Episodes

  • Visiting Indiana County, PA

    Visiting Indiana County, PA
    May 21 2025
    There’s a phrase that I’ve used during my previous interviews that sometimes sets my guests off. I guess I can understand. It could come across as being insulting, but I never mean it that way. That phrase is ‘Middle of Nowhere.’ Or sometimes I’ll say ‘Off The Beaten Path.’ Some guests take that as my way of saying it’s boring or slow.

    But today’s guest gets it and they even pride themselves on that label. We’re heading out to Western Pennsylvania to visit Indiana County. They hang their hat on being in the middle of nowhere. In fact, they say that’s a big reason why people come to visit them. People want to disconnect, unplug and touch grass.

    But don’t start thinking that there isn’t anything to do in Indiana County. It’s quite the opposite. There’s a lot happening there from music festivals, performance art and plenty of Christmas celebrations.

    Joining me today is Laura Herrington. She’s the Executive Director of the Indiana County tourist bureau. We had a great conversation about all the things someone can do while visiting the Christmas Tree capital of the world.
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    24 mins
  • Visiting Perryville, MD

    Visiting Perryville, MD
    May 13 2025
    Most of the conversations I’ve had for this podcast have been with representatives from counties, states or major cities. But I think it’s time we swing through a small town near my home. I live in Baltimore Maryland. I always say Baltimore is a major city but it kind of feels like a small town since it’s sandwiched between Philadelphia and Washington DC. We are part of an area called the 95 Corridor since the highway Interstate 95 runs right through the center of the major cities on the east coast.

    There are a lot of great small towns scattered along that route in between the major cities. If you’re driving from Baltimore north to Philly, you could easily stop off in Perryville, MD. Perryville is a town just south of Delaware. It has a couple of big destinations: The Hollywood Casino and Great Wolf Lodge. I think most people know Perryville because of those spots. But Perryville has a lot to offer besides that. There’s lots of nature, some great food and a lot of Maryland history to check out.

    Joining me for this week’s episode of Delightful Destinations is Ashley Hennessey. She’s the community development coordinator for the town of Perryville. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
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    25 mins
  • Visiting The Greenbrier

    Visiting The Greenbrier
    May 6 2025
    Something I’ve loved about doing this podcast is having the ability to learn more about places that I’ve heard a lot about but have never visited. Places like South County in Rhode Island, South Carolina, Dutchess County New York to name a few. But sometimes I get to speak with someone from a place I’ve literally never heard of.

    Today’s conversation takes us on a trip to the mountains of south eastern West Virginia. We’re going to The Greenbrier. AFter doing some research, and having this chat, I find it so hard to believe that I’ve never heard of the Greenbrier before. This five star hotel has hosted major sporting events, hosted pre-season practices for NFL teams and has hosted families for centuries.

    This episode was also a demonstration of how my phone is listening to me because right after I recorded this interview I started getting all kinds of ads for The Greenbrier in my social media. I’m not mad about it though. I think my family needs to make a trip west to check it out. It’s only about a 5 hour drive from my house.

    With me today is Cam Huffman. He’s the director of public relations at The Greenbrier. Cam grew up around the Greenbrier so he holds a special sense of pride for this American treasure. Hearing him describe the beauty and history of the hotel really stuck with me. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
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    25 mins
  • Visiting Portland Maine

    Visiting Portland Maine
    Apr 30 2025
    One of my favorite memories of my life happened in Portland Maine. I won’t go into too many details because it’s not relevant, but it involved a concert at the historic State Theater in Portland. I have always had a fondness for Portland. It goes all the way back to my younger years going camping with my Grandfather. We’d swing through Portland from time to time.

    It’s such a cool city that probably doesn’t get enough love because, well, it’s in Maine. People think Maine is so far north it’s practically in the North Pole. But actually it’s very accessible. It’s only about 90 minutes north of Boston. That’s really not bad.

    Portland has some amazing coastline, incredible artwork and an arts scene, and some wonderful seafood as well as some of the best restaurants in all of New England. Ever since I was a kid I remember Portland being big in the food and arts scenes. And don’t let me forget sports. There’s a lot of minor league sports in Portland that bring in fans from all over to check it out.

