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 Potato Hotel
By Linda Tancs
Just 20 miles from downtown Boise, Idaho, a giant tater has earned a second life as a hotel. Originally built to celebrate the Idaho Potato Commission’s 75th anniversary, the 6-ton spud measures 28 feet long, 12 feet wide and 11.5 feet high. After touring the country for several years to celebrate the state’s prized export, a decision was made to convert the fixture into a hotel. Lest you have any doubts about its viability as a guest house, the potato hotel is air conditioned and energy efficient for optimal heating and cooling. A nearby silo has been converted into a bathroom and a spa complete with a whirlpool and a skylight for star gazing. If you’re into one-of-a-kind stays, then this is the place for you.
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An Old Post Office in Hinsdale
By Linda Tancs
Opened in 1816, the Hinsdale, New Hampshire, post office is the oldest post office in the United States operating continuously out of the same location since its inception. Other post offices have been in operation longer than Hinsdale’s 200-plus years, but not out of the same locale. Located on Main Street, the postal service was once a small part of a general store. One of its most cherished features is the line of brass mailboxes from the 1800s, complete with letter combination locks.
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The King of Ragtime’s House
By Linda Tancs
Scott Joplin, an American composer and pianist, was known as the “King of Ragtime” because of the fame he achieved for his ragtime compositions. Many of his best-known works (like “The Entertainer,” “Elite Syncopations,” “March Majestic” and “Ragtime Dance”) were written between 1901 and 1903 in a small flat on what is now known as Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. Ragtime enjoyed a renaissance in the early 1970s when the motion picture “The Sting” used “The Entertainer” as its theme song. The Scott Joplin House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is now a State Historic Site filled with turn-of-the-century antiques and exhibits interpreting Joplin’s life and work.
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America’s Oldest Theatre
By Linda Tancs
Founded in 1808, Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia is America’s Oldest Theatre. Given its historic bearing, it’s also the Official State Theatre of Pennsylvania as well as a National Historic Landmark. As with any historical property, stories abound. During a backstage tour, you’ll hear many of them, like who took the first curtain call and how the venue started as an equestrian circus. Some of the world’s most famous performers have played there, including Marlon Brando, Paul Robeson, Audrey Hepburn, Helen Hayes, Groucho Marx and Sidney Poitier. If only the walls could talk, and in some cases they do, considering that centuries-old brick is exposed in some places. The theatre is conveniently located in the heart of Center City.
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The Little Apple
By Linda Tancs
Nestled in the heart of the scenic Flint Hills, Manhattan, Kansas, is probably best known as the home of Kansas State University. Given its name, it should come as no surprise that it’s nicknamed “The Little Apple” as a play on New York City. Like its eastern sister, you’ll find great dining, shopping and outdoor activities. Just outside the city is Konza Prairie scenic overlook, where reportedly you’ll find some of the most picturesque Kansas sunsets. Hike the trails and learn about the endangered tallgrass ecosystem.
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Americana in the Valley
By Linda Tancs
The centerpiece of the Brandywine Valley, Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is an American estate formerly owned by renowned antiques collector and horticulturist Henry Francis du Pont. Located in Winterthur, Delaware, it reportedly has the most significant collection of American decorative arts in the world, boasting nearly 90,000 objects made or used in America since 1640. Along with the stunning mansion, Winterthur also features 1,000 acres of protected meadows, woodlands, ponds and waterways as well as a 60-acre garden designed by du Pont. To make the most of your visit, buy the Winterthur Experience Package, which admits you to the major entertaining spaces on a self-guided tour of the fifth floor of the house and includes access to the garden and walking trails.
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California’s Oldest Zoo
By Linda Tancs
Founded in 1907, Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka is California’s oldest zoo. It bears the distinction of being nestled amidst the majestic old-growth redwoods in Sequoia Park, providing a magnificent backdrop for one of the smallest accredited zoos in the country. Because of its modest size, it doesn’t house the star attractions like elephants, giraffes or lions, but it does feature rare and endangered animals such as red pandas, bush dogs and Chacoan peccaries along with a barnyard experience for children with donkeys, alpacas, rabbits, goats, sheep and fowl. You can also experience the forest along the Redwood Sky Walk, the longest sky walk in the western United States, which is only accessible through the zoo. Reaching 100 feet above the forest floor, it comprises a network of suspended bridges that reach across and through old-growth and mature second-growth redwood trees.
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A Legend in Princeton
By Linda Tancs
The boyhood home of Renaissance man Paul Robeson takes pride of place on Witherspoon Street in Princeton, New Jersey. Known appropriately enough as The Paul Robeson House of Princeton, the three-story, wood frame house is the place where the legendary actor, singer, activist, scholar, writer, law school graduate and athlete was born. The son of a former slave-turned-preacher, he remained in the home while his father served as pastor of Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church. The home’s executive board provides programs for individuals and organizations sharing Robeson’s commitment to advocacy and human rights.
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Greyhound Capital of the World
By Linda Tancs
Abilene, Kansas, is the heart of the greyhound industry in the United States, earning for itself the moniker “Greyhound Capital of the World.” The history of the world’s fastest canine is presented at the Greyhound Hall of Fame, where you’ll find displays of greyhounds from ancient times to the present as well as information on handlers who shaped the industry. The museum’s official greeters are two retired racers, whose only interest is in chasing after your affection. Admission is free.
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A Magical Place in Michigan
By Linda Tancs
Touted as sporting the largest collection of magic open to the public, the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan, is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of magic for audiences of all ages. You’ll find thousands of artifacts illuminating the stories of Houdini, Blackstone, Thurston and many others. Its collections are based on the vast holdings of the late Detroit-area journalist Robert Lund, who amassed apparatus and illusions, more than 12,000 books on conjuring, letters, diaries, memorabilia, photographs, 3,000 posters, scrapbooks and periodicals, costumes and approximately 350,000 pieces of ephemera. No wonder the museum has been called the “Smithsonian of American Magic.”
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