First, check out the book “Fifty Places to Bike Before You Die,” by Chris Santella (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $24.95). Santella is more editor than author — he enlists advice from a hosts of cyclists, from advocates to tour guides to writers. It’s a great read, and for cyclists like us, it’s like reading a dessert menu that spans the globe.

For those of us sticking closer to home, I wrote a list of cross-state bike rides for the Boston Globe that I’m reprinting here. As avid cyclists know, nearly every state these days offers some kind of multiple-day ride. Many are staged by volunteers or advocacy groups and are quite affordable, though, yeah, you’re not staying at the Four Seasons. For you luxury-minded riders, I suggest a trip with a commercial tour company, of which there are zillions. For the rest of us, check these out or Google your way to rides in your favorite states.

Participants of the Ride the Rockies

RIDE THE ROCKIES

One of the most rugged cross-state tours, this year’s sold-out Colorado version (right), from Telluride to Colorado Springs, features three scenic mountain passes and 20,400 feet of climbing over 513 miles. June 8-15, http://www.ridetherockies.com (Some friends are about to embark on an awesome Colorado tour. I had to pass because of my work schedule. So sad.)

BIKEMAINE

Inaugural weeklong event kicks off Sept. 7 with a challenging 400-mile loop starting in Orono and including stops in Belfast, Castine, Bar Harbor, and Bangor, with a cumulative elevation gain of 24,000 feet. Routes will change yearly. http://ride.bikemaine.org/

RAGBRAI

The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, an annual seven-day, 470-mile ride in July, is the oldest (since 1972), largest, and longest bicycle touring event in the world. Day passes available. July 21-27, http://www.ragbrai.com (I did this in 2005.  What a blast!!!!!!!! Make sure you train for it!)

RIDE ACROSS WASHINGTON

This year’s tour, themed “Pines to Vines,” takes 250 riders from near the Canadian border north of Spokane south to the Hood River with about 21,000 feet of climbing and spectacular scenery. Aug. 3-10, http://www.cascade.org

Logo of the 2013 Bike Florida tour

BIKE FLORIDA

The 20th anniversary ride, in early spring 2014, will showcase northeast Florida’s back roads, trails, and beaches. Dates and stops to be determined. http://www.bikeflorida.org

A walkway runs along Lake Taneycomo in Branson [Photo ExploreBranson.com]

If you like family-friendly variety shows and if you don’t need a drink during said show, and if you are Christian and patriotic, you’ll love Branson. I was there for a travel writers’ conference last weekend and toured around a bit. Truthfully, I felt a bit like a donkey out of water, so to speak. But that’s OK. I appreciated Branson for what it offered its fans, of which there are many. (The fairly remote Ozark Mountains town of just 10,500 hosts more than 7.5 million tourists a year and generates nearly $3 billion in annual tourism revenue. Wow.) And I admired its resilience after a tornado destroyed many buildings just last year, including the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, where I stayed. There was nary a sign of distress at the Hilton, one of the nicest I’ve stayed in.

Branson Airport

The two-room Branson Airport, serviced by Southwest, is totally cute, with hillbilly décor befitting its locale. Tourists visit two areas – “the strip,” Highway 76, where the show theaters are, and downtown. In town, Main and Commercial streets are home to several “flea market” type shops and the famous Dick’s 5 and 10 (loved the linoleum and the merchandise). A block away on the waterfront is the newish Branson Landing development, an outdoor mall anchored by Bass Pro Shops White River Outpost. A walkway runs along Lake Taneycomo (which connects to Table Rock Lake), and the view is lovely. The main fountain area is a favorite gathering place for visitors. I also recommend Waxy O’Shea’s, where I had a most delicious Mother’s IPA, brewed up the road in Springfield, Mo.

Mother’s IPA is brewed up the road in Springfield, Mo.

The tourism folks took my group on a few side trips, including to Silver Dollar City, a longtime amusement park now boasting a giant wooden roller coaster called Outlaw Run. Also wild is the Powder Keg coaster, which launches passengers from zero to 53 miles-per-hour in 2.8 seconds. I had no idea that was its “thing,” and when I watched it from standing still to screaming speed, my jaw dropped.

We writers broke up into groups and toured different spots. I checked out Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, developed by the Bass Pro folks. This is nature lite, and quite manufactured at that, but it’s well done and I’m guessing introduces people to the great outdoors who might not otherwise venture out. Visitors can explore the 6-mile paved loop by foot, bike or guided tram, and only the tram will take you to the Elk and Bison pasture. I cycled, and it was quite pleasant. The chapel was particularly nice – I’m sure many people get married there.

