USA Travel Ideas

Charlevoix, Michigan

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:00:50 +0000

Each year, our travel plans include a stop in Charlevoix, Michigan, home to art galleries, gift shops, cafes–and mushroom buildings. Yes, you read correctly! Charlevoix features 26 unusual residential and commercial buildings designed and built by Earl Young, a local architect and real estate agent. The cozy-looking structures are built out of stone and feature low, [...]

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 03:58:19 +0000

We'd always been curious about Wolfeboro, a little town in our state of New Hampshire that proclaims itself as the "Oldest Summer Resort in America". So one day we decided to explore and see what it has to offer. We discovered that Wolfeboro is a charming town located on Lake Winnipesaukee, the state's largest lake (its [...]

Missouri Hick Bar-B-Q, Missouri

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:47:10 +0000

While camping near Cuba, Missouri, we asked our campground managers to suggest a place to eat. Without a second's hesitation, the friendly ladies sent us down Old Route 66 to Missouri Hick Bar-B-Q. Inside a cozy, rustic, barn-like building, we savored the tastiest platters of slowly smoked beef and pork imaginable. Meats are served with five [...]

Guy B.Woodward Museum, California

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:30:48 +0000

the next time you're in San Diego, I highly recommend a drive out to Ramona to see the Guy B.Woodward Museum, a fascinating collection of artifacts that reflect the area's colorful Old West history. The museum is actually a complex of buildings that includes the lovely Verlaque House, a rare 1866 adobe French provincial home [...]

Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:17:21 +0000

When it comes to spectacular cascades, it's tough to top Upper Whitewater Falls in the Nantahala National Forest in western North Carolina, near the South Carolina state line. At 411 feet high, it's the highest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains. A paved walkway from a parking lot leads to a great view from an upper [...]

Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge in Western North Carolina

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:57:08 +0000

Motorcycle enthusiasts should check out the Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge near Stecoah in scenic western North Carolina. You won't meet nicer people than owners John and Charlene Powell, who are riders themselves. Their pretty 39-acre resort includes lodge rooms, cabins and a campground, plus covered storage for bikes. Charlene's home-cooked dinners taste great after a [...]

Hope Cemetery, Vermont

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:48:06 +0000

While grabbing a bite to eat in the small central-Vermont town of Barre some 25 years ago, a waitress told my wife, Dorothy, and me about an unusual local attraction–the Hope Cemetery. Now, I normally don't consider cemeteries a tourist attraction. But as we soon found out, a cemetery. We only had time for a quick [...]

Alaska Marine Ferry

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:32:50 +0000

So you want to take a cruise through the Inside Passage, but you're concerned that the fast-paced schedule won't allow you much freedom to explore its romantic frontier towns. Then consider an alternative: the Alaska Marine Ferry. Don't get me wrong–I have nothing against cruises. But my wife, Grettis, and I recently used the ferry to [...]

Famous Winding Stairs of Iowa

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:00:35 +0000

It's not often you can walk all over something that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But that's exactly what folks do on the famous Winding Stairs on Main Street in Traer, Iowa. The 23-step iron staircase was fashioned in 1894 for the offices of the Traer Star Clipper newspaper. Founder E.E. Taylor wanted [...]

Glen Eyrie Castle, Colorado

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:43:39 +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 [...]

Houseboating on Lake Powell, Arizona

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:28:06 +0000

My husband, Darold, and I recently experienced a truly unique vacation–floating for 5 days aboard a 54-foot houseboat on Lake Powell in northern Arizona. This houseboating trip was the most relaxing and scenic getaway we've ever taken. Lake Powell was formed in 1962 when the Glen Canyon Dam was completed near Page, Arizona, forcing the blocked [...]

Old Lackawanna Coal Mine, Pennsylvania

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:18:00 +0000

Traveling 300 feet underground into a labyrinth of tunnels and shafts at the old Lackawanna Coal Mine in Scranton, Pennsylvania felt a bit like heading backward down a steep, dark and noisy roller coaster. During the fascinating hour-long walking tour, our guides–former miners and mining experts–described the techniques and equipment of one of the nation's most [...]

Prospect RV Park Near Pearsony Falls, Oregon

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:00:10 +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 [...]

Women's Rights National Historical Park

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:54:55 +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. [...]

Waterfalls in Dunsmuir, California

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:42:09 +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.

DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum in Fenwick Island

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:27:39 +0000

During our family's annual summer trip to the Delaware shore, we always make a point to visit the DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum in Fenwick Island. Every year, the museum's displays change as new shipwreck artifacts are recovered. It's almost guaranteed that we'll see something new every time we visit!

The History of Alabama State Park

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:23:22 +0000

Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park is a very special place for buffs. There are more than 45 historic buildings scattered throughout the 1,500-acre park, including a pioneer farm with live animals, a gristmill and a cotton gin. A favorite, though, is the old Tannehill Furnaces, one of the best-preserved Civil War-era ironworks in the United States. [...]

Mississippi Petrified Forest

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:49:43 +0000

A short drive north of Jackson, Mississippi brings you to an unusual attraction: the Mississippi Petrified Forest, the only one of its kind east of the Mississippi River. This National Natural Landmark brings millions of years of history to light as you examine the giant petrified log sections exposed by wind and rain erosion.

Indiana Hoops Hall of Fame

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:46:35 +0000

INDIANA is crazy about high school basketball. And the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle is the best place around to experience "Hoosier hysteria". I've been volunteering here for 13 years, and have never seen anything like it. You can hear a locker room pep talk from legendary coach John Woodenâ€¦relive the 1954 "Milan [...]

Appalachian Mountains, Pennsylvania

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:31:40 +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 [...]

Palisades State Park, South Dakota

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:27:25 +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 [...]

Horne Creek Living Historical Farm, North Carolina

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Sun, 24 May 2009 23:03:40 +0000

My family and I enjoyed a unique glimpse of the South's rural past at Horne Creek Living Historical Farm near Pinnacle in northwestern North Carolina. A century ago, farmer Thomas Hauser, his wife and 12 children worked this prosperous 450-acre farm. Today, costumed interpreters (at right) still use horses and mules for muscle and transportationâ€¦ [...]

Millbrook Village, New Jersey

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:46:59 +0000

Millbrook Village in the beautiful Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area faded away in the 1920s. But it's still a quiet place to explore, with houses and buildings (like the one at right) dating to the mid-1700s. Split-rail and white picket fences neatly frame the buildings, and ancient lilac bushes and flowers surround some homes. [...]

Antique Engine and Tractor Show, Indiana

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:33:47 +0000

For a fascinating look at bygone farming days, head for the annual Antique Engine and Tractor Show held at the Jay County Fairgrounds in Portland in east-central Indiana. This tiny town's population swells from 6,500 or so folks to more than 100,000 in late August as old-iron aficionados, parts vendors and antique dealers converge. It's quite [...]

Horicon National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin

USA Travel Enthusiasts — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:52:03 +0000

The International Crane Foundation, the only institution in the world to breed all 15 crane species, including the highly endangered whooping crane, is just one of the unique birding spots in the free guide "Great Wisconsin Birding & Nature Trail-Southern Savanna Edition."