Category: Miscellaneous
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Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center; Fairfax County, Virginia, USA (January 2007) The Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center provides extra room for much of their extensive aircraft and spacecraft that cannot fit into their location on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The center sits about 25 miles west of the city on the grounds of Washington-Dulles International Airport…
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Dinosaur Land
Near Winchester, Virginia (December 2007) In the days before Interstate highways, before large corporate theme parks and fast food restaurants, little mom-and-pop attractions provided the traveling public with a few moments of amusement and perhaps a brief rest as they traveled through rural America on rolling, winding two-lane asphalt. Kids hung their heads by the…
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ATK Rocket Park
Near Promontory Summit, Utah, USA (July 2011) A surprise awaits visitors to the desert on the north side of the Great Salt Lake. Most people probably know about the Golden Spike National Historic Site — in fact that’s probably why most people are way out there in the middle of nowhere. Lesser know, but still…
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Wonder World Park
San Marcos, Hays County, Texas, USA (March 2007) Wonder World Park contained several attractions in one compact area, including a cave; an observation tower, an “anti-gravity” house, and a wild animal park. It also included a gift shop and a snack bar. Tickets could be purchased for the entire tour or for individual portions. Wonder…
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Jack Daniel Distillery
Lynchburg, Moore Co., Tennessee, USA (April 2010) The Jack Daniel Distillery offers one of the best tours of any production facility I’ve ever had an opportunity to visit. It’s comprehensive, informative and efficient. They obviously get a lot of visitors and the know how to put on an entertaining session. A visit to the distillery…
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South of the (Carolina) Border
Dillon, South Carolina (July 2006) We rode through hundreds of miles along Interstate 95 with a constant barrage of “Pedro Says” this and “Pedro Says” that signs. Finally, a giant sombrero beckoned us to an offramp (map). Roadside advertising beat us so badly that we felt compelled to stop. Our older son still recites Pedro’s…
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West Branch of the Susquehanna River
Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA (September 2006) We took our time meandering up to the Finger Lakes and spent a couple of days in the vicinity of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This included a leisurely cruise on the S. S. Hiawatha paddlewheel riverboat that departed from near the boat ramp at Susquehanna State Park (map). It traveled along a…
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Ithaca with Kids
Tompkins County, New York (September 2006) Ithaca is a small city that rests at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake (map). There are many cultural amenities due to its proximity to Cornell University. It also served as an excellent gateway to the larger Finger Lakes region of central New York. We visited the renowned Ithaca…
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The Old Howder Homestead
Cambria Township, Niagara Co., New York, USA (August 4, 2003) While in the area, I took the opportunity to track down some family history. My great-great-great-grandfather, George Howder built this home in Cambria Township, Niagara County, New York circa 1849 (map). The current owners were kind enough to allow me to visit and provided a…
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Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
Cornish, Sullivan Co., New Hampshire, USA (October 2010) Augustus Saint-Gaudens hailed from Ireland but moved with his family to the United States as a small child. He studied in Europe and spent the formative years of his career in New York City. Eventually he became one of the most preeminent sculptors of the “American Renaissance”…