Here we are in the midst of summer, the prime family vacation time. With hot dogs sizzling on the grill and the smell of Coppertone in the air, I couldn’t help but hark back to those summers three and four decades ago when my family and millions of families like ours took to the highways for a summer vacation. It was impossible to resist the temptation to measure up to those long ago days with the family vacations of today. Perhaps looking back can help make your upcoming summer vacation just a little better for your whole family. Read more . . .

Road trips are great fun. Getting in a car and venturing away from home can be one of the biggest joys of the holidays, but unfortunately, some trips end in financial loss or even tragedy. Frequently travelers become the targets of thieves, because they are transporting large amounts of money and other valuables. And while they are away, vacationers often leave their homes open targets for thieves as well. Read more . . .

Learn about antique cannons, take wine tours and tastings, and see historic houses, tall ships, a coal-fired passenger steamer, and preserved town centers.

Clinton, CT  route mapThe sights on this drive have more to do with history and culture  than vistas viewed from winding roads on coastline drives or mountaintops. And if you are checking out some of the fine wines at vineyards along the route, please choose a designated driver. The Connecticut shoreline is best reached by travelling I-95 with stops at various Points of Interest. The drive begins in the town of Clinton (Exit 63 on I-95), famous for great antique stores and the Clinton Crossings outlet shopping center. The Clinton Historical Society in the Capt. Elisha White House on East Main Street is popularly known locally
as the “Old Brick.” Read more . . .

Enjoy spectacular foliage, quaint Connecticut towns, 200 million-year-old dinosaur tracks, and preserved historic houses.

Wethersfield, CT  route mapThe foliage in the Hartford area is so breathtaking, the state has designated this drive the Hartford Region Foliage Loop. The name is well deserved. The route provides a nice combination of restaurants and shops  in the quaint Connecticut towns along the route and the opportunity to enjoy nature’s beauty. From I-91 take Exit 26 into Old Wethersfield, Connecticut’s oldest municipality. The town has a few  well-preserved 18th Century houses. One is the 1710 Buttolph-Williams House on Broad Street with its compilation of period furnishings. The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum is made up of three 18th
Century houses, Read more . . .

Discover the 13,000-foot Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Spanish Colonial plaza, sacred dirt, and an 18th Century church painted by Georgia O’Keefe.

Espanola, NM route mapHeading through the 13,000-foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, this 58-mile trek is the most panoramic route between Taos and Santa Fe.  Start out from Espanola on U.S. 84, picking up Route 76 to Chimayo. Sights here consists of the fortified Plaza del Cerro, a remnant from the Spanish Colonial times, as well as the Santaurio de Chimayo, which draws the faithful from around the area for its sacred dirt believed to impart cures.

The well known Rancho de Chimayo is a great spot to fortify yourself before heading back on the road. From Chimayo, Route 518 ascends through forests past Truchas and Cordova, a former Spanish outpost built Read more . . .