Fun Friday–Places I’d Like to Revisit
Friday, July 31, 2009
Earlier this week, I filled out one of those “more than you ever wanted to know about me” memes on Facebook. One of the questions was three of my favorite places I’ve ever visited. Well, since it was late at night when I was filling it out, I had to wrack my brain for a while to come up with them. And ever since, I keep thinking about places I’ve been that I would love to revisit someday. So I thought that could be a fun topic for today.
5. Alaska
- My father was stationed at Ft. Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, from 1972 to 1975. I was four when we moved away, so I have some vague memories of living there, but every time I see a nature or travel program focused on the beauty and wonders of the Last Frontier state, it makes me want to go back. Places I’d like to see/revisit: Anchorage, Kenai Fjords National Park, Denali National Park and Preserve, and a tour of the interior on the Alaska Railroad.
4. Washington DC
- When I moved from Chantilly, Virginia, to Nashville in 1996, after living there three and a half years, I swore I’d never live in a big city again. Ever. But while the Washington DC area was not my idea of fun as a place to live/work/commute, it is still a great place to visit. The museums, the history, the restaurants, the culture, the freakishness that is our nation’s capital is something that should be experienced by everyone at least once. When I first moved there, I worked for AT&T in downtown DC—just a block up from the Metro Center subway hub. Because my first several weeks on the job consisted of split shifts—where I had a sometimes three or four hour break in the middle of my eight scheduled work hours—I would hop the Metro down to the Mall and visit one of the museums to kill time. My favorite, of course, is the National Museum of American History—and I don’t even want to think about all of the wonderful exhibits I’ve missed in the 13 years since I moved away. The National Museum of Natural History is another favorite, especial the gems and minerals collection. In addition to the other museums I’m familiar with, such as Air & Space, the Hirshhorn modern art gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery, since I moved away, they opened the National Museum of the American Indian, in which I’d love to spend at least a full day. And, of course, no visit to the nation’s capital is complete without visiting the monuments and memorials. Since I left, they completed the WWII memorial, the Korean War Veterans memorial, and the Women in Military Service for America memorial.
3. Estes Park, Colorado
- I’ve only visited Estes Park once, and then only for a few hours, back in 1995 when I had flown out to Colorado (from Virginia) to spend Thanksgiving with a friend, who was at that time attending school in Ft. Collins. We drove up to Estes Park for the day—to do a little shopping and a little site-seeing and drive up into the mountains. I would love to go back sometime, probably during the summer, and just spend a week or so exploring the town and enjoying the mountains.
2. Civil War Sites in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania
- Maybe it’s not fair to separate these from DC, but as they’re outside the Beltway, and as they’re a totally different experience than the DC experience, I’m making them separate.
- Manassas (Bull Run) Battlefield, Manassas, Virginia.
We lived only about a five to ten minute drive from the Manassas Battlefield Park. This is where the War Between the States began. It’s where General Thomas Jackson stood “like a stone wall” and earned his nickname. It’s where everyone assumed the question over secession would be answered in one decisive battle. It’s where, if Robert E. Lee had chosen to pursue the fleeing Union Army back to DC, the war could have ended with a very different outcome. The first battle of Manassas was where the socialites from DC came out with their picnic lunches to watch the battle as if it were an afternoon entertainment instead of bloody chaos. It’s where Sullivan Balou wrote his infamous letter (audio, but no video). - Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.
The historic location of the town has been well preserved over the years, and appears very much the way it did back in 1859 when John Brown tried to seize the arsenal for the escaped slaves/freed black he though were coming to join him there. The town sits on a promontory at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, which also happens to be the point where West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia all meet. It’s actually divided into two parts: Harper’s Ferry National Historic Park and Harper’s Ferry Historic District. The National Historic Park is where the museums are and where the guided historical tours (two distinct tours: the whole history of HF and the Civil War history of HF) take place and where the museums and restored sites of historical significance for tourists are. Aside from the historical importance of this town, it’s worth visiting just for the scenery. - Sharpsburg (Antietam) Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Maryland.
