Of all the presidential sites, The Hermitage is one of the finest. Located just outside of Nashville, Tenn., it was the home of Andrew Jackson and his wife Rachel Donelson. This is the second largest presidential site in the country, but it was very much a family home. It is unique in that it has almost all its original furnishings, right down to the wallpaper, which dates to the early 1800s.
The Jacksons had many guests visit them during their lifetimes and that tradition is still carried on today. There are costumed guides who take you through the house on tours. They will give you details of the lives of Andrew and Rachel and their adopted sons Andrew and Lyncoya, their granddaughter Rachel and Alfred, one of their slaves. A 15-minute video in the visitor center will familiarize you with the history of the Hermitage. After you watch the video, you can take a headphone tour of the grounds.
The Hermitage is never the same twice. History is no longer being made here, but it is being discovered every day. There is ongoing site development. During summer, the Hermitage becomes an active archaeological site. Currently, they are trying to piece together the lives of the slaves, who have been for the most part neglected in the historical records. Visitors are allowed to sift through the dirt looking for artifacts and to question the archaeologists. A wagon tour highlighting slave life at the Hermitage has been added.
There is a construction project as well. The original Hermitage, which was a log cabin, has been restored to the way it was during the slave era, 1820 to 1865 when it was used as housing for workers. HGTV did a feature about it and Alfred's original cabin is also available to visitors.
The main house is not large but every effort has been made to maintain it in pristine condition. All the rooms are behind glass and you have to view them from the halls. You need to be able to walk up stairs as the house is not handicapped accessible. When you finish the tour, you walk out to view the kitchen and smokehouse and then head out into the grounds.
As you began your tour of the grounds, walk out to the Field Quarter Springs and the remains of field slave's quarters which have been discovered. It is a half mile walk and this is where the slaves, who worked in the fields, spent their time off of work. The remains of four brick cabins have been found and there are traces of two earlier log cabins in the same area. Some of the items from these excavations have made their way into the museum exhibits at the visitor center. They have shed amazing new light on the life of the slaves and what their family lives were like.
What has surprised everyone is that no matter where the slaves worked, in the fields or in the house, there appears to have been very little difference in their accommodations and what they possessed. They all had coins found in the ruins of their homes as well as pieces of dishes, marbles, porcelain doll heads and many other items. Life was hard but there was some time for the children to enjoy toys.
Lastly, you will want to walk in the garden and visit the graves of Andrew and Rachel. There is a small family cemetery on one side. You will also notice Alfred's grave alongside Jackson's tomb. When Alfred died, he left all his possessions and everything he had been given by the Jacksons during his lifetime back to the house. In exchange for this, he was allowed the privilege of being buried here. It is a wonderful testimony to his love for the General.
In the visitor center, there is a really wonderful museum with additional information and possessions of the Jacksons. Once inside the museum, you will be introduced again to Andrew, his wife Rachel, their adopted son as well as her nephew Andrew Jackson Donelson. In the museum, you will find artifacts uncovered during archaeological digs on the property, additional items that belonged to the family and a history that takes you beyond the occupation of the house by members of the Jackson family. Allow a half hour and 45 minutes to visit this museum; there is a lot of information there.
After you leave the Hermitage, turn left out of the parking lot and follow the road to the Hermitage Church and Tulip Grove. These are just two additional pieces to the amazing story of Andrew and Rachel Jackson. You should allow the better part of a day to fully enjoy the Hermitage.
If you want to find out more about the Jacksons, Irving Stone has an excellent novel called "The President's Lady" which is an honest and sometimes brutal look at the love story that was Andrew and Rachel Jackson's marriage. He so loved her that he once said: "Heaven with be no heaven to me if I don't meet my wife there".
The Hermitage is a must visit for anyone who will be in the Nashville area and has an interest in American history.
Other Presidential Homes:
James Madison
James Monroe
George Mason is one of those men who somehow history has forgotten. Not in his native Virginia but in the rest of the country. He had a very significant part in the history of the creation of the United States and yet it is one event, one choice he made, in that history that has kept him from being a household word. If this sounds intriguing, please take the time to visit Gunston Hall and get to know this very interesting man.
