Letchworth State Park – The Grand Canyon of the East

Letchworth State Park - BenchGene and I were in Buffalo exploring the area and Niagara Falls in October 2021. While in the area, we were happy to be able to do a short beautiful drive about 35 miles southeast of Buffalo and visit Letchworth State Park.  Neither of us had heard about this place, but our Airbnb host Joanne told us about it and I can’t thank her enough. It is something we are so glad we were able to visit. The road followed the Genesee River and went through several little towns like Leicester, Mount Morris, Portage, Castile, and Genesee Falls. We did stop in one of these little towns to grab a soda to go along with the lunch we had packed for the day.

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Rapid City, South Dakota – My Top 7 Free Things on Our to-do List

Rapid City 1We have had a few fun times exploring Rapid City, South Dakota and the area since living here in CO. Of course we had to do the big attractions like Mount Rushmore, and Crazy Horse, but we also look forward to doing some more historical and local attractions on our next trip in May of 2022. With a budget in mind, I also wanted to do a few free things while in the area. Thus I did some research and found 7 free things around Rapid City that I think would be fun to do. Here is my list (alphabetically): Continue reading “Rapid City, South Dakota – My Top 7 Free Things on Our to-do List”

Canyonlands National Park – Moab, Utah

Canyonlands 7On our first trip to Moab, Utah we had wanted to do Arches National Park one day, and Canyonlands National Park the next day, however, we quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen as Arches National Park was just too big. We were disappointed with our limited amount of time in Moab, but it did give us a great reason to come back. It was definitely on our must-see list the next time we were in the area. were able to visit on a trip in February of 2021.

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The Prater in Vienna: Austria’s Playground for Everyone

Prater - SignIn May of 2018, we were extremely lucky to spend two weeks exploring a few cities in Europe. One of the cities we visited was Vienna in Austria.  We really enjoyed checking out the Wien Rathaus and the Danube. While there were made a point of checking out Prater Amusement Park. It is an incredible park and home of the iconic Giant Ferris Wheel. It is almost 65 meters tall and offers a breathtaking view of the city on the Danube. Sadly, we didn’t get to take the ride, more on that later, but it was fun watching it in motion and imagining the wonderful views. Continue reading “The Prater in Vienna: Austria’s Playground for Everyone”

Centennial Olympic Park in Georgia – Atlanta’s Crown Jewel

Centennial Olympic Park - RingsIn June of 2012 we spent a few days with my best friend’s brother and family near Atlanta and wanted to do some sightseeing. One afternoon we ended up at Centennial Olympic Park in Downtown Atlanta. It is so amazing and I was delighted to see that it is still being utilized today. Continue reading “Centennial Olympic Park in Georgia – Atlanta’s Crown Jewel”

Musical Legends Park – Louisiana Celebrates the Musical Greats

Musical Legends Park - FrontIn December of 2017 / January of 2018, we were lucky enough to spend New Year’s Eve in New Orleans. We had an amazing time and saw some great places such as Jackson Square, the St. Louis Cathedral, their Riverwalk Outlet, as well as the sights and sounds of Bourbon Street. One thing that wasn’t on the to-do list that we stumbled upon was the New Orleans Musical Legends Park. I am so glad we found this place accidentally. Continue reading “Musical Legends Park – Louisiana Celebrates the Musical Greats”

Battery Park – Historic Park in Lower Manhattan, New York

Battery Park 1One day while we were in New York in October of 2015, we took the subway to lower downtown Manhattan and walked around Battery Park, AKA, the Battery. It is a 25-acre park named for the artillery batteries that were positioned there in the city’s early years to protect the settlement behind them. The Battery was the center of Evacuation Day celebrations commemorating the departure of the last British troops in the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Continue reading “Battery Park – Historic Park in Lower Manhattan, New York”

Beautiful Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois

Buckingham FountainOn our first evening in Chicago in June of 2016, we decided to spend some time checking out the Buckingham Fountain and Grant Park area. It was very beautiful when it was all lit up at night. For those of you that don’t know, it is one of the largest fountains in the world. The fountain is built in a rococo wedding cake style and inspired by the Latona Fountain at the Palace of Versailles, it is meant to allegorically represent Lake Michigan. It operates from April to October, with regular water shows and evening color-light shows. During the winter, the fountain is decorated with festival lights. Continue reading “Beautiful Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois”

Ellen Clark Sculpture Dog Park and St Louis University Fountain – Missouri

Ellen Clark Sculpture Dog Park 1

Ellen Clark Sculpture Dog Park

Late summer we were able to spend a week in St. Louis with our puppies and had a great time. While in the area we were able to visit a small section of the Saint Louis University, as well as the Ellen Clark Sculpture Dog Park. It was nowhere as large as Laumeier Sculpture Park,  but it was still interesting. Continue reading “Ellen Clark Sculpture Dog Park and St Louis University Fountain – Missouri”

The Casements & Rockefeller Gardens – Ormond Beach, Florida

Casements FrontWe recently returned from a trip to the hot and humid state of Florida. It was June of 2017 and way too muggy for me, lol. Other than that, we had a really nice time, especially in the Daytona area. One day while in Ormond Beach checking out the Ormond Memorial Art and Gardens, we were able to do a tour of The Casements and Gardens. Sadly I admit that I had not heard of this place until doing research for our trip, however, I am so glad we visited it while in the area in June of 2017. Continue reading “The Casements & Rockefeller Gardens – Ormond Beach, Florida”