Lately, my new hobby has been creating digital scrapbook pages, mostly of my road trip adventures. These are some of my favorite memories and I’m very excited to have them all captured in one place. I’m big fan of traditional scrapbooking as well but digital also gives so much creative freedom and can easily be kept. If anyone is interested in creating a similar scrapbook, I created all of my pages in Canva. Stay tuned for more pages to come!
To end the summer and celebrate my birthday, Patrick and I went on a little getaway weekend trip to Newport, Rhode Island. We had so much fun exploring this charming beach town, it’s a place I can’t wait to go back to in the future! Here’s my quick guide of things to do and see during a weekend trip.
🌊 The public beaches require a fee for entry. It seems like the rates are typically $25 weekdays and $35 weekends which is valid for the whole day. We were a bit surprised by this but the beaches were very clean and monitored so the money seems well worth it! Also something to note is there are a couple “residents only” beaches so keep an eye out for those too.
⚓️ There are several areas to stay at surrounding Newport. We found an airbnb in Portsmouth/Middletown, RI and we loved this area! It felt quieter and more residential which gave us space from the downtown area. It was also close to the beaches and only a 15 minute drive to downtown Newport. If you want to be close to the excitement, I’d recommend finding a hotel in the downtown area.
Throughout the weekend, we did a little bit of everything and it made for the perfect way to spend time here + celebrate my birthday! Newport is fairly small so doing a lot in a couple days is definitely manageable without having to drive or walk far which was so ideal for a weekend trip.
Activities
Restaurants
Fall in New England is a magical time of year that feels like it should only exist in a hallmark movie. Last year, Patrick and I planned a ten day road trip traveling through some of the most beautiful places throughout Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. I wanted to create a post based on the itinerary we used last fall that will highlight our trip throughout this region of New England. I would highly recommended visiting this part of the country in the fall if you’re able!
🍁 The foliage varies year to year, but typically the first two weeks of October are a safe bet on when to plan your trip. I’d recommend using and regularly checking a fall foliage tracker, this surprisingly gives an accurate prediction on when the leaves are expected to change.
🎫 Some areas I’ll mention in this post will require additional reservations (i.e., the Flume Gorge in New Hampshire & entrance fees in Acadia national park). It’s always best to purchase tickets and reservations as soon as possible.
🎃 This region of the country is extremely popular during the fall season, for very good reason! I would recommend booking accommodations as soon as you’re able because things do fill up quickly. Also, keep in mind, this area will be busy and crowded, especially in popular sites and tourist attractions.
📆 Although this is a busy and popular time of year to visit, be sure to look up hours of availability of things you’d like to do as it will vary in the fall season. We learned, a lot of places start to slow down and prepare to close up for the winter by mid October, so be sure you check timing of things. We almost missed a chance to tour a maple syrup farm because we didn’t realize they were closed certain days of the week in the fall!
Like I mentioned, it’s hard to recommend a specific time to book and arrange your fall trip since the fall foliage varies each year. However, it seems like the first two weeks of October are pretty consistent and a great time to visit. We also made sure to start our trip in Vermont and end it in Maine since it seemed like the leaves in Vermont were predicted to change sooner.
During the fall, it’s typically cooler temperatures and rainy days so layers are a must! Here’s a basic list to base your packing needs off of:
Throughout most of our road trips, we typically stay at campgrounds because it’s enjoyable and less expensive. For this trip however, it was a little different. We had difficulties finding campgrounds nearby the spots in Vermont we were trying to visit so we only stayed at airbnb’s during that part of our trip. If you’re hoping for convenient locations in each spot, hotels are probably the best option. Keep in mind, because this is a popular time of year for visitors, hotel prices can be expensive and rooms book up quickly. Similarly for airbnb’s, I booked most of ours 6-8 months in advance just to ensure we could find places nearby within our budget.
Some well known hotels in the areas on this itinerary:
Starting the trip will depend on where you are coming from. Since we were driving from Ohio, we started our trip in Vermont. If you fly in, you can decide which location you’d rather start at (you can’t go wrong either!). Most people seem to fly into either Boston or NYC to start their journey into the New England area. There doesn’t seem to be a convenient airport closer to Vermont or New Hampshire. For this itinerary, I’ll be sharing things to do in the Woodstock and Stowe areas of Vermont, the White Mountains national forest in New Hampshire, and Acadia national park and parts of coastal Maine.
