Linda A. Tancs's Blog: The Long and Short of It, page 44

American Beach

By Linda Tancs

Located on Florida’s Amelia Island, American Beach was a haven for Blacks during the Jim Crow era. The beach was co-founded by A.L. Lewis, the state’s first Black millionaire. At the A.L. Lewis Museum, you can learn about the history of the beach and its famous visitors, from 1935 to the present day. Landmarks remain on the site despite the proliferation of golf and vacation resorts, including the first home (owned by A.L. Lewis) as well as the second home erected on the beach, known as Ervin’s Rest.

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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045. 

Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.

A Museum With a Message

By Linda Tancs

The American Museum of Tort Law touts itself as a museum with a message. Its mission is to educate visitors about the value of trials by jury and tort law, a discipline that covers many types of wrongful injuries. The main gallery features information on precedent-setting cases that have impacted the general public, such as asbestos and tobacco litigation. Another gallery explains seven cases in detail through a series of interactive panels. Developed by consumer advocate Ralph Nader, the facility is located in Winsted, Connecticut.

Chile’s Biosphere

By Linda Tancs

A wonderland of volcanoes and lakes, Chile’s Lauca National Park in the northeast forms part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve thanks to its diverse collection of flora and fauna. Indeed, over 130 different bird species live in the park, in addition to the distinctive vicuñas, vizcachas and condors. A major attraction in the park is Lake Chungará, one of the highest lakes in the world, located at the foot of the Payachata twin volcanoes in all their snow-capped glory.

Silver Darlings in Norfolk

By Linda Tancs

Great Yarmouth, also known as Yarmouth, is a seaside town in England with a long maritime history. By the 19th century, it was the largest herring port in the world. Known as “silver darlings” for their bright, silver color, the fish was exported as far as Russia, India and Africa. You can learn more about the fishing industry at the Time & Tide Museum, a former smokehouse. And don’t miss this month’s Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival at historic South Quay. The event features tall ships, shanty music and pirates along with a costumed actor portraying naval commander Horatio Nelson, who spent time there before the Battle of Copenhagen and on his return to England after the Battle of the Nile. 

Popcorn Days

By Linda Tancs

In Ridgway, Illinois, the annual Popcorn Days celebration takes place during the second weekend in September. Part of the Gallatin County Fair, it’s a celebration of the Blevins Popcorn Co. plant that packaged Pops-Rite popcorn. In its heyday, Ridgway was identified as “Popcorn Capital of the World.” The highlight of the festivities is the parade on Saturday. You’ll also find live entertainment, vendors, amusement rides, games and, of course, free popcorn.

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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045. 

Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.

Dark Island

By Linda Tancs

Straddling the border between the U.S. and Canada, the Thousand Islands are a group of more than 1,800 islands in the St. Lawrence River. It’s a place with elaborate island mansions, like Singer Castle on Dark Island, so named because the number of evergreens on the island gave it a “dark” look. The castle is named for Frederick Bourne, who was the fifth president of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, and it remained in the family’s possession from its establishment in the early 1900s until the 1960s. A 45-minute guided tour of the 28-room castle includes the Great Hall, library, dining room, breakfast room, terrace, drawing room, loggia, wicker room, bedrooms, and guest rooms. The opening hours are seasonal, from April to October.

Land of Flowers

By Linda Tancs

Part of the semi-desert Succulent Karoo biome, Namaqualand is an arid area of South Africa that becomes a carpet of wildflowers after the winter rains end in August. Roughly between mid-August and mid-September, it’s home to the richest bulb flora of any arid region in the world, with more than 1,000 of its estimated 3,500 plant species found nowhere else on Earth. The Skilpad and Korhaan walking trails offer great views of this spectacular, one-of-a-kind display. You might want to stay awhile at one of the temporary flower camps, like Skilpad Rest Camp or one of the various camping options along the coast.

Where New Jersey Became a State

By Linda Tancs

New Jersey’s first state-owned historic site, Indian King Tavern Museum in downtown Haddonfield is where New Jersey completed its transition from colony to state. The year was 1777, and the newly formed New Jersey Legislature met in this public house and tavern to discuss matters of state, including changing the colony’s official designation. The tavern’s original owner named it “Indian King” in deference to Lenape Native Americans who had cared for the arriving European settlers. Open to the public, the site regularly hosts school tours and lectures.

A Perfect Circle in Portugal

By Linda Tancs

Situated opposite the Portuguese town of Vila Franca do Campo in São Miguel, the biggest island in the Azores, the islet of Vila Franca results from the crater of an ancient submerged volcano. Classified as a nature reserve, it boasts a nearly perfect circular lake inside the crater walls. It’s an important flyover zone for seabirds like Cory’s shearwater and common tern. It’s also a popular destination for swimming and cliff diving. Couple your visit with a dolphin and whale watching tour.

A Wonder Castle in Prince Edward Island

By Linda Tancs

Best known for her best-selling classic novel Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery spent much of her childhood at a farmhouse in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island that would eventually become The Anne of Green Gables Museum. Built in 1872, the farmstead was dearly referred to by Montgomery as “the wonder castle of my childhood.” The home features the Enchanted Bookcase from her classic novel as well as the Blue Chest from the book Story Girl. Personal artifacts abound, including hand-developed photographs and a patchwork quilt she worked on as a child. The home is located in Park Corner.

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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045. 

Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.