Linda A. Tancs's Blog: The Long and Short of It, page 188
October 18, 2016
What’s Hot in Idaho
By Linda Tancs
Idaho is one hot destination, literally. Just head on over to Lava Hot Springs, a quaint resort town on the way to Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons. Its therapeutic hot springs attract visitors from around the world. In addition to public pools (including an indoor aquatic center), many hotels have private hot pools. Even the “coolest” hot pool is pretty hot. Can you stand the heat? If not, then maybe an onsite massage is in order.
October 17, 2016
Where the North Begins
By Linda Tancs
Portage, Wisconsin, dubs itself a city “where the North begins.” Located along the Fox/Wisconsin water route, it certainly was an important asset in the Northwest Territory, leading to the construction of a fort there (Fort Winnebago) in the 1800s. The location of the town at the split of the Wisconsin and Fox rivers is what gives the site its name “Portage,” which means carrying a boat or its cargo between two navigable waters. The third oldest settlement in the state, it also boasts the historic Indian Agency House, one of Wisconsin’s earliest houses. The Federal-style house served as the residence of the family of John Kinzie, the U.S. agent for the Winnebago Nation.
October 13, 2016
Steaming Through Cass
By Linda Tancs
Cass, West Virginia, is a charming old logging town founded in 1900 by a pulp and paper company. Its main attraction is Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, home of the railway line built in 1901 to haul lumber to the town mill. Lest you think it’s a quaint site riddled with old, rusty railroad cars, the astonishing fact is that Cass is home to the world’s largest fleet of geared Shay locomotives. Many of the passenger cars are old logging flat cars that have been refurbished for use as part of a popular train excursion, allowing visitors to relive an era when steam-driven locomotives were an essential part of everyday life. For a taste of this bygone era, take the excursion to Whittaker Station, the location of an authentic logging camp recreated by the volunteers of the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association. Just four miles up the track from Cass, the journey includes a stopover for breathtaking country views.
October 12, 2016
Aloha from Michigan
By Linda Tancs
The tropics beckon at Honolulu House in Marshall, Michigan. Yes, that’s right. In America’s Midwest, a sandstone mansion incorporates Polynesian (plus some Italianate and Gothic Revival) architecture. Its tropical influences include a raised veranda and observation platform. An inviting nine-bay porch spans the front, with its wide center bay serving as the base of its pagoda-topped tower. Built in 1860 for the first U.S. consul to the Sandwich Islands, it stands in the heart of Marshall’s National Historic Landmark District (at the corner of Mansion and Kalamazoo) and is listed on the Historic American Buildings Survey.
October 11, 2016
Home of Little Women
By Linda Tancs
Louisa May Alcott wrote her beloved classic Little Women at Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts. The grounds contained an orchard of 40 apple trees, giving the home its name. Largely unchanged since the Alcott occupancy in the mid-1800s, the premises even retain 80 percent of the family furnishings, making a visit to the property akin to walking through the pages of the novel. The house is shown by guided tour only.
October 10, 2016
The Essence of Creole
By Linda Tancs
Creole, a blend of western European, African and Native American influences, flourished in Louisiana before it joined the Union in 1803. You’ll find its essence alive and well at Laura, a Creole plantation in the heart of New Orleans Plantation Country. Originally called l’habitation Duparc (after Duparc, a French naval veteran of the American Revolution who acquired the property in 1804), it was renamed Laura Plantation after Laura Locoul, a descendant of the Duparc-Locoul families. At its largest size, it was approximately 12,000 acres, which included properties amassed over time. More than a house and garden tour, visitors are enriched in Creole culture through a 70-minute tour (in English and French) sharing the compelling, real-life accounts of multiple generations of the plantation’s Creole inhabitants—plantation owners, women, slaves and children who once called this centuries-old, sugar cane farm their home. The property is located on Highway 18 midway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, only 35 miles from New Orleans International Airport.
October 6, 2016
Plantation Life in Maryland
By Linda Tancs
A National Historic Landmark, Sotterley Plantation is the only tidewater plantation in Maryland that is open to the public. Located in Hollywood in Southern Maryland, the Colonial-era site boasts a 1703 plantation house, a rare and restored slave cabin and an abundance of outbuildings set amidst nearly 95 acres overlooking the scenic Patuxent River. Older than George Washington’s beloved Mount Vernon, visitors can also enjoy nature trails, bird watching and an array of archeological exhibits from excavations on the grounds.
October 5, 2016
The Little Church Around the Corner
By Linda Tancs
Known officially as the Church of the Transfiguration, the picturesque Episcopal church at 1 East 29th Street in New York City is better known by locals and tourists as “The Little Church Around the Corner.” The nickname dates back to 1870, when Joseph Jefferson (famous for his portrayal of Rip Van Winkle on stage) had requested a funeral at another church for his fellow actor and friend, George Holland. The priest refused, subscribing to a common belief of the time that actors lived loose lives and were unworthy of Christian burial, and suggested that “the little church around the corner” might be more hospitable. And so it was. To this day the church maintains close ties to the theater community. Made of brick and timber, this architectural gem is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the city’s landmarked properties.
October 4, 2016
Florida’s Oldest House
By Linda Tancs
In St. Augustine, Florida, the Oldest House Museum Complex features Florida’s oldest house (over three centuries old), the Gonzalez-Alvarez House. The dwelling is a National Historic Landmark and an example of the oldest Spanish Colonial structure in existence in Florida. Docents lead guests through a 25-minute guided tour. The house is one of many stops along the Red Sightseeing Trains route.
October 3, 2016
From Ore to Orchards
By Linda Tancs
The area in and around Hacklebarney State Park in Chester, New Jersey, is rich in history—from ore to orchards. The park itself was a mined iron ore site in the 19th century. Nowadays, it’s a favorite place for avid anglers, hikers and picnickers. The Black River that cascades amidst the boulder remnants of this moraine provides excellent stream fishing year round. For hikers and naturalists, the park offers three rare and endangered plant species: American ginseng, leatherwood and Virginia pennywort. Over 100 bird species and wildlife such as black bears, woodchucks, deer and foxes also live in the park. Less than a mile away is a cider mill now in its seventh generation, where apple and pumpkin picking among the orchards is a popular activity this time of year.
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