Gunston Hall was built in the mid-18th century in the Georgian style. It sits on a 60 foot bluff above the Potomac River and at its peak was second only to the Washington Estate at Mount Vernon. Your visit here begins with a 10-minute film to familiarize you with the man who built this home, George Mason.
A small museum is located in the visitor center that will give you some insight into life at the time of the Masons occupation and shows you some of the amazing things that they possessed. George and his first wife Ann raised a large family here and it is very much a family home.
House tours take place every half hour and when I visited in October 2014 the furniture was out of the house, photography was allowed inside. This allows you to take pictures of the fabulous carvings that were done by William Buckland and William Sears in the formal rooms of the house. Both of these men were indentured servants. The work is comparable to that of Grinling Gibbons in this writer’s opinion.
The tour is guided on the first floor and you are then allowed to view the bedrooms on the second floor. Several outbuildings including a kitchen are located close to the house and you are encouraged to walk through the massive grounds. The burying ground is open to visitors as well as a schoolhouse that was used to teach the nine surviving Mason children.
On the Potomac River side of Gunston Hall, there is a garden which now does not include flowing plants. Boxwoods and terraced grounds are impressive none the less but plans for new and extensive gardens have received funding so you may get to see them. If you want to walk down to the river, there are trails for that as well.
Special events are held on average quarterly. The weekend I visited, Halloween was being celebrated. Children could have their face painted, make a mask, paint a pumpkin and hear stories being told at the schoolhouse. Some spooky surprises were also provided. The house tour was included in the entrance and everyone seemed to be taking advantage of it.
In addition to the special events, there are many things offered at Gunston Hall including things like Hearth Cooking Classes and special architecture tours just to name two. See their website for additional dates and times.
If you love the Regency Period of England history, a visit to Bath with all its Jane Austen connections and Georgian architecture is a must. Two things transformed Bath from a quiet market town into a magnet for the rich and famous, the hot mineral waters and Richard "Beau" Nash. Beau arrived in Bath in 1704 and set the stage for the development of the city into a fashionable place to see and been seen.
His love of gambling was the trigger that fueled his desire to get the idle rich to help support his passion. He began as the aid to the Master of ceremonies and when death opened the door he was the natural successor. He became in time the "King of Bath". He set the fashion in Bath and during his reign at the head of the Social Season he was the arbitrator of both behavior and fashion. If you wanted to make a splash in Bath you had to win the approval of the Beau", losing his support caused the unfortunate to be ostracized and this was social suicide. Eventually, it was his gambling that was his downfall but his reign lasted 40 years and he left a significant mark on the city of Bath.
The current Assembly Rooms designed by John Woods were constructed in 1769 with the grand opening on September 30, 1771. They replaced the Lower Assembly Rooms of Beau Nash's day. Today the rooms are administered by the National Trust. The Assembly Rooms are free to visit, what you pay to visit is the costumes. The Assembly Rooms themselves can be rented out as a venue for meetings or a wedding reception.
The Assembly Room that you see today is the one that is featured in Jane Austen's novels. You may choose to take a headphone tour; it adds a great deal of information and sets the correct mood for your visit. If you enjoy becoming part of a historic venue then the headphone tour is a must. The tour begins in the Tea Room. This was where at 9 p.m. in the evening all the guest who had been invited to attend would congregate. Some came to dance, some to play cards but all came to be seen. If you didn't have an invitation to the Assembly then your consequence was considerably lowered in the eyes of all the people who really mattered in Bath. The magnificent chandeliers that adorn the room are the originals that were installed in 1771.
"In the evening, I hope you honored my toilette and ball with a thought; I dressed myself as well as I could, and had all my finery much admired at home. By nine o'clock my uncle, aunt, and I entered the rooms and linked Miss Winstone on to us. Before tea it was rather a dull affair; but then the before tea did not last long, for there was only one dance, danced by four couple. Think of four couple, surrounded by about a hundred people, dancing in the Upper Rooms at Bath." Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra.
