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Sites to see while in Texas

Last December I drove through Texas in order to visit the three Presidential libraries. During my three day trip, I made a few other stops along the way.  

Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas

The Sixth Street museum and Dealey Plaza in Dallas, where President John Kennedy was assassinated are well preserved monuments to day in November, 1963. Little as changed in The Plaza since ’63 and the old Texas School Book Depository building, now the Dallas County Administration building, houses the Sixth Street museum.  There you can purchase an audio tour of the museum which includes a walk through the sixties and exhibits that walk you through the events of that November day. You can view the corner window where Lee Harvey Oswald shot the President Kennedy and Governor John Connelly.  It is a thought provoking.  I received a photo tip from a local resident, there is a pedestrian bridge that overlooks the Plaza and is a good location for photos of the plaza.  Be sure to buy your ticket online before your visit as the tour fills up quickly.  There are numerous parking lots in the area and parking can be a bit pricey.

http://www.jfk.org/

Magnolia Market at the Silos

HGTV personalities, Chip and Joanna Gaines, have reclaimed two old grain silos near downtown Waco that stand watch over the area.  Magnolia Market is the large shop for their lines of home goods which I found a tad on the expensive side. There is a large area of picnic tables and a green space for kids to play.  Surrounding the green space are various local food trucks which sell all types of foods from barbeque to ice cream. The Silo Baking Company, usually with a line out the door, is small building that turns at dozens of tasty treats daily. Yes, it is worth the wait. It is a hot spot in town and usually crowded. The Gaines’ have obviously hit the nail on the head for the visiting public.

https://magnoliamarket.com/silos/

Official Texas Ranger Hall of Fame

I passed the sign for the Official Texas Ranger Hall of Fame in Waco, so I went to investigate. The Hall of Fame is look at the role of the Texas Rangers throughout the history of Texas. There are numerous displays, consisting of guns, rifles and other law enforcement items that provide visitors with an overview of the roll of the Ranger’s in law enforcement.  A forty-five minute film provides a look into just what Rangers accomplish on a daily basis.  A wall of photographs honor each Ranger that as died while in performance of his duty.  Excellent historical references and oral histories are provided that put you in the moment of an arrest.  The statuary alone is worth a stop to see.

http://www.texasranger.org/

Trattoria Lisina and Mandola Winery

Even after a long drive from State College to San Antonio, I wanted to visit Trattoria Lisina and Mandola Winery in Driftwood, Texas again.  While it is a bit off the beaten path, it is worth every minute spent getting there. The surrounding vineyard reminds you think of Italy and the food puts you in the midst of the Italian countryside. The wine tasting room was buzzing when I arrived a little early for my reservation. I opted to wait for a glass of wine with dinner.  Dinner was a scrumptious seafood risotto with plenty of parmesan.  Service was top notch. If you’re close by, go and have a meal.  It’s worth it.    

http://trattorialisina.com/

State Capitol of Texas 

Everything is bigger in Texas and it is true of the State Capitol which is a bit taller than the US Capitol. It is an impressive site to behold and even more impressive on the interior.  Guided and self guided tours are available daily.  The nearby Visitors Center also maintains a wealth of information about the capitol and grounds. 

Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy learning more about Texas.

http://www.tspb.state.tx.us/

WHISPERS OF THE PAST

(Ghost Hunting in Mobile)

I had no idea that downtown Mobile was filled with spirits. I was aware of the spirits that reside in the bars but as I learned on the Ghost Tour of Mobile, there are many spirits (ghosts) roaming various residences of the city. We embarked on our journey at the Mobile History museum with Bay City Tours, a local tour company. Our tour guide, Carol, engaged the group with tales local ghosts as we drove through the darkening streets.

Mobile History Museum

Buoyed with information about the resident ghosts, our first haunted stop was the Richards DAR house located in the Historic District of De Tonti Square. The house was built in 1860 by Charles G. Richards, a steamboat captain, and his wife Caroline. Caroline died in 1867 during the birth of their 12^th child. Four of their children died young yet the family kept the house until 1947 when Ideal Cement bought the home for its headquarters. In 1973, the home became a museum which is run by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Listed on the National historic register, the house is an exquisite example of Italianate architecture with its ornate cast iron façade that depicts the four seasons.

Richards DAR House

DAR House

DAR Ironwork fence

Armed with our divining rods, (the ghost hunting tool) we headed to the rear garden of the property. After a quick prayer, (another tool of hunting) we began asking questions of our ghost hosts and we moved about the patio garden as the rods began to move indicative of energy in the area. There have been documented paranormal recorded events at the house. Orbs have been photographed on the property and people had heard and seen some odd things inside the house. Unfortunately, we were unable to detect any ghostly activity or apparitions.

