Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for national scenic byway
Arizona’s First All-American Road
By Linda Tancs
Short on miles but long on views. That’s what you can expect from Arizona’s Red Rock Scenic Byway, winding its way through the iconic red rock region of Sedona as well as the Village of Oak Creek. The road’s designation as an All-American Road means that it is a destination unto itself. Just a mere 7.5 miles long, the scenes include the juniper and pine-rich environment of Coconino National Forest, rock formations like Castle Rock, Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte, three golf courses and ample terrain for hikers and mountain bikers.
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Where America Happened
By Linda Tancs
A National Scenic Byway designation is the highest honor that the U.S. Secretary of Transportation can bestow on a roadway, recognizing its outstanding significance culturally, historically, recreationally or otherwise. That honorific was recently granted to America’s corridor, an 180-mile long thoroughfare running from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia–known as the Journey Through Hallowed Ground. The area represents what late historian C. Vann Woodward referred to as a route that “soaked up more of the blood, sweat, and tears of American history than any other part of the country.” Indeed, along this region you’ll find the Civil War’s hallowed grounds in and around Gettysburg as well as the Dobbin House, a Civil War hospital and reputed safe house for enslaved African Americans traveling north in search of freedom. You’ll see colonial taverns and a Revolutionary War-era prison, a historic gristmill and battlefield, superb architectural specimens of the 1800s and a sampling of presidential mansions including James Monroe and Thomas Jefferson. Of course, there’s lots more. But why should I spoil it for you? See for yourself.
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Historic Lisbon
By Linda Tancs
Yes, Lisbon is historic. No, we’re not talking about that legendary city in Portugal with over 20 centuries of history and its capital since its conquest from the Moors in 1147. We’re talking about Lisbon, Connecticut, a small community named after its sister city in Portugal. Located along the old stagecoach route linking Norwich, Connecticut and Worcester, Massachusetts, it’s perhaps best known as a chief leaf-peeping destination given its location on Route 169, a National Scenic Byway. Thirty two miles in length, you can take in all the autumn wonder in just one day. Besides the leaves, there’s plenty more to this route, especially for history buffs. You can take a tour from Canterbury to Pulpit Rock Road Marker in North Woodstock, viewing along the way the first academy for young black women in New England, a stop on the Underground Railroad, and monuments to early settlers, war heroes, and famous legislators.
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