Baltimore And Beyond!: May 2011

The Incline - Pittsburgh, PA

We visited the incline on the third Sunday in May of 2011.
It was an overcast day, so my photos of the city weren't as clear as I would have liked....but here you can actually see Heinz Field in the background behind my boys on our trip down to the bottom.

There is a lot of history here about transporting coal and the original purpose of the incline. You could spend hours reading all of this, well, unless you are ages 6 and 8. The boys just wanted to get right to it.

I think they thought it would be fast, or a thrill ride, so they weren't overly excited, but it was a great view of the city and a fun way to see the town from a different point of view. While we are from Baltimore and RAVENS fans, their Daddy went to PITT and was a STEELERS fan, so I like to show them the neat things about Pittsburgh too when we are there visiting his family.

The lady at the bottom was a bit of a nazi and nasty with the boys, but the lady at the top made up for it by being very sweet and going out of her way to hand them a flyer they could take in to school to show their class where they had been.

If you are in town, it is a must do.....very neat way to see the city and get a glimpse of the past all in just a few minutes.

We loaded up at the top - you pay at the bottom, but you need exact change. Hours are:

Monday through Saturday:

5:30 a.m. to 12:45 a.m.

Sundays and Holidays:

7:00 a.m. to 12:45 a.m.

FARES:

Adults (Ages 12-64) $2.25 Each Way or $4.50 Round Trip

Children (Ages 6-11) $1.10 Each Way or $2.20 Round Trip

Children 5 and Under Free

Seniors 65 and Older Free

Poplar Springs Inn and Spa/ Bed and Breakfast - Casanova Virginia

My boyfriend and I were given a gift for two nights mid-week for watching my best friend's twin two year old boys for 3 nights while she and her hubby caught a break in Mexico.

We are so glad she gave us this gift and had the chance to use it in May, 2011.

It is a quick road trip from DC, Baltimore and parts of Virginia. I think we made it there in less than 2 hours, of course NOT during DC rush hour....We went on a Monday and left on a Wednesday.

Since it was midweek, we practically had the place to ourselves.

There is a pool and hot tub for all to enjoy. We also had strawberries and champagne sent to our room which was a nice touch. While there, we utilized the spa at Poplar Springs, and had one of the best massages of my lifetime! I'd highly recommend this spa.

They had little nice touches, like bikes you could use, tennis court and rackets/balls, and the best part of all, a bottomless cookie jar!

While there, we decided to go into the little town of Warrenton, Virginia. The main street was very quaint and takes you back a few decades. We chose to eat at the Iron Bridge Wine Company where we enjoyed an amazing meal, and even more amazing wine. We even picked up a few bottles of the mystery wine of the day that we sampled, an italian table red wine.

This place was just very peaceful and tranquil. We loved having the host knock on our door and bring breakfast literally to our bed each day, with fresh fruit, muffins, oatmeal, a bagel, and hot tea.

It truly is a respite from downtown DC or Baltimore, and I'd recommend it to anyone who needs a little de-stressing and break from a busy life!

Breakfast in Bed

Our room was on the right.

The smallest post office I've ever seen.

Front Entrance

The Spa

Bottomless cookie jar

Historic St. Mary's City, Maryland

My boyfriend and I took our 4 kids here. We all went very skeptical and left HUGE fans! As we arrived the 16 year old said under his breath "please tell me we are going to the driving range when this is over." - All four kids wound up loving it. We were there over three hours, got lunch, and even came back for more! Ages: 6, 7, 11 and 16.

It cost us $36 for the 6 of us - $ 2 discount each for military and/or MD resident.
So worth it.

The people who dress and work as settlers in the old days are really into it (maybe a bit much) but are enthusiastic and helpful. We learned a ton from all of them.

We spent probably 1 1/2 hours playing the games of the old days - we really all laughed and had a blast. They had stilts which were a big hit, an old school bowling game, an old time baseball game, and an interesting version of horseshoes.

We also spent over 30 minutes on the mock up boat of the Dove. This was a beautiful boat and the deck hands let the kids explore all around and learn about the boat first hand. The women here spent quality time with each child and we couldn't believe our kids were so engaged and asking questions and we had to pull them away from the boat to go eat.

I can't say enough about this place. I happened to be visiting St. Mary's for the weekend, but I would even drive 2 hours with the kids to see it for a day and drive back on a nice day. The unseasonably warm weather we had helped create a perfect day. And I'm truly not the type to get excited about historical sites (well, other than Fort Mc Henry). Definitely make a day trip of this or spend a weekend in this beautiful town.