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South Florida Day Trips

Blue Springs State Park: Manatees, Birds, Alligators

One fun thing to do during the Florida winter is to get out and look for manatees. These gentle giants come up the springs looking for warmer water. We sometimes see them at the outlet of power stations and other areas where they might find some warmer water. There are several good spots to go. […]

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Trip Ideas

How to Spend Two Days in Mystic, Connecticut

We recently had the opportunity to visit Mystic, a beautiful seaport in Connecticut. About an hour or so from New Haven, this lazy seafront village is made up of shops, restaurants, hotels and museums.

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Trip Ideas

Historic Mansions and Lighthouses in Long Island, New York

My husband frequents the New York City area for business, and from time to time I like to fly up on points to join him for an extended weekend. Previously on these trips, we’ve had a lot of fun in New York City itself, and we’ve even broadened our horizons to Rhode Island, Hartford and […]

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Trip Ideas

Things to Do and Places to See in New York City

New York City is a cosmopolitan buzzing city with a panoply of entertainment options including varied Broadway shows, musicals, bars and cafes, museums, shopping venues and so much more. One could visit NYC regularly and never get bored. There are also countless restaurants catering to all tastes and budgets. In Manhattan, modern glass towers soar […]

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Trip Ideas

Thomas Edison National Historical Park in New Jersey

We were recently in New Jersey for a scuba diving conference and decided to visit the Thomas Edison National Historic Park. Maintained by the National Parks, the Laboratory Complex opened in October of 2009. The brick buildings in West Orange, NJ, are just remarkable. It honestly looks like all the workers and inventors left for […]

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Trip Ideas

A Sampling of Historic Homes and Mansions in the New York Area

There is a lot of history around the New York area and many mansions, historic places, and Gilded Age homes. One can probably spend months visiting all of these but it’s also nice to select a few for a weekend escape in the area. Some are privately owned, some have been converted to hotels or […]

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South Florida Day Trips Trip Ideas

Weekender Trip to Tampa from Miami

We have several affinity credit cards with hotels and also take part in their numerous promotions which offer free hotel nights. On occasion we’ve been lucky enough to benefit from these by using them as part of a great vacation. When passing through Johannesburg, we used IHG points to book the Intercontinental at the airport […]

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Travel Tips Trip Ideas

2023 New York Travel and Adventure Show

While visiting New York City in January may seem like a strange idea of fun, we booked an extended weekend to be here for the popular New York Travel & Adventure Show. It was also a great excuse to come to this wonderful city to enjoy some great food and take in a Broadway show. […]

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Trip Ideas

Washington, DC: Museums, Monuments, and Cherry Blossoms

A few years back, we visited Japan during Cherry Blossom season, and really enjoyed ourselves. It seemed like the whole country was excited about these beautiful trees blooming. Parks were filled with picnickers and the news was all about when the peak blooming time would happen in the various regions of the country. After sharing […]

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Trip Ideas

Catalina Island Day Trip and Bison Expedition Tour

Catalina Island is located about 29 miles (47km) off the coast of Long Beach, California. The 22-mile (35 km) by 8-mile (13 km) island has mountain peaks reaching 2,097 ft (639 m) at its highest point. It is the easternmost channel island and officially belongs to Los Angeles County. With approximately 5,000 residents, over 90% […]