With next year being the 250th anniversary of the founding of this country, I think it’s fitting for us to make a trip back to Virginia.  Our 10th state hosted so many historically important events in the timeline of the United States.  From some of the first colonies to pivotal battles in the Revolutionary and Civil War, Virginia has been front and center for so much of our history.

But there’s more than history in Virginia.  There’s theme parks, outdoor recreation, breweries, delicious food and so many opportunities for fun.  This week we are heading to the Williamsburg area.  I say area because my guest today not only represents Williamsburg, which is a pretty popular tourist attraction already, but he also represents some of the surrounding areas.

With me this week is Edward Harris.  He’s the President and CEO of Visit Williamsburg

I have a friend that’s made an effort to visit every baseball stadium in the country.  He’s pretty close now. I think he only needs 4 or 5 more and he’ll have it.  One of the reasons he loves this quest is that it gives him an excuse to visit cities  he wouldn’t otherwise go to. 

I get what he’s saying.  I have this goal in life to run a half marathon in every state of the country.  I’ve checked 7 off so far.  I can’t say I would’ve traveled to Idaho if it weren’t for a race.  Sports tourism is a thing.  People travel all over the place to see landmarks or their favorite teams.  And the areas surrounding these venues get to benefit from all of the visitors.

This week’s conversation is taking us to Green Bay Wisconsin.  A city that is best known as the home of the Green Bay Packers.  And while thousands of people travel there during the football season, the area has so much to offer throughout the year.  It’s landscape is beautiful and there is so much natural beauty there.  You’ve got the Bay of Green Bay and the Fox River that provide water adventures and unique opportunities to see the landscape.  There’s family friendly fun in theme parks and a remarkable food scene as well.  

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but small towns are in.  People are bypassing major cities for vacations in smaller towns and cities.  Green Bay should be up at the top of your list for your next vacation.  Though, if you hate the cold, you might want to wait until next summer.  With me this week is Nick Meisner.  He’s the VP of Marketing for Discover Green Bay

This podcast has taken me all over the country.  We’ve even had discussions about trips you can take through Europe and other places.  But sometimes the coolest spots to hang are right under your nose.  Truthfully, one of the reasons I wanted to start doing Delightful Destinations was to learn more about some of the areas right near me that I didn’t know much about.
  
In my time living in the Baltimore area, I’ve spent most of it living in Baltimore County.  For those of you listening that don’t know the area, Baltimore County essentially wraps around Baltimore City and extends up toward Pennsylvania. It’s a massive expanse of land that offers a lot of different resources.  You have the more urban feel that’s adjacent to the city, and you have a lot of rural land filled with farms, horse training facilities and beautiful areas to experience the outdoors.  Not to mention the hundreds of miles of shoreline on the Chesapeake Bay.

I think Baltimore County is an untapped resource for a lot of folks in the area.  As I said, when you live somewhere, it’s easy to overlook what you have at your fingertips.  So, I hope today’s conversation will offer some insight into special areas of Baltimore County that people need to check out.  

Joining me today is Tom Yorke.  He’s the Chief of Tourism for Baltimore County.

If you’ve been a listener of this program than you may have heard me mention before that I grew up in New England.  I spent the first 18ish years of my life in New Hampshire.  When I got to high school, snowboarding became a huge part of my life and personality.  It was what my friends and I loved to do all winter long.  I was happiest when I was on a mountain.

My favorite thing to do was get to the top of the highest peak at any ski resort and just look around at the world.  These are images that, even though I saw them nearly 30 years ago, I still have burned into my memory.  I think snowboarding was what really made me fall in love with nature and the outdoors.

When you live in New England you have pretty easy access to some world class ski resorts.  And of course everyone always hears about Colorado and Tahoe.  Basically it was always New England or the Rocky Mountains.  When you talk about the Midwest, it was always about corn fields and how flat it is.  Ski resorts weren’t exactly top of mind.  Let’s change that story today.

We’re taking a look primarily at two wonderful resorts in Wisconsin and Michigan.  They are part of the Midwest Family Ski Resorts properties.  They actually have three, but we’re only going to focus on two.  Lutsen Mountains and Snowriver Mountain Resort.  With me to open my eyes about skiing and snowboarding in the midwest are Greg Fisher, the chief marketing officer, and Charlotte Skinner, she’s the chief financial officer and chief operating officer.

About 10 years ago I decided that I wanted to run a half marathon in every state.  I had run a race in Nashville and then done another in San Diego.  During my run in Southern California I had this epiphany that running a half marathon was a great way to see a city and the areas around it.  Over the next few years I visited a variety of states from Idaho, Pennsylvania and Wyoming.  They all had a different beauty and charm.  But one of them really stood out, and that was my weekend in Wilmington Delaware.

Yeah, I was surprised too.  No shade on Wilmington, or Delaware, but it was always a city that I had driven through to go north or south up the 95 corridor.  I’ve driven through Wilmington countless times and never had the thought to stop.  But when I was running through the streets and trails I realized how incredible Wilmington is. 
 
In this podcast we’ve discussed the history that a traveller can find all along the north east coast or mid-atlantic region.  Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley are no different.  There’s an incredible amount of history there as well as some over the top and ostentatious estates that date back to the 1800’s.  And I say ostentatious with love.  These estates are remarkable and stunning.

