It is somewhat surreal to go to the birthplace of a living president. Something about the phrase presidential birthplace makes me think it needs to be a founding father sort of time frame. A colonial house. A plaque with a lot of thees on it. And then you walk in, and you are standing in your grandparents' house. [...]
I spent two nights at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, and I have been smiling about it ever since. The idea is good. Being allowed to do it is better. I was completely intrigued by the idea of diamond mining. Honestly, I would have been just as intrigued if somebody had simply sat me down and [...]
Fort Smith is right in town. You park on the street, walk up, and you are greeted by a big red brick building that looks like a barracks. That is because it was one. What you are looking at The building was built as the enlisted men's barracks for the second Fort Smith. When the army pulled out [...]
I am going to be honest about something first, because it affects how I write about places like this. If I go to too many battlefields, they all start to feel the same. Visitor center, touring road, pullouts, interpretive signs, a field. I have done enough of them recently that they mush together in my memory, and I [...]
I went to Saguaro as a day trip, and I am going to be honest with you about it. It was really pretty. I took a beautiful hike through the cacti and I drove the eight-mile loop on the east side. And that is about what I have. Nothing in particular stuck out. I was on a bit [...]
I did not plan to write about this place. I came here to sleep near White Sands. It turned out to be its own thing entirely, and one of the better nights — and worse nights — I have had in a tent. Where it is, and the view Aguirre Spring sits on the east side of the [...]
I visited White Sands on a very gray day. Which meant the sky and the ground were all just about the same color, and it was even more disorienting than I had expected. Everybody photographs this place blazing white under a hard blue sky. That is the picture you have seen. I did not get that picture. I [...]
I ended up at Assateague State Park because the National Seashore campgrounds were full. That is the whole reason. And it turned out to be a useful accident, because the two campgrounds on this island are genuinely different propositions and I would not have known that if I had got my first choice. It is enormous, and it [...]
I had never been birding in my life. Next week I am doing a panel conversation with Wayne Klockner, the executive director of the American Birding Association, at the Maryland Outdoor Recreation Summit in Ocean City. And it struck me that we would have a far more interesting conversation on that stage if I had actually done the [...]
I was so surprised by how much I liked this place. I did not know much about Ulysses S. Grant before I went. General, president, and that was about the extent of it. The first thing: it is extremely dog friendly I want to call that out early, because it is rare and it shaped my whole visit. [...]
I came to George Washington Carver National Monument knowing his name. That was about it. I could have told you “peanuts.” I could not have told you one true thing about the man. I got there really early, before anything had opened. Which turned out to be the right accident, because it meant I did the walk first. [...]
I stopped at Tuskegee Institute because I was in the area. That is the entire reason. I had zero idea what to expect. My mind was blown. I had pictured a building with some exhibits in it. What it actually is: a working university campus, and the national historic site is spread across it. Tuskegee is the only [...]
I went to Tuskegee in April 2026, and the reason I went had started more than a year before that. I had been paying attention to arguments about what belongs in the history we teach, and which parts of it quietly get trimmed. It sparked rage. And it took me a year to pull together a trip to go [...]
I have been to the Gateway Arch twice, and I have never been up it. The first time, I just did not feel the desire to. The second time I had Tootsie with me and could not have gone up anyway. I am sure there is great storytelling up there. I am sure the views are extraordinary. People clearly [...]
I freaking loved Petroglyph. Start at the visitor center, and I mean it Petroglyph is in Albuquerque - a monument co-managed by the National Park Service and the City of Albuquerque. The visitor center is separate from all the places you actually go to see the petroglyphs. There are no petroglyphs at the visitor center at all. That sounds [...]
Petrified Forest is a perfect stop along Route 66! The shape of the day Petrified Forest is predominantly a driving tour. Twenty-eight miles of road through the park, with stops all the way along where you get out and look at what is there. Be realistic about those 28 miles...it takes quite a while, especially when you want to [...]
