Tag: five favorites
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Five Favorites: The Weird, The Magical, & The Unexplained
Some of the most memorable places aren’t the ones you plan for. They’re the ones that feel a little unexpected. A little strange. The kind of places that make you pause and wonder—what is the story here? Over the years, I’ve found that some of my favorite travel experiences fall into that category. Not the…
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Five Favorites : Lesser Known U.S. National Parks
As a family, we love visiting national parks across the country. We carry our annual park pass everywhere, tuck our national park book into backpacks, and never miss a chance to collect stamps and stickers. You could say we’re committed. Over the years, we’ve explored quite a few parks, and each one leaves us in…
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Five Favorites : Autumn Hikes in Tennessee
Fall is officially here! It’s my favorite season—the hot, heavy days of summer give way to cooler air, vibrant colors, and the chance to finally step outside without hiding in the comfort of air conditioning. This time of year, you can usually find us on the trails of Tennessee’s state parks, soaking in the crisp…
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Five Favorites : Best Underrated U.S. States to Visit
Every fall, I teach a class at the university for international students to help them explore U.S. culture and education. The first half of the class focuses on the history and events that shaped the nation, while the second half highlights the incredible diversity of cultures found across the fifty states. One thing that always…
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Five Favorites: Rocky Trails Around the World
There’s something about a rocky trail that feels different from any other path. Maybe it’s the way the terrain slows you down, asking you to watch each step, or the way the landscape seems to rise up around you, pulling you into it. Over the years, I’ve found that many of my favorite hikes are…
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Made in Tennessee: 5 Iconic Foods, Traditions & Cultural Favorites
In the four years we’ve lived in Tennessee, we’ve had the chance to explore beautiful state parks, fascinating historical sites, and a vibrant cultural scene that stretches far beyond what we expected when we first moved here. Tennessee is widely known for its music, Dolly Parton, whiskey, Civil War history, and landmarks like Graceland—but there’s…
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Five Favorites :: Tales of the Old West
There is something captivating about stories of the American old west. This is back when anything west of the Mississippi River was considered wild territories. We know the stories of cowboys and outlaws, of saloons and shootouts, of mining booms and ghost towns, of conflicts over land and ownership. Just the term ‘old west’ brings…
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Five Favorites :: Past Civilizations
It is always fascinating in traveling to run upon artifacts and evidence of civilizations long since past. These moments are small glimpses into the past of a people and a culture and give a little understanding to the history of a place. But then we realize that the glimpse is not enough and we find…
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Five Favorites :: Travel Books
They say that planning a trip is almost as exciting as actually going on a trip. In all that planning there comes the books that we always turn to, whose pages are near worn from all the hours that we have spent pouring over their contents trying to find the inspiration and guidance to the…