Susan Rissi Tregoning Blogs

No matter the season, Hawks Nest State Park is renowned for its breathtaking view of the New River Gorge. While this park is not part of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Hawks Nest is adjacent to the National Park. At just 10 miles nor... 

Uncover the charm of Somerset County with our guide to 10 must-see covered bridges just oozing with history and beauty!  

Bridge Day at the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is a festival that encapsulates West Virginia's slogan 'Wild and Wonderful.' This spectacular event occurs annually on the third Saturday in October amidst t... 

Deep in the heart of Fayette County in southern West Virginia lies an eerie reminder of a bygone era – Thurmond, West Virginia. Today, a ghost town with a population of 5 (in 2020), it was one of the greatest and most infamous railroad towns along ... 

Discover the old-world charm of Elfreth's Alley, a cobblestone street in the historic Old City district of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Let its quaint homes and rich history draw you in.  

A brief glimpse at the history of America’s greatest springtime celebration! The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC, is a trip for your bucket list. Your guide to understanding peak bloom for timing the perfect trip.  

A travel and history guide to Parke County, Indiana's 31 covered bridges. They are #1 for having more historic covered bridges than any other county in America.  

Constructed almost 100 years ago, at the beginning of America's love affair with the automobile, and reinvented as a pedestrian and bicycle bridge, the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge is a MUST VISIT attraction for every Historic Route 66 pilgrimage. It ... 

During my Missouri Route 66 planning, I made a note to visit Red Oak II since I wanted to see the cottage-style Phillips 66 service station that had been relocated there and restored from the ghost town of Red Oak, Missouri. That was the extent of my... 

Get your kicks on New Mexico's Route 66 National Scenic Byway! New Mexico has one of the most varied landscapes in the United States, and Route 66 crosses all of its land regions. Enter New Mexico in the Great Plains at the ghost town of Glenrio, w... 

There are very few places left in America that are so pristine that they have been virtually untouched by man. Nebraska Highway 2, AKA Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway, is one such place. Located in the north-central section of Nebraska, the S... 

I recently spent a weekend in Texas photographing Historic Route 66. As luck would have it, we had a wind storm the first day I was there. But, after making the long drive, I wasn't about to spend my weekend hunkered down in a motel room like a sane ... 

At 468 miles long, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway with the designation of All-American Road, the highest classification in the National Scenic Byway system. Starting at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, the Parkway follows the spin... 

Sometimes what's going on behind the scenes is just as good as the image created... Please CLICK to continue reading  

What do the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, a Dentzel antique carousel, and graves of Gypsy royalty have in common? All three are located in Meridian, Mississippi. In my opinion, this eclectic mix of sites is some of Meridian's more interes... 

The year 2021 is the 50th Anniversary of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park becoming part of the National Park System. This park preserves the historic 19th Century transportation canal from Washington D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland... 

National Geographic calls the spring migration of the Sandhill Cranes through central Nebraska “one of the greatest wildlife phenomena in North America”. If you are a birder, a wildlife photographer or just a nature lover, I really consider this... 

When you hear someone refer to “The Bridges of Madison County” I bet your first thought is the movie with Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. If you are an avid reader, it’s the best-selling novel that preceded the movie by a few years. Many peop... 

In the western portion of the state of Nebraska you’ll find Western Trails Scenic and Historic Byway. This is a historic 144 mile route from Ogallala to the Wyoming border that roughly follows the path the pioneers took almost 200 years ago. While ... 

Visiting Waipi'o Valley on the Big Island of Hawaii had been on my bucket list since 2006. At that time, we were on a seven month assignment on Maui and had hopped over to Hilo for a weekend visit. We planned to hike the volcano, see waterfalls and d... 

I have a confession to make; I was 50 before I read the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I can hear the collective gasp of all the shocked women that are currently reading this post….blasphemy, I KNOW! In my defense, when... 

