Athens - home sweet home

A view of Ohio University

Like others that attend school at Ohio University, I consider Athens, Ohio my home. For college students living here, the things we do everyday may seem average, but I know from an outside point of view that Athens has wonderful things to offer to someone who may be traveling through. Other than the well-known party scene, Athens and the surrounding areas have a lot to offer for those with interests in recreation.

Strouds Run State Park

Athens area is surrounded by beautiful parks that offer many types of recreation to visitors. Hiking, cycling, motor sports, rock climbing, and water sports are all features of parks within a 30 mile radius. Dow Lake at Strouds Run State Park, Lake Snowden, Lake Hope State Park, and Burr Oak Lake all make for the perfect kayaking or canoeing trip. The ridges have high and low ropes course offered for those who are willing to take the risk. Strouds Run offers visitors a small beach which is a popular spot for OU students to catch some rays next to the lake. It also has miles of hiking available through dense forest. 

The Ridges Insane Asylum

For those interested in ghost stories, Athens is a great town for you. Athens is known for its many haunted locations including various residence halls, cemeteries, and The Ridges. The Ridges used to be an insane asylum where there was an outbreak of Tuberculosis, in which case it shut down. It has a well-know reputation of being haunted due to its many unmarked graves and "the stain" located in the building. For more information on The Ridges...click here.




Among these eccentric features of Athens, you can Google "Athens, Ohio recreation" and get a multitude of results of things to do. There are activities for young and old, for those who are physically fit, or those who just want to take a walk. I can tell you first hand that it's the place to be, and a great place to travel through.


Happy traveling!

Virginia Beach

If you're looking for a family friendly beach vacation spot, Virginia Beach may be the place for you. With it's "no-swearing" law and the slogan of "Virginia is for lovers" it is a safe environment to bring children of any age, as well as entertain children of any age. In fact, when I visited Virginia Beach for the first time, I was traveling with a one year old and a four year old, who both had a blast while we were there.

Virginia Beach has a variety of hotels to stay in that are right on the boardwalk and conveniently located right next to the beach and the ocean. However, for those craving a more non-tradition experience, this travel destination also offers smaller bed and breakfasts and also camp grounds to stay at.

The boardwalk is a fun place itself. If you ask any visitor what they feel they absolutely must do while they are in Virginia Beach, they would tell you to take a tour of the boardwalk. There are museums and historic sites, five entertainment stages with live music during the busy season, a ferris wheel, arcades, and fishing. During July VB has a festival called Beach Street USA which features a Mardi Gras atmosphere with jugglers, musicians, puppets, and live concerts.

For the of-age crowd, Virginia Beach's night life is exciting as well. Peabody's, a night club located close to the oceanfront hotels, is a bar and dance club that features a high-energy, crazy atmosphere, and talented bartenders and DJs. There is a happy hour from 7 to 9 PM and food (tacos, pizza, shrimp, crab legs, wings, and nachos) is served all night. With a dress-to-impress requirement, this bar is not messing around when it comes to having a classy atmosphere.

Happy Traveling!

Lonely Planet

So, we are all familiar with the typical traveling and vacationing experience: you pick a location, book a hotel, and do all the tourist-y things possible while you're there, right? Well, have you ever had a sense of adventure in which you want something more? A way to experience locations in an off-beat, original way?


LonelyPlanet is a website/idea started by a husband and wife who traveled across Europe and Asia and all the way to Australia over land, spending as little money as possible, staying where they could, and scrounging for what they had. It was the best experience of their life. Although they were broke at the end, they had so many experiences to share with everyone, and so much advice about traveling. So they started this website where they feature many continents and cool, original places to visit that people wouldn't necessarily think of, along with awesome things to do there.


Here is the link to their web page about the United States. The way the authors describe certain towns across American using words such as "eclectic", "ecoconscious", and "captivating" are not necessarily normal words that would be used when an author is describing places to travel. By using this type and style of language they are reaching those who crave adventure and the "not normal" travel and vacation experience. They cater this page to those who want to have unique travel experiences in places that are perhaps not so often visited, but have much to offer to a travel adventurer.


Why should you care about this? Well, while I and other travel bloggers are yabbering on about the typical US cities to visit and trying to implement our own original ideas of where to visit, these people have done it all. They offer great advice and ideas on nontraditional places to visit, as well as how to do it in a cheap and fun way.


