Linda A. Tancs's Blog: The Long and Short of It, page 26

A Gem in Omaha

By Linda Tancs

At the Durham Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, visitors get two gems in one: a landmark building and a seminal collection of the region’s history. Designated a National Historic Landmark, the building housing the museum is the Art Deco-style Union Station. At its peak, 64 passenger trains and over 10,000 passengers utilized the facility every day. The focal point is the Main Waiting Room, currently the Suzanne and Walter Scott Great Hall, which measures 160 feet by 72 feet and is spanned by a 60-foot-high ceiling adorned by six, 13-foot-high chandeliers. The hall features several architectural elements common to the style, like a ceiling of sculptured plaster, cathedral-like plate glass windows, a patterned terrazzo floor and colonnettes of blue Belgian marble. The museum’s permanent galleries also capture a bygone era and include reproductions of Native American abodes as well as a worker’s cottage from the late 1800s and early 1900s, a replica of a grocery store from the 1900s and an authentic streetcar from the 1940s.

The Life of William Penn

By Linda Tancs

Philadelphia’s Welcome Park is the only site in the city dedicated to celebrating the life and contributions of William Penn, who founded the Commonwealth in 1682. Named for Penn’s ship, Welcome, the park features a marble layout of Penn’s city plan for Philadelphia and boasts a statue of him that is a miniature of the one atop City Hall. The site once hosted the Slate Roof House, where Penn resided from 1699 to 1701. The park is located at Second Street and Samson Street Alley.

Mayflower Redux

By Linda Tancs

Mayflower was an English sailing ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. Their journey to Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts, is commemorated there with a full-scale replica of the historic vessel, Mayflower II. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, she’s both a floating classroom and working vessel. Nearby is Plymouth Rock, the legendary site of disembarkation and arguably the most visited rock in New England, housed under a memorial colonnade.

A Hidden Gem in Scotland

By Linda Tancs

One would hardly expect one of the finest collections of 20th-century British art to be located on the tiny Scottish island of Orkney. Yet that’s what you’ll find at The Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, a captivating maritime town that serves as Orkney’s main ferry port. The venue features artists like Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Alfred Wallis as well as contemporary art by Sean Scully, Eva Rothschild and Olafur Eliasson. A focal point for the local community, local artists are featured as well, and the facility boasts a valuable library and archives open to the public.

Queen of American Lakes

By Linda Tancs

Sometimes referred to as the Queen of American Lakes, Lake George is the longest lake in New York State, stretching 32 miles from north to south in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. One of the most popular hikes in the Lake George region is the Prospect Mountain trail, which begins on Smith Street in Lake George Village. The 3-mile, roundtrip trek is steep in places, not surprising considering that the route once incorporated the Prospect Mountain Cable Incline Railway, at one time the longest cable railroad in the world. At the summit you’ll find remnants of the railway, which was built in the 1800s as an alternative to horse-drawn carriages to transport wealthy guests to the Prospect Mountain House. Although the hotel subsequently burned down, its fireplace is still visible. In addition to its historical features, the 2,030-foot-high summit rewards hikers with 100-mile views of Lake George and the Adirondacks. 

The Spirit of Rural Vermont

By Linda Tancs

The spirit of rural life is alive and well in Woodstock, Vermont, at Billings Farm & Museum. The farm was established by Frederick Billings in 1871 as a model farm run by the Billings family, their farm managers and their farm staff. It remains one of the oldest registered Jersey dairy farms in the country. It features Jersey cows, of course, as well as sheep, horses, oxen, pigs and chickens, all of which you can experience with hands-on activities and events. Farm life exhibits will explain what farming was like in the 1890s. You can also explore the restored 1890 Farm Manager’s House, where interpreters will answer questions about the home. The Billings estate passed on to three generations of Billings women and ultimately to Billings’ granddaughter, Mary Rockefeller, and her husband. The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park adjoins the farm site, and both locales share a visitor’s center. 

A Storied Bridge in Queensland

By Linda Tancs

Brisbane’s Story Bridge is the largest steel bridge designed, fabricated and constructed in Australia by Australians. The city’s most iconic structure, you’ll get the best bird’s-eye view over Brisbane City, Kangaroo Point and far beyond to the distant mountain ranges and up the Brisbane River thanks to the adventure climb, one of only three bridge climbs in the world. If ground level suits you better, then enjoy the skyline views at Howard Smith Wharves, a dining and lifestyle precinct beneath the bridge.

The Romantic Road

By Linda Tancs

Southern Germany’s Romantic Road isn’t really a lover’s lane; it’s a 285-mile route between Würzburg and Füssen linking 29 towns and all the nature, culture, art, culinary delights and hospitality that go along with them. At the northern endpoint of Würzburg you’ll encounter a wine region known for the Residenz, an 18th-century baroque palace with a Tiepolo fresco. At the southern end of Füssen you’ll find yourself at the foothills of the Alps near King Ludwig II’s iconic Neuschwanstein Castle. In between you’ll find plenty of interesting stops, like the medieval townscape in Rothenburg, the crater town of Nördlingen (built in a crater caused by a meteorite) and historic Dinkelsbühl, a former free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire. The road is arguably best explored by car although public transportation is also an option, particularly for targeted stops in the better-known cities.

From Wagon Ruts to Trading Posts

By Linda Tancs

From wagon ruts to trading posts, remnants of the historical Santa Fe Trail can still be seen at Pecos National Historical Park in Pecos, New Mexico. The Trading Post is home to exhibits on the Santa Fe Trail as well as the Civil War battle, Pecos being the westernmost site of the conflict (the Battle of Glorieta Pass). Hiking is a great way to explore the park’s history, like the 2.3-mile Civil War Battlefield Trail and the Ancestral Sites Trail, where you’ll discover the remains of the Pecos Pueblo and 1717 Spanish mission church. Be sure to check in at the E.E. Fogelson Visitor Center for hiking information.

A Giant of American Letters

By Linda Tancs

Winner of the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature, American John Steinbeck has been hailed as “a giant of American Letters.” Among other things, he wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Grapes of Wrath, and the novella, Of Mice and Men. In his hometown of Salinas, California, you’ll find the National Steinbeck Center, a museum and memorial dedicated to his creative legacy and one of the country’s largest literary museums dedicated to a single author. The facility offers a wide range of programming featuring visiting scholars and speakers. Allow at least two hours for a self-guided experience, which includes a brief orientation by a docent or staff member.