Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for July, 2023
Newport’s First Palatial Residence
By Linda Tancs
Until the appearance of the Vanderbilt houses in the 1890s, Chateau-sur-Mer was the most palatial residence in Newport, Rhode Island. Built in 1852 as an Italianate-style villa for China trade merchant William Shepard Wetmore, it was the site of elaborate parties, including a country picnic for more than 2,000 guests and the debutante ball for Miss Edith Wetmore in 1889. The mansion ushered in the Gilded Age, a period characterized by extreme wealth among America’s leading industrialists. William’s son George (later Governor of Rhode Island and a United States senator) remodeled the house during the 1870s in the Second Empire French style, details of which are evident throughout the home. The mansion is open daily from July to October.
Share this:
The Chapel Lighthouse
By Linda Tancs
Touted as the oldest working lighthouse in Britain, St. Nicholas Chapel in North Devon is perched on Lantern Hill overlooking Ilfracombe’s historic harbor. As its name suggests, the structure is named for St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors. The chapel dates back to 1321 as a place of worship for seafarers; the beacon was added in the 15th century to guide shipping into the harbor. The iconic landmark is open from Eastertide to the end of September.
Share this:
A Tropical Oasis in Buffalo
By Linda Tancs
When you visit the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, you’ll find a tropical oasis under the Palm Dome, home to a beautiful and diverse collection of palms and other tropical plants native to areas throughout the world like the Foxtail Palm. Native to Queensland, Australia, this rare palm was unknown to botanists until 1978. The dome is just one of many interconnecting indoor gardens featuring an aquatic garden, an Asian rainforest, succulents, exotic flowers and the largest public ivy collection in the world. The gardens are located in Buffalo, New York, easily accessible via the New York State Thruway or a public bus from downtown.
*************
Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
Share this:
Two Downtowns and a Train
By Linda Tancs
The Hoosac Valley Train connects the downtowns of Adams and North Adams at the northern end of Berkshire County in Massachusetts. The round-trip, scenic ride operates regularly with a classic 1955 Budd RDC or self-propelled passenger car, and volunteers narrate the history of trains in the mountains. Trains leave from the platform beside the Adams Visitors Center on weekends from May to October in addition to holiday-themed special runs in December.
Share this:
A First in Wyoming
By Linda Tancs
Named after the river that runs through it, Bear River State Park in Evanston, Wyoming, features a captive herd of bison and elk kept for public viewing and education. For the first time in the park’s history, a white (not albino) bison was recently born there. Beyond rare, there’s a 1-in-10 million chance of such an occurrence, according to the National Bison Association. The white bison is a sacred sign to the Lakota Sioux and other plains tribes. Enjoy the wildlife displays at the Visitor Center, as well as the miles of paved and packed gravel trails.
Share this:
In the Heart of the Cascades
By Linda Tancs
Stehekin is a place where no roads can take you. Nestled deep in the North Cascades in Washington State, it’s only accessible via boat, plane or foot. It might be one of the most peaceful places on Earth, a valley surrounded by peaks of the North Cascades, where the closest thing to white noise is glacial melt running over the rocks of the Stehekin River. The name “Stehekin” comes from a word in the Salishan language that means “the way through.” If an escape from everyday life is what you’re after, then it’s more like a way out. Accommodations include an array of cabins and hideaways with names like the Round House and Rainbow Cabin. Regardless where you stay, you’ll be a stone’s throw away from Stehekin Pastry Company, where the treats are legendary.
Share this:
A Place to Stop in Malaysia
By Linda Tancs
Part of the state of Terengganu in Malaysia, the Perhentian Islands (designated “big” and “small”) are a beachgoer’s paradise. You’ll get what you’d expect: swaying palm trees, chalk-white beaches and azure waters. Diving conditions are best in July and August (high season), but if traveling on a budget (or you just desire more peace and quiet), then consider April, May or June. Perhentian means “place to stop.” Maybe you’ll agree.
*************
Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 