Saturday, November 30, 2013

Covered Bridge Tour of Lancaster County

Bitzer's Covered Bridge

Written by Leann Pettit
A lovely (and free!) afternoon out with the family is to spend it driving through Lancaster County discovering the covered bridges and learning the history that goes along with them. We chose a few of the bridges to explore in the Ephrata area (check the interactive map for the bridge locations!).

Bucher's Mill Covered Bridge: Located at Rose Hill Rd. and Cocalico Creek Rd in Ephrata, is hidden amongst some trees along Cocalico Creek Rd. The original bridge was destroyed in 1881 and the bridge that stands today is the second shortest open to traffic.
Bitzer's Covered Bridge: At the intersection of Cats Back Rd. and (aptly named) Covered Bridge Rd. in Ephrata, this bridge is also known as Martin's Mill Bridge and is Lancaster County's oldest covered bridge that is still in use today.
Red Run Covered Bridge: Located at the Red Run Rd. and Martin Church Rd. in Ephrata, next to Red Run Campsite, Red Run Covered Bridge is privately owned and no longer open to public traffic.
White Hall Mill Bridge/Weaver's Mills Covered Bridge: Weaverland Rd. at Agape Ct., in Morgantown, was built in 1878.
Pool Forge Covered Bridge: Nolt Rd. and S. Pool Forge Rd. in Morgantown. According to PA Dutch Country, Pool Forge Covered Bridge is where James Buchanan met his fiance.

Looking for more covered bridges or more driving tours? Check out Pennsylvania Covered Bridges and PA Dutch Country for their suggestions.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Assateague Island




Written by Leann Pettit
Assateague Island, about a 20 minute drive from Ocean City, Maryland, is a great place to go hiking, pony watching, and there are even a few public beaches to relax and take in the sun and surf. Wild ponies roam free on Assateague Island, and there are plenty of opportunities to see the ponies in their natural habitat.

Stop by the visitors center and pick up a map of the island and make a plan for your pony spotting excursion. We began heading to the Old Ferry Landing, where the marshes were suggested as a popular spot for the ponies. Keep a look out in the distance and along the shoreline for the ponies.

From there, we headed to Bayside nature trail, which is mostly boardwalk with some dirt trail. The trail leads you out to a marshy area, again, a good place to see ponies, and, along the way, keep an eye out for other critters (we saw a snake!).

Lastly, we headed out to South Ocean Beach, where you can set up beach towels and chairs and relax in the sun. We didn't see ponies here, however, we were told this is a good place to see them early in the morning, before the crowds get there, and in the evening, after the beach goers have left for the day.

We also saw ponies as we were driving around the island. The ponies will cross the streets, or hang out by the side of the road. Many times, you'll see a volunteer near by that will "guard" the ponies, keeping visitors at a distance so no one gets hurt (including the wild ponies), as well as answer questions for you.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

College Basketball Experience


Written by Matt Rosenfeld
The College Basketball Experience is a unique activity for visitors to Kansas City.  It is located within the Sprint Center downtown and allows visitors to try their hand at various basketball games, from a full-court matchup, to trying to sink as many 3-pointers as you can within a 1 minute time limit and more.  This makes it fun for people of all ages. (Definitely come wearing comfortable shoes!)

You can also compare yourself to some of the great college basketball stars, including your jump, your wingspan, your height, even your shoe size. In addition, on another floor, you can view the history of collegiate basketball in America, as well as view the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

This interactive museum also gives aspiring sports reporters the chance to "call the highlights" and, reading from a teleprompter, to be the sports anchor during some of the best college basketball games. The experience is recorded and you can e-mail it to yourself for free - a great souvenir of your trip.

We spent about an hour and a half here, most of the time spent competing against each other in games sections. This is a fun museum, and a great rainy day museum for children and families.