We started our trip exploring parts of Vermont. We spent 3 full days here splitting our time between Stowe and Woodstock. After our experience in both, Stowe seemed to have more options for restaurants, activities, and shops compared to Woodstock so keep that in mind! If you’re interested in more details, be sure to check out my Woodstock, VT blog post.
Stowe, VT
Day one
🌛Airbnb nearby
Day two
🌛Airbnb nearby
Day three
Woodstock, VT
🌛Airbnb nearby
Our time in New Hampshire was short and sweet but the fall foliage was incredible! We focused our time here in the White Mountains area exploring the kancamagus highway and the Franconia state park. This was a heavily crowded and congested area so be prepared for lots of wait times.
Day Four
🌛Hancock campground
Day Five
🌛Hancock campground
We took this trip nearly a year ago and I’m still thinking about Maine. It’s truly a magical and dreamy place, that has it all; lakes, ocean, and mountains! This section of our trip was one of my favorites and I cannot wait to return someday. Over the years, Patrick and I have visited several national parks and Acadia is definitely in our top five, it’s such an amazing park. I have a separate blog post with more details about our time in Acadia, you can read here.
Day six
🌛Blackwoods campground
Day Seven
🌛Blackwoods campground
Day Eight
🌛Blackwoods campground
This part of the trip, we devoted time to exploring small towns along the coast of Maine. I wish we could’ve had more time here so I’d recommend spending some extra time in these towns if you’re looking for the slow, small town feel. If you’re interested in learning more, check out my coastal Maine blog post here for more details.
Day Nine
🌛 Airbnb in Kennebuckport
Day Ten
🌛 Airbnb in Kennebuckport
This is truly a trip of a lifetime and should be on everyone’s bucket lists, I can’t recommend spending the fall in New England enough!
Yosemite national park is one of the most magical national parks I’ve visited yet. It’s full of stunning landscapes, beautiful water falls, and jaw dropping valley views. Patrick and I recently took a two week cross country road trip and spent a weekend exploring Yosemite valley. Here’s a small guide of how we spent a few days exploring this incredible national park.
🎟 There’s a $35 entrance fee to enter the park which is valid for 7 days. If you plan to visit a few national parks in one trip, I’d highly recommend the ‘america the beautiful’ pass. It’s $80 and valid for one year which allows you to visit any national park throughout the country.
⏱ During peak season, Yosemite requires a reservation entry ticket. The dates for the summer months are posted on their website. This year, it’s a little different, the park requires reservation tickets between June 15th-August 15th and again August 30-September 1st, 2025. Reservation tickets are $2 and valid for a 3 day period. One thing to keep in mind is reservation tickets can only be purchased online in advance, not in person.
⛰ The most popular area of Yosemite national park is the Yosemite valley area. This is where all of the iconic spots are (El Cap, upper falls, curry village, etc) and also where several campgrounds as well as some hotels are located. It’s the most central area to stay when visiting, which makes it very crowded! If you don’t stay in Yosemite valley, there are other options which will likely be at least an hour drive outside of the valley so keep that in mind.
🏕 There are 13 campgrounds in the park, and 4 campgrounds in the Yosemite valley area. If you are planning to camp, be prepared for campsites to sell out almost instantly when they become available. We ended up getting a last minute spot at upper pines campground a few days before our trip, but otherwise we stayed at the camp curry village tents. If you aren’t able to get a campground spot, I’d recommend checking the site frequently as it seems like people cancel often or the park releases some spots slowly. Be sure to check out the park’s website before visiting, reservations are not taken in person. We opted to sleep in Yosemite valley to make exploring more convenient but there are other campgrounds and hotel options outside of the valley as well.
Go for a hike.
There are several beautiful hiking trails throughout the park, especially throughout the valley.
We hiked the iconic ‘mist trail’ all the way to vernal falls and it was incredible! It is definitely a well known hike which makes it crowded but we started earlier in the morning which helped beat some of the crowds. If you want more of a challenge, you can continue hiking to Nevada falls for a different view of the waterfalls. Be prepared to get wet from the vernal waterfall, the name of this hike is for good reason, there’s lots of mist! Although, on a hot day, the mist actually feels great. If you only have time for one hike while visiting, let it be the mist trail.
