Laurie's light travel travel tips

Stonington, Connecticut, in New London County just ten minutes north of the more touristed Mystic , is a kind of proverbial Throwback Thursday if one is "throwing back" all the way to pre-Colonial days. Whether you're looking at the Native Americans who settled the area or the English founders who battled to build here, it's ripe with history. Several buildings on the National Register of Historic Places dot the landscape, including the Stanton Davis House , the oldest house in town. It was built by Thomas Stanton, one of Stonington's founders, beginning in 1670 (see below). Overall, the town's architecture is so historic and charming you'll feel as if Sandra Bullock as an 18th century maiden will come skipping out from behind an old fashioned diner or soda shoppe. Other things in town include: 1) Watching the sun set from the Point at the end of Water Street. 2) Heading out to DuBois Beach at the end of the Peninsula. Don't be deterred by a wint...

I spent my 46th birthday in Marblehead, Massachusetts, a place I'd been longing to visit ever since discovering my first American ancestor had arrived there in the early 1600's. And while there, I was treated to several reminders my family had settled there including a Norman Street (my ancestor was Captain Richard Norman). But just as Oakland or Berkeley, California will forever lie in the shadow of San Francisco , Salem grabs the lion's share of attention from Marblehead. After all, they have the witch trials legacy and all those haunted houses and pointy-hatted candies at Halloween. Marblehead is worth a visit, though. Just twenty minutes north of Boston, this quiet, quaint, seaside town is brimming with history. Walk the cobblestoned streets and shop or roam an ancient graveyard and find headstones from the 1600's. Here are my Top Five things to do in Marblehead on your girls' or couples getaway, or even alone as I did: 1. Herreshoff Castle . Though buil...