Strasburg, PA: All Aboard for a Trip Through Time

Tucked into the rolling farmland of Lancaster County, surrounded by silos, pastures, and the gentle clip-clop of Amish buggies, Strasburg is a town that moves to a slower rhythm. And oddly enough, it's trains that steal the show here.

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The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania: History on Wheels

The star attraction in town is the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and whether you’re a die-hard railfan or just someone who remembers the sound of distant whistles from childhood, this place is worth every minute.

We walked into the massive indoor exhibit hall and were instantly transported. Over 100 historic locomotives and railcars, from sleek silver streamliners to soot-covered workhorses of the steam era, are lined up on real tracks like a living timeline of American transportation.

What struck us immediately was how interactive and up close everything is. You can walk right up to these steel giants, peek inside the cabs, and even climb into a few. There’s something about standing under the towering wheels of a 100-ton locomotive that makes you feel small in the best possible way.

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A Walk Through American Industrial Glory

Each train tells a story. There’s the glamorous PRR GG1, a sleek electric engine that once powered high-speed trains between New York and Washington. There’s a mail car you can walk through, complete with sorting slots and canvas bags, and a caboose outfitted just as it would’ve been for the train crews who lived in them.

It’s not just about machines—it’s about the people who ran them, rode them, and depended on them. The museum does an incredible job honoring railroad workers, innovation, and everyday life across the eras.There are both indoor and outdoor displays of countless trains and cars. 

There’s also a working model train room that mesmerizes kids and grown-ups alike, and an outdoor yard where even more cars are on display, some in pristine condition, others showing their age in the most beautiful, weathered way.

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Just Across the Tracks: Strasburg Rail Road

As if that wasn’t enough train magic for one town, directly across the street from the museum is the Strasburg Rail Road—America’s oldest continuously operating railroad.

We hopped on a vintage steam train and rode through Amish country, past fields and grazing horses, in a railcar with open windows and wooden benches. There’s something kind of magical about the steady chug-chug of the engine and the way the smoke billows past the window. It’s a short ride, but it feels like time travel.

You can book special experiences too, cab rides, dinner trains, and even "Day Out With Thomas" events if you’re visiting with kids. We were in the back of the train, the lastest time we've taken this ride. At the turnaround point, the locomotive is moved to the back of the train and pushes all the cars and we got an up and personal look at the locomotive in action! 

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More Than Trains (But Still Mostly Trains)

Strasburg is small, but there’s charm everywhere you look. There are antique shops, ice cream parlors, and rolling farmland perfect for a casual bike ride or picnic. You’re also just a short drive from Lancaster, Bird-in-Hand, and other towns with Amish markets, homemade pretzels, and roadside farm stands selling root beer in Mason jars.

Even if you’re not a "train person" going in, it’s almost impossible not to become one while you're here.

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Final Thoughts: The Town Where Trains Still Matter

Strasburg is a place where the past isn’t just remembered—it’s lived. Where locomotives aren’t just museum pieces, but honored like old friends. And where the click-clack of wheels on rails still echoes across the fields.

If you’re looking for a trip that’s off the beaten path but full of heart, history, and some seriously cool machinery, Strasburg is a stop worth making.

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If You Go:

• The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is open year-round, but check for seasonal hours.

• Combine your visit with a ride on the Strasburg Rail Road—tickets often sell out on weekends.

• Kids will love the Hands-On Train Exhibit, and adults might secretly love it even more.

• Wear comfy shoes—you’ll want to explore every inch.

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force: From Wright Brothers to Stealth Bombers

We didn’t expect to spend an entire day here. Honestly, we thought we’d pop in for a few hours, see some planes, and move on. But the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is massive, compelling, and utterly immersive, it's a place where history, engineering, and sheer aviation awe collide.

It’s not just a museum for air buffs or military historians. This place is for anyone who's ever looked up at the sky and wondered, how did we get from canvas biplanes to spacecraft?

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The Largest Military Aviation Museum in the World

Located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base just outside Dayton, Ohio, the museum is free to enter and spans four gigantic hangars, each the size of a sports stadium, and houses more than 350 aircraft and missiles.