Another great trail we enjoyed was the sentinel meadow cook’s meadow loop. It’s along the well known boardwalks in the park and it provides stunning views of the valley and also the meadows.
Rent bikes!
This is a must do when visiting Yosemite! Biking around Yosemite valley should be on everyone’s bucket list, it truly gives such a unique view of the park and it’s so much easier to get to places without the hassle of parking a car. We rented bikes in Curry village but it’s also possible rent bikes at the welcome center in the valley. Prices vary but it was about $30 each for a half day rental and $60 for a full day rental.
Spend time in Curry Village.
This is another popular spot within the park! There’s several restaurants, shops, and the classic curry village tents. In the village, there’s also laundry and showers available for visitors. This was the only national park we’ve ever visited where the showers were free! I would recommend stopping here for souvenirs or if you’re looking for a great lunch or dinner spot. We really loved meadows grill and the pizza deck. Additionally, this was the only national park we’ve been to where there is a coffee shop at the village!
If you’re interested in staying in the camp curry tents, this is the website to book. I would recommend staying here, it was such a fun experience! We loved the convenience of walking up right in the village and walking to get our morning coffee. Keep in mind, the tents are comfortable but not luxurious. There’s shared bathroom and shower stations, and no air conditioning. We visited in June but the nights were cool which made sleeping conditions perfect.
Explore the meadows.
There are several meadows within the park that are fun to check out! We loved the meadow near Sentinel bridge and the El Cap meadow.
Stop by glacier point for sunset
This is a must see when visiting Yosemite. It’s about an hour drive from the valley area but definitely worth the drive, especially to catch sunset at glacier point. Here, you’ll find a frontal view of half dome and incredible views of the rest of the valley.
Stop by Tunnel view.
This is a popular pull off spot in the park after passing through the famous tunnel that leads you down towards Yosemite valley. This is a great stop to pull off and grab some photos of the valley opening up and get a peak at half dome.
It’s seems like this year’s spring season has gone by so quickly, it’s hard to believe it’s nearly time to welcome summer in about a month.
This spring season has been busy for me, lots of transitioning and change which seemed fitting for spring. A month ago, Patrick and I went away for a camping weekend and had a nice unplugged couple days. Camping is always a nice reset for me, I enjoy that it forces me to be present and gives me a break from the busyness of the usually day to day.
Here are a few of our favorite products for camping:
These items are perfect for a night away or an extended camping trip!
I’m looking forward to everything this summer season brings. We have some fun adventures planned that I cannot wait to share! Here are a few photos from our recent camp trip!
There’s been a lot of recent news and updates regarding the future of national parks. If you’ve read my blog before, you probably know national park travel is so important to me. If you’ve visited a national park before, you likely understand why they need to be protected. I consider it such a gift to have these stunning places throughout the country, full of beautiful scenery, incredible wildlife, and wonderful hikes and activities to explore. These places wouldn’t exist or thrive without the work and dedication of so many park rangers, forest service workers, and volunteers of the national park service.
The current administration recently fired thousands of public land and national park employees, leaving these magical places at risk. Not only for the visitors who cherish these places but for the wildlife that are able to call these places home.
The current updates have been very unsettling for me and I wanted to create a post sharing resources and things to be aware of if you also love and appreciate our national parks. I will also be sharing ways to advocate and do our part in maintaining the national parks to the best we can.
Due to the lack of staffing, there may be many changes within major national parks. It’s easy to not always recognize how much these workers contribute to the parks because of how much time and effort goes into caring for these areas. Now more than ever, it will be important for all of us to do our part. There’s a lot we still don’t know but, for now, these are things that may be a result of less staff to assist in maintaining the parks and public lands.
I will be sharing more information as we continue to learn more about these changes. National parks are truly so special and I hope we can all make an effort to continue to protect them.
Traveling is something I love because it brings so much to my life and has introduced me to so many amazing places. For the last decade, I’ve made travel a priority in my life even when I’m working full time and balancing other life needs. I truly believe it’s possible and I wanted to create a small guide of some tips on how to prioritize travel for those who would like to travel more in the new year or make it more of a priority.
