S1 E33 - Exploring Gloucester, Virginia: Local Eats, Craft Shops, and History Stops

We recap season one of Next Stop Somewhere, reflecting on our non-luxury, real-life RV trip that began after closing on our home on August 5, 2025 and ending back in New Hampshire.Our trip by the numbers: 328 days, 41 stops in 26 states, and 25,000 miles driven. Highlights included seeing all the Great Lakes, the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico coasts, but most of all: no catastrophic events (unless you count buying a new trailer and truck!) or tickets. We review standout and disappointing campgrounds such as James Island County Park (top overall), Thousand Trails Hershey and Mount Hood, Wilson/Daisy Barn Campground in Wilson NY, and Columbia Falls RV Resort near Glacier National Park.

Season Finale! We visit “lovely” Rondout/Kingston, New York, reviewing our unfortunate stay at Rondout Valley Thousand Trails Campground, kind of enjoy some food but love Sunrise Bagel & Deli and are entertained by the Running Deer Inn/Road Kill Cafe story. We visit yarn/fiber shops, the Mid-Hudson Valley Discovery Center, and a Kingston park with birds/animals.We will be undergoing some SERIOUS changes in format and content for next season - stay tuned!LINKSThousand Trails Rondout Valley RV Resort - https://thousandtrails.com/new-york/rondout-valley-rv-campgroundThe Roost - http://www.theroostinstoneridge.com/Kyoto Sushi - https://www.kyotokingston.com/Sunrise Bagel and Deli - https://sunrisebagelsanddeli.com/Running Deer Inn - https://therunningdeerinn.com/Yarn Farm - https://www.yarnfarmkingston.com/Fab Yarns - https://www.fabulousyarn.com/Hudson Valley Textile Project - https://www.hvtextileproject.org/Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum - https://mhdm.org/

We cover three-weeks near Hershey, Pennsylvania - the Sweetest Place on Earth. Thousand Trails Hershey was first rate - despite being in the highly visible handicap site placement - with plenty to do, and plenty of nesting geese. A few mediocre restaurants are balanced by a standout brunch at Côte Rouge. Yarn store, fabric stores, and the historic Broad Street Market all get a visit along with the disappointing National Civil War Museum and Hershey’s Chocolate World tour that’s not REALLY a tour. All capped off with Louise’s recollections of being one of the first girls admitted to the Milton S. Hershey School. Spoiler: It was not a great time.LINKSThousand Trails Hershey - https://thousandtrails.com/pennsylvania/hershey-rv-camping-resortCoda Rouge - https://www.thecontinentalhbg.com/codarougeYankee Doodle Diner - https://www.yankeedoodlerestaurant.com/Bartolos Pizza - https://www.bartolospizzapalmyrapa.com/Broad Street Market - https://www.broadstreetmarket.org/Midtown Scholar Books - https://www.midtownscholar.com/Underground Yarn and Book Store - https://undergroundyarnandbooks.com/National Civil War Museum - https://www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org/Hershey’s Chocolate World - https://www.chocolateworld.com/Milton S. Hershey School - https://www.mhskids.org/News Stories re: Milton S. Hershey School -https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/06/pa-milton-hershey-school-students-scholarships-debt-investigation/https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2010/05/milton_hershey_school_paid_3_m.html

This week’s adventure features Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, site of some historic event or another, we’re not really sure what. We spend some time at the museum and in town exploring the battlefield sites, and also trek down to Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia - site of John Brown’s attempt to mount an insurrection - to add a sticker to our map. Yarn stores are visited, good food is enjoyed, and new friends are met from distant lands (Kyrgyzstan and South Korea, specifically)!. LINKSAntica Napoli Pizza - https://www.facebook.com/Anticanapolipizza/Ibiza Cafe - https://www.theibizacafe.com/Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center - https://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htmHarper’s Ferry National Historical Park - https://www.nps.gov/hafe/planyourvisit/index.htmMagpie Fibers - https://www.magpiefibers.com/Danner’s Bernina Shoppe - https://www.facebook.com/DannersBerninaShoppe/National Park Service App - https://www.nps.gov/subjects/digital/nps-apps.htm