Cycling at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park

Some of my writer friends on that trip went on to the Branson Zipline, which they described as soft adventure, but any zipline is too much for me, so I passed. Others went fishing with the Bass Pro folks. That sounded cool, but, again, not my thing. I wish I’d had time to kayak. Folks at Kayak Branson told me they were considering a kayak station right from Branson Landing, which would be wonderfully convenient. Another writer friend loved her tour of Christian-focused College of the Ozarks, aka “Hard Work U.,” where students work instead of pay tuition. They make their own everything, including clothing, furniture, and butter, and even run a hotel. Interesting! I wish I’d had the chance to see it. All the writers toured the Titanic Museum Attraction, fascinating in that inside the half-scale replica you feel you’re on the Titanic.

After my visit, I’m now very curious to see “We Always Lie to Strangers,” a new documentary billed as “a story of family, community, music and tradition set against the backdrop of Branson.” The film also explores how conservative Branson will change (or not) as the country becomes more socially liberal. Interesting points to ponder about this  intriguing place to visit.

]]> http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/fans-of-family-entertainment-flock-to-branson/feed/ 0 didaniel Photo ExploreBranson.com Branson Airport Mother’s IPA is brewed up the road in Springfield, Mo. Cycling at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/southport-a-safe-haven-for-under-the-dome/ http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/southport-a-safe-haven-for-under-the-dome/#comments Sun, 12 May 2013 12:18:12 +0000 didaniel http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/?p=7123 ]]> One of the loveliest waterfront towns on the entire East Coast is Southport, North  Carolina. It’s also a popular place for shooting films. One, “Safe Haven,” just came out on DVD. Another, the TV series “Under the Dome,” debuts this summer. Here’s a story I wrote about Southport, which ran May 12 in “The Boston Globe.” 

By Diane Daniel

The Southport Yacht Basin is home to several seafood restaurants

With maps in hand, Nina Walsh and Mary Koehler gazed up at Moore Street Market, a popular cafe housed in a historic wood-frame building in picture-perfect Southport, N.C., on the mouth of the Cape Fear River.

“When we saw the movie, there it was, and I thought, hey, I ate lunch at that store!” Koehler said. The friends, both living in nearby Leland, with Walsh a recent transplant from Swampscott, Mass., had made a return trip to Southport after seeing the romantic thriller “Safe Haven,” based on the book of the same name by syrupy scribe Nicholas Sparks.

“They told us about this tour in the Visitor’s Center,” said Walsh, waving a “Safe Haven Filming Locations” pamphlet. “Everyone walking in the door was asking about the movie.”

The river pilots’ tower is “Station WYBS” for the filming of “Under the Dome”

Because nearby Wilmington houses the largest film production facility east of Los Angeles, Hollywood is old hat in these parts. Southport’s credits include the 1986 film “Crimes of the Heart,” the TV series “Matlock,” and the just-out HBO movie “Mary and Martha.” The highest-profile show to be filmed here is still in production — the Stephen King science-fiction series “Under the Dome,” set to premiere on CBS June 24.

Waterfront Park, overlooking the Cape Fear River, is a popular spot for relaxing

But “Safe Haven,” released May 7 on DVD, stands out as the one anointed for red-carpet treatment because the town itself plays a leading role. If you’ve seen the sentimental film, in which “Katie” (Julianne Hough) winds up on the Carolina coast after fleeing a dangerous Boston cop and then falls for local shop owner “Alex” (Josh Duhamel), you’ll likely agree that Southport steals the show. With a few exceptions, everything depicted in “Safe Haven” exists — a picturesque harbor, small retail shops dotting a lively downtown, streets lined with Victorian homes, stately oaks draped with Spanish moss, and bustling waterfront seafood restaurants. And, yes, the town of 2,900 residents really does host an exuberant July 4th parade — officially the North Carolina Fourth of July Festival — which attracts upwards of 50,000 visitors. Last year’s parade was even reenacted a month later for the filming, using townspeople as extras.

Like Walsh and Koehler, I’d started my tour at the waterfront Southport Visitor’s Center and Museum, housed in the 1810 garrison house built for officers at Fort Johnston. Only the house, a plaque, and small sections of crumbling tabby walls remain on the site, established by the British in 1745.

Attractive piers line the river near downtown Southport

One museum display is devoted to Southport’s literary luminary, Robert Ruark, who spent summers here in the 1920s with his grandfather, the inspiration for “The Old Man and the Boy” magazine series about their outdoor adventures. But the bulk of the space is filled with “Safe Haven” memorabilia, everything from on-location photos to actors’ articles of clothing and an impressive array of props from pivotal scenes. Most items were hand picked by Southport tourism director and film liaison Cindy Brochure, who credits the film with the town’s skyrocketing popularity.

“The movie came out on Valentine’s Day, and March blew us out of the water with about 3,500 people coming through instead of the usual 350,” she said. “May through August is our busy time, so it’s going to be crazy.”

I learned that two in-demand film sites could not be visited. “Ryan’s Port Market,” Alex’s shop, was built for the movie and later torn down, though Brochure managed to nab its charmingly stubborn door for display, and Katie’s shabby-chic home was squirreled away on private property miles from town.

I had to break the news to Walsh while we compared notes on the street corner.

