Jim and Zack interview Zack's wife, Jackie about packing for trips. With two small kids at home, she shares the difficult process of packing for trips, long or short, with kids. She lets the listeners know how she often has to repack for her husband as he lacks the necessary packing skills. In addition to road trip stories, the conversation leads to that of readying the family pet snails for a few days on their own. Not only packing, the discussion eventually gets to unpacking once at the destination. Let's get packing!

Homebrewer, Mark Winters lets Jim and Zack (and Jackie) sample a few of his delicious beers. Mark's brewery name is Urbrau Uttingtron, which is an homage to his home area of Germany and the old style of beer that he brews. He discusses how he started brewing, historic beer tidbits, and explains all about the beer that they are drinking. His libations tend to err on the side of traditional styles and not the uber-popular current trend of hazy IPAs. Grab yourself a cold one and enjoy! Check out what beers of his are on tap at Urbrau Uttingtron Taplist.

It's mid-November and the fall is in full swing. (Don't think about putting up those Christmas lights yet!) With turkey and stuffing on the horizon, it's time to crack open a few fall seasonal beers to combat the newfound chill in the air. In this episode, Jim, Zack and special guest, Jackie sample a roundup of great autumn craft beer. Selections include Wormtown, Two Roads, and Southern Tier among others. Which one is their favorite? Listen to find out!

It's that time of year again! Zack and Jim dive into the eerie side of things with the Black Crow Junior Paranormal team. Based out of Bozrah, Connecticut's haunted antique shop, the Primitive Crow, the Black Crow team is a group of passionate paranormal investigators led by Maddox Coletti. Also on the podcast is Black Crow member Lilah Miller. Find out how this group of young paranormal investigators got started and what successes they've had. Listen closely, you just might hear something spooky! The videographer for this podcast is Giovanni Adavelli. 

Well, kids, it's finally here. Zack has never eaten a McDonald's or Wendy's hamburger. Jim puts him up to the challenge. He samples burgers from McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King and guesses which is which based on look and taste. While chewing, Zack inquires about Jim's dietary habits and what foods he eats and tells about his adventures acquiring the burgers. 

Zack and Jim step out of their beverage element with a stop at a tea room. They interview Missy Sullivan of the Victoria Grace Tea Room which is located inside the Primitive Crow in Bozrah, CT. This episode is recorded on-site inside the tea room. They chat about the evolution of the tea room, what is offered for an afternoon tea, the origins of the tea they serve, and plenty of "tea" puns!  

Zack and Jim talk about all things travel with Linda Orlomoski, better known as The Distracted Wanderer. Linda is an avid explorer on both the global and local levels. She writes detailed accounts of her experiences on her blog, The Distracted Wanderer as well as for publications including Norwich Magazine and the Norwich Bulletin newspaper. They chat about favorite places to travel internationally, the charm of New England and the benefits of travel insurance. 

Jim and Zack talk with Matt Woodward, creator, and hiker extraordinaire at ExploreCT.org. Matt discusses what led him to create his website, how he finds new hikes, and his most memorable hikes. For more information about Matt and ExploreCT, please visit, www.exploreCT.org, the most detailed resource for hikes in Connecticut. 

We've come full circle as Zack and Jim tackle post-Covid travel plans. They discuss travel differences in recent states they have visited including Arizona, Tennessee, and Vermont as well as their home states of Massachusetts and Connecticut respectively. What are your summer travel plans? 

Even though it's only June, it's starting to feel like October in the Backyard Road Trips studio! Jim and Zack chat with Brandi from DOA Supernatural. They discuss hauntings going on at the Primitive Crow antique shop in Bozrah, Connecticut. She also shares other paranormal tales from her childhood to the present day.