Leaving Joachim Street, we headed across Government St. to the AME Zion Church on Bayou St. The church faces the Church Street graveyard. The park area across the street was originally part of the graveyard, serving predominately as the potter’s field. (Graves for paupers) The tree on the corner of Bayou and Church is known as the Boyington Oak. The story goes that Charles Boyington, an African American was hanged in 1835 for a crime that he did not commit and according to local lore, his last words were “a mighty oak tree would spring from his heart” to prove his innocence. Again, armed with our diving rods we walked the area asking questions of any who might be present. One of the tour participants commented that she did receive an answer to one of her questions asked of the ghostly residents.

Boyington Oak

While no spirits were located, the evening opened my eyes to look at my hometown in a new and more interesting way.

It was a lovely evening in downtown Mobile and I spotted the new Christ Church steeple beautifully lit. 

Christ Church Steeple

 

If you are interested in a ghost tour, https://www.baycityconventions.com/

Attended Tbex North America in Huntsville last week.  Can't say enough good things about the CVB of Huntsville. What an amazing group of people. Generous, kind and hard-working.  The Tbex team was terrific and put on an incredible event.  I learned so much from the speakers and attendees.   I still have a lot more to learn, but I know the path to take now.   I look foward to Ireland and Zimbabwe.   

New article on LA and the Space Shuttle Endeavor.  

48-hours-los-angeles-fast-furious-fun/

http://www.davestravelcorner.com/journals/destination-north-america/larger-life-texas-presidential-libraries/

A recent article posting.  Enjoy!   

The Reagan Library, Simi Valley, CA

40^th President of the United States

A short trip to Los Angeles at the beginning of October, 2016 brought an opportunity to visit the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, 40 miles east of Los Angeles. The library which is perched on a hill that overlooks the valley provides a magnificent view of the surrounding landscape. This is the third of the thirteen Presidential Libraries that I have visited. The library’s location makes it a bit of a journey to get to but it is definitely worth it. While my friend and I didn’t have a long visit, we made the most of our time. 

 

A bronze statue of Reagan greets you as you enter the ticketing area. 

You begin your tour of the museum and meet both Ron and Nancy with a short film about their careers. 

 

With a variety of artifacts, documents, film clips and other materials, visitors move through the major events of Reagan’s life. You can explore his film career, his two terms as the president of the screen actor’s guild, his political career as a two-time Governor of California and then his eight year term as the 40^th President of the US. The display on the day Reagan was shot on March 30, 1981 soon after his presidency began is a moment by moment account of the horrific day and includes his suit and x-ray taken of his injuries.

Reagan was the first President to have been divorced, having divorced Jane Wyman in 1949. He then wed Nancy, in 1952 who was the light of his life. Her attention to details shows throughout the library. 

The re-creation of Reagan’s western themed oval office is warm and welcoming and has the ever present container of his favorite treat, Jelly Beans. Later in the exhibits who can view Reagan’s portrait made of jelly beans. 

 

Nancy is well represented through a beautiful display of her gowns she wore to numerous occasions during her eight years in the White House. 

The Air Force One pavilion dominates the Library and houses the Boeing 737 that carried seven presidents around the world during his time as president ending with Reagan. Marine One is also on display as well as the limousine that served him. The plane is positioned as it could takeoff over the Valley. You can tour both the plane and helicopter. I was struck at how small the plane was compared to the 747 that our President flies in today. 

 

Toward the end of tour, there is an exhibit that replays Reagan’s national address after the Challenger explosion. The 911 display brings back memories of that horrific day. A piece of a girder from the twin towers is exhibited and you can piece of history that is forever emblazoned upon our collective memory.

 Reagan’s death from pneumonia and Alzheimer’s disease on June 5, 2004 was a slow death for this larger than life personality. Nancy followed her beloved Ronnie in death on March 6, 2016. They were laid to rest next to one another and looking out over the mountains of California.

  

In the courtyard there is a piece of the Berlin Wall. It immediately brings to mind, Reagan’s speech, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” at the Brandenberg gate in 1987. The Soviet Union did fall three years after he left the presidency in 1991.

The Library’s holdings include over 60 million pages of documents, over 1.6 million photographs, a half million feet of motion picture film, tens of thousands of audio and video tape, and over 40,000 artifacts.

The museum is defiantly worth the investment of the time and travel.

https://www.reaganfoundation.org/