“I really wanted to see Katie’s cottage,” she said. “You can’t even see it from the street?”

“Safe Haven”-themed artwork has been a boon for Ricky Evans Gallery

No, I told her, before directing her to the next best thing — the Ricky Evans Gallery, where I’d been lured in by a sidewalk cart touting “Safe Haven Art.” Inside the 1920s bungalow, I found Evans’s prescient handiwork — framed giclee photographs on canvas of Katie’s cottage, Ryan’s Port Market, Ivan’s Fish Shack (where Katie worked and in reality the Old American Fish Co.) and other scenes from the movie, which Evans got permission to shoot during filming.

“I had a feeling the movie was going to be big for Southport,” Evans said. “In hindsight, I wish I’d taken even more shots.”

Business is up more than 50 percent, said Evans, who can recite story after story of inspired customers.

“Two college students from Alabama just drove here on their spring break and were all excited. They’d seen the movie three times and said Southport did not disappoint. Another couple in South Carolina saw the movie on Friday and came up on Saturday.”

The 1890 Robert Ruark Inn

Tour guide Rick Pukenas isn’t surprised by visitors’ reactions — he and his wife were similarly smitten during a search for a property to buy. Last year they took over the 1890 Robert Ruark Inn, the launching point for the late author’s work. The idea for Southport Tours grew out of Pukenas’s free golf-cart tours for guests.

“Southport is like a Norman Rockwell print,” Pukenas noted. “We’re not near a major highway. It’s not a great place for partying. It’s just a quiet, pleasant place.”

I signed up for a basic history tour that included film sites — occasionally one and the same.

When we stopped in front of the restored Old Jail, the former 1904 county jail and now home to the Southport Historical Society, he asked, “Guess who the most famous prisoner here was?”

As I racked my brain for names of Carolina criminals, he answered, “Sissy Spacek. ‘Crimes of the Heart.’ ” Of course.

Across the street is the Old Smithville Burying Ground, the 18th-century graveyard bearing the original town name, where an obelisk marker honors lost river pilots and where, I later learned, a scene from “Under the Dome” had been shot.

The view from Fishy Fishy at sunset is a daily draw

We tooled down the main drag to Waterfront Park, where folks filled the swings and benches facing the river. As we passed the wooden river pilots’ tower, Pukenas pointed out radio call letters WYBS on the side — for the station in “Under the Dome.” Our final stop was Southport Yacht Basin, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean. It’s home to several seafood joints with waterfront views, including Old American Fish Co., aka Ivan’s. The real Ivan’s doesn’t serve food, but, along with Fishy Fishy Cafe, a few buildings up, it’s the perfect spot for a sunset toast. A block away, Pukenas showed me the 1879 Grey Burriss House, where “Alex” lived. Just as he pointed across the street to where Ryan’s Port Market had been, two women in a minivan inched past us scoping out “Safe Haven” sights. Pukenas handed them his card and they were waiting for his next tour by the time ours was finished.

I didn’t want to leave the area without checking out the hauntingly beautiful black-water cypress swamp Katie and Alex had traversed in a canoe, but I learned the filming had taken place on private land. So I went to Emma Thomas, owner of the Adventure Company, a kayak and bicycle outfitter and tour operator, for location advice and to confirm what I’d suspected — the paddle scene in the film, while romantic, was unrealistic because Katie, in front, faced Alex and paddled backward.

The scenery along Rice Creek is similar to a scene in “Safe Haven”

“Correct; you’d never do that,” Thomas said, before pointing me to Rice Creek, a similar setting 20 miles up the road. As I glided past centuries-old bald cypress trees, watched turtles sunning, and listened to a pair of chatty barred owls, remnants of tinsel town vanished.

Thomas later reported she’d been receiving numerous inquiries from people wanting to re-create Katie and Alex’s outing.

“People are really intrigued by the scenery,” she said. “We guide tours out there, and we promise to have everybody sitting in the right direction.”

Diane cycles in the Tye River valley in rural Nelson County

While we were exploring the Brew Ridge Trail south of Charlottesville, Va., for a magazine article, we took a day off to bicycle. Lina created one of her trademark custom loops using Google maps and our collection of trusted DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteers. We did a 42-mile loop around rural Nelson County, and the scenery was just gorgeous. Lina mostly kept us in valleys and along rivers, though we did have a few challenging climbs and some long stretches on dirt roads (surprise!).

Woodson’s Mill in Lowesville, VA

One of the many delightful sights we happened upon was Woodson’s Mill in Lowesville, a village that used to be an important stop along the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway. The building was so impressive that I stopped to take a look, and of course Lina snapped several photos. The gate was locked, so we didn’t poke around. Later, I was delighted to read on the mill’s website that it has been owned by only a small handful of families since its construction in 1794 and is operational! Read the full history here.

