Travelrific® Travel Journal
A blog for travel enthusiasts. Listen to our podcasts at Travelrific® Radio, and visit our Wanderful Places® Travel Shop!Archive for U.S. travel
Always Warm in Fargo
By Linda Tancs
In April, the lowest temperature in Fargo, North Dakota can dip into the 20s or even lower. But the Fargo Moorhead Convention and Visitor’s Bureau will tell you that it’s always warm–friendly, that is. The Children’s Museum at Yunker Farm exudes warmth. The century old, red brick farm house was the first brick house built in the Dakota territory. In this home-like atmosphere learning and exploration is fun for families. And what could be warmer than that! Don’t miss the Easter Eggstravaganza this weekend.
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Hawaiian Memories
By Linda Tancs
Far from a sleepy, island paradise, there’s plenty for both landlubbers and seafarers to do and see in Hawaii, the onetime kingdom. Let’s explore the island charms of Oahu, Maui, the Big Island and Kauai. Learn more at Travelrific® Travel Show.
Charlottesville Hits the Big 2-5-0
By Linda Tancs
The City of Charlottesville, Virginia, one of the oldest municipalities in the country, is celebrating its 250th birthday this year. The year long celebration will feature lectures, exhibitions, special packages for visitors, and national and international talent. While you’re there, why not follow the Monticello Artisan Trail, a regional trailway that connects destinations including craft artisan studios, galleries, agri-artisan farms, local restaurants, wineries and microbreweries, lodging, and area points of interest in the counties surrounding Charlottesville.
100 Years of Blooms
By Linda Tancs
The National Cherry Blossom Festival, the nation’s greatest springtime celebration, is celebrating 100 years of blooms this year. The festivities, having begun on 20 March and continuing to 27 April, mark the centennial of Tokyo’s donation of 3,000 cherry blossom trees to Washington, DC. Based on comparative records of past bud development, the National Park Service forecasts peak blooms until 31 March this year. The average peak bloom date, defined as the day on which 70 percent of the blossoms of the Yoshino cherry trees that surround the Tidal Basin are open, is 4 April. A highlight of the season is the cherry blossom festival parade, a long-standing Washington tradition featuring lavish floats, giant helium balloons, marching bands, and other family entertainment. Admission is free along the parade route, Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th streets, NW.
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A Hot Tin Roof in New Orleans
By Linda Tancs
Tennessee Williams was a master American playwright, known for such works as A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Born Thomas Lanier Williams, he began using the moniker Tennessee after college when he moved to New Orleans, a place he reputedly considered to be his spiritual home. It’s fitting, then, that the Big Easy should honor one of its own with an annual festival. The Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival features literary panel discussions, theatrical performances, master classes with a notable expert in writing or the arts, and literary walking tours. Previous festivals have hosted such luminaries as Dick Cavett, Edward Albee and George Plimpton. This year’s event will run through 25 March.
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Furniture Shopping in Philly
By Linda Tancs
The exhibitors at the Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show hope you’ll invest in beauty. Showcasing exceptional artisan quality furniture, the event is the longest running exhibition of its kind. Featured exhibitors include Selvin Glass, Swede McBroom, Michael Brown and G. Keener & Co. Most exciting, though, is the new location for the event this year–the 23rd Street Armory, an imposing castle-like structure built in 1901 that houses the Philadelphia City Cavalry, the oldest cavalry unit in continuous service in the United States. The Troop acted as George Washington’s personal bodyguard during the Revolutionary War. The history lesson alone is good enough reason to go. The preview party and auction is on 23 March, followed by two days of artisanal bliss.
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Time and Space
By Linda Tancs
It’s been 50 years since former astronaut John Glenn orbited the earth in a historic mission. Such an auspicious anniversary merits a visit to the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here you’ll find the world’s largest collection of personal memorabilia from our space heroes, along with a G-Force Trainer (simulating the pressure of four times the force of gravity) and a space shuttle landing simulation. Junior astronauts can climb a moon rock wall, crawl through rocket tunnels and slide to the surface of the moon at the Children’s Play Dome. Not to be missed is the Space Mirror Memorial, a 42-1/2-foot-high-by-50-foot-wide black granite surface emblazoned with the names of the 24 U.S. astronauts who gave their lives for space exploration as well as the astronauts from training and commercial airplane accidents.
Vacation Deal of the Week
By Linda Tancs
The Great American Steamboat Company is christening its dream boat, the American Queen. The 27 April christening voyage from Memphis to Cincinnati includes a two-night luxury hotel stay in Memphis, Tennessee, showboat entertainment and gourmet cuisine on the most opulent riverboat ever built. Contact me at Wanderful Cruises for details.
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Jefferson’s Second Home
By Linda Tancs
Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States. His beloved home Monticello is a fixture in Charlottesville at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western Virginia. What most folks might not know is that Jefferson had a hideaway from his glorious 33-room manse, a self-designed, eight-sided country villa outside Lynchburg, Virginia. The octagonal house (the first in America) is known as Poplar Forest, a retreat that many regard as a true masterpiece of architectural and landscape elements. Opening today through 15 December, the home is located off Route 661 south of Lynchburg.
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A Land of Golden Arches
By Linda Tancs
There’s a land of golden arches in our midst and, no, it isn’t a world of burgers and value meals. These arches are magnificent sandstone arches revealing millions of years of geologic history. That’s what you’ll find in Arches National Park, five miles north of Moab, Utah. One of the most beloved formations is Delicate Arch. View it against the night sky for an unforgettable experience.