The Octagon Room is where the gentlemen would retire for a game of cards and to get away from the dancing and the woman. There are portraits around the upper level of the room one of them is a Gainsborough of Captain William Wade. On the lower level of the room, there are four marble fireplaces.
The ballroom hosted up to 1000 people at these dances. You can still imagine the ghosts of Georgian men and women performing the minuet and dancing the country dances. The room is 105 feet long, 42 feet wide and 42 feet high. With all the crystal chandeliers it is breathtaking. Dancing began at 6 p.m. with the minuet, at 8 p.m. there would be lively country dances, at 9 p.m. everyone went to the tea room and all music stopped at 11 p.m. even if it was in the middle of a song.
Visiting the Assembly Rooms is as close as most people will ever get to feeling and understanding the social restrictions and the life of the "beau monde" in the time of Jane Austen. It is worth visiting just for its magnificent architecture.
Visitors to Vancouver have many options when it comes to things to do in the city. It is one of my favorite places to visit. However, getting away for a day trip is an option and there are several really good destinations!!
Victoria
Ideally, you would want to spend more than one day visiting Victoria but it can be done in a day trip if that is all you have. There is a ferry that can take you to Victoria but you need a car to get to the ferry terminal in Tsawwassen. When you arrive on Vancouver Island, you are in Swartz Bay about 20 miles from Victoria.
A more expensive but much easier option is to take a float plane from Vancouver Harbor right to Victoria's Inner Harbor. This places you right in the middle of the action and you are within walking distance of most of the things that you would want to do.
The Fairmont Empress Hotel is a popular destination for visitors and having high tea there is on the top of most people's list. This may require reservations so be sure to give them a call if this is something you really want to do.
For families, Royal British Columbia Museum is an easy walk away and you can enjoy the exhibits and purchase tickets for the National Geographic IMAX Theater. Walking along the harbor and a visit to the Parliament building are also popular with visitors. The last float plane heads back to Vancouver at 5:50 p.m. allowing you to have quite a full day.
Whale watch
Though this isn't a specific location, it is an excellent choice for a half day trip. There are several different options depending on what you will feel most comfortable with. If you are into fast boats and a lot of bouncing around the open or semi-covered Zodiac type of boats will be for you. If you prefer a more comfortable ride then the more traditional boat is a better choice. You can sit comfortably inside until you got to areas of interest. You then climb up on the deck for picture taking. It was one of the most exciting things I have ever done. You will see sea lions, porpoise and hopefully the Orcas. Trips can take from 3-5 hours.
Whistler
Whistler one of the premier ski locations in North America, It is beautiful enough to warrant a visit during any season. Located about an hour from Vancouver it will be a quiet and uneventful ride northeast.
If you are not going to ski in Whistler then the main attraction is the hiking. Visit the Whistler Activity Guides Bureau, they will have information on the best trails. If you are not up for hiking the Whistler Gondola can whisk up from the center of town to the Roundhouse Lodge. Keep your eyes open for bears roaming below you. The views from the top are spectacular. When you return if you have time, visit the Whistler Museum and Archives Society to learn about the history of Whistler and skiing in the area.
Those who want something really exciting to do can consider taking one of the 2.5-hour Ziptrek Eco Tours. Zip-lines of varying length and heights are certain to get your adrenaline pumping. You can fly like an eagle solo or tandem and you will have pictures and memories to last a lifetime.
Plan to have dinner in Whistler before heading back to Vancouver. The town has many celebrated restaurants and you almost can't make a bad choice. Wildflower at the Fairmont Hotel is a perennial favorite as is Rim Rock Cafe.
Whether you choose Whistler, Victoria or a whale watch, any of these day trips are sure to add an element of culture, nature or excitement to your day.
When you want to research your travels to Uruguay the best Uruguay travel websites will help you to find the information to plan the perfect vacation.
