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
The Royal Coconut Coast
By Linda Tancs
In Kapa’a, Hawaii, they’re eager to celebrate the coconut. This typical island delicacy was cultivated in plantations along Kuhio Highway from Wailua to Kapa’a, giving this coastal region the designation Royal Coconut Coast. So what better place to hold an annual Coconut Festival than at Kapa’a Beach Park (next to the library). Taking place on 6 and 7 October, the event will feature entertainment on a main stage and children’s stage, cooking demonstrations by Kauai’s best chefs, the largest gathering of Kauai artisans, coconut games, pie eating contests, and a coconut cook-off contest. They’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts just waiting for you.
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High Flying Pumpkins
By Linda Tancs
It’s pumpkin season. What better way to celebrate than with a good old-fashioned pumpkin catapult, like the one in Milford, New Hampshire at this weekend’s Pumpkin Festival. The annual event at the Milford Oval will also include beer tasting, a craft fair, a talent show, the pumpkin weigh-in, a chili roundup and scarecrow making for the kids.
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Basket Village USA
By Linda Tancs
Dresden, Ohio is the proud host of the world’s largest basket, a replica of the classic Longaberger basket created by native son Dave Longaberger. Doyennes of household basket display will love the manufacturing tour. You’ll find plenty of basket accessories in the village’s quaint shops, along with other fine articles like pottery, glassware, jewelry, clothing, collectibles, artwork, home décor items, and more.
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America’s Wilderness Beach
By Linda Tancs
Cumberland Island in Georgia proudly identifies itself as “America’s Most Beautiful Wilderness Beach.” Operated by the National Park Service, this national seashore is home to over 9,800 acres of Congressionally designated wilderness. No wonder, then, that the area is so richly populated by wild horses, sea turtles and wild turkeys among the dunes, salt marshes and mud flats. This is a wonderful camping destination, accessible via the Cumberland Queen ferry from historic St. Mary’s.
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Music and Memphis
By Linda Tancs
Memphis is synonymous with music. Virtually every genre of music is associated with the city, particularly blues, rock and gospel. Out of Memphis came the talent of such greats as Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and B.B. King. Take a spin around the city at Travelrific® Radio.
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Railroading in Michigan
By Linda Tancs
Railroading has a venerable history in Michigan, beginning with the grant of a charter to the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad Company in 1833 to build the first railroad in what was then the Michigan Territory. When Michigan became a state in 1837, construction had already commenced on a branch line from Palmyra to Jacksonburgh, a line put into service during the Civil War. Numerous industry consolidations and a reduction in passenger and freight traffic nearly obliterated the branch line, but the Southern Michigan Railroad Society purchased the remaining track and transformed it into an operating railroad museum. The Society offers train tours over the remaining track of the early Palmyra and Jacksonburgh Railroad. Easily accessible from Toledo and Detroit, the route takes a nostalgic turn between Clinton and Tecumseh. Make your reservations now for the popular Fall Color Tours in October.
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Lincoln’s Logs
By Linda Tancs
The 42nd Annual Abraham Lincoln National Railsplitting Festival will take place in Lincoln, Illionois from 14 to 16 September. The event kicks off on Friday with a Civil War Ball from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Lincoln Park District Rec Center. For those who want to see how logs are split into beautiful rails, don’t miss the fierce competition on Saturday and Sunday at the Logan County Fairgrounds. Log splitting for rail fences was a way of life on the American frontier, and President Abraham Lincoln was a rail splitter in his youth. That activity led to his nickname, Rail Splitter, coined by the Republican Party to enhance his candidacy for President in 1860.
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Purple in Pennsy
By Linda Tancs
Just 90 minutes from New York City or 45 miles outside Philadelphia is a little bit of Provence. First established in 1748, the Carousel Farm in Mechanicsville, Pennsylvania is awash in lavender. In fact, eight of its 35 acres are dedicated to lavender production, harvested by hand. Group tours are available through 30 September.
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90 Million Years in 9 Minutes
By Linda Tancs
90 million years: that’s how many years are represented in the latest animatronic dinosaur park, located in Secaucus, New Jersey. Nine minutes: that’s how long it takes to get there from New York City. The dinosaur park recently unveiled 31 robotic dinosaurs for the exhibit, Field Station: Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods hover over (and under) the tree line, including New Jersey’s own Hadrosaurus foulkii. Sounds like dino might to me.
2016 update: Field Station has relocated to Overpeck Park in Leonia, New Jersey.
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Ohio’s Crooked River
By Linda Tancs
The Cuyahoga River flows north and south, meandering along the way through Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the only national park in Ohio. The river’s trajectory prompted the Native Americans to name it Cuyahoga, or crooked river. The 65-foot Brandywine Falls are a major attraction, but don’t forget about its other charms, like the visitor center at the canal lock, the Everett Road Covered Bridge (evocative of The Bridges of Madison County), the towpath trail, the grist mill, or Beaver Marsh. That’s a lot of ground to cover. If you’re short on time, take the scenic rail ride through the heart of the park. Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad operates regular excursions and special excursions from Rockside Station in Independence to Akron Northside Station and from Canton Lincoln Highway Station to Akron Northside Station. It’s one of the oldest, longest and most scenic train rides in the country. Buy your tickets now for the 40th anniversary celebration on 8 September.
