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 Graveyard of the Atlantic
By Linda Tancs
Shipwrecks play a major role in the history of the ocean just offshore of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a region appropriately named the Graveyard of the Atlantic. From Kitty Hawk south to Ocracoke, you can snorkel or dive around 3,000 wrecks, including the first colonial ships of the 1500s and the most German U-boats sunk off any state coast in America. Landlubbers need not miss out. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras offers a full range of exhibits, programs and events covering all major wrecks as well as the area’s cultural and coastal history.
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On the Ridge of First Mountain
By Linda Tancs
Originally known as “Kypsburg,” Kip’s Castle and its grounds span the ridge of First Mountain, on the border between Montclair and Verona townships in New Jersey. Constructed in the early 1900s for textile inventor and industrialist Frederick Ellsworth Kip and his wife, the estate’s glorious 9,000-square-foot mansion replicates a medieval Norman castle. The first floor is open for self-guided tours, a particular treat this time of year with holiday décor in full swing.
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An Alaskan Hero
By Linda Tancs
On January 20, 1925, an outbreak of diphtheria in remote Nome, Alaska, made heroes out of a team of sled dogs thanks to their familiarity with the Iditarod Trail, a 674-mile route typically used to carry mail from Anchorage. In just six days a team of huskies led by Balto covered the route to deliver life saving serum to the citizens of Nome. After furious fundraising, Balto and six companions were brought to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927 and given a hero’s welcome in a triumphant parade through Public Square. The dogs were then taken to the Brookside Zoo (now the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo) to live out their lives in dignity. When Balto died on March 14, 1933, the husky’s body was mounted and is now housed in the permanent collection at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
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The Heart of Old New Orleans
By Linda Tancs
The triple-steepled cathedral forming the backdrop to a triumphal statue of Andrew Jackson in the Big Easy is one of the most iconic images of the city. Completed in 1727, St. Louis Cathedral fronts historically rich Jackson Square and kisses the Mississippi River in the heart of old New Orleans. Dedicated to Louis IX, sainted King of France, it remains the oldest Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States.
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A Miracle in Stone
By Linda Tancs
Touted as the largest man-made grotto in the world, Iowa’s Grotto of the Redemption is a religious shrine comprising nine grottos adorned with a vast collection of building materials, including petrified wood, malachite, azurite, agates, geodes, jasper, quartz, topaz, calcite, stalactites and stalagmites. Located in West Bend, it represents the lifelong work of Father Paul Dobberstein and is included in the National Register of Historic Places. The museum features tools used by Father Dobberstein in the construction of the grotto as well as a documentary video.
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The Old Wagon Trail
By Linda Tancs
Nebraska pays tribute to America’s westward expansion at the Great Platte River Road Archway in Kearney. The 1,500 ton structure crossing 308 feet of the heavily traveled I-80 emulates a covered bridge and commemorates the pioneering spirit—from the Pony Express to the creation of the first transcontinental road (Lincoln Highway). Officially opened on June 9, 2000, it offers visitors the opportunity to see and hear over 170 years of American history.
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Dance Hall Days
By Linda Tancs
If the dance floor boards at Gruene Hall could talk, then imagine the stories they’d tell. Built in 1878, Gruene Hall is Texas’ oldest continually operating dance hall, boasting an original layout of 6,000 square feet and a tin roof. In the early days, it hosted dance parties as well as badger fights. These days, you’re just as likely to find working songwriters trying out new material there or maybe you’ll enjoy a performance by Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville or another well-known artist. In fact, this year marks the venue’s 40th anniversary of the best live music in Texas.
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A Maze in San Jose
By Linda Tancs
The Winchester Mystery House is undoubtedly one of the world’s oddest mansions. Located in San Jose, California, it sports miles of twisting hallways and secret passageways in the walls. Once the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester, the house grew–literally–out of her belief that the spirits of those killed by a Winchester rifle were summoning her to build a haven for them to roam as a sort of penance for the damage wrought by the family business. The story goes that so long as construction of the house never ceased, Mrs. Winchester could rest assured that the spirits would not exact revenge on her. The unrelenting construction over 38 years resulted in a sprawling Victorian mansion containing 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 stairways, 47 fireplaces, 13 bathrooms and six kitchens. A 65-minute tour through 110 of the 160 rooms will expose its bizarre attributes, such as a window built into the floor, staircases leading to nowhere, a chimney that rises four floors, doors that open onto blank walls and upside down posts.
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A Great House in Des Moines
By Linda Tancs
In the early 1920s, cosmetics king Carl Weeks commissioned the building of a signature home in Des Moines, Iowa. Known as Salisbury House, it was inspired by a 15th century manor in Salisbury, England, known as Kings House. Comprising 22,500 square feet on four floors, the 42-room mansion originally included 17 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms. Weeks was fascinated by English homes and Tudor architecture, incorporating 17th century tile from Lord Nelson’s Trafalgar estate in parts of the roofing and adding 16th century English oak paneling and floors to the interior. Family-occupied until 1954, the home is now a house museum, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Along with the gorgeous architecture and 11 acres of woodland, tourists are drawn to the property for its extensive collection of antique furniture, tapestries, fine art, rare books and artifacts.
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A Time Capsule in Mississippi
By Linda Tancs
The USS Cairo was sunk by a Confederate torpedo on December 12, 1862, in the Yazoo River, 13 miles north of Vicksburg, Mississippi. One of seven ironclad gunboats named in honor of towns along the upper Mississippi and Ohio rivers, it bolstered Northern hopes of regaining control of the lower Mississippi River and splitting the Confederacy in two. After its sinking, it remained engulfed in sand and silt until it was located and identified in 1956 and raised on December 12, 1964. Restored for display in Vicksburg National Military Park, its treasure trove of artifacts includes weapons, munitions, naval stores and personal gear of the sailors who served on board. The gunboat and its artifacts can now be seen along the tour road at the USS Cairo Museum.
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