From the moment you step into the first hangar, the scale of the place hits you. We’re talking full-size B-52 bombers, spy planes, fighter jets, and experimental aircraft suspended mid-air or parked dramatically on the floor.

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Walk Through Aviation History

The museum is laid out chronologically, and that’s what makes the visit feel like a journey, not just through decades of flight, but through war, innovation, and raw human ambition.

• Start with the Early Years Gallery, where the museum tips its hat to Dayton’s own Wright brothers. You’ll see a reproduction of the 1909 Wright Military Flyer, which launched the Air Force's story.
• Move into the World War II section, where historic aircraft like the B-17 Flying Fortress and P-51 Mustang fill the hall. There’s an entire area dedicated to the Doolittle Raiders, and standing beneath these massive planes makes the stories feel closer, more real.
• Next comes the Cold War Gallery, featuring chilling reminders of global tension like the SR-71 Blackbird and nuclear missile systems. We were particularly struck by the Presidential aircraft exhibit, where you can walk through Air Force One aircraft used by presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Bill Clinton.

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Space, Stealth, and the Future

The final hangar might be the most surreal, it houses spacecraft, satellites, and cutting-edge stealth tech. Seeing a B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber up close is like walking up to a spaceship that decided to visit Earth.

There’s also a replica of the Apollo 15 command module, astronaut suits, and displays that show how aviation literally reached for the stars.

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Family-Friendly and Surprisingly Hands-On

Despite its scale and scope, the museum is incredibly accessible for families. Interactive exhibits, flight simulators, and kid-focused learning corners help bring the science and stories to life.

We saw veterans swapping stories in front of aircraft they once flew, kids darting from wing to wing with wide eyes, and everyone, no matter their background, learning something new.

There’s also a gift shop, IMAX theater, and cafeteria, so you can easily spend the whole day here without running out of things to see or do.

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Final Thoughts: More Than Just a Museum

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is more than a display of old planes. It’s a place that captures the spirit of innovation, the costs of war, and the endless human desire to defy gravity, literally and figuratively.

Whether you're a military buff, a curious traveler, or just someone looking to be inspired, this museum is one of the Midwest’s hidden gems. And yes, it’s completely free.

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If You Go:

• Location: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, OH
• Admission: Free
• Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day)
• Tip: Wear comfortable shoes, the hangars are vast, and you'll be walking a lot!
• Don’t Miss: The Presidential aircraft, the SR-71 Blackbird, and the Cold War gallery
• Bonus: Sign up ahead of time for a behind-the-scenes tour if available, they go fast!

 

Laclede, Missouri: A Quiet Town with a Monumental Legacy

If you're road-tripping through northern Missouri and you blink too long, you might miss Laclede—a small dot on the map nestled among cornfields, country roads, and slow sunsets. But don’t be fooled by its size. This quiet town holds a mighty piece of American history.

Laclede is the birthplace of General John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, and the only person to be promoted in his lifetime to the rank of General of the Armies—a title shared only with George Washington (and posthumously at that).

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The Pershing Boyhood Home

You don’t go to Laclede expecting grand museums or crowds of visitors. And honestly, that’s part of the charm.

The heart of the town is the Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site—a small cluster of buildings and monuments honoring the man who would go on to lead over two million U.S. Soldiers in Europe. The white-frame house where young John grew up is still standing, carefully preserved with period furniture and photos that make it feel like someone just stepped out for church and never came back.

At the edge of town, shaded by tall trees, sits a modest two-story white house with green shutters and a wraparound porch—the Pershing Boyhood Home. It’s not fancy. Not a mansion. But it carries weight.

Walking through the home, you get more than furniture and facts. You get a sense of the world Pershing grew up in—wood-burning stoves, schoolbooks on the table, and views of wide, open farmland out every window. You start to realize how someone shaped by this simple, grounded life could carry that steadiness all the way to the fields of France.

Next door, the Visitor Center and Museum offers a well-curated walk through Pershing’s life—from his Missouri roots to the battlefields of Europe. It’s surprisingly immersive for a small-town museum, with uniforms, artifacts, and first-person accounts that make the story feel close, even a century later.

