

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This Little-Known Multi-Vendor Vintage Store in Oklahoma Keeps Collectors Coming Back for More

I almost didn’t stop the first time I passed it. It looked like just another storefront in Oklahoma, the kind you assume you’ll check out “next time.” Then I walked in,...

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Old-Fashioned Georgia Farm Market That Sells Produce Directly From Local Fields

The best farm market stops do not feel staged or polished to death, and that is exactly why this Georgia spot is so easy to love. Everything about it has that fresh-off-the-land...

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Why Seniors Are Flocking To This Affordable New Jersey Retirement Haven

So, what’s pulling seniors toward this slice of New Jersey? Imagine swapping traffic for tree-lined streets, and long commutes for leisurely strolls.

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This Indiana Bluff Offers a Massive Horseshoe-Bend View of the Ohio River from 300 Feet Up

I have driven a lot of Indiana backroads, but nothing quite prepared me for the first moment I pulled up to this hidden bluffside spot in Leavenworth. Perched roughly 300 feet...

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This Kentucky Amish Country Discount Store Feels Like A Massive Treasure Hunt For Bakers

Bakers have a special talent for spotting a good deal from across the room, and this Kentucky Amish Country discount store gives them a lot to lock onto. The place feels less like...

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Find Your Next Masterpiece At This Famous 3-Story Antique Emporium In Virginia

Some places just have a pull to them, a kind of magnetic charm that makes you forget you had anywhere else to be. There is a three-story antique emporium in Virginia that has been...

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The Chilling Virginia Eatery With a Resident Ghostly Regular

Some restaurants are known for their food. Others are known for their atmosphere. But one Norfolk, Virginia hotspot is equally...

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This Massive Mennonite Smorgasbord In Pennsylvania Is Truly Worth The Long Road Trip

Skipping lunch starts to feel like a brilliant move when a place like this is waiting at the end of the drive. This massive Mennonite smorgasbord in Pennsylvania has the kind of...

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This Indiana Forest Is Home to a Tree So Large It Takes Six People to Circle It

I still remember the first time I stepped into this old-growth forest and felt the air shift around me. The canopy closed overhead, the noise of the outside world faded, and suddenly...

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This Roadside Texas BBQ Joint Serves Loaded Smokehouse Plates That Cover The Whole Tray

You know it is serious when the tray barely has room left once the food hits the table. Spots like this pull in hungry travelers from all over Texas who already expect to leave...

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9 Oregon Restaurants So Remote They Turn The Drive Into Part Of The Adventure

Some of the best meals I have ever eaten required a long drive down a winding road first. Oregon has a way of hiding its most memorable restaurants in places that most people would...

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This Legendary Oklahoma Onion Burger Joint Serves Burgers That Taste Like Pure Nostalgia

There are burgers, and then there are burgers that stop you mid-bite and make you close your eyes for a second. You know the kind. The...

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The End-Of-The-Line New Jersey Coffee Bar That Hides A Breakfast Worth The Trip

Ever ride the train all the way to the end of the line and wonder what’s waiting there? Maybe you expect a sleepy stop, maybe just a quick coffee.

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The Indiana Supermarket Stall Serving Up Legendary Syrian Street Food

I never expected to find one of the most memorable meals of my life inside a grocery store in Indianapolis. But that’s exactly what happened the first time I wandered into the...

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This High-Flying Virginia Adventure Park Lets You Race Through The Treetops

Forget the beach for a minute. Virginia Beach has a secret that lives above the sand, above the crowds, and way above your comfort zone. I stumbled onto this place and honestly...

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The Hidden Spring In Texas With Crystal-Clear Water And A Laid-Back Atmosphere

Clear water like this is not what most people expect to find hidden away in Texas. Hidden spots like this draw visitors from across Texas who are looking for something calm and...

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This Hidden Oregon Coffee Lounge Is A Subterranean Escape From The Ordinary

I stumbled upon this Oregon coffee lounge and immediately realized it wasn’t like any café I’d been to before. It’s underground - literally - and somehow manages to feel...

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The Enchanted Oklahoma Gift Shop With Magical World of Crystals, Spells and Mystical Treasures

You walk through a door and the whole world shifts. The air feels different, the energy is calmer, and suddenly you forget whatever was stressing you out five minutes ago.

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This New Jersey Bar Is Located Inside A Genuine 18th-Century Stagecoach Stop

There are some places you stumble into thinking you already know what to expect, and then the building itself stops you cold. Walking...

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The Indiana Movie Theater That Swapped Popcorn for Upscale “New Americana” Dining

I grew up hearing stories about old Indiana movie houses, the kind where families packed in on Friday nights and the smell of buttered popcorn hit you before you even reached the...

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Dining At This Historic Texas Restaurant Feels Like Traveling Back To The 1800s

Some restaurants just feed you. Others take you somewhere entirely different the moment you cross the threshold. Time slows...

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People Drive From All Over Oregon For The Giant Burger At This Legendary Remote Eatery

I never thought a burger could become legendary, but then I met this giant masterpiece in Oregon. People drive for hours just to take a bite, and honestly, I can see why.

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This Oklahoma Diner Has Absolutely Perfected the Classic Chicken Fried Steak

I have had plenty of meals that fade the second I walk out the door. Then there are the ones that stick with you, the kind you keep thinking about later without even trying.

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The Only New Jersey Market Where You Can Still Buy Your Week’s Dinner Like It’s 1948

Somewhere between grabbing a rope of Polish kielbasa and almost tripping over a basket of Jersey tomatoes, it hit me that this place operates on a completely different clock than...

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The Indiana Hidden Gem with an Unassuming Exterior but a Huge Local Following for Tavern-Style Pizza

I’ll be honest, I almost drove past it. Paragon, Indiana is a small town, and this unassuming pizza spot doesn’t announce itself with flashy signs or a grand storefront.

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This Virginia Museum Lets You Walk Alongside Artifacts From The Bottom Of The Atlantic

Most museums keep their treasures safely behind glass, but one place in Virginia lets you get so close to Civil War-era relics pulled from the ocean floor that you can practically...

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This Charming Texas Tulip Field Bursts Into A Sea Of Color Each Spring

It does not look like Texas at first glance, just rows of color stretching farther than you expect. Each spring, places like this draw crowds from across Texas who come just to...

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This Historic Oregon Trail Takes You Through A Gold Miner’s Tunnel And A Century Back In Time

Walking this historic Oregon trail feels like stepping into a time machine - minus the confusing buttons. One minute you’re on a normal path, the next you’re crawling through...

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