Travel stories from United States

I have been to quite a few major cities over the years, but I had always managed to miss Philadelphia! I finally got to this historical city this past summer and I couldn't wait to see all the history that was waiting for me there!

We decided against doing any of the paid tours, as our time was short. We figured we could walk to most of what we wanted to see and save time since we didn't need to worry about the lines of people as we were waiting to get on and off the Hop on Hop Off Busses.

We started by standing in line to get tickets into Independence Hall. The next available tour wasn't for a couple of hours, so we ventured over to the Liberty Bell next. I'm not sure exactly what I expected, but for some reason, the bell is much smaller than I thought that it would be! It was still nice to see, although we were quite rushed due to the amount of people that were there.

We began to walk around the city, and while they have signs up, they can be a little confusing. I think we walked past the same buildings a few times as we wandered from one attraction to the next.

We managed to find the Betsy Ross Museum, Benjamin Franklin's grave, and the Ben Franklin Museum. We only ended up going into the Ben Franklin Museum, as we needed to get back for our tour time.

I think that the best part of our day was going through Independence Hall and seeing the building next door. We learned quite a bit during our tour, as our guide was very knowledgeable, and he even put humor into it to keep the kids' attention.

I was impressed that we could see the real Declaration of Independence, as well as the Constitution, as I would have thought that they would have been locked up tight.

I was so happy that I finally made it to the City of Love! Oh, and don't forget to grab a philly cheesesteak if you happen to visit! Yummy!

There is nothing more magical than visiting Disney's Magic Kingdom, or at least that was what I thought for many years. Then I took my family there for the holiday season and I truly saw what magic was.

During this wonderful time of the year, you can purchase special nighttime tickets that get you into the park in the late afternoon and allow you to stay until midnight! Seeing all the rides and attractions lit up and riding Aladdin's Magic Carpet and the Pirates of the Caribbean in the dark was amazing!

My kids had never been to Disney prior to this trip, and I had only been once myself. Of course, my first visit was a 'do all three parks in one day' rush job, so it didn't really compare!

We saw so many Disney characters, but we didn't want to take the time to stand in line to meet them all. Instead, we quickly waved, captured a few pictures, and continued on our way to the next attraction on our list.

We went on many of the rides...Who knew my mom could survive Space Mountain with two of her grandkids so many times??!!!!! My favorite was It's a Small World, although it took FOREVER to get the song out of my head after that!

At the end of the night, we lined up to watch the parade and danced along, before grabbing a snack and watching the fireworks. As we walked down Main Street one last time, the snow came down to blanket us in a wintery wonderland. It was the perfect way to end a perfect night.

Well, that and the fact that I had some exhausted kiddos that slept really well when we returned to the hotel!

If you have never been to any of the Disney parks or Universal Studios during the holiday season, you don't know what you are missing! I highly recommend that you take the time this year and spend some time with the holiday magic that quickly appears each year. It is amazing what the employees do to transform each one of the parks and you will not be disappointed with any of your experiences.

I have long been a fan of country music, and a few favorites include Reba, Toby, Kenny, Carrie, and Tim and Faith. While I have been to many concerts over the years, none of them compared to the time that I spent in the Grand Ole Opry.

We began with a tour of this magnificent building, starting in the foyer and continuing through the halls towards the studio where the hit television show, Nashville, and many others have been filmed.

One of our next stops was passing the door that the artists use when they arrive and leave this legendary building. Everyone who has been inducted into the Opry has their own mailbox, and we saw them all. Although, we didn't see anyone picking up their mail!

There are eighteen dressing rooms that the artists use, and each one has its own theme. Legendary performers are honored in a few of them and we were able to enter one and completely look around. Next up was the "green room", where artists hang out waiting for their turn on the infamous stage.

We learned a unique little tidbit in that space, and that is that there is no alcohol allowed backstage at the Opry. They say that it is because the show is performed live on the radio, and everything runs smoothly when everyone is sober...

We heard many legendary tales during our time at the Opry, too many to share here, so you will need to visit for yourself. My favorite part though, was stepping up into the circle on the stage and looking out into the audience. Now, I am not a singer, but I still felt quite the thrill standing there.

Later that evening, we were able to attend one of the live shows and heard performers, old and new, sing their favorite songs. Drew Baldridge was there that night, who ironically enough we had tickets to see a couple of weeks later back home. We also saw Darius Rucker and Keith Urban, and they performed a duet together!

I loved every minute at the Opry and hope to return one day soon!

Maine had been on my bucket list for some time. I am not sure why I wanted to see this beautiful area of the country, but I do know that I was looking forward to spotting a few moose during my travels!

When I arrived in Bethel, I was shocked at the size of the town. It is quite tiny, and you can walk the entire Main Street in less than five minutes. Despite the size, I managed to fall in love with this little place of paradise.

Mornings were spent sipping coffee and eating pastries at DiCocoa's Market and Bakery, and afternoons were used for exploring miles of all the nearby hiking trails.

I managed to hike hundreds of miles during the week that I spent in the little town of Bethel, and it is the most magical place in the world. I can't think of anywhere else I have been where I have been able to see one waterfall after another, while learning about local legends and folklore at the same time.

The sights of Step Falls, Mother Walker Falls, Screw Auger Falls, and Moose Cave were breathtaking, although my heart ached when I read the story of how Moose Cave was named.

