When most people think of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, they think about cruising and the beach. While these certainly are a part of the overall vibe of Fort Lauderdale, there is so much more to a visit there than just the beach.
For more than 20 years, Broward Center for the Performing Arts has been bringing the arts to residents and visitors. Concerts of all sorts are offered. Make it an entire evening by booking dinner at Serenade, the upscale dining venue at the Center.
The Parker Playhouse is part of the Broward Performing Arts Center and has a 40 plus year history of providing a great venue for smaller productions. The Playhouse seats slightly more than 1,100 patrons.
Fort Lauderdale has a unique Antique Car Museum. It is dedicated to the Packard and has 22 of them that date from 1909 through 1947. In addition, there are other items collected by Arthur O. Stone.
From the IMAX Theatre to the child-friendly exhibits, the Museum of Discovery and Science is a place the entire family can and will enjoy. A newer permanent exhibit about the human body adds a new dimension to the already jam-packed museum.
Every visitor to Fort Lauderdale should take a tour and what could be more fun than a paddle boat. The Jungle Queen offers three-hour sightseeing of the New River. It also offers a BBQ dinner at 6 p.m. in the evening. Dine on chicken, BBQ ribs and shrimp while enjoying a comedy revue. The boat provides a delicious and memorable evening’s entertainment.
Dining
When you are ready to eat, head to the Las Olas Riverfront area. This area has a wide selection of dining options including Big City Tavern, Café de Paris and The Tilted Kilt just to name a few.
When you are planning a visit to Fort Lauderdale you will find lots of things to see and do. It is easy to get there and you will find plenty of places to stay and eat. You can spend an entire vacation getting to know the area. You can use this guide to help you plan the perfect trip.
More information:
http://www.granadainn.net
http://www.junglequeen.com
http://browardcenter.org/
http://www.mods.org
http://www.antiquecarmuseum.org/
Who would have guessed that someone whom we had never heard of before we visit his house, Friendship Hill, would have turned out to be such a fascinating man.. Albert Gallatin was born in Switzerland and came to this country as a young man. Among other things, he taught French at Harvard before moving west to the Pittsburgh area. He was elected to Congress and eventually was the Secretary of the Treasury under Thomas Jefferson.
His major claims to fame are the fact that he is responsible for the Louisiana Purchase and also for getting the Louis and Clarke Expedition going. It is hard to imagine why someone who was so important to this country’s early development has been almost entirely forgotten by the majority of Americans.
Friendship Hill is the home he built and where he brought home his first wife, Sophie Allegre. This is a sad story, Sophie died within months of their wedding having married against the wishes of her mother and never having been reconciled with her. Her grave is still on the property and though it is unmarked per her wishes it is surrounded by a small wall so that you can find it. Eventually, Albert did marry and had children but his wife never cared much for the house, she was a city girl and I am sure that as the second wife didn’t need to be reminded of his first love.
The house is now owned by the National Park Service. You begin your visit in the gift shop, there is a short video that you can sit and watch. Albert introduces himself to you and also tells you his story. You then walk through the house on a self-guided tour. There is an elevator to take you to the second floor and to the basement where the restrooms are. A couple of rooms are offered that can only be viewed by walking up a staircase.
The grounds are well worth walking through. A gazebo in the rear of the property has great views of the Monongahela River. You can also choose to visit Sophie’s grave which is across the yard, down a hill, along a meadow and through the woods. It is definitely not wheelchair accessible.
Picnic tables are located near the parking lot if you care to bring your lunch and the walkway from the lot is steep but paved so it would be accessible.
The gift shop has the typical Park Department items with a few really interesting books thrown in. Admission is free. I highly recommend a visit to Friendship Hill which is located in Marion, Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art was founded in 1876. With over 200,000 pieces of art in its collection, it encompasses everything from textiles to Eastern art. It has one of the finest American collections in the world. The collection is anchored by local artist Thomas Eakins. The museum contains not only pieces of artwork but also furniture, glass, pottery and silver. It is a comprehensive collection that can stand up against just about any museum in the world.
