Last December, on our travels home during the Christmas holiday, we stopped for one more holiday themed adventure at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland. The resort complex is massive with plenty of activities the whole family will enjoy, including the popular holiday ICE! experience.
Known as “Michigan’s Little Bavaria”, Frankenmuth was officially founded in 1845 when a group of German immigrants traveled to Michigan seeking religious freedom. They traveled to the east central part of the state and began building a community. The name Frankenmuth translates to “Courage of the Franconians” and the founders quickly established several industries in the area: logging, farming, and wool production. Tourists began stopping in the area for more than just a car fill up of gasoline and a meal when places like Zehnder’s and the Bavarian Inn (originally the Union House) opened. The town continued to expand, adding dozens of dining, shopping, and lodging options and creating popular traditions throughout the 20th century.
We just returned from a wonderful trip to Kohler, Wisconsin to celebrate Christmas. I have read about the Kohler Company and the idyllic Village of Kohler for years and visiting for the holidays has been on my “bucket list” for a while. Our visit exceeded our family’s expectations and we hope to return for a summer visit to enjoy many other seasonal activities and amenities.
This past year our travel plans were mainly influenced by our daughter’s college search. We drove up and down the Northeast looking at schools from Boston through North Carolina. Wherever we stopped, we found new historic spots, family friendly attractions, and great new lodging options. In 2025, we found time to update some of our…
Last year, we spent the Christmas holiday in Asheville, North Carolina. While the area was still recovering from Hurricane Helene and some of the area attractions were closed for rebuilding and renovations, we still had a wonderful time exploring some popular sites. Asheville is located in Western North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains and has a thriving art community, strong historical homes and museums, beautiful hiking and biking trails, and an abundance of dining and shopping options
Last December, we had the opportunity to cross an experience off my “bucket list”: seeing the gingerbread houses at Walt Disney World in Florida! Spoiler alert: The gingerbread houses and holiday decorations lived up to the hype and exceeded my expectations. We encourage everyone to make a pilgrimage to the Disney World resort area sometime in November or December at least once to see the holiday magic first hand!