The holiday season has officially begun and we celebrated this past weekend with a new-to-us tradition: Christmas by Candlelight at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
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.
Now in its 12th year, the Winter Lights festival at the NC Arboretum in Asheville, North Carolina is a must see and a great way to get into the holiday spirit. We spent Christmas 2024 in Asheville, and even though the city was still recovering from Hurricane Helene in September 2024, there were plenty of festive activities to enjoy, including Winter Lights.
Whenever our family visits a capital city, we always make time to tour the State Capitol. We love learning about a state’s history, its involvement in American history, and learning fun state trivia and what makes each state unique. This summer, we stopped in Richmond for a second tour (we originally visited in 2014 before we started publishing our blog) of the Virginia State Capitol and enjoyed touring the House and Senate Chambers and other significant spaces throughout the Capitol.
The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the birthplace of, and home to, many influential people in American history, including famed artist Andy Warhol. A museum honoring the influential pop artist, film director, and producer opened in 1994 in the heart of Pittsburgh.
One of the most impressive children’s museums we have ever visited (and our children aren’t even school age anymore!), the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum is a MUST visit for any family exploring (or living) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We had planned on a quick stop during our recent week in Pittsburgh and ended up spending over two hours exploring all the exhibits .