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
Fine Wines in the Foothills
By Linda Tancs
The foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in Walland, Tennessee may seem like the least likely place to yield up an epicurious haven. Yet that’s exactly what you get at Blackberry Farm, one of America’s most celebrated intimate luxury hotels set on 4200 acres. Now through 22 May the greatest producers in the world of wine make for a rare gathering at the Farm at the second annual Hospice du Rhone event. Featuring Christophe Baron, Greg Harrington, John Lancaster, Robert Perkins, Sara Perez and Rene Barbier, these giants of Rhone will share their knowledge and special vintages with oenophiles. Life on the farm never tasted so sweet.
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Putting the Glam in Camp
By Linda Tancs
For many of us, camping likely conjures up memories of pup tents, oversized sleeping bags and roasted marshmallows on a stick. Oh, how times have changed. Camping has gone glam. Glamping, or glamorous camping, is outdoors life taken to a luxe level, featuring luxury tents, fine wines, gourmet food and, of course, outdoor adventure. Are you ready for some glam in your camp?
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Getting Down in the Ozarks
By Linda Tancs
Eureka Springs, Arkansas is home to the hoe-down. The fourth longest running show in the Ozarks, the music theatre is celebrating 30 years! Full of country, gospel and bluegrass music, the show is good clean fun for the whole family. So is the 24th annual Eureka Springs May Festival of the Arts, celebrating local artistry in all its fors during the month of May. There are also the dinosaurs, aviaries of exotic birds, ghosts, a complete model railroad for up-close viewing and an award-winning glass chapel in the woods. Less than an hour from Branson, but hey, with all this to do, who’s rushing?
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The Strawberry Gateway
By Linda Tancs
Strawberry Point, Iowa is home to the world’s largest–what else–strawberry. A gateway to Northeast Iowa, you get the best of two worlds. On the one hand, you’ll see the flat lands to the South and West; scenic rolling hills are to the North and East. Besides the obligatory photo in town beside the World’s Largest Strawberry, there’s plenty else to see in Clayton County. The kids will love Spook Cave, offering 35-minute tours. Nearby is the campground, featuring locally handcrafted Amish log cabins. Looking for something less rustic? Then visit the Franklin Hotel, a slice of quintessential small town charm.
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Secrets of the Silk Road
By Linda Tancs
The formidable Silk Road was a trading route of ancient Chinese civilization. The 7000-mile route stretched from China and India to the Middle East and parts of Africa and southern Europe. Amidst this terrain was the Tarim Basin, the second largest desert in the world. Located at the crossroads of the Silk Road, artifacts recovered from the area, like mummies and masks, suggest the area was active for thousands of years. Exhibits showcasing the diverse languages, lifestyles, religions, and cultures of the remote area are on display through 5 June at the Penn Museum, formally known as the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia.
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Going Green in Bellevue
By Linda Tancs
To say that Bellevue, Washington, is green is an understatement. With nearly 100 parks, the cityscape offers lots of green in between. Even in the heart of town lies a 20-acre oasis featuring a one-half mile promenade, bordered by a double row of shade trees, and a stepped canal leading to the 240-foot wide waterfall that cascades into a reflecting pond. A 10-acre lawn area invites picnickers to dine amidst Bellevue’s skyline with Mount Rainier in the background. Located at 10201 NE Fourth Street, the park is open from dawn to 11 p.m.
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The 40-Foot Pheasant
By Linda Tancs
When the first settlers of the Dakota Territory arrived in the 1880s, rumors swirled about a giant pheasant. Legend has it that the elusive bird produced the winds of the Dakota Prairie, his footprints in the spring forming creeks and river valleys. The tale is memorialized on Highway 14 in Huron, South Dakota in the form of a 28 foot, 22 ton fiberglass pheasant. Eight miles west of Huron on the highway you can see real ringnecks at the Maga Ta-Hohpi Waterfowl Production Area, part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Named Maga Ta-Hohpi (meaning “duck nest) by the Sioux Indians who dedicated the area in 1992, the refuge system includes breeding and nesting habitats for millions of waterfowl and is home to hundreds of wildlfie species including fish, migratory birds, pheasants, deer, and many other plants and animals.
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The Buffalo City
By Linda Tancs
Jamestown, North Dakota is The Buffalo City, home to the world’s largest buffalo statue–a 26-foot-tall, 60-ton concrete giant at the Frontier Village. Adjacent to the Frontier Village is a herd of real bison roaming 250 acres, including three rare albino bison. Culturally and historically significant, the bison’s saga from prehistoric times to the present is preserved at the National Buffalo Museum. Here’s one opportunity where you won’t mind being buffaloed.
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A Place for Rock Hounds
By Linda Tancs
There’s a crimson tide just 15 minutes from Las Vegas. No, it’s not an algal bloom. It’s a massive rock formation made red by the accumulation of iron oxide. The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area receives 1.2 million visitors a year. Part of the Mojave Desert, the 13-mile scenic loop drive features sandstone, limestone Indian roasting pits, waterfalls, Indian “handprints” and pictographs at Willow Springs. The conservation area is home to about 200 different mammals like burros, coyotes, bighorn sheep, red tailed hawks, wild horses, bobcats and mountain lions. Enjoy life on the wild side–without the neon lights.
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Oldest Zoo in Southwest
By Linda Tancs
Established in 1898, the Alameda Park Zoo in Alamogordo, New Mexico is the oldest zoo in the U.S. Southwest. Open daily except for Christmas and New Year’s Day, the zoo has more than 12 acres and over 250 exotic and indigenous animals. Perhaps the most famous animal in the area is the one memorialized in nearby Lincoln National Forest, home of Smokey the Bear, known the world over for forest fire prevention. The wilds of the West are waiting for you.
