Author: Lena Hollis

One of Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay ferries isn’t running at all this summer, and hardly anyone off the island has noticed. Its longtime captain is out on medical leave with no return date posted. Virginia’s other working ferries are still crossing on schedule, mostly for the people who live a short drive from the landing. These…

New York held the nation’s first state fair in 1841. That’s twenty years before Kansas became a state. Nevertheless, it still hasn’t figured out how to make parking simple. Upwards of 100,000 people a day pack into the fairgrounds outside Syracuse on its busiest days. The first-timers among them keep making the same handful of…

Tennessee has mountain roads worth driving with the windows down and nowhere else to be. But on a Saturday, many drivers end up spending more time staring at the bumper ahead of them than the view outside. These scenic routes in Tennessee are beautiful enough to draw a crowd and crowded enough to make locals…

New York received over 315 million visitors last year, and fall foliage is a big part of why people keep coming back. A lot of that traffic funnels onto the same handful of scenic roads every October. But many tourists miss some of the best parts of the state. These are the fall drives New…

Is a $250 fine worth ten minutes in a waterfall pool? At Watkins Glen State Park, someone decides yes almost every weekend. These are the New York State park rules that too many visitors break. Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Park rules, fines, and permit requirements are subject to change. 1. Metal…

Four of the ten U.S. airports where the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) catches the most guns at security checkpoints are in Texas. But travelers pack far more banned items in their carry-on bags than guns. These are the airport security mistakes costing Texas travelers their belongings before they ever reach the gate. Note: This is…

Think you can hike into the Grand Canyon in August and tough it out? The National Park Service tells hikers to stay off the inner canyon between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the summer, when the canyon floor can run up to 30 degrees hotter than the rim. That gap has cost hikers their…

McClure, Pennsylvania has served the same bean soup recipe out of cast-iron kettles for 133 years. It’s cooked over open fires, stirred by volunteers, and eaten by a crowd that’s shown up every September since a handful of Civil War veterans started the tradition. You’ll be hard-pressed to see a tour bus stopping there. These…