Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!A Famed Park in the Finger Lakes
By Linda Tancs
Watkins Glen State Park is arguably the most famous state park in New York’s Finger Lakes region. It’s prized for the Gorge Trail, a path nearly 2 miles long that boasts 19 waterfalls and over 800 stone steps. Proper footwear is essential, as is a camera. The park is located right on Main Street in Watkins Glen; metered parking is located opposite the entrance.
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An Electrifying Home in Northumberland
By Linda Tancs
Surrounded by one of Europe’s largest rock gardens, Cragside is a Victorian country house near the town of Rothbury in Northumberland, England. Built in 1863 by Lord Armstrong (a civil and mechanical engineer), it was the first house in the world to be lit using hydroelectricity, harnessing lakes on the estate to generate electricity through a turbine. You can take a walk around two of those lakes, one of many waymarked trails among the estate’s 1,000 acres.
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A Jewel in Central Park
By Linda Tancs
Located in the heart of New York’s Central Park, Bethesda Terrace is an architectural jewel and one of the first structures built in the iconic park. Its layout includes two staircases flanking an extraordinary interior walkway that links the tree-lined promenade known as the Mall to Bethesda Fountain and Central Park Lake. Known as Bethesda Terrace Arcade, its ceiling is the show-stopper, the only one in the world featuring encaustic or inlaid tiles which were more typically used as flooring. Manufactured by Britain’s Minton & Co. in the 1860s, 16,000 tiles are set in 49 panels to create a colorful, geometric pattern.
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Shrimping in Florida
By Linda Tancs
Florida’s Amelia Island is known for its stunning beaches and Civil War history, but its maritime history is equally significant. In fact, the locale is known as “the birthplace of the modern shrimping industry.” At the Shrimp Museum at the City Marina in downtown Fernandina Beach, you can learn about the families that brought modern shrimping to Florida and their descendants who keep alive the traditions. And this time of year (the first weekend in May), the annual Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival attracts over 100,000 visitors to this barrier island in the northeast. The event features a pirate ship parade, fireworks, free concerts and, of course, shrimp vendors.
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An Island in the Sky
By Linda Tancs
It’s no wonder why Alabama’s Cheaha State Park is called an island in the sky. Located at the state’s highest point on the southernmost tip of the Appalachian mountain chain, thousands of acres of granite boulders and ancient trees sit above the clouds at 2,407 feet above sea level, surrounded by 392,567 acres of the Talladega National Forest. The park’s name is derived from the word “chaha,” a Creek Nation term meaning “high place.” Despite its seemingly remote location, it’s only 30 minutes away from several historic downtowns like Oxford, Heflin, Anniston, Talladega, Lineville, Munford and Ashland. Get there via the Talladega Scenic Drive (Alabama Highway 281) or the Cheaha Road (County Road 42) from Munford, which winds its way through the Talladega National Forest.
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Quilt City USA
By Linda Tancs
Quilting is, indeed, a thing, especially if you visit Paducah, Kentucky. Affectionately known as Quilt City USA, the locale hosts the National Quilt Museum. It’s fair to say that the facility is a popular attraction, greeting over 100,000 visitors each year. You’ll find quilts from 1980 to the present, over 650 quilts representing 47 states and 12 countries. The smallest quilt measures 3.75 inches square; the largest quilt is 110 inches square. The collection even includes one quilt made entirely of wood. Join them this week for Quilt Week!
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The Inca Trail
By Linda Tancs
The Inca Trail is a hiking trail in Peru that terminates at Machu Picchu. Lauded as one of the most iconic treks in the world, you’ll be following in the footsteps of the ancient Incas, who ultimately designed a network reaching 25,000 miles through their South American empire. The classic route to Machu Picchu is 26 miles from the trailhead known as Kilometre 82 to the ancient citadel, which is sprinkled with ruins and cloud-cloaked mountainsides. That trek generally takes four days and includes camping. A shorter trail from Kilometre 104 can be accomplished in a day. Whichever trek you choose, you’ll need a permit so it’s advisable to book several months in advance. The end of April or May is a good time to visit; the ground is drier and permits generally won’t sell out as fast as during the peak season from June to August.
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The Redwoods of Micronesia
By Linda Tancs
Yela Ka Forest is a conservation area of “ka” trees (Terminalia carolinensis) on the island of Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia and represents the last stand of such trees in the world. The dense vegetation in the island’s interior, with almost no invasive species, is likely the reason for the trees’ preservation there. Their immense size strikes comparison with California’s redwoods, leading to the moniker “Redwoods of Micronesia.” Be sure to take an interpretative nature tour with an experienced guide. You can reach Kosrae via flights from Guam or Honolulu.
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Missions to Maharajas
By Linda Tancs
Saint Hill Manor is reputedly the finest 18th-century sandstone building in Sussex, England. It also boasts quite the history, having served a variety of purposes ranging from a Christian mission to the home of a maharaja of Jaipur. Its notoriety continued when it was acquired by L. Ron Hubbard as a family home and became British headquarters for his Church of Scientology. Tours of the house are available by advance booking, but the grounds are open daily and include nearly 60 acres of landscaped gardens, woodlands and lakes. The estate is located on the outskirts of East Grinstead, an ancient market town.
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America’s Kazoo Factory
By Linda Tancs
Beaufort, South Carolina, may be best known for its waterfront and period mansions, a place for quiet relaxation. You can break the silence, though, at the Kazoobie Kazoo Factory, the site of America’s only plastic kazoo factory. You can take a guided factory tour and make your own kazoo. The facility also includes a museum showcasing the history of this musical invention and boasts the largest collection of kazoos and related memorabilia available to the public.
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