More info from the website: The late J. Gill Brockenbrough Jr. purchased the property in the early 1980s and started a massive restoration effort there. The mill served as the backdrop to son Will Brockenbrough’s childhood and formed his appreciation for history, architecture, and historic preservation. Will and his wife, Sarah, reopened the mill and now run it. How wonderful!

All-natural flours and meals are made at Woodson’s Mill (photo by Woodson’s Mill, LLC)

They make all-natural flours and meals in small batches, by hand, with stone-ground grains. All the power for grinding comes from the Piney River’s water, which runs the Mill’s overshot wheel and hand-dressed millstones, making the entire process renewable and sustainable.

And now, for the best part: Woodson’s Mill is open May 25 through October 26 on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. If you can’t go then, contact the owners to see if you can make an appointment for a different time. Or, if you can’t make it to the Mill Store, their products are available online and at regional retailers.

What a happy story, and it’s not over yet!

Dogwood at Matthis Family Cemetery in Clinton, NC

MATTHIS FAMILY TREE, NORTH CAROLINA

One of the largest dogwoods in the country, measuring 31 feet tall with an average branch spread of 48 feet and a trunk circumference of 114 inches, this tree heralds spring from Matthis Family Cemetery in Clinton. I wrote a full story about it a couple years ago. Love that tree!

American elm at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

SURVIVOR TREE, OKLAHOMA

Despite being heavily damaged, this American elm, more than a century old, survived the bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, and is now part of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Its saplings are distributed on the bombing’s anniversary. http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org

WEEPING BEECH, MASSACHUSETTS

The Captain Bangs Hallet House in Yarmouthport is famous for the photogenic beech in its back yard, which is more than 60 feet tall and estimated to be between 150 and 200 years old. http://www.hsoy.org

Morton Oak in Nebraska City, Nebraska

MORTON OAK, NEBRASKA

This survivor of an old oak savanna remains a beloved spot at Arbor Day Farm, a 260-acre historic landmark and visitor attraction on the original property of J. Sterling Morton, a journalist who encouraged tree planting and who started Arbor Day in Nebraska City in 1872. http://www.arbordayfarm.org

GENERAL SHERMAN, CALIFORNIA

This giant sequoia at Sequoia National Park commands the world’s attention. By volume it’s the largest known tree in existence and is thought to be about 2,300 years old. http://www.nps.gov/seki

NC Beer Lover’s Weekend at O. Henry Hotel in Greensboro

Participating breweries range from “nano-brewery” Bear Creek Brews, west of Raleigh, to Oskar Blues, the state’s largest craft brewery, near the Pisgah Forest (its parent brewery is in Longmont, Colo.). Offerings include a float trip down the French Broad River in Asheville followed by a tour and tasting at Altamont Brewing (April 20 and 27, $50); the Hickory Hops festival hosted by Olde Hickory Brewing with 40-plus breweries, music, and the Carolinas Championship of Beers.(April 20, $10-$30); and NC Beer Lover’s Weekend at O. Henry Hotel in Greensboro, with dinner and cooking class featuring beers by Highland Brewing Co. (April 26-27, $319 to $678). http://www.ncbeermonth.com

By Diane Daniel

People stroll on the Battery, a landmark promenade along the Charleston peninsula

CHARLESTON — A visit to the Holy City, so named for its historic houses of worship, pulls you back in time. Horse-drawn carriages transport tourists along cobblestone streets flanked by centuries-old, beautifully preserved, and impeccably manicured gardens and homes, many open to the public. From land, you can gaze across the harbor to Fort Sumter, where Union soldiers suffered the first hit in the Civil War. But Charleston comes with a fast-forward button, too. Lowcountry cuisine keeps raising the bar, and a new wave of boutiques and bars buoy several neighborhoods. Mix it all together for heavenly results.

DAY ONE

Martha Lou’s Kitchen has been dishing up soul food since 1983

1:30 p.m. Meet Martha: Before you hit the highfalutin eateries, start simply and soulfully at Martha Lou’s Kitchen (1068 Morrison Drive, 843-577-9583), operating since 1983. Inside the pink cinder block building, savor a hearty, homemade Southern meal. Daily dishes ($8.50) might include fried chicken, lima beans, mac and cheese, and collards.

2:30 p.m. Uncivil acts: On April 12, 1861, the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, turning decades of conflict into what became the Civil War. You can trace the war’s path there and at Fort Moultrie, both part of Fort Sumter National Monument. Sumter can be reached only by boat — a scenic 30-minute ferry ride from Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center (340 Concord St., 843-883-3123, ferry $11-$18), while you can drive to Moultrie (1214 Middle St., Sullivan’s Island, 843-883-3123, $1-$3). While there, visit “A Bench by the Road,” a memorial placed by the Toni Morrison Society in memory of the estimated 300,000 Africans brought to the barrier island on their way to being sold into slavery.

