The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
Virginia's Chincoteague Island is a quaint, beautiful and slightly wild place. By far one of the best ways to take it all in is on an island cruise aboard a pontoon boat. In fact it's one of the only ways to get up close and personal with the islands most famous residents, the Chincoteague ponies. There are several operators but after doing a bit of research we decided to go with Daisy's Island Cruises and I am … [Read more...]
Baltimore is an awesome city that has strategic and historical significance because of it's location on the Chesapeake Bay with a well protected harbor. Baltimore's inner harbor is a fun and bustling place to not only eat and drink and enjoy the views, but also a place to have fun. One of the best ways to explore the harbor is one of the variety of options for boat rides anything from a tame harbor … [Read more...]
One of the best ways to take in the Manhattan skyline is via a harbor cruise and what better time than sunset to watch the colors light up the statue of liberty and the iconic skyscrapers. Circle Line cruises offers a sunset cruise around lower Manhattan and my kids and I give the experience a rousing thumbs up. Located off of the 42st. Street pier near Hell's Kitchen, we found this a great way to cap off a day of … [Read more...]
Sometimes it's hard to to explore a big city that doesn't have a huge amount of obvious "tourist" type of attractions. Such was the case for us in Pittsburgh. I would have loved to understand more about the city's history especially it's role in the industrial revolution and it's connection to Andrew Carnegie and his big steel mills. Sometimes even after doing all your research, you can still miss something that … [Read more...]
There is no better way to see the Statue of Liberty than just the way those incoming immigrants saw her on a boat in the harbor. Thankfully you can do that from two locations, one from New York City at Battery Park, and also at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. There are several tours to choose from but be forewarned, the crown tour sells out months in advance because there are a limited number of … [Read more...]
There are many ways to see the Napali Coast, which is inaccessible by land. You can sail on a catamaran with about 30-50 folks, or you can go on a motorized inflatable zodiac raft with about 12 folks on a super bumpy ride. Any way you slice it, it's going to be expensive (about $150 per adult and $100 per kid) and an activity that is going to take some time (4 hours at the minimum). I don’t know what possessed … [Read more...]
Besides visiting the chocolate farm on the island of Kauai, this was by far my other favorite activity on the entire trip. Outrigger canoeing has deep roots in Hawaiian culture and is a serious sport here in the islands with races and clubs on every island. We went with the fine folks at Maui Paddle Sports who were friendly and knowledgeable making our experience truly memorable. If you find … [Read more...]
One of Mississippi's biggest industries along the gulf coast is shrimping. If you've watched the movie Forrest Gump, then you've seen how Forrest and his friend Bubba buy a shrimp boat and go into the shrimping business starting the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Since shrimping is so important to this area we thought it would be just fantastic to take a shrimp boat tour and learn all about these creatures who play … [Read more...]
You absolutely cannot visit Louisiana without exploring life on the bayou by doing a swamp tour. I don't know about where you live, but nothing could be further from the ecosystems where we live in California, so we could not wait to learn more about it. We chose an outfit called Cajun Pride Swamp Tours and I would highly recommend them. If you’re staying in New Orleans, they will pick you up and take you to … [Read more...]
Heading out to our fan boat experience, the tour said was located in Miami, but be forewarned, it's right on the edge of the Everglades about an hour outside of the city. It's also totally worth the drive! There is no better nor more thrilling way to experience the Everglades that in a fan boat. There are many outfits that offer tours that are located along the highway, but we chose the Everglades Safari Park … [Read more...]