Here is their top list of things to do in the United States:

Our Top Picks For USA

• 1) Dip into the Great Lakes

  Be awed by the planet’s largest supply of freshwater, harbored by a chain of lakes strung with beaches, sand dunes, offshore islands and forests.
  
  

• 2) Make a pitstop at Carhenge, Nebraska

  Automobile art at its best, this roadside attraction will forever change your view of Stonehenge

• 
  

  3) Go zip-lining in Ketchikan

  Zip down a 4600ft mountain to a stream full of bears feasting on salmon

• 
  

  4) Meet Lucy the Margate Elephant in Atlantic City

  There's no shortage of eccentric in Atlantic City, but this 65-ft high wooden replica of a pachyderm will stop you in your tracks.

• 
  

  5) Play Ultimate Frisbee in Washington, DC

  Join locals in a game of Frisbee in America's front yard, DC's National Mall

• 
  

  6) Get into gumbo in New Orleans

  Scooping out a steaming pot of gumbo is as central to life in New Orleans as listening to jazz, zydeco or swamp blues. Get into it.

• 
  

  7) Pick up a bargain at Pike Place Market, Seattle

  You're bound to find something you've always wanted at the 4-hectare Pike Place Market, the USA's oldest surviving market

• 
  

  8) Stare into the depths of the Grand Canyon

  Hike to the canyon floor and back to appreciate its grandeur: this 446km-long channel is pretty impressive

• 
  

  9) Rock climb at Yosemite National Park

  Climb with the bravest at El Capitan, Yosemite's 915m granite wall

• 
  

  10) Drive into Mesa Verde National Park

  Drive up onto the cool, thickly forested mesas of southwestern Colorado to clamber inside Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings at this archaeological national park

Happy traveling!

Key West, Florida

A place that I, myself have never visited that my best friend raves about is a popular vacation spot in Florida called Key West. With the slogan "come as you are", Key West portrays a laid back attitude when it comes to vacationing.

There are many things to do while staying in Key West. Along with the typical vacation attractions of the beach, spas, and shopping, this town also offers awesome experiences such as diving and snorkeling, boating, fishing, eco-tours, dolphin encounters, photo galleries, theater, and water sports (just to name a few).

Perhaps what sets this spot apart from other places (besides the fact that it is the southernmost city in the United States), are the accommodations the town has for gay and lesbian travelers. There are events and parades centered around gays, as well as "gay-friendly" hotels to stay in.

Some things my friend says you HAVE to experience while you're there:

Mallory Square
Located on the waterfront in Key West's historic "Old Town", Mallory Square is considered one of the main tourist attractions of the city. Every evening, a "Sunset Celebration" occurs and hundreds of tourists come to watch the sun set. The celebration includes arts and crafts, street performers, and food carts.




Margaritaville 
A popular song written by Jimmy Buffet? Not quite, although this song was written in Key West, and the restaurant is based off of his song. Located on Duval Street, this restaurant has a lot to offer any customer. Know for their delicious burgers and (obviously) their margaritas, this restaurant creates an entertaining and exciting atmosphere that embodies the idea of "vacation".

 The Hemingway House

A designated U.S. Historic Landmark, this is the former location of where the writer Ernest Hemingway used to live. There are a lot of perks at the Hemingway House such as the construction and architecture of the house, the gardens, as well as the cats. The Hemingway House is home to about 40-50 polydactyl cats, meaning they have 6 toes. A lot of people make reservations to get married here, although my friend says it's a great place to simply spend a few hours exploring.



Happy traveling!


all images found on Google Images

Washington, D.C.

Growing up, I lived only 40 minutes away from our nation's capitol; the lovely Washington D.C. Many people think of it as the place where the White House is and Congress meets and where many of our government's important buildings are. However, I want to convince you of other reasons why you should visit D.C. besides the usual tourist destinations of the White House, the Capitol building, and the Supreme Court. Although these are important things that I believe everyone should experience, hear me out on other reasons why you should visit Washington, D.C.

1) The Cherry Blossom trees
In March or April these beautiful trees are in full bloom, displaying their wonderful and delicate pink and white petals. During this time the district also has a National Cherry Blossom Festival which embraces these trees with cherry blossom themed food, drinks, and even spa packages.

