Top Ten Travel Locations of the Past Year

My family had to relocate for one year due to my husband’s job and we have tried to embrace the opportunity in all aspects of our lives.  Moving to a new part of the county has expanded our circle of friends and our experiences.  Since this is a blog dedicated to living with food allergies, I will offer some stories about the food we enjoyed and tips for being adventurous on a limited diet.  But foodie be warned; this is mainly a post about places we have seen! 

1. Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina:  Hands down this was the best place we went all year and given a vote, we all voted that it would be the one place we would all like to visit again.  We stayed a week at the beach, eating, drinking, digging, surfing, and having tons of fun.  We had a very savvy food lover with us on vacation.  He was on a first name basis at the fish market and introduced us to whole crabs and Old Bay seasoning.
   
2. New York City:  We had locals as our tour guides and we explored the city by foot, rail, bus, boat, and cab.  We are thankful to our hosts Laura Lopez and Michael Kim for introducing us to the city in fine fashion.  We traveled by train on Thanksgiving and with a little planning and packing; we enjoyed a holiday feast on the train. 
   
3. Washington D.C.: We stayed the weekend in this great city and toured as much as possible.  We were so thankful to have a comfortable place to stay and a Whole Foods between the metro and the apartment.  Thank you John and Caroline Tunna!
   
4. Cocoa Beach, Florida and Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida:  Given the chance to stay at the beach one more time was an easy decision!  We rented a house at Cocoa Beach.  It close to Disney World, so we stayed there and made a day trip to the Magic Kingdom.  That made the whole family happy.  The beach was so relaxing and it also gave us a chance to see manatees.
   
5. Asheville, North Carolina:  I lived in Asheville for a short time after college and always wanted to go back.  Asheville is surrounded by mountains, waterfalls, and great views.  We had our first taste of Carolina barbecue after spending the afternoon at this water slide.
   
6. Colonial Williamsburg and Historic Jamestown:  Virginia has a wealth of historical sites and many venues for learning about American history.  We packed our lunches and picnicked at these colonial sites.
   
7. Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina: I lump these two cities together only because we visited them on the same trip.  Each city is vastly different from one another, but they are close in terms of mileage.  A visit to the area should include a visit to each city.  We tried a barbecue restaurant, Jim 'N Nick's BBQ, in Charleston.  I must mention by name because they were very accommodating for my son’s food allergies.
   
8. Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina:  Mabry Mill, Floyd, Peaks of Otter.  We hiked, we biked, we explored.  We were very fortunate to have access to this beautiful area within miles of our home.    
   
9. Monticello:  Thomas Jefferson was a man of many talents and interests.  His home and grounds are very interesting and I was most inspired by the garden. 
   
10. Home:  Home has come to mean two places.  We have made a home in Roanoke.  Our Roanoke home is full of friendship, community, and belonging.  People tell me that it is as if we have always been here…but home is also where we will return in a few days.  We are fortunate to return to our Pueblo home that is also full of friendships, community, and belonging…it’s as if we never left.