Traveling – Monticello

In April 2011, we traveled with our granddaughter to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.

Thomas Jefferson’s home was a sight to behold including inventions that were created way before their time such as a dumb-waiter to bring up the right bottle of wine for dinner, revolving service door allowing food to be placed on the shelves and then turned into the room for serving, and a pond established to hold fish so they were fresh when prepared for dinner.

Wine Cellar

Tulips along path

The flower gardens were beautifully maintained and picture perfect.

If you have a vegetable garden or even dream of one, the 1,000 feet of vegetable gardens at Monticello will inspire you to new heights.

As Thomas Jefferson said, “No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth.” Amen.

Standing below the house and above the gardens we could see the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Vegetable garden at Monticello

The house and exterior grounds were amazing as well as all the other areas like the kitchens, wine cellar, and stables.

Monticello kitchen

An emotional encounter was awaiting us when viewing the slaves’ quarters. A handsome young African-American couple were standing right next to us looking into the rooms, and the young lady became very emotional and started crying. She took many pictures and seemed to be experiencing very raw feelings triggered by these quarters. It brought tears to my eyes just watching her, and it certainly brought the issue of slavery to the forefront for our granddaughter.

As you entered and exited the main grounds, you walked though a classy visitor center with items for sale including Thomas Jefferson’s favorite vegetable and flower seeds and perennial plants from the site. There are also traditional souvenirs along with breathtakingly beautiful home and garden accessories. You can also buy fresh sandwiches, salads, snacks,  and root beer and wine that are made at Monticello.

If we lived closer, we’d have a family membership and be regular visitors taking advantage of the many gardening classes and historical offerings. As it is, my pulse quickens when I open my email and see one from Monticello because I know it will be filled with beautiful sights to remember.

Do yourself a big favor and put visiting Monticello on your bucket list.  When my daughter, grandchildren, and I are outside gardening together, we still talk about our trip to Monticello and plant many of Thomas Jefferson’s favorite vegetable and flower seeds in our garden every year.

If you are fortunate enough to go, you will enjoy every moment of your trip and hope for a return visit. It is a 10+ on a scale of 1-10.

Granddaughter’s Review of Monticello: The house is beautiful. I loved the dome-shaped roof. The gardens are amazing, and the plants we bought there were really nice.  I would love to go back.

Vegetable Garden Pavillion

Traveling – Mount Vernon

Like American history and George Washington? Well, take note, George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate, Museum and Gardens is a wonderful site to visit.

The mansion tour is amazing, and the animals, gardens and grounds are picture perfect. If you are a gardener, you will love the gardens. Vegetables or flowers – they are all beautiful. They even sell perennials native to the site, but on the day of our visit they were sold out.

Vegetable garden.

Have you ever seen a greenhouse this beautiful?

Mount Vernon Greenhouse

Walking the grounds and seeing the slaves quarters, blacksmith shop, stables, smokehouse and all the other areas take you back in history and get to your very soul. Standing on the lawn and looking at the Potomac you can picture George and Martha sitting on the large veranda, walking around the estate, or directing the work in the gardens or tending of their animals.

Hog Island Sheep

We had a wonderful trip in April 2011 traveling to Mount Vernon with our granddaughter. We had been there previously with her mom when she was about the same age.

What were the big differences that we noticed between visits? The renovations to the house had been completed, and it was beautiful.  The gardens and areas housing the many farm animals had been improved dramatically, and everything looked restored to its full grandeur.

Everything is beautiful and historically accurate – even the early outhouses that were placed in the gardens around the perimeter of the house.

Early Mount Vernon Necessaries

On our first visit we walked a rather gravelly path from the entrance to the grounds, the gardens were not restored, and only the first floor of the mansion was open at that time.

There is now a new expansive Visitor’s Center with many educational opportunities to learn more about Mount Vernon and George Washington, gift shop and a food court.

We never expected to see a food court with a Pizza Hut and TCBY at Mount Vernon – it was rather disappointing. The idea of having food available for visitors to purchase drinks or snacks is totally understandable, but a fast food court just like at any old mall?

Modernization is great but something where you can still feel like you are part of that era would be much better. If we go again, we’ll avoid the Food Court entirely because it tends to ruin the historical experience which is wonderful.