Not only was this the first major battle to take place on the Union side of the map, it still stands as the bloodiest day in American history with about 23,000 Americans dead or wounded in the battle. Though the battle ended indecisively—neither side could truly call it a victory—it was the show of power that Lincoln needed to be able to lend credence to the Emancipation Proclamation and thus discourage both Britain and France from supporting the Confederacy in the war. I’ve seen the battlefield by day and by candlelight at night. - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
With the exception of Manassas (because I drove through the park regularly to get to town), I’ve visited Gettysburg National Military Park more times than any other historical site. It is the most visited of all Civil War sites, and it has one of the best visitors’ centers, complete with a Cyclorama that explains the battle day by day, action by action. There’s a great driving tour to see all of the important points of the battlefield (the Peach Orchard, Devil’s Den, Big Round Top, Little Round Top, and Cemetery Ridge and the High Water Mark—marking Pickett’s Charge). However, it wasn’t until the third or fourth time I visited when I finally understood the scope of the battle—when I saw the battlefield from horseback, the way many of the participants in the battle saw it. Though it’s hard to find a time to visit when there isn’t a huge crowd (late fall/early spring when it’s still cold is good), and though the battlefield is dotted with memorials, it’s a place I feel every single American citizen should visit at least once and take time to contemplate what happened there . . .
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
1. Santa Fe, New Mexico.
- I actually could have done this post just on places in New Mexico I’d like to go back and spend time in. Having grown up in Las Cruces, NM, there are so many favorite haunts around the state that I could go for a month and still probably not see/do everything I wanted. So I decided to focus on the place that, when I lived there, I enjoyed visiting the most: the state capital of Santa Fe. There is so much to see and do in Santa Fe that I’d never be able to do it justice here. But no trip to the city, established as the capital by Spanish Governor Don Pedro de Peralta in 1610, would be complete without a visit to the Palace of the Governors on the central Plaza. Not only are there Native American artisans selling their wares, the Palace houses one of the best museums on New Mexico/Southwestern history in the country. Another must-see is the Loretto Chapel, with its “miraculous” circular staircase. And because it’s the penultimate and only authorized collection, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is definitely worth a few hours’ perusal. But for me, any trip back to New Mexico is all about the FOOD. I miss New Mexican food so much, especially northern NM food, which incorporates much of the Pueblo and Navajo traditions, such as fry bread. I’m hurting just thinking about how good it is! I think I need to start saving now for a trip soon!
What are some of the places you’ve visited (or lived) that you’d love to revisit?
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When I was eight we moved to NC for my dad to go to Bible college…Lattimore is an hour out of Charlotte and there’s the most gorgeous view of the Smokies everywhere. Lived there for ten years and I just loved it. Love going back and visiting.
KC…well, it’s where I live,
and I love it. Always loved visiting when we lived in NC. It’s really got a lot of awesome places to go and just some neat history.
Florida…I absolutely love Florida. Tampa area. I could move there in a heartbeat. Palm trees, Cuban food, just love the whole atmosphere.
Pennsylvania was fun, too. We visited Lancaster a few years ago.
And the Ozarks are so lovely. Haven’t been in years.
This was a really fun post!
I’ll be attending my cousin’s wedding in Highlands, NC, over Labor Day weekend. A bunch of my family and I are renting a vacation house for the long weekend and from the photos, it looks like it’s got great views of the mountains. I’m really looking forward to it.
Since I’m not a beach (nor heat) loving person, Florida is one of the places I’ve been that I really couldn’t care less if I ever go back or not.
One of my favorite places that I do get to revisit often is in the Ozarks: Hot Springs, Arkansas—where my parents now live!
I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, when I was 9. We did the Alaskan Railroad – it’s a beautiful journey. I would love to go back to Alaska. I still have friends there, including Amy Jane at Untangling Tales.
