Introduction

As a stay at home mom to a toddler, I hate staying at home. The toddler in question, Ben, is an active and outgoing little fellow who also likes to see and do all sorts of things. Errands to the grocery store and Target are only so much fun, and Ben and I do like to have our fun. Since we live in Northern Virginia, there is absolutely no reason for us to stay at home or only see the inside of chain stores. Within a 2 hour driving radius, we can explore downtown DC, countless city and county parks and playgrounds, several national parks, the mountains, and the coast. It only seems natural that we would take advantage and be a tourist in our own home.

As a kid, many of the best memories I had were of day-tripping with the family on Saturdays through New England and the Mid-Atlantic. My dad didn't believe in staying at home on the weekends and instead we were subjected to Saturday marches through historic sites, battlefields, museums, and national parks. Even after we were in college this policy was in place when we came home for holidays. My brother and I still give him grief about one particularly memorable excursion to see every single covered bridge in central Pennsylvania. Sometimes he was a little too thorough.

Now that I'm a parent, I will probably still steer clear of covered bridge tours. But I want to be able to share those types of experiences with my son. Happily, my husband agrees with this philosophy, and so we try to get out on the weekends as much as possible in addition to our smaller and much more low-key weekday excursions. As a digital native and a former academic, writing about our adventures is the natural progression.

I hope you enjoy following us around the region and beyond, and I'm always looking for suggestions of new places to go.