Beginning Aug. 20, I'll be hitting the road for 30 days, traveling solo from Miami to Seattle.
I need your tips and suggestions on where to stop! Click on the Comments button at the bottom of this posting. We've changed the site so you don't have to be a member to post a comment; all you have to do is ... post it.
I won't be able to pick up my regular Miami Herald e-mail on the trip, so the only way I can see your ideas is if you post them here. And we'd like other readers to be able to see them, too.
I've picked the basic route: Miami; Birmingham, Ala.; Nashville; Memphis; St. Louis; Kansas City; Glacier National Park, Mont; and Seattle. What I do in each place, and what I do between them, is wide open.
I'll be taking suggestions throughout the trip via this blog. We'll combine the suggestions with some of our own ideas and set up a daily vote, so you can tell me where to go. And yes, I'll actually go where the vote commands!
Get those ideas coming!
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Roadtrip: Help Me Out
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38 comments:
While visiting Montana -
Be sure to visit the Flathead Lake Brewery. Their beer has won numerous awards and they are very, very friendly folks. http://www.flatheadlakebrewing.com/
Also, the best sushi I've ever had (and that's saying something since I've lived in both New York and Seattle) is in Whitefish Montana. The name of the place is Wasabi Sushi Bar, and it is dynomite. Nummy!
Hi Jane,
This is an old friend of Anne's, Julian Clarke's daughter. Is Julian still working at the Herald with you?
I need to ask him or Anne a favor. I need to know how to help a friend get his son, visiting in Costa Rica, San Jose with his aunts, grandparents. HIs name is Peter Jordan.
He went on summer school vacation, but not able to leave, due to being under age. Peter Jordan was able to get into the country (duel citizenship), but his aunt said they will not let him leave.
Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciative and very welcomed.
Thank you,
Annette Hutchinson (Jax-FL)
Ahutchinson@pssd.com
work# 904-332-3257
Cell# 904-338-1232
Jane,
While in Nashville, visit the Ryman Auditorium, The Parthenon, The Country Music Foundation and Museum, the Capitol and Capitol Mall, Bell Meade and Cheekwood Plantations, Music Row, and take in the nightlife downtown. Also, 20 miles south on I65, historic Franklin is a must. There visit Carter House, Carnton Plantation and cemetary, and the old Courthouse on the square. Take a drive down the Natchez Trace parkway and visit historic Leaper's Fork. You will not want to leave.
Jane,
While in Nashville, tour Music Row and have a snack at one of the eateries near the round-about. Make a reservation for the Bluebird Cafe, Music City's premiere listening room for songwriters. Nashville is the place where it all DOES begin with a song. Visit the Frist Museum of Art and the beaux arts drama of the Hermitage Hotel, where both sides of the women's suffrage movement stayed and argued the merits of the 19th Amendment. (Tennessee's vote was the deciding vote.) Take in The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home; drop in at Gruhn Guitars (George Gruhn is a world-expert on guitars), and see if you can wrangle a tour of the Gibson Guitar factory. If you work with the CVB, you may be able to snag a backstage pass to the Grand Ole Opry and mingle with Opry stars old and new.
Jane, after you go thru Nashville, visit
Tellico Plains is a community of hardscrabble farmers, remote and isolated until the construction of the Cherohala Skyway, which was only completed in 1996. Today, community leaders are nurturing its growing artistic and cultural influence by investing in community arts venues and supporting the growing downtown arts industry.
Visitors to Tellico Plains will find:
• Charles Hall Museum Local legend Charles Hall presents a lifelong collection of antiques and priceless old photos
• Tellico Arts Center Features works by a wide variety of local artists, crafters and authors; a favorite meeting place for the talented and casually eccentric
• Mountain Music Outdoor amphitheater features the best in live local and national entertainers, seasonal
• Trader’s Row Seasonal weekend Farmers’ Market / Crafters’ Bazaar
• Tellico Bear An artist’s workshop and store featuring original paintings, collages, carvings and miscellany, as well as custom picture framing
• The Castle If unique is what you seek, this artist’s workshop offers paintings, pottery, collages and miscellaneous originals from the beautiful to the bizarre
Organizers of Trader’s Row have compiled a list of Tellico Plains artists, as well as artists within a half-hour drive of the town. The more than 60 identified artists specialize in:
• Baskets, brooms, cane chairs
• Clogging
• Hide Tanning
• Storytelling
• Quilting
• Rag rugs
• Spinning
• Weaving
• Woodcarving
• Blacksmithing
• Chainsaw sculpt
• Cornhusk dolls
• Furniture Making
• Handmade bowls
• Knitting
• Leatherworking
• Metal Sculpture
• Painting, Pottery and Sculpture
• Stained glass
• Basketry
• Candles
• Doll making
• Herbal Soaps
• Soap making
• Glassblowing
Location is 3 hours from Nashville.