I would also love to go back to Wiesbaden, Germany, where I lived when I was 15. The most beautiful country in the planet that I’ve visited so far. Driving along the Rhine River valley in autumn, with a castle atop every other brilliantly colored, vineyard-covered hill….
I’ll be discussing Germany on next week’s Friday post!
I want to go back to the Vicksburg battle park and take my husband! I’ve only been once, when I was about 10 and it was so much fun. I’d also love to walk around downtown again now that I’m old enough to truly remember and appreciate the beauty of that old town.
I’d also love to go back to Lake Tahoe someday.
Vicksburg is on my “must-visit” list. My local writers’ group is going to take a field trip in October to the Shiloh battlefield. We’ll be meeting up with Memphis author Annalisa Daughety, who worked as a Park Ranger there during college, and whose first book with Barbour, Love’s a Battlefield, is set there!
Can you put me in your duffel? Or the trunk of someone’s car?
Our family traveled quite alot when I was growing up. Because my father worked for Piedmont Airlines and UsAirways all of my immediate family could basically fly free, stand-by wherever the airline would go. We took trips to San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Minnesota, New England states, and several others along the East coast. Besides these places we have family that live all kinds of places around the U.S., so we would visit them in FL, PA, NY, TN, etc.
I’m from North Carolina and also love the Asheville area and Biltmore House. If you ever get a chance to go there do by all means. It is a place where one’s imagination could take off with many romantic story lines. George and Edith Vanderbilt lived there, along with their only child, Cornelia. The house has room for sixty guests to spend the night and at the time the family still lived there they had ninety servants to run the place! I love visiting there, but feel sad that no large family with six to eight children could have the place for their home. It would have been wonderful to grow up there.
http://www.biltmore.com/visit/house/default.asp
Probably the places I loved visiting best are Biltmore House; San Francisco; Charleston, S.C., and Washington, D.C. I was quite young when we went to New England, so don’t have really vivid memories of that trip. I’d like to go back.
Oh, I went there years ago (Biltmore). Love to go again, since I probably would appreciate it more now then when I was seven.
Biltmore/Asheville made my top 10 list, but not the top 5. I WILL get there, maybe as soon as next year if I can swing the Blue Ridge writers’ conference at Ridgecrest.
My grandmother is nearly obsessed with Biltmore. It’s kind of funny!
I’ve been to the Biltmore House once, and my parents just got back from their 2nd trip. It’s an amazing place, I really want to go back someday soon.
Hello . . . Roadtrip!
Love quite a few of those places and know we’ll be revisiting several of them ourselves. We love visiting the DC zoo too.
The DC zoo is great—when we visited DC the first time (I think I’d just finished sixth grade), I was most excited about visiting the zoo because I’d heard about the white tigers and I’d never seen one. Now you see them all the time, but back then, they were very uncommon.
Thanks for this topic! It reminded me to be thankful for the wonderful places I’ve seen.
1. Coast of Maine
I can’t wait to sit by the rocky cliffs of the ocean again — breathtaking!
2. Wyoming
I only enjoyed a small part of it on a drive to Colorado, so I’d love to see more.
3. Newport, Rhode Island
Absolutely beautiful — inside the mansions and out.
4. Charleston, SC
The historic spots are fascinating (I didn’t see them all!) and the azaleas are gorgeous in the spring.
5. Northern Michigan, especially Mackinac Island and north of the the Leelanau Peninsula
Yes, Estes Park is wonderful! It is a childhood vacation spot of mine, as I grew up in western Iowa. Also, my fiance and I are getting married there this summer – at the historic Stanley Hotel. It truly is a wonderful place; you can spend days alone in Rocky Mountain National Park.
And Santa Fe is fantastic, too! It was on our list of possible wedding spots (in addition to Estes, obviously, and New Orleans). When we moved from Florida, we drove home, and then drove out to LA (where I am currently). We made a point to stay in Santa Fe for a night. There truly is something magical about the American Southwest.