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
Blueberry Capital of the World
By Linda Tancs
The small, unassuming town of Hammonton, New Jersey is the blueberry capital of the world. Just 29 miles southeast of Philadelphia, acres of blueberry farms dotting the landscape produce millions of berries, the official fruit of the State of New Jersey. This prime export is celebrated each summer at the Red, White and Blueberry Festival, but this South Jersey hub and surrounding area is a year-round destination with local attractions like Batsto Village, as well as the Walt Whitman House, the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, and the Warren E. Fox Nature Center.
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Charting Checked Bag Fees
By Linda Tancs
Ever wish you could have a handy reference for each major U.S. airline’s checked bag fees? Your wish is granted. Airfare Watchdog has published an updated list of checked bag fees for first and second bags, additional bags, overweight bags and oversized bags. With all those fees, you’d be tempted to make do with a carry-on. Not so fast. Airlines impose weight limits on carry-on bags, too. Maybe that checked bag charge for your overweight carry-on will give you a lump in your throat. But that’s better than a lump on the head from an overhead bin, isn’t it?
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A Fortress in Manhattan
By Linda Tancs
At the foot of Manhattan in New York City lies a fortress, a national monument that celebrated its 200th anniversary last year. Known as Castle Clinton (named after Governor Dewitt Clinton of New York State), the structure was one of the New York Harbor forts built just before the War of 1812 with Great Britain. Over the last two centuries, the fort has also served as an entertainment center, an immigration landing depot and an aquarium. Saved from demolition in 1946, the Castle was restored to its original design by the National Park Service and today houses the ticket office for the Statue of Liberty, welcoming over 3 million visitors annually.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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