Even if you have never visited Philadelphia, chances are you know what the art museum looks like. When Rocky runs up the stairs in that famous scene, he is doing it on the front stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is a very distinctive building and makes a great impression when you first see it. If you are like most people who visit Philadelphia however, you will want to take your turn running up the stairs humming the Rocky theme. To enter the museum however, you will need to go around to the other side of the building.
When you enter the museum, check to see what special tours they are offering that day. The board next to the main desk will give you that information. You can also pick up a copy of Today at the Museum which will tell you what is being offered. If you visit on Sunday you can make whatever donation you choose as your entrance fee.
Among the tours that are offered is a headphone tour narrated by the Director of the museum called “Director’s Delights” there is also one called” Museum Highlights”. If you have the time it is worth your while to do one of these tours.
The second floor of the museum has the Old Masters collection. Galleries 250-299 cover European art from 1500-1850. These galleries contain a variety of art and styles, as well as period rooms. One exceptional piece is the portrait of Queen Marie Antoinette by Elisabeth Viger LeBrun, On the Director’s Tour, you are led to the Landsdowne Room, an Adams drawing room which once graced Landsdowne House in London. It has an amazing ceiling and this room has played host to many famous people during its heyday.
Among the early European artists featured are Rogier Van der Weyden and Jan Van Eyck. Van Eyck’s painting of St Francis is a difficult painting to find because it is very tiny. In a place of prominence, you will find the Hudon’s bust of Benjamin Franklin; it seems fitting, since this is Philadelphia where Franklin lived for so many years.
The arms and armor collection is a favorite with men and boys and the textiles collection will delight any of the girls and woman in your group. On Sundays, special programs are offered for the children in the family. To find out any special exhibits that they will be hosting check out their website.
If you get hungry, there is a cafeteria, as well as a more formal restaurant. There are several gift shops, with the main one being in the same area as the restaurants. If you are staying in downtown Philadelphia one of the stops on Phlash Bus is the Philadelphia Museum of Art. There is a parking lot but the number of spots is limited. Why not join the 1 million other people who will visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art this year. You will not be disappointed.
When it comes to views in Chattanooga, Tenn, there is nowhere that can compare with the Bluff View Arts District. This is the area of town where the wealthy chose to make their home in days past. Today, it covers a block and a half and encompasses museums, galleries, restaurants and the Bluff View Inn. If you are looking for someplace interesting to stay, this is a good choice.
The Inn consists of three separate historic houses. All of them have the potential to have great views, it just depends on the price you are willing to spend for your room. We were not willing to pay for the view, and really unless you want to be able to look out your window and see the river, you don't need to either. Great views can be had by just walking along the River Walk.
The website for the Bluff View Inn really does give a pretty accurate picture of what the rooms look like. They are all pretty and we asked and were shown quite a few of them. I enjoyed seeing the luxury of the rooms in the other two buildings but we opted to stay at the more affordable Thompson House.
We had the Newell Room. It was on the ground floor and had a king sized bed. It was the library in the house and the sliding doors were indicative of that use. There was free WiFi and cable TV. We also had a sofa and a coffee table which I used as my office while we were there. Our bed was very comfortable, we slept great. The bathroom was large and well stocked as well. We were very comfortable here.
The parlor was right outside of our room and we gathered there to indulge in the soft drinks and water that were provided in the afternoon. There was a gas fireplace that provided some atmosphere as well as warmth since we visited in January. In the early morning, coffee is delivered to the hall outside of our room and we could relax with a cup while reading the local newspaper which was also delivered.
A Continental breakfast was available to us at the coffee shop down the street. This was my least favorite thing. It was always busy, crowded and we had a hard time lingering. I think we should have just picked up our food and gone back to the room, it would have been more enjoyable.
Free parking is provided and the location on The Bluff is perfect. Many of the things you may want to do in Chattanooga are located either right on the Bluff or very close by. It is within an easy walk from the aquarium and some interesting shopping.
The one downside of the Thompson House is the fact that the highway is so close. In the morning the noise from rush hour traffic was distracting. A light sleeper might have a hard time in the Thompson House.
