March 22, 2012
by Sus
in Ben, Bonnie, Family News, Family Photos, Jenn, Josh, Sus
Tags: cathedral, family, I-95, interstate, museums, National Park, pictures, recommended, restaurants, road trips, things to do, Washington DC
Josh, Jenn, and I visited Ben and Bonnie in DC for Little Schmitt’s baby shower. We decided not to stop overnight, so on March 1st and on March 6th we drove the whole way from 7 am to 10 pm. (It wasn’t that bad. I’d do it again.)
The baby shower was fun with many of Bonnie’s friends attending and her mom and sister, too. The food and decorations followed a Peter Rabbit theme. You can see some pictures in my Facebook photo album from our trip.
We took three short trips while we were in town. We visited the National Cathedral one afternoon; this photo was taken in the foyer before our planned stop at Nielsen’s Frozen Custard in Vienna,Virginia (even with cold temperatures and a light snow flurry).
Jenn wanted to visit the National Museum of the American Indian, especially to see an exhibit on horses and Indian culture. We then crossed the mall to the National Gallery of Art and were really impressed! We saw original works by VanGogh, DaVinci, Rembrandt, Gaugin, Picasso, and more.
On our third trip, we went back for more of the National Gallery of Art and also visited the Renwick Gallery, too, which had an exhibit of decorative arts from the White House.
Mike needed to stay in Orlando because of the one-month-long system test and missed joining us for this family trip. You can see all the fun photos of the baby shower and our sightseeing activity as if you were able to come, too.
For more restaurant ideas, check out my list of Places to Eat in the D. C. Area.
October 7, 2011
by Sus
in Family News
Tags: Charleston, Civil War, forts, highway, I-95, museums, National Park, pictures, recommended, restaurants, road trips, South Carolina, things to do, tourist attractions, travel
On our way home from Ben and Bonnie’s wedding last May, we made a planned stop in Charleston, South Carolina, for several hours. Our first stop was Fort Sumter. We took the ferry from Patriots Point Maritime Museum (you can also take a ferry from Liberty Square in downtown Charleston). The museum is billed as “the world’s largest naval and maritime museum,” but we didn’t have time for it. You need to allow about two hours to take the ferry ride to the fort and back, including the hour they give for exploring the fort (I would’ve liked a bit longer.)
It was very meaningful to visit Fort Sumter only one month after the 150th anniversary of the battle that began the Civil War. We hope we can visit other Civil War sites during the Sesquicentennial celebration.
After our time at the fort, we drove over to downtown Charleston and walked around a bit, enjoying the architecture and the beautiful day. You’ll have plenty of places to choose from for lunch. We passed the Mellow Mushroom, which we know has a great pizza menu (because we ate at one right off of I-95 in Florence, South Carolina, the day before for dinner) and settled on Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q. We loved the food and the atmosphere.
NOTES:
September 20, 2011
by thesower
in Family News
Tags: Florida, highway, I-95, interstate, lighthouse, museums, National Park, recommended, restaurants, road trips, things to do, travel, Washington DC
Have you crawled along the I-95 corridor? Why not plan some stops, short or long, to break up the drive? Maybe enjoying the journey instead of just the destination, may add to your travels.
We’ve driven on I-95 from Maine to Miami, so I’ve written different posts about things to see, restaurants, places to stop for a few hours (or longer), and more. Follow this link for posts about traveling I-95. We hope some of our recommendations would be helpful to you.
Where do you stop for a few hours for a scenic spot or for a meal? What is a great weekend getaway? (We don’t travel north of D.C. very often, so if you have tips going north from D.C. to Maine, please add your tips!)
Photo Albums
Cocoa Beach
The Georgia Coast (including Savannah)
Maine and Boston
St. Augustine (and more, including their wonderful beach)
Vero Beach, FL
Washington, D. C.
Williamsburg
(ALL photos are copyrighted by the Schmitt family.)
Posts
Charleston, SC
Cocoa Beach, FL
Disney
Geinesville, FL
Washington D.C.
Detours
One of the headaches on I-95 is south of Washington, D.C. (We understand this portion of I-95 may become a toll road in two years.) We discovered Route 1 as an awesome detour after one of the worst snow storms came through. We enjoyed a beautiful drive on a country road instead of crawling along with backed-up traffic. Read more.
We frequently detoured around the Brunswick, Georgia, area using Route 17. Hopefully, though, with the last of the new lanes open on that stretch, you won’t need a detour near Brunswick.
Restaurants
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