Uruguay is a small country in South America. It is often referred to as the heart-shaped country because of its shape. It is bordered by Brazil and Argentina and the Atlantic Ocean. The capital city is Montevideo and the majority of the population of the country live in or near the city. Many wonderful beaches are located in Uruguay, some are very quiet and others are filled with music and excitement. So no matter what you are looking for in a vacation, arts, music, relaxing or great food you will find it all in Uruguay.
Welcome Uruguay is a commercial website that is almost too busy to look at, there is a lot going on. Things are moving and the advertising is pretty blatant but in the midst of all this, there is plenty of useful information.
Across the top right below the pictures are three very thin and hard to see buttons, Littoral, Center and The Beaches. Clicking on the link brings up some more choices, with Littoral one of the choices Carmelo which is a city in the province of Colonia.
When you get to the new page there is an overview of the city in the center and there is a list of links on the left side which will give you further information. Some of the options are Tourist Services, Tours, Photo Gallery and Where to sleep. If you click on Tourist Services, you get the name of a car rental agency and other travel services.
On the left side below the links that apply to Carmelo there is a section called Topics. It has a section for Hot Springs and another is Wines of Uruguay. If you click on Hot Springs it brings up an article and a map with the locations of the Hot Springs.
This is just one small section of a very detailed website. It is easy to navigate and while the front page could be improved the rest of the site is much easier to see and understand.
Given the scarcity of websites to help you plan your trip to Uruguay,
Discover Uruguay is a ray of sunshine. The site covers a lot of ground from lodging and transportation to actually making those reservations. The activities section has a great list of things you can do but there are no clickable links to take you to more information. So while you now know that there are casinos to enjoy where they are and how to get there is not provided. But at least you can take that information and go looking in other places. Discover Uruguay is another commercial site that sells tours but you can use them to send you in the right direction.
Uruguay Natural is the official tourism site of Uruguay. It is hard to believe that the official website for the country does not make it to the first five pages of a Google search of Uruguay, but its’ true. What you notice first in the banner is the social media site icons, they really catch your eye. I guess on a site that features travel to your country that isn’t what you want people to notice first but it is what caught my eye.
The pictures on the homepage don’t change and the choices along the top are Home, Places to Go, Things to See and Information. If you scroll down past the first massive photo you get six choices of Places to See. Sorry but the design of this website is just poor and made me want to go someplace else almost immediately. I suggest you do find another place for your research because what is available on this site is very superficial and not of much use except in a very general way. This is probably the worst official website I have ever come across.
What is quite obvious at this point is that planning a trip to Uruguay is not going to be easy using just one website. You will need to use these to send you looking for more specific information. You can also use all the old standbys like Trip Advisor, National Geographic, Frommer, Fodor, and Lonely Planet. Uruguay is a fascinating country and all the effort will be worth it in the end.
Halifax is a city that deserves to be toured. No matter how you arrive there, by plane, by car or by cruise ship, you will want to take one of the many tours that are offered to enhance your visit.
Hop on Hop off Double Decker
These authentic London style red double-decker buses allow the visitor to take a full tour which goes to all the most important historic sites and then get off and back on when they are ready These buses run during the warm weather and services ends in mid-October. The tour has fifteen stops and you will receive a map with your ticket. Some of the stops include The Citadel, Pier 21 where the cruise ships come in and the Museum of Natural History.
What isn't included on this tour is Fairview Lawn Cemetery where the Titanic victims are buried.
Deluxe City Tour
This three-hour tour is offered twice daily at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. from June 1st until October 15th. If you are visiting on a cruise at a later date they will have made arrangement for the tours to be available through the cruise lines. Tour buses are trolleys that look like the original San Francisco trolleys. Tours are guided and your kilted tour guide will provide an interesting and informative running narrative as you travel through the streets of Halifax.
This tour visits the Citadel for a photo opportunity but does not allow enough time for a visit. The trolley parks outside of Fairview Lawn Cemetery. The tour includes a guided tour through the graves of the Titanic victims and the fascinating stories that the graves hide. There are many photo opportunities on this tour be sure to bring along your camera.
Private Limo Tour
If you have a limited amount of time to spend in Halifax this may be a perfect choice. They will do a custom tour to your specifications. All the fun of being chauffeured around and none of the formality.