Planning a trip should be fun! I recommend starting with a list of places you’d love to go to, this could be bucket list places or places close to home. If a big and far trip is possible, definitely go for it! If you’re looking for starting off slow, I’d recommend pulling up a map and looking around the areas that are closest to your home. This could be neighboring towns, neighboring states, or a place that are within driving distance of a few hours. Once you’ve selected a spot you want to visit, the planning can begin!
Planning a trip can be overwhelming and stressful at times, especially larger trips. The planning process can take time depending on where you’re planning to go. I always recommended planning early if possible to relieve stress and give yourself plenty of time…
Throughout the last three years, taking a road trip has become Patrick and I’s favorite way to vacation. We’ve seen some incredible places throughout the country and we do so all from our own car, driving across several states. There’s something about…
I still consider myself new to the camping world. Before I met Patrick, I could count on one hand the amount of times I had camped. Camping became more frequent in my life when Patrick and I started traveling to national parks…
Woodstock, Vermont seems like a town right out of a hallmark movie! It’s one of the coziest places I’ve ever visited, especially during the fall season. Patrick and I had the opportunity to visit this past fall while traveling through Vermont and we had such a fun time strolling around this area for an afternoon. Here are some of my tips and favorite spots:
Woodstock, Vermont is a small town that offers local shops, restaurants, covered bridges, and the perfect place to soak in the fall foliage. That being said, I would recommend combining a trip to Woodstock with another nearby Vermont town. We visited Woodstock and Stowe within the same trip which was ideal and gave us more site seeing and activities to enjoy.
Stroll the shops! We had so much fun going in and out of the local shops within the town. Some of our favorites:
Enjoy delicious food. Woodstock has a few great food and coffee options! Here were some of our favorites:
Visit a covered bridge. Woodstock is known for some of their covered bridges! You can drive under the bridges or walk along the side.
Check out the Woodstock Inn. This is a famous hotel right in the heart of Woodstock. The public is welcome to their restaurant and to walk around the grounds. If you’re able to stay here, I imagine it would be a wonderful experience!
Walk to Pleasant Street. This street captures so much charm Woodstock offers and it feels like you’re walking on the set of a hallmark movie. The homes are also so fun to look at and imagine what life here would be like. Keep your eye out for one house on Pleasant street that has become well known during the fall for simply placing little pumpkins along the fence line. It makes for a really sweet view and picture!
Enjoy a maple creemee! Woodstock scoops has amazing ice cream and they are famous for maple creemees. A creemee is essentially soft serve and is a popular treat in this area. I would highly recommend trying while passing through!
Stop by a maple syrup farm. Sugarbush farms has become a famous spot in Woodstock for their tours of maple syrup and cheese making. We didn’t have a chance to do this but I’ve heard such great things about this farm it seems worth recommending!
National park travel has become such an important part of my life and easily my favorite kind of travel. There are currently 63 established national parks in the United States and each year, there are new rules, permits, reservations, and important information you need to know before visiting. Gone are the days of spontaneously showing up to some popular parks and having an impromptu trip. Planning is required to ensure your trip is what you hope and expect it to be! I created this guide, similar to last year’s with important information about certain national parks you may need to know before visiting.
Many national parks require a park pass to access the park and are typically valid for 7 days. This is still needed on top of any reservation or permit required. I would recommend looking at your desired national park’s website to make sure a park pass is required or not, however, this can be purchased when entering the park. The main difference between the two is a reservation or permit that is required needs to be purchased in advance before trip dates. The entrance kiosks and visitor’s centers will not sell these types of reservations in person.
It’s important to check on park’s websites when and what kind of reservations may be required. Typically, these kinds of reservations are specifically required during peak seasons (summer-fall).
*as of January 2025*
keep in mind, if you plan to visit all three areas of glacier, you may need three different types of reservation tickets. Check out my blog post about Glacier National park here for more information on the park.
It seems like more parks are trying to implement some kind of reservation system depending on the amount of crowds they see. I would recommend checking any park’s website you plan to visit prior to your trip to determine if any other decisions are made throughout the year to require reservations or permits to access areas.
Keep up to date with tracking what national parks you’ve visited! Download my free national park checklist below. I created two versions, horizontal and vertical PDF’s.
If you don’t get a reservation or if you missed your window to purchase one, here are a few options to still be able to access reserved areas of the park:
skylarbeck.com 