Natalie F

Just a 1.5 mile walk from Edinburgh Castle is the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh.  It’s worth a stop and you could easily spend 1-4 hours here. Plus, it’s a fun walk from downtown Edinburgh.  There’s plenty of shops and restaurants along the walk, or just soak in the architecture. Additionally, you’ll be right by the Water of Leith river once you arrive at the Gardens.   The plants are beaut...

I took my first cruise earlier this year and Puerto Rico was one of the stops.  This beautiful beach is only a 33 minute walk from the cruise terminal and you’ll get to see a decent amount of Puerto Rico on the walk.  Check out the murals across the street too! At the beach You are able to snorkel and the reef makes it easily swimmable.  The views are great too; to the west you can see the Capi...

My family and I were in Seattle for a wedding and I believe my mom across this gem being advertised. We had a great time and it was an affordable way to get onto the water and something everyone of all ages could do. I love checking out houseboats, being on the water, and ice cream, so it was a win win for me!  The Captain did a fun tour of Lake Union and an interesting history of his boat.  Th...

Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess, is said to have sat here just before finishing her volcanic activity to form Oahu.  She left here and moved on to the islands of Molokai and Lanai.   The hike is only about a mile to the beach.  You start at the parking area for the Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail.  Take the side trail on the right, down into grass.  It’s an easy to follow path.  Once you reach the...

This beautiful lake is fed by Eklutna Glacier.   There is so much to do here:  Rent bikes or kayaks (bring your own too).  Info about renting is here.   Relax around the lake. There is plenty of space here, walk along the lake and head to a more secluded area, or closer to the parking lot there is a beach area with more people.Walk or bike along the trail that wraps around the lake Hike Twin ...

This place has it all : a bomb fire pit, live music, distillery, restaurant, 48 taps, mountain views, and more!  Not to mention, it’s in a great location for exploring. It’s close to tons of breweries, wineries, and cideries, it’s just a few miles from the Appalachian trail, and close to Shenandoah National Park.   My husband and I camped here for a weekend getaway May 2019.  We had such a  go...

It’s a must do while in Edinburgh.  It’s featured in films like Cloud Atlas, One Day, and Eurovision. It’s even said to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter! Check out the shops, grab a drink at one of the coffee shops or restaurants, and be sure to take some pictures of this gorgeous street with its winding road and popping colors.

Park on Huff Street on the bridge that divides Lake Winona (we parked in the lot by the Visitor Center).  Walk on Huff St. towards the highway (14/61) and turn left on W. Lake Boulevard (be careful here, it’s a busy road).  Continue on Lake Blvd. past Cty Rd. 44 .  Before the first house on Lake Blvd. you’ll see the wooded path.  Follow the path up and you’ll eventually get to Garvin Heights Pa...

Being a native Wisconsinite, I think the most quintessential thing to do in Madison is beers and a sunset at Memorial Union Terrace on Lake Mendota. There’s plenty more to do right at the Union too, including world famous ice cream,  kayaking and other water sport rentals at Hoofer’s, live music, shopping, and even outdoor movies. The Union has it all!  The Lakeshore Path (biking or walkin...

The city of Glasgow has a lot to offer and this is a gem I am happy we had the opportunity to check out while we were here. It may seem odd to suggest a graveyard, but it’s a beautiful site.  The graves are intricate and the views are endless.   Some history:  The burial ground was intended to be interdenominational The first burial was in 1832: Joseph Levi, a jewellerThere have been 50,000 b...

Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden is on my list of the top ten most beautiful nature places you can drive to. Hoʻomaluhia means "to make a place of peace and tranquility."  This breathtaking gem was built in 1982 by the US Army Corps of Engineering to prevent flooding.  There’s a lot to do here, you can even camp and fish.  There’s a nature trail by the Botanic Library that takes you to a lake. It...

To actually go into the castle (we did not do that, we just walked around the outside) you need to buy tickets AHEAD OF TIME ONLINE. It costs around £8 for an adult.  Buy your tickets here. When we went we just walked around the outside of the castle and didn’t purchase a ticket.  Fun facts:  The rock the castle sits on is 440 million years oldEvidence of Picts living on the sea stack of Dunnic...