ATTENTION: Car Lovers, Auto Geeks and Gearheads...​ If you have never visited Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford for a car show, you don't know what you are missing!​ Please CLICK to continue reading 

Step back over 160 years in time at the beautiful Historic Bowens Mills. Once a thriving community, farmers brought their grain here to the 1854 grist mill to be milled into flour and meal. Visit the antique apple cider press that sits ready for ano... 

With my interior design background, I always take a special interest in any unique and interesting architecture. The Painted Churches of the Big Island certainly fall into that category. ​If you are an architecture and/or art lover, these churches ... 

Whether it’s an over the top home display like in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation or the professional wonderland of Walt Disney World, nothing gets me in the Christmas spirit better than a good ole Christmas light display! I grew up in the ... 

I have visited many botanical gardens around the United States but Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is hands down my favorite! This is a pristine 40 acre rainforest garden. While this one of a kind garden contains over 2,000 species of tropical plan... 

​This is the closest I have been to a blue heron… With wildlife, I’m convinced that no matter how much you try to plan ahead it's really just dumb luck that you are in the right spot at the right time. Please CLICK to continue reading 

Only a 30 minute drive west of Duluth, Minnesota on the edge of the St. Louis River is a little logging town in the North Woods called Cloquet. This town began as a group of small settlements around three sawmills: Shaw Town, Nelson Town and Johnson ... 

I have always loved this beautiful old chapel. As early as four or five years old, I can remember staring out the car window in excitement and maybe with just a touch of trepidation as I waited to get my first glimpse of it anytime my parents drove d... 

Sitting along the banks of the Ohio River in a quiet little town in southern Illinois is a cave called Cave-In-Rock. The first recorded history of Cave-In-Rock was in 1739 by French explorer M. DeLery who mapped the limestone cave and named it, “ca... 

In 2018, Wisconsin designated the road through the Bayfield Peninsula as Wisconsin’s fourth scenic byway. Named the Wisconsin Lake Superior Scenic Byway, this 70 mile segment of State Highway 13 winds its way around the South Shore of Lake Superior... 

Following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Americans started to arrive in New Orleans and wanted a neighborhood to call their own. It took thirty years to happen but in 1826 when Jacques Livaudais failed to show up for divorce court preceding he lost ... 

One of my favorite places to see waterfalls in northwest Wisconsin is Amnicon Falls State Park. Located 15 miles east of Superior, Wisconsin near Lake Superior, it is one of the easiest places to visit waterfalls on the Lake Superior Waterfall Tour. ... 

Seven Bridges Road located in Duluth, Minnesota is one of the more beautiful drives within the city. This 4 mile stretch of road intertwines with Amity Creek, the western branch of the Lester River, as it winds its way through a pine, poplar and bir... 

Part 3: of the Natchez Trace Parkway is the Southern Section of the Mississippi Trace from milepost #160 to the end at Natchez, Mississippi. Please CLICK to continue reading  

Part 1 of the Natchez Trace Parkway covers the Natchez Trace through Tennessee and Alabama. Please CLICK to continue reading.  

Part 2 of The Natchez Trace Parkway is the middle of the Trace. This post covers the top half of the Mississippi portion of the trace from milepost #308 to #160. Please CLICK to continue reading. 

On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, there are two one-mile stretches of beach that make up the largest nesting colony of Least Terns in the United States. This Important Birding Area right along the Gulf of Mexico contains sections of five beaches: Biloxi... 

On President’s Day Weekend, I was more than a little excited to get the chance to photograph the Presidents' Heads! These giant busts reside on private property, with only a few opportunities for the public to visit them each year. Exposed to the ... 

Fort Massachusetts is located on West Ship Island, 12 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast; it is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Once known only as Ship Island, Hurricane Camille in 1969 cut the island in half creating East and West Shi... 

Located just outside of Lorman, Mississippi and a short distance off the Natchez Trace Parkway is the ghost town of Rodney, Mississippi. Not much is left of this early nineteenth-century river settlement that is richly steeped in early American histo...