    I had a chance to talk all about Portland Maine with the president and CEO of Visit Portland, Lynn Tillotson. I even got a little history lesson in the process. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
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    25 mins
  • Visiting South County Rhode Island

    Visiting South County Rhode Island
    Apr 21 2025
    It’s been a few episodes since we’ve made our way into New England on this show, so let’s go back. I spent the first 18 years of my life living in New Hampshire, and I go back up there fairly often to visit my family. But do you want to hear a secret? This is kind of a source of shame for me. I’ve never been to Rhode Island. True story. I’ve been all around New England but have never made it down to Rhode Island. So, let’s head to the smallest state in the country.

    I like to say that even though Rhode Island is small, it packs a punch. There’s a lot of beauty in Rhode Island. It has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country, there’s so much outdoor space to explore, and there’s a lot of art. Especially in South County which is where we are heading in this episode.

    South County Rhode Island isn’t technically the name of the county. It’s really called Washington County. But it’s the southern most county of the state. Hence the nickname. South County sounds wonderful. I had a great conversation with Louise Bishop. She’s the president of the South County Tourism Council. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
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    25 mins
  • Visiting South Carolina

    Visiting South Carolina
    Apr 1 2025
    One of my bosses loves Charleston South Carolina. No joke, the other day she came into my studio and said, “I haven’t been to Charleston in two weeks and I think I’m starting to get hives.” She loves it. And I hear that from a lot of people. In fact, another coworker is going down to Charleston soon to take part in a 10K. South Carolina seems to be one of those places that, at least in my area, people love to visit. But the state is bigger than just Charleston.

    South Carolina has so much to offer. It has a little bit of everything. Beaches, history, golf, mountains, rural escapes and so much more. I would say it’s part of a handful of states that truly offer a little slice of everything that makes this country what it is. You know what I mean? Every state has something special to offer, but a place like South Carolina takes a piece of every state.

    So let’s take a dive into all that South Carolina has to offer. I’m catching up with Devyn Whitmire. She’s the Digital Engagement Manager for Discover South Carolina. This was a great chat. I think South Carolina is on my family’s radar for a little trip this summer.
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    25 mins
  • Visiting Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

    Visiting Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
    Mar 25 2025
    I’ve mentioned before that I live in Baltimore. I’m not a Baltimore native, but I’ve lived here for about 18 years now. One thing I’ve learned in my nearly two decades in Charm City is that people here have no love for Pittsburgh. Really it all stems from the NFL rivalry between the Ravens and Steelers. But I haven’t quite been able to put my finger on why there seems to be so much tension between the two cities. I’ve visited Pittsburgh before and, from what I remember of my short time there, I thought it was a funky city that was a lot like Baltimore.

    There’s the industrial history. Both cities have dozens of unique neighborhoods that each have their own personality. And of course there’s the pride from being a mid-sized city and having to compete with some of the big dogs for attention. As they always say, we are more alike than we are different.
    So today I wanted to head out to the Steel City and learn more about why we should all give it a chance. It’s a close spot to try to run away to for a weekend, and they seem to always have something special going on. Whether it’s a big concert or event at one of their number of stadiums, or a food or beverage festival, Pittsburgh has plenty to do. Oh, and they have the NFL draft coming in 2026, which I know football fans will want to take advantage of.

    Joining me today is Alex Kenzakoski. She’s a senior manager for public relations for Visit Pittsburgh. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
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    25 mins
  • Visiting Rochester New York

    Visiting Rochester New York
    Mar 18 2025
    It feels like we’ve been taking a little trip around New York recently. We’ve discussed a few different areas in the Empire State, and now we’re going back. I’ve said before that it feels like New York is really a few different states all combined into one. Each region seems to have it’s own personality.

    This week we are going to Rochester. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Rochester before. My brother went to RIT for school and I spent a weekend with him bouncing around bars and eating garbage plates. If you don’t know what a garbage plate is, look it up. I promise that it’s not as disgusting as it sounds. Or looks.

    Rochester has so many options. It has sports, both at the professional and collegiate level, lots of nature, history and it even has Tim Horton’s. I mean, Rochester is right near Canada. Joining me today is Don Jeffries. He’s the president and CEO of Visit Rochester. And if this guy can’t convince you to go to Rochester, I’m pretty sure no one can. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
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    19 mins