I really did enjoy staying here, there is a real character to the houses and on the weekends, you do get a breakfast at the McClellan House which is really good, luckily we had one weekend night. There is a lot to be said for not having to take out the car unless you really want to. I would not hesitate at stay again at the Bluff View Inn in Chattanooga.
Visiting presidential sites has become the great American pastime. It is an entertaining way to get a history lesson while taking a vacation and getting the kids to understand the people who have occupied the White House. Greenville, Tenn. offers just such an opportunity, the Andrew Johnson Historic Site.
Andrew Johnson was the 17th president of the United States. He was never elected to that office in his own right, he became the president when the 16th president Abraham Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865, and then died the next day. This was not a very auspicious start to a presidency. While Andrew Johnson was not the first president to gain the office through the death of the president, he was the first who did so after an assassination.
Lincoln had chosen Johnson as a running mate to balance the ticket. Johnson was a southerner and a Democrat. He was also the only senator from a southern state who kept his seat during the Civil War. His election as Vice President was a reward for his loyalty.
Actually, his thinking on reconstruction was not very different from that of President Lincoln. The difference was the fact that he was a southerner and had a very intractable attitude. He never did learn to compromise. He butted heads with the Congress to such an extent that they had him impeached. He wasn't forced out of office but he also did not run again for the Presidency. He did, however, run for and was reelected to the Senate where he got to face down many of his sworn enemies.
He was a man of firm convictions who had worked as a tailor in his earlier life. He understood the working man and was a champion they could count on. His legacy has been tarnished to some extent by the impeachment proceedings but he is a fascinating man and visiting Greenville, Tenn. will help any history buff to get to know the man.
Head to the Andrew Johnson Historic Site Visitor Center to begin your trip through history. It is located at the corner of College and Depot St. A parking lot is available where you can leave your car for free. At this site, there is the first home that the Johnson's owned in Greenville. It is small and the tour is self-guided. Cross the street and enter the visitor center. Go to the desk first thing and sign up for a tour of the Andrew Johnson Home Site. These are guided tours and must be done with a guide, numbers are limited so do that first.
You can then tour the museum where his original tailor shop is located as well as view a video about Andrew Johnson and his life in Greenville as well as in Washington.
You can drive or walk to the home site it is only a few blocks away. The house tour is fascinating and depending on who your guide is you will learn a lot of personal information about the family. There is a lot of sadness in this story but I don't want to ruin it for you. Allow at least a couple of hours to do all of these things.
The next stop should be the cemetery to see the graves of Andrew and his family. It is a very impressive monument. You need to be able to climb stairs to get up onto the deck of the monument itself, it is, however, visible even from your car. The views of Greenville are quite spectacular from atop this hill.
One more stop is outside of the city to complete a presidential trip. The Andrew Johnson Museum and Library is located on the campus of Tusculum University. He was a benefactor of the University so it is fitting that this is where his library ended up. This is not a large museum, it only has three rooms but it has a nice collection of Johnson memorabilia from both his private and public life. His library of books is also housed here.
You can visit all the Johnson sites in one day but Greenville has some other very interesting places to visit around town so allow yourself at least one other day. Greenville is located in the Smokey Mountains and is easily driven to from both Knoxville and Asheville, N.C.
I never knew very much about Andrew Johnson and what I learned here made me realize that he was a good man who history has treated quite badly. He became president under nearly impossible conditions and the fact that he was not a success was more an indication of the times than of the man.
Anyone who has ever listened to Rock and Roll, Soul, Rhythm, and Blues or Country Music should run not walk to the amazing Rock and Soul Museum in Memphis. The address is Beale St but in reality, it is about a block off, right across the street from the Gibson Guitar Company.
Your visit begins with a video that lasts about 15-20 minutes. When it is over you are handed an audio tour that you follow through the museum.
You begin your journey traveling through the rural south in the 1920-s and 30-s where the life of the sharecropper was hard and their music was a way to take them away from the harsh realities. In the fields and on the front porches both black and white they made music that was the roots of rhythm and blues and also of Country Music.
By the 1940's the invention by the Ford Motor company of a tractor that could plow the cotton fields had decimated the tenant farmers of the south. The landlords no longer needed them and many families moved to cities like Memphis, Detroit, and Chicago. They brought their musical style with them and the North was introduced to the likes of which they had never heard.
