Off Beaten Path

San Antonio, Texas is the happiest large urban city we have ever visited. People looked you in the eye, said hello, and helped you out. The unemployment rate is virtually zero. Everyone has a job. It is booming. It is a great place to go downtown, find a place to park, and just head out for a walk. 

In the heart of Old Louisville overlooking Central Park is the Conrad-Caldwell House Museum, known as Louisville’s Castle. In the 1890’s, Theophile Conrad commissioned local architect Arthur Loomis of Clarke & Loomis to design this stone masterpiece. It is one of the finest examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in the world.  

This is a special year for anything Beatle. Hundreds of events all over the world are heralding the 50^th Anniversary of their arrival in the U.S. and their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. If you need to celebrate your inner Beatle, Abbey Road on the River in Louisville, Kentucky is a must do for any fan. The 250 concerts from over 50 bands on 7 stages over 5 days will remind you and inspire you to remember all you need is love. 

The Chicago History Museum showcases the important events, people, and groups that have had an impact on the city’s character. It’s a great spot to get the feel of what makes Chicago special. You leave understanding why Chicago is a city of big ideas. 

A few miles south on US29 from our home base in Everglades City, we discovered Chokoloskee Island. It is a wonderful Off the Beaten Path spot with great food, photography, fishing and the historical and mysterious Smallwood Store. 

Our visit to the Cleveland Art Museum was awe-inspiring. Their collections are World Class. They have integrated state-of-the-art technology as a way to showcase and teach about their collections. They told us that every major museum in the world has visited to check out their new gallery that utilizes an Artlens app on an iPad as a wireless interactive personal guide for visitors.

When we decided to go on our first trip to Europe, Italy was the destination. Being a coin collector, I wanted to look at examples from the large cities we were going to visit- Rome, Florence, and Venice. I asked a fellow collector I had met the previous summer while taking classes at the American Numismatic Association’s Summer Seminar (another story) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, if he had any suggestions. He told me about the Il Mio Hobby Coin Shop in Venice. As a total rookie in world travel, I found it hard to believe I could really find that spot in a land that seemed so far away.  

There is only one place in the world where the public can search for diamonds. It is the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Southwest Arkansas. The day before we got there a young girl found a 3.8-carat treasure on the 37-acre field that makes up the mine. We spent a hard working afternoon digging for diamonds, came up empty but had a blast. 

In August of 1950, two curious teenagers were hunting for Native American artifacts after they had finished their chores and noticed cold air rushing out of a tiny opening, which was causing leaves to rustle on a tree 15 feet away.  They dug their way in and discovered a magical world within, what is now Cub Run Cave.

It is difficult to find a true intergenerational family experience that entertains, educates, and inspires, but on our recent road trip to SanAntonio, Texas, we found one. We went to Enchanted Springs Ranch with aunt, uncle, niece, twin 5-year olds, and a fifth grader and we all loved it!!

As part of our 36^th Anniversary celebration, we headed off on a 25-day road trip to Florida. We wanted to revisit some of the places we discovered on our honeymoon in 1979. At the top of our list were The Everglades. We wanted a home base because we wanted to spend a couple of days in the area exploring and taking photographs. We chose the Everglades City Rod and Gun Club as our place to land. It is the Western Gateway to The Everglades National Park.

Mark Twain called the sunrise on Haleakala Volcano, “The sublimest spectacle I’ve ever witnessed.” Hawaiians have been trekking up Haleakala to honor and celebrate the gods for hundreds of years. It was considered a sacred place, called wao akua, wilderness of the gods. Its eerie and otherworldly feel as the sun peaks over the rim and lights the crater below is an experience that you will always treasure.

A visit to the Falls of the Ohio River evokes feelings of an ancient time. Three hundred and seventy-five million years ago it was a tropical sea! These falls are the only natural obstruction on the river between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and New Orleans, Louisiana. It’s one of those places that make you think in terms of geologic time. You realize how short our time on Earth really is and yet how we all are connected to a past long ago. For Louisvillians, it is the reason we are here. People had to stop and portage around the falls. Many stayed to start businesses and families. 

