The No. 1 Out of State Destination: Florida

I have visited Kissimmee and Orlando, and seen the exquisite Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coasts. WHAT an experience! No wonder so many New Yorkers choose Florida as their primary out-of-state destination and winter home! Just thinking about all the amazing things in Kissimmee make me want to drive down there today!

Great Places: Howe Caverns, Cobleskill, NY

Howe Caverns is the second-most popular natural site tourist attraction in New York State (Niagara Falls is the first). Howe Caverns, in the area of Cobleskill, NY, is named after Lester Howe, who discovered the cavern in 1842, and capitalized on its attraction. Walking the fields everyday, Howe noticed that a small herd of cows [...]

Great Places: Schuyler Mansion in Albany, NY

In 2004, before I started my travel blogging, we visited the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, NY. The Schuyler Mansion is a historic house, right in the heart of Albany, NY, and was once the home of General Philip Schuyler. You don’t hear too much about Philip Schuyler in American history, but he was a very [...]

Frenchman’s Island of Oneida Lake

Frenchman’s Island is a little island in Oneida Lake. It was settled sometime in the late 1700s by a mysterious Frenchman and his wife, who had been seeking refuge in New York’s wilderness from some untold persecution. Is the story legend, or fact? Certainly, it’s historical.

Great Places: The Nicholas Herkimer Home

It’s been years since we were out to Little Falls, NY, to see the lovely Nicholas Herkimer Historic site. This was the place where I first caught the travel-history bug: my classmates and I went on a field trip here in 7th grade. It was a spectacular visit. I’ve taken the kids here twice since, [...]

Beaver Lake Nature Center

Here’s a great nature place to visit! This is a wonderfully wooded and wild place to go. It has a network of trails, all geared for exploring nature. We saw lots of wildlife and enjoyed our forest trail walk.

New York’s Mohawk Valley

The Mohawk Valley used to be called the Gateway to the West because it was the only navigable route to the western frontier of the United States, until the railroads were built in the late 1800s. It’s a lowland of fertile hills and abundant waters, and political turmoil. But it’s a beautiful place.