Go Global With Kids

28/10/2021

27/07/2021

Minute Man National Historical Park: Ranger-led Talk and Musket Demonstration

Two rangers in period costume at Hartwell Tavern did a great job of explaining what it would have been like back in the late eighteenth century. They also talked about the battle on April 19, 1775.

16/07/2021

Watkins Glen State Park: History

Watkins Glen was purchased by the State of New York in 1906 and the amazing stone trails were built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It opened for tourism in 1863 as a luxury resort managed by journalist Morvalen Ells. It's been manged by the Finger Lakes Region

14/07/2021

Trip Report: Buttermilk Falls State Park in New York

Buttermilk Falls State Park is near Ithaca, New York. The falls are stunning and there is swimming, camping, and some very steep hiking to do. There's a $9 day use parking fee, but it is worth it.

12/07/2021

Trail Review: Gorge Trail and Rim Trail Loop at Buttermilk Falls State Park

If you turn left after crossing the little bridge at the bottom of the falls, you are on the Gorge Trail. The map says this trail is .75 miles, and it takes you straight up the right side of the falls. There are stunning views and a LOT of stairs.

11/07/2021

Trip Report: Flight 93 National Memorial

The Flight 93 National Memorial was built to honor the heroes who challenged terrorists on September 11, 2001 and thwarted their plan. In doing so, they sacrificed their own lives to save those of countless others.

09/07/2021

Packing the basics for family camping in a compact car: Water

Water is an absolute essential, and I'm always surprised at how much we go through. The standard estimation for hiking is one liter per person every two hours, which you can adjust for heat and difficult terrain which would require you to drink more to stay hydrated.

07/07/2021

Flight 93 National Memorial: Tower of Voices

The Tower of Voices is open in a pattern all the way up and there are forty chimes inside to honor the forty passengers and crew members who died in the crash of Flight 93.

05/07/2021

Trail Review: Flight 93 National Memorial Visitor Center to Memorial Plaza

The trail starts from behind the bathrooms near the Visitor Center/Museum at the Flight 93 National Memorial. It’s .3 miles to the Western Overlook and .7 miles to Memorial Plaza. The entire thing is wheelchair, and therefore stroller, accessible.

02/07/2021

Dealing with Wet Gear

After camping in the rain, you are left with wet gear. There are lots of concerns with this, and the only good answer is that things needs to be dried out as quickly as possible.

30/06/2021

Flight 93 National Memorial Museum

The museum at the Flight 93 National Memorial is located inside the Visitor Center and has a lot of interesting exhibits.

28/06/2021

Campground Hosts

Most campgrounds have hosts. Sometimes these are paid employees and sometimes they are volunteers. Sometimes they are seasonal positions and sometimes year round. If you have an RV and would like to stay in a beautiful spot longer than two weeks, becoming a host might be for you.

26/06/2021

Flight 93 National Memorial History

On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a field in western Pennsylvania, near Shanksville, killing everyone on board. This happened eghteen minutes before it would have crashed into the Capitol Building,

29/05/2021

Trip Report: Valley Forge National Historic Park

Valley Forge is a great day trip. There's a lot of great information about the Revolutionary War and it's all organized on an easy self-guided auto route.

28/05/2021

Valley Forge National Historic Park: Washington Memorial Chapel

Washington Memorial Chapel is stop number 9 on the Encampment tour at Valley Forge National Historic Park. It is an active Episcopal church with a carillon and beautiful stained glass windows..

28/05/2021

Valley Forge National Historic Park: Washington's Headquarters

Washington's Headquarters at Stop 5 are really impressive and worth seeing. A Valley Forge Centennial Association was formed to purchase Washington's Headquarters and preserve it.

27/05/2021

Valley Forge National Historic Park: Wayne Statue

Stop 4 on the Encampment Tour at Valley Forge National Historic Park is the Wayne Statue. Anthony Wayne made his career during the Revolutionary War then was sent him to Ohio during the Northwest Indian War.

27/05/2021

Valley Forge National Historic Park: Muhlenberg Brigade

The Muhlenberg Brigade stop is number 2 on the Encampment tour at Valley Forge National Historic Park. There are replicas of huts where Continental Army soldiers lived during the winter of 1777-1778.

24/05/2021

Valley Forge National Historic Park: Ranger-led Program

Park rangers were doing programs in period costume every hour at the Muhlenberg Brigade stop on the Embankment Tour at Valley Forge, which was informative and fun.

24/05/2021

Women at Valley Forge

There were 12,000 soldiers at Valley Forge (all men, of course), but only 250-400 women, who were mostly nurses, domestic staff, enslaved people, and the wives of soldiers and officers.

23/05/2021

History of Valley Forge

Valley Forge is a really important part of the Revolutionary War, where George Washington’s Continental army camped during the winter of 1777-1778.

21/05/2021

Trip Report - Gulf Coast National Seashore, Davis Bayou

Our trip to the Gulf Coast National Seashore was in two parts, and this is the first one. First we went to Davis Bayou Campground near Ocean Springs, Mississippi, then we went to Fort Pickens Campground near Pensacola, Florida.

20/05/2021

Beach Review: Ocean Springs

We parked down near the Ocean Springs Yacht Club and walked along the beach. It wasn't warm enough to swim, but the weather was nice and the sand was fun. There were very few people there and a wide expanse of beach.

19/05/2021

Trail Review: Fontainebleau Nature Trail

Since all the trails at Davis Bayou were closed, we decided to drive the 2.8 miles to Fontainebleau Nature Trail for a hike. The whole loop is 1.6 miles, but we did the shorter loop, cutting through the middle, so our hike was only about a mile.

19/05/2021

Quesadillas on the Camp Stove

Quesadillas are an easy to make and everyone in the family likes them. Plus, they work well with a camp stove.

26/03/2021

Packing the basics for family camping in a compact car: Food

Assuming that you don’t plan to eat out for every meal, you need the tools to cook in your campground. You can do this with a stove, over a campfire, or some combination of the two. To do both you need a stove, gas, and things to start and feed fires with.

25/03/2021

Campground Review: Davis Bayou at Gulf Islands National Seashore

The campsite had water and electricity and the bathroom wasn't far if you cut across the grass. What was special about Davis Bayou, though, was the sense of community we felt. The host was really involved and active, stopping to talk nearly every time he drove by.

16/03/2021

Gulf Coast National Seashore

The Gulf Coast National Seashore covers a lot of territory across Mississippi and Florida. There are places along the Gulf Coast and a number of barrier islands included in the park. The area was designated a National Seashore by Congress in 1971.

23/02/2021

Packing the basics for family camping in a compact car: Lighting

After our lighting fail on the test run camping trip, we invested in a few options that have really worked. What we didn't do, and don't actually miss, is bring flashlights. Instead, we opted for our phones plus lanterns and headlamps.

19/02/2021

Washing Dishes at the Campground

The things to remember when washing dishes at a campground are: 1. don’t attract wild animals by leaving dirty dishes sit out 2. be conscious of how much water you use and where you dump it 3. use an environmentally- friendly soap.