If you are like me, you are also chasing National Park Services Stamps. When I went, the office was closed but they offered a means to get a stamp at a later time. 

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A Walk Through Time and Legacy

Just a short stroll from the house is Pershing Memorial Park, where a tall bronze statue of General Pershing stands watch. Around the base, etched in stone, are the names of battles and dates that shaped the modern world: Meuse-Argonne, Saint-Mihiel, Chateau-Thierry.

The park surrounding the home includes a statue of Pershing in full uniform, standing tall and commanding, as he once did for over two million troops. Just a few steps away, the Wall of Honor commemorates veterans from the region, connecting the dots between the past and the present.

There’s something striking about standing beneath the bronze figure of a man who once shaped global strategy, in a town where the loudest noise is the wind through the trees and the occasional train whistle in the distance.

During my time in college, I was a member of the fraternal organization named after General Pershing - Pershing Rifles. I had to take my obligatory photo of Blackjack Pershing with my Blackjack. 

Even if you’re not a history buff, standing in that little park and looking up at the statue has a way of making the past feel real. You start thinking about how this man, who helped reshape the course of global events, once milked cows, walked dirt roads to school, and watched Missouri sunsets from this very town.

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The Feeling You Can’t Quite Describe

 I can only speculate that Laclede itself hasn’t changed much. There are maybe a few hundred people living here today, and most of the buildings feel frozen in time. There’s no stoplight, no chain coffee shop, no hustle. Laclede doesn’t overwhelm you with attractions, and it doesn’t need to. It invites you to reflect.

In a world where so many stories of greatness begin in big cities, Pershing’s story starts here, in a town with dirt roads, a one-room schoolhouse, and neighbors who likely all knew his name before the rest of the world ever did.

This place provides a sense of peace. And there’s something special about that peace being the backdrop to the early years of someone who would go on to lead the most powerful army the United States had ever sent overseas.

If you’re passing through northern Missouri, Laclede isn’t a stop, it’s a moment. A reminder that greatness often has humble roots, and that history isn’t just something you read in books, it’s something you walk through, feel, and sometimes, touch with your own hands on a weathered porch rail.

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Final Thoughts: A Quiet Salute to American History

You don’t have to be on a battlefield to feel the weight of history. Sometimes, it lives in quiet places, in creaky floorboards, in faded black-and-white photos, in the space between cornfields and cloudy skies.

Laclede isn’t flashy, but it is real. And visiting it is a reminder that greatness often starts in the smallest of towns, with the simplest of beginnings.

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If You Go:

• The Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site is open seasonally, so check hours before visiting.

• There’s not much in the way of restaurants in town, but Brookfield (about 10 minutes away) has options for meals, gas, and lodging and roughly 2 hours from Kansas City, an easy day trip or meaningful detour

• Have a picnic, the park around the site is quiet, shady, and perfect for reflecting on the history you've just walked through.

Lancaster, PA: Trains, Thrills, and Timeless Traditions in Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is one of those rare destinations that feels both like a step back in time and a super fun, family-friendly getaway. It’s got something for everyone, storybook landscapes, old-timey trains, Amish horse-and-buggies trotting past cornfields, and an amusement park built just for kids (and those of us who are still kids at heart).

We spent many long weekend here and left with sticky fingers (shoofly pie), full bellies, and countless train photos. Here's how to make the most of a trip to Lancaster County—a little slice of Americana with just the right mix of nostalgia and excitement.

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Dutch Wonderland: “A Kingdom for Kids”

First up—Dutch Wonderland. If you’re traveling with little ones (or nostalgic adults), this small-but-mighty amusement park is basically a fairy tale brought to life. From the castle entrance to the kiddie-sized roller coasters, everything is designed with families in mind.

There are gentle rides like the Wonder Whip, splash zones for hot summer days, and the classic Sky Ride that glides you over the park’s colorful rooftops. We loved the old-fashioned charm of it all—no massive crowds, no overwhelming thrill rides—just lots of smiles and a dragon named Duke who waves back when you wave to him.

