East Broad Top Railroad

Nestled away in a small Pennsylvania town called Rockhill Furnace is the historic East Broad Top Railroad. Here there are several steam locomotives, antique train cars, train rides and historians who know every inch of track.

My photography club teamed up with Lerro Productions, who provided lights, smoke bombs to add smoke to the smoke stacks and under carriages of the locomotives, fog machines for inside the train buildings and professional guidance for those who needed it.

We spent several hours inside the various buildings as well as photographing the trains during the day and night.

This was an awesome adventure!

-Mike

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum

Where do I start? This was an awesome place to explore. So many cool structures, fields, woods and inside the barn so many awesome antiques and old vehicles.

Pennsylvania has a rich German history and this place really showcases that through culture, farming, preservation of artifacts, crafts and so forth.

This property is also available to host corporate events, parties and weddings.

Check this historical PA site out here!

-Mike

Lititz, Pennsylvania

Lititz is a small town here in good ol’ P of A located in Lancaster County.

It’s known for two things, in my mind and they are the Sturgis Pretzel Bakery (where one can construct their own pretzel) and Wilbur Chocolate. One great feature about this town is it is lined with small mom and pop’s shops. You won’t find fast food or major retail here.

The town has an artsy feel to it as well and has plenty of shops with plenty of eye catching items. It also contains a very large park and a wolf sanctuary which I would love to check out some time.

-Mike

Huntsville, Alabama + Huntsville Botanical Gardens

Ahhh, nice to be back in Alabama. I love this place. Well, except the obnoxious heat. Someone perfectly described what it feels like walking around here- it’s like walking in a bowl of hot soup. Aside from that, I do really enjoy visiting this area. The people are friendly and the Huntsville/Madison area has a ton of things to do- breweries, barbecue, speakeasies, NASA stuff, massive shopping centers, great parks and sometimes it’ll be 85 degrees out during the day in January and snow two inches that same night. So there’s that, too.

These images are from around Huntsville, Madison, Harvest and the botanical gardens. Evidently, I enjoy shooting the roofs of buildings.

-Mike

Knoxville, Tennessee

At this point in time, my mom still will not step foot on a plane. Even if it’s just stationary and not turned on. She is terrified of them. So when we visit our family in Alabama, Knoxville is about the 8-hour mark (9.5-10ish with stops). This is where we rest for the night and bright and early the next day finish the rest of the roughly 4-5 hours of driving.

Knoxville’s a fun town. I always try to book a hotel around Market Square so everything is within walking distance. Some of my favorite spots to eat are Myrtle’s Chicken and Beer, Stock and Barrel and Café 4.

I enjoy walking around Market Square at night taking in the lights, the street musicians and checking out the interesting and unique stores. The aroma of so many types of food lingers the air. There’s a fun park to walk through with a stream and all kinds of cool nature to enjoy.

There’s a reason Tennessee is one of my favorite states to visit. Everyone’s friendly, people drive like maniacs and the food rules.

-Mike