Today I’m speaking with Jennifer Boes.  She’s the executive director for the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau.  There are so many great options for ways to explore and discover the Wilmington area.  I hope you enjoy our conversation.

One of the things I’ve really loved about doing this podcast is discovering the hidden gems.  Sometimes it’s a particular attraction in a city I’m already familiar with, like a museum or something.  And sometimes it’s a beautiful, and historic resort, that’s tucked away in the mountains of Virginia.

On this week’s episode we are heading to let’s say north central Virginia into the Allegheny Mountains to discuss the Omni Homestead Resort.  The Homestead has been getting visitors long before it was ever a thing.  The hot springs in that part of Virginia have been an attraction for locals for probably thousands of years.  The waters were believed to have special powers.  But it was in 1766 when someone finally put a building on it.

The Homestead has gone through a lot of changes over the last couple centuries, but that hasn’t taken away from its charm.  The spa is second to none and it’s family friendly atmosphere has brought generations of visitors back for visits over and over again.  There’s an elegance to it that I feel like you only see in movies.  But you could see it in person at the Homestead.  It was a real pleasure to learn more about this legendary destination.

With me today is Lynn Swann.  She’s the director of marketing and communications for the Omni Homestead Resort and Spa.  I hope you enjoy our conversation.

I spent a great weekend in Richmond, Virginia.  It was the summer of 2019.  My wife and I went down for a wedding and ended up having a blast.  And we had some random incidents that made the trip one that we will never forget.  I tell the story in my conversation today.  I’m laughing about it right now just thinking about it.

Richmond is one of those cities that I think gets overlooked.  It’s a couple hours south of Washington DC and right on interstate 95.  For a lot of folks on the east coast, Richmond is a city they drive through as they’re going down to Florida, or one of the Carolina beaches.  But I’m here to let you know that it’s a region that you need spend some time in.

We can start with the history of the region.  Major events in the creation of this country took place in, and around Richmond.  It’s got a vibrant city experience in Richmond, tons of parks and outdoor spaces all around, a world class theme park in Kings Dominion, and an adorable pygmy hippo.  That’s right, Poppy the Pygmy Hippo that took over the world earlier this year lives at the Metro Richmond Zoo.

So, let’s make our way to Richmond.  This week I’m speaking with Tom Loftus.  He’s the vice president of marketing for Richmond Region Tourism.

Sports can unite a community.  When a local team is doing well, people are excited.  They’re happy and they want to invest in that team.  But can a sports venue change a community?  Hagerstown, Maryland may be the blueprint for other communities around the country.
In this week’s episode we’re heading to Western Maryland to discuss Hagerstown and Washington County. 

One thing you’ll hear us talk about is the brand new, state of the art, minor league ballpark that opened about a year ago in Hagerstown.  The community has hinged some rebuilding and revitalization hopes around this stadium, and it seems to be working.  People are coming back to Hagerstown.  They’re hanging around, investing in local business and in a lot of cases, even moving there.  Hagerstown, and Washington County, is seeing a boom in new residents.

This podcast isn’t all about the growth of communities.  We’re about giving you a reason to go visit a city or area.  And we will give you plenty of reasons why you’re going to want to visit Washington County.  From their national parks, to the ballpark and perfect small town feel, they have plenty for you to see.

With me this week is Dan Spedden.  He’s the president of the Hagerstown and Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau.  I hope you enjoy our conversation.

There’s a phrase that I’ve used during my previous interviews that sometimes sets my guests off.  I guess I can understand.  It could come across as being insulting, but I never mean it that way.  That phrase is ‘Middle of Nowhere.’  Or sometimes I’ll say ‘Off The Beaten Path.’  Some guests take that as my way of saying it’s boring or slow.

But today’s guest gets it and they even pride themselves on that label.  We’re heading out to Western Pennsylvania to visit Indiana County.  They hang their hat on being in the middle of nowhere.  In fact, they say that’s a big reason why people come to visit them.  People want to disconnect, unplug and touch grass.  

But don’t start thinking that there isn’t anything to do in Indiana County.  It’s quite the opposite.  There’s a lot happening there from music festivals, performance art and plenty of Christmas celebrations.  

Joining me today is Laura Herrington.  She’s the Executive Director of the Indiana County tourist bureau.  We had a great conversation about all the things someone can do while visiting the Christmas Tree capital of the world.

Most of the conversations I’ve had for this podcast have been with representatives from counties, states or major cities.  But I think it’s time we swing through a small town near my home.  I live in Baltimore Maryland.  I always say Baltimore is a major city but it kind of feels like a small town since it’s sandwiched between Philadelphia and Washington DC. We are part of an area called the 95 Corridor since the highway Interstate 95 runs right through the center of the major cities on the east coast.  

There are a lot of great small towns scattered along that route in between the major cities.  If you’re driving from Baltimore north to Philly, you could easily stop off in Perryville, MD.  Perryville is a town just south of Delaware.  It has a couple of big destinations: The Hollywood Casino and Great Wolf Lodge.  I think most people know Perryville because of those spots.  But Perryville has a lot to offer besides that.  There’s lots of nature, some great food and a lot of Maryland history to check out.

Joining me for this week’s episode of Delightful Destinations is Ashley Hennessy.  She’s the community development coordinator for the town of Perryville.  I hope you enjoy our conversation.