• Florida,  Travel

    Don’t Miss a Visit to Vizcaya in Miami

    When you think of Miami, historic museums probably aren’t the first thing that come to mind. Vizcaya wasn’t on my radar when planning our Florida road trip. In fact, I’d never even heard of it. I originally had a day centered around south beach attractions, but I’m so glad we explored Vizcaya instead. In this post I’m going to show you why you should include a visit to Vizcaya on your to Miami itinerary. History of Vizcaya Initially built in 1916 as the vacation home of wealthy businessman James Deering, this estate was built to resemble an eighteenth-century Italian villa. The interior boasts 45,000 square feet, has several floors, and…

  • Garden,  Oregon,  Wine Tasting

    A Visit to Stave and Stone Winery and Hood River Lavender Farms

    Spend the afternoon at a lavender farm and a winery all in one place in the beautiful Hood River valley. July is the perfect month to visit Stave and Stone Winery when the lavender is at it’s peak at Hood River Lavender right next door! Wander Around in the Lavender Fields Besides enjoying the scent of lavender as you walk around the farm, you can also purchase lavender at their U-Cut garden to take home with you. The cost is $14 per bunch. Hood River Lavender Farms is also a great place to stock up on lavender oil, soaps and lotions as well as culinary lavender and candles. While you’re…

  • Ponce de Leon Lighthouse
    Florida,  Travel

    Climb to the Top of Florida’s Tallest Lighthouse

    Standing at 175 feet tall, the Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse is not only the tallest lighthouse in Florida, but it’s also the second tallest in the United States! Those are two pretty impressive reasons to visit this historic lighthouse, but did you know you can also climb to the top? That was enough for me to add this destination to our Florida Road trip. Lighthouse Admission Rates So what’s the going rate to climb to the top of Florida’s tallest lighthouse? Here are the current rates for this adventure: General Admission Rates Adults (age 12+): $6.95Children (age 3-11): $1.95Infants (age 0-2): Free The Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse, also…

  • Oregon,  Wine Tasting

    A Visit to The Gorge White House in Hood River

    The Gorge White House is a historic fourth-generation farm operating in the heart of the Hood River Valley since 1908. The farm includes 30 acres of orchards and gardens where guests can pick to their hearts content. I’ve been looking for an excuse to Visit The Gorge White House for a long time. We tried just popping by one year for Mother’s Day and that turned out to be a huge miscalculation as it seemed all of Hood River and the surrounding towns had the same idea! This time the Sipsters visited during the week and there were much fewer people! There is plenty of seating, so pull up a…

  • Food,  Road Trips,  Washington

    Girls Weekend in Bingen, Washington

    Syncline Winery in Lyle Washington Our girls weekend in Bingen was orchestrated entirely by my friend Melissa who was celebrating her birthday. We started off the festivities with a trip to Syncline Winery in Lyle, Washington. We were welcomed to the winery with a glass of rosé. The birthday girl decided to try a bottle of Picpoul as none of us had ever heard of it, much less tried it before. Here is the description from the wine list that piqued our curiosity “This intriguing wine has bright lemon balm aromas and flavors that are backed by lively citrus zest and wet stone notes.” I’m not sure what a wet…