Jlinsnider owner Jamie Lin Snider carries quality vintage clothing and her own fashion line

5 p.m. King’s crown: Recently arrived independent shops, bars, and restaurants are transforming Upper King Street, above Marion Square. At Jlinsnider (539 King St., 843-751-6075) Jamie Lin Snider carries quality vintage clothing and her own fashion line. A block away, ethereal bridal wear creator Rachel Gordon hosts a range of designers at her One Boutique collective (478 King St., 843-259-8066). When it’s time for a refreshment, try tricked-out diner The Rarebit (474 King St., 843-974-5483) or Closed for Business (453 King St., 843-853-8466), sporting the city’s largest selection of craft beer on tap.

7 p.m. Anything but ordinary: Late last year, celebrity chef Mike Lata of FIG fame opened The Ordinary (544 King St., 843-414-7060), a locally sourced oyster bar and seafood restaurant housed in a former historic bank building. The massive vault door divides the raw bar from the kitchen. Start with New England Style Fish Chowder ($12), where meaty pieces of the daily catch take center stage in a perfectly seasoned broth.

9 p.m. Avondale after dark: Grab a pint at Oak Barrel Tavern (825 Savannah Highway, 843-789-3686), a cozy, laid-back bar with specialty drafts in hopping Avondale Point, 4 miles west of downtown. The reinvigorated shopping and eating destination includes a wildly designed Mellow Mushroom (19 Magnolia Road, 843-747-4992) housed in an old theater, and the boisterous Triangle Char & Bar (828 Savannah Highway, 843-377-1300), specializing in grass-fed burgers ($9-$15).

DAY TWO

Katie Wilson fills an order at Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts

8 a.m. Sugar fix: Energize your day with a sweet treat from Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts (481 King St., 843-577-5557), where you’ll find such delicacies as chai coconut, maple bacon, or plain glazed doughnuts ($1.50-$3).

8:30 a.m. To market: The historic Charleston City Market (188 Meeting St., 843-937-0920) reopened in 2011 after a $5.5 million makeover added wider walkways, skylights, and fans. Among the more than 100 vendors, you’ll find regional items including barbecue sauce, sweetgrass baskets, Gullah paintings, and framed ceiling tins.

The Old Slave Mart Museum is housed in a former slave auction gallery

9:30 a.m. Painful past: Not only was Charleston’s wealth built on the backs of slaves, the city served as a major slave trading center. The Old Slave Mart Museum (6 Chalmers St., 843-958-6467, $5-$7), housed in a former auction gallery, starkly recounts past transactions. Two blocks away, slaves were traded outside the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon (122 E. Bay St., 843-727-2165, $4-$8). Inside the historic building, one of the most significant used during the American Revolution, American patriots were held prisoner in a musty dungeon that children will love touring. Remnants of the city’s early-18th-century wall can be seen here, too.

11 a.m. Broad to Battery: Wander the blocks south of Broad Street, lined with gorgeously restored private homes, such as the 1740 William Vanderhorst House (54 Tradd St.) and the nearby Lamboll Double Tenement (8-10 Tradd St.), from 1726 and rebuilt in 1781. Around the corner sits stately Rainbow Row (83-107 East Bay St.), called the longest cluster of intact Georgian row houses in the country and named for their muted hues. Continue south to the Battery, a landmark promenade along the Charleston peninsula. If you’re craving a savory snack, stop by goat.sheep.cow. (106 Church St. 843- 480-2526), a European-style fromagerie.

The Unitarian Church keeps its cemetery hauntingly overgrown

Noon. Steeple chase: More than a dozen historic places of worship dot downtown Charleston. St. Michael’s (Episcopal) Church (71 Broad St., 843-723-0603), completed in 1761, is the city’s oldest church building, and its eight bells have rung for most of the time since. In the cemetery at St. Philip’s (Episcopal) Church (142 Church St., 843-722-7734), established in 1670 and rebuilt in 1838, you’ll find graves for Edward Rutledge, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Charles Pinckney, signer of the Constitution. The cemetery at Unitarian Church in Charleston (4 Archdale St., 843-723-4617), which underwent a Gothic remodeling in 1854, purposely keeps its fauna hauntingly overgrown. Up the street, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim synagogue (90 Hasell St., 843-723-7324), established in 1749 and now housed in an 1840 Greek Revival structure, was the birthplace of American Reform Judaism in 1824.

1 p.m. Singular sandwiches: Butcher & Bee (654 King St., 843-619-0202) has the city’s quirkiest operating hours — 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Any time is the right time to indulge in their creatively crafted sandwiches, such as the Blue Plate, with pork belly, lima beans, and poached eggs ($12). The geek-chic room houses a few small tables and an extra-long one with mismatched chairs, perfect for their pop-up dinners. The alcohol-free eatery allows BYOB.

