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
German Settlers Remembered in Texas
By Linda Tancs
The Pioneer Museum of Fredericksburg, Texas is a memorial to the early German settlers in the Texas Hill Country. A focal point of the area’s heritage is The Vereins Kirche, an extension of the museum located at Marktplatz. Built soon after the arrival of the first German settlers (and since rebuilt after its destruction in 1896), it was the first public building in the town and served as a town hall, school, fort, and a church for all denominations. The Gillespie County Historical Society/Pioneer Museum announced a fund raising campaign of $75,000 for its Diamond Anniversary Year. By year end every dollar donated will be matched dollar for dollar by two challenge grants from the Dian Graves Owen Foundation and Kathryn Harrison.
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Down on the Farm in Ghent
By Linda Tancs
The stylish homes and condos in the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia belie its humble beginnings as farmland. Originally known as Pleasant Point, James Morgan changed the name to Ghent to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium, which ended the War of 1812. Located in central Norfolk just minutes from downtown and the Norfolk Naval Station, attractions include the historic Naro Theater, the Chrysler Museum, bistros on Colley Avenue and the boutiques on 21st Street.
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Mules Come Calling at Calvary
By Linda Tancs
Calvary, Georgia, is some 200 strong but every first Saturday of November the tiny town swells to a megalopolis. That’s when they celebrate Mule Day, a festival including a parade of mules, horses, wagons, any kind of mule drawn equipment, and antique autos. Following the parade is a mule show. The 38th annual festival also includes arts and crafts, a flea market, sling shot shoot, petting zoo, corn and cane grinding, syrup cooking, singing and lots more–even mule jokes.
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Orlando’s Holy Land
By Linda Tancs
Time traveler wannabees, take note. The Holy Land Experience will take you back over 2000 years to ancient Jerusalem. This theatrical and historical experience on Vineland Road in Orlando, Florida features the Via Dolorosa, the road on which Christ carried the cross. Atop the hill stand the crosses of Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified. Other featured exhibits include the Dead Sea Qumran Caves, the Great Temple that once stood on hallowed Mount Moriah in first century Jerusalem and the traveling tabernacle that was the heart of worship for the children of Israel as they wandered in the desert following their exodus from Egypt.
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The Covered Bridge Capital of the World
By Linda Tancs
Parke County, Indiana may lay claim to the coveted title Covered Bridge Capital of the World. That’s because they have 31 covered bridges in a country (and world) dominated by more modern means of travel. Anyone familiar with The Bridges of Madison County understands the romance of the covered bridge. Maybe that’s why they flock in the thousands to locales like Rockport, Indiana, where the Jackson Covered Bridge of 1861 spans Sugar Creek. Mansfield Bridge draws some two million people annually at the Covered Bridge Festival. We’re not talking relics, either. The 245-foot-long Bridgeton Covered Bridge was constructed in 2006 in Bridgeton, Indiana. Built to last? You betcha.
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Butterfly Town, USA
By Linda Tancs
October is a special time of year at Monarch Grove Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, California. That’s when you can witness the annual migration of the monarch butterfly. The pines and eucalyptus trees of the Sanctuary are saturated with the colorful insects that overwinter in this pleasant climate every year. If you thought this only happened in Mexico, you’re not imagining things. Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains do indeed spend their winters in high mountains in central Mexico. Monarchs west of the Rockies migrate to locations on the central California coast. This spectacular event on the coast has earned the town the nickname Butterfly Town. Led by a team of dedicated docents, you can reach the Sanctuary at Ridge Road between Lighthouse Avenue and Short Street.
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Road Scholars
By Linda Tancs
Learning is lifelong. And worldwide. Combine the two and you get Road Scholars, an educational travel program for the 50-plus set. On a fixed income? No worries. You can hike the waterfalls of the Carolinas and explore lighthouses, shipwrecks and treasures for under $600. The journey may have a price, but the experience is priceless.
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America’s Riding on Them
By Linda Tancs
According to the American Bus Association, motorcoach travel and tourist demand generates more than $55 billion annually in economic transactions. So obviously there’s a lot riding (no pun intended) on this mode of travel. And this isn’t your grandma’s coach. Today’s fleets are outfitted with leather seats, Wi-Fi access and other amenities to ensure safe and comfortable journeys. They even run cleaner than trains, planes and automobiles. Want to learn more? Let the Motorcoach Council coachify you.
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Pumpkin Envy in Providence
By Linda Tancs
Painter Marc Chagall observed that great art picks up where nature ends. But sometimes nature produces great art, like the pumpkin show at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. Through 31 October an amazing array of lighted and intricately carved jack o’lanterns depicting past and contemporary culture will adorn a trail through the zoo. Begin at the giraffe exhibit where the trail actually begins. Commended by the U.S. Library of Congress, the event attracts hordes of fans so be prepared for long waits.
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The PGA of Mini Golf
By Linda Tancs
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is a family-friendly destination. After all, the nearby Children’s Museum of South Carolina has interactive exhibits and programs such as a science lab and a kiddie ATM. And what could be more family friendly than miniature golf. Myrtle Beach is known in many circles as the mini golf capital of the world. So it probably would come as no surprise that the area hosts a Masters National Pro Mini Golf Championship at Hawaiian Rumble, a course sporting a 40- foot lava rock volcano that erupts every 20 minutes or so for a few seconds. The event, held this year between 14 and 17 October, is the official national championship for top professional mini golfers in America. It is approximately five and a half miles from Myrtle Beach International Airport and similar distances from Broadway at the Beach and Barefoot Landing. Look for the Hawaiian Rumble sign at the intersection of Highway 17 and 33rd Avenue South.