Historic Halifax Walking Tour
If you prefer to do it on your own you can visit Halifax Tourism Website and get a copy of their suggested two to three-hour walking tour. It will take you through the downtown area and even the Citadel. The city is hilly and you will need to have a certain amount of stamina to attempt this walk but the effort will be well worth it.
Harbor Hopper Tour
If you enjoy the Duck Tours that are so popular in many American Cities then the Harbor Hopper will provide much of the same thrill. You will spend fifty-five minutes driving through the streets of Halifax enjoying the narrated tour and then off into the harbor for a unique view of the Halifax and Dartmouth skylines. Be on the lookout for the green frog that decorates the side.
No matter how you choose to tour, Halifax is sure to delight and intrigue. Most tours are available only during the summer months so plan your trip accordingly.
I am sure you may have noticed that I tend to be very brand loyal when it comes to hotels and my usual choices are Marriott, Holiday Inn or Omni. However, there are times when one of these hotels isn't available or is so overpriced that I have to try to find an alternative, this was one of those cases. The Comfort Inn in Clarion was well located and well priced and therefore I decided after considerable research on Trip Advisor to give it a try. I wasn't disappointed.
The hotel is two-story and you enter through the lobby, the rooms are not accessible directly from the exterior. The lobby is not exceptional about the lobby but you will immediately see the pool and spa which is directly ahead of you as you enter. Across from the desk, coffee is available and in the hall is an ice machine.
This hotel has smoking rooms and that is one reason I usually am not a big fan of Choice Hotels. If you want to be away from them, be sure to make your preference known. The first room assigned to us would have been too close to the smoking section to be comfortable. It is also important to note that there is no elevator so if your room is on the second floor, you will need to carry your luggage up the stairs. We opted for the first floor and got room 106. It is located right next door to the breakfast room.
Did I mention that breakfast is included? It is and is quite an adequate spread. Scrambled and boiled eggs, sausage, two kinds of bagels, three choices of cold cereal and make your own oatmeal, two kinds of bread to toast, English muffins, Danish and mini muffins, yogurt, fruit cocktail (the canned variety) and make your own waffles which can be had with strawberries and cream or syrup. The one problem is a small breakfast room with only 5 tables and a few bar seats. The room could hold a couple more tables and it would be a good idea to add them. People were walking out in disgust or standing around making those eating feel uncomfortable.
The room
The king room was spacious. The bed had modern bedding with a white duvet and coverlet in a neutral color. It had five pillows which while not feather or down were what most people prefer, however, the mattress was soft. A flat-screen TV sits on the dresser across from the TV. There are 70 channels available including HBO. Soundproofing was good and we were not disturbed by any noise.
The room also has a sofa which converts into a bed. There is a large desk working area. As you enter the room there is a closet with an ironing board and iron and a luggage rack. There is also a bar area with a small sink, microwave, and fridge. The coffeepot is located on the desk which seems a bit odd but at least there was a coffee pot.
Location
One thing that this hotel has going for it is its location. It is less than a mile off of the interstate and adjacent to a small mall. In the mall, there is a K-Mart and several other stores and also a very good steak restaurant. It is nice to be able to walk out to dinner and leave the car parked at the hotel.
Condition
Overall the hotel was in good shape. The room was clean with only a little bit of mold located on the caulking behind the tub in the bathroom. The sink was also cracked as were a few of the floor tiles and there was rust on the frame of the door. The closet door was very difficult to close once it was opened so it only got opened once. The wooden furniture had its share of nicks, scratches and, gouges but the carpet looked in good condition as did the bedding. The air conditioner worked great and kept us very comfortable.
Staff
The woman at the desk was very helpful and gave us a coupon to use at the steakhouse which got us a 10 percent discount. She also made sure we had a room away from the smoking area which I really appreciated.
The all-important question, would I stay at the Comfort Inn again? Yes, I would. The location is convenient and the overall condition and amenities are good. There are a few small details that could be better but we slept well and at the end of the day, that is what is the most important.
