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Category: North America

North America

Santa + Sandcastles | A Holiday Weekend in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach

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December 21, 2024
Midwest

36 Hours in Chicago, Led by a 6-Year-Old

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November 13, 2024
North America

Meet Hattiesburg’s Creative Community | 8 Spots to Visit

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March 21, 2024
North America

The 30-Something’s Guide to Los Angeles (2023 Edition)

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January 18, 2024
North America

Snapshots | Christmas in Rugby, Tennessee

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December 17, 2023
Southeast

A Utopian Past & Present: Exploring the 19th-Century Village of Rugby, Tennessee

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August 19, 2023
Travel

Snapshots | Keewaydin Island by Boat

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April 17, 2023
North America

72 Hours in Los Angeles (2022 Edition)

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November 27, 2022
Travel

6 (Nearly) Free & Unique New York City Views for Kids—and Grown-ups, Too!

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July 11, 2022
North America

Exploring Past, Present, and Future at Miami’s Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

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June 5, 2022

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It’s National Trails Day! And while getting kids It’s National Trails Day! And while getting kids to enjoy a hike can sometimes feel like an exercise in futility, some of my best tips for family hiking success include:

1️⃣ Bringing a bag to collect treasures
2️⃣ Giving them a camera
3️⃣ Creating a scavenger hunt beforehand of things to find
4️⃣ Narrating your journey as an imaginary adventure—highly recommend a pirate battle and treasure hunt
5️⃣ Packing endless snacks for bribery
6️⃣ Inviting friends or other families so there are more kids to distract
7️⃣ ALWAYS answering “we’re almost there” when asked how much longer

Have you got any foolproof ideas to add?

📍Henry Horton State Park, Chickasaw State Park, Lake Guntersville State Park (AL), Paris Landing State Park
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#nationaltrailsday #tnstateparks #alstateparks #outdoorfamily #whyihike #takeyourkidsoutside #optoutside
👋 It’s been a long time, friends! This last 👋 It’s been a long time, friends!

This last school year (my 11th!) was the busiest and most draining that I’ve had in a long time. I’m always glad for summer break, but this one feels even more needed and deserved!

As soon as school ended, I rushed off to NYC (funnily enough, my second visit of the month) for a friend reunion, then returned home for a couple marathon days of celebratory kid-picked activities before finally succumbing to the exhaustion cold my body has been fighting for probably weeks. 

Now it’s week 2 of summer break, and I’m finally able to exhale—nothing but books, gardening, and travel adventures on the horizon. 

May some carefree days be on your horizon, as well. Happy summer! 🌞

📷 flowers in Staithes, England
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#staithes #discoveryorkshirecoast #visitengland #uktravel #capturingbritain
New York on the move—moments from last weekend⚡️
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#nyc #iheartny #cityliving
New experience unlocked: family horseback ride! @ New experience unlocked: family horseback ride!

@chickasawstatepark is one of only two @tennesseestateparks that offers guided horseback rides! (It also has a wrangler campground so you can BYOHorse.)

We took a ride during our spring break visit when the weather was warming up and it was so nice to be outside! My 7-year-old got her own horse; my 4-year-old rode tandem with me. Helmets were available for all, and we roamed the ridges and forest for an hour’s ride. 

Cutest thing ever to hear my youngest and her nonstop words of encouragement to our horse. 🥰
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#tnstateparks #outdoorfamily #naturaltennessee #horsebackriding
Spring group camp 2025 was a success! We had 13 a Spring group camp 2025 was a success!

We had 13 adults and 13 kids, and the group sites at @henryhortonstatepark were amazing. The camp store, playground, and bath house were just a short walk (or shorter drive when the kids are extra whiney); the site was flat with a good amount of shade; and the fields were vast for some epic games of “toilet tag.” (🤷‍♀️)

I’ve been on a high all week because it was just the best, most quintessential childhood (and family) experience. 

My body, though, has not been quick to forget the experience, and I think it’s time to upgrade the comfort of my camping gear because I am not 27 anymore. Now accepting sleeping bag/pad/blanket recommendations. 👵
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#tnstateparks #familycamping #outdoorfamily #naturaltennessee #campingwithkids
Dear Spring,

Thank you for arriving! 🌹☀️🌡️🙌 

Warmly (finally),

One who is her best self in the sun
📚APRIL BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT! ✨ This month, join 📚APRIL BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT! ✨

This month, join as we travel to Ghana! 🇬🇭 This west-African nation is a vibrant, dynamic one. It was the first sub-Saharan African nation to declare independence from colonial rule and has since forged an identity that merges modern-day internationalism with deep ethnic traditions.

Its literature, as a result, ranges from a history of oral storytelling to a celebration of Pan-Africanism and what it means to be Ghanaian in a modern world.

Pick your own book to read this month, such as...
⭐️ The renowned Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (or others in her oeuvre)
⭐️ One of Kwei Quartey’s murder mysteries
⭐️ His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie, a sardonic story of modern women
⭐️ Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi, a drama of family dysfunction
⭐️ Search Sweet Country by B  Kojo Laing, an ensemble story set in 1970s Accra

Share your pick using #iamawanderlustreader, and comment below to join our virtual discussion at the end of the month!
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#bookclub #readersofig #booktravel #virtualbookclub #igreads
@hopsandskips

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