Is it worth the trip to see the home of George Washington? If you love history, animals native to that era, gorgeous English gardens, and views of the Potomac that are delightful, it is a wonderful family destination worthy of being on your bucket list.

From Mount Vernon, we were on a 106 mile trip to visit Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson.

Granddaughter (11) talks about Mt. Vernon – Absolutely beautiful place. Would really like to go back.  I thought having a Pizza Hut at George Washington’s home was a disgrace.

This post has been linked to the GRAND Social blogging event.

Traveling – Philadelphia, PA

History, history, history.  If you love history, Philadelphia is the place for you and your family.

Independence Hall

Our granddaughter loves history. So in April 2011, we headed to where it all began for us – Philadelphia. It is a wonderful place to see all the historical sights and get to know the past a little better.

Independence Hall, part of the Independence National Historical Park, is where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were discussed and adopted. The Liberty Bell originally hung in the bell tower.

The Liberty Bell is made of 70% copper, 25% tin, and small amounts of other metals, weighs about 2,000 pounds, and is now displayed in a glass chamber at The Liberty Bell Center.

Our granddaughter loved touring Betsy Ross’ House and listening to the tour guide explain how she sewed in her bedroom so no one would see her sewing on the first American Flag.

We saw where Benjamin Franklin lived and went to the tiny Post Office named for him to send our postcards. Sadly that Post Office has now been closed.

Christ Church was also a wonderful site to tour. It was amazing to be in a building where 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence worshipped. Our granddaughter sat in George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Betsy Ross’ pews and listened to how servants would bring pots of coal in to heat the sitting areas as they were there for several hours.

Guard at Betsy Ross’ House

Because we wanted to be able to walk around, we stayed downtown at the Best Western Plus Independence Park Hotel located in the heart of the historic district. You can just step outside and walk to all the historical sites or walk a couple blocks and catch a tour bus.

There is no doubt you could spend a week in Philadelphia seeing all the sights. We weren’t there that long but tried to squeeze in as much as possible. We would love to go back again and see more of the city’s attractions.

The history of Philadelphia is inspiring and is a wonderful historical teaching opportunity as well as being fun. If you have a bucket list of places to visit with the grandchildren, jot it down.

From Philadelphia, we headed to Mount Vernon. From the Declaration of Independence and the Liberty Bell to the First President – great stuff for history junkies.

Granddaughter (11) dishes about Philadelphia – The Liberty Bell was amazing and beautiful. Betsy Ross’ house was absolutely incredible.  Independence Hall was great to see.

This post has been linked to the GRAND Social blogging event.

Traveling – Cooperstown, New York

We saw battlefields, race tracks, museums, art, pottery and now we are participating in the great American past time – baseball and all of its history.

Cooperstown, New York, is a small town with a big attraction. Main Street is lined with a lot of small stores selling everything baseball with a big focus on two teams – New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. We had a fun time checking out all the shops, picking up a few special things for our grandson and watching a game being played at Doubleday Field.

Baseball history abounds at the field with its bleachers and covered grandstand. The fact that many Hall of Famers including Babe Ruth made game appearances at Doubleday Field brings the depth of this town’s baseball history to a reality. Doubleday Field is owned by the Village of Cooperstown, and the citizens continue to work to maintain and sustain the field.

After enjoying the Main Street shopping and beautiful Otsego Lake views, we headed for the main attraction – National Baseball Hall of Fame.  If you are a baseball fan, there are three floors of exhibits that are absolutely inspiring. There are films to watch, stats to review, and personal effects that will render you awestruck. Everything baseball from 1936 to current day!

When our daughter was about our granddaughter’s age, we spent a lot of time at Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City watching the Royals. George Brett was her favorite player so we were excited for our granddaughter to see his uniform, pine-tar bat, and other items related to his playing days.

Now days we are part of Red Sox Nation and proud of it! So, it was amazing for us to see so many exhibits relating to them and their accomplishments including Big Papi (David Ortiz), our grandson’s favorite player.

Our hotel clerk told us that during the summer they have 109 Little League teams each week for thirteen weeks arriving in town for tournament play. We were sure glad to be there in the off-season.