We discuss celebrity nut-kicking (being kicked in said nuts by celebrities) and explore the area of Virginia near Williamsburg, Yorktown, and the Chesapeake Bay. Along the way, some great food at Frank’s Monster Munchies and 185 Restaurant, some mediocre yarn shops, and two fabric stores - one great, and one… not so great. We visit two museums, one great and one not so great, but the not so great is redeemed by an Outlander costume exhibit. Finally, startling revelations are made about Jeff’s ancestors!LINKSThousand Trails Chesapeake Bay Franks Monster Munchies Cantina 185 Restaurant Sunshine Quilt CornerSarah’s Thimble American Revolution Museum at Yorktown Historic Jamestowne

We spend three weeks on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, staying at Goose Creek RV & Campground Resort. Along the way, we explore Fort Macon State Park, the North Carolina Maritime Museum (Blackbeard artifacts!), and Beaufort’s Old Burying Ground. We have the best shrimp and grits yet (well, Jeff does), and more (mostly) great food. Of course, some yarn and fabric stores get a visit too!LINKSGoose Creek RV ResortAngies LighthouseThe Banks GrillCompass GrillMo’Bettah PizzaThe Salty SheepYarn TalesDesignZ by DoodleFort Macon State ParkNorth Carolina Maritime MuseumBeaufort Old Burying GroundCrystal Coast / Atlantic Beach Info

In season 1, episode 31 of Next Stop Somewhere, we travel through eastern North Carolina, ending up near Maysville after a frustrating start at Harbor Point in Sneads Ferry. The stench from a water treatment plant and a tornado warning spice things up. After that, we spend some time in Wilmington enjoying a horse-drawn historic district tour run as a rescued-horse program, review local craft shops, and have some good to not-so-good food.LINKSThousand Trails Harbor Point at Sneads Ferry The Lakes RV and Cabin ResortPiggly WigglyOur Crepes and MoreAbruzzo’s PizzaKilwin’s Chocloate and Ice CreamFran’s Sewing CircleBernina World of Sewing WillmingtonYarns of Willimington

We visit and are quickly charmed by Charleston - one of the few places we wished we could have spent more time at! From the James Island County Park Campground - one of the best we’ve ever stayed at - to City Market, the French Quarter, The Battery, Fort Sumter, Charles Towne Landing and a trip to Driftwood Beach on Edisto Island, we pack more into this one week than we ever have! There’s history - the Civil War! Gullah Geechee culture!. There’s incredible food - The Glass Onion! Early Bird Diner! King Claw! And of course, there are yarn and fabric stores, PLUS - bonus tattoos at The Edge Tattoo.00:00 Welcome to Charleston02:55 James Island Campground Tour07:52 Charleston Food Crawl17:39 Yarn and Fabric Shop Reviews23:20 Fort Sumter 27:05 City Market and Battery31:21 Tattoos39:42 Final Signoff and TeaserLINKSJames Island County Park CampgroundCity MarketThe BatteryFort Sumter National Historic ParkLeon's Fine Poultry and OysterThe Glass OnionEarly Bird Diner King Claw Juicy Seafood and Bar El Pollo GuapoFive Eighth SeamsWild and WoolySpool’s Quilt and StitcheryCharles Towne Landing State Historic SiteThe Edge Tattoo (Rodney Taylor’s Instagram Page)Driftwood Beach on Edisto IslandGullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor

We visit Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, staying at the massive Ocean Lakes Family Campground to attend our first Brinkley rally, with a ton of but vendor services and discounts on upgrades to the home. Plus, a couple of restaurants, a couple of fabric and yarn stores, and a must-miss museum to cap it all off!LINKSOcean Lakes Family CampgroundABC UpfittersRambling ManMorryde Rear StabilizersThe Awning Man Aroma’s PizzaLa Poblanita RestaurantBarefoot Needle ArtRipley’s Believe or Not - Myrtle Beach edition

Jeff and Louise have a disappointing stay at Carolina Landing Thousand Trails due to a steep, cramped site, made better by a visit from their youngest and their granddaughter. Food and yarn shops are explored, but the highlights (aside from the family visit!) are the Georgia Aquarium and Lake Hartwell Animal Safari.LINKSThousand Trails Carolina LandingCheryl’s Kitchen Potato BoatsWaffle House - Scattered, Smothered, and CoveredK-Pot Korean BBQThe Silos, Easley SCGeorgia AquariumLake HartwThe Silos of Easleyell Animal SafariAirport Runway Park