While many RVers regularly camp in deep snow and sub-freezing temperatures, this was our first real cold-weather camping experience. As rookie winter campers, we knew enough to be cautious but not enough to be completely confident.

We returned to one of our favorite campgrounds near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for five wonderful days of hiking, sightseeing, and family adventures in the Great Smoky Mountains. With the grandkids along, there was plenty of activity, a little adventure, and just enough relaxation to remind us why we love returning to the Smokies.

Historic Roscoe Village - America's Canal Town, is a restoration, not a recreation, of a thriving canal-era community that has successfully blended its rich past with modern-day life. Unlike many living history attractions, Roscoe is still a functioning village, complete with restaurants, shops, and local residents.

I've watched this scene unfold again and again. It's an entertaining Ballet in Bermudas as fellow wanderers perform the choreography of nomadic homesteading.

Now, with a couple of months of part-time traveling under our belts, we returned to one of our favorite destinations: Mohican State Park near Loudonville, Ohio and Holmes County Ohio Amish Country.

While the travel blogs and brochures beckon you to mountain grandeur and rugged coast lines, we've found "majestic" can happen right here in the Midwest.