Exterior of the Mob Museum, the former federal courthouse.

Returning to the Scene of the Crime: Visiting the Mob Museum Again

February 18, 2026, Leave a Comment on Returning to the Scene of the Crime: Visiting the Mob Museum Again

While in Vegas, my friend Cristal and I went to a few other museums, including the Mob Museum, which I had been to previously, but it had been awhile, so I was happy to go back. Las Vegas and the mob basically go hand-in-hand. Housed perfectly in the city’s first federal courthouse, built in 1933,…

Myself, wearing a blue western wear shirt, cream cowboy hat with blue stars, leaning against a barrel bar.

A Return to the Kern County Museum: Home to Country Legends and More

January 21, 2026, Leave a Comment on A Return to the Kern County Museum: Home to Country Legends and More

Back in 2021 Patrick and I made our first visit to the Kern County Museum, an outstanding museum with over 50 buildings across 16 acres in Bakersfield. Our visit was amid COVID restrictions, and meant that few of the buildings were open, and between then and now, it has opened a Bakersfield Sound exhibit and…

The Haunting of Stone Oak Manor

October 8, 2025, Leave a Comment on The Haunting of Stone Oak Manor

WARNING: This blog post contains a grizzly image of a very realistic prop of a dismembered body, that some readers may find disturbing. Tucked away in the hills of Oak Glen rests Stone Oak Manor. Designed by Reginald Inwood for Murle and Samuel Baumann, the manor was built in 1926 using stones found on the…

A mannequin family sits at a card table playing Monopoly. A stone fireplace is on the back wall, which is painted pink.

Mining, Gambling, and More all on Display the Clark County Museum

August 20, 2025, Leave a Comment on Mining, Gambling, and More all on Display the Clark County Museum

While Las Vegas may be the literal bright spot that everyone flocks to when visit Nevada, just a few miles to the southeast is something anyone who loves Nevada should visit, the Clark County Museum. The museum sprawls over 30 acres, and features relocated buildings, train cars, antique farm equipment, and more. The adobe-like building…

Exterior view of the Ryman, a multi story brick building with white details and a peaked roof.

Behind the Curtain of the Ryman, the Mother Church of Country Music

May 19, 2025, 3 Comments

Running through Nashville is the Cumberland River, and in the 1880s it meant Nashville was a rough and tumble river town with saloons, gambling, and of course riverboats. Thomas Ryman was a man of the river, owning a successful riverboat company, and not exactly a man of God, but all that changed on May 10,…

Sign above the door reading "Arcade" in script, and "Restaurant" in bold letters.

Breakfast at the Oldest Restaurant in Memphis, the Arcade

May 1, 2025, 1 Comment

After visiting Dollywood, Patrick and I drove across Tennessee to our next stop, Memphis. We hit the hay and woke up bright and early for breakfast at The Arcade, which has the honor of being Memphis’ oldest restaurant. The Arcade, although not initially known by that name, was established in 1919 by Greek immigrant Speros…

Myself, wearing a Hex Girls t-shirt and purple shorts, walking through the pumpkin Patch.

Bates Nut Farm: The 100 Year Old Farm to Find Your Perfect Pumpkin

October 22, 2024, 3 Comments

When fall arrives, it means it’s time to find a pumpkin patch and pick that perfect prized pumpkin to take home. Over the years I’ve tried to find just the right pumpkin patch, and I mean honest to goodness pumpkin patch, where you pick a pumpkin off the vine! This year we decided to venture…

Close-up of the neon and bulbs above the marquee reading "The El Capitan Theatre"

Backstage at the Lavish El Capitan Theatre

July 31, 2024, 1 Comment

Los Angeles has many glorious movie palaces scattered throughout, one incredible theatre is the El Capitan, located in the heart of Hollywood. Recently Patrick and I got to go behind the scenes of this historic theatre, and just a few days later returned to see Deadpool & Wolverine, so it should be noted that this…

A small home with a turret style entry, features steeped roof lines and ivy growing up the walls.

The Tiny French “Gnome” Village Hiding in the Citrus Empire

May 22, 2024, 1 Comment

Redlands is one of the great citrus empires of California, it’s also a city that is filled with gorgeous homes. Most of the houses you’ll stumble upon are grand Victorians, Spanish Revivals, and Mid-Century Moderns, but there is one narrow street that looks like something out of France, this is Normandie Court, and it is…

View of the neon for the Formosa, which is green and sits within white script letters on a red building. A black and white stripe awning juts out from the front.

The Formosa Cafe: Watering Hole for Mobsters and Movie Stars

May 1, 2024, Leave a Comment on The Formosa Cafe: Watering Hole for Mobsters and Movie Stars

L.A. Confidential is one of my all time favorite movies, and any time I can make it to one of the filming locations, I’m overjoyed. The Formosa Cafe is not only where parts of L.A. Confidential were filmed, but also where one of its most iconic scenes (ironically not in the book) happened. The scene…

Atomic Redhead

1920s

Returning to the Scene of the Crime: Visiting the Mob Museum Again

A Return to the Kern County Museum: Home to Country Legends and More

The Haunting of Stone Oak Manor

Mining, Gambling, and More all on Display the Clark County Museum

Behind the Curtain of the Ryman, the Mother Church of Country Music

Breakfast at the Oldest Restaurant in Memphis, the Arcade

Bates Nut Farm: The 100 Year Old Farm to Find Your Perfect Pumpkin

Backstage at the Lavish El Capitan Theatre

The Tiny French “Gnome” Village Hiding in the Citrus Empire

The Formosa Cafe: Watering Hole for Mobsters and Movie Stars