When I went in 2019 it was free, but their website says there is a fee now. Hike around for an hour or so and then have a picnic. I went around 6pm after work one day and had a wonderful time.  We only saw about a dozen people and during our picnic we had the place to ourselves!  This is a 135 acre park, so there’s plenty to do. The falls are beautiful and if you cross the rapids there are san...

There are no specific trails in this conservancy, so just choose the path that looks the best to you.  It would be hard to get lost here and all the trails put together are only about 3 miles.   There are some hills, but nothing too serious. bathrooms in the parking lotsmall parking lotfreecommonly will see turkeysoutstanding colors in the fallHere is a link to a map of the Conservatory (includ...

It is filled with effigy mounds, thousands of plant and animal species, and unlimited places to explore.  You can run, hike, bike, and even drive through the Arboretum.  There is a visitor center and you can host an event here.  Trail info  One of my favorite trails is in the Grady Tract area near Greene Prairie.  There are two entrances:  The east entrance is located at: Wingra Drive and Haywo...

This garden is open to the public from dawn to dusk, 7 days a week, free of charge.  The gardens are tended by summer interns.  During the off-season they are maintained by volunteers and apprentices.  We made our first stop here earlier this week.  It was beautiful. Tons of plants and lots of space to wander.  They have perennials, annuals, fruit trees, vegetables, grapes, and more!  There are...

This is an excellent trail right in the city of Madison and doing this portion made me very excited to continue hiking more of the Ice Age Trail in this area.  The Ice Age Trail is more than 1,000 miles long and it follows the edge of the last continental glacier in Wisconsin.   - - - - - For this part of the trail I started at 220 McKee Rd. in Madison and needed to be done hiking within two ho...

More info can be found about that here.  This is a beautiful 105 acre conservancy with several different trails.  It’s a great spot for a picnic and to bring the family.  There are interpretive signs so you can learn about the history of the land like glaciers and the different settlers.  They even have a 12 acre food pantry garden now called “Forward Garden.” Trail and maps  The address is 744...

Unlimited photography options with the ferris wheel, beach, ocean, and sunsets Abundant people watching opportunities  Plenty of ways to get a workout in including swimming, volleyball courts, running, or riding a bike There is a bike and walking path that runs along the coast.  One of my favorite things to do is walk the path and look at the beach houses to the north, or head south and chec...

It’s a dream of mine to live in Carmel-by-the-Sea. You might recognize Carmel because Clint Eastwood was the mayor from 1986 to 1988. An idiosyncrasy you may not know about Carmel is the fact that there are no street addresses on any house in Carmel.  Everyone gets their mail at the post office, this was done to ensure people knew their neighbors. There are also no parking meters or street ligh...

This segment of the Ice Age Trail features stairs, river views, pretty rocks, a nice park, and a golf course.  We started at the north end (not the park end) and enjoyed it.  If you have kids, I would recommend starting at the park end.  It is an out-and-back type hike.  From the south end of the parking lot (away from the map display and towards the golf course) you’ll see the trail.  The trai...

There’s plenty to do here: relax on the beach, walk the neighborhood, soak in the views of the Madison skyline, bring a kayak or SUP to get on the water, or go for a swim.     Always be sure to check the blue-green algae levels before swimming in a Madison lake. That can be done here.  Thankfully Madison invested in a system to help with this problem at Bernie’s Beach:  “the system uses an impe...

This is a fun and scenic stop near Eau Claire, WI.  It is beautiful all year round, but especially in the fall.  The mill was initially used to ground wheat, which was a very important part of Wisconsin's economy during the Civil War era.  It has been used for many different things since then.  Currently it is owned by Amish folks.  They have a store you can walk through and there is a museum. ...

This tranquil 20.6 acre park is open year round from 8am to sunset. It’s the gateway to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It is filled with boardwalks, trails, and all kinds of wildlife. I went here with the sole intent of catching a pretty sunset after a long week.  I got to do just that and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through this park.   If you're looking for a hike...