I stopped at the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home having only recently heard it existed, and knowing nothing at all about Medgar or Myrlie Evers. It is completely unassuming. It sits in among neighbourhood houses, exactly as it did in 1963. When I arrived I drove a loop around the block, just to be sure I had it [...]
I have never been inside the Washington Monument. I lived in Washington for years. I went to college there. I have driven past it, biked past it and walked around it more times than I could count. And I have never once been to the top. That is the classic hometown problem. You do not do the tourist [...]
My experience I remember when they were talking about putting this memorial on the Mall. I think it was the first addition in a very long time, and it was quite a political debate about whether it would disrupt what was already there. And now when I walk around it and see hundreds and hundreds of people soaking [...]
My experience The Korean War Veterans Memorial is one I always forget about. And it is really one of the more beautiful spots on the Mall. On a recent visit I walked up and said to my friend, “Remind me what the Korean War was about?” Which led the two of us down a beautiful rabbit hole about [...]
My experience The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is probably one of the most visited spots on the National Mall. I always find it moving, especially at night. And the further you go into the story of what it means, the more touching it becomes. The names on the wall are in the order of their death. So as you [...]
My experience The Capitol is my favorite place in Washington, DC. When I was in college I would go at night and sit on the Capitol steps, when the rest of the Mall was basically empty. Usually after I had been studying, or when I needed a break. This was before they had the barricades. Sitting [...]
My experience The Lincoln Memorial sits opposite the Capitol. It is like Lincoln is watching over the business of America. I think it is one of the more iconic spots in Washington, DC, and certainly the busiest. Have patience for the lines and the activity — and know that this is also a common place for [...]
My experience The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is a solemn and a celebratory place at the same time. First there is the structure. You walk through the stone to enter, and then you see his likeness carved out of it, looking out over the Tidal Basin. Just thinking about it sends chills. Once you have [...]
My experience One of my favorite things to do in Washington, DC is walk around the monuments at night. They are so peaceful. The crowds are usually gone, and you can stand there and reflect on the meaning of each statue and the story of this amazing country. It was on one of those nights that I first [...]
My experience Frances Perkins was a pitstop. I was driving the coast of Maine, and this one was on my list because a historian I had met put it there. She was well versed in Frances Perkins and the impact she had on this country, and she told me to go. The stop is unassuming. A small sign [...]
My experience I got to Theodore Roosevelt near the end of my 2021 road trip, and by then I had enough confidence to have no plan at all. Just show up. It worked — a campsite wasn't hard to come by. I hadn't expected the drive in to look like that. I knew badlands as a South Dakota [...]
My experience I was strategic about Yosemite. I wanted shoulder season — late enough that the park was open, early enough to miss the crowds. What I was less strategic about was where I would sleep. My spontaneous side doesn’t mesh well with the big parks, and this one is a beast. Everything inside was long gone, so [...]
Black Sandy State Park, located in Helena, MT, is a boaters paradise. With campsites right on the dock, you are always steps away from your boat and great recreation
Black Sandy State Park, located in Helena, MT, is a boaters paradise. With campsites right on the dock, you are always steps away from your boat and great recreation
George Washington Birthplace National Monument is a great spot to explore while visiting the Northern Neck of Virginia. As you walk through the grounds, you are transported to another time and can imagine what life may have been like for George growing up.
Tucker Park in Maidens, VA — 30 minutes from Richmond on the James River. Walking trail, dog park, boat launch, and a river island that's worth every minute of the drive.
Everything you need to know about Holliday Lake State Park in Appomattox, Virginia — trails, beach, camping, and why you should combine it with a visit to Appomattox Court House.
My experience I stopped at Organ Pipe Cactus after a weather detour sent me from Zion down toward southern California. This was early in my trip. I was so new to the routine and still trying to work out what worked for me. Gosh, I still had the tiny tent that required me to squirm around on my [...]
Little Rock Central High School NHS — the only national park with a functioning school. The bus bench, the window exhibit, and why visiting while school is in session changes everything.