A tour of the 1820 Aiken-Rhett house includes the kitchen and servants’ quarters

2 p.m. Furnished or unfurnished: The Historic Charleston Foundation maintains two significant houses with diverse approaches to restoration. The neoclassical 1808 Nathaniel Russell House (51 Meeting St., 843-724-8481, $5-$10, closed for renovation until mid-March), fronted by formal gardens, is furnished with period antiques and features an often-photographed free-flying staircase. A mile and a half away, the 1820 Aiken-Rhett House (48 Elizabeth St., 843-723-1159, $5-$10, or $16 combined with Nathaniel Russell), one of the country’s most intact urban antebellum complexes, includes a main house, stables, work yard, and extensive servants’ quarters. It is preserved, but not restored, and some parts verge on dilapidated, making the past more palpable.

7 p.m. Southern sourced: Star chef Sean Brock followed up his magic act at McCrady’s with the acclaimed Husk (76 Queen St., 843-577-2500), where rich, rustic dishes with an eye toward preservation are concocted using only ingredients produced south of the Mason-Dixon line, such as cornmeal-dusted North Carolina catfish with creamed sweet corn, fried baby cabbage and Benton’s bacon, and Appalachian tomato gravy ($25).

DAY THREE

Drayton Hall, circa 1738, is remarkable for its Palladian-inspired architecture and historic landscape

9 a.m. Plantation and a paddle: On a 5-mile stretch of Ashley River Road northwest of Charleston, you’ll find a spectacular riverfront plantation for every taste. Drayton Hall (3380 Ashley River Road, 843-769-2600, $6-$18), the country’s oldest unrestored plantation house, circa 1738, is remarkable for its Palladian-inspired architecture and historic landscape. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens (3550 Ashley River Road, 843-571-1266, $10-$47), dating to 1676, most appeals to families, with boat tours, a tram, swamp walk, and wild gardens of camellias and moss-draped live oaks. The grandest of the trio, Middleton Place (4300 Ashley River Road, 843-556-6020, $15-$37), settled in the late 17th century, offers child-friendly craft demonstrations, but the setting is more formal.

Kayaking up Heron Creek along the Ashley River gives visitors a different perspective on the history of Middleton Place

To experience the natural side of the tidal river, paddle the Ashley River scenic corridor with Charleston Kayak Co. (843-628-2879, guided tours from $30 a person, rentals from $20). Glide past long-abandoned rice fields, once tended by slaves, and up Heron Creek, where you might see its namesake plunging for fish at the edge of the reeds.

]]> http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/2013/03/03/charleston-sc-living-time-capsule-thriving-city/feed/ 0 didaniel People stroll on the Battery, a landmark promenade along the Charleston peninsula Martha Lou's Kitchen has been dishing up soul food since 1983 Jlinsnider owner Jamie Lin Snider carries quality vintage clothing and her own fashion line Katie Wilson fills an order at Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts The Old Slave Mart Museum is housed in a former slave auction gallery The Unitarian Church keeps its cemetery hauntingly overgrown A tour of the 1820 Aiken-Rhett house includes the kitchen and servants’ quarters Drayton Hall, circa 1738, is remarkable for its Palladian-inspired architecture and historic landscape Kayaking up Heron Creek along the Ashley River gives visitors a different perspective on the history of Middleton Place http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/happy-valentines-to-my-favorite-travel-mate/ http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/happy-valentines-to-my-favorite-travel-mate/#comments Wed, 13 Feb 2013 23:40:10 +0000 didaniel http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/?p=7024 ]]> It’s fitting that I met my soul mate at an airport, and on Valentine’s Day (2003), no less. Since then, together we’ve visited dozens of states and countries by air, car, bicycle, train, boat, and on foot. Our passion for exploring and our insatiable curiosity about the world around us are part of what brought us together and keep us together. Here’s our “how we met” story, if you’re interested. I will add that each of us traveled extensively on our own before meeting, and would have continued on that path, I’m sure. However you travel — as a family, couple, with friends, or solo — carry on! A new adventure awaits just around the corner!

By Diane  Daniel

Ruins of a sugar mill near Cane Bay

CHRISTIANSTED, St. Croix — Even before I was able to see daylight’s gift a sea shimmering in a crayon box of blues from turquoise to midnight my hands told me I’d made it to the Caribbean the night before, their rough, wrinkled winter skin showing just a hint of the smoothness to come.

My partner, Lina, and I decided to visit the largest of the US Virgin Islands (84 square miles) because it offered a little bit of everything: plentiful beaches, green hills, lively town centers, and historic sites. St. Croix has the reputation of being the poor relation to glitzier St. Thomas and lusher St. John, but we found a rich culture here, born of the island’s Danish past, its once-mighty sugar trade, and its cordial Crucians, as the native islanders are called. Add to that pristine islands to visit, water sports, and even a rain forest to explore and you can see why we were hard-pressed to squeeze everything into a week’s stay last month.

A rooster wanders the grounds of Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted

We based ourselves in a centrally located, budget-friendly waterfront apartment along “condo row” in Christiansted, the larger and more tourist-driven of the island’s two towns. With hens and roosters wandering all over, the countryside never felt out of reach. Our street, lined with palm trees and a rainbow of bougainvilleas, also led to working-class neighborhoods and public-housing developments, daily reminders of the poverty here. We never felt unwelcome or unsafe, but for those who prefer more upscale and tropical settings, mid-level to pricey beachfront resorts and villas cover the island.

