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Smith Island Is Quaint, Quiet and Filled With Character
By Victor Block
Talk about hometown pride! When I asked a grizzled waterman who lives on Smith Island, Maryland, if he would like to accompany me to one of the other nearby villages, he replied, "Nope, I've been there."
While the twinkle in his eyes suggested he wasn't serious about the reason for his decision, the fact is that ...Read more

Trains Large and Small Delight Railroad Buffs
By Victor Block
Trains chug through a town where children are enjoying swings and seesaws in a playground, musicians in a bandstand are playing their instruments and a dog chases a mailman who is making his rounds. Other workers are sawing logs, a fire truck is responding to a call for assistance and hot-air balloons are hovering over ...Read more

St. Augustine: America’s Oldest City Blends History and Charm
Tucked along Florida’s northeastern coast, St. Augustine is often overshadowed by the state’s bigger tourist hubs. Yet, with its centuries-old Spanish architecture, cobblestone streets and coastal charm, America’s oldest city offers a one-of-a-kind travel experience.
Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, St. ...Read more

Wherever You Want to Go, Try Queens
By Victor Block
Not hungry enough for a sit-down breakfast, I munched on momos (Tibetan dumplings) purchased from a snack truck decorated with a sign that touted "Himalayan Fresh Food." Lunch was a hurried affair at a five-table eatery where the menu special is yak meat washed down by salty yak milk tea.
For dinner, I chose a small ...Read more

A Wintertime Visit to Quartzsite
By Bonnie and Bill Neely
The new year began with us heading toward the strange place we had heard lots about from other RVers who live in the North most of the year. Winter is the peak time for human snowbirds to migrate to the warm desert at Quartzsite, Arizona. This is a little town of about 500 people, but somehow they cope with about...Read more

Nature Hits a High Note in Naples, Florida
By Victor Block
One morning I take a sightseeing drive through a neighborhood of palatial mansions with three- and four-car garages that house Cadillacs, Mercedes and other top-of-the-line automobiles. That afternoon I enjoy a thrilling airboat ride through mangrove swamps, where I spot alligators and an aviary-worth variety of birds, ...Read more

Modern Speakeasies Recall a Rowdy Past
By Victor Block
"The Little Rascals" was a series of movie shorts that ran from 1922 to 1938, then was repackaged as a television show. When a casual eatery named Spanky's, which echoed the "speakeasy" days of Prohibition (1920-13), opened in Naples, Florida, in 1984, "Spanky" McFarland -- one of the Little Rascals -- sued for unapproved...Read more

Celebrate Black History Month by Remembering Past Heroes
By Victor Block
In 1693 the king of Spain issued a decree stating that anyone who moved from a Protestant colony in the New World to a Catholic settlement must be accepted and protected. At the time, the population of St. Augustine, Florida, included about 100 Black people who enjoyed rights equal to their European neighbors.
Men from ...Read more

Archaeology Adds Another Dimension to Travel
By Victor Block
A new exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is attracting both city residents and visitors interested in seeing one of the most exciting paleontologists' finds in recent years. This is the partial skeleton of a juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex, a dinosaur which experts tell us lived about 67 million years ago and ...Read more

Travel the World in the United States
By Victor Block
Erik and Ingrid Olson were excited to be exploring their family's Norwegian heritage. They were visiting a late-19th-century village and checking out log homes, a Lutheran church, a one-room schoolhouse and other traditional structures. A museum added to their immersion in local lore with collections of documents, history...Read more

One Perfect Day at the Kennedy Space Center
By Bonnie and Bill Neely
On a recent trip to the Kennedy Space Center we arrived just after sunrise even though the park wouldn't open until 9. We wanted to make sure we could get it all in by closing time at 5 p.m., and there was already a long line. We picked up a daily schedule as we passed through the entrance, which enabled us to ...Read more

Explore Anegada in the British Virgin Islands
By Victor Block
It had been two decades since my wife, Fyllis, and I visited the British Virgin Islands. On that visit we checked out the inviting beaches, visited historic and nature-made sites, and oohed and aahed at the magnificent scenery.
During our recent return trip there, we relived those experiences. We also enjoyed others that...Read more

One Reason to Visit the British Virgin Islands: The Anegada Lobster Festival
By Fyllis Hockman
Most travelers who have heard of the British Virgin Islands are familiar with Tortola and maybe even Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda. Almost no one, however, has ever heard of Anegada. Which is a shame because it has so much to recommend it.
For starters, it has multiple beautiful beaches with soft white sand and azure ...Read more

South Carolina's Grand Strand Lives Up to Its Name
By Victor Block
Some visitors to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, take time to drop by museums that house a wide variety of exhibits. One displays more than 150 cars and trucks, another holds vintage pinball machines that are available to play and the Rice Museum depicts the story of when the area was the growing center of that grain for a ...Read more

Small Towns With Big Claims to Fame
By Victor Block
In the 16th century, people in Germany had a tradition of marking Candlemas (Feb. 2) as "Badger Day." If that animal emerged from a den and saw its shadow, it meant a forecast of more weeks of winter weather.
Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants to the United States, most of whom were actually German, brought that tradition ...Read more

World-Class Wandering in Winnipeg
By Lesley Frederikson
After landing in Winnipeg for a weekend visit and settling into our downtown hotel, my husband and I were hungry and ready to explore. Fortunately, we had unwittingly booked into a historic area that had plenty to offer.
The Forks sits at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in the heart of the city and...Read more

Awaiting the Ice in Churchill, Manitoba
By Lesley Frederikson
The sound of 32 adults holding their collective breaths in the frigid air of the Arctic tundra can be thick with anticipation, and that is how our first polar bear encounter began. A curious adult had spotted us from its resting spot on an icy pond and after sniffing the air carefully decided to meander our way to ...Read more

Winter Family Fun Off the Slopes
By Candyce H. Stapen
How did we learn to love winter? By dogsledding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and exploring snow-blanketed national parks. Such off-the-slopes activities enabled my family and me to enjoy the snow and the cold without downhill skiing. Although my kids can gleefully maneuver black-diamond mountain trails, I fall ...Read more

Packing Gifts for Those on the Go
By Nicola Bridges
If the travelers in your life are anything like me, they'll love getting the luxury of a new bag of any kind under the tree: a suitcase, a hip sack and perhaps a stocking-stuffer luggage tag. From sturdy suitcase sets to trendy totes and essential packing accessories, too, here are some current road-tested favorite ...Read more

Gifts to Keep Travelers Cozy and Comfortable
By Nicola Bridges
Staying cozy and comfy in all kinds of climates can make or break the enjoyment of any trip, both on the journey -- no matter the mode of transportation -- and at your destination. Anyone who travels will love to receive these favorites as go-to travel gifts.
Danner Fleece Collection, Wild Rye: First and foremost for ...Read more