Bootlegging and Pirating in Florida’s Protective Waters: Historic Stiltsville in Biscayne National Park

The last time you were in southeastern Florida, did you know that you were exploring either in, or near to, one of the National Parks System’s most precious gems? Biscayne National Park is located in the waters that stretch from the Florida Keys up to South Beach—Miami’s most flashy locale. South Beach is not exactly […]

Volunteer for a Day, Biscayne National Park

Living 95% under water, Biscayne National Park is certainly one of the most unique and unusual parks in the system. You don’t enter through a gated entrance as you do at so many other parks, but by sea. If you are not paying attention, you might miss the moment when you first dip your toe […]

Backcountry Camping: Everglades National Park

Islands covered in mangrove trees, with their wrangling and tyrannical roots, are not made for walking on or pitching a tent if you get lost among them. They are also very difficult to navigate—even with a nautical map, compass, GPS, and coordinates to guide you. We decided our GPS didn’t work crossing mile 8 on […]

An Insider’s Guide to Rock Creek Park: The Largest and Oldest Urban Park in America

First Published on RootsRated.com You don’t need to venture far from DC proper to escape the urban environs and instantly become absorbed with nature. If you want to stay within the city limits, you can hit up Rock Creek Park, a 32-mile trail system weaving its way through the woods of Washington and on to Montgomery County, […]

Beach Camping on Maryland’s Assateague Island

First Published on RootsRated.com It almost sounds mythical—wild horses, campsites just steps from the shore, permission to build fires inside the perimeters of a U.S. National Park—but on Maryland’s Assateague Island, this is just what you’ll find. It’s easy to fall in love with this island. Who wouldn’t bask in the joy of building a post-dinner bonfire […]

Where to Stand Up Paddle in the District

First Published on RootRated.com Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) is one of the newest water sports to gain favor in the United States. In a relatively short amount of time, it has joined the ranks of kayaking in terms of popularity for inland and coastal water sport. You can’t look at a body of water in the […]

Five Ways to Get on the Water in Washington

First published on RootsRated.com To a Taoist, water is considered an aspect of wisdom. To Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, being in the water ‘…is normal for me. It’s my home.’ To most of us living in the mid-Atlantic area during the dead of summer, any way onto the water amounts to ten degrees off of the maximum […]

See the Entire Country in One Day: 50 States and 13 Colonies Ride

First Published on RootsRated.com   Alright, so you’re not really going to ride your bike all the way across the country in one day, but you can certainly ride around DC and pay homage to all the states on the highly popular 50 States and 13 Colonies Ride. This ride is legendary and certainly worth […]

5 Day Trips in 5 States Near Washington, DC

First published on RootsRated.com Washington DC’s central location in the mid-Atlantic makes it a perfect jumping off point to many awesome day trips in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. Here, we bring you some of our favorite excursions in the area. Some are great for water lovers, some perfect for hikers. All are, […]