White Shoal Lighthouse in Lake Michigan

The historic White Shoal Lighthouse in Emmet County, Mackinaw City, Michigan was built in 1910 and sits Northwest of Waugoshance Island. In 1911 Ingvald Olsen was hired at the station's first lighthouse keeper. Over the decades there were many different keepers who managed and lived at the station until it was finally automated in 1975.

If you would like to visit White Shoal you'll have to do it by boat...it's not accessible by land. Like most lights its constructed in a conical shape and painted in a red and white striped/swirl pattern with a red lantern. It reminds me of a classic red and white striped barber pole! When originally built it was painted in a solid color without the colorful stripes.

It stands 121 feet tall and sits on a man-made concrete pier. It's used to aid in ship and boat navigation through the straights of Mackinaw and Lake Michigan. The light can be seen for up to 17 nautical miles on a clear weather day. In 1984 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

What's really cool about this lighthouse is that its one of over 150+ past and present lighthouses in the state of Michigan. The state has more lighthouses than any other state in the country. If you would like to see it you'll have to take your own boat, charter one, or buy tickets to participate in one of the lighthouse tours offered by various Lake Michigan vendors.

Duke's Lagoon Waterpark at Dutch Wonderland

If you're visiting Lancaster Pennsylvania during the summertime and love waterparks and slides, you'll want to visit Duke's Lagoon which is part of  Dutch Wonderland amusement park. You'll have to pay admission to get into Dutch Wonderland to get access to the waterpark. It's open seasonally from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

While visiting the waterpark area, you'll find kid-sized water slides, platforms, tipping cones, spray nozzles and more. There is also a tropical themed lounging area for you and the kids to enjoy. While you can wear swimsuits in this area of the park, they do request that you change into appropriate attire when enjoying other areas in Dutch Wonderland.

Dutch Wonderland and Duke's Lagoon are located along route 30 in Lancaster Pennsylvania. There is usually plenty of free parking available in front of the amusement park, but on super busy & crowded days, expect to park far away and do a little bit of walking.

You can purchase same-day admission tickets to Dutch Wonderland online or at the door. You can also rent (reserve) a cabana for you & the family to enjoy online or at the door. However, those Cabana rentals go fast and I would recommend reserving one online, well in-advance of when you plan on visiting the park.

You can get additional information about Dutch Wonderland amusement park & associated attractions by visiting their website online. I'll be covering the park more in-depth in another post, but wanted to feature just Duke's Lagoon in this one. I didn't take my camera too close as I was afraid of getting it wet, so I took 2 distance shots for this travel feature.

If you click on each one, they will open up into a new window & in an enlarged size, so that you can see the smaller details.

Step Back in Time at Thomas Edison's Glenmont Estate

Thomas Edison's Glenmont Estate is located in the Thomas Edison National Historic Park in Edison, New Jersey. The Laboratory Park is open year-round, closed on major holidays. While visiting the park you can explore the laboratories, library, participate in scheduled programs & events, and more.

To visit the historic estate you'll have to stop into the visitor's center and obtain a car pass before driving up to the estate for a tour. The Queen Anne style mansion features 29 beautifully decorated rooms.  The estate is open to visitors during the summer season, Friday through Sunday.

After touring the mansion you can explore the grounds and surrounding outbuildings. There is a Garden Shop that is located in the Potting Shed. If you're disabled, you can opt to take a cellphone tour of the grounds. See the visitor's center for additional information. An online map of the property and grounds can be located HERE.

There are a lot of hands-on activities for children to participate in, mini films to watch, tours to take, etc. When visiting you'll want to reserve a minimum of 2 hours in your schedule, although I really recommend 3 to 3 1/2 hours, so that you can experience everything the park has to offer. Take your time and enjoy yourself while you're there.