USA Travel Ideas

Appalachian Mountains, Pennsylvania

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:39:16 +0000

Here in the Northeast, we're accustomed to magnificent color shows every autumn. But a day trip through the Appalachian Mountains on the northern edge of Pennsylvania outdid even my wildest expectations. We began by heading north out of Reading on U.S. Highway 61, which we followed for many miles. The colors were brilliant, and the beautiful [...]

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Appalachian Mountains, Pennsylvania

America's Stonehenge, New Hampshire

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:52:42 +0000

During a recent trip through New England, my husband and I visited one of the largest megalithic sites in North America--America's Stonehenge near Salem, New Hampshire. Like England's Stonehenge, the site's stone chambers and walls comprise an ancient solar and lunar calendar--and it's still accurate, some 4,000 years after it was built. Astronomers and archaeologists [...]

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America's Stonehenge, New Hampshire

Stained Glass Manor, Vicksburg, Mississippi

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:26:14 +0000

Civil war buffs who visit Vicksburg, Mississippi shouldn't miss Stained Glass Manor, a bed-and-breakfast that offers public tours. Our guide, owner Bill Smollen, regaled us with tales of local history. He told us the home was built by a descendant of town founder Burwell Vick. Designed in 1902 by George Washington Maher--who taught Frank Lloyd Wright--the [...]

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Stained Glass Manor, Vicksburg, Mississippi

Glen Eyrie Castle, Colorado

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:55:39 +0000

For 30 years, I've been fascinated with Glen Eyrie, a magnificent old estate with a castle on a hill, set against a dramatic canyon wall backdrop here in Colorado Springs. General William Jackson Palmer, a Civil War hero and railroad magnate who founded Colorado Springs, originally built a 22-room wooden house for his wife at Glen [...]

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Glen Eyrie Castle, Colorado

Smokey Bear Historical Park, New Mexico

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:08:04 +0000

Smokey Bear Historical Park in Capitan, New Mexico is a tribute to the most beloved symbol of forest fire prevention--and the actual resting place of the real Smokey. The U.S. Forest Service chose a bear to illustrate its fire-prevention program in 1944. Six years later, a 4-pound cub was found after a disastrous fire in the [...]

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Smokey Bear Historical Park, New Mexico

Waterfalls in Dunsmuir, California

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:26:54 +0000

Waterfalls are abundant in northern California, but the remote town of Dunsmuir boasts two cascades that are easy to reach. Hedge Creek Falls is in Hedge Creek Park on the north side of Dunsmuir, just west of I-5. The trail to the 30-foot-high falls starts by a picturesque little picnic area with great views of the Sacramento River, the river canyon and Mount Shasta. The path winds serenely, but sometimes steeply with steps, down to the falls. You can even walk behind the falls.

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Waterfalls in Dunsmuir, California

Ashfall Fossil Beds State Park, Nebraska

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:54:52 +0000

Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park in northeast Nebraska contains the largest intact fossil bed ever discovered from that time period. It includes hundreds of perfectly preserved animal skeletons (see above) wrapped in a blanket of ash that's thought to be 10 million years old. Scientists believe the ash came from an Idaho volcano more than [...]

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Ashfall Fossil Beds State Park, Nebraska

Carter House Museum of Nashville, Tennessee

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:04:45 +0000

We're big Civil War buffs, so we wanted our grandchildren, Jessica, 10, and Mikey, 8, to experience some Civil War history. But we didn't want to overwhelm them with a big and crowded historic site like Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. So we looked around and found a true treasure just 15 miles south of [...]

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Carter House Museum of Nashville, Tennessee

Montezuma Castle and Walnut Canyon, Arizona

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:44:34 +0000

When it comes to tourist attractions, the Grand Canyon gets marquee billing--and justifiably so. But while stationed at the Grand Canyon with the National Park Service, my husband and I discovered many hidden gems nearby that deserve a share of the spotlight. I'm referring to Montezuma Castle, Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National [...]

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Montezuma Castle and Walnut Canyon, Arizona

Hand-Dug Oil Well, Wyoming

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:21:56 +0000

Oil wells dug by hand are rare, and one that actually produces oilâ€¦well, the hand-dug well outside Newcastle is probably the only one. That alone makes it worth visiting--you can even work the hand-pump yourself! In the 1960s, I watched as the late Al Smith, armed with little more than a pick, a shovel and sheer [...]

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Hand-Dug Oil Well, Wyoming

Women's Rights National Historical Park

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:17:44 +0000

At the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, I got a fascinating look at the women's suffrage movement, which was born here in the mid-1800s. The visitor's center features an outstanding orientation film and adjoins Wesleyan Chapel, site of the pivotal 1848 women's rights convention--the first event of its kind in the United States. [...]

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Women's Rights National Historical Park

Quabbin Reservoir, Massachusetts

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:21:48 +0000

The immense Quabbin Reservoir in central Massachusetts offers spectacular scenic views, especially in fall (above). The 39-square-mile Quabbin is the world's largest manmade reservoir devoted solely to water supply--it provides water for the Boston area, about 65 miles east. It holds 412 billion gallons of water! At the Visitor Center outside Belchertown, you'll learn about [...]

