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52 Places to Go in 2023: Charleston, SC
Charleston’s brutal history of slavery can be overshadowed by a romanticized portrait of a city with charm, award-winning restaurants and plantation gardens. The planned opening of the $100 million International African American Museum this year will help comprehensively display the city’s complicated past.
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These Outdoor Education Programs Are Inspiring the Next Generation of Climate Activists
For those of us who have benefited from an outdoor upbringing, it can be easy to forget that taking a family walk in the woods is an immense privilege. Many marginalized groups have limited access to the natural world, and in some families there may be no precedent for even deliberately cultivating a relationship with it.
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21 Great Mountain Hikes in the U.S.
There are certain mountain hikes that stay with you forever. There’s just something about mountain hiking, with the rush of adrenaline required to climb up—and, sometimes, serious altitude thrown into the mix. But whether you choose to explore the underappreciated peaks of the East Coast, the very top of Texas, or a hidden paradise in Hawaii, the best mountains hikes will reward your efforts with memorable views. If nature is Earth’s love language, seldom will you feel more alive, or more connected to the planet, than when you’re walking atop these mountains.
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The 11 Best Hotels in Upstate, NY with EV Charging Stations
With more than 3,000 charging stations across the state, including 100 new high-speed chargers, New York’s EV boom is officially in overdrive. And everywhere from glamorous boutique hotels to major cultural sites, like Storm King Sculpture Park and the Corning Glass Museum, have joined the EV movement—which feels like being on the right side of climate history. (Also saving money on gas is nice.) A boost in EV inventory at car rental agencies such as Hertz and car-sharing marketplaces like Turo, means it’s easier than ever to rent an electric car. And with the Plugshare charger locator app, you don’t have to worry about “range anxiety” en route to your destination. However, despite the rapid growth of battery-powered…
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8 Tips for Hiking with Kids—and Enjoying It
It’s hard to forget your first time hiking with kids. When my son could hold his head up at around six months old, I plopped him into a child carrier backpack and took off on our first hike through Manhattan’s Central Park. I felt like super mom as I trekked across New York’s urban paradise towards North Woods Loch Waterfall with sweet “oohs” and “ahhs” in my ear. Mostly, he slept. But it was such an exhilarating experience that I started a local hiking meetup for new parents, who rejoiced in this shared sense of reclaiming something not lost to our before lives, just reimagined; it was like walking through the world for the first…
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Love Nature? Your Lawn Says Otherwise.
On a winter day in 2016, Louise Washer received a call that would change her life. As president of the Norwalk River Watershed Association (NRWA), Washer was overseeing habitat restoration projects, monitoring water quality, and working to eliminate pesticide use in seven watershed towns in Connecticut. The call was from her friend Donna Merrill, who was developing a community land stewardship project at the Hudson to Housatonic Conservation Partnership, similar to the NRWA. Merrill had just experienced an aha! moment upon discovering the citizen-powered ‘Bee Highway’ in Oslo, Norway—a city-wide trail of bee-friendly food and shelter stations. Emboldened by Oslo’s dedication to protecting its pollinators, Merrill and Washer teamed up on a…
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I Drove Across the Country With My 2 Young Kids — This Is the Road Trip Gear That Kept Us Happiest
On an epic road trip from California to Connecticut with our two kids last August, my husband and I found ourselves totally winging it after a mudslide on I-70 in Colorado wiped out our plans to mountain bike near the town of Carbondale. It wasn’t the first snag we encountered in the past year, during which we made three major road trips in our Ford Transit camper van. But, knowing we had tons of reliable gear on board, my husband and I didn’t need to fret over the unplanned detour. Instead, we huddled over Google Maps with our five-year-old son and 21-month-old daughter to cook up an alternate plan. Soon…
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Rekindling a Love of Adventure in the Sailing Capital of America
I’m in the sailing capital of America on a 22-foot J/70 called the “Danger Mouse” when I learn that helming a boat going 11 knots will blow you right out of your comfort zone. “Everyone ready to jibe?” I manage to squeak. “Ready!” says the newbie crew, before moving across the boat. I stand up and do the tiller tango: glide sideways, duck under the boom, steer towards the next mark on the horizon, don’t hit the deck. At one point, the sail catches a puff of wind and some salty words like “Holy Helly Hansen!” fly out as I steady the tiller, which I surprisingly love operating. As the…
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The Best RV Campgrounds in the U.S.
In this golden age of RV travel, with ownership at an all-time high and myriad new ways to book a getaway, exploring RV campgrounds is as exciting as embarking on the journey itself. Spectacular RV-only destinations are bookable through membership programs like Harvest Hosts, boon docking on public land is easier than ever via Campendium, and national park campgrounds can now be reserved with the Recreation.gov app.
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How to (Finally!) Take That Kid-Free Vacation
For our first kid-free vacation in three years, my husband and I planned a weekend in Cape Cod. Just the two of us, our neglected road bikes, and maybe some cold lobster rolls in our jersey pockets. When we actually pulled it off last spring, it felt like a second honeymoon. No responsibilities, no cheddar bunnies. We could finally catch our breath.
