Holly Rust

Two HISTORIC places you must visit in the Hudson Valley! Recently while visiting New York State I took a day trip to explore the Hudson Valley/ Dutchess County area and came across so many gems! I’m a history lover and could spend all day learning about the times before me – it’s all so fascinating – so I was thrilled to explore two of New York’s most famous Gilded Age mansions: Wilderstein and the Locust Grove Estate. @wildersteinhistoricsite, located in Rhinebeck, NY, is a 19th-century Queen-Anne-style country house on the Hudson River. It was last owned by a cousin of Franklin D. Roosevelt. It’s now a museum that offers private tours on weekends during certain seasons. The grounds are open daily and feature hiking trails and beautiful views of the Hudson River. Even the dog houses were stately. @locustgroveestate is a historic estate, museum, and nature preserve in New York’s Hudson Valley. It’s Italianate mansion is also open for private tours and sits on 200 acres of gardens and trails. There is a gift shop and gallery along with event space. The picturesque landscaping and views of the Hudson River make a visit worth it! Aren’t they dreamy?! @enjoyrhinebeck @dutchesstourism @crowdriff @mylocalhood #newyorkstate #travelnewyork #travelblogger #hudsonvalley #dutchesscounty #travellife #exploreusa @usa.explores #roadtripusa #traveling #travelfamily #discoverny

On our recent road trip we stopped in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the day to explore and it did not disappoint. Ann Arbor is just west of Detroit and known as the the home of The University of Michigan. We love touring big college campuses but didn’t realize how much more there was to do in Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor is known to be a very family-friendly place to visit with their kid-riendly museums, eateries, neighborhood boutiques, shopping, and outdoor activities. If you’re headed to (or through) Ann Arbor soon, here are some of my must-dos! Things to do in and around Ann Arbor: 💙Sharon Mills Historic County Park 💙Visit Manchester local shops and trails 💙Serendipity Book Store 💙University of Michigan 💙McPherson’s Local (only MI made products) 💙Kerrytown Shops & Farmer’s Market 💙Matthaei Botanical Garden and Nichols Arboretum 💙Michigan Museum of Art Or Natural History 💙The Big House (Michigan Stadium) 💙Kelsey Museum of Archeology 💙Pinball Pete’s 💙South University District ‌Where to eat: 💙GO! Ice Cream 💙Smokehouse 52 BBQ 💙Joe & Rosie Coffee & Tea 💙Tio’s Mexican Café 💙Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger ‌Have any more to add? Drop your recs in the comments and thanks to @puremichigan for having us! @visittheusa @usa.explores #puremichigan #michigan #michigantravel #midwestroadtrip #travelblogger #travelcontentcreator #annarbor #annarbormichigan #visitmichigan #usaroadtrip #usatravel

First, I’m not old enough to have a teenager but here we are 😂🤷🏻‍♀️. Second, happy birthday to the coolest, kindest, smartest, most awesome-ist kid you’ll ever meet. Seb, I feel like we’ve grown up together. You’re 13 going on 35. My little bestie, my sweet old soul. I knew you were meant to be my son the second I heard you were growing in my belly. You’re the best big brother and we are so lucky to have you. Thank you for letting me experience pure unconditional love. Being your mom and watching you grow into a young man has been one of my greatest joys in life. I love you to infinitely and beyond. Now, pass the tissues because this birthday hits different 😭😭 #birthdayboy #teenager #herewego #myboy #mamasbaby #mamasboy💙

THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL – unless you’re at the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum seeing all the greatest moments in baseball in one place. There may have been a few tears shed. If you love baseball as much as we do, then the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum is a place you MUST experience. Located in Cooperstown, NY, the Baseball Hall of Fame is the keeper of the game by honoring the players, managers, executives and umpires who have achieved excellence in the sport. The museum houses baseball’s most precious artifacts. They also share the stories of all the greats preserving America’s favorite pastime and passing down the love of the game to future generations. Over 3,000 visitors pass through the halls each day! I recommend checking out the movie first, and bring the tissues! Then tour the 3rd and 1st floors before entering the great hall of Hall of Fame Plaques. Tickets run from $19-28 Have you been? #baseballlife #baseballhof #baseballhofmuseum #baseballlove #baseballmom #travelbaseballlife

Baseball/Softball families — This one is for you! You may have heard me talking about the @hittinghub program in my stories before we left to Cooperstown. Now that we are back home I wanted to share our experience so far. Hitting Hub is an advanced online training program for baseball and softball training where you learn from a pro. The creator of the program is Jeremy Hazelbaker (super nice guy!). @j_hazelbaker is a former MLB player and played 11 years of professional baseball in all. Him and his wife created Hitting Hub to offer remote baseball/softball training based off of a swing analysis and the child’s own biometrics. The programs are completely customized to your child’s swing and what they need to work on. You basically get a dedicated hitting coach that creates a specific program just for you. The programming allows kids to have 2, 3, or 4 days of training right at home with a variety of drills based on their specific needs. We opted in for 2 days due to our busy schedule. Each drill in the programming is accompanied by an objective (so the athlete understands WHY they’re completing the drill) as well as a video showing them how exactly it should be executed. Once you finish these drills, your swing is analyzed again and more drills are set up to tighten your skills. All we did was send in slow motion videos of the boys' swing and they were able to use AI, expertise, and biometrics to create a custom training program. I noticed a difference in Sebastian’s hitting at Cooperstown just after one week of the training. He had hits 98% of at bats, hit two doubles, and was inches away from a home run on one of the larger fields. This was against tough competition too! Jeremy and Deven are very responsive and helpful with any thing we needed. We have a few more weeks of the program and are loving it so far! If you want to add something in to help your kids before upcoming 2024 tryouts – I highly recommend Hitting Hub! If you want to check it out, visit or message @hittinghub and use HOLLY10 for 10% off the first month or tell them I sent you in your message! Check stories for videos of our dashboard and what the trainings look like. Hope this helps!