Strike up a conversation with a local or a fellow tourist and you’ll immediately be asked, “Have you been to Buck Island yet?” Put St. Croix’s jewel on top of your list. Surrounding the uninhabited island, a 30-minute boat ride from Christiansted, lies the underwater Buck Island Reef National Monument, a protected reef system that includes a short marked trail. While some of the coral is in tough shape, the clear water nonetheless offers the area’s best snorkeling. Unless you have access to a private boat, you’ll need to use one of the National Park Service’s six concessionaires. Unfortunately, no outfitter allows enough opportunity to also experience the island’s hiking trails.

A sailboat departs Buck Island

After an hour in the water, we climbed back aboard and compared notes. I sought out Oliver Martin, 15, from Marion, Pa., who, with his dad, were the only people near me when I witnessed a heart-stopping sight.

“I knew it was a shark right away,” Oliver said proudly. “It had that fin on top. I was a little nervous, but not too much.”

I agreed. With the help of a deckhand, we concluded it was a lemon shark, probably about 5 feet long. We also were treated to sightings of a large school of shiny blue tang, iridescent parrotfish, long-bodied trumpetfish, and camouflaged Nassau grouper. Apparently I was the only one to see a barracuda flash its teeth.

With Buck Island checked off the list, Lina and I devoted a couple of days to the island’s history. St. Croix contains the only known site where one of Columbus’s expeditions set foot on what is now US soil, in 1493. Before then, the area was populated by various indigenous tribes. From the hilltop visitors center at Salt River Preserve National Historical Park (once a private home), we saw sweeping views of the sea, northwest St. Croix, and Salt River Bay, where Columbus ventured.

Salt River Bay, where Columbus landed on St. Croix during his second voyage, in 1493

Park interpreter Anibal Colon Jr. led us to the patio to bring the imagined scene to life. “Columbus anchored his fleet off the shore there,” he said, pointing to a curve in the bay. “And see that space between the house and those palm trees? That was where the Carib Indian village was.” The area can be reached by car as well, and is marked with only one small sign.

Six other rulers have occupied St. Croix since Columbus’s Spain: Britain, the Netherlands, France, Knights of Malta, Denmark, and, since 1917, the United States. (Columbus named the island Santa Cruz, or Holy Cross, and its natives were called Cruzans. The French renamed it St. Croix.) Africa’s influence is equally felt, as the island’s socioeconomic system was based on slave labor for more than 150 years. Today about 80 percent of US Virgin Islands residents are descendants of slaves, and their culture lives on here in lilting West Indian dialects; music, especially quelbe, a fusion of rhythms and chants created by plantation workers; and cuisine, such as seafood callaloo, a spicy, thick soup with greens and okra.

The Government House in Christiansted became the residence of the Danish governor in 1771

Denmark’s influence is most strongly felt in Christiansted and Frederiksted, the western city where cruise ships dock. Even some street signs are in Danish and English. The park service maintains seven sites in downtown Christiansted, where crumbling neoclassical buildings mix with restored ones and gift shops and restaurants stand beside historic sites. The most magnificent is the sprawling canary-yellow Fort Christiansvaern, built by the Danes in 1738 to protect the harbor.

The connection with her homeland fascinated Dorthe Mastrup, who arrived on the island with her husband and daughter on one of the weekly charter flights between Denmark and St. Croix.

“All the sugar mills were built by Danes, and when we went to the Lutheran church in Christiansted, it was just like being in a Danish church, including the bricks. It makes me proud,” she said. “But the other thing is the slavery that is underneath it all. I feel bad in my heart.”

The Great House at Estate Whim Plantation, a former sugar plantation, was built about 1760 and was restored by the St. Croix Landmarks Society

For an examination of plantation life on the island, we visited the 18th-century Estate Whim Museum in Frederiksted, which includes a “great house,” or plantation home, slave quarters, windmill, and the remains of a sugar-processing factory. At one time nearly 200 windmills and mills powered by animals covered the island, and their picturesque ruins dot the landscape.

The last sugar factory closed in 1966, but the island still produces rum. We toured the distillery at Cruzan Rum, operating since 1934, and also the Captain Morgan distillery, newly relocated from Puerto Rico. The Cruzan tour gives visitors a behind-the-scenes look at operations, while Captain Morgan’s is more commercial and less close-up. Both have happy endings: rum tastings.

A past industry some islanders are working to resurrect is St. Croix’s once-dominant agricultural scene. One of the farmers leading the charge is Atlanta native Nate Olive, who oversees Ridge to Reef Farm, which the public can tour. A trip here, on St. Croix’s northwest edge, also takes you into the rain forest, where streamers of vines rain down from giant kapok trees.