Although I never get tired of facing off with Sue, the 67 million old, 42 foot long, and 13 feet high, Tyrannosaurus rex, we went back to the Field Museum to see its special exhibit called “Opening the Vaults: Wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair”. This exhibit is special because The Field Museum was primarily an outgrowth of The Columbian Exposition. Many of the artifacts and specimens on display have not been seen since the World’s Fair in 1893.

On the historical marker by the replica of his cabin, it says that George Rogers Clark (1753-1818) was “A pioneer, soldier, patriot, conqueror of the Northeast territory…” His brilliant Revolutionary War campaign captured Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes and brought the states northwest of the Ohio River into the Union.  He brought 150 men and 15 families down the Ohio River in 1778 and built a fort on Corn Island to plan and implement this conquest. This fort was the beginning of Louisville, Kentucky. 

When we found out the “best” Antique Mall and oldest continuously running Dance Hall in Texas were in a place called Gruene, we had to head out on patrol. We were on our way back from San Antonio visiting our niece and spent a great afternoon walking around exploring this unique small Texas town.

Hot Springs, Arkansas is one of North America’s first resort cities. It is a mix of vintage hotels, Hot Springs National Park, Art Galleries, and historic Bathhouse Row. Nature’s geo-thermal healing powers have attracted people to the hot springs for centuries. 

Imagine you are the star of your own “American Pickers” or finding treasures for “Antiques Roadshow” or selling a Flea Market find to the guys on “Pawn Stars”? All of these shows are helped by Baby Boomers buying and selling the artifacts of our childhood. We love going on Patrol for rare and valuable items. We love to find a treasure a new home. Our road trips have shifted to slowing down and getting out of the car every hour or two. This change has gotten us off the interstates and into Antique Malls, Flea Markets, Antique Stores, Goodwill’s, and yard sales. Heading South on I-65 through Kentucky, here are five of our favorite spots. 

Going to Hawaii is about as far off the beaten path as I have been.  When we had a chance to go to Maui for two weeks, we were “all in.”  We landed in Maui after a 16-hour plane flight.  We could have done it in 3 less flying hours for not too much more money, which will happen next time we go. It took a couple of days for our internal clocks to adjust to the time zone difference.  Our home base was in a resort area in Lahaina.

Traveling to Irish Acres Gallery of Antiques from any direction takes you through the heart of the Kentucky horse country. The beautiful drive takes you past horse barn after horse barn that would be the envy of any human being. The stonewalls that line the narrow winding road remind you of a time gone by. We were meeting our extended family for lunch at “The Glitz” located in the gallery. We were off the beaten path in the small town of Nonesuch, Kentucky, 10 miles outside of Versailles. 

Louisville, Kentucky has repurposed a 118-year-old railroad bridge over the Ohio River into the longest pedestrian bridge in the United States. It connects Louisville with Jeffersonville, Indiana by foot, bicycle, and mindset. Spectacular sunrises and sunsets can be viewed on a regular basis. You can marvel at the power of the river as it rolls beneath you toward New Orleans. You can see how the river widens at The Falls of the Ohio to almost a mile.

Our trip to Mount Ida, The Quartz Crystal Capital of the World, left us dazzled, amazed, and in awe of what beauty Mother Nature can create. We saw quartz crystals with points, clarity and clusters of every shape, size, and color imaginable. 

Combine a 30-mile trip on My Old Kentucky Dinner Train through the heart of Kentucky Bourbon Country during October, with good friends and a great lunch; you have a bucket list afternoon. Bardstown, Kentucky is the home of this great destination experience. 

One mile north of U.S. 41 on Florida’s Southwest Coast is North Point, home to the only warm mineral spring in Florida. People from all over the world come to soak in this “Fountain of Youth”. The waters are believed to have extradinary healing powers. We had to find out for ourselves.