Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for U.S. travel
Water, Music and Light
By Linda Tancs
Themed water shows are nothing new, but few of them consistently make the world’s top 10 lists. Of that class, the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas rank supreme. Over 1,000 water-emitting devices spout streams choreographed to light and musical routines ranging from classical to Broadway. Running daily, it’s free, too. Now you have something fabulous to see once you’ve donated all your money to the tables.
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The Trail of Tears
By Linda Tancs
Following the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, President Andrew Jackson engineered the forced relocation of the Cherokee nation east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the Mississippi. Forced to flee their homeland with little more than the clothes on their back, the exodus across nine states, marked by disease and death, came to be known as the trail of tears. This somber journey is commemorated in the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. One of 19 national historic trails, it passes through the present-day states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. A series of signs throughout the region alerts travelers to important markers such as documented original trails and historic sites or segments.
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Pre-Civil War Grandeur
By Linda Tancs
It’s hard to imagine that a landmark example of pre-Civil War opulence like the Morse-Libby House was once scheduled to be demolished and replaced by a gas station. Located in Portland, Maine, the mansion has all the signature elements of a classic Italian villa: rich detail punctuated with low-pitched roofs and a soaring, square tower. Its interior is no less impressive, boasting gas lighting fixtures, stained glass, a painted trompe l’oeil wall and ceiling decorations, gilded surfaces, intricate plasterwork and lavish fabrics, carpets and furniture. The mansion was built between 1858 and 1860 as a summer home for Ruggles Sylvester Morse, a Maine native who made his fortune in New Orleans as a hotel magnate. The house was later occupied by the family of J.R. Libby, a dry goods merchant, who made few changes to the property. It’s a good thing; the interior is the only intact surviving example of the work of famed designer Gustave Herter.
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Jewel of the Missions
By Linda Tancs
The legend of the swallows is a captivating facet of Mission San Juan Capistrano in California. According to the tale, a priest at the mission became very upset when a local innkeeper kept destroying the nests that cliff swallows were building in the crevices of the inn’s roof. He invited the swallows to build their nests instead at the mission, established in 1776 by a Franciscan priest. And the invite did not go unheeded. Old mud nests clinging to the stone church, the swallows arrive to rebuild their homes every year in March–on the nineteenth day, as a matter of fact–St. Joseph’s Day. The event is marked by an annual celebration at the Mission on 19 March that includes ringing of historic bells, live mariachi music and a special guest lecture on cliff swallows. The birds leave for their winter home in Argentina in October.
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Old Hickory’s Homestead
By Linda Tancs
U.S. President Andrew Jackson (you know, the one on the 20 dollar bill) gained the nickname Old Hickory as a result of his toughness on the battlefield during the War of 1812, a battle that ultimately won him the White House. Following the presidency, he retired to his much loved estate in Tennessee, The Hermitage. The main house, considered one of the best preserved early presidential homes, is a Greek Revival brick mansion, chock-full of original furnishings, including very scenic and stunning wallpaper depicting the tale of Homer’s Odyssey. The pastoral surroundings are punctuated with a small herd of Belted Galloways (sometimes referred to as the Oreo-cookie cow due to its appearance). In the southeast corner of the garden you’ll find the tomb of the president and his beloved wife, Rachel. Visited by millions annually, the property is located just miles outside downtown Nashville.
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The City of Five Seasons
By Linda Tancs
In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the folks believe that taking time to smell the roses extends life, almost like adding a fifth season to the calendar. That’s the basis behind the city’s tagline, The City of Five Seasons. For all the history, arts and culture that flourish in Iowa’s second largest city, you may very well need a fifth season to experience it all. Start with a focal point like Brucemore, a classic 19th century Queen Anne-style house on a 26-acre estate in the heart of the city. Caroline Soutter Sinclair built the mansion between 1884 and 1886 as a home for her six children; it’s only been owned by two families since that time. Now operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, this historic site is also an important community cultural center, offering concerts, theatre, special tours and exhibits. Guided mansion tours start this month.
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Historic Mount Holly
By Linda Tancs
Revolutionary War history abounds in New Jersey, even in a small town like Mount Holly in Burlington County. It was there that a diversionary tactic was executed that resulted in a reduction of enemy forces in Trenton, enabling George Washington to capture the state’s capital city. Known as the Battle of Iron Works Hill, it’s just one of several sites in town with ties to the war. Another notable is The Old School House, used by the British army as a temporary stable for their horses during their retreat from Philadelphia in 1778. The Friends Meeting House, used by the British as a commissary in 1778, is where the New Jersey State Legislature met in 1779. A private residence, the Stephen Girard House is where the Girard family resided and operated a business during the war. Girard later became a prominent financier and philanthropist, funding the government’s battle during the War of 1812. In 2006, he was ranked the fourth wealthiest person in United States history.
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Free Haven
By Linda Tancs
Black history abounds in the tiny borough of Lawnside in Camden County, New Jersey. Both freedman and escaped slaves settled there when Philadelphia abolitionist Ralph Smith purchased land in the 1800s and sold it in lots to blacks at reduced prices, earning the place the moniker Free Haven. Not surprisingly, the locale was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Later, the hamlet now known as Lawnside became the only black-governed town north of the Mason-Dixon Line. The predominately black community’s heritage is represented on the borough’s seal.
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Where Two Deserts Meet
By Linda Tancs
Two desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, come together in Joshua Tree National Park in southeastern California. Tourists come together there this time of year for the wildflower viewing, so popular that park staff and volunteers compile wildflower viewing reports to aid the curious. A recent report shows the presence of desert globe mallow and mistletoe flowers, star-vine, creosote bush and desert lavender. More blooms will appear in March and April. And, of course, there’s the park’s namesake, the Joshua tree. Its creamy white candle-like blossoms can be seen from February to late March. And how did the tree gets its name? According to legend, Mormon pioneers named the tree after the biblical figure Joshua, believing that its branches resembled the upstretched arms of Joshua leading the Israelites to the promised land.
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The Spy House
By Linda Tancs
During the Revolutionary War, Thomas Seabrook spied on British troops from his one-room cabin near Raritan Bay in Port Monmouth, New Jersey, earning it in later years the moniker the “Spy House.” One of the oldest surviving houses in the bayshore, it began as a small cabin in the 1700s and grew along with the prosperity of its owners, the Seabrooks and the Wilsons. The Spy House (also known as the Seabrook-Wilson House) is listed on the state and national registers of historic places. It’s also credited with being one of the most haunted houses in America, boasting up to five active apparitions. Given that the house remained virtually unscathed despite the ruinous effects of Hurricane Sandy all around it, you might think that its otherworldly visitors have been looking out for the joint.
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