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  • A Girls’ Trip Guide to Salem, Massachusetts

    I've had a ton of requests for this one, so here it is: my guide to planning a girls' trip to Salem, MA. And no, it doesn't have to be October. Costume witch portraits, psychic readings, a ...

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    A Girls’ Trip Guide to Salem, Massachusetts
  • Where to Eat in Salem, MA: A Foodie Guide to the Witch City (Plus October Treats)

    Most people come to Salem for the witches, and while I get it, that might leave you wondering where to eat. I lived less than an hour from Salem for seven years, and the food is a big part of why I ...

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    Where to Eat in Salem, MA: A Foodie Guide to the Witch City (Plus October Treats)
  • Fall Road Trip Packing List: What To Actually Bring

    Fall road trips are my favorite kind of road trip, and I say that as someone who lives in a truck-and-trailer combo 365 days a year. The light is better, the crowds thin out by mid-week, the dogs stop ...

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    Fall Road Trip Packing List: What To Actually Bring
  • The Ultimate Dog Hiking Gear List For National Parks

    If you're anything like me, your dog is your favorite hiking partner, and honestly? They're probably better at it than you are. Loki, Freya, and Caly have logged thousands of trail miles with us ...

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    The Ultimate Dog Hiking Gear List For National Parks

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October 27, 2026

A Girls’ Trip Guide to Salem, Massachusetts

historic sundial in salem garden with historic house

Salem is a great girls trip in any month, not just October. Here’s where to stay as a group, the witchy experiences worth booking together, and a loose weekend game plan so nobody has to be the cruise director.

October 14, 2026

Where to Eat in Salem, MA: A Foodie Guide to the Witch City (Plus October Treats)

Salem’s food scene is good enough to plan a trip around, even without the witches. Here’s where to eat and drink in Salem, MA, from breakfast at Red’s to a nightcap by the harbor, plus the food and drink stops that only show up in October.

September 29, 2026

Fall Road Trip Packing List: What To Actually Bring

Fall road trips are my favorite kind of road trip, and I say that as someone who lives in a truck-and-trailer combo 365 days a year. The light is better, the crowds thin out by mid-week, the dogs stop overheating,…

Read More

September 22, 2026

The Ultimate Dog Hiking Gear List For National Parks

Loki, Freya, and Caly on a Maine beach

Three dogs, 20+ National Parks, and a lot of trial and error. This is the dog hiking packing list I actually use every time we hit the trail, including the Acadia-specific add-ons that matter.

September 15, 2026

The Ultimate New England Fall Road Trip: A Six-State Foliage Loop (2026)

white church in autumn woodstock vermont

Seven autumns in New England taught me the trip most people get wrong. Here’s the six-state loop routed the way the color actually moves, with 2026 road closures, booking deadlines, and dog rules.

September 4, 2026

The Girls Trip Guide to Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park

Girls trip to Acadia National Park: four friends posing on Ocean Path near Otter Cliff with pink granite rocks, Frenchman Bay, and fall foliage on the Bar Harbor, Maine coastline, cover photo for The Well Worn Shoes girls trip guide to Acadia and Bar Harbor.

Bar Harbor is the rare girls trip destination where everyone gets what they came for: the friend who wants to hike the Beehive, the friend who wants a lobster roll and a nap, and the friend who booked the whale watch before anyone agreed to it. This guide covers where to stay, which hikes are worth the early alarm, the best sunset spots on the quiet side, where to drink after dinner, and a day-by-day itinerary so nobody has to be the planner. Cadillac sunrise included. You’ll cry. That’s normal.

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Hi! I'm Vanessa, a 30 something, sunset chasing traveler. I'm here to inspire you to travel wherever, whenever, and with whoever you can. My Huskies, Loki and Freya are usually along for the ride. I have a soul that likes to wander, a desire to experience the unknown, and a curiousity to discover things off the beaten path. I hope you'll stick around for awhile!

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Recent Posts

  • A Girls’ Trip Guide to Salem, Massachusetts
  • Where to Eat in Salem, MA: A Foodie Guide to the Witch City (Plus October Treats)
  • Fall Road Trip Packing List: What To Actually Bring
  • The Ultimate Dog Hiking Gear List For National Parks
  • The Ultimate New England Fall Road Trip: A Six-State Foliage Loop (2026)

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Most people drive right past this part of Florida Most people drive right past this part of Florida on their way to the beach. The manatees have other plans.