And, don’t miss the Yankee Cow with Phil Rizzuto’s retired number 10 shirt. Rizzuto was known for his trademark expression “Holy Cow.” What fun.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame is definitely one of those places that should be on your bucket list.  Go and see all things baseball for yourself.

Granddaughter on the sights of Cooperstown:  Hall of fame was really cool, and things are well organized. Seeing Babe Ruth’s history there was great.

This post has been linked to the GRAND Social blogging event.

Traveling – Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls is listed by Yahoo Travel as one of the 10 Places Every Kid Should See and by Budget Travel as 15 Places Your Kids Should See Before 15.

So, after our granddaughter expressed interest in the Falls, we were off to see them.

Immediately upon arrival in town, even before checking into the hotel, we went to the Niagara Falls State Park to check it out. What can I say – it is unbelievable. The power of it is amazing.

Niagara Falls is three separate falls located in the United States and Canada. We stayed on the United States side but certainly enjoyed the view of Canada and all of its attractions including the huge Niagara Sky Wheel.

It was so awesome, we decided to go again that evening and see the Falls from Goat Island. We walked all the way down to the railing to see the Falls up close and personal at night with lights. The Falls were terrific in the afternoon, but the view at night was a sight to behold. Standing at the railing allows you to be about 10-12′ from the water itself with the spray and sound rising all around you. As our granddaughter said, “what a rush.”

Niagara Falls has a wide assortment of hotels including the Seneca Niagara Casino. For a special ice cream treat, we went to the Cold Stone Creamery in the Casino to get a dish of Sweet Cream. Delicious.

Before leaving, we made a stop at the Aquarium of Niagara. This is a nice little aquarium if you are wanting to make a short stop for the kids while in town. It was very clean, staff was friendly, and we enjoyed our visit. It is small – it won’t take long to go through it.

There is also a wonderful Whaling Wall on an outside wall of the Aquarium by Artist Wyland. Wyland painted 100 of these walls to share his love of marine life. This one is #81, Atlantic Humpback Whales (1998). We have #37, Isle of Shoals Humpbacks (1993) here in Portsmouth, NH.

The Portsmouth wall needs to be updated, but the building owner will not allow it. It is an issue that is very real for many local residents who would like to see it restored to its original beauty.

Niagara Falls has beautiful parks with lovely plantings but also an unbelievable number of T-shirt shops. It has the appearance of an old town that is somewhat run down with quite a few buildings boarded up. We traveled during off season and enjoyed the smaller crowds. It would not be a destination where we would choose to spend an extended period of time.

We would, however, highly recommend seeing Niagara Falls if you are ever in the Buffalo area. Take a jacket for the spray because you want to get close and enjoy the wonder of it all. It was an awesome sight and sound.

Granddaughter’s Review on Niagara Falls:  The falls are absolutely spectacular! Go see them either during the day or at night.

Traveling – Saratoga Springs, New York

Saratoga Springs held several things of interest for our granddaughter. But before an eleven-year old girl could start sightseeing, she needed breakfast and the grandparents needed coffee.

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We didn’t get just any regular breakfast – we followed her Dad’s advice and went to the best bakery in Saratoga Springs. Mrs. London’s Bakery and Cafe offered an array of beautiful pastries that caused a big problem – which one to choose. If you go, try the Almond Croissant – it was a true delicacy. The Quiche was also wonderful – the eggs were as light as air. Mrs. London’s has to be on your list of places to eat!

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After having our delicious breakfast, we were ready to get going. She loves everything related to horses so checking out the Saratoga Race Track was a must even though it is not open yet for racing. We did get to peek inside, took a couple of pictures, and watched some of the horses working out across the street. How do you spell excitement for an eleven-year old girl? Saratoga.

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Then we were off to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. We have been on a lot of trips and adventures with this young lady, but to say her pulse quickened just pulling into the parking lot is an understatement. The first thing she saw was a statue of Seabiscuit in a lovely garden, and we were still outside.

We toured the entire Museum and were in awe of the quality of the exhibits. The staff was friendly, and all we can say is that it is one classy place if you like race horses. Seabiscuit outside and Secretariat inside. For our granddaughter, the only way to make that combination better would be to add her beloved Zanyatta. They have a very nice store, but the prices are very high because of the inventory offered. The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is a must see if you go to Saratoga Springs.

