US Travel

Category

woman painting at an easel in a field

Explore Weir Farm: A National Park for Art

Most people are familiar with the popular National parks, but have you heard of Weir Farm? It’s a national park just for art. The National Park Service manages more than 400 sites dedicated to history, people, and events and this one isn’t to be missed. Weir National Park in Connecticut is the only national park for art dedicated to American Impressionism. It was once the home of American Impressionist J. Alden Weir. I visited the park during my two-year road...

a bronze lifesize sculpture of a girl with two arms held like scales at her side in Telfair Museum

3 Savannah Telfair Museums Worth Visiting

Three unique Savannah Telfair museums will take you on an art, history, and architecture tour of the city from its beginnings to the present. The best part? All three are combined in one price. Many people who visit Savannah are familiar with the Telfair Academy. That’s where you’ll find the famous “Bird Girl” statue depicted on the cover of John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The book and subsequent movie caused Savannah tourism to increase dramatically...

Sorrel Weed House Ghost Tour

Going on the Sorrel-Weed House Ghost Tour

I went on a ghost tour of the Sorrel-Weed House in Savannah, and it’s a decision I’ve regretted ever since. The guides were terrific, and the information provided was top-notch. It’s the outcome I regret—the fear, nightmares, and sleepless nights that have plagued me. It was on one of the infamous Savannah Ghost Hearse tours when I learned about the Sorrel-Weed House. The guide said it’s one of the most haunted sites in the city, possibly America. Further, for those...

a large silver arch with the full moon in the dark blue sky

Unveiling the Hidden Features of Gateway Arch National Park

Imagine standing at the foot of a monument so colossal it could swallow the Statue of Liberty whole. It’s so big it’s considered the gateway to the west. Envision its sleek, stainless-steel skin reflecting the sun like a mirror, its legs striding confidently across the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. This is Gateway Arch National Park, a place where engineering marvels whisper tales of westward expansion and American dreams. But there’s more to this park than meets the eye....

low rock wall surrounded by trees with grave markets in the background

Discovering the Secret Cemeteries in Shenandoah National Park

After three weeks of searching for cemeteries in Shenandoah National Park, I was still stunned by how much the trails could change in mere days. When I first arrived, most of the trees and bushes were nearly bare, and it was easy to find old ruins and gravestones. Now, the foliage is denser, and the forest is overtaking everything. As I hiked alongside the babbling brook in the dying light of day, parts of the path were thick with tall...

blue and multicolored stained glass ceiling in a marble room with a circle fountain and statues in the middle

Experience a Traditional Romanesque Bathhouse

The bathhouses at Hot Springs National Park are the perfect, maybe only, place in North America where you can still experience a Romanesque Bathhouse. Hot Springs, Arkansas, offers a unique blend of natural beauty, history, and therapeutic geothermal waters you won’t find many places. It’s a great destination for a relaxing weekend getaway or a girl’s trip. There are 47 natural hot springs in Hot Springs National Park that filter into historic 19th and 20th-century bathhouses. Today, two bathhouses on...

A natural hot spring

Recharge in the Healing Waters of Hot Springs National Park

If you’re looking for a rare and restorative national park experience, Hot Springs National Park should be on your shortlist. Nestled in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, Hot Springs National Park offers a unique blend of natural beauty, history, and therapeutic geothermal waters you won’t find anywhere else in North America. It’s the perfect destination for a relaxing weekend getaway. I traveled solo to the park because I needed a long, hot soak and lacked an excellent bathtub or natural...

Rene Cizio sitting in her van putting on her hiking boots while wearingKUHL pants

12 Safety Tips for Solo Female Travel

As a solo female traveler, other women often ask if it’s safe, isn’t it dangerous, or aren’t I afraid? Should I really be traveling alone?  Yes, no, no, YES! I won’t kid you. Traveling alone comes with a series of obstacles and considerations. I’ve been on many solo trips to several places in Europe, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Canada and have traveled alone for nearly two years. So I know a few things about solo female travel safety. Here...

Angel statue at Bonaventure cemetery with pink and white azalea flowers in spring

6 Sights in Savannah from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Before the book “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” few people went to Savannah, Georgia. After, everybody went. In 1993, the year before John Berendt published the book, about five million people visited Savannah. In 1995, that number increased by 50%, and by 2022, they received approximately 14.8 million visitors yearly. Much of it, like me, is still from the book or the subsequent movie. Even those who have never read “Midnight in the Garden of Good and...

The author bundled in all black begins to accelerate. Blue sky behind, white snow everywhere. The moonbike is side angle showing the rear wheel is a track and the front tire a ski

What it’s like to Ride a MoonBike in Michigan  

When it comes to winter adventure, you may think you’ve done it all, but then they invent a MoonBike and it’s back out into the great white outdoors we go. If you’ve followed my adventures these last two years as I’ve traveled around North America on my solo road trip, you’ll have noticed I don’t spend much time in the snow. I’ve actively avoided it until now. But that was before I saw the word “MoonBike” in a news story....