2) You can get your picture taken with Abe Lincoln

At the end of the National Mall you will see a Greek style constructed building. In there you will find the man himself: Abraham Lincoln. The 16th president is represented with a 19 foot statue, guarded by 36 columns (representing the 36 states of the Union at the time of Lincoln's death) that are each 7 feet in diameter. You won't want to miss this photo opportunity.

3) The 4th of July celebration

More specifically, the Capitol Fourth concert, which I have been watching on television since I was a little girl. Located on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol, this FREE concert celebrates Independence Day while featuring pop culture stars that sing, speak, or pretty much do whatever they want. Each year the National Artistic Achievement Award is given out to a significant artist of the year as well as a performance of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture by the National Symphony Orchestra (complete with cannon fire from the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery and the concluding verse sung by the Choral Arts Society) and the National Park Service's fireworks show above the Washington Monument.

Hopefully, now when you're looking to travel somewhere on the East coast you are inspired to visit Washington D.C. for these fun reasons. Planning your trip around one of the events would ensure a great time had by all. One suggestion however: get to the Capitol Fourth early because the lawn will fill up quickly.

Happy traveling. 

all images found on Google Images.

Chicago, IL

If you want to visit a city that has a big city feel but not too much of the hustle and bustle of New York City, Chicago is the perfect place for you to visit. A bigger city without the crazy feel of really big cities, it literally has something to offer for everyone.

The first place I suggest you visit is Millenium Park where "the Bean" is located. Here's me with "the Bean". 

"The Bean" which is actually called Cloud Gate is a artistic's rendition of liquid mercury. The outside distorts the city skyline and when you stand under it there is a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections. Definitely a cool place for anyone to visit.

The next place in Chicago that should make you want to visit is Navy Pier. It is located on the coast of Lake Michigan and is 3,300 feet long. Originally a cargo facility for lake freighters, it is now Chicago's number one tourist attraction. 

Main attractions located on the pier include an IMAX movie theater, a huge ferris wheel,  the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Amazing Chicago's Funhouse Maze, the Chicago Children's Museum, and the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows. There are also various food and shopping opportunities appropriate for all ages and interests.

The third place I suggest you visit in Chicago is called the "Magnificent Mile". A prime shopping opportunity for anyone who loves retail therapy or finding the latest fashions. It's 3,100,000 square feet is occupied by restaurants, hotels, stores, and some of the tallest buildings in the United States. The Mile includes top notch stores such as Chanel, Vera Wang, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, and Gucci, just to name a handful. 

In order to find out more information about the shopping on Michigan Avenue, click here. However, I assure you there is something for everyone!

Happy traveling.

all images other than my own were found on Google Images.

Cocoa Beach, Florida

To keep with the theme of me chatting with you about places that I love to visit, let me tell you about Cocoa Beach. If you want to stay right off the beach and Florida, but don't want to deal with a town that is too tourist-centered, you should check this place out. Not only are there many places to fish and boat (and see manatees while you're doing it) there is also a local beach where you can spend time in the sun along with golf courses and many shopping opportunities in town.

Not only does Cocoa Beach, Florida remind me of an awesome vacation spot and days on the beach I have spent there, it also has a more sentimental meaning for me. Growing up, for as long as I can remember, my grandparents lived in Cocoa Beach. I think about eating breakfast in their cozy apartment with a balcony overlooking a lake that connects right to the ocean every morning I woke up. I think about watching the manatees with my Oma, and my cousin catching a blowfish one day when fishing off the dock.

As a child, I wasn't able to visit my grandparents as often as I would have liked to. We sometimes talked on the phone but my family living in Maryland and then moving to Ohio was not optimal for us to be traveling all of the time. One day in middle school I found out that my Oma was sick and dying of cancer. As a young child, this was hard for me to comprehend, and the next time I was visiting Cocoa Beach it was to scatter my grandmother's ashes in the ocean, just as she wanted. Living in Cocoa Beach was such a big part of my grandparents' life; watching the manatees, sitting on the dock, watching the sunset from the balcony.

For more information on this quintessential beach town you can click here for more information on the town, or here.


Happy traveling.