We visited Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Pennsylvania, which showcases an early American landscape of industrial operations from 1771-1883.
Visitor center:
park
Valley Forge National Historical Park
We visited Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania, the place where George Washington and the Continental Army took refuge during the winter of 1777-1778.
Visitor center:
Housing:
Cannon:
Oven:
Redoubt:
Monument:
Covered bridge:
Cape May Lighthouse
We visited the Cape May Lighthouse, and the nearby beach, with the ruins of Battery 223 on the beach.
Cape May Lighthouse:
Birdhouses:
Cape May Lighthouse:
Battery 223:
The beach, with the waves coming in at an angle:
The remains of an elaborate sandcastle, with the lighthouse in the background:
Colonial Williamsburg
We visited Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia again this year.
An interactive map:
Another interactive map on their website.
Visitor center:
We went to the Sweet Tea & Barley restaurant for lunch:
Then wandered around:
An interesting place.
Holly Point Campground – Falls Lake SRA
We stayed at Holly Point Campground – Falls Lake SRA in Wake Forest, North Carolina. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A very nice lakeside campground, but the spring tree pollen was horrendous.
Dates:
- Check in: 2025-03-23
- Check out: 2025-03-30
- 7 nights
Weather:
- Partly sunny, a little rain
- High temps 62-77°F, lows 37-55°F
- Little wind, gusts to 23 MPH, but sheltered by trees
Noise:
- No road noise
- No train horn noise
- Little neighbor noise
- Regular plane noise (on the flightpath of Raleigh-Durham International Airport, 10 miles away)
Site:
- #69 (loop 2), back-in, gravel
- Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
- Mostly level site; slightly high on front driver side; used hydraulic leveling
- Gravel driveway about 60 feet long by 10 feet wide
- About 30 feet to neighbor on passenger side
- About 50 feet to road on driver side
- Trees between sites
- Picnic table
- Fire pit
- Lantern hook
- Tall trees
- Mostly clean site (one bit of trash)
- Elevation 290 feet, front facing North
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, conveniently located
- 70 PSI water, conveniently located
- No sewer; we used our tote and the dump station
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 30-35 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 30-100 ms ping
- AT&T: 49-60 Mbps down, 0.25-0.75 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
- Verizon: 5 Mbps down, 3 Mbps up, 100 ms ping (our SIM has 5 Mbps max)
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: none
Amenities:
- Lake
- Dump station
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Beautiful park, but beware the pollen in spring
It turns out that camping in the middle of a hardwood forest during the week the trees come alive in the spring is a fantastic way to find out if you have terrible allergies. The pollen in this part of NC is no joke. Besides the trees trying to kill me, this was a beautiful campground. Our site was plenty long enough for our 40-foot motorhome and tow vehicle. However, some sites looked like they would have been too sloped to work, so be sure to check the details of the specific site you’re booking. Site 69 had a great view of the water through the trees and was close to the small beach/picnic area. We camped at Holly Point Campground – Falls Lake SRA in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
View of the lake out our window; fortunately the intervening site was empty most of the week, and only used as a day-use site on the weekend (which I have mixed feelings about, taking a site from an overnight camper):
View of sunrise over the lake from our site:
A peek of our site from the swimming beach, and a goose:
Geese on the beach:
Boat on the lake:
Swimming beach:
We used the dump station via the tote in the back of the truck three times:
Dumpsters at the dump station:
On the flight path, 10 miles from Raleigh-Durham International Airport:
Bathrooms:
Lakefront:
Boat on the lake:
This trailer was backing itself into the site, not hooked up to the car:
Tent sites:
Other sites:
Many not very level:
A very nice campground, other than the pollen. We’d be happy to be back, in the same site, at a different time of year.
Fort Moultrie National Historical Park
We visited Fort Moultrie National Historical Park in Charleston, South Carolina.
Visitor center:
The fort:
Underground command post:
View of the fort from a deck on top of the visitor center:
Nearby, a funky-looking lighthouse:
Fort Sumter National Historical Park
We visited Fort Sumter National Historical Park in Charleston, South Carolina.
The fort is on an island, so the only way to visit it is via a ferry operated by Fort Sumter Tours; best to book a few days ahead:
Aircraft carrier across the harbor, part of a museum:
Approaching Fort Sumter:
Entering the fort:
The first submarine in history to sink an enemy ship, in 1864:
Model of the fort:
Back to the ferry:
Fascinating.
Fort Frederica National Monument
We visited Fort Frederica National Monument in Georgia. It was established in 1736 to help protect the British colonies from the Spanish in Florida.
An interactive map:
Visitor center:
Model of the fort and town:
Building foundations:
Ancient live oak tree:
Archaeology dig site:
Foundations of the fanciest house in town:
Remains of the fort:
The fort info sign:
Cannons:
Fort selfie:
What happened?
The barracks:
Reenactors:
He and Jenn chatted for a while, explaining about the hut, his uniform, his gun, and more:
A fascinating visit.
Driftwood Beach
We visited Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island in Georgia. When we think driftwood, we think logs, but this beach has whole trees.
An interactive map:
Driftwood Beach:
An interesting place.
Crooked River State Park trails
While staying in Crooked River State Park in Saint Marys, Georgia, we enjoyed frequent walks in the park.
Trail map:
Info sign:
Alligator country:
River:
Trail:
Tortoise:
Another trail:
Nature center:
Boardwalk trail without a boardwalk:
The trail was somewhat flooded, but we did it anyway:
Observation tower:
Swampy:
The boardwalk has been removed:
Pond:
A nice park.