Bonus: it’s only a short drive from downtown Lancaster and shares a parking lot with one of the outlet malls (more on that later…).

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All Aboard in Strasburg: Trains, Trains, Trains

You don’t have to be a train buff to fall head over heels for Strasburg, just a few miles southeast of Lancaster. It’s a little town with big train energy.

The Strasburg Rail Road is the main event. We took a steam-powered train ride through Amish farmland in a beautifully restored vintage railcar. The smell of coal smoke, the rhythmic chug of the engine—it felt like time slowed down just a little. Kids stared wide-eyed out the windows, and adults seemed just as mesmerized.

Across the street is the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, home to over 100 historic locomotives and railcars. You can walk among giants of steel, peek inside old dining cars, and even climb into the cab of a massive steam engine. It’s both interactive and educational, and honestly, one of the coolest train museums we’ve visited.

I have a dedicated blog posting on these two sites alone, called, Strasburg, PA: All Aboard for a Trip Through Time.

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Casey Jones’ Restaurant at Paradise Station: Dine by the Tracks

Right next to the railroad is a little gem: Casey Jones’ Restaurant at Paradise Station. We grabbed lunch here after a morning of train rides, and it was the perfect pick-me-up.

The restaurant is part of an actual train car hotel, and many of the tables look out over the Strasburg Rail Road line, so you can eat while vintage trains chug by. The food is classic and comforting: pot roast, meatloaf, fried chicken, and the kind of homemade desserts you don’t skip, no matter how full you are.

We've also come here for breakfast on other trips. Never a disappointment. 

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Amish & Mennonite Life: Simplicity and Tradition

You can’t visit Lancaster without noticing the Amish and Mennonite communities that shape this region’s culture and landscape. From horse-drawn buggies to laundry flapping on lines, their way of life feels quietly beautiful and deeply grounded.

On one trip, we stayed a few nights in an Amish Farm and House bed and breakfast, just off Route 30. The stay allowed us to tour an authentic farmhouse, and have full access to their fully operational farm. The far end of the property line was right up against the railroad tracks of the Straburg Railroad so we would walk up there and wave to the passengers of the train. The whole trip gave us a sense of respect, informative, and a much deeper appreciation for their traditions and values.

If you’re looking for hand-made souvenirs, don’t miss roadside stands or markets like Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market—fresh pies, whoopie pies, hand-woven baskets, and quilts that are actual works of art.

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Retail Therapy: The Outlets

If you’ve got some energy left (or maybe you need new walking shoes after all the exploring), Lancaster’s outlet malls are surprisingly good. The Tanger Outlets and Rockvale Outlets are both right off Route 30 and feature a mix of big-name brands.

It’s not the reason you come to Lancaster, but it’s a nice perk—especially if you’re traveling with teens or need a little rainy-day activity.

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Final Thoughts: Where the Modern Meets the Timeless

Lancaster is one of those places that makes you slow down, in the best way. Whether you’re watching the sunset over a field dotted with hay bales, riding a steam train through golden cornfields, or eating soft pretzels made by hand, it all feels a little more intentional, a little more connected.

It’s a place where kids can scream on a dragon-themed roller coaster, parents can relive childhood dreams of trains, and everyone leaves with a full heart (and probably a shoofly pie in the car).

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If You Go:

• Dutch Wonderland is seasonal (usually spring through early fall).

• Book Strasburg Rail Road rides ahead, especially in summer or during special events.

• Bring cash for Amish markets, many don’t take cards.

• Most attractions are within 20 minutes of each other, perfect for long weekends.

• Bring lots of antihistamines, my allergies are always in full overdrive every time I'm in Lancaster. 

Graceland Memphis TN

This year I finally had a chance to visit my sister who lives in Tennessee. Of course, you have to go see Graceland if you are anywhere near Memphis, it is REQUIRED! I am not an Elvis expert, but I have always greatly enjoyed his music, this song being one of my favorites as well as my parents wedding song:

Elvis: Can't help falling in love

This is another sweet love song I love