It wasn't until 1953 that they found what they had been looking for, a white man who sang like a black man. His name was Elvis Presley and in him, all the pieces came together. Once Elvis had opened the door, there were many singers who went rushing through it and a whole new sound was born.
What this museum is all about is the development of that sound. You will see and hear about the record studios where the sound was born, the radio stations that promoted it and the singers and songwriters who made rock and roll and soul what they are today.
Names like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Al Green, and B.B. King are found and expounded upon. All along the way, you will have the opportunity to not only read about the history of Rock and Soul but to hear the songs that made the 50's and 60's such a revolutionary time.
Your audio tour tells the story but there are over 90 opportunities to play songs through that audio guide. Groups like the Carter family and singers like Jerry Lee Lewis bring the sound right to you.
Rock and Roll was a revolution built on the poverty in the rural south and on the disapproval of parents. Without this combination, Rock could have never thrived the way it did.
If you only have time for one museum in Memphis, make it this one. All the music that we enjoy today had its start in Memphis over 50 years ago and it is a nostalgic trip down the musical memory lane for any baby boomer.
This Museum is part of the Smithsonian Museum so you can be assured that everything is done well. Allow at least two hours and if you love music, allow more.
The entrance is $12 for adult and they do have an AAA discount but they won't offer if you don't ask. The tour finishes at the gift shop which is small but has a few interesting items.
A parking garage is located near the Peabody Hotel or if you are lucky there is metered parking along the street. This may be my favorite museum of all times; I guess that remains to be seen.
Tennessee was a very active state during the Civil War. Many of the sites where battles were fought in this state had to do with transportation. The fact that the western border of the state of Tennessee is the Mississippi River made it vital to both the Union and to the Confederacy.
Part of the Union's plan for winning the war was to control the Mississippi River. It was one of the early decisions that proved successful and helped to win the war for the Union.
The Union began their campaign in Cairo, Ill. and worked their way down the Mississippi River. In February 1862, Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant led a Union force of 15,000 against first Fort Henry and then Fort Donelson. This was a major blow to the Confederacy as it opened the door to Union control of this part of the Mississippi River.
Fort Henry was a minor skirmish with only 119 casualties. The Confederates had a force of over 12,000 at Fort Donelson and this was a major confrontation that lasted several days. Union forces had swollen and though reports differ, it is believed to have been between 25,000 and 35,000. Casualties were high, a total of almost 4,000 from both sides not including the missing.
The war moved south along the Mississippi River and in April, one of the major battles of the Civil War was fought. Up to this point, casualties had been relatively light, that was going to change. When the two sides met at Shiloh Church, devastation followed. Before the fighting was over, almost 24,000 men had died. The first day of the battle favored the Confederates but they suffered a major blow in the death of General Albert Sidney Johnston.
Overnight, reinforcements arrived at the Union Army from Nashville and the second day went to the Union with the Confederates retreating by days end. Both sides were stunned by the ferocity of this battle and it was a wake-up call to those who thought this was going to be a shortived and relatively bloodless war.
Chattanooga was a major rail center and controlled a vital spot on the Tennessee River. Once the western part of Tennessee was under Union control, it was deemed time to control the eastern part and put a strangle hold on the ability of the Confederacy to ship goods and men.
In June 1862, the first skirmishes took place at Chattanooga, but it wasn’t until over a year later in November 1863 that the major battle for the control of Lookout Mountain took place. It was to be a Union victory and the south never controlled this area again.
The Battle of Franklin took place in and around Carnton Plantation. It was one was the most savage battles of the war. On November 30, 1864 40,000 men met on the field of battle. Much of the combat was hand to hand. The battle only lasted for 5 hours but it left 2500 dead, 7000 wounded and 1000 missing. The hurting that it placed on the Confederate Army would lead to the eventual end of the war in April 1865.
These are just some of the Civil War battlefields in Tennessee. Tennessee was the site of many other battles, both small and large, and to this day retains many of the scars and memorials to the many Americans who lost their lives there on both sides.