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Quabbin Reservoir, Massachusetts

Spinach Festival - Crystal City, Texas

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:28:05 +0000

Remember Popeye's source of superhuman strength? So does Crystal City, Texas, which calls itself the "Spinach Capital of the World." The town honors the feisty cartoon character with a statue outside City Hall,erected in 1937, and it also throws a rollicking Spinach Festival every November. The lineup includes a spectacular paradeâ€¦the crowning of the Spinach [...]

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Spinach Festival - Crystal City, Texas

Ozark National Forest, Arkansas

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:38:18 +0000

In the Ozark National Forest in northwestern Arkansas, you'll find breathtaking vistas and awesome rock formations in the Pedestal Rocks Scenic Area, east of the town of Pelsor. To reach these enormous eroded sandstone columns, just follow the 2-1/4-mile Pedestal Rocks Trail along a line of bluffs; the path is steep in some places, but easy [...]

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Ozark National Forest, Arkansas

Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp, Kentucky

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:59:39 +0000

A coal mine may not sound like it's worth a side trip, but Kentucky's Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp certainly is. You can get there via the Big South Fork Scenic Railway, an open-air train based in the small town of Stearns. At its peak, the remote mine employed 300 men. Recordings in the "ghost structures" [...]

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Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp, Kentucky

Dutch Winter Fest in Holland, Michigan

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:59:39 +0000

If you're looking for a delightful way to usher in the holidays, consider going Dutch--as in Dutch WinterFest. Held each year here in Holland, Michigan, it celebrates the season with colorful pageantry and old-world charm. Holland was founded by Dutch settlers in 1847, and its streetscapes reflect their Netherlands heritage, with stepped gable roofs, brick walkways and [...]

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Dutch Winter Fest in Holland, Michigan

Red River Steakhouse, Texas

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:19:29 +0000

We made a great discovery this summer--the Red River Steakhouse in McLean, Texas. Texas is known for its steaks, and this eatery follows that tradition. Owners Gabe and Cozy Parson, who also run a local cattle ranch, serve up an 8-ounce aged rib eye steak, salad, potato or rice plus cobbler for dessert for only $10.95 [...]

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Red River Steakhouse, Texas

Prospect RV Park Near Pearsony Falls, Oregon

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 09:15:03 +0000

The area around Prospect, Oregon is beautiful--it's on the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, which is often called the "Highway of Waterfalls." When my wife and I camped at Prospect RV Park, we found pretty Pearsony Falls--plus two taller falls, within about a mile of our campground, and more nearby. The park is located about halfway between I-5 [...]

Hanford Mills Museum, New York

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:53:04 +0000

Just 35 miles from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and nestled in the foothills of New York's Catskill Mountains, the Hanford Mills Museum in East Meredith provides a fascinating glimpse of America's industrial past. Established back in 1846 and owned for most of its commercial life by the David Josiah Hanford family, [...]

Visiting Georgetown, Tennessee

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:11:39 +0000

Looking to visit a peaceful town that's full of interesting attractions? Well, my husband, Jim, and I highly recommend Georgetown on the South Carolina coast. Originally established in 1729 as a shipping point for rice and indigo grown on area plantations, this cute little seaport on the Sampit River is historic yet Mayberry-esque. You'll admire the 32-square-block downtown district that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places (keep an eye out for the light-blue markers that identify historic structures) and love the friendly hometown atmosphere.

Giant Springs State Park, Montana

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:35:32 +0000

My family always enjoys stopping at Giant Springs State Park in Great Falls, Montana. The park is named for the huge spring discovered in 1805 by the Lewis & Clark expedition. Giant Springs is one of the world's largest freshwater springs, with a daily flow of 338 million gallons of water a day! The crystal-clear spring [...]

Bohemian Cafe, Nebraska

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:06:44 +0000

If you're hungry for authentic Czech cuisine, stop at the Bohemian Cafe in Omaha, Nebraska. Established in 1924, the restaurant reflects the area's strong Czech heritage. Specialties include goulash, roast duck and veal--and you can't beat the wonderful sauerbraten and traditional sweet-and-sour cabbage and dumplings. For dessert, I recommend the homemade apple strudel and kolaches--pastries with fruit [...]

Johnstown Floor Museum, Pennsylvania

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:46:31 +0000

The Johnstown Flood Museum brings to life one of the worst man-made disasters in U.S. history--the tragic flood that devastated this industrial town on May 31, 1889. After the South Fork Dam 14 miles north of town failed during an intense rainstorm, a 35-foot-high wall of water killed over 2,200 of the area's 30,000 residents, injured [...]

Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:29:44 +0000

I happily paid a second visit to the Museum of the Plains Indian on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning, Montana, near Glacier National Park. My husband and I squeezed in a quick tour several years ago when we were in the area. But I really wanted more time to explore this outstanding collection of historic arts created by 11 tribes of the North Plains.

Palisades State Park, South Dakota

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 04:19:33 +0000

We bought a camper to create special memories with our grandchildren, and Palisades State Park, just outside Garretson, South Dakota, proved to be a great place to start. The Split Rock River runs alongside the campground in this beautiful park, which is filled with lovely red Sioux quartzite formations and chasms. We had a great time [...]