Face the Music at Martin Guitar Factory Tour

I love factory tours. It is interesting seeing things go from nothing to something, and the factory tour at C.F. Martin & Co. Guitars didn’t disappoint. What I didn’t realize was what a rich history the company has and how much of the process still is hand done. At this station, the wood is “candled” […]

PVSP: Marriottsville Road to McKeldin Rapids Hike

This hike takes you along the Patapsco River, up some slight elevation gains (nothing strenuous) that offer pretty views of the river below, and then along the river to see the falls and the rapids that come just after the falls. You won’t encounter much solitude — lots of other hikers and quite a few […]

Daniels Old Main Line and Ruins Loop Trail

Patapsco Valley State Park is a park strung out like beads on a necklace, extending along 32 miles of the Patapsco River south and west of the city of Baltimore. The Maryland Forestry Act of 1906’s provisions formed the park, to protect newly completed (and now destroyed) Bloede Dam from silting from nearby farm erosion. […]

Hiking Antietam National Battlefield

The Battle of Antietam is often referred to as the bloodiest day in American history. As we walk around the battlefield now, it’s hard to imagine that more than 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after 12 hours of savage combat on that hot September day in 1862. The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate […]

Fredericksburg Overview and Trolley Tour

Big cities have their red buses or their double-decker buses, and some have red double-decker buses, but Fredericksburg has its touring trolley. One of the best ways to get introduced to Fredericksburg is via the downtown trolley tour, which takes you past all the significant sites of Fredericksburg, provides an interesting and informative narrative throughout, […]

Westmoreland American Art Museum

I love going to art museums, but I especially love going to small, cozy art museums, such as the Westmoreland American Art Museum, located in Greensburg, PA. Jake (Prodigal Son), 2018, Paige Tibbe, oil on board. The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is a delightful art museum devoted to American art, with a particular concentration […]