Susan Nefzger
susannefzger@adelphia.net
When you arrive in Seattle be sure to tour the underground city. It's something you'll never forget. Most people outside of Seattle have never heard of it. And, of course, visit the fish market.
Maggie P.
Hernando, FL
When you arrive in Seattle be sure to tour the underground city. It's something you'll never forget. Most people outside of Seattle have never heard of it. And, of course, visit the fish market.
Maggie P.
Hernando, FL
Hi, Jane! Kim Marcille here. Try this: http://www.bigmtn.com/?a=content/treetops
A Walk in the Treetops at Big Mountain. Super cool, a lot of fun.
And wave to my sister in Missoula as you go by! :)--K.
Hi Jane,
Huntsville, Alabama is worth a stop! It's home to the world's largest space museum and the nation's largest seasonal butterfly house. And that's not all. The largest concentration of antebellum homes in the state is in Huntsville and attractions like the Huntsville Museum of Art, Burritt on the Mountain, EarlyWorks Children's Museum, Alabama Constitution Village and the Veteran's Memorial Museum await.
Looking for some outstanding food? It's right here! The dungeoness crab cakes at The Jazz Factory are not to missed. 801 Franklin has one of the finest wine lists in the SE and of course, there are several casual dining options for that world famous southern BBQ.
Hope to see you soon in "The Rocket City"!
When you are driving through Memphis via I-40 you must take exit 15B, make your first left and go straight ahead. For a great Mediterranean menu and some good old favorites. (falafel, shawarma, babaganoush, pita. laffa, all bread baked nightly on site) Arie's Grill & Deli 5545 Murray Road, 150 38119 (9010 767.9659 Don't miss this jewel in the rough!!!!
When visiting Memphis -
Downtown has come a long way so if you are here you need to come downtown. Greats are Stella, McEwen's, Felicia Suzannes, and Grill 83. Lolo's Table and Mediterana are great too. If you want to do Memphis ribs, Rendezvous in an alley off Monroe is the place to go. I hope you enjoy!
While in Memphis you must go to Graceland. Yes. It is tacky but no traveler worth their salt would travel through the home of the King of Rock and Roll and not stop by to visit!
Also if you can go to the Civil Rights Museum, Sun Studio, and Stax Museum.
And if you are hungry:
BBQ - Central BBQ on Central Avenue or The Rendezvous downtown for ribs and atmosphere
Catfish, hush puppies and Smoked Chicken - Soul Fish on Cooper
Breakfast - Brother Juniper's or The Barksdale (good place for plate lunches, too)
Best fish in town - Tsunami on Cooper (known for their Sea Bass with black thai rice and buerre blanc - awesome! Cool place, too.)
Quetzal on Union is a great place for sandwiches and fresh roasted coffee - they serve the sandwiches on fresh foccaccia and ciabratta breads. Also serves a great breakfast!
For great Vietenames - and interesting wait staff go to Saigon Le on Cleveland. Try the Saigon Le eggrolls!
Hi Jane,
While traveling through Alabama your trip would not be complete without a visit to ,USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park. We are located just off I-10 on Mobile Bay. The park is a 175 acre memorial park dedicated to Alabamians who have or are serving in the Armed Forces. Here you will be able to tour two National Historic Landmarks, Battleship USS ALABAMA and Submarine USS DRUM. Visitors are also able to view over 20 historic aircraft, a Korean War Memorial, a Vietnam War Memorial, along with other military equipment, artillery, and displays.
I hope you will have the chance to visit one of Alabama's top attractions!
