Whenever I travel, one of my favorite rituals is to find a restaurant or bar that serves the local brew on tap. If I can find a taproom where the beer is crafted on the premises - even better. Where I live on Cape Cod, there has been an explosion of craft breweries...

Recently, I had the opportunity to take a quick day trip to Newport, Rhode Island. It had been a few years since I had last visited Newport, and with the ravages of COVID-19 on the travel and tourism industry in full effect, the streets and wharf areas had a rather pleasant reduction in congestion than what I remembered. That being said, all of downtown Newport was open for business and making the best of this strange summer.

Updated 08/02/20Let’s face it. It’s been a long winter and an even longer spring. We don’t have to like it, but it’s something we do have to accept: Social Distancing will be with us for a bit longer, and that means into the summer season. But that doesn’t mean you...

Tampa is steeped in pirate lore. Some of it is fact and much is the stuff of legend. It’s true that Florida was home to many pirates that continually menaced merchant vessels and sacked small villages in the Caribbean islands. One of the area’s most famous Buccaneers was José Gaspar, who terrorized the gulf coast around the turn of the 19th century and whose mythology lives on today in the form of pirate-themed sports teams, retail stores, and of course, the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival.

The thought of slowly rocking in a hammock along a pristine Caribbean coastline, sipping on frozen drinks while watching the waves break is enough to make almost anybody want to book a vacation. For cruise passengers traveling to Costa Maya, Mexico, this scenario, commonly referred to at the “beach break” is a common and affordable way to spend a day off of the ship.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium began as an idea in 1972 to establish a marine research facility in the Tampa Bay area. Several years later, in 1978, the city of Clearwater donated a decommissioned wastewater treatment plant to the newly established Clearwater Marine Science Center to make their idea a reality. The building had large water holding pools that were modified to house marine life and the facility opened its doors to the public in 1981 with a modest one room exhibit. The small facility continued to grow and as public involvement and visits increased, changed its name to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

Just over the Sagamore Bridge on Cape Cod lies the town of Sandwich, known for its beaches along the shore of Cape Cod Bay, quaint town center that features a historic grist mill, and lazy drives along route 6A. Sandwich has always been one of my favorite Cape towns, with a great mix of raw, natural beauty alongside some great man-made luxuries. Whether you are embarking on a day-trip from the metro Boston area, or planning a week long vacation on Cape Cod, Sandwich may be just the town you are seeking.

With outdoor recreation opportunities aplenty and easy access from Interstate 89, Vermont’s capital city is a great choice for a weekend away. Montpelier is the country’s smallest capital – and the only one without a McDonald’s – but it has big character. I’ve been using this central Vermont locale for my adventure jumping-off point for 11 years, and think this city has everything to offer the outdoor adventurer. Spend a few days and see for yourself!

North Conway, New Hampshire, is a favorite destination of New Englanders that want to escape city life for a few days and unwind. Its popularity is not unwarranted. I have been coming to North Conway since my teenage years. First as a skier, then a rock climber, hiker, and later on in life a father just trying to get away with my family on a few short outings. This has always been the place that I could count on to cleanse my harried soul and it never disappoints.

I love planning a route. Whether it’s backpacking 250 miles through California’s High Sierra or finding the perfect after-work gravel ride, route planning is at least half the fun for me. Getting to the trailhead, calculating mileage and elevation, and picking out campsites and resupply stops; I love it all. My newest adventure discovery, bikepacking, allows me to combine my love for long-distance route planning through remote terrain with my other love, two wheels.