Nate Olive of Ridge to Reef Farm prepares a pepper and moringa sauce using ingredients mostly grown on the farm

We caught up with Olive at the farm’s community center while he was making sauce from his organic scotch bonnet peppers, garlic scapes, and powder ground from the dried leaves of a moringa tree.

“It’s going to be really hot,” Olive said, with a gleam in his eye.

With 45 of its 120 acres in production, Ridge to Reef grows enough to sell to restaurants, at local markets, and to 100 members of its community-supported agriculture program.

“About 99 percent of the food on St. Croix is now imported,” he said. “We’re trying to change that.”

The farm, the sort of place where Bob Marley and Grateful Dead classics mingle with the scent of patchouli oil, also hosts overnight stays in open-air cabanas and a tree house.

Visitors wade in one of the tidal pools at Annaly Bay, St. Croix

From Ridge to Reef, it’s not too far to Annaly Bay, a striking inlet on the island’s north side made famous for its tidal pools. We hiked to the bay along the strenuous 2.7-mile-long Trumbull Trail, once used by escaped slaves to hide out in the hills. Lina reached the “waterfalls” that feed the pools, created by waves breaking over rocks, but when I saw that the path there involved hugging a rock wall with the sea crashing below, I passed.

While relaxing clearly isn’t a priority with us, we did carve out time at what became our favorite beach, the low-key Tamarind Reef Resort, where iguanas duke it out on the lawn and beachgoers relax under thatched huts. Chairs, snorkel equipment, and kayaks are free to guests, and the public can use them for a fee. We snorkeled around the active coral reef 20 yards from the beach, and kayaked to the protected 14-acre island of Green Cay National Wildlife Refuge 30 minutes away. Visitors aren’t allowed beyond the small sandy beach, but getting and sitting there are plenty fun. On our last trip over, we excitedly paddled behind a hawksbill sea turtle, its beak and flippers breaking the surface. By the end of the day, my now-soft hands were wrinkled again, but this time the Caribbean was to blame, with winter a distant memory.

]]> http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/st-croix-gets-under-your-skin/feed/ 2 didaniel Ruins of a sugar mill near Cane Bay A rooster wanders the grounds of Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted, built in 1738 A sailboat departs Turtle Beach at Buck Island Salt River Bay, where Columbus landed on St. Croix during his second voyage, in 1493 The Government House in Christiansted became the residence of the Danish governor in 1771 The Great House at Estate Whim Plantation, a former sugar plantation, was built about 1760 and was restored by the St. Croix Landmarks Society Nate Olive of Ridge to Reef Farm prepares a pepper and moringa sauce using ingredients mostly grown on the farm Visitors wade in one of the tidal pools at Annaly Bay, St. Croix http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/polar-plunges-will-warm-your-heart/ http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/polar-plunges-will-warm-your-heart/#comments Sun, 06 Jan 2013 00:42:45 +0000 didaniel http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/?p=6988 ]]> I seriously cannot imagine taking a “polar plunge.” Heck, I’m sitting here with cold hands and feet in my office as I type this. But I do love the concept, which is why I wrote this roundup of plunges for the Boston Globe’s travel section. Most take place on New Year’s Day, but one hasn’t happened yet — which means there is still time for you to sign up! Or, you can ready yourself for Jan. 1, 2014! Here’s the list:

MSP Polar Bear Plunge, Annapolis, MD (photo Steve Ruark)

MSP POLAR BEAR PLUNGE, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

The largest plunge in the country, hosted by the Maryland State Police as a fund-raiser for Special Olympics Maryland, is held later in January, this year on the 26th. In 2012, some 11,000 plungers jumped into the Chesapeake Bay, raising $2.6 million.

CONEY ISLAND POLAR BEAR CLUB, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

The Coney Island Polar Bear Club, founded in 1903, these days attracts about 1,500 participants who kick off the New Year with a daring dip in the Atlantic Ocean.

THE COURAGE POLAR BEAR DIP, OAKVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADA

While polar bear plunges are a New Year’s Day tradition all across Canada, the Courage event on the shore of Lake Ontario has become the country’s biggest, with more than 700 dippers and thousands of onlookers. To date, nearly $1 million has been raised to support clean water projects through World Vision Canada.

Nieuwjaarsduik (New Year’s Dive), Scheveningen in 2010 (photo Alexander Fritze)

NIEUWJAARSDUIK (NEW YEAR’S DIVE), SCHEVENINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS

As in Canada, New Year’s Day dips are held in dozens of communities across the Netherlands. The largest is in Scheveningen, a beach resort town near The Hague, where about 10,000 dive into the North Sea, many wearing sponsor Unox’s orange hats and gloves.

L STREET BROWNIES, SOUTH BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

In our backyard, upward of 700 swimmers jump into the frigid waters of Boston Harbor for the annual Jan. 1 plunge from the Curley Community Center. The Brownies, who started the event in 1904, are so named for their year-round tans.