Coast2Coast’s 3rd Birthday!

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The first week in June is our little blog’s 3rd birthday! We’ve come a long way from our first post on the opening of the Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts. Since that adventure, we estimate we’ve explored about 20 new-to-us cities, about 15 states, and driven over 30,000 miles adventuring (that’s NOT counting our regular schedule mileage!)

We’re getting ready to hit the road again soon. We postponed a pretty amazing, pretty epic, almost cross country trip that we had been planning for 2+ years. I’ve been moping about it for a couple of months now, but believe we’ll make our way there next summer. I’m hoping we can reschedule some shorter trips that were planned for the spring, including exploring the Berkshires in Massachusetts parts of Vermont, and Scranton, Pennsylvania. I’m also hoping to revisit some of our favorite New England resorts and share in depth guides for them.

This week, I’m recapping some of my most popular posts and sharing some stats for the blog. If you haven’t had a chance to read them, here’s a great index:

Coast2CoastwithKids’ Most Popular Statistics:

Most viewed post: Exploring Yankee Candle Village outside Springfield Massachusetts. The post was originally shared in April 2017 and every month, it still ranks in the Top 5 of all viewed posts, and most viewed in 3 years! I’m not sure if the section of things non candle lovers can do that is used as a negotiation, or the section about candy and ice cream that is used as a bribe, but the post consistently appears in the analytics each month. Find the post here. 

Most liked photo on Instagram: I have spent the past three years working hard to build my Instagram following to over 10,000 followers. The photo of our kids standing in two states at the same time inside the Great Smoky Mountain National Park has been liked hundreds of times. We loved exploring the park and recommend it for anyone, even people who don’t like to hike or camp. As a matter of fact, that’s the theme of the post- how to explore without hiking or camping. Find the post on Great Smoky Mountains here and follow us on Instagram here. 

Most retweeted tweet on Twitter: Dutchess County City Guide. We spent time throughout a recent summer exploring various towns in Dutchess County and found the friendliest people and lots of culture and history. Find the post for the City Guide here and follow us on Twitter here. 

Most shared post on Facebook: Our recent series on virtual ways to explore and learn included a list of children’s museums, zoos, and aquariums that offer online activities and tours. To date, it’s been shared 54 times- a record for us! Find the link for the post here and our Facebook page here. 

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Most pinned post on Pinterest: Our recent Top 20 Places We Love in Massachusetts includes everything from National Park Sites to Cape Cod to Boston to Gloucester. It’s been viewed almost 30,000 times and pinned 40 times. Find the link for the post here and our Pinterest account here. 

Most viewed City Guide: Because of all the sharing on Pinterest and Twitter, my Top 20 Massachusetts post and Dutchess City Guide win. But other top City Guides include Gloucester, Massachusetts and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We have tons of outdoor family fun in Gloucester and 20 places kids will love in Philadelphia (and 10 of them are FREE!) Find the Gloucester City Guide here and Philadelphia City Guide here and find the index for City Guides here. 

Most popular travel tips post: I have shared advice (learn from our mistakes!) on everything from packing a suitcase and car to having a back up plan and how to eat at fancy restaurants. My post viewed and shared post is on Staying Happy and Healthy While Traveling with Kids. The headline? It’s a marathon and not a sprint! Find the link to the post here. 

Most posts for a single city: New York City!! We’re lucky enough to live an hour away from the Big Apple and try and explore a new spot at least once a season. We have over 20 posts dedicated to various places and seasons in New York City. Find the index to all of our posts here.

Most posts dedicated to a single theme: The National Park Service is our favorite organization. No matter where we travel, we look for a NPS site. We have organized whole trips around NPS sites like Acadia National Park.  Find the post on all the reasons we love the National Park Service here and the index of posts on NPS sites here

Most popular FREE post: My post on 10 Free Things to Do at Disney Springs has been shared and viewed more than any other post and I have about 10 posts of free things to do. Find the post on Disney Springs here. 

I hope you’ll stick around or join and stay for at least 3 more years of family fun and adventures!

 

New England based, part high school English teacher, part non profit founder, part road tripper who LOVES hopping in the family SUV to explore America. Our bucket list includes National Parks, MLB stadiums, presidential libraries, and eating wherever the locals eat!

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If you are one of my regular followers, you know how important I think having an alternate plan is; I hate surprises and always try to anticipate problems ahead of traveling with my family. As much as I try and plan when I pack a suitcase and pack the car for a trip, undoubtedly something unexpected will come up.

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Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
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Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Disclaimer: I have chosen to continue my weekly blog posts sharing our recent adventures exploring America. Our family has been safely quarantined for over a month and we will continue to do so until it safe to head out on our next adventure. The travel tips and recommendations we share were current at the time of visitation in 2019-2020. We recommend helping our country (and world) by staying home and planning for future adventures. We hope these posts bring you inspiration and motivation to plan your next trip!

One of the oldest buildings in Washington DC and now a National Historic Landmark building, The Donald W. Reynold Center for American Art and Portraiture is home to both the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery. The complex first opened to the public in 1968 and completed renovations in the early 2000s. Both institutions, overseen by the Smithsonian Institute, are housed in the same complex. The Portrait Gallery has over 23,000 pieces of art in its collection and began officially commissioning portraits of presidents, beginning with George H.W. Bush. The American Art Museum is home to one of the largest collection of American art in the world and includes The Luce Foundation Center for American Art, housed on the 3rd floor. The Luce collection has more than 3,000 pieces of art in mediums from paintings to sculptures to medals to jewelry.

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Why I Love Staying at Marriott Hotels

Airbnb and Homeaway are popular ideas when it comes to housing while traveling and I love the idea of staying in a neighborhood and really becoming part of a community. I also know several people who love hitting the road in their camp or trailer, or even camping in an old fashioned tent, communing with nature. For me, and my husband and young(er) children, it’s less hassle and gives me more of a “vacation” versus “trip” feel to stay in a hotel when we’re traveling as a family. I like the idea of someone making my bed with fresh sheets each day, whipping up breakfast, and helping me navigate around a new place.

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3 Comments

  1. Amazing you’ve gotten so many wonderful places and written so eloquently and interestingly about them. Congratulations on your third year! So many have enjoyed and use the wealth of information you’ve given them. Thank you again

    Reply

  2. Amazing you’ve gotten so many wonderful places and written so eloquently and interestingly about them. Congratulations on your third year! So many have enjoyed and use the wealth of information you’ve given them. Thank you again

    Reply

  3. Amazing you’ve gotten so many wonderful places and written so eloquently and interestingly about them. Congratulations on your third year! So many have enjoyed and use the wealth of information you’ve given them. Thank you again

    Reply

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