I would suggest restaurant Wally Joe when you visit Memphis. High quality food stufs with artful presentation. Wally, Andrew, Joe and the rest of the staff will take care of all you culinary needs!
Hello Jane,
On your route between Miami and Birmingham, you must stop and check out the Mobile Bay area located on the spectacular Gulf Coast of Alabama. Mobile Bay is where you can experience the best of the Gulf Coast! Enjoy our gracious hospitality, the sights, the tastes and the feel of our historic Southern port city. There is so much to see and do. Award winning Bellingrath Gardens, the USS ALABAMA Battleship, the Estuarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, the Mobile Carnival Musuem (open just over a year now, exhibiting costumes, gowns, floats, sceptors, crowns and more all from the home of america's original mardi gras!), Alligator Alley, to name just a few. During the time of your trip, there are may special events, celebrations and exhibits taking place in our specatcular coastal city.
Inside the Forbidden City - a photographic display by Joel Meyerowitz will be at the Mobile Museum of Art. Meyerowitz was the only photographer allowed complete access to the World Trade Center site immediately following 9/11. These photos show the display of humanity after such a tragic event.
Also appearing at the Mobile Museum of Art at the same time is NALL: Violata Pax (Wounded Peace)- this 52 station-theme exhibit addressed by Nall is a highly topical one: Man’s wounded dignity (intellectual, physical, moral becomes the unwitting leading role in a real and tangible Stations of the Cross of Humanity that is experienced everywhere today, regardless of geography or race.
If you're looking for some FUN, the stop on into the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center and IMAX Theater. On display will be Football: The Exhibit. This exhibit shows the math, history and science behind the game. Organized into zones that relate directly to the game, the exhibit encourages hands-on participation from beginning to end. Fun for football fans of all ages! Also playing at the Gulf Coast Exploreum IMAX Dome Theater through January 11 is Walt Disney IMAX Film, Roving Mars.
If you want to get a true feeling for the rhythm of Mobile Bay's relaxed coastal lifestyle, come joing us for our Ninth Annual Mobile Beer Festival! On August 26th both local and visiting beer connoisseurs will descend upon downtown taverns and restaurants to sample over 50 different microbrews and imports from all over the world. The moda! electronic trolley will be on hand to help carry participants from one side of the entertainment district to the other for free. The International Beer Festival takes place in Downtown Mobile on Saturday, August 26.
When visiting the Mobile Bay area, make sure you check out our unique cuisine. We are famous for our incredibly fresh seafood, you won't find more delicious seafood anywhere! And be sure to check out our juicy barbecue, spicy Creole and Cajun dishes, and down-home Southern cooking,and leave room for our signature homemade desserts like pecan pie, pralines, fudge, divinity and "designer" chocolates.
After dining in one of our incredible restaurants go check out the nightlife, Mobile Bay style. A diverse array of bars, nightclubs and live music venues provide entertainment ranging from upscale and traditional, to downright fun and funky. Our nightlife offers a unique glimpse at the spirit of our city.
I could go on for hours about all that Mobile Bay has to offer as a destination, but the best way to truly understand it is to stop by and see it for yourself! For even more information you can visit www.mobilebay.org
I wish you safe travels and much enjoyment on your trip across the US.
While in Memphis, be sure to check out some our best BBQ places. While the Rendevous is the most famous, it is probably the worst in town (they don't need to be good because they are famous), but our worst is better than anyone else's best. Try Payne's on Lamar, the Barbeque Shop, or the Germantown Commissary. Interstate is very good as well. For upscale restaurants, check out the funky Beauty Shop in Cooper-Young, Stella on Main, Encore on Third, or Walley Joe on Sanderlin. For country food, you can't go wrong with the Arcade on South Main.
Anne,
While in Memphis, barbecue is de rigeur. The world famous Rendezvous serves the best ribs in Memphis (recently host to President Bush and the Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi). For pulled pork barbeque, my personal favorite is Central BBQ, a smaller barbeque joint, which has the most flavorful, best quality barbeque.
Beale Street, Sun Studios, the National Civil Rights Museum and (I suppose) Graceland are all some of the must-see's for Memphis, although my favorite tourist activity is a night cruise on the Mississippi and dinner downtown. Also don't forget to enjoy the lobby of the Peabody Hotel and watch the parade of ducks. Hope you enjoy your stay in Memphis!
