Every December, amid all of the holiday busyness, I love to sit down and reflect on our year. And, naturally I love to share a little bit about it. So…here’s a 2019 year in review of Mom With A Map travel: 6 new-to-us states: Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana (bringing our grand total…

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A few months ago our family booked plane tickets to fly across the country and explore a new-to-us city, Seattle. Admittedly, we were checking a box. It was a large city, in a state that we’d never visited. The opportunity arose and I said “sign me up.” But honestly, I didn’t plan on falling in…

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It would be fair to assume I’m completely biased to North Carolina because I live here. And to some degree, you’re probably correct. However, I can assure you that the state has ALWAYS had a special piece of my heart. The activities on my North Carolina bucket list are crazy diverse! The state has so…

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I love EVERYTHING about the Christmas season…except adding more stuff to our house. Sound familiar? If so, check out this complete gift guide for kids who don’t need more! *My TOP family present at the end of this gift guide for kids!* Experience Gift These gifts can be given as a family membership or a…

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I spent a day last week booking airline tickets. And then subsequently cancelling them after realizing I didn’t pay what I expected to be charged. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, it’s happening more and more these days. And, as much as I hate to admit it, even this professional traveler missed some of the fine print details…

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With confidence I can say, attending the NYC Macy’s Parade on Thanksgiving Day ranks in my Top 10 experiences of life. It’s one thing to watch it on TV, but an entirely different experience being in NYC for the Macy’s Parade. It is with emphasis that I say, if you ever have the opportunity to…

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I’ve written this before, but it’s worth saying again- our family tends to be creatures of habit when it comes to beach vacations. We select our favorite beaches, eating establishments, and activities and stick to them. Lately we’re working hard to break out of our comfort zone and try some new spots. Also, we recently…

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There is no small town in America more beloved than Mayberry, North Carolina. Ironically, the town doesn’t actually exist- at least not as “Mayberry.” Writers of the popular ’60’s TV sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show, created the fictional community. However, it was based on the real life hometown of Andy Griffith- Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Mt.…

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