Wakulla Springs, about 15 miles south of Tallahassee, is one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world. The water stays in the 60s year-round, making it a pretty appealing winter escape for manatees. We went in February, unsure we’d see any this far north.

Turns out, we worried for nothing.

We did both experiences: the park’s daily boat tour from the historic lodge, cruising the spring with a ranger who knows every bird, gator, and probably their extended family ($8 for adults, $5 for kids). Then, the following morning, we took kayaks out on the Wakulla River with @tnthideaway.

Just Brian and me on the river. No baiting wildlife, no crowds, just a quiet morning with manatees doing their thing beneath us. I don’t know if that’s technically therapy, but I’m counting it.

And the lodge deserves a mention of its own. Built in 1937, it’s all marble floors, an old-school soda fountain, and riverfront rooms. Creature from the Black Lagoon and the original Tarzan films were shot here, too.

This is the side of Florida I didn’t know I needed. And coming from someone who would generally rather be in a national park surrounded by snow, that’s saying something.

✨ Save this for winter 2027! Finally getting this one out of the drafts. Full blog guide coming.
We tried to elope here. The Air Force had other pl We tried to elope here. The Air Force had other plans. 😂

We lived in El Paso for 10 months, and White Sands was our favorite excuse to chase the last bit of daylight. So we decided to get married in the dunes. Just us, the dogs, and a whole lot of white gypsum sand.

We got the permit. Picked a date. Had a plan. Then a plane went down in the dunes the week before, and the park closed after the first mile. 💀

We ended up getting married somewhere with fewer aircraft (Cloudcroft), but White Sands still has a piece of our hearts. Last slide is our actual elopement in Cloudcroft 😅

If you go:
🤍 Bring the dogs. The entire park is dog-friendly on leash.
🛷 Rent a sled at the visitor center or bring your own. 
🌅 Stay for sunset. The pink sand and long shadows are worth the wait.
🚧 Check for missile-testing closures before you drive out.

Sometimes the places that don’t go according to plan become your favorite stories anyway.

🧡 Save this for your New Mexico road trip, and follow along for more places worth pulling over for!
Going to Salem on Halloween and starting to freak Going to Salem on Halloween and starting to freak out about the crowds? It’s the 400th and I get it, but trust me, Halloween in Salem can be epic if you know the clock, and plan ahead. 

Every year I watch people roll in at 11 am looking for parking downtown (it’s not going to happen), or standing on Essex Street at 10:45 pm looking for a cab. The town is not set up for either. 

I lived in Massachusetts for 7 years and visited Salem often (at every time of year). This is the schedule I’d text a friend.

The rest of it, the week-by-week crowd calendar, the lots by address, the kids version, and what’s different this year, is in the Ultimate Salem Guide ($) and the Salem Cheat Sheet ($). Comment WITCH and I’ll send you both links., plus all of my Salem blog posts! 

And be good to the people who live there. Remember it’s their street before it’s your Halloween. 🎃
A canyon, a federal manhunt, and some very complic A canyon, a federal manhunt, and some very complicated family trees. Welcome to Capitol Reef.

Cohab Canyon, Capitol Reef. In the 1880s, the story goes, Mormon men with multiple wives ducked into this canyon when U.S. marshals came looking. Whether every detail checks out, the name stuck.

It’s a short hike from Fruita Campground, with a steep first quarter-mile before the red walls, honeycombed rock, and little side slots take over. About 1.5 miles to the overlooks, where the valley and orchards spread out below.

Finish at Sunset Point, a quick walk from the car, where the cliffs do their thing.

Captiol Reef was one of my favorites in Utah! How about you?
Everyone thinks Acadia shuts down after Columbus D Everyone thinks Acadia shuts down after Columbus Day. Most of it doesn’t.

Park Loop Road is open until December (weather permitting). Cadillac stops needing a reservation on the 26th. All 45 miles of carriage road are open and yellow. 

What you give up is the Island Explorer, the park campgrounds, peak color on the mountains, and the crowds. I’ll take that trade every year.

Everything above, plus the hour-by-hour late-October day, where to stay when the campgrounds close, and the dog version are in the Acadia & Bar Harbor In Fall guide ($). 

Comment FALL and I’ll send the link.

Pack for chilly and wet weather! The moody-ness of Maine at the end of October is unmatched!
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