United States

Wing Haven — Charlotte’s Hidden Gardens

Mary Gilbert History, Homes and Gardens, United States August 8, 2014A Southern Garden, Charleston, Charlotte, Eddie Clarkson, Elizabeth Clarkson, Elizabeth Lawrence, Elizabeth Lawrence House & Garden, Historic gardens, Mecklenburg Audubon Society, Myers Park, National Register of Historic Places, NC, North Carolina, North Carolina State University Landscape Architecture, Ridgewood Avenue, SC, South Carolina, Southern gardens, Southern horticulture, The Garden Conservancy, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, Wing Haven, Wing Haven Foundation, Wing Haven Gardens & Bird Sanctuary 2 Comments

“Are you cruel enough to be a gardener?” That challenging question was imprinted on a T-shirt for sale at the Elizabeth Lawrence House and Garden in Charlotte that I was touring on a sultry day with curator Andrea Sprott asRead more

Love and Fitness on the Road

Mary Gilbert Health and Fitness, United States July 17, 2014Battenkill Canoe, Butterfield & Robinson, Canyon Ranch, Fitbit, Fitbit One, Fitness tracker, Scottish Highlands, The first love is the deepest, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, Veneto, Vivace, Westglow Spa 8 Comments

I have a new travel companion. We haven’t been many places together yet, but we’ve become quite fond of each other. The object of my affection is small, but mighty. Unassuming, but all knowing. Silent, but speaks volumes. It’s myRead more

Date Night in Charlotte at Foxcroft Wine Company

Mary Gilbert Food and Wine, United States July 3, 2014Bordeaux, Burgundy, Charlotte, Cheers, Conrad Hunter, Date night, Elvis Presley, Foxcroft Wine Company, In vino veritas, Jura, Justin Solomon, North Carolina, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers, Sliders, SouthPark, The Wine Shop at Foxcroft, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, Wine 14 Comments

If you’re looking for Bill and me on a Friday night when we’re not traveling, you’ll most likely find us at the recently renamed Foxcroft Wine Company (formerly The Wine Shop at Foxcroft) in the booming SouthPark area of Charlotte.Read more

Just Ducky at the Outer Banks

Mary Gilbert Hotels and Rentals, Shops, United States May 30, 2014Beach Vacation, Corolla, Currituck Beach Lighthouse, Currituck Sound, Duck, Duck Donuts, Duck Duck Art, Duck Pizza Company, Highway 12, Jockey's Ridge, Kitty Hawk Kites, Memorial Day, Nags Head, NC, North Carolina, Outer Banks, Summer Solstice, The Blue Point, The Drake at Founders Ridge, The Duck Deli, The Sweet Duck, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing 4 Comments

The first unwritten rule of summer is that the season kicks off on Memorial Day, not on the summer solstice in June. The second unwritten rule is that one of the best places to observe the first unwritten rule is the beach.Read more

Miracle on the Hudson – A Survivor’s Story

Mary Gilbert History, Interviews, United States April 16, 2014Airplane, Airplane crash, Beth McHugh, Carolinas Aviation Museum, Charlotte, Ellen Degeneres, Flight 1549, Miracle on the Hudson, North Carolina, Sully Sullenberger, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, US Airways 6 Comments

Beth McHugh believes in miracles, and well she should. Little did she know when she boarded US Airways Flight 1549 on January, 15, 2009, that she would be among the 150 passengers and five crew members who would survive theRead more

Miracle on the Hudson and More Stories of Flight

Mary Gilbert History, United States April 15, 2014Airbus A320, Airplane, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, Carolinas Aviation Museum, Charlotte, Chartis Insurance Company, Congressional Medal of Honor, First Officer Jeff Skiles, Harrier jet, Hudson River, LaGuardia Airport, Miracle on the Hudson, New York City, North Carolina, Reynolds Tobacco, Smithsonian, Stearman, Sully Sullenberger, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, US Airways, Wally Coppinger, Wright Brothers 5 Comments

“It’s the white elephant in the room.” That’s how Wally Coppinger somewhat facetiously referred to the US Airways plane that was before us during my recent private tour of the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, where he’s executive director. It’sRead more

Fort Ross — The Russian Stronghold in America

Mary Gilbert History, Tours and Sightseeing, United States April 11, 2014Alexander Rotchev, American Viticultural Area, CA, California, Coast Miwok, Elena Rotchev, Fort Ross, Fort Ross Conservancy, Fort Ross State Historic Park, Hank Birnbaum, Ivan Alexandrovich Kuskov, Jenner, Kashaya Pomo, National Historic Landmark, Rossiia, Rotchev House, Russia, Russian River, Russian River Valley, Russian-American Company, Sea otter, Settlement Ross, Sonoma County, Southern Pomo, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, Tsar Paul 2 Comments

Hank Birnbaum selected a sea otter pelt from a pile of skins displayed on a wooden table and let me caress the soft, luxurious fur. “Sea otters don’t have a layer of blubber to help them keep warm, unlike otherRead more

Sampling the Arts in Raleigh

Mary Gilbert Arts and Culture, Tours and Sightseeing, United States April 7, 2014AAA Five Diamond, Ashley Christensen, Auguste Rodin, Beth Lipman, Bidding for Good, Cary, Conde Nast Traveler, Dale Chihuly, El Anatsui, Forbes Travel Guide, Herons, James Beard Foundation, Michael Richards, Mickalene Thomas, NC General Assembly, NCMA, North Carolina, North Carolina Museum of Art, Poole's Uptown Diner, Raleigh, Sculpture, The Umstead Hotel and Spa, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing 4 Comments

How wonderful to have friends who place top bids in online charity auctions and then ask you to share their winnings. Our friends, Carole and Keith, did just that when she was the recipient of a four-person food and artRead more

The Never-Ending Lure of Charleston

Mary Gilbert Tours and Sightseeing, United States March 25, 2014Battery Park, Billy Hall, Charleston, Charleston City Market, Conde Nast Traveler, Cooper River Bridge, Dixie Bakery Supply and Cafe, French Quarter Art Gallery District, Ft. Sumter, Halls Chophouse, Hank's Seafood Restaurant, Holy City, Kiawah, King Street Shops, Market Pavilion, Market Street Sweets, Pat Conroy, Pavilion Bar, South Carolina, South of Broad, The Battery, The College of Charleston, The College of William and Mary, Travel, Travel + Leisure Magazine, Travel blog, Travel writing, Waterfront Park 4 Comments

When Bill and I realized our nephew, Ben, a senior basketball player at The College of William and Mary, and his team (Go Tribe!) would play against College of Charleston, we put Charleston on our travel radar. Actually, we didn’tRead more

On the Map with The Map Shop

Mary Gilbert Shops, United States March 17, 2014Atlas, Charlotte, FedEx, First responder, Flag, Globe, Google maps, Mac, Map, Mapquest, NOAA, North Carolina, Patrice Northrup, PC, Retail, Smartphone, Ted Northrup, The Map Guy, The Map Shop, Travel, Travel blog, Travel necessities, Travel writing, UPS 6 Comments

If you think the digital age has caused printed maps and charts and those colorful spinning globes so identified with grade school classrooms to be relegated to ancient relics of an earlier time, think again. The ubiquity of smartphones andRead more

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Welcome to The Roads Traveled

Greetings! I’m Mary Gilbert, a writer and blogger sharing stories and discoveries about people, places, and passions. While I live in Charlotte, NC, travel begins as soon as I walk out the front door, and home becomes wherever I am at the moment. Click here to learn more.

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