According to the legend, a moose fell into the forty-five foot gorge one rainy night and got stuck. His cries could be heard for miles and visitors say that they can still hear the moose crying out to this day. I didn't hear him during my visit, but that doesn't mean that others haven't.

My favorite hike, Mount Will Trail, was the last one that I did, and it was the most beautiful day out of the entire week. It took me a while to go the entire three miles of the trail, I was tired of walking at that point, but the views from the top were phenomenal.

Another absolutely stunning trail you must visit in Maine is the Ocean Path Trail in Acadia National Park.

I loved my time exploring Maine, but I never did see any moose when I was there!

I have walked The Strip in Las Vegas dozens of times, including the time when I was still healing from breaking my foot. Let me tell you, there is nothing better than having everyone staring at you because you have a walking boot on and are using crutches. And yet, I have seen many other stranger things on that long street!

Anyway, during my second trip to Las Vegas, I finally discovered the best time to walk along The Strip and you are going to be amazed at this little secret. My schedule is always a little off, because of the time difference and I end up waking up between 4 and 5 in the morning.

If you have never been outside of your hotel room at this hour, you must try it the next time you are in Vegas! Watching the sun rise over the statues and fountains in front of Caesar's Palace is the most breathtaking sight I have ever seen!

My husband and I actually sat out there for quite some time as we watched the soft glow turn brighter until the sun was completely up. Of course, at that point I was starving, so it was time to venture somewhere for a bite to eat. I was torn, because I didn't want to leave the little place of paradise that I had found. After all, there are not many times when the streets in Las Vegas are so quiet and empty! It was such a tranquil and serene setting that I can only seem to find at those early hours of the morning.

However, the Snickers pancakes and freshly squeezed orange juice from Hash House a Go Go were calling my name!

The next time you are in Vegas, stay up late and get up early. Imagine all those crowded sidewalks without a single person on them and no cars on the street. I bet you can't even imagine that scenario, because it is completely different than the Vegas you have come to love.

I'm telling you, you won't regret experiencing the difference on the streets, especially if you stop for a delectable breakfast afterwards!

New York City is somewhat of a magical place to me. It’s the absolute opposite to my hometown in the Welsh Valleys and that’s what makes it all the more amazing for me! I dragged myself through airport maximum security and into the big apple. You know when you arrive into New York when the bus gets swallowed up by the massive skyscrapers around you and you hear the horns ringing out from the infamous yellow taxis as we take our place on the busy Manhattan roads. The weather is extraordinary in New York. Throughout our stay, we were hot under the sun but the air was so dry, it was strangely refreshing and it hit us beautifully in the face as we got off the bus and lugged our luggage towards the subway. Oh the subways. Being in a major city for the first time, tackling the subway system felt like the scariest thing I had ever done in my life. I felt small, lost and totally out of place. But with anything you encounter during your travels, you grab the bull by the horns and you just do it! On my first night, my only priority that night was seeing Times Square in all its glory. I know it’s like the touristiest thing to do in New York but the lights and the atmosphere at Times Square never fails to make me squeeze myself with happiness!! The flashing adverts. The constant stream of people lining the streets, the slow moving yellow taxis tracking the worn out roads, the buzz of music and excited chatter... I was in paradise.

I have had quite the history of being afraid of animals since I was little and almost bit in the face by a dog. To say it mildly, I have stayed away from creatures of all kinds for many years!

However, a few years ago, my family and I traveled down to Virginia for a vacation and stumbled upon the Virginia Safari Park.

Inside this park, we were able to drive through while interacting with and feeding the animals. Needless to say, after our third drive through, I was hooked! I couldn't get enough of these animals as they craned their heads into our van trying to get the food that we hid behind the front seats. (We had been told to do this, as these animals are quite greedy and the first few will eat all the food, leaving nothing for the rest of the animals further down the road.)

Imagine a bull elk or deer sticking its head into the front window of your vehicle as you allow it to eat from a bucket of food... It was quite the experience, although, we are still finding little pieces of this food in the oddest places in my van, even in the stow and go!

I wasn't a fan of the ostriches, as they kept trying to eat our windshield wipers instead of the food. The most interesting part of our drive was losing a bucket to one of the animals, as they love to steal them right from your hands!

After our drive, we walked through the area where kangaroos were sleeping and hopping around and pet some of the animals at the petting zoo.

My favorite part though was getting face to face with one of the giraffes! They are quite tall, and thankfully I had a platform to stand on, or I would have only come up to their shins! This gentle animal ate some food out of my hand and even stood there as my husband took a photo of the two of us.

My love for animals has grown since this trip, and I have even found myself holding a baby alligator and touching a sting ray or two. Oh, and one year, I went in the water with dolphins. But that is a story for another time....

I've connected through Newark before, but this was my first time outside of the airport making the trek to Manhattan. I thought surely there was an easy way, but four hours later, I was still en-route.

I had a LOT of luggage with me as I was there for my friend's wedding. The worst thing was the longest escalator at Penn station broke down while I was on it and everybody was looking at me as if it were my fault. A couple people below tried to climb over me until another traveller who had his own bags to contend with, offered to help me. We went to grab a drink nearby. Turns out he is from Canada. Always a pleasure bumping into friendly Canadians!