Debra
Don’t miss The Ave Maria Grotto, and Cullman, Alabama! The Ave Maria Grotto is a four-acre park of 130 miniatures of the Holy Land, Jerusalem, Rome, American Spanish missions, and much more. (Listed on the National Register of Historic Places) It is the inspiring creation of one of the Benedictine monks of St. Bernard Abbey, the late Brother Joseph Zoettl (1892-1961). He came from his native Bavaria at the age of 14 to be a missionary with the Benedictine monks of north Alabama for the new German settlers of the area. The Grotto is on the monastery grounds where the monks also have a boarding high school and retreat center.
Cullman is a small progressive city mid way between Birmingham and Huntsville at Exit 308 on Interstate highway 65. Its character is a mix of its German and southern heritages, hard-working and hospitable.
The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament is a few miles away form the Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman County. It is the home of Mother Angelica of EWTN TV network fame and the cloistered Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration. The Shrine welcomes pilgrims for private prayer and daily liturgical celebrations. It is a spiritual marvel to see and experience.
Hi Jane
we are taking a road trip and driving to the Pahandle area to see Destin/Ft. Walton Beach.
We rented a wonderful private house, with white picket fence and private pool.
The house has 3 bedrooms and we are using just one. Our trip wil coincide with yours.
We would love to have you stay with us.
Also, if driving near Scottsboro, AL make sure to visit the Unclaimed Baggage Center. You never know what you will find.
In Nashville, go to the Loveless Motel for breakfast.It's worth seing.
Also in Nashville the Gaylord Hotel to see the extraordinary atrium interior lobby.
I will send you an e-mail off-line.
When in Memphis, please hit up Tsunami in the Cooper Young district. It has some of best pacific-rim food in town.
When you're in the Nashville area, try to get to the Loveless Cafe (http://www.lovelesscafe.com/) for some great food and a fun souvenir t-shirt. If you happen to be near Vanderbilt, check out Obie's Flying Tomato (2217 Elliston Pl, Nashville TN 37203-5205 Phone: 615-327-4743)for some great pizza. I lived right behind Obie's back in the early 80's and still remember how good that pizza smelled!
before you go to nashville, you must detour a little to the east to visit colonial williamsburg, virginia, where the 400th birthday of america's first settlers is perparing for 2007, and to norfolk/virginia beach, virginia, which is a half-size carbon copy of miami, complete with their version of downtown bayside called 'waterside', the same amount of atlantic oceanfront, the same transformation of downtown to condos, and a growing minority community that is just beginning to add spanish tv and radio to the area. go there and tell us what it's like, how is it like miami, or different, please, before you go to nashville and them we can meet you in st. louis!! thanks, charles meads
when in Glacier area, make sure you have a Huckleberry milkshake -- Hulkelberry Patch in Hungry Horse is great, but any place will do in Huckleberry Nation. Ask a local if they can take you berry picking; you'll be late in the season, but it is sublime. Flathead Lake is fantastic, as is Whitefish.
Jane, Hope you pass through Cody, Wyoming... there is a great Charles Russell Museum... and if the local Rodeo is going on.... it is fun.... small and just plain fun to sit in the wooden stands and watch the participants and spectators...
Love Whitefish, Montana..
The Boeing Musemum in the Seattle area is most interesting...
We know you are going to have an adventure if you stop at a Flying J Truck Stop anywhere out west!
Have enjoyed your many articles and look forward to enjoying your latest adventure!
R.C.
Jane, you're headed toward Glacier National Park at the right time of year. September can be the finest weather with a crisp Indian summer. Or it can be rather nasty ... but usually not until mid October. If you're in the camping mode, go to Two Medicine Campground. If you're lodging, Many Glacier Lodge is grandiose and creaky, another example of the massive deferred maintenance backlog in our national parks. Great bear watching in either place - bring good binoculaurs or spotting scope. En route, check out Glacier's cool web cams at: http://www.nps.gov/glac/whatsnew.htm
Speak up for parks. Visit the National Parks Conservation Association Take Action Center online at www.npca.org to sign up for a biweekly email update on park needs and easy ways to contact Congress and make a difference.
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