To add to the fun in Saratoga Springs, we also saw several painted horses by local artists and sponsored by local businesses.

After exploring all things racing, we were off to see the Saratoga National Historic Park which is part of the US National Park Service. The Battle of Saratoga in the late fall of 1777 is considered one of the top fifteen most decisive battles. This park celebrates the Patriots fighting for independence and our first victory in the American Revolutionary War.

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This wonderful Park is made up of three sections.  The four-square mile Battlefield includes the Visitor Center which is open year-round and includes a digital database where you can search for ancestors who may have fought in the Battle of Saratoga.

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The General Philip Schuyler House which was rebuilt after the British set fire to it during their retreat allows you to visualize early Colonial life.

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The Saratoga Monument, a 155-foot obelisk celebrates the American victory when the British General Burgoyne surrendered. Climbing to the top of the monument provides you an opportunity to see the area where the Continental Troops fought and we started our march towards liberty for all.

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Opened in 2010, about 8 miles north of the Battlefield, is Victory Woods which was the final encampment for the British Troops under  General Burgoyne.

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After such a wonderful time in Saratoga Springs, we’re back in the Honda Odyssey headed to Niagara Falls.

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Granddaughter (11) on Saratoga Springs and all things horse:  Museum was amazing. It was really cool you could watch the horses train. The Quiche was awesome, and the almond croissant was phenomenal at Mrs. London’s.

Traveling – Bennington, Vermont

If it is April, then we are on a car trip with our granddaughter to see all things historical and some things just for fun. After a three-hour car trip from home, our first stop was Bennington, Vermont.

Normally along this route you see wonderful brooks running right along the road, but today there were more rocks showing and more puddles than running water. Dramatic reminder of a winter with not enough snow and very little rainfall so far this spring. This is not a good thing

On the way into town, we stopped at the Bennington Potters and were amazed at their assortment of beautiful pottery, glassware, and furniture.  Nice place, and I can’t quite describe the front window that was ‘around’ a moose and a cow – heads inside the store and bodies outside. It was worth the stop just to see them. They even had these pretty daffodils outside to enjoy as you  left with your shopping bag.

Our next stop was the Bennington Battle Monument where we bought tickets to ride to the top, looked out the large windows, and took advantage of the  wonderful views including the rolling hills of Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and Massachusetts.

We had a great guide who told us about the supply depot at Bennington and the important role it played in the Revolutionary War. Volunteers from NH came over to join the VT Green Mountain Boys to keep the British from reaching the supply depot and actually forced the remaining British troops to head for Saratoga.

While driving from stop to stop around Bennington, we were entertained with a wonderful parade of Moose painted by local artists and sponsored by local businesses – street level and roof level – they were all great.

We then headed to the Bennington Museum and  some wonderful exhibits of Colonial furniture, glassware, pottery, guns and canons, dolls, clothing, and even a restored car. The clothing exhibit included ladies underwear from the early eras – quite entertaining.

But, the highlight at the Museum was the exhibit of Grandma Moses’ paintings and her old schoolhouse. What a treat to see her paintings in person. Her great grandson’s paintings were exhibited as well and were very similar to hers except maybe his lines were a little more crisp.

There were also some wonderful modern sculptures lining one hallway that were made with paper, wood, and plain old cardboard including a furniture moving box.

Outside was a modern wood sculpture in this interesting pod-type enclosure.

Colonial to modern – the Bennington Museum had some of everything.

On the way out of town, we had to make one more stop. Some friends had told us that the town keeps a herd of white-tailed deer in a park downtown. Well, we had to see this. So, we trekked off to find a local who could give us directions to the park. Sure enough there was a herd of deer encamped right there in town. Since our granddaughter had never seen deer except in a book or on TV, we walked the perimeter of the park so she could get up close and personal with these beauties. (Beauties as long as they aren’t eating my Hosta.)

Bennington Vermont is an interesting little town and deserves a stop if you are traveling through New England.

Granddaughter (11) comments – Absolutely loved the Moose that were scattered around town, the ride up the monument, and the Grandma Moses’ paintings.

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