Like many travel writers, I am staying close to home this year. Fortunately for me, many of the communities in East Texas have a lot of reasons to visit; many offering excellent museums and fun shopping. Case in point — Gladewater. Gladewater Museum I start my tour at the Gladewater Museum located in a 1939 Art Deco building used over
Appalachian Outreach helping West Virginia’s poor
John Denver sang a beautiful ode to West Virginia with his hit Take me Home Country Roads: “Country roads, take me home to the place I belong. West Virginia, Mountain Mama, take me home, country roads.” West Virginia is a naturally beautiful state with a rich and interesting history. Once part of the state of Virginia, tourists travel here to
Book Your Bubble Travel Collection
If you’re like me, you miss travel – big time! One solution is traveling with your family and friends that you’ve been quarantined with. So how are you going to manage this family/friend-only trip? One company addressing the situation is G Adventure. They recently introduced “Book Your Bubble Collection” private group travel. Let me interject here that I have traveled
Appalachian Outreach, Inc.
Appalachian Outreach, Inc. is a non-profit organization fighting poverty for West Virginians living in rural areas. Donations can be mailed or dropped off at 13 W View Lane, Glen Dale, West Virginia 26038. Personal items needed: Soaps, Hand Sanitizer Shampoo, Brush, Combs Toiletry Samples Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Dental Floss Denture Cleanser, Mouthwash Shaving items Toilet Paper, Tissues Feminine Hygiene Adult Diapers
Visiting America’s Rose Garden
This summer day I decide to take my five-year-old granddaughter Ainsley to the American Rose Society Public Gardens, located just west of Shreveport, Louisiana. It’s only an hour’s drive from our East Texas homes. Ahead of our visit I read that the gardens exist to promote the culture, preservation and appreciation of the rose, and to improve its standard of
The historic battle between Portugal and Spain
I have no idea of the significance a tiny Portuguese village has in the history of this nation when I arrive on a tour bus with a 35 other passengers. I am sailing on the Douro River with Viking River Cruises. This day the shore excursion includes a visit to Castelo Rodrigo, a tiny medieval walled village. A visit here
Gloucester Cathedral: a Monument English History
Located between the Cotswolds and Wales, Gloucester is a great place to stay when exploring this area of the United Kingdom. Don’t just use the city as your base though, make sure and take the time to explore it. With a lovely pedestrian center, Beatrix Potter museum, Gloucester Docks and Roman ruins, it is an interesting destination in and of
Book offers a vivid view of theaters past
Matt Lambros does it again with a beautiful new “abandoned” coffee table book: “After the Final Curtain, America’s Abandoned Theaters.” What I appreciate about Lambros’ abandoned theater book is he shows the reader the haunting beauty of the past – long before today’s multiplex. Shredded curtains, torn seats, weeping plaster and grimy statues fill Lambros’ photographs. In this book, he
“Abandoned Asylums” presents a vivid view of mental institution history
Abandoned Asylums is a haunting coffee table book. Talented photographer and author Matt Van der Velde, along with a forward by Carla Yanni, paints a picture of the approach to caring for the mentally ill and “feeble minded” over the past 200 years. Yanni explains mental institution evolution and subsequent fall from grace while Van der Velde details each featured
Live Virtual Walking Tours Offered
A new collection of ‘Virtual Travel Experiences’ designed to keep travelers inspired are being offered by G Adventure even though travelers can’t come together right now. The first tour was offered April 21, but more tours designed to keep travelers engaged are being offered. Live virtual small group tours are the first of their kind. This is as close as