Last summer I spent a week on my own in Milan! I stayed at an AirBnb with the most wonderful host and arranged some wonderful tours and activities while I was there. One of them was an exuberant tour in a classic Fiat!

Salem, Massachusetts is a fascinating place both for its long and varied history and for the events that took place there - e.g. The Salem Witch Trials.

The Salem of today touts both in a big way. Not only is it a great place to learn about colonial history, it also has become famous all things witch and supernatural related. And don’t even get me started on the town’s Halloween Festival.

If you’ve never been to the Himalayas, you will feel like you have when you visit the Omaha zoo’s Asian Highlands. One of the things that I like best about the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha is the immersive nature of all the exhibits. Each area of the zoo is appropriately themed down to the animal enclosures. This includes one of my favorite exhibits - the Asian Highlands. You will really feel like you have been transported to the mountains of Asia when you enter this area.

As you have likely guessed, I really enjoy staying in AirBnbs when it makes sense to do so. The variety of AirBnbs and other home rental offerings is amazing to me.

As many of you are aware, part of the United States experienced a total eclipse on April 8. The total eclipse cut a path diagonally through the US starting in Texas and finishing in the state of Maine. Because it will be 20 years before the next total eclipse in the US, I wanted to be sure to experience this eclipse in the zone of totality.

One of the places I was really impressed with was Myriad Botanical Gardens. It was located downtown and all the spring flowers were blooming. There were tulips and daffodils blooming everywhere. The weather was perfect the day I went as well. Can you say GORGEOUS? I absolutely loved it! 🥰

I’ve always been both fascinated and slightly squeamish about nocturnal animals in general. But not so much anymore! The Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo’s Kingdoms of the Night will introduce you to numerous unusual and sometimes even endearing creatures.

It’s hard to believe that around 13 or 14 years ago a co-worker had to explain to me what an AirBnb was. I had never heard of the concept and found it a bit odd. The thought of staying in someone else’s home seemed odd to me. Fast forward to 2024 and I have now stayed in 35 of them.

America’s national parks are really the pride of our country! They are incredibly beautiful and one of the best way to explore the great outdoors and to learn about history, science, and wildlife.

If you are planning to visit a U.S. National Park this year, you are not alone.

Did you know that the Oklahoma City Museum of Art Has a wonderful collection of Dale Chihuly glasswork? I did not know this until I started planning my eclipse road trip. When I saw that the art museum was having a special exhibit on Dale Chihuly this year I knew where I wanted to start my trip.

I am writing this post from one of my favorite independent, cozy bookstores. I am thinking about all I did during my recent, two-week road trip. It was truly amazing and I’ll start sharing it with you today by giving you an overview.

If you’ve never been in a desert, you will feel like you have when you visit the Omaha zoo’s Desert Dome. One of the things that I like best about the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha is the immersive nature of all the exhibits. This includes one of my favorite exhibits - the Desert Dome.

I hope to be home by early next week and I promise I will crank out the posts then, if not a few before. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few photos from my eclipse road trip!

Sing it with me!!! Anyway, I have spent most of my day on the road and just got to my destination for tonight. I will not be posting tonight…my apologies. I need to do some “mom” stuff while I can still keep my eyes open.

One of the things I like most about travel is the surprises. This is a story of one of those chance encounters that became a surprise.

Since this is National Library Week, I thought a post about how I utilize my library when I travel and how you can use a destination library when you travel would be a fitting topic for this week.

It’s no secret that those folks who live in the Omaha, Nebraska area and within a day’s drive love the Henry Doorly Zoo. I am also a huge fan. In fact, folks love this zoo so much they voted it as the #1 zoo in all three categories - Best Zoo, Best Zoo Attraction, and Best Safari Park in the most recent USA Today vote.

On a recent visit to Lincoln, Nebraska I had a bit of extra time and I wanted to see something I hadn’t been to before. Since most of the museums were closing soon, I decided to go to the National Museum of Roller Skating, since it was open an hour later and I enjoyed roller skating as a kid - at least most of the time.

There are few works of religious art that many adults know by name. One of those, however, is The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. This sounds like a “duh” moment, but I had no idea that the original masterpiece resides in a cathedral in Milan. I was certainly surprised and delighted to see it among the list of recommended activities in Milan.

There are many “must see” places in Washington, DC. I could name several - The White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Smithsonian museums, the Washington Monument, the National Mall (green space), the Washington National Cathedral, etc… While seeing the government buildings and monuments are a fabulous experience during the day, it is also a special experience to view them lit up at night.