Author: Caroline

Christmas in August! We usually go see WildLanterns at Woodland Park Zoo over the holidays, but at Boston Lights is held during the summer. SO PRETTY.

The Bainbridge Island Troll is here! Pia the Peacekeeper is the first troll in the Seattle area; next up are West Seattle, Issaquah, Vashon and Ballard. We were sworn to secrecy in exchange for watching Danish environmental artist Thomas Dambo and his crew finish the build. The secrecy is part of the game, so you…

This was a one and done for us. At the end of the day, Plymouth Rock is… a rock. We went aboard the Mayflower Il, where 102 passengers and their livestock crowded in the tween deck. One woman even gave birth during the voyage; imagine the lack of privacy!

WHOA. Spotted in Braintree, Mass., on the way to Large East Playground (worst name ever for a terrific playground). Video games and wild turkeys in Randolph.

Plymouth, Plimoth? In the 17th century, spelling was whatever you felt like. We visited the Plimoth Patuxet Museums and saw a 1627 New England village and Wampanoag village. The kids loved meeting “Pilgrims.”

These kids headed out to the Cape for a day of sand, sun and swimming. Unlike the PNW, this water was warm! We got to swim with schools of little fishies in the shallow water and found tons of tiny hermit crabs.

I’m a sucker for these beautiful historic homes in Boston, though I think it’d be impractical for a family to live in one. I’d have to get rid of the kids and win the lottery. There was barely food left in Chinatown after we went through there. The boys were happy to see a cool…

Aboard the USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat (built in 1797). We also toured the WWII-era USS Cassin Young (built in 1944).

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (weather permitting), you can climb the 294 steps of the Bunker Hill monument for an amazing view of the city. At the top we met an 80-year-old man; if he can make it, you can too.

Hamilton fans know it as the house where Alexander Hamilton got married, but for nerds who specialize in obscure presidential trivia, it’s where Millard Fillmore married his second wife. We stopped by the Schuyler mansion in Albany, N.Y., which was built in 1761 for Philip Schuyler, a Revolutionary War general, U.S. senator — and father-in-law…