My son: Mom, why are you always over the top? Me: I don’t know what you’re talking about. Also Me: 🇺🇸🎆🇺🇸 Happy 4th, y’all! I hope your day is filled with family, friends, fun and fireworks! #fourthofjuly #july4th #happy4 #fireworks💥

Welcome to Cooperstown, NY! If you haven’t heard of Cooperstown, it’s essentially the mecca for youth baseball. It’s also home to the Baseball Hall Of Fame. If you have kids in travel baseball, Cooperstown is a trip they look forward to their whole youth baseball lives. It’s more than a tournament for them, it’s a chance to play with the best of the best from all over the country. Each week they host up to 100 teams. It’s insanity! They have two villages, Dreams Park and All Star Village (@cooperstownasv) All the teams and coaches stay in the villages in bunk houses and the families stay in hotels or VRBOs nearby. You can feel the excitement in the air the minute you step in the village. The kids get special uniforms and Cooperstown swag. They also have pins they trade with other teams. All the fields are nestled at the base of the Catskills Mountains, which makes for beautiful views. I’ve never seen so many confetti bombs, smoke bombs, air horns, noise makers, Pom poms and other spirit gear at a kids tournament. These people come to PLAY! It’s been such an amazing experience so far and I know these will be core memories my family will remember forever. Being a travel baseball parent can be so exhausting sometimes but to see these kids experience magic like this — makes it all worth it. ⚾️ There are tons of other things to do in the area (if you’re not here for baseball) and those travel guides are coming soon. Xo #cooperstown #cooperstownallstarvillage #baseballmom #baseballlife #baseballseason #newyorktravel #travellife #wanderlust #boymomlife #boymomadventures #youthbaseball

Niagara Falls has been on our road trip bucket list stops for over a decade so I’m so glad we were able to make it happen this trip. I researched for months which side is best to visit and most searches said there was more to do and better views on the Canada side – so we decided to follow that advice. You do need a passport to visit the Canadian side so take that into consideration when planning. I’m sharing personal recommendations and those of friends for both sides — so save this post for later if Niagara falls is in your travel plans. Let’s start with food. Where to eat: 🇨🇦Table Rock 🇨🇦Zappi’s 🇨🇦Copa Cabana 🇨🇦Massimo’s Italian 🇨🇦Weinkeller 🇨🇦AG Inspired Cuisine 🇨🇦The Floor Mill Scratch Kitchen 🇨🇦Niagara Brewing Co 🇺🇸Top of the Falls 🇺🇸Wine On 3rd 🇺🇸Michael’s Restaurant Places to stay: 🇨🇦Marriott Falls View Hotel & Spa 🇨🇦Hilton Falls View 🇺🇸Double Tree 🇺🇸Sheraton ‌What to do: 🇺🇸🇨🇦Both sides: Take a boat ride in the falls. They run about $35 per person and last about 30-45 minutes. You get a close up view of all parts of the falls. They also do firework cruises in the evenings. You can buy your tickets online or at the ticket window. They do not typically sell out so you can get them the day of. You do get SUPER wet so be mindful of that when planning. Fireworks start at 10 p.m. each night. 🇨🇦 ONLY: All the hotels with views of the falls are only offered on the Canadian side. Niagara Falls is a city on the Canadian side. It’s just a park on the U.S. side. You can do a tunnel tour and get right next to the falls on the Canadian side. You can zip line over Niagara Falls on this side, too. Because this is a city in Canada, there is a strip with a ton of kid activities and restaurants. It reminded me of a mini Pigeon Forge. Very touristy with museums, fun houses, and more. They also have a restaurant, Table Rock, right next to the Horseshoe Falls with incredible views. 🇺🇸 Only: You can climb down steps to be right next to the falls. You can walk across the rainbow bridge from the U.S. side to get better views without a passport. The U.S. side is more of a quick stop verses a vacation experience in my opinion. Enjoy!

In another life I’m coming back as a Rock Star! Just sayin’🎸🌟 We had a fun day exploring the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland! @rockhall taught us so much about the history of music and about the artists who shaped the industry and inspired generations. We could have spent the whole day there. I loved all the memorabilia items and interactive learning kiosks. Outside they played live music and had food trucks. Overall, it was a fantastic experience. If you’re ever in Cleveland, or passing through, definitely visit the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Ticket Info: 🎸$35 for adults 🎸$25 for kids 🎸Hours: 10 am - 5 pm 📍1100 E 9th St, Cleveland, OH 44114 Rock & Roll Museum, Cleveland Travel, Travel Destinations, Travel, @usa.explores @visittheusa

The time has come! We are hitting the road this week. If you saw my travel hacks post from last week you know that I like to pack a lot of stops in on road trips so we can experience as many places as possible. Our stops will include: 🚙Ann Arbor 🚙Cleveland 🚙Niagara Falls 🚙Toronto 🚙Finger Lakes 🚙Cooperstown 🚙Dutchess Country NY Some of these stops are for travel partnerships/work but I’ll be sharing as we go and have some great travel guides once I get back. If you’ve been to any of the above — drop your recs in the comments! Here’s to summer! Where are you headed this summer? 🚙✈️ #travellife #travelfamily #roadtrip #roadtrips #familytravel #travelblogger #travel #travelling #travels #chicagoblogger #usatravel #usa #exploreusa #fingerlakes #toronto #annarbor #cooperstown #cleveland #dutchesscounty